6 Dec 2007 by Chris     No Comments    Posted under: Entertainment

The Best Singles Ever.

All time top tens are something which really get under your skin: once you’ve started thinking about it, you have to follow it through. So when someone at work asked us all to come up with our top tens, I had to do it, of course. After a couple of weeks of leaving it on the back burner, here’s a selection which I can guarantee nobody else in the world would come up with. Naturally it’ll be different by the time you read this. These things always are.

10. RACING IN THE STREET – Bruce Springsteen
Definitely the live version which Broooce played at Crystal Palace a few years back and which I was privileged to see played. Given over to the most magnificent piano solo for the second half of the song. Yes, my ticket for Bruce at the O2 next week is here and firmly pinned to my “don’t lose it” board.

9. FREDERICK – Patti Smith
She played at The Junction here in Cambridge last month – a rock legend performing just up the road from me – and I foolishly chose to go the football instead. Fortunately (for me) she didn’t play this gorgeous ode to her late husband, guitar legend Fred “Sonic” Smith of MC5.

8. “HEROES” – David Bowie
For some reason the version of this I always remember the most was the one at Live Aid with keyboard wizard Thomas Dolby providing gunshot sound effects to the “bullets flew above our heads” line.

7. WHEN LOVE BREAKS DOWN – Prefab Sprout
Possibly my favourite band of all time, and hard to pick just one song, so let’s just go for the one which never lets you down. Recently covered by Lisa Stansfield, noteworthy because Paddy wrote an extra verse for her (quite reasonable) version, apparently. And of course the man himself has done a terrific acoustic version this year as well.

6. DOCTOR WU – Steely Dan
A narrowly-beaten contender for the “favourite band” crown, and again, a hard act to choose a masterpiece from. As with most of the band’s material, I’ve no idea what it’s all about, but oh, that piano line in the middle sends shivers down my spine.

5. AFTERGLOW – Genesis
The one where, during the live shows, they used to turn on all the searchlights halfway through, so the audience roar drowns out the song. That sort of thing used to be impressive, kids. Four minutes fourteen seconds which summarise everything good about Genesis and make the rest of the band’s catalogue redundant. I challenge you not to air-drum along with this.

4. BLADE RUNNER – END TITLES – Vangelis
Just because it completely recalls the Best Film Of All Time whenever I hear it. Great home-made YouTube video too.

3. TO WIN JUST ONCE – The Saw Doctors
Best Live Band in the World. Ever. And this is the one which brings a lump to my throat whenever I hear it:
To win just once against the odds
And once be smiled on by the Gods
To race with speed along the track
To break the tape and not look back
To never have considered losing
As if to win is by your choosing
Bare your soul for all to find
An honest heart and an open mind.
Ah, you probably have to be there. And I have. About ten times now. Woo!
Mobile phone video, but I picked this because it gives you a good idea of how the audience do this song for them.

2. MOMENTS IN LOVE – The Art Of Noise
Played at Madonna’s first wedding, used in movie soundtracks, a number of advertisements, and remixed, covered, and sampled by other artists for years. And still utterly extraordinary. Live performance video has Trevor Horn on bass! Paul Morley prancing around! Fan-blinkin-tastic.

1. HAVE YOU EVER HAD IT BLUE? – The Style Council
One of those songs which you have to restrict the number of times which you play it, in case it should ever lose anything by repetition. Originally a political song about the YTS, Weller gave it a new set of (somewhat slushier) lyrics and, more importantly, jazz producer/arranger Gil Evans added a startlingly brilliant brass-led arrangement for the otherwise unremarkable movie “Absolute Beginners”. The result is an absolute masterpiece of pop music.

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