When you think of the greatest songs of all time, what do you think of?

 

Motown?

 

Elvis?

 

The Beatles?

 

Taylor Swift?

 

Jonas Brothers?

 

Personally, I think of all of the above (*cough*). But while I make fun of Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers, the idea of what constitutes great music is entirely subjective and the topic of endless debate amongst both friends and colleagues alike.

 

Is it beautiful lyrics? A talented singer? A great producer? A catchy hook? A memorable riff?

 

A combination of all of the above?

 

This is gonna sound like a complete cop-out, but I really don't think that one isolated thing can define great music. If you tried to capture its essence and re-create over and over, it'd be formulaic and fit the exact definition of bad music. So I suppose, when you think of it that way, great music comes from within. It's not a particular chord progression or vocal pitch, it's how a band captures a mood or particular moment in time. It's the emotion, intent and technical ability that takes a good idea and executes it at an exemplary level.

 

Some bands have one or two of the necessary elements, but their lack of talent or direction in a particular area stops them from achieving musical greatness. A singer might have a great voice, but no songwriting ability. Conversely, how many times have you heard amazing lyrics and wished they were sung by a better vocalist? A band might also have great ideas, but lack the technical ability to capture those ideas in the recording studio. Conversely, a musician with limited talent might strike it lucky and work with a producer who knows how to get the best out of them. You might also hear a great riff in a mediocre piece of music, or a catchy hook in an anotherwise boring musical experience.

 

Sometimes though, everything falls in place and the end result is a piece of music that ticks all the metaphorical boxes that define 'great'. But even then, that doesn't mean they've created great music.

 

As I briefly touched on before, the definition of great music is entirely subjective. It's not a chord progression or vocal pitch, it's the emotion a particular song evokes in the listener. A great song isn't necessarily the one that makes you tap your feet or sing along in the car; it's the song that makes you smile and want to dance around, or the song that makes you cry every single time you hear it.

 

But even then, evoking a strong reaction in the listener doesn't necessarily make it a great song in isolation. With the amount of songs used in television and advertising nowadays, the reaction might not have anything to do with the actual song at all. I mean, do middle-aged women cry at Unchained Melody because it's a nice song, or because they're picturing Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in that iconic scene from Ghost? Do the hairs on the back of my neck stand up because I like Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars, or because it makes me think of all my friends crying when Denny died in Grey's Anatomy? Is Europe's The Final Countdown a funny song, or does it make me smile because it brings back memories of mocking Riverdance at a local nightclub?

 

When you think of it that way, is any song a great song in isolation? I'm sure there are people who think Wonderwall by Oasis is a great song, but I don't like it because it makes me think of the funeral of a friend's father. Similarly, Silverchair's Anthem of the Year 2000 makes me think of the same song being played by four different bands at the same school assembly in grade seven.

 

I don't imagine the people from A Clockwork Orange go much on classical music, either.

 

Anyway, now that we've established what does and doesn't make great music, there's a music countdown on the radio today. It's called the Triple J Hottest 100. Every year on January 26th, our national 'youth' radio station counts down the 100 most popular songs of the year, as voted by Triple J listeners. And although Triple J is notorious for its inflated self-importance, this is literally the biggest annual music poll in the world. Last year, 800,000 votes were counted. It was mostly boppers voting for Sex on Fire, but the poll has validity nonetheless.

 

And might I just add...

 

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, my sex is on fire!!!

 

Anyway, they decided this year that they'd run a poll in the middle of winter to adjudge the Hottest 100 of All Time. Why? No idea. But today, Australians get the rare chance to collectively select what they think is the greatest song of all time. Naturally, since the list is being compiled by Australians, there is going to be some local content that you've probably never heard of. Similarly, since Triple J is a largely Indie/Alternative station, there are going to be some 'fringe' songs that didn't get played on MTV, but were insanely popular with the Triple J listenership. And the rest? Well, they're just shit songs that shouldn't be in anyone's Hottest 100 of All Time.

