Favorite Songs List

[Bry]

This suggestion came from Gle3nn, who writes:

How about a list of your 5 favorite songs. The next person copy the list, add their own favorite 5. If a song is already on the list just add +1 to the song etc. Everyone just post once and see what the final tally is after a week.

I think this might actually work. What I’m going to add is this: Along with your list, comment on (at least) one of the songs you’ve chosen and say something about why you like it. [I’m especially interested if you pick something that isn’t a “popular” choice.]

The list so far, in alphabetical order:

1 – Big Bad World One
1 – The Future Soon
1 – I Feel Fantastic
1 – Millionaire Girlfriend
1 – Shop Vac

Millionaire Girlfriend – The lyrics are phenomenal, and I can’t get over the little falsetto flip at “She’s my millionaire girlfriend…” (I actually really enjoy all the songs where JoCo goes into his head voice — Womb with a View, for instance.)

I Feel Fantastic – Witty lyrics again, and the rapid-fire chorus. I’ve said before that I listen to JoCo mostly entire-album-through or on shuffle — this is the one song I’ve listened to on repeat for hours.

(I’m really agonizing over these choices — these just happen to be the five I enjoy the most right this minute. Also, you don’t have to write comments as long as mine, but something reasoned would be nice.)

[Gle3nn]

2 – Big Bad World One
2 – The Future Soon
1 – I Feel Fantastic
1 – Millionaire Girlfriend
2 – Shop Vac
1- Bozo’s Lament
1- Skullcrusher Mountain

Bozo’s Lament- I hate clowns, maybe because a clown killed my father, but This song strikes the same chords with me that “Future Soon” and “Big Bad World One” do.

[Shruti]

Hm. I’ve narrowed it down to 50…I’ll let you know once I’ve tenthed that.

Edit: Down to 36…

[jesss]

3 – The Future Soon
1- I Crush Everything
1 – I’m Your Moon
1 – Dance Soterios Johnson Dance
3 – Shop Vac

2 – Big Bad World One
1 – I Feel Fantastic
1 – Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Bozo’s Lament
1- Skullcrusher Mountain

My decisions seem sort of random to me, but they are my favorites for today. I LOVE “I’m Your Moon, it makes me sort of weepy and girly every time I hear it. I’ve been in a “I Crush Everything” phase lately. The Future Soon and Shop Vac are sort of bookends to my life and DSJD just makes me laugh.

p.s. I edited it to show which songs I considered my favorite five, hope that makes sense.

[Shruti]

I can’t do it. I’ve narrowed it down to 35 and I can’t bear to delete anything else from the list. I have no willpower.

[Colleenky]

1 – Better
1 – Make You Cry
1 – Mr. Fancy Pants
1 – De-Evolving
1 – Famous Blue Raincoat

3 – The Future Soon
1- I Crush Everything
1 – I’m Your Moon
1 – Dance Soterios Johnson Dance
3 – Shop Vac
2 – Big Bad World One
1 – I Feel Fantastic
1 – Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Bozo’s Lament
1- Skullcrusher Mountain

Better: One of the first JC songs I heard, and I guess it stuck. I just love his take on the whole “You know, you’ve really changed” idea. And then there’s the duple over triple thing, which makes the music parts of my brain happy.

Make You Cry: I like my music like I like my chocolate and my men – BITTER. The lyrics are so effed up, but the guitar is so beautiful. I love that ironic juxtaposition.

Mr. Fancy Pants: Bouncy, happy, kinda bitter and effed up. Do you see a theme developing?

De-Evolving: “Keeping the thumbs, but I’m getting dumb.” That’s funny stuff! And then the bridge just WAILS!

Famous Blue Raincoat: This edged out at least half a dozen other songs just based on the fact that I think I’ve listened to it more than the others. Haunting, evocative, ambiguous, beautiful. I know the lyrics aren’t his, but the banjo is perfect, as is the octave-up vocal over the verse.

