# Which of these 2 songs do you prefer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music, mmm-song-poll\ **Created:** [April 2, 2024, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731 "2024-04-02T11:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/21 "2024-04-03T12:32:46Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > As someone who hasn’t been at a dance club since the 1980s, I can’t really take that into account This is the giant gulf between most of the people in these threads and me (and some few others, I supect). Some music just is best for dancing to, and I suspect a large portion of Dopers just don’t dance anymore (if they ever did), or definitely not going clubbing. Which is another reason outside the rampant rockism why pop music gets shorter shrift here in music threads. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/22 "2024-04-03T13:58:22Z")
Huh. I’ve never gone clubbing, but i do square dance to modern music. (It’s a thing, honest.) And i certainly judge music in part by whether it feels like dancing. That’s not my top criteria, i like a lot of minor key stuff that I’m sure no one dances to (Suzanne Vega, anyone?). But i definitely enjoy Mr Brightside in part because I’ve enjoyed dancing to it. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2024, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/23 "2024-04-03T14:42:26Z")
People like what people like. There’s no need to justify your taste or criticize anyone else’s. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/24 "2024-04-03T14:52:27Z")
Maybe it’s because this version of _My Shot_ is an informal one, but it sounds like the rap my students put on TikTok. As a hijack, I saw a video of Lin-Manuel Miranda performing a song from _Hamilton_ during the Kennedy Center Honors of Barack Obama. This was before the play was released so no one had any clue what it was. The look on Obama’s face of “What is this shit?” was hysterical, especially in hindsight. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/25 "2024-04-03T16:57:01Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Maybe it’s because this version of _My Shot_ is an informal one, but it sounds like the rap my students put on TikTok. Agree. I like both songs but this cruddy version made it easy to decide. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/26 "2024-04-03T20:01:25Z")
Here’s the original cast recording (with lyrics) for comparison: > **[Hamilton - My Shot lyrics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwlBxYyjrqM%2F)** > > You guys wanted more, so here's "My Shot".Music is not mine, rights belong to Lin-Manuel Miranda. Enjoy :). ---
**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:** [April 3, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/27 "2024-04-03T22:23:09Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > This is the giant gulf between most of the people in these threads and me (and some few others, I supect). Some music just is best for dancing to, and I suspect a large portion of Dopers just don’t dance anymore (if they ever did), or definitely not going clubbing. Which is another reason outside the rampant rockism why pop music gets shorter shrift here in music threads. I’m not that familiar with the Killers, but how is “Mr. Brightside” not rock? I’ve never really been that clear on the difference between “rock” and “pop”. To me, if it’s got electric guitars, real drums and a fast tempo, it’s rock. Rock is a big tent. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/28 "2024-04-03T22:33:36Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’m not that familiar with the Killers, but how is “Mr. Brightside” not rock? “Mr. Brightside” is most definitely a rock song. It’s dancy in that post-punk sort of way, but rock. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/29 "2024-04-03T22:40:13Z")
I like both but if I were in the car and had to choose it’d be Mr. Brightside. That said, I loved Hamilton and would go see that long before going to a The Killers concert. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/30 "2024-04-03T23:19:31Z")
In fact, i went to Hamilton and really enjoyed it, and i haven’t been to a concert by The Killers and have zero interest in doing so. But i tend to get bored at concerts, even if i like the music. Hamilton has a plot. That’s huge. For attending a show. It’s not really relevant to “which song do you prefer?” ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/31 "2024-04-03T23:47:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I have an irrational hatred for “Mr. Brightside” and have a general annoyance with most of the Killers output, so I voted the other song, whatever it is. Oh, that’s not irrational. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/32 "2024-04-04T06:57:10Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’m not that familiar with the Killers, but how is “Mr. Brightside” not rock? Did I say it wasn’t? “Pop” and “rock” aren’t mutually exclusive categories. “[Rockism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockism_and_poptimism)” doesn’t just mean “likes rock music”. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2024, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/33 "2024-04-04T07:21:00Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > “[Rockism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockism_and_poptimism)” doesn’t just mean “likes rock music”. I was not familiar with the term, but it seems to me like the kind of tempest in a teacup that only professional critics pretend to give a whit about. While I’m sure there are some exceptions, most of us older people on the board don’t think that rock is “superior” or “more authentic” than other genres - we just happen to like it more. (I admit that _sounding_ authentic can be seen as part of the rock “brand”, in certain subgenres of rock, but that doesn’t mean anything - lots of things that sound authentic aren’t, and lots of thing that don’t, are. Remember, the key to success is sincerity. If you can fake that you’ve got it made). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/34 "2024-04-04T08:48:19Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > most of us older people on the board don’t think that rock is “superior” or “more authentic” than other genres - we just happen to like it more. You (not you, **Alessan** specifically, I mean plural you-rock-fans-as-a-class) [could have fooled me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-taylor-swift-phenomenon-to-me/981339)… ---
**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:** [April 4, 2024, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/35 "2024-04-04T08:58:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You (not you, **Alessan** specifically, I mean plural you-rock-fans-as-a-class) [could have fooled me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-taylor-swift-phenomenon-to-me/981339)… I bailed out of that thread after 250 posts; no way I’m going back. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/36 "2024-04-04T09:03:30Z")
Good call 🙂 ---
**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:** [April 4, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/37 "2024-04-04T12:33:57Z")
True, but around here, in Chicago, at least when I was having these “rockism” vs “poptimism” debates back in the aughties (when I last was super active talking about music online), the Killers would definitely have been on the rockism side, with similar dancy bands like Franz Ferdinand, maybe stuff like “Float On” by Modest Mouse,“Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley, etc. “Poptimists” were mostly Kylie Minogue, Brittany Spears, NSYNC, that kind of stuff, I guess. If it was a traditional band with guitars (especially distorted), bass, drums, and a singer, it was for the rockists. Thankfully, there were few music listeners I met that were polarized at the message board I frequented. Both liked a good mix of guitar music and pop music. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/38 "2024-04-04T12:46:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If it was a traditional band with guitars (especially distorted), bass, drums, and a singer, it was for the rockists. You realize _Crazy_ is largely sample-based, right? > [@pulykamell](#): > > Both liked a good mix of guitar music and pop music. As do I - especially guitar pop. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2024, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731/39 "2024-04-04T12:48:22Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You realize _Crazy_ is largely sample-based, right? That was a late edit that was supposed to go on the “poptimist” side, of course. I just remember a particular debate on that board raging and one of the only songs this particularly obnoxious rockist liked from that era was that one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-2-songs-do-you-prefer/999731.md?page=1)