Best "Ship of Fools" in Pop

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According to Wikipedia, the ship of fools is an allegory that has long been a fixture in Western literature and art. The allegory depicts a vessel populated by human inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious passengers aboard a ship without a pilot, and seemingly ignorant of their own direction. This concept makes up the framework of the 15th century book Ship of Fools(1494) by Sebastian Brant, which served as the inspiration for Bosch's famous painting, Ship of Fools: a ship—an entire fleet at first—sets off from Basel to the paradise of fools. In literary and artistic compositions of the 15th and 16th centuries, the cultural motif of the ship of fools also served to parody the 'ark of salvation' as the Catholic Church was styled.

Of the myriad popular music renditions of this oddly popular allegory, which is best?

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Erasure	15
John Cale	11
World Party	11
Grateful Dead	6
Robert Plant	3
Van Der Graaf	2
Fucked Up	2
The Doors	1
Scorpions	1
Bob Seger	1
Dr. Strangely Strange	0
Robert Calvert	0
Vicious Rumors	0
Mirror Of Deception.	0

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:06 (9 months ago) Permalink

Ranking the ones I've heard:

Cale
Robert Plant
Fucked Up
Erasure
World Party

― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:07 (9 months ago) Permalink

For a second I thought we were evaluating these artists on the extent to which they measured up as ships of fools. "Well, presumably the Doors and the Dead have dragged more people off on hopeless quests than any others...but what an odd list of people..."

― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:10 (9 months ago) Permalink

I'd vote Erasure but the best "WHO-OH-OH OH OH OH OHHHH-WOH" can be found in 'Bulding A Bridge To Yr Heart' by Wax

― Supper's Burnt (PaulTMA), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:18 (9 months ago) Permalink

Doors' "Ship of Fools" is one of my favorites of theirs.

― timellison, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:29 (9 months ago) Permalink

World Party vs. Robert Plant, and I've had this debate with myself for a couple decades. Still no clear winner.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:31 (9 months ago) Permalink

john cale over robert plant, grateful dead

― balls, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:39 (9 months ago) Permalink

lol erasure

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:42 (9 months ago) Permalink

Erasure's is absolutely the best, followed by The Doors'

― Supper's Burnt (PaulTMA), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:52 (9 months ago) Permalink

WHO-OH-OH OH OH OH OHHHH-WOH

good hook

― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:56 (9 months ago) Permalink

The World Party version goes "Whoa Ohh Oh Ohha-ah-oah.

― warren harding (Zachary Taylor), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 01:06 (9 months ago) Permalink

Full disclosure: I adore the World Party.

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 01:10 (9 months ago) Permalink

whyyyy is life so precious and so croo-hoo-hooo-ooool

― in charge of refreshments tonight is (Abbbottt), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 01:11 (9 months ago) Permalink

cale

― Jamie_ATP, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 01:13 (9 months ago) Permalink

X-post <3

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 01:14 (9 months ago) Permalink

great poll

plant

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 01:17 (9 months ago) Permalink

Erasure.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 01:21 (9 months ago) Permalink

Erasure all the way, one of their best singles.

― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 04:59 (9 months ago) Permalink

Erasure > The Doors > Wax (now I can't stop hearing the WOAH-OH-OH-OOOOOOH-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH-OOOOOOOOOH bit)

― Jeremy Clarkson Sex Face (snoball), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 06:56 (9 months ago) Permalink

Erasure

― piscesx, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 07:17 (9 months ago) Permalink

― Philsatawny Punx (S-), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 07:20 (9 months ago) Permalink

Van der Graaf all the way. From their brutal live album Vital.

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 09:03 (9 months ago) Permalink

The first single I decided to buy was that Wax song, so I saved up my pocket money, except by the time I'd saved the money it had left the charts and the shop didn't have any copies left. I didn't attempt to buy any more singles for at least 6 years after that.

I only had to look at the thread title to get the World Party song stuck in my head, whereas I can't remember what any of the others sound like. Maybe that makes it the honest vote? It's... ok.

― still small voice of clam (a passing spacecadet), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 09:48 (9 months ago) Permalink

Only know Cale, VDGG, Erasure... and Doors. Voted Cale, it sounds like it belongs on "Paris 1919" rather than "Fear".

― SomeTwat from Tring (Tom D.), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 11:40 (9 months ago) Permalink

Hold on, I do know the World Party one... and I've got a couple of Dr. Strangely Strange albums but they have made zero impression on me

― SomeTwat from Tring (Tom D.), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 11:41 (9 months ago) Permalink

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 12:03 (9 months ago) Permalink

well i guess that eventually i would be in the position of voting for world party in a poll but who knew it would be today. followed by erasure, then plant, the doors can go fuck themselves, havent heard/dont remember the rest.

― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 16:00 (9 months ago) Permalink

Write-in vote for the ship in the bridge of "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", because imagine being on a ship full of people and everybody is Wang Chunging.

― cwkiii, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 16:04 (9 months ago) Permalink

VDGG, though Cale is lovely

― Ówen P., Wednesday, 25 July 2012 16:35 (9 months ago) Permalink

I'm probably the only person to vote Dead. If anybody needs me, I'll be out behind the stadium pestering people for incense.

― how's life, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 16:40 (9 months ago) Permalink

scorps

― tallarico dreams (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 16:43 (9 months ago) Permalink

World Party one has the best hook, so that one

― giallo shots (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 25 July 2012 16:45 (9 months ago) Permalink

+1 Honorable mention for Kurt's creeping piano part as well.

I'm as big a fan of John Cale as anyone but agree that his take feels maybe a bit out of place on Fear, as much as I adore that record.

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 25 July 2012 18:42 (9 months ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 00:01 (9 months ago) Permalink

Voted for Fucked Up. I think that may have been my favorite song on the album...

― dlp9001, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 01:01 (9 months ago) Permalink

Funny to see this poll today since I was introduced to the Robert Plant "Ship of Fools" yesterday and have listened to it over 20 times since then in obsessive glee. Guess it tapped into something in me that needed expression right now. So yeah, that's my vote.

― JessFlip, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 02:48 (9 months ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Wednesday, 15 August 2012 00:01 (9 months ago) Permalink

SHOCKAH

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 15 August 2012 02:46 (9 months ago) Permalink

why are polls so vicious and so cruel?

― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 August 2012 11:14 (9 months ago) Permalink

Oh man, I missed this. I would have voted for John Cale

― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 15 August 2012 16:29 (9 months ago) Permalink

YESSSSSSSSSSS

― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Friday, 17 August 2012 01:59 (9 months ago) Permalink

Plant wuz robbed

― Clarke B., Friday, 17 August 2012 02:09 (9 months ago) Permalink

^^^^^

― mookieproof, Friday, 17 August 2012 02:24 (9 months ago) Permalink

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