The Top 30 Sonic Youth Songs
 

Yeah, it's my opinion, here at my blog: http://www.trapperjennmd.org.

I apologize for the morphing font, copy/paste fun will do that. If I thought
it fucked up the reading too much, I would have changed it, but it actually
reflects my current state quite well, as I have been typing it up since 1 in
the morning and am a solid hour late for work.

Hope you dig it, fan-to-fan, and of course supply your own lists of varying
number if you desire.

this is cool! thanks


ahhaah you really like kim eh?

orange rolls, angel spit; i like this choice.

hold the phone mabel, are you asking greatest or favorite? i forgot to ask that, you know how i differentiate them

favorite, my love.

it actually surprised me that she comprised half
of the list...not sure why, though.

whew, i figured so, my list would be a bit different if that were the case

a future topic of discussion indeed

Thanks, interesting read. Nice to see EJSTNS getting the love it deserves.

and if any missed it, there are subtle youtube links to some of the songs listed, just scroll over the titles

I loved the analysis of Sweet Shine, very cool... this stuff goes under my radar all the time.
:

"Cowboys are languishin'/Little girls are bees/Is it really a green stagecoach/Crawlin' up to me?"

Lines so memorable Thurston quoted them at the beginning of his Alabama Wildman book; in response to an interviewers query, he would claim to have chosen them for their quintessential Kim-ness. I think they made an impression worth regurgitating for a different reason. The cowboys are the boys in the band, in moments of relaxation, say pre- or post-concert. The buzzing girls are as close as any band on SY's level can get to "groupies". The green stagecoach--genius fucking use of Wild West imagery throughout; note also the "Marlboro belt buckle baby" line in the first verse--is jealousy, visiting the wife of the guitar hero.

put number 1 at number 4 and we have agreement!!!!!

i can't even begin to think top 30 as that would be really hard, but my top five would be

1) Cotton Crown
2) Sweet Shine
3) Theresa's Sound World
4) Washing Machine
5) Candle

'cross the breeze is pretty much my #1. it gets fuzzy after that.

my full list is in the comments page on it, feel free to add on there

but i can't add some html tags for my top five so i will do it here

1. Schizophrenia
from Year Punk Broke, the quintessential version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz_bCyirfn8

2. The Diamond Sea
from Letterman, the most compressed bombastic version i have heard of it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lb1bPQSNWk

3. Kool Thing
live in 2002
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l6hpV4NrR0

4. Mote
live in 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enOQyECrQMY

5. Incinerate
Letterman again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytADXZFzwH8

Cool....I'll check it out in more detail a little later.

"Star Power" is king as far as SY melodies go.

Funny you should mention F. Scott Fitzgerald: there are two SY songs about The Great Gatsby (neither of which you included on your list, "I Love Her All The Time," and "Green Light").

That was an amazingly written piece Jennthebenn! I really Liked the bit about I Love You Golden Blue. Thats kinda how I felt when I first heard it!

Whoa. Only had time to skim that but will need to revisit and study. Excellent analysis coupled with personal emotional interpretation. A+

Yeah this sounds like my list... almost bang on, probably throw in a Murray Street track instead of Cotton Crown, I don't like tthe studio version so much.

Am I the only person who didn't notice Starfield Road was about butt sex?

Hmm. Of the top, right this minute...

1) "Brother James"
2) "Ghost Bitch"
3) "Kill Yr. Idols"
4) "She's in a Bad Mood"
5) "I Dreamed I Dream"
6) "Death Valley '69"
7) "Silver Rocket"
8) "Diamond Sea"
9) "Expressway to Yr. Skull"
10) "Radio-Amatoroj"
11) "Early American"
12) "Justice Is Might"
13) "World Looks Red"
14) "Trilogy""
14) "I Love Her All of the Time"
15) "Cotton Crown"
16) "Becuz"
17) "Starfield Road"
18) "Teenage Riot"
19) "Schizophrenia"
20) "NYC Ghosts and Flowers"
21) "I'm Insane"
22) "She Is Not Alone"
23) "Inhuman"
24) "Society Is a Hole"
25) "Shadow of a Doubt"
26) "Dirty Boots"
27) "Sugarcane"
28) "Freezer Burn/Now I Wanna Be Your Dog"
29) "I Am Right"
30) "Lee Is Free"

1. Too Drunk To Fuck

1. Thom Violence
2. Death Valley 69
3. Starpower
4. Theresa's sound world
5. Stones
6. Expressway to yr skull
7. Schizophrenia
8. Shaking hell
9. Tunic
10. Pink Steam
11. Shadow of a doubt
12. Diamond Sea
13. The sprawl
14. Wish fullfilment
15. The world is red
16. Brother James
17. New Hampshire
18. Reena
19. Disappearer
20. Mildred Pierce
21. Teenage riot
22. Kool thing
23. Brother James
24. She's in a bad mood
25. Trilogy
26. Turquoise boy
27. Skink
28. Candle
29. Protect me you
30. Bull in the heather

Heres' 30, however I can't at this time list them in order of preference, suffice it to say that I like all of these songs immensely.

