And, of course, there’s the BNIT…time for the second of three groups of songs in search of our consolation prize.

Ballots, they are due Saturday, August 18.

BRACKET E
5. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003)
20. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970)
29. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954)
44. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970)

BRACKET F
12. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982)
13. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990)
36. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969)
37. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978)

BRACKET G
2. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999)
23. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994)
26. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969)
47. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982)

BRACKET H
7. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977)
18. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002)
31. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993)
42. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984)

(I’ll risk an editorial comment...I dunno about you, but these are some of the strangest-looking brackets I ever did see.)

BRACKET E (I never thought I'd see Britney Spears in a competition against John Lennon and Muddy Waters. It's like letting the winner of the Special Olympics compete in the real thing)
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) - It's pretty much a rhythmic rant until the anthem chorus where we get an actual melody. Simple and effective.
2. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) - Every Muddy Waters song is the same thing. Take a heavy blues riff, boast about your virility overtop.
3. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) - All the wrong people know about this song: Top 40 cover bands, music supervisors, Jackie Chan... Now it's more likely to induce eye-rolling before revolution.
4. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) - I have to admit, if there's one Spears song I don't mind listening to it's this one. But don't be tricked into thinking that makes it any good. Picking the best of Britney Spears' catalogue is like sorting through rotten tomatoes.

BRACKET F (call this the bracket of novelty dance)
1. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) - Invented slap bass. He thanked us for letting him be himself but I don't remember authorizing those outfits.
2. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) - I don't know what's funnier, that the B-52's wrote a synth-heavy, talk-sung surf rock song about a lobster or that they can barely play it.
3. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) - It's about heroin and it's still too sugary sweet for me. Maybe that means if I ever indulged in narcotics I'd be a quick junkie.
4. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) - Innovative at the time. Now it's just boring.

BRACKET G
47. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) - Cream of the crap, and it's a cover. Joan Jett is seen a feminist hero yet her entire career is built on the work of men. She hasn't an original hit to her name.
26. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) - my limited French tells me this song is about the singer not liking himself any more. Its adulterous message caused a major scandal when released. If the same thing happened today it wouldn't turn a head.
23. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) - Acceptable R&B ballad.
2. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) - Unacceptable R&B ballad.

BRACKET H
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) - Aping French lyrics? Check! Song about a mass murderer? Check! Sung without any vocal strength, range or talent to speak of? Check! We have a winner!
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) - Hey look at that, we get to rate a Nirvana song other than that radio saviour SLTS. It's hard deciding between this and Psycho Killer but I consider the latter more original.
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) - Just when I thought no one would attempt intelligent techno... Half-successful.
4. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) - Grrrr....

Bracket E
1. MUDDY WATERS, “HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN”: See my comments last week about Muddy. Shame about the title.
2. EDWIN STARR, “WAR”: I’m not just putting it here because it’s topical again—it’s powerful, and nothing else from its era sounds like it.
3. JOHN LENNON, “INSTANT KARMA”
4. BRITNEY SPEARS, “TOXIC”
Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d type: Close call here between John Lennon and Britney Spears. In the end, I decided that, as much as I like Lennon’s solo career, it would be a shame to rank him last twice. But I do like “Toxic” a lot…as I type this, I see that the White Trash Princess of Louisiana has committed an egregiously stupid hit-and-run. You know, if Keith Moon had done that, we’d all think it was cool…

Bracket F
1. THE B-52’S, “ROCK LOBSTER”: So much to say about this song, from the Saturday Night Live performance in 1979 that melted my young brain, to its hilarious appearance this summer in the movie Knocked Up.
2. THE LA’S, “THERE SHE GOES”: Forget the Velvet Underground, Lady in Satin, and Trainspotting—THIS is the great heroin song.
3. SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE, “THANK YOU (FALETTIME BE MICE ELF AGAIN)”: It’s a lot funkier than “Family Affair,” but there are two classics above it.
4. AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, “PLANET ROCK”: George Clinton + Kraftwerk = why I am supposed to care, exactly?

