…BRACKETOLOGY.

This is an idea I’ve been kicking around ever since I found this site and started participating in the forum. I think it would be fun to have a tournament among the highest-ranked songs by having people vote for their favorites in a series of elimination rounds. Of course, there have been other polls of favorite songs here, but I think this format will be interesting and revealing.

In case anyone doesn’t know the term, “bracketology” refers to the annual college basketball tournament in the US. It’s a single-elimination tournament of 64 teams (actually 65, but don’t get me started on that), and it’s the most gambled-upon sporting event in North America—partly because you have to pay close attention to every seed. I’d like to replicate some of the excitement of that here.

I decided not to use the single-elimination format; I think song-vs.-song would: a) take too long, and b) get a little boring. So what I’m going to do, using the rankings on this site to “seed” the songs, is to ask you to rank songs in groups of four.

I’m starting with the top 256 songs, again, in groups of four. The top vote-getting song in each group goes to the next round of 64 songs…then we go to 16, then the final four. We should have a winner around New Year’s Eve.

To keep things interesting (and to finish this by the end of 2007), I’m going to give you four brackets of four songs each every week. By October, we should be through with the first round, and after that, it’ll go pretty quickly.

Here are the rules:

1. I’ll post new brackets (groups of four) on Friday or Saturday. Voting is open for one week (plus a little), and it’ll close at midnight, U.S. Central time, the following Saturday (about 6 AM Sunday, GMT). Like polls elsewhere on the site, all ballots should be posted to the same thread (this is the thread for the first ballot).

2. Please rank the four songs in each group, from 1 to 4. Your top song gets four points, second place gets three, and so on. The song with the most points moves on to the next round. In case of a tie, the song which is ranked higher on a majority of ballots wins.

3. VERY IMPORTANT: You must EXPLAIN your choices. Explanations don’t have to be long—a couple of words is fine—but you have to give your reasons for your rankings. Ballots that are just lists with no explanation of your choices will not be accepted. (This, by the way, is why I’m really looking forward to this project.)

I’ll referee and make any judgment calls that are necessary. At the end of each thread, I’ll post the winning songs. (By the way, yes, I’m going to vote.)

Oh, one other thing—I’ve added 2006 songs to the list, so the rankings here don’t match up perfectly with Henrik’s.

I hope that those of you who post regularly to this forum will take me up on this invitation; obviously, I’m taking the risk of crashing and burning if you folks think this is the stupidest idea ever. But I’ve been impressed with your musical knowledge and discerning taste—and I’m guessing that we all visit this site regularly because we’re intrigued with the idea of ranking songs…anyway, I hope you’ll join me in this. I think it’ll be fun.

Here are the first four brackets. Please vote by midnight, June 16. (And in case my very long-winded explanation isn’t clear, I’ll post my own ballot shortly. You’ll get the idea of what I have in mind.)

BRACKET 1
48. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)
81. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955)
176. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005)
209. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)

BRACKET 2
17. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)
112. Them, “Gloria” (1964)
145. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965)
240. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969)

BRACKET 3
49. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)
80. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986)
177. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987)
208. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)

BRACKET 4
16. The Who, “My Generation” (1965)
113. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995)
144. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972)
241. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006)

BRACKET 1

1. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955) - Tough choice between Bittersweet Symphony and Maybellene, but I'm gonna have to go for thé rock & roll song. There's school, there's girls and there's cars. Chuck Berry baby!
2. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997) - Love to play this song when walking through the city, just like in the video. ;)
3. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000) - My favorite song by OutKast, and definitely better than Amerie.
4 Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005) - Junk. Nuff said.


BRACKET 2
1. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964) - Always loved the Kinks, and You Really Got Me is nothing different. #1 easily out of these 3.
2. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965) - In my opinion one of the Beatles' best songs.
3. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969) - Nice melody, not that great a song though.
4. Them, “Gloria” (1964) - Had to check Winamp to remember which song this was, decent song.. but nothing special.

BRACKET 3
1. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) - My second favorite Rolling Stones song, best song out of the 4 without a doubt.
2. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959) - Love to just turn up the sound and sing along, SHOUT!
3. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986) - Not really my kind of music, but a pretty good song for the genre.
4. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987) - Don't really like any Public Enemy songs, but Bring The Noise is ok.. not good enough to beat the other 3 though. ;)


BRACKET 4
1. The Who, “My Generation” (1965) - Best song from my favorite group, easy pickin'.
2. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972) - Tough choice between this one and Underworld, but gonna have to go for the spiders from Mars. Excellent song.
3. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995) - Also a great song, one of the best in its genre.
4. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006) - Never liked JT much, but this song is ok. Nowhere close to the other 3 though.

I hope that's what you meant btw, don't hit me if I did it wrong.

BRACKET 1
1. Chuck Berry, "Maybellene": Apart from how influential the song's riff is, I'm a sucker for car songs. One of the all-time greats.
2. OutKast, "Ms. Jackson": not their best, but I like OutKast more all the time.
3. The Verve, "Bittersweet Symphony": It's fun to listen to, but the strings are a little pretentious. I'm not sure how "great" it is.
4. Amerie, "1 Thing": it's interesting rhythmically, but I just don't get--or like--this song.

BRACKET 2
1. The Kinks, "You Really Got Me"
2. Them, "Gloria"
This is a really tough call; I love both of these. I ended up going with the Kinks b/c I think part of the reason I like Gloria is Patti Smith's cover.
3. The Beatles, "In My Life": nice, but overrated. If fewer people cared about Lennon's biography, I don't think this would be as well-regarded.
4. Desmond Dekker, "The Israelites": meh. Don't feel strongly about it.

BRACKET 3
1. The Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil": Best Stones song of them all.
2. Isley Brothers, "Shout": In almost any other group, I'd pick it first. Best call-and-response song ever.
3. Run-D.M.C., "Walk This Way": I like it a lot, but it's more important than good.
4. Public Enemy, "Bring the Noise": OK, but talk to me again when we get to "Fight the Power"

BRACKET 4
1. David Bowie, "Ziggy Stardust": Best of a weak group.
2. The Who, “My Generation”: Not a bad song, but overrated. Not their best.
3. Underworld, “Born Slippy”: For me, this'll always be the Trainspotting song. Unremarkable.
4. Justin Timberlake, “My Love”: I don't actually hate Justin, but this wasn't even his best song of 2006.

