The Platonic ideal popular music single of all time.

[Withywindle]

Loungers, make your cases: THE best single song, of any pop genre in living human memory.

Factors include:

Musical quality - how fucking GOOD is it?

Timelessness - how good does it still sound, however many years after it came out?

Timeliness - how much did the current young generation need it AT THAT MOMENT?

[Withywindle]

1. Just for an example, to start this off

My own particular choice came out the same year I was born: (none of that Music of My Junior Prom Generation here). I choose "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones.

[rug]

2. Brother, can you spare a dime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F4yT0KAMyo&feature=related

Yip also wrote the lyrics for all the songs in the Wizard of Oz.

[Withywindle]

3. Brother, Can You Paradigm?

Certainly excellent for our paradigm. :(

[JeffR]

4. Tears of a Clown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2E_RSJAhYU

Catchy, soulful, clever (Pagliacci reference, yo), beautifully played, beautifully sung, beautifully arranged.

Sounds just as crazy fresh as the day it was released.

I needed it then and I need it now, over and over and over.

I rest my case.

[Withywindle]

5. Ooo, nice one.

But what about "Death of a Clown" by the Kinks:

My makeup is dried and cracked on my chin
I'm drowning my sorrows in whisky and....beer!

[JeffR]

6. Great companion piece!

:fistbump: