1,001 songs to listen to before you die...

[Liam]

986.      

‘Sweet Disposition’, The Temper Trap (2008)

By no means do I think this song should be on a list like this, but it is a song that evokes a time and a period for me in a way that many others on this whole thing don’t really. From the opening falsetto-esque vocals to the insistent guitar work, layer upon layer building up before the release about a minute and a half into the song – I love it. Oh, to be young again or something like that.

987.       

‘L.E.S. Artistes’, Santigold (2008)

I remember when Santigold was the next big thing, and you can see where that attitude came from when listening to this song. Spiky and catchy all at once, this is a fun mix of indie, reggae, hip-hop – it doesn’t really sound much like anything that has come before to me, which is what makes it so memorable. I feel that there has to be more to its inclusion here, but for the time, I can just enjoy the music.

988.      

‘Sex on Fire’, Kings of Leon (2008)

Influenced by: I’m on Fire • Bruce Springsteen (1984)   

Influence on: Sometime Around Midnight • The Airborne Toxic Event (2009)   

Covered by: James Morrison (2008) • Sam Winters (2009) • Alesha Dixon (2009) • Tina Cousins (2009) • Sugarland (2009)

Maybe I’m overstating things, but I do feel that this is a song that most people, whether they like Kings of Leon or not, enjoy, if only for how fun it is to sing along to when you are several pints deep. This was the song that seemed to take the band from an interesting novelty to a global phenomenon and it isn’t hard to understand why. Punchy, driving, simplistic; a hit from the moment it hit the airwaves.

989.      

‘One Day Like This’, Elbow (2008)

Influenced by: Hey Jude • The Beatles (1968)   

Influence on: Lifelines • Doves (2009)   Covered by: Snow Patrol (2008)   

Other key tracks: Lullaby (2008) • Every Bit the Little Girl (2008) • Li’l Pissed Charmin’ Tune (2008) • Grounds for Divorce (2008)

A huge song, at least in the UK. Some could (with some validity) make a complaint that is a little boring, a little long, a little safe. However, it does feel quite rousing to me, and its ubiquitous use on television and in films hasn’t quite dampened its ability to get an emotional response from me.

990.      

‘Viva La Vida’, Coldplay (2008)

People really don’t like Coldplay, but for the most part I don’t really mind them. There are more egregiously lauded bands and acts out there who have made money with arguably less songwriting/musical talent, so I’m always fairly sang about the plaudits people give the band. This feels like another song chosen as it was the one that took a big band into a global phenomenon, so you can’t argue too much with it. The song does just sound big in a way that none of their songs had been up until this, so it wasn’t too surprising that it was the tune that took them to superstardom.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Oh no, now we're really getting into songs I don't recognize. I think I know that Coldplay song from radio play, but the rest are totally unfamiliar to me.

[RPS]

9 minutes ago, The Redeemer CLDY said:

Oh no, now we're really getting into songs I don't recognize. I think I know that Coldplay song from radio play, but the rest are totally unfamiliar to me.

You don't know Sex On Fire? That was everywhere. 

Wait. I was thinking of Use Somebody... 

[Liam]

14 minutes ago, RPS said:

You don't know Sex On Fire? That was everywhere. 

Wait. I was thinking of Use Somebody... 

I think they both were, for a time.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I think I've heard it in adverts, but as far as like, ever hearing the whole song? Nope!

[METALMAN]

Oh I forgot how much indie rock broke through into the charts back then.

Sweet Disposition is boring. My mum liked it at the time though. I used to hear it at club nights quite a lot. I don't like it but it brings a certain amount of nostalgia with it.

That Santigold song is a proper banger. I saw this song live before it was released and I had a feeling it would be huge. But it wasn't that huge. I read NME at the time and they hyped Santigold to the skies but it fizzled out quickly. As is the nature of these things. I used to hear it at club nights quite a lot. It brings a certain amount of nostalgia with it.

I liked Sex on Fire at the time. I'd still maintain that it's a decent song, lyrics about STDs aside. I like the sound of the bass. I used to hear this song at club nights quite a lot. It brings a certain amount of nostalgia with it.

One Day Like This is nice and rousing. But it drags on quite a bit. I guess that's the point of it though. It's one of those Hey Jude type songs that have to drag on because that's the point of it.

Viva la Vida is boring. My mum liked it at the time though. I used to hear it at club nights quite a lot. I don't like it and it doesn't  bring a certain amount of nostalgia with it because it's not gone anywhere.

[RPS]

28 minutes ago, METALMAN said:

That Santigold song is a proper banger. I saw this song live before it was released and I had a feeling it would be huge. But it wasn't that huge. I read NME at the time and they hyped Santigold to the skies but it fizzled out quickly. As is the nature of these things. I used to hear it at club nights quite a lot. It brings a certain amount of nostalgia with it.

