Topic: The. Perfect. Song.

[ljycb]

The first song that springs to mind immediately is "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads. It's just a shame that I struggle with listening to it nowadays because it was played at my mum's funeral.

[thejbs]

Could do with a few genre-specific spin-off threads.

[BarryCrocker]

The first song that springs to mind immediately is "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads. It's just a shame that I struggle with listening to it nowadays because it was played at my mum's funeral.

Was hoping to one day have that as my wedding song.

[thejbs]

Was hoping to one day have that as my wedding song.

I’ve heard it as a first dance a few times. Such a tune.

[LanceLink!!!!!]

That's how it starts
We go back to your house......

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/mqzP8E3nllc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://youtube.com/v/mqzP8E3nllc</a>

[LanceLink!!!!!]

Or..

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/LnHoqHscTKE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://youtube.com/v/LnHoqHscTKE</a>

[MBL?]

Watched this recently so thought of it when seeing this thread. It’s a YouTubers breakdown of why they think Michael Jackson’s rock with you is perfect.

https://youtu.be/TO7FQ2hoe-k

I don’t believe there is a perfect song and would give a different answer every few years probably.

Right now I think for me it would be Womack & Womack, Baby I’m scared of you (link below). Not sure why I think this since it seems fairly unconventional to my ear how the song builds. A lot of the time I’d just say something from Marvin Gaye since his voice sounds absolutely perfect to me.

https://youtu.be/StReP-g0r2c

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

Leon Bridges - River

[thejbs]

Magnetic Fields - book of love, is pretty special.

[Shankly998]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/M0lj3WX_5ps&amp;ab_channel=TheBeachBoys-Topic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/M0lj3WX_5ps&amp;ab_channel=TheBeachBoys-Topic</a>

Not my favourite song (its up there) but if Macca says this is the best song ever who am I to disagree.

[Tobelius]

Perfect's such a subjective term,lot's of good ones though.Like this one,RIP Mark.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/qOgzJ8A2QLw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/qOgzJ8A2QLw</a>

[mattD]

I don't think they made any decent song aside from one song. But that song was perfect.

The Proclaimers - Sunshine On Leith

[bradders1011]

I don't think they made any decent song aside from one song. But that song was perfect.

The Proclaimers - Sunshine On Leith

The Hibs end of Hampden singing it after winning the 2016 Scottish Cup is perfect.

[Black Bull Nova]

Perfect's such a subjective term,lot's of good ones though.Like this one,RIP Mark.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/qOgzJ8A2QLw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/qOgzJ8A2QLw</a>

Another band with a few candidates and below, another 'almost', great video as well, 80s fun


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/fZQZZf_R434" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/fZQZZf_R434</a>

[goalrushatgoodison]

I thought the answer to this question is/was always Up the Junction?

[Boston always unofficial]

Talking about this at the pub on Saturday and this one came up in conversation.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/A7QGHPevm1E" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/A7QGHPevm1E</a>

[Tobelius]

I'll just add another one i really like.


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/zZ3GA6dazTA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/zZ3GA6dazTA</a>

[damomad]

Blondie - Heart of Glass.

Never fails to put me in a good mood.

[redgriffin73]

I thought the answer to this question is/was always Up the Junction?

My mum's favourite song

[Crosby Nick]

Some good recent shouts. Up the Junction is unusual. Doesn’t have a chorus and the title only features in the final line of the song.

Pure is a good shouts. Probably their best although if you’re doing the Lightning Seeds they do actually have a song title tailor made for this thread.

[Black Bull Nova]

Some good recent shouts. Up the Junction is unusual. Doesn’t have a chorus and the title only features in the final line of the song.

Pure is a good shouts. Probably their best although if you’re doing the Lightning Seeds they do actually have a song title tailor made for this thread.

Squeeze came close to a run of perfect back then, Labelled with Love, Tempted, Pulling Mussels, Cool for Cats, Another Nail, Is That Love

[Johnny Aldridge]

I thought the answer to this question is/was always Up the Junction?

