You Have Seen Some UnbelievaPOLL Things - ILM Artist Poll #99 - Cat Power Results

"Maybe Not" was my number one, I basically had this song on a loop when I was 17-18. I'm kind of surprised it didn't make the top 10, actually! Happy to see "Manhattan" rank so high, though; it's my favourite off Sun.

Wherein I figure out how to use gradients in GIMP:

https://i.imgur.com/tsa3nGN.png

10. American Flag, 162 points, 8 votes

Youtube

I had this at 12 which seems too low. I'm now a bit worried her Robert Johnson cover isn't going to place at all.

https://i.imgur.com/VwSMcAc.png

9. No Sense, 167 points, 6 votes, 1 #1 votes

Youtube

One of my discoveries (along with "Free") from this poll. Incredible song

I didn't vote but I Found a Reason might have been my #1.

Images are great, btw.

https://i.imgur.com/aUfl3pX.png

8. I Don't Blame You, 197 points, 9 votes

Youtube

Brilliant!

I always thought "I Don't Blame You" was about Dylan when he went electric, but then, I never paid close attention to the lyrics after the first verses.

https://i.imgur.com/Y2skYbA.png

7. Colors and the Kids, 207 points, 8 votes

Youtube

nice

https://i.imgur.com/mOOPA1s.png

6. Free, 226 points, 8 votes

Youtube

phantastic picture! and nice title art.

I honestly don't know what "Free" is about but I love her vocal gymnastics on it, especially the "real one" part.

https://i.imgur.com/OaucMOG.png

5. He War, 273 points, 10 votes, 2 #1 votes

Youtube

Hah, I just realized I had no idea what "Speak For Me" was, because I'd forgotten I'd voted for it. Her vocal rhythm in the chorus is great.

“No Sense” my #1 for musical and personal reasons. Surprised to see “Colours and the Kids” that high, I find it too repetitive and it grates by the end.

it's so hard to go into the city

'He War' my #1, I always hoped she'd one day make a whole album in the style of that and 'Free'.

https://i.imgur.com/FLOoe0P.png

4. The Greatest, 282 points, 12 votes

Youtube

I love this song, one of my favorites of all of work

'No Sense' would've been my #1 as well

a great sad bruise of a song

All these would'ves!

I needed a LONG time to warm up to "The Greatest," its sound is so different from YAF (which was the first Cat Power album that I fell in love with), but I've grown on this a lot. The swoony strings make "The Greatest" sound like one of her most romantic songs, in contrast to the darkness of the lyrics.

very dark lyrics, on the surface about Ali, but going to a more personal place. they are beautiful. I also love the nostalgic echo of Moon River in the song

https://i.imgur.com/WFqP6GF.png

3. Nude As The News, 319 points, 12 votes, 1 #1 votes

Youtube

Great performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx6F1jesJ5o

so fantastic! one of her strangest, most striking, and most beautiful songs

https://i.imgur.com/Ljs6toi.png

2. Metal Heart (Moon Pix), 343 points, 11 votes, 3 #1 votes

Youtube

TOO LOW

Too low indeed! But a very cool top 10!

can see why people think of it as her strongest song, but I would still place the coming #1 above it

https://i.imgur.com/QuNbADX.gif

1. Cross Bones Style, 406 points, 13 votes

Youtube

lol

Missing You may know him, the first Cat Power song I ever heard

But great list, great poll

Interesting that CBS was the consensus, but nobody's #1

and great poll and rollout - thank you Leee!

Cross Bones Style ruled for me from the first time I ever heard it. it would have been my #1

Yeah I think it was my first deep Cat Power hook. Looking at the top 20 it seems I'm a bit of a basic binch when it comes to Cat Power favourites:

Tracks

1. No Sense
2. I Found a Reason
3. The Greatest
4. He Turns Down
5. In This Hole (Covers Album)
6. Metal Heart (Moon Pix)
7. Nude as the News
8. He War
9. Speak For Me
10. Back of Your Head
11. Say
12. Free
13. Cross Bones Style
14. Baby Doll
15. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
16. Fool
17. Cherokee
18. In Your Face
19. American Flag
20. Wild is the Wind
21. Could We
22. Good Woman
23. Manhattan
24. Werewolf
25. Where is My Love
26. Moonshiner
27. Red Apples
28. The Moon
29. Shaking Paper
30. 3,6,9

Albums

1. Moon Pix
2. You Are Free
3. The Covers Album
4. The Greatest
5. Wanderer
6. What Would the Community Think
7. Sun

Thanks for running this leee!

Interesting that CBS was the consensus, but nobody's #1

Appeared on every ballot! Which averages to everyone placing it as the fourth/fifth choice.

yes thank you Leee!

Thanks everyone! Was a little bit sad at the relatively low turnout but hey, I got to look at a bunch of cat pictures.

