well I could have watched live from my hotel in San Jose this week but I am otherwise occupied in Berkeley
was watching an episode of WWF Prime Time Wrestling from 1985 and was absolutely not prepared for Gene Okerlund and Gorilla Monsoon to delve into the incredibly depressing home life of one of the competitors.
#TheTenX5 At long last, I'm seeing you in the HMs with 45 more songs. "Tightrope" was the clerical error that should have made my main list but wasn't hurting for points so y'know, it is what it is. Thanks and see you in the '00s.
don't put marbles in your nose (PUT THEM IN THERE) do not put them in there
aaaand here's how the ballot I submitted did. 7/10. Cardigans getting in was a delight, as was Donny making top 200. GGs. #xpncountdown
and now at long last, my 45 additional honorable mentions for #TheTwen2ie5. Went strictly with songs that already had been nominated, and it pretty much reveals the story with me and this decade so far, which is that I'm really dialed in on even numbered years and not at all on odd-numbered ones.
usually keep my ballot in @wxpnfm.bsky.social's yearly countdowns to myself until the results are in but I think for the cover song one I'm gonna cast it out into the wind. Voting closes tomorrow! #XPNCountdown
when your absolute dumbest swing yet actually makes it into the pop poll:
Okay, I did miss that the "summer's almost over" vibes of Bumbershoot, actually. Glad it was both good and relatively affordable this year!
Jeff Gerstmann's return to Giant Bomb being him playing an IRL fishing minigame and winning a nightmare prize is so beautiful
#1C000LEST BONUS CONTENT So I ranked about 725 songs and since I did that I know what my top 50 would have been like if I chose to split between the four countdowns as evenly as possible. Or, at least ,what the songs would be! Here's that.
#1C000LEST 1. "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell (1968, finished 7th in its poll. 12 PTS) Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, the Wrecking Crew. The ache on "I know I need a small va-CA-tion," the violins, so much more. I wrote a bit on this one and why it has to be my personal #1 so that's attached too.
oh I did one of those slider pop culture character personality tests like I do every other year. I'm guessing this time I had "reclusive" higher than last time. (also Jughead from Riverdale and I'd say "oh it's cool an ace character got high up this time" except isn't he not in that?)
#1C000LEST 2. "Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane" by The Beatles (1967, finished 16th in its poll. 11 PTS) In this picture it looks like George knows he too has an interpretation of his childhood memories that'd make a great A-side, if only. He's probably right but John and Paul's *are* amazing.
#1C000LEST 3. "Tightrope" by Janelle Monae (2010, finished 38th in its poll. 11 PTS) Always a lock to be my #1 #FEAROFMUS21C pick! I can't think of any other first impression an artist in the last 25 years has made on me that's better than this. Long live the funkiest horn section in Metropolis.
#1C000LEST 4. "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure (1987, finished 92nd in its poll. 11 PTS) The final #UNCOOLTWO50 rep! Pure euphoria from start to finish! I can't not smile while listening to it! Dunno if I can say the same for Bob and the gang though, given my usual photo search.
#1C000LEST 5. "Crazy" by Patsy Cline (1961, finished 127th in its poll. 11 PTS) I mean, we *went* crazy with the last pick so, y'know. My favorite country singer of all time singing the hell out of something by one of the best country songwriters of all time (pretty good singer himself too!)
dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called #1C000LEST 6. "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince and the Revolution (1984, finished 168th in its poll) look, Prince has a lot of good songs but only one of them without fail makes me glad to be alive the way this one does.
#1C000LEST 7. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye (1968, finished 4th in its poll) There's a muted quality this song has to me that really makes it work. Beneath every perfect component -- the vocals, the organ, the strings -- is the sound of a wound quietly, pridefully being nursed.
#1C000LEST 8. "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite (from the global village in the age of communication, NEW YORK CITY) (1990, finished 3rd in its poll) a foundational "oh, THIS is what my deal is" song find! Sometimes I almost forget Q-Tip's in it because there's just *so much song* in this song.
#1C000LEST 9. "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus (1979, finished 85th in its poll) oh it's real Goth Talk hours now. I love how arch the lines are, and I love that there's nine minutes of it. It's like the song *itself* refuses to die and instead just keeps writhing around. Undead, undead, undead...
#1C000LEST 10. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by (Ms.) Lauryn Hill (1998, finished 26th in its poll) The kind of song that gets you to buy a concert ticket to hear it live 25 years later on the off-chance that the artist is actually going to show up within 3 hours of the advertised time to sing it.
#1C000LEST 13. "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller & his Orchestra (1939, finished 18th in its poll) A song that evokes an entire era from a bandleader who would never see the end of it. Only fitting, maybe, that it's my final #LetsDoIt25 rep.