Bracket G
1. JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, “I LOVE ROCK ‘N ROLL”: She’s not a punk, but she plays one on TV. Very silly song, but a great aesthetic.
2. SERGE GAINSBOURG & JANE BIRKIN, “JE T’AIME MOI NON PLUS”: Oh. Oh, my. Isaac Hayes WISHES he could make women do this.
3. TLC, “NO SCRUBS”
4. TLC, “WATERFALLS”
With two wonderfully against-type female vocals at the top of this bracket, TLC doesn’t really stand a chance…”No Scrubs” is clearly superior to “Waterfalls,” though.

Bracket H: Great bracket; gonna have to go with the chalk.
1. TALKING HEADS, “PSYCHO KILLER”: I agree with everyone back in Week 2 who thought this was their best. And, hey, more French! Qu’est-ce que c’est, nicolas?
2. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, “LOSING MY EDGE”: Proposition: This is the 21st-century “American Pie,” except that it’s much better and wittier. Discuss.
3. NIRVANA, “HEART-SHAPED BOX”: I’m glad the BNIT has given us a second great Nirvana song, but I’d take about 5 songs from Nevermind over this (actually, a couple of songs on In Utero, too).
4. DON HENLEY, “THE BOYS OF SUMMER”: A great song. Now let’s start subtracting points: it’s Don Henley, it features mawkish 1960s nostalgia, the synth sounds like Mr. Mister, and the title is from an overrated book about the Brooklyn Dodgers.

BRACKET E
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) – Yes!!! The pinnacle of Lennon’s post-Beatles career. Shows that despite a propensity for nudity and being spied on by the CIA, he could still write a good tune.
2. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) – I stumbled across a short clip of this one on YouTube – an acoustic version from 1969. The original is great too.
3. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970)
4. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) – Fresh from the Swedish, assembly-line hit machine (which is to say, it was probably written around a boardroom table.) This Bracketology game has exhausted me of all synonyms for “garbage”.

BRACKET F
1. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) – simple and catchy one-hit-wonder. Sadly, the best of this bracket.
2. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982)
3. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969)
4. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) – This one’s funny, because I just heard this song for the first time yesterday on a colleague’s iPod. And honestly, I only listened to the first minute because that’s all I could take. (much to the chagrin of said colleague, who claims the best part of the song is at 3:20.) I’ll take her word for it.

BRACKET G
1. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) – I don’t even know what to say about this one. I must have a reason for putting it at #1, but I have no idea what it is.
2. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) – I don’t even know this one, but it’s got to be better than the pop turds that I’ve put at #3 and #4.
3. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) – crap.
4. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) – crappier.

BRACKET H
1. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) – From this moment on, I no longer consider this song a guilty pleasure; I love this tune, and I’m not ashamed to say it. From the opening high-hat hits, to the descending synth riff, and the nostalgic lyrics – everything about this song is right. (call me crazy, but does that part at 2:42 remind anyone else of seagulls?) Beats not only anything the Eagles ever did, but anything from its members’ solo discography.
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) – A gritty, pissed-off Cobain. Is there a better kind? Makes you wonder what the LP after In Utero would’ve sounded like.
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002)
4. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977)

BRACKET E
1. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) - It's different. It's in your face.
2. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) - I like John with the Beatles a whole lot more than John on his own - and he's my favorite Beatle.
3. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) - Better than Britney.
4. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) - She has always been toxic to me.

BRACKET F
1. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) - This is a perfect little pop nugget. Love it.
2. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) - I never really got Sly.
3. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) - Anything is better than Rock Lobster.
4. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) - See above.

BRACKET G - I AM SKIPPING THIS BRACKET. FOUR WAY TIE.
2. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999)
23. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994)
26. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969)
47. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982)

BRACKET H
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) - By far No. 1 here. Brilliant track.
2. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) - I like.
3. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) - OK
4. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) - How did this make the BNIT?

Man, I like most of these songs more than the ones in the big 256!

