# What's your favorite song, based on play count? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462 "2011-07-27T03:50:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/21 "2011-07-27T16:10:46Z")
On Broadway by George Benson is listed as number one. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/22 "2011-07-27T17:48:57Z")
Hmm… well, I can’t really comply with the instructions based on windows media player at work, since the play count database rebuilt in January and since then, I’ve been listening exclusively to auto playlists of ‘play me anything with at least X stars that I haven’t heard in a month, in order by least played’. So I’ve got over a screenful of items with 3 plays, all tied for first. But I’ll randomly pick one: “White Flag”, by Dido. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/23 "2011-07-27T19:41:57Z")
[Prince - “Anna Stesia,”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6WnaTjAayE) apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/24 "2011-07-27T19:49:54Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I’d like to participate, but I can’t find a way to sort by “Most Played” on my iPhone. Do I need to set it up in iTunes first, or am I just dumb? If you have a look at your Playlists, iTunes automatically generates and tracks one for you called “Top 25 Most Played” which lists them in order from most to least played. 🙂 Top of my list is the greatest song ever recorded: “Trogdor” by Strong Bad. Following close behind it is “Dragon Attack” by Queen, which I really enjoy as a tune to get me pumped up before ball games. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/25 "2011-07-27T19:55:22Z")
Appearantly Don’t stop believing (Journey)…yeah, don’t know how that happened. No2 is Screamager (Therapy?), which I feel more comfortable about. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/26 "2011-07-27T20:15:22Z")
“Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing” - Buffalo Springfield ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/27 "2011-07-27T20:30:31Z")
According to my iPod the two songs I play most are “Panama” by Van Halen and “You Wreck Me” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. But does that mean they’re my favorite songs, or just that they’re good songs AND short enough that I almost never skip past them? ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/28 "2011-07-27T20:41:02Z")
1. All Tomorrow’s Parties, Velvet Underground 2. New York, Cat Power ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/29 "2011-07-27T20:59:33Z")
last.fm would say [Untitled Track] by Sigur Ros because it aggregates all 8 tracks from () as that. Kolniour from Jonsi’s solo record is my “favorite” song according to my iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/30 "2011-07-27T20:59:42Z")
iTunes decrees: 1. Red by Okkervil River 2. Song of Our So-Called Friend by Okkervil River 3. Broadripple is Burning by Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s 4. Archangel by Burial My technical number one is a song I wrote and recorded called “Mower Daze”, but I decided to factor that out. I’ve been on multi-year kicks with each of the listed songs, so no presence is a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/31 "2011-07-27T21:38:47Z")
The Band’s cover of Blind Willie McTell (46 plays) is 50 percent ahead of any other song I have. Tied for second are Rags and Bones (also The Band) and Hey Bulldog (The Beatles). ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/32 "2011-07-27T22:36:10Z")
My top five in iTunes: 1. Girlyman, “Young James Dean” 2. Rachel Unthank & the Winterset, “Fareweel Regality” 3. Girlyman, “On the Air” 4. Bellowhead, “Frog’s Legs & Dragon’s Teeth” 5. Eisley, “Plenty of Paper” ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/33 "2011-07-27T22:41:15Z")
“Take on Me” by Aha. But my library is sorted by Artist and so if I just hit play on my keyboard and I haven’t yet selected a playlist, I get: Aha’s “Take on me”. So not really a true selection. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/34 "2011-07-28T00:40:57Z")
Going by [my last.fm profile](http://www.last.fm/user/Dahnlor), the song I’ve listened to the most since July 9, 2005, is “Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta” by Moonsorrow, 30 minutes in length, and entirely in Finnish. No, I don’t understand a single word of it, but it’s _epic!_ When that first came out, I don’t think I listened to anything else for a month or two. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/35 "2011-07-28T02:34:50Z")
According to my [last.fm](http://www.last.fm/user/Aesiron) 1. [Sarah Fimm – Virus](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J59R-c7H7vI) (65) 2. Dar Williams – Are You Out There (60) 3. Tool – The Pot (59) 4. Great Lake Swimmers – Your Rocky Spine (59) 5. Neko Case – The Pharaohs (59) This is out of 119,683 total plays. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/36 "2011-07-28T02:47:48Z")
Considering I don’t really listen to much tunes on either iPods (I have 3!) or iTune, these counts don’t accurately represent what I listen most. I generally listen in my car from CDs or collections of songs CDs I burn (I haven’t got around to make my iPods work with my car stereo yet); for some reason I get less burned out from listening to the same tunes while driving than with earphones on or through home stereo. I would’ve imagined Hendrix, Zeppelin, Jeff Beck or something like that but surprisingly… 1. Junk - Paul McCartney 637 times (I don’t even remember the last time I listen to this song… but represents a time in my memory.) 2. Jealous - Sinead O’Conner 325 3. Fix You - Cold Play 236 4. Post to Wire - Richmond Fountaine 224 5. Streets of London - Sinead O’Conner 136 (I also listen to my own short guitar n piano tune 402 times.) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/37 "2011-07-28T03:01:02Z")
_The Last Words of David_ by Randall Thompson. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/38 "2011-07-28T04:53:36Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I’d like to participate, but I can’t find a way to sort by “Most Played” on my iPhone. Do I need to set it up in iTunes first, or am I just dumb? Say wha?? I thought a “playlist” was the songs you played the most over a period of time. On a record player. Or maybe a cd. Sony Walkman? 😃 Apple - uugghh!! scum of the earth. Won’t have it in my house. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/39 "2011-07-28T05:17:04Z")
Silversun Pickups, “The Royal We.” Mostly because it was the only one where the playcount transferred from my iPod. ---
**Author:** ![Jilaad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jilaad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jilaad)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462/40 "2011-07-28T05:19:33Z")
1. “Good to My Baby” by the Beach Boys (252). The rest of that album takes up the rest of the top 5 and most of the top 10. If you exclude those… 2. “Care of Cell 44” The Zombies (174) 3. “No Words” Wings (171) 4. “Here, There, and Everywhere” The Beatles (170) 5. “And Your Bird Can Sing” (170) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-song-based-on-play-count/590462.md?page=3)