Bracket 17

1) Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart” (1990) (Because the greatness of Bootsy completely overrides one of Q-Tip's worst raps ever)
2) Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry” (1984) (If it had Bootsy on bass, instead of no bass, it might have won)
3) Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001) (wow this is a strong bracket, this is one of the best pop-dance songs of it's kind, as good as the best of Madonna)
4) Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1965) (overrated. I prefer Curtis Mayfield for similar styles of song.)

Bracket 18

1) The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” (1967) (because James Brown has recorded much better songs than Papa..., but this really is one of the Beatles finest songs)
2) James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965) (as influential and important as A Day in the Life, but he got much funkier later on)
3) Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” (1956) (cute song, that's it)
4) The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” (1960) (bland)

BRACKET 19
1) Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Proud Mary” (1969) (a fine pop song)
2) Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989) (not my favorite by PE, but good)
3) Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence” (1965) (great melody, ridiculous lyrics. Almost any other Paul Simon song is better)
4) Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’” (1966) (those Gentworth Financial commercials with Dennis Hopper annoy me)

BRACKET 20
1) Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965) (Another great bracket. This song is my 2d favorite by Dylan (after Don't Think Twice, It's Alright), and it is great.)
2) The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963) (Makes me wish I was Ronnie Spector's boyfriend... until I hear the Shangri-Las, when my allegiance transfers to Mary Weiss)
3) The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972) (A little overrated, but only a little)
4) Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft” (1971)
(Like with Sam Cooke, I prefer Curtis Mayfield's contribution to the blaxploitation film theme genre, but Shaft is very good)

BRACKET 17
1. Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry” - Prince banged this out in one night when the director of "Purple Rain" asked him for a song to go with a sequence of clips in the middle of the movie. Damn!
2. Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” - Heartfelt and touching.
3. Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart” - Lightweight but fun. A catchy groove.
4. Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” - More like, Kylie Mi-noooooooooooooooooooooo. Just kidding, she's OK.

BRACKET 18
1. The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” - Everything that's good about "Sgt. Pepper's" in a one-song capsule.
2. James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” - And it's full of funk and soul goodness.
3. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” - A peak in '50s harmonizing.
4. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” - Not a peak of any sort.

BRACKET 19
1. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Proud Mary” - How did these guys from San Francisco sound so Bayou?
2. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” - One of the greatest rap songs and statements ever. In most brackets it would be No. 1.
3. Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’” - Nothing comes to mind for this song other than it's very good.
4. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence” - Pretty song, but full of youthful pretension as well. They got better.

BRACKET 20
1. Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” - Love the stream of concsiousness lyrics, and his delivery almost sounds like a hip-hop flow.
2. The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” - One of the best girl band songs ever. This bracket is almost like 1a and 1b rather than 1 and 2.
3. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” - The Temptations try for some social relevance and pull it off.
4. Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft” - It's a cool song, but way out of its league here.

Bob Dylan's got a fightin' chance yet...Here's hoping Proud Mary beats out Sound of Silence and When Doves Cry beats A Change is Gonna Come too! I think A Day in the Life is a shoo-in though.

BRACKET 17
1. Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry” (1984) - Much as I love #2, this is one of the easiest choices for me in this whole competition. It’s simply one of the greatest records ever made - and the single version was, at the time, probably the freakiest thing ever to become that big a hit.
2. Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1965) - A brilliant, beautiful song, arrangement and vocal performance that has the extreme misfortune to be in the same bracket as #1.
3. Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart” (1990) - A terrifically goofy dance number. One of my favorites from that year.
4. Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001) - A good pop single, but severely outclassed here.

BRACKET 18
1. The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” (1967) - Another easy #1. Justifies everything ever said about PEPPER all by itself.
2. James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965) - The birth of modern funk. It ain’t no drag.
3. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” (1956) - Doo-wop in its purest form, from one of rock’s most tragic cases.
4. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” (1960) - This song never really did much for me. Their biggest hit, but it lacks the crystalline simplicity of the Cadence hits and was just a harbinger of worse to come.