BRACKET E:
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970)
2. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003)
3. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970)
4. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954)

IK is classic - great vocal, passion, melody. Cosmic, man. "Toxic" is ridiculously catchy to the extreme - that rare thing: a 21st century pop classic. "War" is a fun little hook, but who needs 100 seconds of it? And Muddy Waters really just isn't my speed. Bu-nunna-nuh-nuh And then I went out, bu-nunna-nuh-nuh and I took out the trash bu-nunna-nuh-nuh and I thought to myself bu-nunna-nuh-nuh I ain't got no cash. Exactly.

BRACKET F:
1. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990)
2. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (197
3. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969)
4. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982)

I love "There She Goes", I think it's just one of the most gorgeous-gorgeous-gorgeous songs ever recorded.

On the whole, The B-52's piss me off - but even I can admit that there's something a bit special about "Rock Lobster". A good old crazy amalgamation of all sorts of crazy influences. Also: gotta love Peter Griffin's interpretation.

Sly & co. sound nicely baked, as always and "Planet Rock" reminds me more of Puff Daddy than anything: i.e. I'd really rather just be listening to the source material, sans rapping.

BRACKET G:
1. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969)
2. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982)
3. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994)
4. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999)

The French'n is OK. Oooh, naughty lyrics. In French. Would've been fourth in just about any other bracket, but this is an unbelievably awful one.

ILRNR is pretty weak - stupid, nonsense lyrics, a simple-minded uninspiring riff trying bravely to carry the song on its shoulders...

...but then TLC are absolutely and resolutely God awful. "Waterfalls" is a tad less annoying than "No Scrubs" - but both rank among the nadir of so-called 'popular classics'. Bleach!

BRACKET H:
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977)
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993)
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002)
4. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984)

"Psycho Killer" is just wonderful: great vocal tics, brilliant little social observations. Brimming with neat touches, and just a tight little classic.

"Heart-Shaped Box" is about as brilliant: dense and overwhelming poetry tied to a tight piece of music. Thanks to Guitar Hero 2 I've heard it some twenty times these last two days, and I'm still loving it.

"Losing My Edge" doesn't begin to compare with those two classics, though it is preferable to that crappy Henley hit. Since when is a song a classic just for having a melody?

BRACKET E
1. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003)- Once again I make my case that pop is treated very unfairly these days. Just like any period there is going to be a lot of garbage but it's so easy to recognize a good pop song. This is one of the best pop songs of the past ten years.
2. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”(1970)- Pretty good, but not anywhere near my favorite of Lennon's solo stuff.
3. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970)- Again pretty good but the BNIT is where it belongs!
4. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954)- I just don't like blues music, so I can't really argue this songs merits.


BRACKET F
1. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990)- Amazingly this song wasn't ruined for me by Sixpence None the Richer. In fact, I think I liked it better.
2. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978)- Could be the catchiest song ever that when you look at the pieces shouldn't be catchy at all.
3. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969)- Another song that pales in comparison to the bands better songs.
4. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982)- I don't like this song at all.


BRACKET G
1. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994)- Yikes this is a tough bracket. Mediocre pop doesn't deserve a #1 but it gets it here.
2. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999)- Not that great.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982)- At least it's short.
4. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969)- So overrated.


BRACKET H
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977)- Awesome, awesome song. I think it sounded even better live on Stop Making Sense.
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993)- Two TLC songs to two songs that I might have moved into the second round in the real thing. Not cool.
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002)- Good song but nowhere near Tribulations or Daft Punk for me.
4. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984)- I actually don't mind this song and I loathe the Eagles.

Sorry I'll have no time to do these brackets, because i'm leaving tomorrow

Schleuse, it seems like you wanted to know what byrne said in French
Well it is as deconnected as the rest of the song

i could translate it like that :

Ce que j'ai fait, ce soir-là
Ce qu'elle a dit, ce soir-là
Réalisant mon espoir
Je me lance vers la gloire ...

which means :

What I did that night
What she said that night
Realizing my hopes
I'm heading for glory...