I hope this example shows what I have in mind, if my first post was unclear.

By the way, I should have emphasized: everyone is welcome! So, if you'd like to vote, please...go nuts.

Pomtidom, you beat me to the punch!

Yeah, that's what I meant--and thanks sincerely, it's good to know that it wasn't totally confusing.

B1:
1. Bittersweet Symphony
2. 1 Thing
3. Maybelline
4. Ms. Jackson

B2:
1. You Really Got Me
2. Gloria
3. In My Life
4. The Israelites

B3:
1. Sympathy For The Devil
2. Shout
3. Walk This Way
4. Bring The Noise

B4:
1. Ziggy Stardust
2. My Love
3. Born Slippy
4. My Generation (hello, mr. overrated )

Kinda forgot the motivation there David.

I'd like to elaborate on my explanation for My Generation a bit more. Now that I think about it, it's not actually their best song. I'm gonna have to say third best song, after Baba O'Riley and the highly underrated Eminence Front. Still keeping it as #1 in the group though

B1
1)Bittersweet Symphony - Widely known, beautiful melody
2)Ms Jackson - Classic Hip Hop, loved it when it came out
3)1 Thing - Not that great, cant really explain
4)Maybellene - i might be biased in this but personally i believe nothing before the 60s deserves any credit as it is not advanced enough in musical technology

B2
1)You Really Got Me - The most classic of this bracket
2)In My Life - Beatles = Given
3)Gloria - ...just a good song
4)The Israelites

B3
1)Bring the Noise - good hip hop
2)Walk This Way
3)Sympathy for the Devil - rolling stones r good
4)Shout - refer to opinion above regarding 1950s

B4
1)My Love - Easily the best of this bracket. JT dominates the 2000s and My Love is his best song. A mix of quality dance beats and love lyrics.
2)Born Slippy - Catchy beat
3)My Generation - a classic, hence ranked 16th
4)Ziggy Stardust

BRACKET 1
1 The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)
2 Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955)
3 OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)
4 Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005)
BRACKET 2
1 The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965)
2 The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)
3 Them, “Gloria” (1964)
4 Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969)
BRACKET 3
1 The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)
2 Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987)
3 The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)
4 Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986)
BRACKET 4
1 David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972)
2 The Who, “My Generation” (1965)
3 Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995)
4 Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006)

OK seriously all u people not putting My Love 1st in bracket 4 whats ur deal? have u actually heard it? None of the other 3 even come close.

You're right, they're not even close, they're way better.

Hey Pomtidom. Are you serious??? You don't rate My Love. I bet you're one of those fat 30 year olds who still lives at home and has no mates. Seriously, your taste is so bad. Actually listen to My Love, go on, if you don't have it download it right now. If you ever diss Justin Timberlake again I will track you down and castrate you.

I'm 18 actually, and I just don't like the song. What's wrong with you people? It's called personal taste and to each his own. Jeez.

I'm gonna go to the beach with some friends, have fun insulting people over the internet.

BRACKET 1
1. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)- Innovative, eclectic, great beat and a catchy refrain for a hip-hop-tune.
2. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)- good song, but doesn't mean much to me. A bit monotone.
3. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955)- Average song for me, nothing special.
4. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005)- I just don't get it, why this song is so highly rated. Is getting on my nerves after 30 seconds.


BRACKET 2
1. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965)- Fantastic Tune. But it's since the Johnny Cash Cover that I can really appreciate it, because the vocals of the Beatles are a bit annoying.
2. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)- A classic one. One of the few songs I really liked, when I heard them for the first time (and still do!) Power Song!
3. Them, “Gloria” (1964)- Not bad either, but I prefer the Patti Smith-version.
4. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969)- Well, not bad... but no competition for the other 3 songs.

BRACKET 3
1. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)- I usually don't play that song anymore, but every time I listen to it, I still have to admit that it's just a great song.
2. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987)- There are many PE-Songs that I prefer; but nonetheless a good song.
3. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)- I like it, but - difficult to explain - in my opinion the song isn't "on point".
4. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986)- A song I really dislike (and I'm very much into Hip-Hop!). It's one of the Hip-Hop-songs where I think that the critical acclaim is caused by the fact that it's not that much "Hip-Hop"...

BRACKET 4
1. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006)- I'm loving it. One of the greatest productions I ever heard. Great beat and I really dig the staccato...
2. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972)- I'm not a Bowie-Fan, but this is a great song of great album. (Though there are better ones on that record!)
3. The Who, “My Generation” (1965)- Good song, but perhaps its meaning is bigger than the song itself.
4. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995)- I hate it. I can stand the off-beat-section, but the techno-part is plain awful...

I'm a huge basketball fan, so this is pretty awesome for me. Some of these songs I don't know, but I'll try to suss them out and rank them anyway. Give me a little bit and I'll get back to this.

Bracket 1

1)The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony:The greatest song The Rolling Stones have written in 25 years
2)Chuck Berry - Maybellene:Great beat,catchy,influential
3)Outkast - Ms Jackson:Love it a lot - great innovative rap
4)Amerie - 1 Thing:Nothing special,doesn't do a lot for me

Bracket 2

1)The Kinks - You Really Got Me:Absolute classic,iconic - like better than Van Halen cover
2)The Beatles - In My Life:One of their best - the lyrics,harmonies,piano - perfect
3)Them - Gloria:Like the song but probably more important than it is good.
4)Desmond Dekker - Israelites:Doesn't excite me very much

Bracket 3

1)Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil:Really overrated in my book,but nevertheless,takes out this bracket
2)Run-DMC - Walk This Way:Like better than the original,great when they blast it out at the basketball
3)Isley Brothers - Shout:Pretty good,got a first taste of it with the Lulu cover but important song this
4)Public Enemy - Bring The Noise:Great song,just got the album not long ago - unlike anything else I'd heard

Bracket 4

1)The Who - My Generation:One of the most iconic singles of all time,I won't argue with it's place
2)David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust:Not my favourite on the album,it's placing is probably a bit overrated,but still classic
3)Underworld - Born Slippy(Nuxx):Great song,overrated? yes. Takes me back to the mid 90s as a youngster
4)Justin Timberlake - My Love:Hated it at first,but definitely grew on me so I won't complain too much about it's place but it's definitely #4 of this bracket

1. Pomtidom, Richard, tfguenther, I've enjoyed reading your judgments, and even when I've disagreed with them (strongly in some cases), they've made me think about the songs we're talking about. Thanks for posting; music would be real boring if we all agreed about everything. Can't wait to read more ballots.

