Welcome to Games 23 and 24 of the Ultimate Pop Song Tournament!
These games are CLOSE. (ALL OPEN GAMES)
To see the complete bracket, just go here. For info on how we chose the songs and everything else Tournament-related, go here.
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It’s time for hair metal against alt rock and soaring anthem against party classic.
Game 23 (Rock Warrior Division)
“Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake) v. “Mr. Brightside” (The Killers)
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7. “Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake)
It might sound like a backhanded compliment, but it really may be true that “Here I Go Again” stands head and shoulders above its hair-metal brethren because of its music video. David Coverdale’s voice is clear and cocksure, the dramatic opening bars are basically the audio equivalent of a fog machine, and the fist-pumping singalong chorus is one of those that you know even if you don’t know you know it. But does it all ever come together into the perfect piece of ’80s excess without Tawny Kitaen writhing on that car hood? Maybe that’s exactly what we needed in 1987. Hey, Iran-Contra wasn’t going to heal itself. –Joe
11. “Mr. Brightside” (The Killers)
It was my sister’s turn to play a song, and I was getting antsy to listen to something familiar. Swatting my hand away from changing the radio presets, she made this guarantee: “If you don’t love this song within ten seconds, you can change the station.” Well, by the time ten seconds were up, Brandon Flowers had come out of his cage, and he’d assured me he was doing just fine, so who was I to argue? More than any other band of the Aughts, The Killers got the element of drama exactly right, and it kept listeners on the edge of their seats. Like any good wickedly attractive rock star, Flowers casts himself as the underdog here, cuckolded by a handsy ex and her cooler-than-thou new suitor. With the kind of lyrical dexterity you’d usually find in an MC, Flowers dances around his jealousy while the band ratchets that tension higher and higher.–Joe
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Game 24 (Rock Warrior Division)
“Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey) v. “Love Shack” (B-52s)
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2. “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey)
So there’s this small-town girl, see. She’s living in a lonely world. She hopped on a midnight train, and it ended up taking her on a tour of lesbian makeout scenes behind roller rinks, kitschy jukebox musicals on Broadway, and abruptly concluding family dinners in New Jersey. The last ten years have reinserted Steve Perry’s ultimate power ballad into the wallpaper of our lives, and any lesser song would have utterly crumbled under the exposure. You could chalk the song’s staying power up to any number of its elements: Perry’s Teflon vocals, the Springsteen-style get-this-girl-out-of-her-small-town lyrics, the surgical buildup to an all-time Top-5 singalong chorus. Personally, I’d chalk it up to that sturdy piano backbone. The best pop songs conjure up very specific images in your imagination, and this song does that better than almost anything. –Joe
15. “Love Shack” (B-52s)
There may be songs with more resonant messages—though I defy you to think of many things more important than informing the public of the dangers of your tin roof rusting—but hardly any provoke the kind of unself-conscious release of pent-up energy that comes from a quick trip to the Love Shack. Like the best songs, the concept is simple, the players are committed, and the groove is not kidding around. Penalize this song for being played at too many weddings at your own peril, lest you be branded as one of the all-time great killjoys. “I’m too good for ‘Love Shack,’” you’ll scoff. “YOU’RE WHAT?!?!” we’ll all reply. –Joe
31 responses so far ↓
1 Richard // Jul 28, 2011 at 11:25 am
That last one hurt. A lot. But I saw Journey in ’08 at Jones Beach (Heart and Cheap Trick were also on the bill, and I went mostly for them. No, really) and I’m telling you, the version of “Don’t Stop Believin’” they played that night was huge. Huge enough, undoubtedly, to kick Bono out of bed and make him confess between sobs that he indeed was slacking on all of “No Line on the Horizon.” Even without Steve Perry at the controls it was like church.
I don’t doubt that someday I’ll have to make amends with a Costco-sized 12-pack of Rustoleum for the tin roof (metaphorically speaking, of course), but you gotta follow your heart.
2 Mark Blankenship // Jul 28, 2011 at 11:27 am
Richard, I can’t even bring myself to choose between Journey and the B-52s. Not yet. It’s too much.
3 Kristen // Jul 28, 2011 at 11:29 am
Did you guys see the CBS Sunday Morning segment on “Don’t Stop Believing”? It deepened my appreciation for the song (and Arnel, aw!): http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/24/sunday/main20082644.shtml
4 Hebby // Jul 28, 2011 at 11:34 am
How can anyone resist Love Shack when it comes on? And I really need to stop listening to these at work, because the chair dancing is sort of okay, hidden as I am by the copier and computer screen, but I’m having to force myself not join in.
Bang Bang! On the door baby!
5 Sadie // Jul 28, 2011 at 11:37 am
Yeah, Hebby!
Alls you people voting for “Don’t Stop”, listen to “Love Shack” first! I hadn’t heard it for a while (and it hasn’t gotten the TV help that “Don’t Stop” has), but Listen. It is Awesome. I started singing along and I didn’t even realize I knew the words. Bang Bang Bang on the door, baby!