BRACKET 19
1. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989) - One of these things is not like the others, and the modern classic trumps the three oldies. I will admit that part of my affection for this record is how brilliantly Spike Lee used it at the beginning of DO THE RIGHT THING. But it takes balls to call out both Elvis and John Wayne in the same verse.
2. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence” (1965) - Haunting and enduringly powerful, with production so seamless most people probably don’t even realize the electric band was overdubbed onto Paul & Artie’s acoustic original months later.
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Proud Mary” (1969) - A great song by a great band, but I confess to being a little tired of it. There are many Creedence songs I would rank higher.
4. Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’” (1966) - Again, a timeless record with extraordinary vocal and organ work by 17(!)-year old “Stevie” Winwood, but I don’t really need to hear it again for a while.

BRACKET 20
1. The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963) - Again, its use under the credits of a favorite film (MEAN STREETS) earns it bonus points. But it’s such a perfect distillation of the Wall of Sound that it probably would win the bracket regardless.
2. Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965) - Not much to say here - Dylan’s first recorded electric blast set the stage for so much of what would follow. I just like #1 more.
3. Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft” (1971) - You have to love that this won an Oscar. You just kind of have to love it, period. Damn right. Shut your mouth!
4. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972) - A great minimalist groove, with incisive lyrics. But even the single version goes on a little longer than it needs to.

BRACKET 17:
1. Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry” (1984)
2. Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1965)
3. Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001)
4. Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart” (1990)

"When Doves Cry" is one of the catchiest songs of all time - always guaranteed to get my ass shaking and my mouth singing away - while "A Change Is Gonna Come" is a very moving, stirring number.

"Can't Get You Out Of My Head" is fun, while "Groove Is In The Heart" is not.

BRACKET 18:
1. The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” (1967)
2. James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965)
3. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” (1956)
4. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” (1960)

ADITL is just extraordinary - more-or-less the pinnacle for experimental pop-music. Inventive as nuts.

"Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" is some heavy-duty funk, and WDFFIL is very pretty. CC doesn't do much for me.

BRACKET 19:
1. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence” (1965)
2. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989)
3. Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’” (1966)
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Proud Mary” (1969)

"The Sound Of Silence" is a gorgeous, poetic piece. "Fight The Power" -- good advice. "Gimme Some Lovin'" is rockin' enough, while CCR have never really done it for me.

BRACKET 20:
1. Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965)
2. The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963)
3. Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft” (1971)
4. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972)

SHB is a wonderful slice of Dylan's incredible imagination, in terms of both content and delivery. "Be My Baby" is a beautiful pop song. Chef's "Shaft" boasts some sound funk, while PWARS is the runt of the litter for me.

B17
1. A Change Is Gonna Come
2. When Doves Cry
3. Groove Is In The Heart
4. Can't Get You Out Of My Head

B18
1. A Day In The Life
2. Cathy's Clown
3. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
4. Why Do Fools Fall In Love

B19
1. Fight The Power
2. Gimme Some Lovin'
3. Sound/s Of Silence
4. Proud Mary

B20
1. Subterranean Homesick Blues
2. Be My Baby
3. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
4. Theme From Shaft

I'll vote for Bracket 17 now and come back to the others later.

1. Kylie Minogue- "Can't Get You Out of My Head": I know it's going to shock people that Prince isn't number 1 for me here, but "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is the "I Feel Love" of this generation- an irresistible, chugging, hypnotic dance classic for the ages. It single-handedly resurrected my interest in dance music (and music by artists that weren't already established favorites in general), and I still get shivers when I hear it.

2. Prince- "When Doves Cry": In any other bracket, this song would have won. Prince's most acclaimed track is suitably one of his most bizarre. The message of lamenting the propagation of negative qualities from his parents is timeless and wonderfully executed. The edit does not do the song justice- the wails and cries toward the end are the parts that really grab me.

