# 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:** 12
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/221 "2026-01-11T01:45:29Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It just has to be liked by all and sundry. No, the bar is that all and sundry would agree that it’s good. It’s possible to dislike a song and still agree it’s a good song. Just as you can like a song and admit that it’s crap. ---
**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, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/222 "2026-01-11T02:29:39Z")
I didn’t expect to everyone to like my suggestions. But FWIW, Kokomo is the fourth most streamed Beach Boy song (on Spotify) after Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Good Vibrations and Surfing USA. Kokomo has almost 400m streams. I agree good songs and liked songs are somewhat different, and should not have equated these. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/223 "2026-01-11T04:50:16Z")
Not sure if they’ve already been mentioned but what about “Solsbury Hill” or “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel? Everyone likes one or both of those, right? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/224 "2026-01-11T05:45:04Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Neil Young’s “Four Strong Winds” That’s okay, but I prefer many other versions, including Ian Tyson’s, who wrote it. [Here’s](https://youtu.be/B3m7ckGhnsc?si=36RJXFNPKyNG5fW_) him performing it with ex-wife/partner Sylvia, joined in the final chorus by Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, and Emmylou Harris. ---
**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 11, 2026, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/225 "2026-01-11T05:48:06Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > No, the bar is that all and sundry would agree that it’s good. It’s possible to dislike a song and still agree it’s a good song. Just as you can like a song and admit that it’s crap. Ehh, I’m not so sure. I would say that “good” at least implies there’s some level of enjoyment involved. I can dislike a song and still think it’s competently put together. But if listening to it feels like punishment, it’s not “good”. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/226 "2026-01-11T07:17:28Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Ehh, I’m not so sure. I would say that “good” at least implies there’s some level of enjoyment involved. I think I don’t absolutely adhere to the “if I like it, it’s good, if I don’t like it, it’s not” binary, although I would not argue against it strenuously, either. I would say, though, that there are songs that I _admire_ but don’t necessarily enjoy listening to, at least not regularly. One such is **White Rabbit**. Grace Slick’s droning voice kind of grates on me, but I think it’s remarkable that the song has absolutely no chorus at all. There are no repeated phrases, save for the last line. I always thought that was something significant. ---
**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 11, 2026, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/227 "2026-01-11T07:36:42Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > I think I don’t absolutely adhere to the “if I like it, it’s good, if I don’t like it, it’s not” binary, although I would not argue against it strenuously, either. Well, while I think I have to at least tolerate a song without distaste for it to be “good”, the flipside is just because I like it doesn’t make it “good”, either. For instance, I when I hear The Mothers of Invention’s “Oh! In the Sky” my brain goes “oooooh! that was too short, let’s listen to it _again!_” No matter how well that song triggers a dopamine release for me, I think making a case for it being a “good” song would be beyond my abilities. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/228 "2026-01-11T10:59:30Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > For instance, I when I hear The Mothers of Invention’s “Oh! In the Sky” my brain goes “oooooh! that was too short, let’s listen to it _again!_” No matter how well that song triggers a dopamine release for me, I think making a case for it being a “good” song would be beyond my abilities. It’s certainly not a song I would include on a carefully curated playlist I might give someone if I were hoping to recruit them into MOI fandom. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/229 "2026-01-11T12:51:12Z")
I’m responding to my own previous suggestion of “More Than A Feeling” to formally withdraw it from any consideration. I have just watched the version from _Glee_ on YT and realize that the song itself can be made pretty awful. ---
**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 11, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/230 "2026-01-11T13:07:26Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > How about Johnny Be Good by Chuck Berry? Ya know, this song popped up on my randomized playlist the other day while driving. I deliberately listened to it with “new” ears, and it grabbed me in a way that made me say to myself, self, when you get home, submit Johnny B. Goode on the SDMB as a song that we all would agree is good if not great. Don’t forget! I forgot. I’m glad you didn’t. It’s a banger and worthy of this thread. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/231 "2026-01-11T13:08:30Z")
You should check out Lucinda Williams’ “Changed The Locks”, which also has no chorus and IIRC was deliberately written that 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, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/232 "2026-01-11T13:22:03Z")
I like “Changed The Locks”, but it makes me uncomfortable because it’s a song about a stalker. ---
**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 11, 2026, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/233 "2026-01-11T14:20:52Z")
How about “[Stay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9HGwRbMiVY)” by Lisa Loeb? Does anyone have a problem with that one? ---
**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 11, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/234 "2026-01-11T17:02:45Z")
My little brother loves it. But ugh, I disliked it on first listen. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/235 "2026-01-11T17:10:08Z")
I think it is even less likely to find a song we all consider good than it is a movie. I’d say the Beatles would indeed be the place to stay. Or a cover done by Elvis. [I would have zero clue where to start. I’m not an Elvis fan, but him singing Unchained Melody is something I like and I am not a huge Elvis fan.](https://youtu.be/zoxsuL_PT9o?list=RDzoxsuL_PT9o) The Beatles? No clue. They actually have more hits in my book. ---
**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 11, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/236 "2026-01-11T17:13:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The Beatles? No clue. They actually have more hits in my book. Yeah, I’m still thinking “Here Comes the Sun” is the safe bet. No one’s nixed it that I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/237 "2026-01-11T17:15:28Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yeah, I’m still thinking “Here Comes the Sun” is the safe bet. No one’s nixed it that I can tell Good pick. I’m happy if George gets the pick, too. His songs are some of their best. Edit: I should also point out if Here Comes the Sun came out today and I had no idea about who made it, I’d definitely say it is a good song. ---
**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, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/238 "2026-01-11T17:18:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Edit: I should also point out if Here Comes the Sun came out today and I had no idea about who made it, I’d definitely say it is a good song. I agree, because it’s a timeless, beautiful song. And if it came out first today, nobody would think it sounded dated, although it’s almost 60 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/239 "2026-01-11T17:20:16Z")
Just for debate: but George had another classic from the same album - “Something.” I’ve never heard any complaints about that one either. ---
**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, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427/240 "2026-01-11T17:20:49Z")
I’m a dog lover. Easy to get along with. Some people like to think of themselves as “contrarian”. And some people just like to annoy others. Other people are Rum Tum Tuggers. So all Dopers are unlikely to agree a song or movie is good, even when it objectively is. _The Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat: If you offer him pheasant he would rather have grouse. If you put him in a house he would much prefer a flat, If you put him in a flat then he’d rather have a house. If you set him on a mouse then he only wants a rat, If you set him on a rat then he’d rather chase a mouse. Yes the Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat - And there isn’t any call for me to shout it: For he will do As he do do And there’s no doing anything about it!_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-song-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026427.md?page=13)