BRACKET 45
1. “Blueberry Hill” – Love that guys voice, even more poignant given how he evokes New Orleans
2. “London Calling” – The rest of the album has more interesting moment, but this is still a good call to arms
3. “Blister in the Sun” – Catchy and minimal, hard to believe it was a major hit in the synth-drenched eighties
4. “I Walk the Line” – Not really bad enough to be last place, it just kind of sounds like generic Cash instead of something unique.


BRACKET 46
1. “Oh, Pretty Woman” – Orbison’s voice and dark persona added an interesting tone to most of the soapy, sweet, and safe sounds of the 50s. The sung dialogue at the end is really a phenomal moment in pop.
2. “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’’ – Thunderous orchestral brilliance. It’s weird with all sorts of production techiniques in modern times and heavy sampled beats, nothing sounds so big as this.
3. “Paperback Writer” – I’m surprised this Beatles song gets any attention. I don’t even know how the melody goes, and that’s really hard to forget for almost any other Beatles hit.
4. “Virginia Plan” – I’ve wanted to get into this band more but I don’t know this song.

BRACKET 47
1. “Runaway” – I’ve dying to hear some DJ or mashup artist use the incredible keyboard (Moog, Mellotron, what is he playing?) break in the middle of the song as some sort of utlimate loop. Put together with Del Shannon’s vocals, a masterpiece. Hats Off to Larry should get some recognition too.
2. “Son of a Preacher Man” – Beautiful but gritty, I should probably grab this one on iTunes
3. “Let’s Stay Together” – Smooth sounding, but lacks a melodic urgency compared to higher songs.
4. “Like a Virgin” – All this pure natural singing in this bracket makes an otherwise 80s pop gem sound awful.

BRACKET 48
1. “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” – This song is so legendary I remember learning how to sing it in elementary school, along with such staples as This Land is Your Land and a bunch of other songs that weren’t as cool.
2. “Shake Rattle & Roll” – I might have heard the Bill Haley & Comets version a lot more than this one, but it’s still fundamental to the early rock canon.
3. “Be Bop a Lula” – Was this the first use of nonsensical lyrics in the chorus and song title?
4. “Stan” – OK, I’m trying to give credit to this 21st century songs, but I can’t, even in a weaker bracket like this one.

BRACKET 45
1. The Clash, “London Calling” (1979) (He's a wonderfully expressive singer, it's too bad that I can never understand Joe Strummer's lyrics. I'd probably like this song even better than I do already.)
2. Johnny Cash, “I Walk the Line” (1956) (This tourney has not done good things to my relationship with Johnny Cash. I thought I loved him, until I sat and thought about whether I actually like his biggest hits all that much. I do like this song, but not all that much.)
3. Violent Femmes, “Blister in the Sun” (1983) (I'm surprised by the venom expressed by other posters for the Femmes and this song. I mean it is a bit of a throw away, but I would have thought undeniably fun.)
4. Fats Domino, “Blueberry Hill” (1956) (Good voice, but turgid song. Funny to think that this came out the same year as I Walk the Line. I am much more of an R&B fan than Country, but I Walk the Line's chunk-achunk background sets a much better groove than Fats and his band on this number.)

BRACKET 46
1. Roxy Music, “Virginia Plain” (1972) (I am not a Roxy Music/Brian Ferry fan. In fact I pretty much dilike most of their other work (that I've heard). This song is a diamond in the rough.)
2. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman” (1964) (Not my favorite Orbison song, perhaps only because it is a bit overplayed. I prefer heartbroken Roy to hounddog Roy, a role that I never quite buy from him even when he's purring and muttering "Mercy." Still, this does feature his gorgeous voice.)
3. The Beatles, “Paperback Writer” (1966) (My vote for the most overrated song in the Beatles canon. Throw away theme, merely OK riff. I actually don't like the ending at all. The saving grace is the a cappella harmonies, which someone else here hates... so go figure.)
4. The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1964) (I'm torn on this song. There is some good vocal work on it. But it just tries too hard. The over-emoting, and the too large background instruments, turn the song into a slog.)


BRACKET 47
1. Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together” (1971) (Part of a string of great hits from the Reverend. Fun and frisky. I love that Al Green never seems to be trying too hard. The vocal flourishes seem to be driven by pure joy. He is the (admittedly lesser, but still great) counterpoint to Otis Redding, whose vocal flourishes are driven by pure pain.)
2. Dusty Springfield, “Son of a Preacher Man” (1968) (Another singer who goes a long way by not trying too hard. Her breathy vocals make up for somewhat of a deficit in the soul department. Great instrumental and (particularly) background vocal arrangement behind her.
3. Del Shannon, “Runaway” (1961) (Never liked that organ solo. But Del's vocals are quirky and enjoyable.)
4. Madonna, “Like a Virgin” (1984) (Lesser early Madonna. Silly, stupid song. Give me "Borderline" instead.)