3. Deee-Lite- "Groove is In the Heart": Another song that would have won nearly every other bracket. It's unfortunate that this bracket is so strong for me. This funky dance cut speaks volumes about the deterioration of music today. Lady Kier had more talent, charisma, and star power than virtually any pop starlet that has come out in the past 10 years, and yet she failed to find a consistent mainstream audience. A true classic.

4. Sam Cooke- "A Change Is Gonna Come": Another decent song that suffers from the strength of the bracket. For me, I love the top 3 songs so much that you could probably put every other song we've assessed in this slot.

BRACKET 17
1. Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry” (1984)
2. Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1965)
3. Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart” (1990)
4. Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001)


BRACKET 18
1. The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” (1967)
2. James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965)
3. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” (1960)
4. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” (1956)


BRACKET 19
1. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence” (1965)
2. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Proud Mary” (1969)
3. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989)
4. Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’” (1966)


BRACKET 20
1. Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965)
2. The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963)
3. Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft” (1971)
4. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972)

Moonbeam, when I saw the songs in Bracket 17, I thought of that one as your bracket. I know those weren't easy choices for you...

...by the way, it looks like "my" bracket is Bracket 24. It'll post tomorrow and I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it. Why? You'll see...

please tell me giuseppe's and netjade's votes count even without the comments. We need as much Dylan love as possible!

BRACKET 17
This is not only Moonbeam's bracket, but mine too.
1. Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001)
It's just impossible to sit still. Second best disco song of all time and the best song of this decade (all categories). Was my number 13 of all time in the forum top 200 poll a while ago.
2. Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1965)
One of the most beautiful songs ever written. Was my number 9 in the forum poll. Just slightly overtaken by Kylie...
3. Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry” (1984)
Wonderfully sparse. Most magic part: when the synth comes in. My number 106 of all time.
4. Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart” (1990)
Fun, but it doesn't have a chance here.

BRACKET 18
1. The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” (1967)
The hit parade continues. Number 6 in my top 200 ballot!
2. James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965)
As groovy as it gets. Must have been just outside that 200...
3. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” (1956)
Not bad, but nothing special to me either.
4. The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown” (1960)
I always forget how it goes. Is there something wrong with me?

BRACKET 19
1. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence” (1965)
So good to see all the love for S&G here. Let's push it to the next round!
2. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Proud Mary” (1969)
Great song, although it's no coincidence several people here are a little tired of it.
3. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (1989)
Not quite as good as the best from "It Takes".
4. Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’” (1966)
Awesome groove, but still number four.

BRACKET 20
It feels like this is my bracket too...
1. The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963)
Back to the hit parade again. My all-time number 7. One Brian Wilson can't be wrong.
2. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972)
My number 27 of all time. Too long? I wouldn't mind if this groove took up a whole LP. Great lyrics!
3. Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965)
As great and inventive as it is, it can't match the top duo.
4. Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft” (1971)
Love the wah-wah, but no Isaac points in this competition.

jonmarck, sadly, no, without explanations they won't count. I'm rooting for Bob myself, and I wish they did. (but...c'mon, the Ronettes? that's not the end of the world...it's not like it's DeBarge or something)

Bracket 18:

1. James Brown- "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag": classic funk at its best- that groove is DEEP.

2. The Everly Brothers- "Cathy's Clown": my Mom used to play them all the time. It's sugary sweet, but their harmonies are NOT to be fucked with.

3. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers- "Why Do Fools Fall in Love": Definitely a precursor to the J5 sound later. Again, sweet.

4. The Beatles- "A Day in the Life": I know I'm the one missing out by not liking the Beatles, but I can't get past the voices. :(

Bracket 19:

1. Public Enemy- "Fight the Power": raw, energetic song that is THE soul of hip hop. Songs like this really pay tribute to the true meaning and purpose of hip hop and serve reason to rail against the contemporary schlock that passes for it these days.