Complete results:

1. Cross Bones Style, 406, 13, 0
2. Metal Heart (Moon Pix), 343, 11, 3
3. Nude As The News, 319, 12, 1
4. The Greatest, 282, 12, 0
5. He War, 273, 10, 2
6. Free, 226, 8, 0
7. Colors and the Kids, 207, 8, 0
8. I Don't Blame You, 197, 9, 0
9. No Sense, 167, 6, 1
10. American Flag, 162, 8, 0
11. Speak For Me, 149, 6, 0
12. Manhattan, 144, 6, 2
13. Maybe Not, 144, 5, 1
14. He Turns Down, 140, 6, 0
15. Rockets, 135, 8, 0
16. Say, 135, 7, 0
17. Lived In Bars, 130, 7, 0
18. Good Woman, 128, 6, 1
19. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, 110, 6, 0
20. Back of Your Head, 106, 5, 0
21. In This Hole (What Would the Community Think), 105, 4, 1
22. Fool, 101, 5, 0
23. Good Clean Fun, 100, 4, 0
24. Sea of Love, 94, 5, 0
25. Metal Heart (Jukebox), 93, 3, 0
26. Cherokee, 88, 6, 0
27. Names, 80, 4, 0
28. I Found a Reason, 80, 4, 0
29. Woman, 78, 5, 0
30. In Your Face, 72, 4, 0
31. Love & Communication, 71, 3, 0
32. Wild Is the Wind, 70, 4, 0
33. The Moon, 70, 4, 0
34. Bathysphere, 67, 4, 0
35. What Would the Community Think, 66, 4, 0
36. Moonshiner, 63, 4, 0
37. Water & Air, 57, 3, 0
38. Ruin, 48, 3, 0
39. Willie Deadwilder, 47, 2, 1
40. Evolution, 46, 3, 0
41. Top Expert, 46, 2, 0
42. Keep On Runnin', 44, 4, 0
43. Naked if I Want To (The Covers Record), 44, 2, 0
44. Shaking Paper, 42, 4, 0
45. Enough, 40, 2, 0
46. Horizon, 40, 2, 0
47. Stay, 39, 3, 0
48. Headlights, 38, 3, 0
49. Nothin But Time, 36, 2, 0
50. In This Hole (The Covers Record), 35, 2, 0
51. Ice Water, 33, 2, 0
52. Werewolf, 32, 4, 0
53. Silver Stallion, 32, 2, 0
54. King Rides By, 31, 3, 0
55. Living Proof, 31, 3, 0
56. Sweedeedee, 29, 2, 0
57. 3,6,9, 28, 4, 0
58. Willie, 28, 2, 0
59. You Get, 28, 2, 0
60. Could We, 28, 2, 0
61. Salty Dog, 26, 1, 0
62. Come on in My Kitchen, 26, 1, 0
63. You May Know Him, 24, 2, 0
64. Wanderer (intro), 24, 2, 0
65. Aretha, Sing One for Me, 24, 2, 0
66. Red Apples, 23, 2, 0
67. Taking People, 23, 2, 0
68. Great Expectations, 22, 2, 0
69. 3 Times, 19, 2, 0
70. Schizophrenia's Weighted Me Down, 19, 2, 0
71. I Believe In You, 19, 1, 0
72. Babydoll, 18, 1, 0
73. They Tell Me, 16, 1, 0
74. Back in the Days, 16, 1, 0
75. New York, 15, 1, 0
76. Wonderwall, 14, 1, 0
77. The Coat is Always On, 13, 1, 0
78. Empty Shell, 12, 1, 0
79. Robbin Hood, 11, 1, 0
80. Peking Saint, 11, 1, 0
81. Hate, 10, 2, 0
82. Mr. Gallo, 10, 1, 0
83. Don't Explain, 10, 1, 0
84. Fate Of The Human Carbine, 9, 2, 0
85. Wanderer/Exit, 9, 1, 0
86. Me voy, 8, 1, 0
87. Where is My Love, 7, 1, 0
88. Nothing Really Matters, 7, 1, 0
89. Ramblin' Woman, 6, 1, 0
90. She's Got You, 6, 1, 0
91. The Sleepwalker, 5, 1, 0
92. Fortunate Son, 4, 1, 0
93. Troubled Waters, 2, 1, 0

I'm probably going to add album data over the weekend to quantify just how hard Moon Pix and YAF ruled over the top 50.

So, on the hot-topic question of whether "Metal Heart" was screwed over by vote splitting: I would say it did not, since of the 3 people who voted for the Jukebox version, two of them also voted for the Moon Pix version. That means we can't just add the point totals of the two entries, as that'd be double-counting some ballots. So, if the voting had consolidated both versions, we'd only add one more vote at 35 points (the lone JUKEBOX VERSION OR BUST vote), bringing its point total to 378 -- still trailing "Cross Bones Style."

as far as Cross Bones Style goes - the enigmatic lyrics, the rudimentary drum, simple guitar line, and double-tracked vocals that occasionally veer slightly off-unison all seem so eerie to me

CBS video has been brought up in so many conversations about music videos among my friends
It's such a serious song and the video is very gently fun. Love it

Also love Chan's hair in the Nude as the News performance above. I like her in a weird lil bowl cut

Enjoyable poll, heard some songs that I enjoyed that were new to me! Thanks Leeeeeeeeee

obv Steve Shelley on drums in that clip, but who's the guitarist? Love Chan's flying V guitar too.