WEEK 26

A little breakdown of this week's songs by decade...
1920s: 0
1930s: 1
1940s: 0
1950s: 5
1960s: 7
1970s: 7
1980s: 5
1990s: 3
2000s: 4

Also of note:
Two songs by Dolly Parton (in the same bracket!)
Two songs by Hank Williams


Here are this week's brackets. Remember, you can also view the brackets on this site. Voting is now open, and you have until 11:59 PM Pacific time on this upcoming Saturday to vote. Vote either in this thread or e-mail me.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
#21: "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
#492: "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
#533: "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]
#1004: "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
#94: "One" - U2 [1991]
#419: "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
#606: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
#931: "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
#119: "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
#394: "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
#630: "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
#906: "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
#447: "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]
#578: "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
#959: "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
#56: "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
#457: "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
#568: "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
#969: "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
#284: "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
#741: "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
#796: "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
#249: "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
#264: "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
#761: "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
#776: "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
#97: "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
#416: "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
#609: "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]
#928: "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1. "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
2. "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
3. "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]
4. "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]

Not really my favorite from either the Pistols or the Clash, but I'm in a pissy mood so the winner is clear for the moment.


MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
2. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
3. "One" - U2 [1991]
4. "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]

Wow, a really tough bracket, and it saddens me that "Band of Gold" has no chance of winning, considering it's one of the best soul performances there's ever been. Yes, those are very good Stones and U2 songs, and "Minnie the Moocher" is fun but doesn't really have the spine-tingling moments to compete in this bracket. Any of these would've won Verdi 13 for me, though, 'tis a shame.


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
2. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
3. "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
4. "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]

Yes, that's a bizarre Dolly coincidence, but "Jolene" is the easy winner. Pretty high quality across the board this time.


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
2. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
3. "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]
4. "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]

Y'know, it's sappy, but "Bridge" is pretty damn great. So is "Norwegian Wood".


RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
2. "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
3. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]
4. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]

One of my very favorite psych Beatles songs just barely beats ABC's best. "Proud Mary" -- never need to hear that one again.


WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
2. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
3. "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
4. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]

I went with batshit dementia over laconic homicide, but just this once.


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
2. "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
3. "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
4. "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]

"Another Girl..." is one of the more timeless post-punk songs, even good enough to beat Sly here. Never got "Emerge".


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1. "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
2. "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]
3. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]
4. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]

This, my friends, is the very worst bracket yet, and I doubt it will be topped for its sheer mediocrity! Let's see, a rather staid late-50's rocker, a somewhat dated track by an offshoot of a band I never much liked who dabbled in a genre that bores me, the bloody Dandy Warhols and their smug neo-psych name-dropping Bohemian bullshit, and one of the most overrated tracks of 'em all, which will win this by default and which most people seem to forget is about knocking someone up. But god is it annoying. I never thought I would ever vote for "Kansas City" in this game, really.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
#492: "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
#21: "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
#533: "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]
#1004: "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]

Pretty close call between number 1 and 2 in this bracket for me.

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
#606: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
#94: "One" - U2 [1991]
#419: "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
#931: "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]

No weak songs in this bracket for me. But, a wide gap between 3 and 4 for me.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
#119: "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
#394: "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
#630: "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
#906: "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]

Not my favorite bracket.
Why are there two Parton songs in the same bracket?

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
#578: "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
#447: "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]
#959: "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]

Top two in this bracket are superb.

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
#56: "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
#568: "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
#457: "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
#969: "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]

Large gap between 2 and 3 for me in this bracket.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
#284: "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
#741: "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
#796: "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]

Large gap between 1 and 2 for me in this bracket.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
#249: "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
#761: "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
#264: "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
#776: "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]

Large gap between 1 and 2 for me in this bracket.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
#97: "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
#416: "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
#609: "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]
#928: "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]

Wide gap between 1 and 2 for me in this bracket.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1. "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
2. "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]
3. "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
4. "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]
2. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
3. "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
4. "One" - U2 [1991]


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
2. "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]
3. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
4. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
2. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
3. "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]
4. "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]


RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
2. "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
3. "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
4. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
3. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
2. "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
4. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
2. "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
3. "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
4. "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]
2. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
3. "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
4. "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
#1: "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
#2: "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
#3: "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]
#4: "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]
AM order, the one song that proves beyond a doubt that the Sex Pistols were awesome.