2. Spencer Davis Group- "Gimme Some Lovin'": GREAT buildup to the chorus! If more 60s songs were like this, I may appreciate the decade more.

3. Simon and Garfunkel- "The Sound of Silence": I'm not a fan of them in general, but this song is utterly lovely.

4. Creedence Clearwater Revival- "Proud Mary": I like quite a bit of CCR's catalogue, but Tina OWNS this song.

Hi

Brackets : good idea !

OK, lets' get started. In addition to the charts, I'll give each song a certain numer of * (maximum :5)
Excuse my broken English reviews

Bracket 17
General comments : a hard choice for number one; the two others are way behind.

1. SAM COOKE, “A CHANGE IS GONNA COME”: ****
What a song ! God, what a voice ! It's a bit over-orchestrated, that's why it gets only 4*. I knew the (brilliant)Neville Brothers version before; Of course it deserves rank 1 partly thanks to the lyrics

2. PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION, “WHEN DOVES CRY”: ****
Not my favorite Prince song (that would be either from Parade or Sign o the time) , although it's a tour de force musically speaking. Excellent mix of funk, pop and psychedelic rock. Specially in 1984, when there was so few good music to hear

3. DEEE-LITE, “GROOVE IS IN THE HEART” ***
A good piece of dance-pop, groovy, funny, great samples. A killer during dance parties (I'm dj-ing sometimes but after a while there's always someone coming and telling me "WHY DON'T YOU PLAY SOMETHNIG NEW ?"

4. KYLIE MINOGUE, “CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD” *
Sorry, I hate that song, I hate that sound. Reminds me of 2002 when I was doing loosy jobs (writing wasn't enough) and all those silly girls at the office dancing to that piece

Bracket 18

1. JAMES BROWN, “PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG” *****
I've been listening to it on my MP3 player on my way to work yesterday and I had the thrills : what a number ! It sounds so simple, but listen to that bass line, to the way he sings... A miracle of groove

2. THE BEATLES, “A DAY IN THE LIFE” ****
I take full responsability for giving it only 4 stars : it's a great song, totally Lennon song, but how can I say it, it's a little bit artificial in its making. Lennon must have told himself : let's make a psychedelic song. It lacks the raw energy of Papa's got...

3. FRANKIE LYMON AND THE TEENAGERS, “WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE”***
Good early R&B, really sounds like the Jacksons would 15 years later

4. EVERLY BROTHERS "CATHY'S CLOWN" **
I think this song is a waste. What a difference with their Cadence recordings (Bye bye Love, Suzy). Everything is gone to my mind. How, like they did for Presley, music managers took a excellent post-country duet (in the tradition of closed harmony that would influence Simon & Garfunkel) and turned them into inoffensive teenage idols

Bracket 19
1.SIMON AND GARFUNKEL, “THE SOUND OF SILENCE”*****
Great, magical song. beautiful harmony, lyrics, guitar and this great overdub made by Tom Wilson, Dylan's producer. A perfect match of pop and folk music.
2. CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL "PROUD MARY" *****
Creedence is one of my favorite bands. This is not my favorite song, but it gets 5 * stars anyway; everything is already there
3. SPENCER DAVIS GROUP, “GIMME SOME LOVIN’”***
good 60's rock song, big sound, big pulse, and Winwood's voice and organ
4. PUBLIC ENEMY "FIGHT THE POWER”: ***
I'm not a rap expert. I like rap but I don't love this song. Lyrics are too violent, whatever the context may be
And I dont hink Elvis was racist

Bracket 20
When I saw it, I knew it would be a tough one.
1. BOB DYLAN, “SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES”*****
Musically speaking, it's not number one : sounds a bit messy. But it's historically so important that it deserves number one. Great lyrics; and a pleasant mix of folk, rock and hillbilly blues. This song is frustrating because it ends a bit abruptly to my mind.
2. THE TEMPTATIONS, “PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE”*****
Some might find it too long, but I love this song : listen to those twin guitars, bluesy in the left speaker, wah-wah in the right, and the choir of the singers coming one after the other, like in gospel; and the lyrics are great traditional black poetry : the tale of the absent father. More Stax in its sound that Motown.
3. ISAAC HAYES, “THEME FROM SHAFT”*****
A perfect soundtrack : very visual music, very evocative for anyone who grew up watching 70s soap TV serials. (As you might note it, I love blaxpoitation music)
4. THE RONETTES "BE MY BABY" ***
Yes, it's Spector, but well, I don't love that song as much as the others, that's all.

