# Is there any SONG that we ALL would agree is good (if not great)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 7, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427 "2026-01-07T11:53:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/201 "2026-01-10T22:53:28Z")
Actually, that will only play the first song here. But the “watch on YouTube” link will bring up the playlist. It has its moments, but I can see why it wasn’t a hit. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/202 "2026-01-10T22:53:56Z")
Since Stand By Me is the only movie in that other thread that was not vetoed as of now, how about the song Stand By Me? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/203 "2026-01-10T22:54:38Z")
Ugh, I apologize, but no. But I agree Stand By Me is a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/204 "2026-01-10T22:57:16Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Heheh, I spelled it wrong. Attila. And yeah, pretty much an Organ/Drums metal duo. Not truly bad, I probably wouldn’t walk out on the gig. But I’d probably never show up early to make sure I caught them. Ok, I skimmed the album, and though it’s mighty cheesy, it’s not as bad as I had thought, and really the closest to rock Billy Joel has ever done. But, oh my god, the cover! Thanks for the link! ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/205 "2026-01-10T22:59:32Z")
> [@Larsedik](#): > > My favorite all-time song is _Runaway_, by Del Shannon. It was one of the top songs of 1961. > [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > I love Bonnie Raitt’s version, personally. Have you seen the Luis Cardenas version? (I say “seen” because I’m referring specifically to this:) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/i-GxYzbI4lg/maxresdefault.jpg "Luis Cardenas - Runaway (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-GxYzbI4lg) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/206 "2026-01-10T22:59:37Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > And I actually like “It’s Still Rock n’ Roll to Me”, but I kind of think of it as a show tune without a musical. I’ve always thought of BJ as a Broadway guy who decided that pop paid more. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/207 "2026-01-10T23:02:34Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I’ve always thought of BJ as a Broadway guy who decided that pop paid more. Would explain my hate for him, I’ve really never been a fan of Broadway musicals and show songs (with some notable exceptions, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/208 "2026-01-10T23:03:35Z")
> [@Larsedik](#): > > My favorite all-time song is _Runaway_, by Del Shannon. It was one of the top songs of 1961. I associate that song with the TV show _[Crime Story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_Story_(American_TV_series))_, where it was played over the opening credits. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/209 "2026-01-10T23:08:49Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > Well and aptly [parodied by punk-era “Weird Al” Yankovic](https://youtu.be/3UAUCh5ocIg?list=RD3UAUCh5ocIg). Perhaps @EinsteinsHund might like to listen? Sure I liked to, and it was a blast! Very harsh for Weird Al, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/210 "2026-01-10T23:17:53Z")
> [@Larsedik](#): > > My favorite all-time song is _Runaway_, by Del Shannon. It was one of the top songs of 1961. Ooooh, yeah, that synth solo sells it for me. Much like the Moog part in “Here Comes the Sun” ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/211 "2026-01-10T23:19:23Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I’ve always thought of BJ as a Broadway guy who decided that pop paid more. And you know, he wouldn’t be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/212 "2026-01-10T23:21:59Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Very harsh for Weird Al, wasn’t it? He wrote it for live performance, so he didn’t have to ask for permission. Later, when he was thinking about songs for his first album, he toyed with the idea of including it but decided it was out of date and that his parodies generally needed to be more timely. (A rule he broke later with “Jurassic Park” and, oddly enough, “Ode to a Superhero”.) So he never asked to record it. But yes, rather harsher than “Smells Like Nirvana” and “Achy Breaky Song”, the most prominent of his two other songs that poke the most fun at other artists and their creations. If I had one interview question to ask Al, it would be “Einstein once said ‘To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself.’ Could you relate to this sentiment except with ‘celebrity’ instead of ‘authority’?” and that song would be the first thing I point to for explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/213 "2026-01-10T23:23:15Z")
Oh, oh! (raises hand) Neil Young’s “Four Strong Winds”. If you haven’t heard it, please give it a listen before you turn that thumb downward. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/85haYlPbPmA/maxresdefault.jpg "Four Strong Winds (2016 Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85haYlPbPmA) mmm ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/214 "2026-01-10T23:55:06Z")
[quote=“EinsteinsHund, post:196, topic:1026427, full:true”] I hate everything Billy Joel with a passion[/quote] Heh. I’m a huge Billy Joel fan - “Vienna” is probably my favorite song - but I knew better than to suggest any of his tracks for this thread, because of reactions like yours. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/215 "2026-01-11T00:12:03Z")
How about Johnny Be Good by Chuck Berry? Or almost anything by Chuck Berry except My Ding A Ling? ---
**Author:** ![Larsedik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larsedik/32/19832_2.png) [@Larsedik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larsedik)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/216 "2026-01-11T00:58:29Z")
The Luis Cardenas version is the best cover that I’ve heard or seen so far, but I still like Del Shannon’s version the best: [Del Shannon’s Runaway - 1961](https://youtu.be/wSWMJxbxj7c?si=q0AmWu_KxC2-Zuaz). As a teenager, I was president of the International Del Shannon Fan Club from 1966 to 1968, and I used to call him every two or three months for interviews. He called me first to ask me to run his fan club for him after I had sent him a fan letter describing how I had collected his records from UK and Australia (where he was on the London label), and I also had copies of his Coke and Pepsi commercials, which he asked if I could send to him. When the original _Runaway_ was recorded, the tape was speeded up so that the vocal would work with the Musictron, which I believe was the first synthesizer used in rock music. Del was very innovative with his music, but he was also a tortured soul, and his use of anti-depressants, such as Prozac led to his suicide. He often seemed despondent when I talked to him on the phone. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/217 "2026-01-11T01:11:50Z")
There might be people who think the timing is off. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/218 "2026-01-11T01:20:08Z")
No one has mentioned anything by Van Halen yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/219 "2026-01-11T01:24:10Z")
The song, which probably doesn’t exist, does not have to be Top 100. It just has to be liked by all and sundry. A few of the nominations made are annoying (to me); most are great songs. **What about?** “We’ll Meet Again” “Take Five” “The Obvious Child” “Blue Moon” “Love Potion #9” “Lie To Girls” “Kokomo” “She Loves Me” “I Can’t Help (Falling In Love With You)” “As Long As I Can See The Light” “What A Wonderful World” “My Way” ??? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/220 "2026-01-11T01:32:28Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > “Kokomo” No, just no. Loathed by almost everyone, even the most Beach Boys fans, like me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427.md?page=12)