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
#1: "One" - U2 [1991]
#2: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
#3: "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
#4: "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]
One is simply one of the greatest songs of all time, but it still pains me to put one of the Stones' most perfect songs as #2.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
#1: "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
#2: "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
#3: "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
#4: "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]
Two great country songs, but Dolly Parton's is one of the best songs ever.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
#1: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
#2: "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]
#3: "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
#4: "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]
I've gotten into some more hiphop lately, but this ranking by 50 Cent still baffles me. Pretty easy win for S&G.

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
#1: "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
#2: "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
#3: "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
#4: "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]
Another one with the AM order, Proud Mary is brilliant.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
#284: "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
#741: "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
#796: "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]
Not a great bracket. Rock Lobster is a great song, Hey Joe is okay, Devil's Haircut is annoying and Hollaback Girl is just plain bad.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
#1: "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
#2: "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
#3: "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]
#4: "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
Tough bracket, not because they're all great but because they're all pretty close together (for me).


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
#1: "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
#2: "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]
#3: "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
#4: "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]
Top 100, Top 200, 2x unranked.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
#492: "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
One of the funnest and catchiest songs on London Calling. I wish it didn't now make me think of 500 Days of Summer.
#533: "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]
Another one of those songs we're very fortunate came out before autotuners.
#1004: "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]
Awesome song, but some of the excess production spoils the mood.
#21: "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
A lot of cheesy nihilism and empty showmanship.



MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12

#419: "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
A great soul song, that would fit right in on an Aretha Franklin record.
#94: "One" - U2 [1991]
One of those U2 songs where I like everything except Bono's preachy lyrics and melodramatic presentation.
#606: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
Love the Stones, and this is the beginning of my favorite phase of their career.
#931: "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]
Very, very cheesy.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
#394: "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
Hey, current country artists! You're doing it wrong. THIS is what country music sounds like.
#630: "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
And that goes for you female country artists too.
#906: "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]
A bit more formulaic and less energetic, but still good.
#119: "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
A fun song. Short and to the point, and the closest Blur ever gets to being post-grungey. Probably why it was their only hit in America.


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
#578: "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
Ended up pretty high on my AMF all time ballot. I love the airy whimsy and the melody.
#66: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
Great song, just a little oversung.
#959: "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]
Bit more cheesy than the other Hank Williams song.
#447: "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]
Sums up just about everything annoying about recent hip-hop.



RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
#568: "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
Great pop song.
#56: "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
Very catchy song with some cool guitar. The archetypal rock and roll song.
#457: "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
Now I need to add Lexicon of Love to my buy list. Though it has a lot of those cheesy 80's New Wave-isms, they're outweighed by the atmosphere of the song.
#969: "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]
Bit cheesy, but pleasant, and good fiddle parts. Lyrics are kind of stupid.


WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
#229: "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
It's Jimi Hendrix, therefore awesome.
#741: "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
Beck's always good at sniffing out that little niche of popular music where nobody else has been and making it sound awesome. An easy second place in this ridiculous bracket.
#284: "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
Not horrible, but way too cheesy. And at almost seven minutes, wears out it's welcome long before it's over.
#796: "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]
Really? One of the best thousand songs ever recorded? Really? …Really? Why couldn't have No Doubt stuck with the kind of music that originally made them famous, and gracefully faded into obscurity instead of selling out and desperately clinging to superstardom, churning out shallow garbage like this? I could have gone to see them in a small club, and had a great time.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
#776: "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]
After hearing this I went to check what Fischerspooner album I should buy, only to see they don't even have a bubbling under. Are Fischerspooner notoriously inconsistant or something? I expected to at least find something in the 2000s.
#249: "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
Fun light hearted pop.
#761: "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
Seems like a precursor to stuff like Sonic Youth, Pavement and the indie of the 90s. It uses the negatively intoned offkey singing to create that 'Oh, whatever' feel that later carved out a niche.
#264: "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
Good harmonies but lacking the energy that occasionally makes that sound good.



BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
#97: "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
Probably the most representative Van Morrison song.
#416: "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
Good blues song. Kind of boring.
#609: "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]
Exciting song, combining ska with an Afro-pop sounding chorus.
#928: "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]
Not a bad song but the worst in this particular bracket.

VERDI 13
1. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. I think AM has the Pistols’ two most famous songs precisely reversed; this one is even better than “Anarchy.” Released just in time for Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee, ironically, John’s howl of “no future” is one of punk’s genuinely chilling moments—even though we’re now almost eight years past the queen’s GOLDEN jubilee…
2. TRAIN IN VAIN. Rock’s most famous ghost track, from (as you all know by now) my pick for the Best Album Ever. Favorite bits: the stuttering drum intro and Joe’s harmonica.
3. REWARD
4. BACK TO LIFE

MOZART 12
1. ONE
2. YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT. The top of this very difficult bracket features two relatively slow and moody numbers by bands which some think are too popular to actually be good (but they are good). “One” gets the nod—just—over the Stones for being more genuinely bleak; it would only have been cheapened by “YCAGWYW”’s baroque (but effective) production.
3. MINNIE THE MOOCHER. I could easily see this masterpiece of scat singing, which rocks a lot more than most swing tunes, making the next round, had it been in another bracket. Given the date and the subject matter, it always makes me think of Mae West. Poor men, poor men…
4. BAND OF GOLD. Brilliant song, but something has to be.

HANDEL 4
1. I’LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE. As I may have mentioned, oh, about a gabillion times, I live in, and love, the city of Houston. One of the major events on our calendar is the rodeo; it starts today and runs for a few weeks. Every evening features a country band that is a distant descendant of Hank Williams (except the Black Eyed Peas). Almost all of them should be ashamed of how far their genre has fallen from the original (the Peas have never heard of shame).
2. SONG 2. Ah, the vagaries of bracketology. Hank, Dolly, and…Damon? A recent thread posited that the AM rankings of R.E.M. albums seem out of whack, and the same thing is true of Blur songs…this tossed-off Nirvana pastiche is great fun but they must have 10 or 20 better songs.
3. JOLENE. I concur with the conventional wisdom; although both of Parton’s songs here are damn good, this heartsick song of confrontation is clearly to be preferred.
4. COAT OF MANY COLORS

BACH 8. Very, very close between the top 2 here.
1. NORWEGIAN WOOD. Without this song, Rubber Soul would have been Beatles for Sale 2. Discuss.
2. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER. In which Paul Simon makes his most over-the-top bid to fill the shoes of the recently-abdicated Phil Spector (that’s a compliment).
3. HEY GOOD LOOKIN’. Hank’s best known non-depressive song actually includes a fair bit of cornpone irony, what with the “two-dollar bill” and a hangout where “there’s soda pop and the dancin’s free.”
4. IN DA CLUB. Bleah. Not only did this break no new ground, it sounded about seven years out of date when it was released. The definition of missable.