OK, we're done

Muchas gracias Honorio por la traducción. Thanks to Honorio by the translation.

BRACKET 17
1,- Prince and the Revolution, When Doves Cry (1984), a song filled with a thousand details, it fascinated Patti Smith.
2,- Deee-Lite, Groove Is in the Heart (1990), amusing, contagious, danceable: perfect. Great look: happily elegant.
3,- Sam Cooke, A Change Is Gonna Come (1965), Cooke is "The Voice", not Frank Sinatra.
4,- Kylie Minogue, Can’t Get You Out of My Head? (2001), pretty but monotonous.

BRACKET 18
1,- James Brown, Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag? (1965), powerful, tireless, provocative.
2,- Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1956), they were inventing pop music along with others bands, probably without knowing it.
3,- The Beatles, A Day in the Life (1967), this song will be for sure on of the final four of Bracketology, but I prefer "Strawberry fields forever"
4,- The Everly Brothers, Cathy’s Clown? (1960), scarce offering: voices, melody and little more. The only one of this 16 songs that I’m not particularly interested.

BRACKET 19
1,- Public Enemy, Fight the Power (1989), the best song from the best black band in history.
2,- Spencer Davis Group, Gimme Some Lovin (1966), the best achievement of Steve Winwood: precious psychedelic sound.
3,- Creedence Clearwater Revival, Proud Mary (1969), they’ve got better ones.
4,- Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence (1965), maybe the lyrics are the worse (or the better, I don’t really understand it?).

BRACKET 20
1,- The Ronettes, Be My Baby (1963), one of my candidates for the final.
2,- The Temptations, Papa Was a Rolling Stone (1972), the beginning of the song announces already big things.
3,- Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965), Dylan invented rap too.
4,- Isaac Hayes, Theme From Shaft (1971), symphonic soul.

When doves cr - Best Prince song if you ask me
A change is gonna come - Didn't know this one but it is a great song. So this is also a good opportunity to get to know some good songs
Groove is in the heart - Sounds more special to me than Kylie
Can't get you out of my head - Not bad but also nothing special

A day in the life - This is one of the songs that proves that the beatles are really great
Papa's got a brand new bag - Great soul song
Cathy's clown - Just good
Why do fools fall in love - Easily the weakest song in the bracket

Sound of silence - One of my first acquaintances to music. And it has only become more beautiful since then
Proud Mary - Difficult choice but thanks to the Turners ist beats the Spencer Davis group
Gimme some lovin' - Not really my kind of music but I can understand this is fun
Fight the power - I just don't like rap

Papa was a rolling stone - A song with one of the greatest intro's ever.
Subterranean homesick blues - Just another great Dylan song
be my baby - I just can't understand why this is a top-10 song. It's good but no more than that
Theme from shaft - Good song but not good enuogh to get higher in this bracket

BRACKET 17
1- Deee-Lite, “Groove Is in the Heart”
2- Prince and the Revolution, “When Doves Cry”
3- Kylie Minogue, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”
4- Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come”

BRACKET 18
1- James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”
2- The Beatles, “A Day in the Life”
3- The Everly Brothers, “Cathy’s Clown”
4- Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”

BRACKET 19
1- Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Proud Mary”
2- Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
3- Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence”
4- Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’”

BRACKET 20
1- Isaac Hayes, “Theme From Shaft”
2- The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”
3- Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
4- The Ronettes, “Be My Baby”