6 Erik R // Jul 28, 2011 at 11:51 am
I will find a way to blame “Glee” for Love Shack’s apparent beatdown.
7 Hellcat13 // Jul 28, 2011 at 11:56 am
Y’all, there is just NO WAY that Love Shack can lose. Everybody’s moving, everybody’s grooving baby! In their desk chairs!
I blame Glee for this.
8 Maggie // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:03 pm
I didn’t expect the Rock Warrior division to be the most agonizing.
I had to go with “Mr. Brightside” here because that is probably my favorite song of the aughts. I love the Killers. It’s my morning music, gym music, driving music…love them.
Still can’t decide between Journey and B-52s
9 Mark Blankenship // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Important “Love Shack” Question: When you’re dancing to this song at a wedding (or elsewhere), does it throw you off when there’s an extra round of “knock a little louder, sugars,” which causes the “Bang! Bang!” to come later than you were expecting? Do you start shouting “Bang! Bang!” too early, only to discover that it’s not time?
This happens to me all the time, and it’s because the video has a slightly different edit of the song that cuts out one of the “knock a little louders.” 22 years later, and it still messes me up!
10 Jeff C // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Where I grew up (Rochester, NY), the apex of progress was 1981: the year Eastman Kodak, our hometown manufacturer, employed the largest number of people (100,000+); Baby Boomers with new families stretched out into new suburban neighborhoods, and Journey’s Escape played non-stop. Four top 20 hits (Don’t Stop Believin’, Open Arms, Who’s Cryin Now, Still They Ride) and the album went to #1. Today, even though Kodak is a shell of its former self, and Rochester struggles, Journey still plays roughly every half hour on the radio, and is imprinted into every kid who grows up there.
Don’t Stop Believin’ has always been a great song, though it suffered due to the corporate-rock tag Journey had in the hipper parts of the continent in the 1980′s. But can you deny Steve Perry’s tenor? Or Jonathan Cain’s piano, or Neal Schon’s scorching guitar solo? The song’s renaissance has been so encouraging, and demonstrates that for all the scorn, Journey has an enduring place in pop music. It’s an anthem for those places that have seen better days, and hope to return to glory.
11 Alison // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Ah yes, Mark, the evil radio edit of Love Shack. I want ALL of my “knock a little louder, baby” please and thanks!
12 Emily // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Folks linin’ up outside, just to get down. I saw the B-52s in college during the Cosmic Thing tour and they were phenomenal. Although I must admit, if it were a different Journey song (Ask The Lonely), I may have voted the other way.
Also in the “If it were a different song” category, I would have chosen the Killers over Whitesnake if it was “All These Things That I’ve Done”. Because I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.
13 Joslyn // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Voting against “Mr. Brightside” hurt A LOT, but I think “Here I Go Again” is a bit more timeless. It’s representative of an entire sub-set of 80′s power metal and therefore deserves the win? Ugh, I’m still torturing myself over this.
“Don’t Stop” on the other hand was the easiest choice in a while. No disrespect to “Love Shack” which is hella fun, but when all of my high school friends were listening to Jane’s Addiction and Beastie Boys and being all cool, I was sneaking Journey’s Greatest Hits like a junkie behind closed doors. God bless The O.C. and Laguna Beach for making my secret obsession cool to openly (and maybe ironically, but not really) love.
14 Alan // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Ouch, that last one was tough. Had to go with Journey though. Journey was my first concert ever… way back in ’79 (with Sweet, no less!).
15 Jen // Jul 28, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Funny to see people blaming Glee for Journey’s votes, when Glee is exactly what pushed me to vote for B-52′s. Otherwise, I think I would have had a hard time, but this one was a no-brainer. Love Shack, baby, Love Shack!
16 ferretrick // Jul 28, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Love Shack is fun, but Don’t Stop Believein’ is a sonic masterpiece. This shouldn’t even be a contest.
@Richard: I saw the same tour in Cincinnati! With the Korean guy they replaced Perry with? He was INCREDIBLE!
17 Hellcat13 // Jul 28, 2011 at 1:19 pm
I feel you all need to see the email exchange @elsewise and I just had. Divisive tournament here, folks. We’re getting all-capsy.
From: Elsewise
To: Hellcat 13
It makes me very uncomfortable to know that I’m voting against you in several pairings. Our friendship is pretty solid, but can it withstand your dislike of No Diggity and my dislike of Love Shack (BARRING THAT ONE “BANG BANG BANG ON THE DOOR†PART, OKAY? IT IS A CLOYING CLANKING MESS OF A SONG).
From: Hellcat13
To: Elsewise
IT IS AN AWESOME SONG THAT I WOULD ACTUALLY DANCE TO AT A WEDDING. (IF I HAD BEEN DRINKING.)