About the Gainsbourg lyrics, i have no time but it is a very precise description of sexual intercourse leading to the conclusion that there is no way out of physical love, if I may say so
The title could be translated as "I love you, me neither"
Bye bye

Bracket E
1)John Lennon - Instant Karma:His #2 song for me - beats anything in this bracket easy
2)Muddy Waters - Hoochie Coochie Man;Not my cup of tea but 2 weak tracks below
3)Edwin Starr - War:A real eye-roller for me,Jackie Chan singing it in one of his movies was sort of funny though
4)Britney Spears - Toxic:Inevitably bottom here - hate it

Bracket F
1)The La's - There She Goes:For me,almost the perfect pop song - just sublime
2)Sly & The Family Stone - Thankyou(Falettime Be Mice Elf Again):Sort of boring for me - I'm not really ever in the mood for playing it
3)B-52s - Rock Lobster:Annoying,novelty
4)Afrika Bombaataa - Planet Rock:Don't like it much - borrowed from Trans-Europe Express which I also don't like that much

Bracket G
1)Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock n'Roll:Didn't think I'd ever have this as #1 in a bracket - surprisingly,Britney Spears' cover didn't ruin it too much for me
2)TLC - Waterfalls:OK - probably their best I'm not a big fan of most of their stuff
3)TLC - No Scrubs:Such as this
4)Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin - Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus:Heard it one time and thought it was a piece of crap...

Bracket H
1)Don Henley - Boys Of Summer:Agree with Anthony - best of the Eagles,as a band or solo although that might not be saying too much
2)Talking Heads - Psycho Killer:I found this so funny when I heard it the first few times - seemed so unusual to me saying the words "psycho killer" in a chorus
3)Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box:Wouldn't call it one of their best songs
4)LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge:Actually OK but not great

BRACKET E
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) - Decent.
2. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) - Good Muddy song.
3. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) - Crap
4. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) - Crapcake.

BRACKET F
1. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) - Good enough to beat the rest.
2. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) - Decent I suppose..
3. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) - Boring
4. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) - What?

BRACKET G
1. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) - Best French sung song ever.. doesn't make it very good though.
2. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) - I love rock 'n roll too, but this is just nothing more than decent. Britney's cover did not do it any good either.
3. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) - Don't know.
4. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) - Don't care.


BRACKET H
1. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) - One good song in all 16 songs in this week's BNIT. One of my favorite songs ever.
2. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) - Not my thing.
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) - Neither is this.
4. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) - Surprise.. neither is this.

I have to say, these brackets are really crappy.. I hope this takes out all the crap in the BNIT because it was pretty boring ranking these (as you can probably see).

BRACKET E
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) (One of his better solo hits. I like the chunk-a-chunk-a background, and the leap from the verse to the chorus)
2. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) (Gets by entirely on a catchy shout-along chorus.)
3. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) (with the blues, something's gotta grab me, cause the song form is so staid. Nothing in particular grabs me here.)
4. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) (I like a good pop hit with strange production behind it as much as the next guy. This is an overrated single. Give me "Hit Me Baby One More Time" over this any day.


BRACKET F
1. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) (Can't believe this isn't in the main tournament. I am a Sly man through and through, and this is quite possibly his greatest song.)
2. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) (I am torn about this single. Too synth-heavy for my tastes, but it does have a unique groove.)
3. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) (This I'm over this song right after I hear it, and only want to hear it again a couple of months later.)
4. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) (Overrated. Quirky without being particularly fun.)

BRACKET G
1. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) (The chorus cracks me up. What can I say.)
2. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) (Not as fierce as "Bad Reputation." Only the guitars grab me here. That relentless drumbeat is tiresome.)
3. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) (Plodding melody. Only like Left-Eye's rap in the middle.)
4. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) (Despite having a huge crucsh on their daughter, I find Serge Gainsbourg to be both creepy and untalented.)

BRACKET H
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) (Great nervous vibe from the band and from Byrne. With all of the stuff out about the 30th anniversary of Son of Sam, NYC blackout, Bronx Bombers... this song captures that place perfectly.)
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) (Nice song. Nothing bad to say about it.)
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) (More of a fan of "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House." His too cool for school image turns me off. Otherwise, I can get into this.)
4. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) (Down with the Eagles!)

