I also love Rapper's Delight. Hotel California not so much, but I'll vote for Imagine.
rapper's delight is a great song (although it was totally made up by the record company, and Sugarhill Gang was not a real rap collective)
It was in my top 200
I love Hotel California as well.
I would say "Firestarter" or "House of Jealous Lovers"
It should come as no surprise that I also think "Imagine" is poopy.
Was 'Yakety Yak' in the top 256 at the time? If so, it surely has to be that then.
Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Yes, Max, “Yakety Yak” was indeed in the tournament (although it wouldn’t be now), and it finished a distant last place in round one.
There were only a few songs in bracketology I actively dislike, almost all of them from between 1967 and 1973, which I still think is the most overrated period in pop music history. Don’t get me wrong—there was a lot of great music coming out in that era, but a lot of relatively inferior stuff from those years gets much more acclaim than it deserves. I won’t name names. Well, OK—Steppenwolf, Don McLean, three or four others.
However, for my money, the worst song in bracketology, by a long shot, was much more recent: “House of Jealous Lovers.” Not good. Not inventive. Not even popular. I’m still waiting for someone to explain it to me.
I’ve never lost the soft spot I developed for “Rapper’s Delight” when I was 11 years old.
"Rapper's Delight" was something new, but the good stuff in the genre was yet to come. And I'm not referring to "Crazy in Love"!
nicolas - perhaps give "Firestarter" another listen. The electronic soundscapes are fascinating, and that beat? Sooo sick!
Worst song? "Blister in the Sun".
I never understood "House Of Jealous Lovers" and "Blisters in the Sun" either. I was listening to those songs during bracketology (hadn't heard either before) and I was really wondering what those songs were doing there.
"House Of Jealous Lovers" is a mindboggling anomaly.
I distinctly remember YouTubing that one and thinking "what the hell...?!?"
Just youtubed blister in the sun and well, not a bad song but indeed I wonder why it is so highly ranked.
But I adore House of Jealous Lovers ! And it is an important song in recent history, doing what Losing my Edge started to do with greater achievement (in a way... I might prefer Losing my Edge but well, HoJL kicks ass too and has a huge bassline).
The 3 Songs I like less in this list are :
Paperback Writer
Born in the USA
Alone again Or
Not saying they are bad, just that I don't like 'em
Quite surprised to realise Don't Fear the Reaper and Toxic are so high but I guess they deserve it in a way, a really influent song and a very catchy one.
'House Of Jealous Lovers' is certainly an anomoly, but it's a better track than, say, 'Work It', a song I'd forgotten before it had even finished, or blatant 'Crazy In Love' rip-off 'One Thing'.
In terms of the absolute worst bracketology song, I make 'Imagine' and 'Born In The USA' bridesmaids to 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', a quintessentially 80s product to rival Ronald Reagan, Richard Ramirez and the Police Academy franchise.
Where can I get a list of the top 256?
Probably something by U2 would be my pick.
Well, it's pretty much the top 256 on the website. 
I haven't gone through ever single one, but here's my least favorite:
1) Enter Sandman
2) White Rabbit
3) Light My Fire
4) Girls and Boys (I happen to be a reaonably solid Blur fan, but this song has always sucked.)
Loophole and Moonbeam - as it says in the RS500 greatest songs in which Imagine was #3,it is probably the greatest song done by the Beatles,solo or as a band. It may not be as experimental as A Day in The Life or Strawberry Fields but the message of Imagine will stand the test of time for the ages...
It might be interesting to visit:
http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=786
I will own up: “Blister in the Sun” is not actually a very good song, but it’s kind of a generational thing—if you were in college in the 1980s, the Femmes were übercool. That’s a terrible defense of them, I admit…it’s exactly the sort of claim that drives me up a wall when people do it for lame bands of the late 60s and early 70s.
otisredding, thanks for pointing to that Blender list; it’s worth a few giggles. Out of curiosity, I checked, and nine of the songs on the Blender “all time worst” list actually show up here on AM (and one of them was in bracketology). They are:
218. Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence”
559. The Doors, “The End”
1802. Celine Dion, “My Heart Will Go On”
2423. Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t Worry Be Happy”
2677. R.E.M., “Shiny Happy People”
Bubbling under: Right Said Fred, “I’m Too Sexy”
Bubbling under: Color Me Badd, “I Wanna Sex You Up”
Bubbling under: Aqua, “Barbie Girl”
Bubbling under: Europe, “The Final Countdown”
“The Sound of Silence” is a pretty silly pick, and “The End” will raise some eyebrows, but the rest unquestionably deserve bashing (to be fair, I’ve never heard “Barbie Girl,” but I know it by reputation).
It’s interesting, by the way, that in their lyrics, “My Heart Will Go On,” “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” and “Shiny Happy People” are all about some kind of stupid, willful denial of reality.
