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Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

SEMIFINAL 3

Here is this week's bracket. Remember, you can also view the bracket on this site. Voting is now open, and you have until 11:59 PM Pacific time on this upcoming Saturday to vote. Vote either in this thread or e-mail me.

#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
#59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie
#331. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder


REMINDER: You must comment on ALL the songs in order for your ballot to count.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Because of spotty internet access this weekend, I was 18+ hours late in posting this week's bracket. So I'm extending voting for this bracket an additional 24 hours.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

First!

And a killer bracket -

1. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
Groundbreaking in countless ways. It's just a stunning song, on quite a brilliant album. I think it was Honorio who said that the last minute of God Only Knows was his finest in music - and I heartily concur. Number 3 of all time.
2. David Bowie - Heroes
Wow, this was tough to put second. There is quite a big gap between this and number 3 though. Number 29 of all time.
3. Stevie Wonder - Living For The City
No doubt in my mind this is his tour de force - while many complain about the second half, I certainly don't.
4. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
I'm under the impression that this was one of the most expensive singles ever to make - and in my mind it doesn't show. The Beach Boys could be a lot more simple - and a lot more effective. (Not suggesting that it's a bad song - all 4 of these songs are truly brilliant).

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
Top 2 are both easily deserving to be finalists. Good Vibrations has one of the most catchy harmonies ever, even if the lyrics are a little inane. You can't stop listening to it.
#331. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder
I love the funky vibe, I love the anger and frustration of being marginalized. All around great song.
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
Great song, but a pretty far way down from the top two. It's got a great melody and great production but something about it doesn't jive as much with me as it's competition.
#59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie
Good song but easy #4 in this bracket for me.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

I'm sorry your internet wasn;t working. Had it been, Jimi would be in the final 4. Damn it!

#331. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder (I love this song. It's perfectly exectuted by Stevie, and his viciour growl style singing makes it.)
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys (I'm not big on Pet Sounds, but this song is great. It's a love song that isn't over the top.)
#59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie (It may have finally cracked my top 10 Bowie songs, which is an accomplishment in itself. I also owe this song becuase it was stuck in my head when I was taking an English test, and I used the word 'hero' at least five times. I got an A )
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys (How is this song in the top 5 of all time? I like it, but top 5?)

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Listyguy
I'm sorry your internet wasn;t working. Had it been, Jimi would be in the final 4. Damn it!


To be fair, the last ballot was posted before midnight on Saturday night. So no, Jimi still would have lost.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

1. #51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: In the battle of incredible Beach Boys songs, GOK narrowly takes it for me. I'll reiterate the reasons it rocks; harmonies! elaborate instrumentation! heartfelt lyrics! that pet sounds production!
2. #3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys: Massive single in terms of scope and complexity. It deserves all of its acclaim, and there really is nothing like it 4 and a half decades later.
3. #59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie: Another one of the best songs of all time, it takes 3rd because it's pretty tough to rumble with The Beach Boys. "Heroes" is Bowie's best, and it sounds a little like my SOTY for 2010 :).
4. #331. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder: Great song, the jewel of an incredible album, but absolutely out of its league here.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
One of my all time favorites and clear winner for me in this bracket. The Beach Boys at their best, with impressive imagery, clean and interesting transitions, and of course some of the best harmonies ever. Can't say that I love the tone of some of the electronics in the song, but it's a small nit in view of all the other wonders of this song. Gets a 1 on my enjoyment scale and my 17th favorite of all time.

#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
Another great song from the Beach Boys, gets a 5 on my enjoyment scale and is my 94th favorite of all time.

#331. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder
Not my favorite from Stevie, but fits nicely in third place in this bracket. Gets a 5 on my enjoyment scale and is my 188th favorite of all time.

#59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie
Clearly fourth in this bracket for me. I am not as big a Bowie fan as many other AMers. This song gets a 10 on my enjoyment scale and is my 695th favorite of all time.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

1. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder. The teacher to identify new ways of soul.

2. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie. A hymn for my teens

3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys. Tied with Living and Heroes. But the rules require establish order. Quite a pop music course in three minutes.

4. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys. Beautiful song but I'm not crazy like the other three songs

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: Even with two Beach Boys songs in the same semifinal bracket, there’ s a clear winner. The centerpiece of PET SOUNDS is, quite possibly, the most perfect pop recording ever made. Those closing harmonies could go on forever, as far as I’m concerned.
2. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder: I just wrote about this one a few weeks ago, and my comments still hold true – it’s a magnificent epic that’s both soaring and heartbreaking.
3. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie: Another soaring ‘70s epic, almost but not quite on the same level as #2. If I had to pick a Bowie song to have made it this far … well, it’d be “Life on Mars?,” but this one would be close behind.
4. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys: A brilliant pop single, but also a bit of an overrated one, and an easy #4 at this stage of the game.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Incredible bracket this time, maybe a touch better than the last...

1. Living for the City - Stevie Wonder: With 2 of my all-time Top 30 in the same bracket, it was a touch choice bettwen 2 very different songs. In the end Stevie wins due to the passion and virtuosity, but this was close.

2. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys: Still an absolute masterpiece, I've heard this so many times, and I don't tire of it. A lovely sentiment, surprisingly subtly conveyed.

3. "Heroes" - David Bowie: Ack! What a bracket. This is of course a stunning track...I loved the single version I heard first, but the full album version is where it's at. Fripp, Eno, and Bowie's best vocal of em all.

4. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys: An aesthetically perfect song, this is only last due to the heavy competition...it doesn't really move me as much as the others, which is the only reason it's here.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

1. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys - Perhaps the most beautiful pop song ever made, "God Only Knows" is an easy #1 here. It's what floating into heaven must feel like.
2. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys - It's a step down from #1, but it's still Brian Wilson at the top of his game, and the breakdown is fantastic.
3. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie - I've never considered this among his very best - it's second-tier Bowie for me, which is still excellent.
4. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder - Likewise, this is borderline third-tier Stevie for me, which is still really good.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

1. #3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys /
Simply their best, easily. One of the most interesting pop songs out there. Sweeps away all of Pet Sounds, in my opinion. Wilson's peak of peaks, seems to have been a little too high for him.
2. #59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie /
Quite a drop and not my favorite Bowie songs, but still a very good one and probably my favorite one of his Berlin period. Quite important for today's music, LCD Soundsystem anyone?
3. #331. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder /
Although the first part is better than the last, it's just good enough to be third here. The good part of this song is the best I've ever heard of Wonder. I wish more of his songs were like this.
4. #51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys /
Could have been third as well, but this song seems to get a lot of love around here, so in this case I prefer to give my love to the less fortunate songs. One of the better songs of Pet Sounds, and reading the posts above I don't have to write here why exactly.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

The most difficult bracket that has appeared so far since I returned to this game. All the four songs are really perfect. Let's see if I can order them.


1) "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder: Could have been 3rd, but I put it here partly for consideration with Stevie, one of my great favorite artists; partly because I've, for a good time, admired and beloved this song, and have listened to it much more than the other songs here; and, last, because it's a fucking great piece of epic soul!
2) "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys: And the bridge continues to give me chills. I think one of the reasons I didn't put this 1st is because of it's first half, which is nice, but nothing compared to the sonically delightful second part, which always sounds surprising, well crafted and beautiful.
3) "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys: A sublime song. That's all I have to say. Last round I said it was better than Good Vibrations, and now I'm putting it behind that. That says how close both this songs look for me and, specially, how difficult it's being to make this rank.
4) "'Heroes'" - David Bowie: Hey, I think I've just realized this is maybe the best Bowie song, even topping Life On Mars?. The synthesizers are awesome, the emotional progression either, and not to tell about the vocal timbers.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

A very strong bracket again this week. Four excellent songs.
#331. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder
What a beautiful song, so energetic. The voice of Wonder is incredible and his soul is magic.
#59. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie
More the time pas, more I love this guy and this particular song grow-up on me. I could put in first another day.
#3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
#51. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
The only two songs of the beach boys I really love. Both excellent in different style but, for me, far less good as the two first songs.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