RACHMANINOFF 5
1. RAIN. The group’s best B-side, and maybe the second-best B-side of all time (nothing tops “God Only Knows”). If “Norwegian Wood” was a preview of coming attractions, “Rain” has to mark the official beginning of the Beatles’ psychedelic period.
2. THE LOOK OF LOVE. The makeup, lamé suits and horn sections still just scream “eighties!,” but great songwriting and chops have allowed this one to hold up. Also, it’s the best song I know of to feature my own first name in a cheeseball spoken-word section.
3. IT WASN’T GOT WHO MADE HONKY TONK ANGELS. Can anyone tell me if there’s a more acclaimed “answer” record on AM?
4. PROUD MARY

WAGNER 14
1. ROCK LOBSTER. Another girl, another planet. A great, great song, almost certainly in my top 50, this is the sound of a band that just came out of the garage to play amidst the pink flamingos on the lawn.
2. HEY JOE. You just don’t get great songs about homicidal jealousy anymore.
3. DEVIL’S HAIRCUT. If you’re going to appreciate Beck, eventually you have to just get past the surreal word-painting. This is a tremendous, brilliantly structured piece of work.
4. HOLLABACK GIRL. Are you frickin’ kidding me? The 21st century should sue these last three brackets for defamation of character (and throw in “In Da Club” while we’re at it).

MAHLER 2. Continuing my three-week tradition in which I run out of time to make comments, this bracket takes the hit this time out…
1. ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET. The close family resemblances between punk and power-pop are nowhere clearer.
2. DANCE TO THE MUSIC
3. IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT
4. EMERGE. Whazza?

BEETHOVEN 16. Don’t hold back, sonofsamiam, how do you really feel? (Actually, you might be right…this is a weak, weak bracket, and my chips ended up on the same song.)
1. KANSAS CITY. A pretty darn good piece of fifties R&B. Like “Crying in the Chapel,” it mostly gets noticed now because of a cover version (actually, in this case, two—Little Richard and the Beatles), but I won’t hold that against it.
2. NELSON MANDELA. Not as good as anything on the Specials’ debut album. For that matter, not as good as most of the work of the English Beat and Fun Boy Three. It’s catchy, but critics only include it on lists to reward it for being Serious (when in fact it’s mostly just Seriously Overproduced).
3. BROWN EYED GIRL. Deduct extra points for the fact that my dislike for this song (and for Van’s personality, which is unfair) made me unwilling to listen to Astral Weeks for far too long.
4. BOHEMIAN LIKE YOU. Came out at a time I was paying zero attention to new music. Luckily. Had I heard this, I might have abandoned indie rock forever.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1. "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]: One of the easiest #1’s of the entire tournament, in a rather uninspired bracket. “Anarchy in the U.K.” was a great statement of purpose, but this is the Pistols’ masterpiece. I MEAN it, MAAANNN.
2. "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]: LONDON CALLING is one of my top ten albums of all time, but I’ve never been a big fan of the hit single and “hidden track.”
3. "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]: Decent new wave from future eccentric genius Julian Cope. The brass is a nice touch.
4. "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]: Not my thing.

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "One" - U2 [1991]: In contrast to the bracket above, this one has four songs that, under the right circumstances, could all win a bracket. Even so, U2’s greatest track is a very easy #1. One of the most emotionally powerful songs ever written, given the perfectly understated musical setting it deserves.
2. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]: Only a song like “One” could relegate this late Sixties magnum opus to second place. Special kudos to Al Kooper, the Forrest Gump of rock, once again showing up in the right place at the right time and doing triple duty on piano, organ and French horn.
3. "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]: You know this is an epic bracket when one of Motown’s finest singles comes in a distant third. Ridiculously catchy, and pretty daring, if you believe (as I do) that it’s about a guy who bails on his marriage because he couldn’t get it up on his wedding night.
4. "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]: It’s a shame this classic has to bring up the rear. The great Calloway showed us all how to kick the gong around.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]: A toss-up for me between the two Dolly songs, each brilliantly representing a particular strain of country. I went with this at #1 mostly for the way it explores the cheatin’ song from such an unexpected angle – abject fear that already seems to be conceding defeat, an appeal to the better nature of a woman who clearly doesn’t have one. (By contrast, Loretta Lynn would have just pounded the crap out of ol’ Jolene and been done with it.)
2. "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]: Again, what’s refreshing about this nostalgia piece is how clearheaded and tough-minded it is – Dolly’s hardly looking back at her childhood of impoverishment and taunting with rose-colored glasses. It was what it was, but she got through it because (at least as the lyrics would have it) she already was who SHE was.
3. "Song 2" - Blur [1997]: How many newcomers bought BLUR on the basis of this delirious two-minute blast, thinking that this was what the whole album would sound like? Boy, were they in for a surprise – as was anyone who bought it on the basis of all of their earlier work. Woo-hoo!
4. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]: And he didn’t. A very fine record, but an easy #4 here.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]: A magnificent, state-of-the-art pop record with a breathtakingly brilliant arrangement and a classic lead vocal (Artie’s finest moment on record, bar none, and a wonderful gift from a partner who probably hated his guts by this point).
2. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]: Track 2 on RUBBER SOUL, and the indication that they were stepping up their game on this one. Lennon at his funniest, sexiest, and most rueful, backed by an exquisitely understated arrangement.
3. "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]: There’s a reason Hank has so many singles in this tournament – he really was that good, and that important.
4. "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]: I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Mr. Jackson, but this is a great single, and it WILL stick in your head whether you want it to or not.