2. Personal attacks are in the poorest possible taste--they're the opposite of intelligence. And I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that threats of violence, even as a "joke," are illegal, even online. We're all passionate about our music, but if the opinions you see here require you to lash out at people, then I strongly encourage you to stay away from this little hootenany.

Nuff said.

I actually went to youtube and saw the videos for the ones I didn't already know.

BRACKET 1
1 The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997) (Best Rolling Stones song ever)
2 OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000) (This, and BOB, are the only reasons I care about Outkast)
3 Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955) (boooorrrrring. What is this, an Archie comic?)
4 Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005) (as if anyone is acclaiming this modern club bullsh!t)

BRACKET 2
1 The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)(These guys used to cut the patch cords of bands they didn't like mid-concert. How cool is that?)
2 The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965) (cool harpsichord part)
3 Them, “Gloria” (1964) (Patti Smith's is way better)
4 Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969) (it's kinda fun I guess. The thing is I listen to this and hear Sean Paul, and that's definitely not cool)

BRACKET 3
1 The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) (fire-dancing guitar solo, apocalyptic lyrics, madman shouting and another overt reference to satanism)
2 The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959) (Too much fun)
3 Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986) (I'd take the original any day)
4 Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987) (Fear of a Black Planet is better)


BRACKET 4
1 David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972) (Bowie is Bowie, no one else comes close)
2 The Who, “My Generation” (1965) (Monterey Pop Festival, nuff said)
3 Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995) (It's my first time hearing this track and, hey, it's pretty cool. I'm not a huge electronic fan but this one has atmosphere)
4 Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006) (Justin Timberlake is Justin Timberlake, no one else sinks lower. He still owes us an apology for NSync. For this song in particular: there are few stupider. He's the new George Michael. I can't wait for him to get caught in the bathroom)

BRACKET 1
1. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)
2. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)
3. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955)
4. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005)

The Verve, for my money, are one of the most under-rated bands of all time. There's much more to them than "Bittersweet Symphony" - but it's still a beautiful song.

"Ms. Jackson" is pretty sweet, touching lyrics belted out in blistering form.

There's no arguing with Chuck Berry, but "1 Thing" is merely OK, at best.

BRACKET 2
1. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)
2. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965)
3. Them, “Gloria” (1964)
4. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969)

"You Really Got Me" is one of those classics that's so simple, but nails perfection with both hands behind its back.

"In My Life" is beautiful. I love The Beatles.

"Gloria" is cool, and I gotta admit, I'm not familiar with no "Israelites".

BRACKET 3
1. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (196
2. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987)
3. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986)
4. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)

"Sympathy For The Devil" is one of my favourite Stones songs - great songs, stormin' band, and plenty of experimental musical touches, making it easily notable as a post-Majesties' cut. Essential.

"Bring The Noise" boasts amazing lyrics and Chuck ("the rhyme animal / the incredible") D offers a remarkable rendition of them.

"Walk This Way" is also pretty cool.

BRACKET 4
1. The Who, “My Generation” (1965)
2. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972)
3. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995)
4. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006)

I'm a huge Bowie fan, but I couldn't place "Ziggy Stardust" over "My Generation" - it's just a perfect song. Hell, I'd rank it number one for the end-of-the-world-sorta drum solo that ends things so suitably.

Which isn't to say "Ziggy Stardust" is anything shy of brilliant. A great tribute to Jimi, fo sho.

I really like "Born Slippy", but it's nothing on the above competition. While Justin Timberlake is a big bag of shite.

Hey Schleuse, are u really gonna exclude entries with no explanations - the more in the better,surely...

BRACKET 1
1. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000) - My favorite track by OutKast, with irresistible musical backing and lyrics which manage to be both heartfelt (thanks to Andre 3000) and hilariously bitter (thanks to Big Boi) at the same time.
2. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997) - Mesmerizing and anthemic even after being co-opted a thousand times.
3. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955) - Historically important, obviously, and fun, but not truly one of Chuck’s finest.
4. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005) - I don’t believe I’ve ever heard the whole song, so it goes here by default.

BRACKET 2
1. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965) - A flawless recording of a perfect song, one of their very best.
2. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964) - Tough call between #1 and #2. One of the most influential records ever made, and it holds up remarkably well after 43 years.
3. Them, “Gloria” (1964) - A classic, with one of the all-time great riffs, not too far behind #2 here.
4. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969) - Fourth place in this group is nothing to be ashamed of. Hear it, and it sticks in your head all day for better or worse.

BRACKET 3
1. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) - Easy pick for #1 in this bracket. Just brilliant in every way, with special props to Nicky Hopkins’ truly demonic piano.
2. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987) - A great intro for a masterpiece of an album.
3. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986) - I prefer the original, but there’s no denying how much fun it is to listen to.
4. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959) - It’s a classic record, but it’s never really done much for me.

BRACKET 4
1. The Who, “My Generation” (1965) - Still sounds visionary today, with iconic lyrics, an inspired bass solo and a final minute that sounds like the entire world is collapsing in on itself.
2. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972) - Better in context on the album than as a stand-alone song, but deserves this spot.
3. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006) - To my mind, this is only the third-best single on its own album, but it’s excellent nonetheless.
4. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995) - I’d much rather hear it under TRAINSPOTTING’s credits than on its own.

jonmarck, thanks for the Archie comic reference--that made my day (I still disagree about Chuck Berry, though--I imagine Arch & Jughead & Veronica & Betty were probably listening to Pat Boone or some such).