I think because it was playing in the same space as M.I.A., but did not sound so foreign, different and new than M.I.A. M.I.A. took genres and instruments not typically heard in American pop music and blended them together into a dance/pop/hip hop song. Santigold did the same, just with less of a global focus. 

[Colly]

L.E.S. Artistes made it onto my PS3 Wipeout playlist alongside Space and the Woods by Late of the Pier, and there is no higher praise than that. The album was good too.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yeah there was a big wave with Santigold, M.I.A., and Diplo trying to ride the coattails with whatever he was pushing out with Mad Decent that I remember vividly.

I think Santigold got hurt by music writers treating her as the next huge name, and she was hyped to high heaven. While I think what she did at the time was great it didn't feel as exotic as M.I.A. nor did she as an artist carry as much intrigue. Unfortunately that was probably what held her back from the true highs of M.I.A. Made her almost look like "the elitist" or "pretentious" choice between the two.

I saw Kings of Leon right before they got big and was very lukewarm on them. And to this day I'm lukewarm. I don't see how they above their other peers were able to become so huge for a few years.

"Viva la Vida" is a good Coldplay inclusion. I guess. It was everywhere at least.

I remember Elbow. Certainly not a big deal in the US but they were included in that big indie-to-mainstream wave as hangers-on. Strange inclusion. As we've seen there's a lot of hope in their picks during these years. Hoping something holds up and isn't just a flavor of the month.

"Sweet Disposition" feels like it must have been a personal favorite of one of the people working on this list. Good enough song. Not one I need to hear.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

That Elbow song is a great shout.

I despise Kings of Leon but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to singing that sing hammered on several occasions.

[Hobo]

A bunch of my friends have performed that Elbow song a bunch of times and I didnt know what it was until now.

I just knew it as "the song i hear at 2am at a wedding being sung by a bunch of people i know"

[Liam]

991.      

‘Dog Days Are Over’, Florence + The Machine (2009)

Some of the songs on this list are just good songs that are worth a listen, whether they’ve had much longevity, changed the scene, etc etc. This is one of them. It builds engagingly, spotlights the lead singer’s vocals (which are the strength of it all, really), before finishing with a release of the tension and energy that had been built up over the course of the three minute run time. That it was still charting off of the strength of downloads two years after its release does also speak to how big the song was, at least in the UK.

992.      

‘The Fear’, Lily Allen (2009)

Influenced by: I Hate Camera • The Bird and the Bee (2007)   

Influence on: Starry Eyed • Ellie Goulding (2010)   

Covered by: Elviin (2008) • Ehda (2009) • JLS (2009) Tinchy Stryder (2009)   

Other key tracks: Fag Hag (2009) • Kabul Shit (2009)

This, I feel, will be a divisive choice as I genuinely don’t think Lily Allen had much traction anywhere else but the UK. I do like a lot of the stuff she has released, with ‘The Fear’ probably being her ‘best’ song, if not necessarily my favourite. There is a good electro-pop song with some cutting and sarcastic lyrics that touch upon her own brushes with fame. This felt less gimmicky than some of her earlier stuff and the production helped it to shine even further.

993.      

‘Summertime Clothes’, Animal Collective

Influenced by: Comfy in Nautica • Panda Bear (2007)   

Influence on: Glazin • Black Dice (2009)   

Other key tracks: My Girls (2009) • Brother Sport (2009) • Bleeding (2009) • Taste (2009) • Lion in a Coma (2009) • Also Frightened (2009) • In the Flowers (2009)

Animal Collective was a band that had their name on people’s lips enough around this time that I’m pretty sure I illegally downloaded one of their albums to listen to it. That I can’t remember what it was like is more indicative of me than them, a point made even stronger by how enjoyable this tune is. Apparently their most radio friendly offer, it does what the book says it does: mixing Beach Boys-esque blissed out harmonies and synthesizers with a touch of dance and electro. I enjoyed it, that is for sure.

994.      

‘Rain Dance’, The Very Best featuring M.I.A (2009)

A collaboration between Esau Mwamwaya, the producers Radioclit, and M.I.A, this seems to be on the list as much due to this eclectic selection of people and the way in which it was created/promoted (the song was a demo due to a hardware crash; the use of Myspace to drum up interest). However, it is very good song to listen to, mixing up M.I.A’s edgier sounding raps with the pleasant vocal stylings of Esau. One that I’d never heard before and am pleased to have checked it out through this project.

995.      

‘Empire State of Mind’, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z (2009)

A tour de force of a song. Jay-Z had always shown an ability to create songs (or be attached to songs) that have appeal to the underground and the masses, with this song perhaps being one of his highest profile offerings. Ultimately, this – to me – is all about the hook from Alicia Keys. I’m a huge fan of her voice (and her looks, I’ll be honest) and it is the bit that takes the song from good to an impressive piece of work.

