# On Album X, Songs Y and Z get the most play/love, but the best song is clearly... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560 "2011-12-08T21:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/1 "2011-12-08T21:50:17Z")
This is a thread that lets you name songs that never got the sales/airplay/adulation you think they deserved. So, On Pete Townshend’s album _Empty Glass_, the songs “Let My Love Open The Door” and “Rough Boys” got all the airplay, but the best song is “A Little is Enough”. On Bob Seger (and the Silver Bullet Band)'s album _Stranger In Town_, the songs “Old Time Rock and Roll”, “We’ve Got Tonight”, and “Still The Same” are the radio hits, but the best song is “Feel Like A Number”. On REM’s album _Automatic For The People_, the songs “Man On The Moon” and “Everybody Hurts” got the airplay, and “Nightswimming” and “Find The River” are critical favorites, but the best song is “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite”. More? ---
**Author:** ![clarkstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@clarkstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clarkstar)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/2 "2011-12-09T02:00:41Z")
on Pearl Jam’s “ten” album, "Jeremy " got the most play but “black” was the best song, i wouldnt even put “jeremy” in the top 4 on that album. i also think that “estranged” is the best song off of “use your illusion” by guns n roses although “don’t cry” and “november rain” seemed to be the biggest hits ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/3 "2011-12-09T02:29:23Z")
On **Who are You** , “Music Must Change” is better than the title song, which gets the airplay. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/4 "2011-12-09T16:13:14Z")
Well, the big hit off the first LP by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (_Take a Ride_) was “Jenny Take a Ride”, but the song I really love from that LP is “Baby Jane (Mo-Mo Jane)”, which sounds like the Velvet Underground being silly. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/5 "2011-12-09T16:49:41Z")
Queen’s album _A Night at the Opera_ contains the overplayed “Bohemian Rhapsody” as well as the forgettable but often-played “You’re My Best Friend”, but the track to drop the needle into and crank it to 11 is most definitely “The Prophet’s Song”. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/6 "2011-12-09T16:52:27Z")
On Guns n Roses’ **Appetite for Destruction** it’s always _Welcome to the Jungle_ and, of course, _Sweet Child_ (the song that \*made \*them). But I think the best song is \*Rocketqueen \*(and I despise the sappy _Sweet Child_!) Nirvana’s \*\*Nevermind \*\*is of course _Smells Like Teen Spirit_, which I also hated! Hated the band itself for the first six months because this stupid song is all anyone ever talked about. Then _In Bloom_ was released and I thought, hey, _that’s_ a killer song! Plus I started hearing that the band members themselves didn’t really like _Smells Like_… ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/7 "2011-12-09T17:44:10Z")
The Beatles’ Revolver has a lot of very famous, much played songs: “Eleanor Rigby”, “Taxman”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Got to Get You into My Life”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”. “For No One” is a seldom heard gem that is, IMHO, superior to all of those (except, perhaps, “Eleanor Rigby”). ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/8 "2011-12-09T17:59:52Z")
Oh, and Bowie’s _The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars_: The song “Ziggy Stardust” often gets played (presumably because people consider it the title song), but in my opinion it is close to being the weakest on the whole album. “Five Years”, “Starman” (the original hit fer crissake!), “Lady Stardust”, “Suffragette City” (OK, that does some play), and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” are all indisputably much better songs. (Personally, I think nearly all of the other tracks are superior to “Ziggy Stardust” too.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/9 "2011-12-09T18:06:44Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > The Beatles’ Revolver has a lot of very famous, much played songs: “Eleanor Rigby”, “Taxman”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Got to Get You into My Life”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”. > > “For No One” is a seldom heard gem that is, IMHO, superior to all of those (except, perhaps, “Eleanor Rigby”). The Beatles reminds me that my favorite track off _Hard Day’s Night_ is “Things We Said Today.” Off the Smashing Pumpkins _Siamese Dream_, “Cherub Rock,” and “Today” are the two hits, but “Mayonaise” is the best song. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/10 "2011-12-09T18:17:21Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > On Guns n Roses’ **Appetite for Destruction** it’s always _Welcome to the Jungle_ and, of course, _Sweet Child_ (the song that \*made \*them). But I think the best song is \*Rocketqueen \*(and I despise the sappy _Sweet Child_!) ``` Agreed! Also, *My Michelle* would be a close second too! ``` Rush’s Moving Pictures - _Tom Sawyer_ and _Limelight_ get alot of airplay, but \*Red Barchetta \*and the instrumental \*YYZ \*are the masterpieces on that album. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/11 "2011-12-09T18:21:36Z")
Since _Automatic For The People_ has already been covered, how about their preceding album, _Out Of Time_? _Losing My Religion_ and _Shiny Happy People_ are the best known, but the best songs, imho, are _Country Feedback_ and _Half A World Away._ ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/12 "2011-12-09T19:38:20Z")