Midaso, you're not actually telling me that LULU covered "Shout"?! "To Sir With Love?" THAT Lulu? Holy merde...

And, yeah, I'm really going to keep requiring explanations. Seems to be working out OK so far.

You're probably right that there would be more votes without them, but I feel like we'd lose something--I like the tournament format, but the comments are really what I've enjoyed the most, and I hope y'all agree--it's much more interesting than just slapping a list up there, and everyone here seems plenty capable.

Also, I think the comments will help to keep everyone's interest up for the seven months it's gonna take to finish this thing! Plus, hey, it's only 16 songs a week...how hard can it be?

Any other thoughts on this?

The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997), heard it a hundred times, won't mind to hear it again. Great song! Classic.
OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000), this song is original and not so boring as hip-hop normally is.
Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955), fun song, but nothing special.
Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005), okay to hear this a few times, not often.

The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965), The Beatles are always great, and this song is beautiful.
The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964), This song really gets me!
Them, “Gloria” (1964), stays in your head.
Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969), fun.

The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968), classic, can hear that a lot and still is good to hear.
Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986), Very original, rap with a guitar.
The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)
Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987), Noise indeed.

The Who, “My Generation” (1965), Wow! What a song! This really rocks, more than 40 years old! Respect man!
David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972), Bowie is always capable of really good music which stays interesting for a long time.
Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995), Good electronic music. Not my favorite music though.
Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006), Hype music! Over 10 years people feel ashamed they ever liked it.

I would find this bracketology more interesting if you would take the forum top 418 (the 3rd sticky topic here). It contains lots of great songs and no less ones like Amerie's thing and The Israelites, let alone crap like Justin.

I love the comments, jonmarck made me laugh a few times and it shows a little more thought has been put into the choices.

This is SO COOL! Thanks, schleuse!

Here are my rankings:

BRACKET 1
1. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Was one of the best songs I've heard when it came out. For a while I was then a little tired of it, but this is indeed a majestic song.
2. OutKast - Ms. Jackson
Another majestic piece, with great lyrics. The song that made me realize that OutKast are ahead of every other rap group.
3. Chuck Berry - Maybellene
One of Chuck's most important songs, but not one of the very best.
4. Amerie - 1 Thing
Fascinating complex rhythm, close to Maybellene.

BRACKET 2
Of which all songs seem a little overrated to me, which results in a close call between all four.
1. Desmond Dekker - The Israelites
Much better reggae was to come, but Desmond needs love here in this forum.
2. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
Good yes, but not THAT good, is it?
3. The Beatles - In My Life
I know you're suppose to love this if you're a Beatles fan, but I've always felt it's a little boring...
4. Them - Gloria
I prefer the single flip-side "Baby Please Don't Go".

BRACKET 3
1. Public Enemy - Bring the Noise
If someone asked me what rap sounds like, I would play this one.
2. Run-D.M.C. - Walk This Way
Wait, to not shock the person, I would play this one first.
3. The Isley Brothers - Shout
Great energy!
4. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
Great song, however not a personal favorite and I'd be happier to hear one of the other three songs in this bracket on the radio.

BRACKET 4
1. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Centerpiece of one the best albums ever.
2. Justin Timberlake - My Love
Timbaland is everywhere and it annoys me sometimes. But My Love is surely made by a genius. And I've always liked Justin's voice.
3. The Who - My Generation
Huge. But it seemed like a fresh choice to put My Love ahead of this.
4. Underworld - Born Slippy
I didn't believe the hype of this song. Very original though.

B1:
1. 1 Thing (apparently I'm the only one who "got" it)
2. Maybellene
3. Bitter Sweet Symphony
4. Ms. Jackson

B2:
1. Gloria
2. You Really Got Me
3. The Isrealites
4. In My Life

B3:
1. Sympathy For The Devil
2. Bring The Noise
3. Shout
4. Walk This Way

B4:
1. Born Slippy
2. My Generation
3. My Love
4. Ziggy Stardust

Bracket 1

1. Maybellene

A ride indeed. Don't ruin it for people by explaining how massively influential it is.

2. Ms. Jackson

Best rap outfit since Public Enemy?

3. 1 Thing

The Meters' drum sample never stops, and Amerie nearly keeps up.

4. Bittersweet Symphony

Good, soaring epic song


Bracket 2

1. Gloria

You really can kiss the sky in a garage...

2. You Really Got Me

You just blare that riff out far too long and ride it while you can. Great idea. We'll name it rock.

3. The Israelites

Short enough to keep most non-fans from yakking about hearing the same thing over and over and... Great singing.

4. In My Life

Never understood its cult pull with the younguns, but a fine ballad. Far from the fabs' best.

Bracket 3

1. Bring the Noise

The noise, sure, but how about an entire genre? Wait, right. They didn't invent rap. They just did it best.

2. Shout

Energy is an under-rated quality in music right now; a few spins of this is a mighty remedy.

3. Sympathy for the Devil

Mick really wanted to be the devil. After the choir, you'll wish he was too.

4. Walk This Way

Will I be stoned if I confess finding this more important than brilliant? Love the band, just not my favorite song.

Bracket 4

1. Born Slippy (Nuxx)

The first time I heard this, I spun it over and over. I didn't even know it was so acclaimed. I still don't let that spoil the rush for me.

2. Ziggy Stardust

One of the first Bowies I fell for. The myth is fun, but for me, it is the way the acoustic guitar dances on its toes between the electric chords knocking together like poles...

3. My Generation

If it was See for Miles, we'd be several ranks higher.

4. My Love

Makes me smile. Very fun.

BRACKET 1
48. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997) Great song cause everyone can relate to it. The string part is legendary.
209. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000) A really cool song
81. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955) I've always thought Chuck Berry songs all sound the same except for Johnny B Good. This is no exception, just not very destinct, but not bad by any means.
176. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005) Good song, but not that good. I actually kind of find the fractured guitar part annoying which most people probably like.