[Hobo]

On 27/10/2021 at 16:52, The Redeemer CLDY said:

Oh no, now we're really getting into songs I don't recognize. I think I know that Coldplay song from radio play, but the rest are totally unfamiliar to me.

for me it's more "songs I vaguely remember or have heard them in passing but never knew the names of".

I do remember the my college landlady's kids blasting Empire State of Mind loudly on a nightly basis. Which is primarly what I associate it with. Didn't realize the woman singing on it was Alicia Keys, who I mostly associate with being name dropped in "Thunder On The Mountain" by Bob Dylan.

[RPS]

Dog Days are Over does not feel 22 years old. God. 

[Colly]

50 minutes ago, RPS said:

Dog Days are Over does not feel 22 years old. God. 

It isn't unless I've just done a Flight of the Navigator...

[RPS]

1 hour ago, Colly said:

It isn't unless I've just done a Flight of the Navigator...

I meant 12 years, Colly. Can you ever forgive my error? 

[Liam]

996.      

‘Tenalle Chagret’, Tinariwen (2009)

Written about the fallout of the Touareg rebellion in Mali, this song is interesting due to the way it incorporates modern touches like electric guitars with modern Malian musical stylings. This is a slow, loping tune, but it is almost hypnotic as the twangs of the guitar play alongside the chorus of voices. This is about the list showing a broad scope, sure, yet it is also an interesting musical choice in and of itself.

997.      

‘Harry Patch (In Memory Of)’, Radiohead (2009)

I’m surprised I’ve not heard of this one. Recorded in an abbey with strings as the only accompanying sound, Thom Yorke used the words of the last surviving soldier from the First World War and turned it into a single (with all proceeds going to the British Legion). The scope of this, in terms of production and vision, is admirable. Realistically, Radiohead are a bit like Marmite, so if you like what they offer then this is them at near-peak Radiohead, so that will do it for you.

998.      

‘Go Do’, Jonsi (2010)

Influenced by: Wedding Dress • Samamidon (2008)   

Other key tracks: Animal Arithmetic (2010) • Boy Lilikoi (2010) • Grow Till Tall (2010) • Sinking Friendships (2010)

A curio as much as anything. This is from the solo project of the lead singer in Sigur Ros, as well as being his first release in English. There is an energy about the song I admire, plus I’m not sure how many songs I’m going to hear that use the piccolo so prominently, so it has that going for it/working against it (delete as applicable).

999.      

 ‘Me and the Devil’, Gil-Scott Heron (2010)

Influenced by: Me and the Devil Blues • Robert Johnson (1937)   

Other key tracks: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1971) • The Bottle (1974) • “B” Movie (1980) • New York Is Killing Me (2010)

Gil-Scott Heron is a notable blindspot in my musical journey, so it is nice to (almost) end up with a chance to hear some of his work. This was his first work after getting out of prison for a parole violation, so tonally this feels about as legitimate as you can get. The background music was apparently created by Damon Albarn, which wasn’t necessarily the name I’d expect to be attached to a song like this. What the music does do is dial up the ominous feeling, as well as providing the momentum that keeps things on the tracks. A good song.

1000.      

‘Stylo’, Gorillaz (2010)

Influenced by: Planet Rock • Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force (1982)   

Other key tracks: Clint Eastwood (2001) • Tomorrow Comes Today (2001) • Dare (2005) • Feel Good Inc. (2005) • Superfast Jellyfish (2010)

So, to what nominally should be the end of my journey (see the next post for why it isn’t) and we have some more Damon Albarn. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any Gorillaz beyond the first two albums, and whilst I’ve never particularly minded what I’ve heard, I’ve never felt compelled to delve beyond that. That isn’t to say this isn’t a good song, though the bulk of the heavy lifting is done by Bobby Womack’s involvement, his impassioned and soulful voice giving some heft to what had otherwise been a pleasant enough electro-indie song.

[RPS]

[Liam]

Just now, RPS said:

1001.      

A song that explored the Jamaican government’s decision to effectively place the country under martial law, this became a bigger song in the UK as it coincided with issues at the Notting Hill Carnival. This song isn’t for me at all really, though it was inspiring enough to Joe Strummer as The Clash covered it on their first album release, setting their stool out as a punk band who were willing to play around with politics and reggae.

...now I have.

I got to the end of the book and realised I had missed one, so had to go back through all of my posts to find what I missed. Seemingly I'd listened to this, but not actually wrote about it. So yeah, 1001. Done.

[RPS]

I prematurely shot my wad on what should have been a dry run.