What song when it comes on the radio makes the song that is played right after it seem unsatisfying, unimportant, useless, or just plain dumb? I am referring to songs which due to musical intensity, lyrical intensity, or subject matter are likely to cause a letdown when the next song comes on.
The other day when I was driving and listening to the radio, I experienced the song “Sympathy for the Devil,” which is intense musically as well as deals with the subject of the evil that exist within men (as I see it). I was in a state of rockin’ expanded consciousness. However, the next song up was Dire Strait’s “Walk of Life.” That synth line is pretty stupid and kinda brought me back to Earth. Dire Straits is a good band- if they would have played “Brothers in Arms” it wouldn’t have been so bad!
I actually like Dire Straits (“Ride Across the River” would have followed nicely after “Sympathy for the Devil”), but I’m with you on hating “Walk of Life”. That song has irritated the shit out of me for 22 years and counting. I almost hate that song as much as “We Built This City”. Same sort of cheesy, forced cheeriness kind of vibe. Think of Bluto Blutarsky’s reaction to “The Riddle Song” in Animal House . Like that.
As for your OP, I would nominate:
Audioslave - “Like a Stone”
Joan Osborne - “St. Teresa”
Objectively, maybe “All along the watchtower”, which although the lyrics don’t obviously actually mean anything literally, they seem really portentious and meaningful, and the most popular cover has that really intense guitar stuff going on to amplify the mood.
Subjectively, any song that I personally enjoy a lot will make any song I don’t happen to have an affinity for after seem even more irrelevent.
It really isn’t a rock song but I heard some long version of Hallelujah on the radio today. It is pretty powerful and sublime and a hard act to follow.
When Neil Young sang “Imagine” at the 9/11 concert, whatever it was called, I had a lump in my throat that ran from my larynx to the pit of my stomach. I don’t know who followed-up Neil. At that point it was insignificant. I had to fight back tears for the entire song, or otherwise look like a complete blubbering jellyfish.
Call me a sissy, but after Roberta Flack has made me weepin’ inside with Killing Me Softly or The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, any ballad that follows seems pretty lame.
That, and Supertramp’s Hide In Your Shell. Powerfully desperate song.
“Born to Run” is a hard act to follow. I’d say that “Thunder Road” is even harder, but I have never once heard Thunder Road played on a radio station. When I include “Thunder Road” on a mix cd, it’s almost always the last song on there.
You can hide `neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Not that I’ve ever heard it played on the radio, but Bonnie Prince Billy’s ‘I see a darkness’ is a showstopper. Down tools and shut up shop after that one.
I did once hear a DJ play Bruce’s ‘jungleland’ which was immense. I agree, sometimes ye cannae top the Boss.