BRACKET 2
17. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964) Who hasn't been a teenager with sexual angst?
145. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965) My favorite song by the Beatles
240. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969) Cool reggae song, but I honestly like 007 more.
112. Them, “Gloria” (1964) Patti Smith owned this much more than Van Morrison

BRACKET 3
49. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) Awesome awesome awesome. Love the drums, love the guitar solo, love the lyrical premise
177. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987) Awesome energy and lyrically
208. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959) Awesome energy
80. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986) This song is stupid. I think most people just like it because it was the first rap/rock merge. It's really no different than the original version except that it's a little grungier and stupider.

BRACKET 4 (The only bracket where I love all the songs)
113. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995) I love this song so much. Not only is Underworld my favorite electronic act, but this is my favorite song of theirs (Two Months Off is close though). When Karl Hyde vomits lyrics into the mic it gives more energy to music than anyone else. I don't know what he's saying, but the way he uses his voice just makes me want to get up and dance around, and isn't that the point? I think this song accomplishes its point better than almost any other song ever. Bravo!
16. The Who, “My Generation” (1965) I love this song, though it's not my favorite Who song so it can fall to Underworld. It's a great song, but I think you had to be there in the 60s to really understand the significance. For me, I think We Won't Get Fooled Again just rocks harder and will always be their best song.
144. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972) I'll give it to Bowie just cause I like him more than JT. Such a cool guitar part that it hurts (especially cause it's so simple)
241. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006) And this song is still awesome, but I guess I'll knock it to the bottom since T.I. calls himself "Candle Guy."

BRACKET 1
48. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)I'm hoping for a sweet 16 showing. A Favorite of The 90's.
81. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955) Not as much a favorite as Johhny or Beethoven, but good enough for 2nd round.
209. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)I've got about 3 songs I like off of Stankonia more, Ms. Jackson isn't as Fresh and Clean as it was 7 years ago.
176. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005) A good song. In a different bracket, may have been different.


BRACKET 2
112. Them, “Gloria” (1964) G-L-O-R-I-A. Patti Smith's version just as good, it's just a great song.
17. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)And it'd be a buzzer beater if it came down to You Really Got Me vs. Gloria.
145. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965) If in right mood, great. Overall, I'd rather hear the above 2 more on an average day.
240. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969) Know the song, not familiar enough for an advance. Maybe a Marley or Jimmy Cliff song can advance from the Reggae Conference.

BRACKET 3
177. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987) This is another favorite from an all time great "It takes a nation..." Still as riveting and enjoyable today as it was when it came out almost 20 years ago.
49. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)A Fav. from Mick and the boys, but not sure if it's gonna have legs in a round or two over a couple other Stones classics. (Beggars Banquet a top 3 Stones Album, as a consolation).
208. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)Throw your hands up, even if you've done it at a thousand weddings.
80. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986) Early vote for biggest shaft by the committee for this bracket placement.

BRACKET 4
144. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972)Just another classic song by Bowie. Easiest advance.
113. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995) Because this song paints a vivd picture in my mind of mid- late 90's dance clubs at the time, it gets the nod at 2nd place.
16. The Who, “My Generation” (1965) Like the Who, don't love 'em, actually enjoy there later stuff a little more.
241. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006) You know, 2006 was a pretty unspectacular year for "singles" and JT isn't making a jump to the next round.

Schleuse, awesome idea, hopefully will have time to vote on a few more brakets!

Two comments before I post my votes:
1) Dylan vs. Timberlake:
First of all I must admit that I haven’t heard Justin Timberlake (well, some casual listen without paying much attention). And, frankly, I’m not quite interested in listening to him. Yes, I’ve got prejudices against teen pop stars (and I don’t feel any guiltiness, some of you have prejudices more unjustified in my opinion as “I don’t like pre60s music”, “Dylan is crap” or something like that). Of course all of us (except the Martians) began our music addiction with teen pop when we were teenagers (some of you still are), but in my case the discovery of King Crimson when I was fourteen supposed a shot in the vein that made me an addict forever (yeah, I was a weird teenager).
Those teen pop stars got everything they want: fame, fortune, cars, girls (or boys, I don't know and I don’t care). But there’s one thing that they don’t have: credibility. But there’s no problem. They've got money enough. They hire Timbaland or Rick Rubin et, voilà!, their record is in the end-of-year lists. A place in pop history is assured for them.
Well, prejudices again, I know. I think that the point of view of Europeans is generally quite different to Americans. The Europeans consider better the work of an artist, an author (not only in music, also in cinema), while in America is best considered (or at least accepted without prejudices) the industrial approach, the manufactured product, the idea of a smart producer and not of a creative artist. That’s not totally negative, of course. Motown generated tons of excellent songs with little creative involvement of the artist.
And why is Dylan here? In another thread some of you have dismissed the Dylan talent as composer and (always the same!) singer. First of all, I am one of those who thinks that Dylan deserves the AM #2 (and I like the Stones a lot!) and that he has (well, actually had) a very personal and expressive voice, no matter his technical abilities. For me Dylan represents the artist with a unique vision, musically and lyrically, an artist responsible of his product. It wasn’t John Hammond the one who created these combative folk songs, it wasn’t Tom Wilson the one who invented folk-rock, it wasn’t Bob Johnston who brought back the country to the musical scene. It was Bob Dylan. Of course he borrowed inspiration from others singers (especially Woody Guthrie) and needed the help of many others, but it was his strong musical personality that guide him trough all his changes.
2) Ziggy Stardust vs. My Love:
I’m astonished (and even sad) of reading that Ziggy Stardust was “even close” to any Timberlake song. But I understand you perfectly, Richard. That particular song means a lot in your life. When you’re having a good time with your friends, in a party or whatever it’s the music you hear and enjoy. But JT music doesn’t get any play in my home, in my friends homes and in the parties I go. It’s not part of my life. Yes, I’m older than you. And I remember Ziggy Stardust sounding on the stereo of the hairdresser house when she cut and dye the hair of my friend Melchor and mine (we were almost the first ones with a mohawk in our city at the time), I remember an English friend writing down the lyrics while I was learning the chords and, most recently, playing in stage with my band a month ago in a Bowie tribute concert (it was the song that needed less rehearsal). That particular song means a lot in my life.
By the way, the next thing I’m going to do is listening to “My Love” by Justin Timberlake in YouTube. Maybe it will become the song of my life. Who knows?