18 elsewise // Jul 28, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Um, we might’ve also snarkily shouted lyrics at each other through our cubicle wall when the all-caps was insufficient.
At least we agree that Alone should take the whole thing.
19 John // Jul 28, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Oh man! How can ANY song beat out “Love Shack” for Ultimate Pop song? How!?
This is the quintessential example of a POP tune. It’s popular, it’s fun and all the cool kids are singing along when it comes on the radio. Plus it’s the B-52′s — more fun than any other band. (Maybe that’s just me?)
Of course, pairing it against my personal kryptonite (Journey) probably didn’t help swing my vote any — every time one of their songs comes on the radio, I nearly cause a traffic accident changing channels. When it came to being overplayed in the 80′s, I don’t think any band ranked higher than Journey.
20 Krista // Jul 28, 2011 at 2:13 pm
These are the first two to really test me. With all the others, I could just go with the song that is on my ipod. These are four fantastic songs!
I think that “Mr. Brightside” will win, because “Here I Go Again” is forever connected with my school’s 1994 graduation. It was my junior year and I wasn’t really sad to see any of the seniors go, but I was on the verge of tears when they played this song. And you just can’t cry during “Here I Go Again.”
“Love Shack” will probably get my vote, too. That was my college roommate’s sorority’s theme song so I heard it a lot. It never got old. I like “Roam” better, but “Love Shack” is made for singing along.
If it had been “Open Arms” by Journey, I would have struggled more. “Don’t Stop Believin’” is less Glee for me and more that one Scrubs episode.
21 katy // Jul 28, 2011 at 2:24 pm
What IS the “tin roof, rusted?” Someone on my freshman hall of college claimed it was a reference to an accidental pregnancy. Is that true?
Love Journey, but Love Shack is more unique and completely irreplaceable. Plus, it actually is a better song at a wedding. But only by a nose.
22 Mark Blankenship // Jul 28, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Katy, I have ALSO heard that about pregnancy, but only from one friend. (Who has commented on a couple of the games. Erin: What say you?)
23 Mark Blankenship // Jul 28, 2011 at 2:28 pm
John — Do you know about Kate Pierson’s kitschy campground in upstage New York? It only extends the band’s claim to being the coolest group ever, ever, ever. http://www.lazymeadow.com/
24 John // Jul 28, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Mark — what a strange, small world it is. While I didn’t know that it was the THAT Kate Pierson, I have seen that place before. A co-worker of mine stayed there, photographed it and blogged about it. The place is wonderfully kitschy in all the best ways, and so much like the B-52′s overall vibe. Just awesome.
How cool is having a place that like not only in existence, but so darn close (I’m like only an hour from there).
25 Mark Blankenship // Jul 28, 2011 at 4:04 pm
John — Was that friend Adam at the Amateur Gourmet? If so, that’s how I heard about it, too. (He’s my friend from college.)
26 John // Jul 28, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Mark — Oddly enough, no. My friend’s name is Robin, and he and his wife stayed there. For a wedding, I think. Maybe he knows Adam? (Again, small world, although I often get the impression that Robin knows Everyone. Every time I meet a new person on FB, Robin is already there in their friends list — even people from high school I haven’t seen in 20 years.)
27 SashaPT // Jul 28, 2011 at 5:19 pm
People, Love Shack introduced us to RU FRIGGING PAUL*, okay, so stop voting for Steve Perry and his mullet.
(*Yes, I am having a hard time separating the videos from the songs here… and I’ve gotten little done at work this week…)
28 Andrew K. // Jul 28, 2011 at 8:15 pm
I really want MR BRIGHTSIDE to sneak in and win this thing. Of course, that won’t happen (and it probably shouldn’t) but I love The Killers (although I wish WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG was the entry chosen, that song turns me into a wreck).
29 Chaz // Jul 28, 2011 at 8:28 pm
How impossibly hot is Eric Roberts in the Mr. Brightside video? And I want to resist it, but Don’t Stop Believin’? I guess I can’t. But I’m voting for Love Shack.
30 Maggie // Jul 29, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Wow. I have no opinion on 90% of the Rock Warrior matchups (and indeed have only heard about 3 of the songs) but that last one was like a slap to the face. It had to be Journey because, come on, but it was truly painful. If it had been the Talking Heads instead of the B-52s, I would still be staring at the choice toggling back & forth over & over again.
31 Margo // Jul 29, 2011 at 5:10 pm
The thing that’s so astonishing about “Don’t Stop Believin’” is that it takes SO LONG to get to the “Don’t stop believin’” part– unbelievably, improbably, almost unbearably long. (“Tiny Dancer” is like this, too.) You think it ought to be there, one minute in, two minutes in, three minutes in; but it isn’t. Then when it finally shows up almost 3 1/2 minutes into the song, it’s like some great, unstoppable dam bursting forth. No wonder everyone wants to sing along.
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