(R.E.M. disowned that song, almost while it was still on the charts.)
I was going to ask you about that one, schleuse. I'm assuming if R.E.M. disowned it back then (circa 91) then nothing's probably changed since then, right? In other words, they haven't busted out "Shiny" at any recent concerts, have they?
And what's the story behind that recording anyway? Was it just a temporary lapse of judgment, or...?
iirc, the story behind that song is this: Berry, Buck and Mills had written the music, sort of along the lines of some of the dumb-but-fun songs they were writing around that time ("Stand," "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"), and I think they may have already had a Stipe/Kate Pierson duet in mind. Stipe decided it was such a happy-sounding tune that it deserved unambiguously happy lyrics. It was a bad idea to begin with, and was made worse by the fact that Michael was very much in touch with his inner 4-year-old that day (see also "The Wrong Child," on Green, which is even worse).
(Wikipedia claims that the lyrics reference Tiananmen Square. Um, ok. If that's true, something must have been lost in translation.)
Once they realized exactly what they'd done (I would guess after they made the video, which drove Bill Berry to despair), they stated their intention never to play it live, and as far as I know, they haven't. Distressingly, they did play a version of it on Sesame Street, as "Furry Happy Monsters."
It's their "Country House."
A couple of years ago, Q magazine had a list of “Ten Terrible Records by Great Artists.” I’ve reconstructed as much of it as I could find (along with AM rankings, if any):
Bob Dylan, “Wiggle Wiggle”
Elton John, “Candle in the Wind” (#1062)
Prince, “Batdance” (#2756)
Lou Reed, Metal Machine Music
R.E.M., “Shiny Happy People” (we’ve done this one)
The Rolling Stones, “Undercover of the Night” (#2841)
U2, “Miami”
(I don’t think those last two are all THAT bad.)
I couldn’t find the remaining three…I would guess:
The Beach Boys, “Kokomo”
The Beatles, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
Chuck Berry, “My Ding-a-Ling”
It's kind of heartening to know that nobody bats 1.000
Not a good time to say that I quite like Shiny Happy People then?
I'm with you Max. I also have 1 other song from that Blender list in my top 300, Sunglasses At Night. And besides the whole always-changing-corporating-names-while-they-changed-their-name-thrice I don't think Built This City is that bad a song.
"It's kind of heartening to know that nobody bats 1.000"
Well, if we're talking about songs that are absolute shit in comparison to the rest of an acclaimed artist's catalogue, I can think of a handful of names that have a consistently solid output.
You'd never hear Radiohead put out one of those stinkers (along the lines of "Shiny Happy People"). I'm sure even Thom ribs his friend about it from time to time.
"Shiny Happy People" is a dandy instrumental track with cringeworthy lyrics on top of it.
It's interesting that the songs on the Blender list are mostly there because of stupid or offensive lyrics, whereas the posters on this forum tend to dislike songs for reasons having to do with, you know, music.
And, Neoptolemos, I believe that every song in the world should be liked by someone. So, in principle, I'm glad someone is standing up for "We Built This City." I cannot imagine why, though.
"Kokomo" was the first Beach Boys I had heard when I was 12 in 1988 and I loved that song. Today the Beach Boys is my favourite band and I've realized that they have made far much better songs than "Kokomo". But I can't say this song is crap. I still have some affection for it. It's a good song from the 80s. Can someone tell me some best songs from the 80s made by great artists of the 60s ? I don't see what else. "Kokomo" rules !
Worst scores from bracketology:
1. The Rapture, “House of Jealous Lovers” (24 voters - 29 points)
2. Metallica, “Enter Sandman” (20 voters - 26 points)
3. The Five Satins, “In the Still of the Night” (24 voters - 33 points)
4. Madonna, “Like a Virgin” (22 voters - 31 points)
5. Isaac Hayes, "Theme from Shaft" (26 voters - 37 points)
6. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott, “Get Ur Freak On” (21 voters - 30 points)
7. The Everly Brothers, "Cathy's Clown" (27 voters - 40 points)
8. Amerie, “1 Thing” (20 voters - 30 points)
9. Chubby Checker, “The Twist” (24 voters - 37 points)
10. Beastie Boys, “Fight for Your Right (To Party)” (20 voters - 31 points)
11. Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” (16 voters - 25 points)
12. Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites” (20 voters - 32 points)
12. Justin Timberlake, “My Love” (20 voters - 32 points)
12. The Drifters, “There Goes My Baby” (15 voters - 24 points)
15. Gladys Knight & the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (27 voters - 44 points)
16. Big Joe Turner, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (22 voters - 36 points)
17. The Coasters, “Yakety Yak” (20 voters - 33 points)
18. Grandmaster Flash, “The Adventures of…” (29 voters - 48 points)
19. The Crystals, “Da Doo Ron Ron” (24 voters - 40 points)
20. Don McLean, “American Pie” (17 voters - 29 points)
20. Aretha Franklin, “I Say a Little Prayer” (17 voters - 29 points)
22. Marvin Gaye, “Sexual Healing” (24 voters - 41 points)
23. Pretenders, “Brass in Pocket” (15 voters - 26 points)
23. Elvis Presley, “Jailhouse Rock” (15 voters - 26 points)
25. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott, “Work It” (24 voters - 42 points)
Midaso, if there were a way to actually take the test of time (i.e., jump ahead 100 years), I predict that a number of Beatles songs will be more vital and more fondly remembered than Imagine. But the only way to find out is to write this all down and then live a really long time.