BRACKET 1
1. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000) One of the best songs by everyones favorite atliens.
2. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005) Why all the hate? One of the best pure pop songs of the new millennium. Great beat and vocal performance, and ehm... great legs.
3. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955) Great song.
4. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997) Not a personal fave but definitely good.

BRACKET 2
1. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964) Perfect!
2. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969) Cornerstone of reggae.
3. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965) One of their best, I'm not a huge Beatles fan though.
4. Them, “Gloria” (1964) I’ve only heard the Patti Smith version, sadly (that one’s great though).

BRACKET 3
1. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987) As hard as they come. The crossover collaboration with Anthrax easily outdoes the Run DMC/Aerosmith one. This version is by far best though.
2. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) The first Stones I heard. Still great.
4. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959) Gotta love the energy.
3. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986) One of their weaker singles.

BRACKET 4
1. The Who, “My Generation” (1965) Early The Who can’t be beat.
2. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995) One of the songs that turned me on to dance music in the mid 90’s.
3. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972) Bowie is one of my favourite artists of all time, but Ziggy Stardust (both the song and the album) is very overrated in my opinion.
4. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006) Good song that doesn’t click with me. And I’m rooting for the Neptunes…

BRACKET 1
1. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000): great rapping confronting the different flows and lyrics of Big Boi & André 3000, one of the coolest songs from the actual decade.
2. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997): the video clip is better than the song itself and it last a little too long, but it’s a terrific song anyway with that controversial string section.
3. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955), a great and groundbreaking song from a pioneer, but I prefer the first two of the bracket.
4. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005), terrific drum beat, but easily the worst of the bracket.

BRACKET 2
1. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965): if only for the keyboard solo played by George Martin (it wasn’t really a harpsichord but a piano recorded with the tape speeded down) it deserves the #1.
2. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964): this song (and The Who’s “My Generation”) paved the way for the hard rock and heavy metal (although I’m not sure if it’s a good thing at all).
3. Them, “Gloria” (1964): yes, Henrik, I prefer “Baby Please Don’t Go” too, but that’s a great song anyway.
4. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969): sorry, Desmond, but this bracket was so full of gems.

BRACKET 3
1. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968): one of the best album openers of all time; I’ve just seen in YouTube the terrific performance for “Rock’n’Roll Circus”, the empty look of Brian Jones says it all.
2. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986): if there’s a song you can call groundbreaking is this one; it opened a way with maybe too much traffic since then.
3. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959): John Lennon said that when The Beatles played that song or “Twist and Shout” they were a little shy cause they know that black people do it much better.
4. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987): the opposite approach of “Walk This Way”, this time Anthrax played on top of the PE song; great song but someone’s got to be number four.

BRACKET 4
1. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972): no need for further explanation this time I think.
2. The Who, “My Generation” (1965): “You Really Got me” introduced the riff and “My Generation” the defiant attitude. Somebody called it hard rock later.
3. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006): a real nice song after all.
4. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995): if the song lasted for the first three minutes could have been easily the best of the bracket, the problem is the last (boring) six minutes.

Another great idea from this forum. I have good memories of bracket picking. I won a $50 Target gift certificate in my college dorm for picking the best teams, and I didn't follow the basketball season at all! I just picked up pre-season magazine and used that as my guide.

BRACKET 1: (Just like March Madness, there are too many good teams in this one)

#1 Amerie "1 Thing" - The modern pop songs that are timeless are the ones that seem to have very unique hooks but are accessible. This song is one of the first I got off of iTunes when my new computer was set up. I love how Amerie seems to be using her sensual voice to fight and keep up with the tribal beats.

#2 The Verve "Bittersweet Symphony" - Really lovely... the memorable video for this song really complements the steady drive of the string-filled melody

#3 Outkast "Ms. Jackson" - The first Outkast song I heard... would be #1 in probably the other 3 brackets, but I'm not quite attached to hip hop even when the songs are near-masterpieces

#4 Chuck Berry "Maybellene" - A respectable oldie but goodie but a little bit too past my time. Can't remember anything but the chorus.

BRACKET 2

#1 Desmond Dekker "The Israelites" - I dug up the original after hearing a new Crowded House cover of this song a year ago. Now I respect this song as exposing a little reggae sounds to the 1960s pop rock masses.

#2 The Kinks "You Really Got Me" - This song gets tired after years of oldies radio reruns, but this obnoxiously raw power deserves credit.

#3 The Beatles "In My Life" - I got this song confused with 'For No One', a Beatles song I actually own. Because it can't stand on its own, I dropped it down a few positions.

#4 Them "Gloria" - Fine song, doesn't stick with me.

Bracket 3 - a pretty weak bracket

#1 Isley Brothers - Fun song to dance to at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. Two parts of the song allow for patient crescendos and descrendos.

#2 Public Enemy - I heard a remix of this song on the video game Tony Hawk's Pro-Skater 2 and never listend to the original today.

#3 "Sympathy for the Devil" - This is so overrated and I'm tired of hearing it.

#4 - "Walk This Way" - I thought this song was a joke when I saw the video when I was very little. I don't get it.

BRACKET 4

#1 "My Generation" - One of my favorite bands, this song stands out as one of their initial wake up calls to what they would do for music.

#2 - "Ziggy Stardust" - Not my fav from the Ziggy album, but even the lesser songs are glam-rock gems.

#3 - "My Love" - Sorry.. I make a point to listen to all the acclaimed new pop songs once, and they only become classics to me if I can remember how they sound after 1st listen. Nothing special here.

#4 - "Born Slippy" - Nothing memorable

although the album credit's them as the songwriters, the rolling stones did not write bittersweet symphony... read about it on wiki. kinda sad story. anyways, not voting. i don't know the majority of those songs. sorry!

These 16 songs and the rest of the 256 in the bracketology game are essential, and it hurts me a bit every time someone says he hasn't heard the songs. With the internet they're not hard to find, so I'd like to start a list of legal sources.