 

This is the list we've compiled so far:

 

100. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

99. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me

98. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir

97. Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning

96. Daft Punk - One More Time

95. Stevie Wonder - Superstition

94. Modest Mouse - Float On

93. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

92. Bon Iver - Skinny Love

91. AC/DC - Back In Black

90. Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire

89. Rage Against the Machine - Bulls On Parade

88. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

87. Coldplay - Yellow

86. The Beatles - Come Together

85. The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You

84. Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman, No Cry

83. Placebo - Every You Every Me

82. System Of A Down - Chop Suey!

81. Pulp - Common People

80. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black

79. David Bowie - Life on Mars

78. Smashing Pumpkins - Today

77. Gotye - Hearts A Mess

76. The Stone Roses - Fools Gold

75. Green Day - Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)

74. Nirvana - Lithium

73. The Clash - London Calling

72. The Shins - New Slang

71. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?

70. The Prodigy - Breathe

69. Jeff Buckley - Grace

68. Blink 182 - Dammit

67. Ben Folds Five - Brick

66. Elton John - Tiny Dancer

65. Underworld - Born Slippy

64. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun

63. AC/DC - Thunderstruck

62. Nine Inch Nails - Closer

61. Blur - Song 2

60. Johnny Cash - Hurt

59. Augie March - One Crowded Hour

58. Daft Punk - Around The World

57. Tool - Forty Six & 2

56. Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over

55. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone

54. The Cure - Close To Me

53. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

52. You Am I - Berlin Chair

51. Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings

50. Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over

49. Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

48. Beastie Boys - Sabotage

47. John Butler Trio - Betterman

46. Faith No More - Epic

45. Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows

44. The Beatles - Hey Jude

43. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows

42. Bloc Party - Banquet

41. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

40. Nirvana - Come As You Are

39. Pearl Jam - Better Man

38. The Killers - Mr Brightside

37. Tool - Stinkfist

36. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms

35. Smashing Pumpkins - 1979

34. The Living End - Prisoner Of Society

33. Silverchair - Tomorrow

32. New Order - Blue Monday

31. Metallica - Enter Sandman

30. Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower

29. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?

28. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees

27. Powderfinger - My Happiness

26. Michael Jackson - Thriller

25. Pearl Jam - Alive

24. The Beatles - A Day in the Life

23. Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me

22. Massive Attack - Teardrop

21. Powderfinger - These Days

 

In approximately five hours, the top 20 will begin counting down. Based on the songs and bands that have charted so far, these are the songs that I believe will comprise the Top 20 (in no particular order):

 

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

Radiohead - Creep

Radiohead - Paranoid Android

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

Hilltop Hoods - The Nosebleed Section

The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Under The Bridge

Placebo - Pure Morning

The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction

Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name

The Whitlams - No Aphrodisiac

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Foo Fighters - Everlong

Muse - Stockholm Syndrome OR Knights of Cydonia OR Plug-In Baby OR New Born OR Bliss OR Time Is Running Out (no idea where the Muse vote is going, but two of those six)

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

Metallica - One

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye

Grinspoon - Chemical Heart

Eminem - Lose Yourself

 

It's hard to figure out, really. The Beatles should be in there, but after analysing the form guide, I don't think they will.

 

And for the record, these are the songs I personally voted for:

 

Muse - Plug-In Baby

Crowded House - Better Be Home Soon

At The Drive-In - One Armed Scissor

Jane's Addiction - Just Because

The White Stripes - Hotel Yorba

Spiderbait - Buy Me A Pony

Duran Duran - A View to a Kill

The Beatles - Let It Be

Muse - Stockholm Syndrome

Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows (#45)

 

And now I've dumped all that on you...

 

What do you think constitutes a great song?

 

Did Australians get it right?

 

If not, what do you think are the greatest songs of all time?

 

And more importantly...

 

WHY?