# What's the best song off of "Reckoning"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 17, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120 "2010-09-17T19:40:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/1 "2010-09-17T19:40:15Z")
The next in the series after the [Murmur poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=578515). These will go much quicker than the Beatles polls, since there obviously won’t be as many respondents. Still, I’m happy with the amount of participants so far. My pick for this one is “Harborcoat”. It seems to hold up better than the more well-known songs (“Rockville”, “So. Central Rain”, “Pretty Persuasion”), IMO.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/2 "2010-09-17T19:45:42Z")
I voted for 7 Chinese Brothers because of their ocean-swallowing tendencies.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/3 "2010-09-17T20:34:05Z")
Man, I love this album. I picked _Harborcoat_ but when it came out, _Pretty Persuasion_ got worn out on my Walkman. I like almost all the tracks but _Little America_ and _Don’t Go Back to Rockville_ also stand out. I like Natalie Merchant’s version of DGBTR too.
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### Author:  [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/4 "2010-09-18T00:03:18Z")
I voted for “So. Central Rain”, but it just as easily could’ve been “7 Chinese Bros.” or “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”.
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### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/5 "2010-09-18T15:10:26Z")
> [@blondebear](#):
>
> I voted for 7 Chinese Brothers because of their ocean-swallowing tendencies.
I voted against it because Michael Stipe counts funny.
_So. Central Rain_ got my vote for its evocative lyrics.
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### Author:  [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/6 "2010-09-18T15:51:18Z")
Wow, I don’t recognize ANY of these song titles. I’ve apparently overlooked this album - it isn’t even in my itunes…I will vote after giving the whole thing a listen.
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### Author:  [@Commander\_Keen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Keen)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/7 "2010-09-18T17:51:41Z")
Harborcoat, runner-up is So. Central Rain
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/8 "2010-09-18T18:33:15Z")
> [@MTCicero](#):
>
> I voted for “So. Central Rain”, but it just as easily could’ve been “7 Chinese Bros.” or “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”.
This is exactly my opinion. I think it’s their best album, tbh, there’s no duff track on it.
Did I ever tell you about the time Peter Buck bought me _bores self to death_
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### Author:  [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/9 "2010-09-18T18:45:13Z")
Yes. Yes, you did.
But, come on: Regale us with some more brushes with rock star greatness.
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/10 "2010-09-18T19:14:30Z")
> [@MTCicero](#):
>
> Yes. Yes, you did.
>
> But, come on: Regale us with some more brushes with rock star greatness.
I once walked past Kylie Minogue? She’s just kidding everyone with her claim to be 5 foot 2. She’s about 4 foot ten. A tiny wee person. Her teeth are gigantic. The Kylie experience is more or less “Is that Kylie Minogue?” “Why, yes, that is Kylie Minogue” “Hello Kylie” “Hi guys!”. It was a transformative experience for all of us, I hope.
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### Author:  [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/11 "2010-09-22T15:38:41Z")
goddamn, my confusion
ETA: So. Central Rain and Don’t Go Back to Rockville are pretty badass as well.
::sings:: At night I drink my self to sleep, and wait and I don’t care that you’re not here with me::
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/12 "2010-09-22T16:16:43Z")
A handshake is worthy if it’s all that you’ve got.
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### Author:  [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/13 "2010-09-24T16:38:22Z")
Very nearly impossible to pick just one but I finally went with _Pretty Persuasion_.
> [@fusoya](#):
>
> Wow, I don’t recognize ANY of these song titles. I’ve apparently overlooked this album - it isn’t even in my itunes…I will vote after giving the whole thing a listen.
Either this is a very clever _whoosh_ or you have been sent here to make me feel very old. This was the soundtrack for my junior year in college as it had just been released. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing it being played.
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### Author:  [@rikc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rikc)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/14 "2010-09-24T16:54:28Z")
_Reckoning_ is my favorite REM album and an all-time favorite of mine outside of that. Rockville is my favorite track, but man it’s close. Little America has claimed that spot for itself in the past.
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### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-song-off-of-reckoning/554120/15 "2010-09-24T19:40:02Z")
> [@whole\_bean](#):
>
> goddamn, my confusion
>
> ETA: So. Central Rain and Don’t Go Back to Rockville are pretty badass as well.
>
> ::sings:: At night I drink my self to sleep, and wait and I don’t care that you’re not here with me::
Isn’t that “_pretend_ I don’t care that you’re not here with me”?