1. Download from mp3stor.com (a Russian site) for very little money. Recommended.

2. Amazon 30 sec samples, you can find links to most of them from AM. Completely free, but the samples are short with poor sound quality.

You're all welcome to add some good sources to the list!

I have found (totally free):

www.radio3net.ro

Last.fm has samples of most popular songs (30 seconds as well) in better quality than Amazon.com. Sometimes even full songs.

You do need the last.fm software to listen to them I think.

And of course youtube will have some of them...

I bumped into these very user-friendly sites

radioblogclub.com

projectplaylist.com

I heard a lot of the top AM songs for the first time at these places when I couldn't find them anywhere else.

Honorio, thats an interesting point you raise. I guess it all just comes down to the styles of different eras. Justin Timberlake probably would have really sucked in the 1960s, but Bob Dylan wouldnt do much better on the 2006, 2007 charts.

And yes that is true Americans do take the view of what is 'industrially' done better. And i bet you're all assuming I'm American. Well in fact I'm Australian. But I'm still keeping my opinion that Justin Timberlake is better than Bob Dylan. It's hard to compare eras but I honestly think that if they were around the same time, any song Bob Dylan writes, Timbaland could produce something better for Justin to sing, and it would win over the teenage audience and more young people, who are the most common buyers of music.

But good to share opinions, its what the forums all about!!!

And dw my mates recon im a big loser for liking Justin, but i love it!

I'm not technically savvy enough to make useful suggestions about finding reasonably-priced mp3 files or otherwise hearing the listed songs, but thanks to all who have made good suggestions.

I'm just doing it with the iTunes store and greatest hits from my local used-CD bin for acts I don't know real well.

Sneak preview: I've got the next two weeks of songs ready to go, and, as far as I can judge, most people here will have heard almost all the songs for next week...although week 3 contains some fairly obscure ones. (These are guesses, obviously.)

As long as I'm bloviating here, just a reminder that voting on the first four brackets is open for another 3 1/2 days.

There are three ineligible ballots upthread (no explanations of rankings); I'm not going to be a d**khead and call anyone out by name, but if any of those voters wants to re-post with explanations, I'd love to include you. The standings are really close in two of the brackets (ok, ok, brackets 1 and 4), and it would be a shame to leave people out.

(Not that I'm complaining--there are already 16 good ballots posted, which is about twice what I was expecting.)

I'll start the thread for brackets 5-8 on Friday. I can't WAIT to see what y'all do with these
...must...not...say...any...more.

(BTW, the bleeped-out word above is obviously "duckhead".)

"Honorio, thats an interesting point you raise. I guess it all just comes down to the styles of different eras. Justin Timberlake probably would have really sucked in the 1960s, but Bob Dylan wouldnt do much better on the 2006, 2007 charts.

And yes that is true Americans do take the view of what is 'industrially' done better. And i bet you're all assuming I'm American. Well in fact I'm Australian. But I'm still keeping my opinion that Justin Timberlake is better than Bob Dylan. It's hard to compare eras but I honestly think that if they were around the same time, any song Bob Dylan writes, Timbaland could produce something better for Justin to sing, and it would win over the teenage audience and more young people, who are the most common buyers of music."

yeah...Bob Dylan's still around. In fact he just released a new album in 2006 and while it didn't sell as much as Timberlake's it was still one of the hottest albums of the year. And his audience IS teenagers and college kids, the same as Timberlake's. He's one of the few artists of the 60's who gets as much regard from teenagers as current music.

I think there'd be less than half a dozen songs in the top 256 that I've never heard.

Thanks for your answer, Richard. So you’re really a huge fan of JT. Not only you are defending him here in the forum but with your mates too…
I’ve found very interesting your point of view about the “era” factor. Of course, like jonmarck remind us, Dylan is still alive. And both “FutureSex/LoveSounds” and “Modern Times” have reached the #1 on Billboard Top 200 last year, although I suppose that the total sales of JT album were much higher than BD’s one. But, well, how many records will sell a 66-year-old Justin?
But yeah, let’s play the game. Let’s imagine a Bob Dylan born in 1981. Probably you’re right. A singer-songwriter with such nasal voice making political songs with an acoustic guitar and harmonica will cause little impression to everyone during the nineties. And since his musical background would be different maybe he would be the singer of a grunge band called The Highway 61ers or whatever. Ugh, maybe Dylan is a product of its times even more than Timberlake?. Well, talent (almost) always finds its way and Dylan has a lot of it.
And, what about a Timberlake born in 1941? Well, a handsome boy with a good voice always could have a nice career. Maybe he could be a teen idol singing Brill Building songs and being produced by Phil Spector. Maybe at the end of the sixties his stardom declined with Californian hippie bands assaulting the charts. Maybe he could face a drug addiction during the seventies. Maybe he could resurface during the eighties in nostalgia circuit.
Only joking, of course…

Very nice theory there Honorio, and certainly illustrates that both artists are products of their time.

I just listened to 'What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude a few times, now that is a pretty good song. Much better than My Love, Sexyback or pretty much any other song on the album.

BRACKET 1

1) "Maybellene" - Chuck Berry is more the king of rock 'n' roll than Elvis. He wrote his own songs.
2) "Ms. Jackson" - Rap's funky duo strike gold.
3) "Bittersweet Symphony" - I like it well enough, but more when the Rolling Stones did it.
4) "1 Thing' - Not bad for dance music.

BRACKET 2

1) "In My Life" - One of my favorite Beatles songs. It's a sweet reminisce of things past.
2) "You Really Got Me" - A swinging good time.
3) "Gloria" - I like Them.
4) "The Israelites" - A cool island vibe, I just don't like it as much as the rest.

BRACKET 3

1) "Sympathy for the Devil" - One of the coolest intros in rock, and the Stones at their darkest.
2) "Bring the Noise" - Brings it like hip-hop never had before.
3) "Walk This Way" - Cool collaboration. I'm old enough to remember the video on MTV. Shit, I'm old enough to remember when they had videos on MTV.
4) "Shout" - Cool wedding reception song, but not much more.