BRACKET E
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) - OK song, but John made much better ones.
2. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) - Normally I dislike Britney songs, but this one I like.
3. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) - Man, does he have the blues.
4. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) - I may like the statement, not really the song.

BRACKET F
1. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) - Absolutely fantastic.
2. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) - Groovy.
3. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) - Lol, never heared it before. Funny.
4. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) - This sucks.

BRACKET G
1. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) - L’amour physique est sans issue. Ah, oui!
2. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) - A bit simple and a bit stupid, but at least it's not R&B.
3. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) - I don't care much for R&B
4. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) - I prefer No TLC

BRACKET H
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) - They are so original. I really like it.
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) - No teen spirit, but a good song.
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) - A bit boring
4. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) - Nothing to love or hate about this song. Just nothingness.

BRACKET E

Instant karma (we all shine on) - Not a very strong bracket but John Lennon wins easily
Toxic - Amazingly good Britney Spears song!
War - Good lyrics, of course, but not a favourite tune
Hoochie coochie man - After Mannish boy I've had enough Muddy Waters for this month

BRACKET F

There she goes - Timeless song, sounds like it was always there
Rock lobster - I really don't know what this is about but it's sure they have a lot of fun singing it
Thank you (falettime be mice elf again) - Not a favourite
Planet rock - Must have been important because I can't believe it deserves it's ranking because of it's beauty

BRACKET G

I love rock 'n' roll - A little simplistic maybe but sounds good to me
Je t'aime moi non plus - Some songs need to be in French, this is one of them. I don't even want to know how this sounds in English.
Waterfalls - Not bad, that means I wouldn't turn it off when it's on the radio
No scrubs - Not bad either

BRACKET H

Psycho killer - A sure winner
Heart-shaped box - Close finish between the other three, this is just a little better than the rest
The boys of summer - Not bad
Losing my edge - Nothing special to me

BRACKET E
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) – One of my favorite solo Lennon songs, filled with the raw passion that permeated all his early post-Beatles work but glazed with just the right pop sheen.
2. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) – Blunt, implacable, and sadly timeless. Good God, y’all!
3. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) – I don’t know Muddy’s early singles well enough to judge them. Presumably, I would like it enough to rank it above Ms. Spears, but not the first two above.
4. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) – I haven’t really heard it.

BRACKET F
1. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) – I love the album, and I love this song. I can see why it annoys the hell out of some people, but I think it’s a work of pop-art genius. (Although I’ve come to love “Dance This Mess Around” even more.)
2. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) – Pure dream-pop bliss.
3. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) – Pure proto-funk menace, even more so on the slowed-down RIOT version. Why aren’t this and its equally brilliant B-side “Everybody is a Star” bonus tracks on one of the great recent reissues of the albums?
4. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) – Classic of its kind, but not on par with the rest of the bracket.

BRACKET G
1. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) – Eh. I’m not a huge fan of anything in this BNIT bracket. This is always good for a few chuckles, but give me anything on MELODY NELSON any day.
2. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) – Easily their best song, the prototypical contemporary R&B ballad.
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) – Fun the first 10,000 times I heard it. Loses its novelty after that.
4. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) – An OK track.

BRACKET H
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) – By contrast, I like everything here a lot. Tough call, but David Byrne’s first great statement of purpose comes out on top.
2. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) – This is not a guilty pleasure for me; I think it’s one of the best singles of the ‘80s. Its co-writer (Tom Petty’s great guitarist Mike Campbell) probably deserves a lot of the credit.
3. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) – One listen and you knew the new album wasn’t just going to be SON OF NEVERMIND. Stunning presence and immediacy.
4. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) – Hilarious, and a great calling card, but the best stuff on the two albums is even better.

BRACKET E
1. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” - It's gonna gitcha.
2. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” - Gutsy and ballsy blues.
3. Britney Spears, “Toxic” - I'm not going to try to be cool like some on here and dis Britney. But still, this song's only slightly above average. The video however ... Did you see that flight attendant outfit?
4. Edwin Starr, “War” - What is it good for? Well it gave this guy a career by giving him something to sing about.

