unbelievable winner

this is one of my fav songs ever since day 1 and actually even like it more right now the 25 years ago as I recently learned how to play it on guitar and learned all the words.

 

an even better winner would have been Tori Amos-Cornflake Girl but alas... out of those in the final 50 Radiohead was hands down the best <3

The Bends is a wonderful album as well, just not on the same level as OK Computer.

 

My standout tracks are Subterranean Homesick Alien and Let Down but basically the whole album is 10/10. Even the single b-sides are amazing - the zero 7 remix of Climbing Up The Walls, Meeting In The Aisle and Lull are my picks. Of course, all 3 singles are epic.

 

I wrote up OK Computer when we did that classic albums thread in the Lounge a while ago.

think you'd love it Jade!

You were right Chez, I've just given it a first listen and was completely gripped throughout. I re-visited both of your commentaries just before jumping in so they were interesting for some contextual application behind the lyrics. Also, for knowing that the "Hitler hairdo" line was coming, in the case of Jester's :lol: the themes throughout are really thought-provoking and delivered in a fiery, imaginative way. The transport anxiety angle that was dipped into a few times throughout hit a little too close to home (amongst other areas, such as claustrophobic imagery and paranoia) when I'm trying to move past my own prior experiences with that right now, to try and start driving lessons in the coming months :lol: but hey, good old airbags. The production was gorgeous throughout- from that glockenspiel in our winner 'No Surprises' to the chaotic, string-infused burst that is delivered towards the end of 'Climbing Up the Walls'. I got flashes of Beatles inspiration in places and looked up to see if that was intentional, and indeed, 'A Day In The Life', 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' and 'Sexy Sadie' were all apparently reference points for certain songs. Aside from the two I already mentioned, 'Subterranean Homesick Alien' was also one of my highlights, plus 'Paranoid Android' (probably the song I knew best beforehand, but still), 'Exit Music (For A Film)' and 'Lucky' also massively stood out. To be honest it didn't really falter throughout, 'Filter Happier' was a swerve (well, I guess 'Paranoid Android' had small synthesised voice parts - but this was next level!) but still depressingly engrossing. 'Electioneering' also heavier than I expected any song here to be sonically, but not a bad thing. So yeah, a really special record that I took way too long to listen to it seems.

 

I'll give 'The Bends' a go next, but I think I want to spend a while with 'OK Computer' first.

 

btw completely unrelated to Radiohead, however relevant to recent chat: I like the Keane song too - although 'This Is The Last Time' is my favourite of the era I think, the lowest charting one sadly.

Here's a recap of the final 50:

 

1. Radiohead - No Surprises

2. Keane - Everybody's Changing

3. U2 - With Or Without You

4. New Order - True Faith

5. Robbie Williams - Feel

6. Erasure - A Little Respect

7. Prince - When Doves Cry

8. Robbie Williams - Angels

9. Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer

10. Tracy Chapman - Fast Car

11. Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music

12. Katy Perry - Hot n Cold

13. Nelly Furtado - All Good Things (Come To An End)

14. Cutting Crew - (I Just) Died In Your Arms

15. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi

16. Coldplay - Yellow

17. Elbow - One Day Like This

18. The Ronettes - Be My Baby

19. Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For?

20. Garbage - Stupid Girl

21. The Beatles - Something / Come Together

22. Tears For Fears - Shout

23. Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love

24. Coldplay - Fix You

25. Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix)

26. TLC - Waterfalls

27. Madonna - Open Your Heart

28. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever

29. Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer

30. The Prodigy - No Good (Start The Dance)

31. Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In The Dark

32. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

33. William Orbit - Barber's Adagio For Strings

34. Muse - Supermassive Black Hole

35. Madonna - Don't Tell Me

36. Girls Aloud - Biology

37. Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

38. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me

39. Seal - Kiss From A Rose / I'm Alive

40. Janet Jackson - Together Again

41. Utah Saints - Something Good

42. Aerosmith - I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

43. Christina Perri - Jar Of Hearts

44. Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana

45. Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

46. Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply

47. Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You

48. Belinda Carlisle - Leave A Light On

49. Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko - Stay

50. U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name

A very unexpected winner I must say. A beautiful song obviously, even if there are quite a few other Radiohead songs I'd rate above it. 'Everybody's Changing' is definitely up there with Keane's best though. Thanks Rollo for running this and I'll look forward to the #5s rate!