BRACKET 48 (tough bracket to judge, hard to figure out how to rank these)
1. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968) (Through everything -- that damn Big Chill soundtrack that my parents overplayed, the stupid California Raisins commercials, the even worse "be quiet" parody version that they have been playing at my local movie theater, and competition from an excellent Gladys Knight version -- when I just sit and listen to it, it never gets old.)
2. Eminem featuring Dido, “Stan” (2000) (I did not like Eminem before this song. It did give me chills the first few times I heard it.)
3. Big Joe Turner, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1954) (How to decide between these bottom two? They're both good. I throw it to Big Joe Turner becuase I enjoy his voice more, even though Be Bop a Lula has more of a melody.)
4. Gene Vincent, “Be Bop a Lula” (1956) (Overbroad on the hiccupping vocals, but still enjoyable.)

45
1) The Clash "London Calling" - Oh my god. An anthem. Along with the glorious cover art for this album, the song is a redefinition of the content of rock n' roll - if not the packaging.
2) Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun" - What a fun song. I have too many camp sing and dancealong memories to let this choice slip any further.
3) Johnny Cash "I Walk the Line" - I like Cash, but...this just isn't a song I voluntarily put on very often.
4) Fats Domino "Blueberry Hill" - doesn't stand out to me.

46
1) Roy Orbison "Oh, Pretty Woman" - I knew this song before I knew how to spell my name, or probably even say it for that matter. This song is an integral part to American culture.
2) Beatles "Paperback Writer" - such an original lyrical take on a song, for its time and still today.
3) Righteous Brothers "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin" - schmaltzy.
4) Roxy Music - "Virginia Plain" - Never heard it, can't comment.

47
1) Al Green "Let's Stay Together" - This song makes my soul smile.
2) Dusty Springfield "Son of a Preacher Man" - Such a smooth delivery, great arrangement, and great concept.
3) Del Shannon "Runaway" - Fun song, that's about it.
4) Madonna "Like a Virgin" - Not her best. Memorable, but...in a good way?

48
1) Marvin Gaye "I Heard it through the Grapevine" - Such a smooth voice, a legendary song, and perfectly produced. All the nuances of the lyrics are caught in the music and in Gaye's delivery.
2) Eminem "Stan" - The song gets old after a while, but it is an amazingly articulate story about Eminem's particular influence on listeners and the listeners themselves. I'm not sure I totally buy it, but it's such a compelling story. And it's one of the most appropriate samples I've heard.
3) Big Joe Turner "Shake Rattle and Roll" - Great energy, but just a little lacking for me.
4) Gene Vincent "Be Bop a Lula" - solid oldie.

BRACKET 45
1. The Clash, “London Calling” (1979)- Would the Clash be considered "great" if they didn't release this? They have a lot of good songs but nothing came close to this masterpiece.
2. Fats Domino, “Blueberry Hill” (1956)- One of the best melodies ever.
3. Johnny Cash, “I Walk the Line” (1956)- I don't have anything to say about this one. I don't have strong feelings about it but I do listen to it.
4. Violent Femmes, “Blister in the Sun” (1983)- Good song but doesn't even compare to the other three.

BRACKET 46
1. The Beatles, “Paperback Writer” (1966)- First song I ever learned for guitar!
2. Roxy Music, “Virginia Plain” (1972)- Gets #2 by default but it's pretty good
3. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman” (1964)- Blah #1. Mercy indeed.
4. The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1964)- Blah #2. I think I heard this one too many times on oldies stations as a kid when the song held no meaning for me. Remember when oldies stations used to play Righteous Brothers non-stop?


BRACKET 47- I'm going to just write a paragraph to sum up my thoughts on all of these. All of these songs are by artists I don't normally listen to and in genres I usually don't like. Let's Stay Together is definitely the only Al Green song I like, same goes for Del Shannon. I can appreciate some Dusty Springfield but Son of a Preacher Man is the only one I ever have really liked. The only exception to this rule is Madonna who has a ton of songs I like but I can't stand Like a Virgin.

1. Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together” (1971)-
2. Dusty Springfield, “Son of a Preacher Man” (1968)
3. Del Shannon, “Runaway” (1961)
4. Madonna, “Like a Virgin” (1984)


BRACKET 48
1. Gene Vincent, “Be Bop a Lula” (1956)- I think I hold Elvis' version equal. Most definitely my favorite song of the early rock and roll period.
2. Eminem featuring Dido, “Stan” (2000)- Another #2 by default. Its ok but it's not even my favorite Eminem song.
3. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)- This song is boring to me no matter who does it.
4. Big Joe Turner, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1954)- Most definitely my least favorite song of the early rock and roll period and boring to me no matter who does it...

BRACKET 45
Very close bracket. I don't know if I can sleep well after this...

1. The Clash, “London Calling” (1979) - I often find Clash overrated, but this is essential
2. Fats Domino, “Blueberry Hill” (1956) - Jukeboxes are not very common in Sweden, but a long time ago, a friend and stopped by at a small burger restaurant where they had one. We chose Blueberry Hill. The music was loud. It was a great moment.
3. Johnny Cash, “I Walk the Line” (1956) - I love how Cash's dark vocal smoothly moves in and out to this great country beat.
4. Violent Femmes, “Blister in the Sun” (1983) - My definition of indie

BRACKET 46
The weakest bracket ever?

1. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman” (1964) - I like Roy's most popular song, but I think it's a little silly that such a silly song is almost in the AM top 100.
2. The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1964) - Heartbreaking but overrated
3. The Beatles, “Paperback Writer” (1966) - An average single, at least by Beatles standards
4. Roxy Music, “Virginia Plain” (1972) - This is a perfect example of that the single-only tracks are overrated at AM. Other RM songs like "Do the Strand" would have won this bracket easily.

BRACKET 47
1. Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together” (1971) - I was going to write that although this is soul at its best, I often skip this as I've heard it so many times. Then I played it and almost hit the repeat button.
2. Dusty Springfield, “Son of a Preacher Man” (1968) - No one has a better taste than Quentin
3. Madonna, “Like a Virgin” (1984) - If you would ask people to sing a Madonna song, I'm sure most people would pick this one. And it's because of the melody just as much as the lyrics.
4. Del Shannon, “Runaway” (1961) - Amazing falsetto, but the song as a whole has no chance in this heat.

BRACKET 48
1. Eminem featuring Dido, “Stan” (2000) - Honorio said all I wanted to say. It's easy to understand that a lot of people don't like Eminem. But even if I'd hate most of E's other songs (I don't), I'd probably hold him very high only because of this song.
2. Gene Vincent, “Be Bop a Lula” (1956) - Puts me in a great mood, one of my absolute favourites from the 50s. Would have won any of the other three brackets this week.
3. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968) - OK, so this might be the best top 3 in a bracket ever. Easily the best cover in the AM top 10.
4. Big Joe Turner, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1954) - A distant #4

BRACKET 45
1. The Clash, “London Calling” - From the ominous bass line opening to the list of disasters, this was a great way to close the '70s and open the '80s.
2. Johnny Cash, “I Walk the Line” - A cool country-rock Cash classic.
3. Violent Femmes, “Blister in the Sun” - A fun pop song, but I'm not sure it's much more than that.
4. Fats Domino, “Blueberry Hill” - Not as thrilling for me as it is for him. Still pretty good.

BRACKET 46
1. The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” - It's an epic, luckily I can block Tom Cruise from my mind at will.
2. Roy Orbison, “Oh, Pretty Woman” - Orbison's crowning achievement with and extremely cool rhythm.
3. The Beatles, “Paperback Writer” - A little shrill, and not one of the best songs the Beatles did.
4. Roxy Music, “Virginia Plain” - I like some Roxy Music, but not this so much.


BRACKET 47
1. Dusty Springfield, “Son of a Preacher Man” - I prefer the warm feeling of Memphis Sould over Motown (in general), and Dusty gave this song her all.
2. Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together” - Smooth soul. It's really good, but just a little too polished I think.
3. Del Shannon, “Runaway” - A nice song for the era.
4. Madonna, “Like a Virgin” - In the words of Quentin Tarantino, "Dick, dick, dick, dick, dick."

BRACKET 48
1. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” - One of the coolest grooves of all time, and one of Gaye's best.
2. Eminem featuring Dido, “Stan” - I think he's done better, but despite the lack of lyrical flow, he still makes his point. No. 2 by default.
3. Big Joe Turner, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” - Kind of a classic, but doesn't really move me.
4. Gene Vincent, “Be Bop a Lula” - See No. 3, only less so.