My off-the-top-of-my-head predictions for the most remembered Beatles songs in the 2060's are (1) Something, (2) Here Comes the Sun, (3) Yesterday, (4) In My Life, and (5) Hey Jude.
That's right. Someday we'll all be talking about George.
Imagine might crack the top 10, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
Dumbangel,
Good call on Kokomo. It may not be the best song, but it has it's moments and it created some new Beach Boys songs.
I think "Rockin' In The Free World" is a good 80s song from a 60s artist.
8. Amerie, “1 Thing” (20 voters - 30 points)
I'm surprised this is so disregarded - it kicks the arse of "Crazy in Love", and I'm not so sure it's a rip-off anyway. I mean, Amerie herself may be a Beyonce knock-off, but "Crazy" is all about that horn hook, while "1 Thing" is pretty much pure rhythm (drums & those guitar chords). Anyway, I consider it one of the singles of the '00s, and I generally dislike most of the r&b of this decade.
Just an itty-bitty rant, thanks!
(Side rant: How could anyone hate "Intergalactic"? My goodness!)
Can someone tell me some best songs from the 80s made by great artists of the 60s ? I don't see what else. "Kokomo" rules !
I won't go into my thoughts on "Kokomo", but other great '80s songs by '60s artists:
Dylan: Blind Willie McTell, Brownsville Girl, Every Grain of Sand, Most of the Time
Marvin Gaye: Sexual Healing
Stevie Wonder: Master Blaster (Jammin')
Lennon solo: Watching the Wheels
McCartney solo: Take It Away
The line starts behind Neil Young's Freedom and Paul Simon's Graceland.
"Shiny Happy People" is one of the only R.E.M. songs I like!
And "Batdance" is awesome!
I'll also admit to liking "Sunglasses At Night".
Bob Dylan scored big with Oh Mercy
"Batdance"...the nicest thing I can say about it is that it's innocuous, and from Prince I expect something better than innocuous. (Moonbeam, are there any Prince songs you don't like?)
And speaking of innocuous, there's "Sunglasses at Night"...when I was in high school, my senior class won a local radio station's contest, and first prize was a free Corey Hart concert for all. I'll give him this--he put on a decent, workmanlike show, and he performed his songs with energy and conviction without ever pretending that they were masterpieces.
There are plenty of Prince songs I don't like- even a few albums. But I think "Batdance" is perfect Prince- weird, innovative and funky. Its brilliant use of samples from the Batman movie and its spooky lyrics and delivery set the perfect mood for Batman. The guitars are blistering and raw, and that funky guitar crunch during the "Who's that? Vicki Vale!" bit makes me sport the funk face more often than not.
Shiny Happy People is awesome...
The worst songs in bracketology for me were Donna Summer-I Feel Love, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers- Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Fleetwood Mac- Go Your Own Way and the Pretenders- Brass in Pocket
I love Shiny Happy people
And "Country House" too
They're fun songs
And what does it have to do with Stipe's child ?
I didn't understand what you meant schleuse
Would children be a bad source of inspiration ?
Oh. Umm...I guess that's an English idiom that doesn't translate very well. Saying that Stipe was "in touch with his inner 4-year-old" is a metaphor for saying that he was playing the role, or speaking in the voice of, a young child. That doesn't quite get all the nuance of it, but it's the best I can explain it uncaffeinated...hope that helps.
I did not mean to imply he was getting advice from his nephew or something. Michael Stipe has no children (in part, for a fairly obvious reason).
John said: "The worst songs in bracketology for me were Donna Summer-I Feel Love, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers-Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Fleetwood Mac-Go Your Own Way and the Pretenders-Brass in Pocket"
I think there are four great songs. Especially "I Feel Love" has introduced new elements to the dance floor (and in popular music, the novelty must be evaluated).
I believe, according to Blender, The End (The Doors), it is more boring than a golf TV transmission.
I didn't know Stipe was gay
Damned language bareer