[monkeybiznis1]

1- That spells DNA
1- Re: Your Brains
1- Code Monkey
1- First of May
2- I Feel Fantastic

1- Better
1- Make You Cry
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
1- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
1- I Crush Everything
1- I'm Your Moon
1- Dance Soterios Johnson Dance
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Bozo's Lament
1- Skullcrusher Moutain
2- Big Bad World One
3- The Future Soon
3- Shop Vac

That Spells DNA: Its a catchy tune with hilarious lines like "If you're looking for someone convenient to blame you can take a pick its one or the other." (parental units)

Re: Your Brains: This song is hilarious seeing as to how this exchange is taking place between co-workers. The absurdities of living in a mall also intrigue me.

Code Monkey: Whether you are a Code Jockey or not I can say we have all felt the sting of a love interest not even noticing us. And of course the idiot boss who takes all the credit.

First of May: I like the vocals and the fact that he is having conversations with animals like pocahontas.

I Feel Fantastic: STEAK TASTES BETTER PILL is all that needs to be said

[Blimix]

2- Skullcrusher Moutain
2- Code Monkey
2- Re: Your Brains
4- The Future Soon
3- I Feel Fantastic

1- That spells DNA
1- First of May
1- Better
1- Make You Cry
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
1- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
1- I Crush Everything
1- I’m Your Moon
1- Dance Soterios Johnson Dance
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Bozo’s Lament
2- Big Bad World One
3- Shop Vac

(My sweetie and I sing Code Monkey in harmony. We’re nauseatingly cute.)

[IndigoMonkey]

3- Skullcrusher Moutain
3- Code Monkey
2- Re: Your Brains
4- The Future Soon
3- I Feel Fantastic

2- That spells DNA
1- First of May
1- Better
1- Make You Cry
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
1- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
1- I Crush Everything
2- I’m Your Moon
1- Dance Soterios Johnson Dance
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Bozo’s Lament
3- Big Bad World One
3- Shop Vac

‘I’m your Moon’ will always rank high up there for me.

[Bry]

Formatting seems to be a problem — how about this?

*your five songs*
*updated list of songs (including your five)*
*reason(s) for liking one or more of those songs*

(e.g.
+1 A
+1 D

3 – A
2 – B
1 – C
1 – D

I like D because it’s catchy.
)

The list as it stands after IndigoMonkey’s post:

1- Better
3- Big Bad World One
1- Bozo’s Lament
3- Code Monkey
1- Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance
1- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
1- First of May
4- The Future Soon
1- I Crush Everything
3- I Feel Fantastic
2- I’m Your Moon
1- Make You Cry
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
2- Re: Your Brains
3- Shop Vac
3- Skullcrusher Mountain
2- That Spells DNA

[Al]

+1 I Crush Everything (demo)
+1 Creepy Doll
+1 Better
+1 Re: Your Brains
+1 Still Alive (GLaDOS)

1- Creepy Doll
1- Still Alive (GLaDOS)
2- Better
3- Big Bad World One
1- Bozo’s Lament
3- Code Monkey
1- Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance
1- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
1- First of May
4- The Future Soon
1, 1(demo)- I Crush Everything
3- I Feel Fantastic
2- I’m Your Moon
1- Make You Cry
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
3- Re: Your Brains
3- Shop Vac
3- Skullcrusher Mountain
2- That Spells DNA

[robgonzo]

so Al…You preffer the I Crush Everything demo to the release version? Should that be a new song? yes I think so, we’ll see what happens.

+1 I Crush Everything
+1 The Future Soon
+1 Big Bad World One
+1 De-Evolving
+1 My Monkey

1- Creepy Doll
1- Still Alive (GLaDOS)
2- Better
4- Big Bad World One
1- Bozo’s Lament
3- Code Monkey
1- Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance
2- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
1- First of May
5- The Future Soon
2- I Crush Everything
3- I Feel Fantastic
2- I’m Your Moon
1- Make You Cry
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
1- My Monkey
3- Re: Your Brains
3- Shop Vac
3- Skullcrusher Mountain
2- That Spells DNA
1- I Crush Everything (Demo)

That’s my list for today anyway…
I note no love for My Monkey yet. I dunno why, but it’s always been one of my favorites.

