NME list of 20 greatest tracks of past 60 years

[smark21]

1. Joy Division – 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
   2. Pulp – 'Common People'
   3. David Bowie – 'Heroes'
   4. The Beach Boys – 'Good Vibratons'
   5. New Order – 'Blue Monday'
   6. The Stone Roses – 'She Bangs The Drums'
   7. The Smiths – 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'
   8. The Specials – 'Ghost Town'
   9. Dizzee Rascal – 'Fix Up, Look Sharp'
   10. Oasis – 'Wonderwall'
   11. The Rolling Stones – 'Sympathy For The Devil'
   12. The Ronettes – 'Be My Baby'
   13. Michael Jackson – 'Billie Jean'
   14. Sex Pistols – 'God Save The Queen'
   15. The Beatles – 'A Day In The Life'
   16. The Cure – 'Boys Don't Cry'
   17. Bob Dylan – 'Like A Rolling Stone'
   18. The Beach Boys – 'God Only Knows'
   19. Madonna – 'Like A Prayer'
   20. The Stone Roses – 'I Am The Resurrection'

And here's a link to what their readers are voting for:

http://www.nme.com/ratemy/271359/100...-nmes-lifetime

[mr soul]

Now I know why I don't read the NME, I ran out of skips.

[robb_k]

Does "tracks" refer to background tracks? If so, how come no Funk Brothers???

[Ngroove]

Obviously, rock subjective - especially when addition of the Cure [[ some of his songs are good even to my ears, but there's many, many other, bigger , more important singers, who sings for the people, not just those who gets certain emotions singer convey) punk band [[yes, a punk band) Sex Pistols, and...who the heck is a good third-half of the list????

If we're talkin' Best music, general-wise, yeah, Rolling Stones is a maybe, but something more like "[[I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", Beach Boys, perhaps "Good Vibrations", the Beatles, "I Want To Hold Your Hand", with other true universal-wide superstars, not small circle favorites....Madonna, I would change that also, that song's just plain sacriligously wrong, but then again, guess that's what got the attention to reach list...

[smark21]

No, tracks refer to recorded songs, not just the backing instrumental track. I have 7 of the listed songs in my music collection, including the #1, Love will Tear Us Apart, which is certainly deserving of the honor. And Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris may be a bit proud [[if indeed they care about such lists) to have written two of the songs in the top 5: Blue Monday and Love will Tear Us Apart.

[Jerry Oz]

Everything is subjective. I've got "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" near the very top of my list.

[[sigh...)

[robb_k]

I have only "Be My Baby"-Ronettes and "Good Vibrations" and "God only Knows" by The Beach Boys from that list. The only other songs from the list I've ever even heard [[or even have known of their existence) are "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan, and "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. Needless to say, my list would be quite different.

[smark21]

Turns out the surviving members of Joy Division were interviewed about their song going number one on NME’s list.
http://www.nme.com/news/joy-division/64455
Robb, time to broaden your musical exposure a bit, though I suspect you won’t like the song. Fan made video with the lyrics.

[robb_k]

Turns out the surviving members of Joy Division were interviewed about their song going number one on NME’s list.
http://www.nme.com/news/joy-division/64455
Robb, time to broaden your musical exposure a bit, though I suspect you won’t like the song. Fan made video with the lyrics.

THAT'S #1??? Shocking! It's a bloody monotone. I can sing better than than that! [[and maybe write a song with a lot more breadth of melody and some strategically-placed changes. Not that it sounded terrible, but it was pretty boring.

[144man]

Strangely enough I'd rate every track in that Top 20 between "Above Average" and "Excellent", with the exception of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" which I've always found mediocre.

I particularly like #2, 5, 10, 12, & 15 out of which only Oasis's "Wonderwall" would be in contention for my Top 100 of the last 60 years.

[soulster]

This list looks like it was created by 30-year-olds.

[Roberta75]

This list looks like it was created by 30-year-olds.

Well 30 year olds do buy music and they are the demographic that read New Musical Express, so they have every right to voice their opinions.

Roberta

[smark21]

Well I didn’t think you would care for it Robb K, but at least you gave it a listen. To be honest, people don’t listen to Joy Division [[or New Order for that matter) for great technical vocals. The band sprung from the Punk scene of Manchester UK and punk was, in part, an angry DIY reaction to the professionalism of the commercial, corporate rock scene that had emerged in the mid 70’s. Joy Division lead vocalist Ian Curtis had 3 vocal approaches—monotone to convey exhaustion, alienation, numbness and ennui; a bellowing scream for rage and pain; and a talk sing approach for sarcasm, or in its upper register, extreme vulnerability. Nearly all the lyrics he wrote dealt with the pain and sorrows of life. His vocals for Love Will Tear Us Apart are monotone, but I think it’s a correct approach for a song about the alienation one can feel you realized you’re stuck in a marriage that’s long been dead. But Love Will Tear Us Apart has a very catchy hook [[IMO) and I enjoy the contrast between a certain poppy upbeat quality to the music and the depressing lyrics. 30 years on the recording can pack a dance floor in certain clubs [[though certainly not Northern Soul). Speaking of Northern Soul, a producer of that genre did record a couple of demos with Joy Division early in the band’s career and the session was a disaster and JD wisely went back to its roots.

[timmyfunk]

Bands like Joy Division, the Cure and the like represent some of the most depressing music on the planet. How they make anyone's top 10 list is beyond me.

[Ngroove]

Just for fun, what I believe may be the top 20 past sixty years

20. Norah Jones - Don't Know Why
19. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
18. Bruce Springsteen - Born In the USA
17. The Knack - My Sharona
16. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
15. James Taylor - You've Got A Friend
14. James Brown - I Got You [[I Feel Good)
13. Aretha Franklin - Respect
12. Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go
11. Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
10. Sam Cooke - You Send Me
9. Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe
8. Rolling Stones - [[ I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
7. Bob Dylan - Blowin' In the Wind
6. Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand
5. Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode
4. Buddy Holly & the Crickets - Peggy Sue
3. Little Richard - Tutti Frutti
2. Bill Haley and the Comets - Rock Around The Clock
1. Elvis Presley - Hound Dog