BRACKET 4

1) "My Generation" - I can hear the beginnings of punk attitude here.
2) "Ziggy Stardust" - Kind of a stretch as a concept, but a good song nonetheless.
3) "My Love" - Pretty good song, brilliant production, too bad the lyrics are kinda silly at times.
4) "Born Slippy (Nuxx)" - Never heard it, but the title is God-awful enough.

b1
bittersweet symphony: Classic rock song. Great tune whitch stays in your head for days
1 thing: Didn't know this song. So I downloaded it, listened to it a few times and did not turn it off. So I think I like it…
ms. Jackson: Blown away by 'Hey ya!'
maybellene: Forget about the importance and there's nothing more left than just Rock and roll

b2
you really got me: How good can a simple song be… probably the best of all 4 brackets
gloria: Nothing beats the original
in my life: Nice beatles song but far to much overrated
the israelites: Though I like reggae music this song never really got me

b3
shout: How is it possible to put the 4 worst songs out of 16 in 1 basket? However, shout is just a little better than the rest
walk this way: Avarage Aerosmith song polluted with some rap
bring the noise: I listened to the "it takes a nation…" album two times. But I promised myself to not hurt my ears again
sympathy for the devil: Just a principal matter

b4
born slippy: This song still gets better every time I listen to it
ziggy stardust: Not his best song but that says more about Bowie than about this song
my generation: Revolutionairy song, but I never understood what's so good about it
my love: Sounds nice to me but not a classic one

I cannot explain my vote because I do not express myself well in English. Sorry.

BRACKET 1
1 OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)
2 Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955)
3 Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005)
4 The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)

BRACKET 2
1 Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969)
2 The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964)
3 Them, “Gloria” (1964)
4 The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965)

BRACKET 3
1 The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)
2 Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987)
3 Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986)
4 The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959)

BRACKET 4
1 The Who, “My Generation” (1965)
2 Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995)
3 David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972)
4 Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006)

I'm not a music critic, and therefore find it difficult to make a comment about every single song.

BRACKET 1
1. Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” (1955) - Ground-breaking for 1955. Almost sounds like rap in some parts.
2. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997) - Nice use of orchestra, even if it was stolen.
3. Amerie, “1 Thing” (2005)
4. OutKast, “Ms. Jackson” (2000)

BRACKET 2
1. The Beatles, “In My Life” (1965) - timeless classic
2. The Kinks, “You Really Got Me” (1964) - great rock tune
3. Them, “Gloria” (1964)
4. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (1969)

BRACKET 3 - favorite bracket this round
1. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968) - My favorite RS tune
4. The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (1959) - Overplayed, but still classic
3. Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise” (1987) - Not my favorite PE song.
2. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (1986)

BRACKET 4
1. David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust” (1972) - love this track.
2. The Who, “My Generation” (1965) - A classic but a little boring.
3. Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” (1995)
4. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (2006)

Here we go!

BRACKET 1

1. OutKast- "Ms. Jackson"

Delectable groove set to a clever set of lyrics. This song was everywhere in 2001, and it makes me long for the days of decent popular rap.

2. The Verve- "Bittersweet Symphony"

Unabashedly beautiful and disarming. I can't deny it.

3. Chuck Berry- “Maybellene”

I don't know if I'll ever be a fan of his, but I respect the hell out of Chuck Berry.

4. Amerie- “1 Thing”

Unlike this mess. Sounds like Beyonce, and Beyonce sucks the big one.

BRACKET 2

1. The Kinks- “You Really Got Me”

Dirty and raw. Among the only 60s music I can tolerate!

2. Them- “Gloria”

This is second in a weak bracket, only for inspiring Patti Smith.

3. Desmond Dekker- "The Israelites"

I wasn't familiar with this song, and it appears I wasn't missing much.

4. The Beatles- “In My Life”

I detest the Beatles. Sue me!


BRACKET 3

1. Run-D.M.C.- "Walk This Way"

The marriage of hip hop and rock was actually a beautiful thing once. I love Aerosmith's version, and I love this update.

2. Public Enemy- "Bring the Noise"

Sigh....if only all rap actually had a point of view. Undeniably powerful.

3. The Rolling Stones- “Sympathy for the Devil”

I'm not a Stones fan, but I can get with this on occasion.

4. The Isley Brothers- “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)”

Perhaps I'm too young to appreciate this, or perhaps I've heard it at too many weddings, but this song just irks me.


BRACKET 4

1. David Bowie- "Ziggy Stardust"

I think this song is overrated compared to the other songs on the album, but it wins a weak bracket.

2. Underworld- "Born Slippy (Nuxx)"

I wasn't familiar with this, but it seems pretty cool from first listen.

3. The Who- “My Generation”

I hate this song only marginally less than I hate Justin Timberlake.

4. Justin Timberlake- “My Love”

Justin Timberlake is nothing but a coattails-riding, twerpy scenester. He would record himself taking a dump if it was trendy. No musical or artistic integrity. All credit to the beat should go to Timbaland.

Otis, tío, puedo echarte una mano si quieres. Envíame tus comentarios a mi dirección de correo y los traduzco (mientras no sea mucho curro, no envíes 4-5 folios).
I'm telling Otisredding that I could (try to) translate...

Gracias Honorio así lo haré porque usando "herramientas del idioma" de Google no es suficiente.

Muchas gracias, Honorio.

otisredding, lo siento que mi español no es muy bueno. Leeré su balota cuando consigo su traducción.

(I wrote this painstakingly out of half-remembered high school Spanish and babelfish.altavista.com; it is probably very bad Spanish.)

bracket 1

1- outkast "mrs jackson"
2- chuck berry "maybellene"
3- the verve "bittersweet symphony"
4- amerie "one thing"

bracket 2

1-desmond dekker "the israelites"
2-the kinks "you really got me"
3- them "gloria"
4- the beatles "in my life"

BRACKET 3
1- The Isley Brothers, “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)”
2- The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”
3- Public Enemy, “Bring the Noise”
4- Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way”

BRACKET 4
1- David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust”
2- Underworld, “Born Slippy (Nuxx)”
3- The Who, “My Generation”
4- Justin Timberlake, “My Love”