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]: The extraordinary B-side of the hardest-rocking two-sided single they ever made, and Exhibit A for refuting the argument that Ringo Starr wasn’t a great drummer.
2. "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]: A classic from the early Eighties, one that was so deliberately campy even at the time – from the dramatic spoken-word climax in which Martin Fry name-checks himself to the where-the-hell’d-THAT-come-from “Hip hip hooray!/Yippie-yi-yippie-yi-aayy!!” at the end – that it somehow holds up beautifully.
3. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]: Yes, I ranked ABC above CCR. As much as I love them, this is one of those oldies that I don’t really need to hear that often. Not Fogerty’s fault, but that’s the way it goes.
4. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]: What’s with all the country this week? It’s all good, but it seems odd.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]: Another great, great bracket. A tough call for the top spot, but I’ve loved this song since hearing it on the DR. DEMENTO show when I was a kid – even back then I knew it was special. You listen to it and you realize that, as ferociously entertaining as Fred and the gals are, Ricky Wilson really was their secret weapon; to keep up those riffs for seven minutes is quite a feat.
2. "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]: One of the greatest album openers of all time, a brilliantly heady track that immediately signaled that ODELAY was not just different from his debut but from just about everything else.
3. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]: Again, this bracket is so amazing that Jimi’s bluesy, devastating reinvention of the garage classic is stuck at #3.
4. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]: Go to #1 and #2 in this bracket for some s—t that’s -really- B-A-N-A-N-A-S. But Stefani’s spectacularly loony solo smash will do in a pinch.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]: Their improbable breakthrough smash, and one of the most radical top ten hits ever – a song about itself and the musicians who created it. It shouldn’t work, but it’s so canny and so hooky that you’re practically obligated to obey the title.
2. "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]: One of those once-in-a-lifetime classics that jumps out from even a good catalog and makes you wonder where it came from.
3. "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]: A timeless, effortless classic.
4. "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]: A very enjoyable record, but also a very easy #4.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]: I have to concur with the consensus that this may very well be the weakest bracket of the whole tournament – what, something from Mozart 12 or Wagner 14 couldn’t have found its way in here? Van is on top simply by virtue of being The Man, but I’m as tired of the song as anyone else.
2. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]: I actually like this song just fine. I just can’t put it at #1.
3. "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]: A decent record, nothing more.
4. "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]: Its heart is in the right place, obviously, but that doesn’t make it a great record.

I'm liking the comments this week, they're especially witty this time.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1. "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980] - Amazing, amazing song. The Clash were a band who could do anything, they could play anything in any style, and it would still be the most punk thing you'd ever heard - this song is the best example.
2. "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977] - The lyrics are great, but the singing is grating. Its energy alone though, propels it to #2.
3. "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981] - I have no idea exactly how to describe this style. And that's a very good thing.
4. "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989] - Not a big fan of late '80s R&B.