There isn't a bad song in the bunch here. All of them deserve to be in the top spot, but only one can advance. I've been agonizing over this one all week, and I'm still not satisfied with the order I've chosen. Ask me on any other day, and this could be completely reversed. To tell the truth, I don't really have a good reason for putting Bowie in the top spot and the two Beach Boys in the bottom two spots.
I think my only reason for putting "'Heroes'" at the #1 spot is because for much of the last couple of weeks, I've been listening to Peter Gabriel's newest album, "Scratch My Back." The opening track on that one is Gabriel's take on this Bowie tune. It's probably my favorite track off of that album. Speaking of which, I need to finish up my little review of SMB and post it here...
Wonder gets the #2 spot because... um... I really like the middle section skit. As for the remaining two, I just prefer "Good Vibrations" to "God Only Knows".

1. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie
SHTB1.
2. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder
SHTB2.
3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
SHTB3.
4. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
SHTB4.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Voting for this week is now over.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

RESULTS

We have another upset.

1. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder (37 points, 5 first-place votes)
2. "God Only Knows"- The Beach Boys (33, 4)
3. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys (31, 3)
4. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie (29, 1)

"God Only Knows" took an early lead in this one, and held that lead for most of the week, but Stevie hung close the whole way, and finally pushed into the lead at the very end. The last four ballots all had "Living" ahead of "God Only Knows". Stevie Wonder will face off against Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," OutKast's "B.O.B.," and the winner of the fourth semifinal.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Oh, damn! Who would have thought back in round one B.O.B. and Living for the City would be in the Final 4? I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3


I fear Like a Rolling Stone will just completely sweep.
God Only Knows really should've been in there.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

So many of the participants have been voting for B.O.B. because its a more recently released song. It wouldn't surprise me if this sort of "reasoning" carries B.O.B. to win the final. You can bet that B.O.B. will be in 4th place on my vote.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Henry
So many of the participants have been voting for B.O.B. because its a more recently released song. It wouldn't surprise me if this sort of "reasoning" carries B.O.B. to win the final. You can bet that B.O.B. will be in 4th place on my vote.


"Living for the City" is certainly going to be my #1, and "B.O.B." my #2. It remains to be seen whether "Like a Rolling Stone" will end up my #3 or #4, but it will probably be my #3.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

If Stairway wins the last semi, It will have my number one. If not, it's Stevie.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Henry
So many of the participants have been voting for B.O.B. because its a more recently released song. It wouldn't surprise me if this sort of "reasoning" carries B.O.B. to win the final. You can bet that B.O.B. will be in 4th place on my vote.


Personaly, I did not vote for B.O.B. because it was the most recent song but because it is one of my 3 top 10 all-time songs included in AM1024, and by far my favourite song included on the sweet 16. But I have to point out that its bracket included 3 of my 4 favourite remaining songs.
And of course it will have my #1 vote.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

Henry
So many of the participants have been voting for B.O.B. because its a more recently released song. It wouldn't surprise me if this sort of "reasoning" carries B.O.B. to win the final. You can bet that B.O.B. will be in 4th place on my vote.


Obviously. It's impossible that the people who voted B.O.B #1 in the last bracket actually liked the song the most, right? I'm sure many who voted B.O.B #1 in the last bracket really do think it's one of the best songs of all-time. I'm one of them. And next week I'll vote it behind Like A Rolling Stone, another one of the greatest songs of all-time (but above Living in the City).

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

I think B.O.B. won the last bracket because it had the least detractors. I wouldn't even put it in my top four Outkast songs.

I also wonder if it got a few tiebreakers for being the underdog.

Re: Bracketology, SEMIFINAL 3

BillAdama
I think B.O.B. won the last bracket because it had the least detractors. I wouldn't even put it in my top four Outkast songs.

I also wonder if it got a few tiebreakers for being the underdog.


Excellent points.

Clearly the votes for B.O.B. were based on affection for the song. There are many factors that contribute to such affection. Relative modernity would certainly be a legitimate contributing factor.

Similar to Bill, I also find that Hey Ya and a few other OutKast songs do more for me than B.O.B.