I also look forward to number 5 rate :)

What an amazing and completely unexpected winner! Totally deserved though, a beautiful track from one of the best albums of all time.

 

Thanks for running this Rollo, these are always such a joy to vote in and follow

yes thanks for organising and do all the maths Rollo

I think that’s a great winner

 

Been fun to follow and vote in this over the past weeks, thanks!!

Brilliant winner, although I would’ve liked to have seen Keene take it (my 50 pointer). I find it such an uplifting song - there is something very joyful about it. True Faith and a Little Respect are also true classics in my eyes and Robbie’s best song finishing so high too, is great to see. I do love Raidiohead ‘No Suprises’ though so pleased to see it take the crown

 

Cheers for the countdown Rollo

These are the songs that scored the most points in the first round. No Surprises had a commanding lead and the top 4 was the same, just in a slightly different order. The two Robbie Williams songs that made the top 10 in the final are missing. Feel had a score of 158 and Angels 148. Blank Space (32nd in the final) does much better here in 6th place while Left To My Own Devices and November Rain are in the top 20 but both failed to qualify for the final.

 

1. 323 No Surprises

2. 274 With Or Without You

3. 273 True Faith

4. 268 Everybody's Changing

5. 254 One Day Like This

6. 247 Blank Space

7. 236 When Doves Cry

8. 233 Yellow

9. 227 Don't Tell Me

10. 213 Livin' On A Prayer

11. 206 Fast Car

12. 206 A Little Respect

13. 205 Happier Than Ever

14. 200 Fix You

15. 195 Biology

16. 190 Paparazzi

17. 186 Open Your Heart

18. 178 Left To My Own Devices

19. 177 November Rain

20. 176 A Girl Like You

This was the top 10 from the first semi-final which ended up being the stronger with most of the final top 10 being in this one. One Day Like This does much better here, finishing second.

 

1. 466 True Faith

2. 450 One Day Like This

3. 440 With Or Without You

4. 440 When Doves Cry

5. 422 A Little Respect

6. 412 Everybody's Changing

7. 380 Fix You

8. 374 (I Just) Died In Your Arms

9. 364 Fast Car

10. 357 Hot n Cold

And this was the top 10 from the second semi-final with Bon Jovi finishing just six points behind Radiohead.

 

1. 474 No Surprises

2. 468 Livin' On A Prayer

3. 426 Yellow

4. 419 Feel

5. 374 Waterfalls

6. 368 All Good Things (Come To An End)

7. 368 Stereo Love

8. 365 Be My Baby

9. 363 Don't Stop The Music

10. 358 Something Good

Interesting - poor One Day Like This should have been Top 5 based on that! Pleased for Radiohead anyway. Thanks so much for running this Rollo!

I am much more ignorant of Radiohead's back catalogue than I should be but 'No Surprises' was another one like 'A Little Respect' and 'True Faith' that sounded vaguely familiar when relistening for this and that I'm glad to now be more familiar with, definitely quite a shocking winner but not mad at it. Thanks for running this Rollo!

Whilst I only like 2 songs in the final top 10 (Fast Car and When Doves Cry), and cannot stand many of the rest, this has been a great competition, which I've really enjoyed. Well done for organising!!

Wow, I really didn't see that top two coming! :wub: Love both No Surprises and Everybody's Changing a lot, glad they're being appreciated here as well! The whole top five is really good too, I would not have predicted any of those to be as high as that.

 

Thanks for running this!

Thank you, King Rollo. For running this post and your creativity. The Top 50 is really special. however, I am slightly disappointed with Madonna's performance.

 

 

From the same year as True Faith, With Or Without You was the first single released from the Joshua Tree album. It was U2's fourth top 10 hit and the first of their eight US number 1 singles.

 

 

 

Nope...they've only had 2 US number ones....maybe you meant UK?

You are correct. On the wiki discography for U2, the decades are separated. For the 80s, US chart was in the right hand column. For the 90s, they put the US alternative chart in the right column which I didn't notice. The main Billboard chart was in the column next to the right hand side. While they had six number 1s on the alternative chart in the 90s, they had no Billboard number 1s.