[telekon]

Perfect's such a subjective term,lot's of good ones though.Like this one,RIP Mark.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/qOgzJ8A2QLw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/qOgzJ8A2QLw</a>

Love Mark. Such a Shame would be my Talk Talk pick. What a song.

[MBL?]

Why is there no led zeppelin in here? Are they now uncool again?

[Chakan]

Why is there no led zeppelin in here? Are they now uncool again?

Who?

[MBL?]

Who?

The only decent thing out of Britain since LFC.

[Chakan]

The only decent thing out of Britain since LFC.

Oasis?

[WhereAngelsPlay]

Woman or the frog song,can't decide between the two.

[Chakan]

Woman or the frog song,can't decide between the two.

Baby shark do do do dooo do

[MBL?]

Oasis?

reported

If the mods don’t do the right thing here they’re basically little musks.

[Chakan]

reported

If the mods don’t do the right thing here they’re basically little musks.

[Sangria]

Watched this recently so thought of it when seeing this thread. It’s a YouTubers breakdown of why they think Michael Jackson’s rock with you is perfect.

https://youtu.be/TO7FQ2hoe-k

I don’t believe there is a perfect song and would give a different answer every few years probably.

Right now I think for me it would be Womack & Womack, Baby I’m scared of you (link below). Not sure why I think this since it seems fairly unconventional to my ear how the song builds. A lot of the time I’d just say something from Marvin Gaye since his voice sounds absolutely perfect to me.

https://youtu.be/StReP-g0r2c

I think that any candidate for a perfect song, or as close to it, should at least be able to stand up on its own either as melody or lyrics, and with better reasoning than "I like it" or "It makes me feel good". And once you start drawing up criteria, there are songs that fit these criteria more closely than others, whatever one's personal feelings. Hence my choice of that Japanese song. Its main melody and backing both stand up as memorable, although they are arguably the weakest part (and they are great, even so). The singer is reaching great level. But the lyrics are the strongest part, using simple language to describe complex feelings, and without repetition except for one line (and that one line is repeated for a reason).

I'd like to see any other favoured songs similarly objectively dissected.

[Perham]

There are a lot of songs that mean a lot to me personally but when I thought of the perfect song, the one that came to mind for me was "Visions of Johanna"

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/AwuCF5lYqEE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/AwuCF5lYqEE</a>

[Sangria]

I've encountered another song, that gives me more criteria to judge a song by. From an album that probably aims higher than any other in the thread. In the words of the singer, the aim was to bring poets from long ago to life, as though they are conversing with you face to face. I mentioned above that I think the lyrics should stand alone in quality, even before you consider its combination with the music. The words are hundreds of years old, in this case over a thousand years old. The lyricists are regarded as greats, in this instance the seminal figure in the development of Chinese lyric poetry. This particular poem speaks of loss, reflecting on the poet's loss of his kingdom (he was a former monarch now held prisoner in the enemy capital). The tune and the singer absolutely nails the poet's emotion, with the poet speaking from over a thousand years ago through the singer.

The song moves me, but an objective assessment should not depend on my personal reaction. By just about every objective measure, this song is perfect or as close as it can get.

Du shang xi lou (Alone in the west tower)
Singer: Teresa Teng (recorded 1983)
Lyrics: Li Yu (written 975-978)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/CQyjJj-ws84" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/CQyjJj-ws84</a>

[TepidT2O]

I'm just gonna link my favourite version in the hopes of converting more people. A lot of people of my generation think B52's is just Love Shack...

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/swBDlOk0V6Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/swBDlOk0V6Y</a>

Simply brilliant version of rock lobster from 1980 here

https://twitter.com/schneider_cm/status/1591554120799985666?s=46&t=HeVKHxIPGV5iTk-nIayqXw

[Ray K]

Simply brilliant version of rock lobster from 1980 here

https://twitter.com/schneider_cm/status/1591554120799985666?s=46&t=HeVKHxIPGV5iTk-nIayqXw

Fuck it, go big or go home they must have thought.

Ricky Wilson really was unique. Such a distinctive sound he made, making both surf guitar and bass guitar sounds from his instrument.