On Dire Straits’ _Brothers In Arms_, “Money for Nothing” and “Walk of Life” get the most airplay (around here anyway), but the best songs are everything else. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/13 "2011-12-09T19:38:46Z")
> [@clarkstar](#): > > on Pearl Jam’s “ten” album, "Jeremy " got the most play but “black” was the best song, i wouldnt even put “jeremy” in the top 4 on that album. On Pearl Jam’s album _Ten_, Alive, Black, and Jeremy got the most play, but the best song is clearly “Release” ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/14 "2011-12-09T19:39:57Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Oh, and Bowie’s _The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars_: The song “Ziggy Stardust” often gets played (presumably because people consider it the title song), but in my opinion it is close to being the weakest on the whole album. “Five Years”, “Starman” (the original hit fer crissake!), “Lady Stardust”, “Suffragette City” (OK, that does some play), and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” are all indisputably much better songs. (Personally, I think nearly all of the other tracks are superior to “Ziggy Stardust” too.) I was going to mention this album but I didn’t because I think of “Starman” and “Suffragette City” as being the two songs that get the airplay, and I love both of them. I do think that “Five Years” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” are as great, and “Lady Stardust” is close. (I could list many many non-hit songs that I love from various albums that contained hits, but in most cases I loved the hits just as much.) ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/15 "2011-12-10T05:04:10Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Since _Automatic For The People_ has already been covered, how about their preceding album, _Out Of Time_? > > _Losing My Religion_ and _Shiny Happy People_ are the best known, but the best songs, imho, are _Country Feedback_ and _Half A World Away._ Agree. And I’ll throw in _Me In Honey_ because I enjoy Kate Pierson. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/16 "2011-12-10T05:08:04Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Off the Smashing Pumpkins _Siamese Dream_, “Cherub Rock,” and “Today” are the two hits, but “Mayonaise” is the best song. You forgot “Disarm”, which was a big hit (and is a personal favorite), and “Rocket” was in heavy rotation on MTV, but the best song by far on that album was “Soma”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/17 "2011-12-10T05:21:09Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > You forgot “Disarm”, which was a big hit (and is a personal favorite), and “Rocket” was in heavy rotation on MTV, but the best song by far on that album was “Soma”. Yeah, those two got plenty of radio play, too. I think the big single is “Today,” but “Disarm” probably gets played almost as often (maybe more). I actually can’t stand it. Not sure what it is about that song, but I usually skip it when I’m playing through the album. I could see an argument for “Soma.” Not my favorite, but solid. Same with “Geek U.S.A.” Those three middle-of-the-album tracks are awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/18 "2011-12-10T05:42:50Z")
Billy Joel’s _52nd Street_. Hits were “Big Shot,” “Honesty,” and “My Life.” Best song was “Until the Night.” Counting Crows album: _August & Everything After_. Hits were “Mr. Jones,” “Rain King,” “Round Here.” Best song was “A Murder of One.” ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/19 "2011-12-10T05:53:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, those two got plenty of radio play, too. I think the big single is “Today,” but “Disarm” probably gets played almost as often (maybe more). I actually can’t stand it. Not sure what it is about that song, but I usually skip it when I’m playing through the album. It’s pretty whiny. Billy Corgan doesn’t pull off ballads very well. Still, somehow he made it work, at least for me. > [@](#): > > I could see an argument for “Soma.” Not my favorite, but solid. Same with “Geek U.S.A.” Those three middle-of-the-album tracks are awesome. That’s the case with a lot of albums. It’s always curious that one song is released when there are so many “better” songs to choose from. Then again, how many albums are there where that one song is all that’s worth listening to? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560/20 "2011-12-10T05:58:00Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > On Guns n Roses’ **Appetite for Destruction** it’s always _Welcome to the Jungle_ and, of course, _Sweet Child_ (the song that \*made \*them). But I think the best song is \*Rocketqueen \*(and I despise the sappy _Sweet Child_!) Dude. Duuuude. “Nightrain.” Far and away the best GNR song evah. But I definitely agree with you about the sappy “Sweet Child.” And “Welcome to the Jungle” is an amazing song and I’m pretty sure it burned a hole in my eight-year old brain that’s never been fixed, but I’ve just heard it so many times now that it’s lost its power. OutKast’s **Stankonia** is one of my favorite albums, but “Ms Jackson” is possibly the worst song on it. I like it, but there’s just so much other amazing, original, inventive material on that album, that “Ms Jackson” feels a little plain. Plus it also suffers from “heard it too much” syndrome. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-album-x-songs-y-and-z-get-the-most-play-love-but-the-best-song-is-clearly/605560.md?page=2)