Top 120 Songs Under 120 Seconds (ILM Poll #95)

it's not really a track in the usual sense, but "Countdown To Armageddon" feels even more incendiary than "Show 'em Whathca Got"

Ready Or Not and Lazy Day placing were the highlights for me today. I'm enjoying the whole roll-out though. Wish I wasn't so busy at work so I could check out some of the songs I don't know. I'll be catching up with the playlist as soon as I can.

Aw hell I forgot to put the Microphones on my ballot! That one definitely would’ve placed highly for me.

A #1 vote for "Show 'Em Whatcha Got?"

― Chris L, Wednesday, April 10, 2019 5:36 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you forget that whiney posts to ilx ;)

yay on The Boo Radleys making the cut. "Lazy Day" is such a great way to open an album

?? my & wikipedia's copy opens with spaniard, lazy day is #13.

Typical, I go to sleep and two of my top 10 place.

In Heaven was my number 10. It's an extraordinarily beautiful and weird piece of music no matter the context. I've not even seen Eraserhead. Actually, Cardiacs kind of cover it at the end of one of their early albums, but they leave out the 'you got your good thing' refrain. The full version is really quite something.

Liar Liar was my number 9. It's one of those pieces of music that I think I've always known, so it was nice to put a name to the face. Endlessly evocative of some fictional halcyon time (the sixties) that I will never be able to visit. Except in song, obviously

I did a fully ranked ballot. Liar Liar scraped in at #50, nudging out Allison at #51, so it amuses me to see that order of precedence reflected here.

Allison is great but Trompe Le Monde was my vote

Loads more great stuff in yesterday's rollout, so many classic songs I had to leave off my ballot.

I first heard of 'In Heaven' through the Pixies version on their B-sides comp but you can't beat the original.

I love all three Neil Young songs here but I don't think the one I voted for will place given that it's an outtake from Harvest.

No real idea what will make the top 40 although we've not had any Wire yet so I'm assuming they'll show up.

I can think of two or three locks, but we still have 40 to go!

we may need a moment to consider one lock for the top

Checked back, and I didn't follow a strict one-song-per rule--I had a couple of repeat artists, including Neil Young. So I did have "Cripple Creek Ferry." "Liar, Liar" is either the greatest song on Lenny Kaye's Nuggets compilation, or one of the two or three greatest. I think it turns up in Something Wild. A few things I though for sure would make it haven't turned up yet, so--I may be way off here--I think a number of mine might land in the Top 40.

Close...There's a Debbie Harry cover of "Liar, Liar" in Demme's Married to the Mob. The original is in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Didn't think much of the movie, but I liked that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-qrTxvqV-Y

"Married to the Mob" soundtrack is awesome. For a time the only place to get Eno's cover of William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water."

and the original issue of Q. Lazzarus - Goodbye Horses

I think that whole movie's awesome. Underrated and underseen.

there has got to be some wire, some ramones, some beatles and some eno in the top 40, i'd guess.

and more pixies.

My guess is at least 6 GBV songs

Can't really believe there are 40 short songs better than "Beatnik"

Huh, somehow never realized that "In Heaven" wasn't actually a pixies original.

I nominated In Heaven and credited it to Lynch and Splet as they are credited for the officially released soundtrack. However, it's really more the work of Peter Ivers.

Ivers scored the 1977 David Lynch film Eraserhead, and also contributed both songwriting and vocals to the piece "In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)".[6] Later in his career, he wrote songs that were recorded by Diana Ross and The Pointer Sisters.[4] Ivers was murdered in 1983 under mysterious circumstances, and the crime remains unsolved. Following the publication of a 2008 biography on Ivers, the LAPD re-opened the investigation into his death.

rollout is probably going to be weird and sporadic again today, sorry. i'm gonna do a couple right now while i can

https://i.imgur.com/ao2EGnt.jpg
40. Talking Heads - Who Is It? (1:44)
0.5919 points
11 votes

(the spotify playlist for the countdown, as it always was and will always be until the end of the internet or spotify gets bought out, is here)

You're a prince and a scholar ZS, thanks so much for doing this (and the grebt pix too)

baffled by the Talking Heads placement, always heard it as second tier at best

it's one of the many throwaway talking heads songs...

This was on my ballot until I kinda decided it was 'just' a short song by one of my favourite acts, rather than a song I particularly luvved for its individual merits. Decent enough song though. (XP: yeah, kinda what others said!)

https://i.imgur.com/uC01EMn.jpg
39. The Mountain Goats - Dance Music (1:58)
0.5946 points
7 votes (2)

i've heard of this guy!

i will be back later this morning (morning to me at least!) with a few more

come on, y'all. who is it? is so much fun.

I like the sporadic rolllout, more time for commentary and reflection inbetween

Dance Music made my shortlist!

Sorry, I should say more really. Um...yeah it's good. As for Talking Heads, let's not get into all that

“Dance Music” was my #1

https://i.imgur.com/O9jGJLV.jpg
38. Prince - Sister (1:32)
0.6042 points
8 votes

i love how the music on 'Sister' sounds like chronic town-era R.E.M.

wtf "Sister" is like the grossest song ever

https://i.imgur.com/WwF2UzA.jpg
(tie) 36. Wire - Three Girl Rhumba (1:24)
0.6051 points
12 votes

<3

i definitely had to limit myself to 2-3 votes for wire, but i could have easily put 10 of their songs in my top 50.

Go under, go under, go under, go under
You tear me asunder! go under, go under
Go underrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - YEAH!

"Sister" is musically awesome and lyrically cringe-y. I couldn't in good conscience vote for it (listed another Prince track that hasn't shown up yet).

although i enthusiastically nommed for this poll, i completely missed voting in it due to recent impairment of my functionality. enjoying the rollout though, congrabats 2 u KM

shit, hope you're ok NickB!

https://i.imgur.com/t0cnjRh.jpg
(tie) 36. Mclusky - Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues (1:51)
0.6051 points
11 votes

file under 'good fun but what's it doing up here'

lol

https://i.imgur.com/KtBqmvn.jpg
35. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - No Action (1:58)
0.6258 points
10 votes

this one kills me, because it's 2:01 on spotify, and it's the only one that placed that is above 2:00 on spotify so it sticks out like a sore thumb. for a while in the noms process we were allowing tracks that were above 2 minutes on spotify if we could determine with a reasonable amount of certainty that it was actually under 2 minutes on the "real" version. so we let No Action in. plus, 10 people would have murdered me