BRACKET F
1. The La’s, “There She Goes”- This is a lovely pop song, almost too lovely.
2. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” - I just like the dude's name.
3. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” - Not one of his best in my opinion.
4. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” - Good for a laugh.

BRACKET G
2. TLC, “No Scrubs” - Playa haters step off.
47. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - A riff and a catchphrase. Still, a pretty good riff and catchphrase.
23. TLC, “Waterfalls” - Don't go chasing 'em. I like it, but a little cheesy.
26. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” - They just made up a bunch of words for this song title, except the last one, that's a real word.

BRACKET H
Every song in this bracket would have won Bracket G
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” - Typically great Talking Heads wackery.
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” - Kurt has a new complaint. Apparently it was one too many, because he blew his head off.
3. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” - This is the theme song of most people here (including myself), because we're all music snobs.
4. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” - Is this about baseball?

BRACKET E
1. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) - One of my all-time favourites!
2. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) - Top of the pops
3. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) - Not my favourite Lennon. Pick any LP track from Plastic Ono Band I'll vote for it!
4. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) - I have already voted for Mannish Boy...

BRACKET F
1. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) - Yes, Sly again! Ut doesn't get much funkier than this.
2. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) - So quirky and good, I wish there was more music like this.
3. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) - One of the non-overrated UK singles from around '90.
4. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) - Doesn't have a chance here

BRACKET G
1. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) - The sexiest sounds on a record. Ever. Shame it's not in the big competition.
2. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) - Deserves its part of this game
3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) - It has "hit" all over it.
4. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) - Not my favourite from CrazySexyCool

BRACKET H
1. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) - Continue making nonsense
2. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) - Not a bad follow-up single after Nevermind.
3. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) - A decent pop song, but isn't it surprising that the critics love it?
4. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) - Überrated

I've spent way too much time today filling out brackets, but oh well.

BRACKET E
29. Muddy Waters, “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1954) I really should listen to Muddy Waters's original but this has been covered at the half of blues shows where "Mannish Boy" isn't covered so I feel I can put it here knowing how great it is.
20. John Lennon, “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” (1970) One of those few moments where I don't find John Lennon overbearing.
44. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) A cool protest song and I could never hope to shout "War" so convincingly.
5. Britney Spears, “Toxic” (2003) It's actually kind of a good song, but it was a flash in the pan. I don't listen to it 4 years later though it was a very guilty pleasure when it came out.




BRACKET F
37. The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster” (1978) It's a really cool song and wonderfully stupid, but since I'm fairly sure that's what they were going for, it's just horribly endearing.
13. The La’s, “There She Goes” (1990) I never realized that this was who did this song. Instantly purchased on iTunes.
36. Sly and the Family Stone, “Thank You (Falettime Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969) Wonderful funk and one of Sly's best.
12. Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” (1982) This really just wasn't my cup of tea.



BRACKET G
23. TLC, “Waterfalls” (1994) Wow, who figured that two TLC songs would go against each other? I remember loving this video so much in middle school and anyone in their early-mid 20s can sing most of it.
2. TLC, “No Scrubs” (1999) Likewise with Waterfalls but substitute middle school with high school.
26. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” (1969) I wish I spoke French. I'd probably appreciate it more. However, Serge Gainsbourg is so amazingly strange and pervers that I'll give him the edge in most ties.
47. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1982) It's gloriously stupid (not an insult).

BRACKET H
18. LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge” (2002) Somehow I don't understand how all of us aren't putting this at number 1 since we're all obviously nerds about music and probably embody this sort of mentality from time to time. Plus, it's gloriously tongue-in-cheek. It's really a theme song to the type of people that put High Fidelity in their top 5 movies/books of all time. Oh and this: "GIL! SCOTT! HERON!"
42. Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer” (1984) I'm giving Don a slight edge because the video's so awesome.
7. Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” (1977) A great Talking Heads amongst many great Talking Heads songs.
31. Nirvana, “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) Overrated, like most Nirvana.