1.Brother James
2.Rain On Tin
3.Cotton Krown
4.Sympathy For The Strawberry
5.Theresa's Sound World
6.Skip Tracer
7.Hoarfrost
8.Paper Cup Exit
9.I Love Her All The Time
10.Schizophrenia
11.Master-Dik
12.Winner's Blues
13.Sweetshine
14.The Sprawl
15.Candle
16.Disappearer
17.Karenology
18.Expressway To Yr Skull
19.In The Kingdom #19
20.Diamond Sea
21.Blink
22.Peace Attack
23.Ineffable Me
24.NYC Ghosts & Flowers
25.Skink
26.Rats
27.Pacific Coast Highway
28.Pipeline/Kill Time
29.Stones
30.Teenage Riot

10 my favorite SY songs in no order

Brave Men Run
Cinderella's Big Score
Hoarfrost
The Sprawl
Peace Attack
Unwind
Sweet Shine
Hyperstation
Disappearer
Disconnection Notice

Ok, the first 6 are in order, the other 24 aren't as it's too difficult for me to classify them.

The sprawl
Schizophrenia
Xpressway to yr. skull
Orange rolls angel's spit
Pipeline/kill time
'Cross the breeze
Hey Joni
Teenage riot
Providence
Trilogy
Disappearer
Wish fulfillment
Self-obsessed and sexxxee
Doctor's orders
Sweet shine
The diamond sea
NYC Ghosts & Flowers
Sympathy for the strawberry
Unmade bed
Wild flower soul
Hoarfrost
Karen Koltrane
Catholic block
Cinderella's big score
On the strip
Theresa's sound world
Skink
Mote
Chapel hill

Half the list, in no particular order, well more or less:
1) Tom Violence
2) Starpower
3) Schizophrenia
4) White Kross
5) I love her all the time
6) Diamond sea
7) Karen revisited
8) Wish fulfillment
9) Female mechanic now on duty
10) Cotton crown
11) Unwind
12) Theresa's sound world
13) Cinderella's big score
14) I'm insane
15) Expressway to yr skull
16) Starfield Road
17) Bull in the heather

*I know I'll keep editing. Chosing ain't easy.

I don't want to spoil it, but although I don't agree with your placings, I'm glad that you gave number one to a song that is hardly recognised by some fans.

*Very* difficult :

1/ Shadow of a doubt
2/ Diamond sea
3/ Trilogy
4/ Confusion is next
5/ No queen blues
6/ The world looks red
7/ Brave men run (in my family)
8/ 'Cross the breeze
9/ Dude ranch nurse
10/ Schizophrenia
11/ Star power
12/ StreamXsonik subway
13/ Free city rhymes
14/ Six for new time
15/ Brother James
16/ Theresa's sound world
17/ Slapkaamers met slagroom
18/ I'm insane
19/ Pattern recognition
20/ Hoarfrost
21/ Sunday
22/ Beauty lies in the eyes
23/ Disappearer
24/ I dreamed I dream
25/ Skip tracer
26/ Green light
27/ In the kingdom #19
28/ Wish fulfillment
29/ Tremens
30/ Hallowe'en

that is EXACTLY what I think. Starpower is great, but I would never call it my favourite sonic youth song.

I feel sorry for anyone that has time to write more than 2400 posts on the Sonic Youth forum... :D
Personnally it has taken me between 5 and 10 minutes to write the list : the 30 songs were all immediately in my head, and the order is secondary. And my astonishing human brain enables me to write it AND listen to music at the same time (really!)

*must hand out 3 more bottles of vodka to forum members before giving
another to kegmama*

damnit.:p

In no particular order:

Pacific Coast Highway
The Sprawl
Hits Of Sunshine
Death Valley 69
Shaking Hell
Mote
Karen Revisited
Screaming Skull
Washing Machine
NYC Ghosts And Flowers
Hot Wire My Heart
The Diamond Sea
Sunday
Shadow Of A Doubt
Halloween
Silver Rocket
On The Strip
Echo Canyon
Schizophrenia
Youth Against Fascism
Star Power
Stereo Sanctity
Mildred Pearce
Small Flowers Crack Concrete
Renegade Princess
Teenage Riot
(I Got A ) Catholic Block
I'm Insane
Titanium Expose
Junkie's Promise

Thank God all lists are different. If we agreed on one, that would certainly be worrying, wouldn't it? By the way Jenn, I repped you on that essay. I know it's something off-site, but anyway. Very insightful writing.

Why are so many people missing off cross the breeze? For me it just sums up sonic youth. 'Dreamy' bit, fast bit, noise part, catchy bit. for me it is over twice as good as any other song they've written.

This kicks ass, Jenn! Again, I love your writing. I think you'd make an excellent music journalist.

It would take forever to comment on your list, but it's tough to argue with Starpower at #1, and I can't believe you left out Schizophrenia, Cross the Breeze and Cotton Crown!

The fact that there is no real concensus as to their greatest songs says a lot about the quality, quantity and diversity of SY's catalog. I couldn't even begin to name my own top 30.

thanks :D about the omissions...cotton crown and cross the breeze both made my top 40, which is what my list originally was, until i decided not to be so "casey kasem" about it. genetic and kool thing were there too. i've never been enamored with schizophrenia, though it is wonderful.

yeah that was weird, my top list is filled what would be considered big songs that fringe fans know, i think that is a testament to how memorable those songs can be, even if they are a bit accessable, although after that it looks like a hardcore fan list

i did slightly rank them based on greatest, my favorites change so often to have a definitive list of songs like that, otherwise something like Doctor's Orders would have been my number one

good effort jenn
I often wonder if blogging could be the avenue for me, id relish this sort of thing.

"kool thing" should be in everyones top 30, its just that it's the bands most commercial moment so it gets overlooked. but whenever it gets played live, the whole place goes off. a slice of genius that tune.