[Bassguy]

+1 Shop Vac
+1 When You Go
+1 The Future Soon
+1 A Talk With George
+1 First of May

1- Creepy Doll
1- Still Alive (GLaDOS)
2- Better
4- Big Bad World One
1- Bozo’s Lament
3- Code Monkey
1- Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance
2- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
2- First of May
6- The Future Soon
2- I Crush Everything
3- I Feel Fantastic
2- I’m Your Moon
1- Make You Cry
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
1- My Monkey
3- Re: Your Brains
4- Shop Vac
3- Skullcrusher Mountain
2- That Spells DNA
1- I Crush Everything (Demo)
1- When You Go
1-A Talk With George

(Obligatory Note: I believe everything to be in order. If I miscalculated something, feel free to correct me.)

[Shruti]

Okay. I’ve done it. Finally. In order of preference:

1) Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance
Someone is Crazy
3) Creepy Doll
Madelaine
5) Ikea

Explanations:

“Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance” – the idea is brilliant. the lyrics are evocative. the music is compelling. a genius smashing expectations indeed.

“Someone is Crazy” – “you throw your hands up in the air and swear you didn’t know / you think the world revolves around you, but it doesn’t, so / you sit and spin” … need I say more? It’s so fantastically bitter and condemnatory and I just cannot get over that image.

“Creepy Doll” – antiquing/creaking. the bells at the beginning. etc. it seems almost Poe/Raven-esque.

“Madelaine” – there are just so many great, witty lines. it’s wonderful.

“Ikea” – I’m not really sure this belongs on this list…it’s clever and all, but … so are a whole lot of others. See the following parenthetical for other options.

(The ones that were close but didn’t make it:

“The Future Soon” has enough points that I feel like I can safely omit it from my list.

“You Ruined Everything” — a kind of emotional one, I guess. How to explain this…I guess I often feel like I need outside, impersonal sources for me to feel real emotion, but when that happens, I often feel like I’m being manipulated – like, “this book/movie/etc. isn’t actually about anything I care about or with which I could really empathize; what the hell are they doing to make me feel like this?” But I feel like this song actually *does* break down my, uh, cold-robot-insides.

“Womb with a View” was really really close to making it too. It’s probably the saddest song I’ve ever heard…not gonna lie, it made me cry once. But yeah. It’s a favorite, definitely.

“Millionaire Girlfriend” and “Brookline” are way up there, too.

And, who am I kidding, a whole lot of others – Big Bad World One, The Big Boom, When You Go, Curl, I Crush Everything, Betty and Me, Mandelbrot Set, Bozo’s Lament, I’m a Mason Now, Screwed, Octopus…

Oh: and another note – I really really like Camp Bachelor Alma Mater because it’s such a freaking perfect chorale and the incongruity between music and lyrics – while a common theme in the JoCoeuvre, surely – is exemplified in it ridiculously perfectly.)

And so, the list:

2- Better
4- Big Bad World One
1- Bozo’s Lament
3- Code Monkey
2- Creepy Doll
2- Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance
2- De-Evolving
1- Famous Blue Raincoat
2- First of May
6- The Future Soon
2- I Crush Everything
1- I Crush Everything (Demo)
3- I Feel Fantastic
1- Ikea
2- I’m Your Moon
1- Madelaine
1- Make You Cry
1- Millionaire Girlfriend
1- Mr. Fancy Pants
1- My Monkey
3- Re: Your Brains
4- Shop Vac
3- Skullcrusher Mountain
1- Someone is Crazy
1- Still Alive (GLaDOS)
1-A Talk With George
2- That Spells DNA
1- When You Go

(p.s. I wasn’t sure how to alphabetize the “I”s – if anyone thinks there’s a better method than mine, go for it.)

(also: could someone explain to me the allure of Shop Vac? ‘Cause I don’t get it, at all.)

[jesss]

I voted for Shop Vac in my 5 and I guess I didn’t really talk about it.

I see it as a picture of suburbian dystopia. These poor people have achieved the “American Dream” and it is empty. They have all the little status symbols but, instead of being content, they are miserable. Depression, alcoholism, isolation. “I guess I gotta go back there.” But there is more. It is a reality check for the people who’s lives are starting to resemble this poor couple. A lot of us have minivans, gourmet grocery stores and such. This song reminds us not to slip into complacency and accept a substandard life. If Code Monkey finally got married, he might be living here.

[Author]

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