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "One" - U2 [1991] - A monster. One of the most amazing and jaw-droppingly good songs ever written, and the euphoric sound of a band reaching a previously unattainable plateau.
2. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969] - The Stones' "Hey Jude" and one of their best songs. I have no clue what the lyrics are about, but I know that this is a damn good song.
3. "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931] - I don't know what these lyrics mean either, but that my grandpa says "Na-hi-dee-hi-dee-hi-dee-hi" relatively frequently and I never knew why.
4. "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970] - I hate to admit it, but 69-70 was a dry spell of sorts for Motown, and I don't thing this is one of their top-notch singles.
HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Song 2" - Blur [1997] - Woo-hoo! This song is overrated but it's still pretty good.
2. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974] - I heard the White Stripes version first. Surprisingly enough I like the original just as much.
3. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952] - I prefer the other Hank song in this round to this one.
4. "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971] - Pass.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965] - Rubber Soul is probably my favorite Beatles album (there are days, not many, when I prefer Revolver), and this is only the fifth or sixth best song on the album. It's clever, understated, and actually kind of demented. And of course it introduced us to George Harrison's sitar endeavors.
2. "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003] - For people like me who were all of eleven when this came out, this song is a cultural touchstone of sorts. We completely understand if anyone over the age of 25 would rather never hear it again.
3. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970] - A marvelous song, set the standard for all piano ballads with big vocals to come.
4. "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951] - This is one darned catchy country song.

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Rain" - The Beatles [1966] - The first glimpse of what was coming on Revolver and Ringo's finest performance as Beatles drummer.
2. "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982] - It has that cheesy '80s sound, but it does it very well. Good pop song.
3. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969] - They've done much better.
4. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952] - I'm growing tired of the country songs this week. Not my cup of tea.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967] - Considering Jimi Hendrix is Lord of the Musical Universe (just about) I think he can get #1.
2. "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996] - Fave track off Odelay. The riff is just killer.
3. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004] - Probably the most polarizing song, critic-wise, in this game. I'm gonna go out on a limb with this one and give Gwen some props for managing to be bizarre and catchy at the same time.
4. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979] - Never quite got it. It's kind of annoying.

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978] - Great find from the '70s poll for me.
2. "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968] - I appreciate the sentiment but the song doesn't actually make me want to dance.
3. "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956] - Tolerable.
4. "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002] - That was miserable.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967] - A good, almost great song, but it's awfully tired by now.
2. "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959] - It only beats 3 and4 because it has the line "crazy loose women". I chuckled.
3. "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984] - I liked it 'till it went to "Let's sound like Phil Collins" mode.
4. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000] - Thank God The Strokes saved us from this kind of stuff. This song belongs in a Geico commercial.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1. "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
2. "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
3. "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]
4. "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "One" - U2 [1991]
2. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
3. "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]
4. "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
2. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
3. "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]
4. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
2. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
3. "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]
4. "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]
2. "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
3. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
4. "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
2. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
3. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]
4. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]
2. "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
3. "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
4. "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
2. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]
3. "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
4. "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1 - "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
2 - "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
3 - "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]
4 - "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1 - "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
2 - "One" - U2 [1991]
3 - "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
4 - "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1 - "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
2 - "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
3 - "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
4 - "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1 - "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
2 - "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
3 - "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]
4 - "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1 - "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
2 - "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
3 - "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
4 - "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1 - "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
2 - "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
3 - "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
4 - "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1 - "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
2 - "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
3 - "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
4 - "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1 - "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]
2 - "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
3 - "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]
4 - "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1. "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols [1977]
Toss-up for me between the top two songs here. I've said before that I'm not a fan of punk music, but even I can recognize the greatness of the Sex Pistols (and their album). Granted, the message of this song doesn't have quite the punch today as it (probably) did back in the late '70s, but it's still an excellent thumbed-nose to high society.
2. "Train in Vain" - The Clash [1980]
The most famous "hidden track" of all time, this is Clash that I enjoy. Definitely more mainstream than a lot of their other stuff, but I'm a mainstream kind of guy.
3. "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul [1989]
Pleasant enough, but it can't really measure up to the two monsters at the top of this bracket.
4. "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes [1981]
No matter how many times I hear this one, I just can't get into it. The horns are good, but the rest is just tedious.

MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones [1969]
Every song needs a solo by a boys' choir. If it wasn't for "Gimme Shelter," this might very well be my favorite Stones tune.
2. "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne [1970]
I don't feel like I should love this song as much as I do, but it's just a fantastic song. One of the best songs about divorce. Sad that Freda never had a song as big as this one. Such a great voice.
3. "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra [1931]
Think about this: arguably the most famous call-and-response song ever, and yet the lyrics have some very blatant references to cocaine use. Amazing that this became such a well-known song.
4. "One" - U2 [1991]
Why? Why? Why the hell is this song so highly-rated? For as long as I live, I will never understand why this is considered such a great song. It's a good song, yes. But a great one? Hardly.

HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Song 2" - Blur [1997]
What can I say about this song that hasn't already been said by more qualified people? Instead, I'll refer to the BMW series of short films called "The Hire."
I don't know if any of you remember this, but a few years ago, BMW commissioned a bunch of top-notch directors (Ang Lee, Wong Kar-Wai, John Frankenheimer, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, etc.) to direct a series of short films to advertise different cars in the BMW line. All of the short films starred Clive Owen as "the driver." My personal favorite was called "Star", was directed by Guy Ritchie, and starred Ritchie's then-wife, Madonna. Check it out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK87YLmagt4
The look on Owen's face at 6:19... PRICELESS.
2. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton [1974]
3. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams [1952]
4. "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton [1971]
Aside from Blur, the ultimate country bracket. Weird that it worked out that Dolly's only two songs in Bracketology just happened to show up in the same bracket. For me, these last three songs are pretty much the same to me. I don't really care for any of them, but I don't actively dislike them either. Just not my thing.

BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel [1970]
This isn't really popular music. There is something almost spiritual about this song. Sheer perfection.
2. "In da Club" - 50 Cent [2003]
One of the greatest debut singles of the last decade, this was a warning shot to all other rappers: look out, there's a new big dog.
3. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles [1965]
Tough to put this one in the 3 spot, but it just can't possibly compete with the other two here.
4. "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams [1951]
Another country song... Odd how this week is working out...

RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival [1969]
Easy number one in this bracket, if only because I can't stand the others here.
2. "Rain" - The Beatles [1966]
Why the hell is this one so highly-rated? There are SO MANY other, better songs by the Fab Four. Because it had back-masked vocals? Yawn.
3. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells [1952]
It's not like I necessarily like this one, but I absolutely detest...
4. "The Look of Love" - ABC [1982]
Cannot stand this one. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience [1967]
Hendrix's first single still stands up as one of the greats of rock music. Interesting also that this was one of the few songs by Hendrix that he didn't write. Tough call for me between the beauty of this one and the goofiness of the B-52's, but Jimi gets the nod.
2. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's [1979]
A VERY close #2 here, and I would have no problems with this one taking the bracket. Such a fun, fun song. DOWN! DOWN! DOWN!
3. "Devil's Haircut" - Beck [1996]
Another great song, though only slightly weaker than "Where It's At." And if someone can tell me what the hell this song is about, you're a better man than I.
4. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani [2004]
Wow, the easiest #4 of the week. Awful, awful, awful. On the plus side, Gwen showed us that she knows how to spell the word "bananas."

MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone [1968]
Not my favorite by the Family, but maybe #2. All-around fantastic song, even if it is pretty minimal when it comes to the lyrics.
2. "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins [1956]
An all-time classic, marred only by how dated it sounds now. Still, it's a great song.
3. "Emerge" - Fischerspooner [2002]
I like it, but I can't really put my finger on why I like it. Still, it's just not on the same level as something like "Dance to the Music."
4. "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones [1978]
Give me a few more listens and this will probably get a lot more respect from me, but as it is it's just kind of meh.

BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols [2000]
Will it win? I'd be stunned if it did. But there are certain songs that I could listen to over and over and over in succession. This is one of them. Call it a guilty pleasure, call it whatever. I love this song.
2. "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison [1959]
Good shuffling beat, simple twelve-bar blues, and lyrics about going to Kansas City. It all adds up to one of the simplest songs out there, but it's also a damn good one.
3. "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. [1984]
This one gets the #3 spot only because of my extreme distaste for...
4. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison [1967]
I think it's a law that all oldies stations have to play this song at least three times a day. Here's the dirty little secret: it's not a very good song anyway.

Sheer coincidence. When I put together the brackets, I ordered it so that the top seed (#1) was up against #512, 513, and 1024. The second bracket was 2-511-514-1023. The third was 3-510-515-1022, then 4-509-516-1021, etc. It was just a coincidence that Parton happened to end up with two in the same bracket. There was another bracket (early in the game) that had a similar situation, but with Sly & the Family Stone.

Voting for this week is now over.

VERDI BLOC, BRACKET 13
1. "Train in Vain" - The Clash (38 points, 5 first-place votes)
2. "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols (36, 6)
3. "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul (18, 0)
4. "Reward" - The Teardrop Explodes (18, 0)

In the next round: Oasis' "Wonderwall"; Robert Johnson's "Cross Roads Blues"; Nirvana's "Come as You Are"


MOZART BLOC, BRACKET 12
1. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - The Rolling Stones (35, 3)
2. "One" - U2 (33, 5)
3. "Band of Gold" - Freda Payne (24, 2)
4. "Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)" - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra (18, 1)

In the next round: Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill"; Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone"; Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop"


HANDEL BLOC, BRACKET 4
1. "Song 2" - Blur (34, 6)
2. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton (32, 3)
3. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" - Hank Williams (27, 2)
4. "Coat of Many Colors" - Dolly Parton (17, 0)

In the next round: Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven"; David Bowie's "Life on Mars?"


BACH BLOC, BRACKET 8
1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel (40, 8)
2. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles (34, 3)
3. "Hey Good Lookin'" - Hank Williams (19, 0)
4. "In da Club" - 50 Cent (17, 0)

In the next round: Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"


RACHMANINOFF BLOC, BRACKET 5
1. "Rain" - The Beatles (35, 5)
2. "Proud Mary" - Creedence Clearwater Revival (31, 5)
3. "The Look of Love" - ABC (27, 0)
4. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" - Kitty Wells (17, 1)

In the next round: the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated"; the Beach Boys' "California Girls"; Daft Punk's "One More Time"


WAGNER BLOC, BRACKET 14
1. "Hey Joe" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (35, 5)
2. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's (34, 5)
3. "Devil's Haircut" - Beck (28, 1)
4. "Hollaback Girl" - Gwen Stefani (13, 0)

In the next round: TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me"; Johnny Cash's "Hurt"


MAHLER BLOC, BRACKET 2
1. "Dance to the Music" - Sly & the Family Stone (34, 4)
2. "Another Girl, Another Planet" - The Only Ones (31, 4)
3. "In the Still of the Night" - The Five Satins (26, 1)
4. "Emerge" - Fischerspooner (19, 2)

In the next round: Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"


BEETHOVEN BLOC, BRACKET 16
1. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison (34, 6)
2. "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison (29, 2)
3. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols (25, 2)
4. "Nelson Mandela" - The Special A.K.A. (22, 1)

In the next round: the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back"; the Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"; Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun"