Division L is looking really, really strong. L1 screams accessibility for new voters too, perfect opportunity to get some more friends involved. Plus, in the same way Janos mentioned earlier that he loved the K2 match-ups, I think the L1 line-up actually might include 8 songs that have been in Elite 8’s of mine own in the past. But to each their own musical inclination. Grooveshark link is here, votes are due by 8 pm on Sunday night. Go get ’em, voters.
Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen) vs. Heroes (David Bowie)
Where Is My Mind (Pixies) vs. Intervention (Arcade Fire)
Rock With You (Michael Jackson) vs. Redemption Song (Bob Marley)
Twisting The Night Away (Sam Cooke) vs. Sitting On The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)
It’s Oh So Quiet (Bjork) vs. Me And Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin)
Living the Dream 
Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen) 10
Heroes (David Bowie) 10
My love for The Bowie is matched only by my overwhelmingly powerful childhood nostalgia for Brucie (especially this song). This one is impossible for me. Both awesome. My first 10: twice. Epic.
Where Is My Mind (Pixies) 4
Intervention (Arcade Fire) 10
OK, my 3rd 10 was almost unleashed. I think this song is total genius. It builds perfectly and 2:50 onwards is practically orgasmic. OK, adjusted to a 10 after all.
Rock With You (Michael Jackson) 6
Redemption Song (Bob Marley) 6
Twisting The Night Away (Sam Cooke) 3.5
Sitting On The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) 7
It’s Oh So Quiet (Bjork) 6
Me And Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) 7
I love Bjork. Almost irrationally so. She doesn’t play this song live any more for good reason though: it’s a bit irritating. But I kind of miss it at the same time. Gmo: I need to tell you the story of Bjork and I hanging out in Tokyo. It’s a good one. Kind of wish I had a Joplin story too…but alas I don’t.
Dancing in the Dark: 9.5
Heroes: 8
Where is my Mind: 7
Intervention: 10 (second 10 of the tournament for me. no question about it. would give it an 11)
Rock with You: 6
Redemption Song: 8.5
Twisting the Night Away: 9.5
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: 9
A misheard lyric in Twistin’
“He’s dancin’ with the chicken slacks”
actual lyric: “He’s dancin’ with the chick in slacks”
Back in the early 60s it was unusual to find a woman wearing pants at parties.
It’s Oh So Quiet: 8.5
Bobby: 8
It’s too late in the evening to sit through five match-ups, but these are some great genre head to headers. Cooke v. Redding. Arcade v. Pixies. Bjork v. Joplin. Like everyone, I have preferences, but this is the fairest set of match-ups in a while.
Dancing in the Dark: 5.5
Heroes: 5
Where is my Mind: 9
Intervention: 7
Rock with You: 9
Redemption Song: 9
Twisting the Night Away: 4
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: 9.5
It’s Oh So Quiet: 6.5
Bobby: 9
SOLID
Also, today would have been Sam Cooke’s 80th birthday!
wow. 80? man what if he survived this long… have you heard the controversy surrounding his death? evidently a naked cooke was shot by a motel owner after chasing a prostitute who was fleeing his hotel room…. supposedly she was running away with his clothes and wallet, and the proprietor just thought he was some lunatic.
Dancing in the Dark: 8.5
Heroes: 6.5
Where is my Mind: 8
Intervention: 7
Rock with You: 5.5
Redemption Song: 9
Twisting the Night Away: 7
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: 9
It’s Oh So Quiet: 6.5
Bobby: 7.5
Dancing in the Dark: 8 [sax at the end pulled it down a bit]
Heroes: 8.5 [hard match up, but this got my mood better]
Where is my Mind: 8.5
Intervention: 10
Rock with You: 2
Redemption Song: 7.5
Twisting the Night Away: 6.5
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: 6 [I can’t believe this score but I just wasn’t in the mood for it today.]
It’s Oh So Quiet: 6
Bobby: 9 [this, on the other hand, was exactly what I was up for.]
Dancing in the Dark: 6
Heroes: 3
Where is my Mind: 3
Intervention: 4.5
Rock with You: 6
Redemption Song: 5
Twisting the Night Away: 5
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: 7.5
It’s Oh So Quiet: 5
Bobby: 6
Having a bad day Danno?
Dancing In The Dark 7.5
Heroes 6
Sitting in the Cornerstone in College Park (has internet), surrounded by children who don’t yet get it, Dancing In The Dark kills it on the headphones. Bowie, for this voter, you never had a chance.
Where Is My Mind 7.5
Intervention 9.5
I wish I could emulate this moment everywhere I go- I have never heard Intervention before, and I literally caught my breath as it was starting. And didn’t catch it again until a couple minutes after it ended. That’s what music should be, make you want more more more until you don’t know what you want anymore but you want it. This is SO GOOD. This also seems like the sort of song that will catch wind through the rounds, if it makes it. I hope it does. This is amazing.
Rock With You 6.5
Redemption Song 8
Bobby Bob- love you mean it, love your work. MJ’s got enough going on- Redemption is the song, of all songs, that needs to go on.
Twisting The Night Away 7
Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay 9.5
“We hopped a fence and walked out on a plastic floating pier. There were a few small motorboats tied on shoot-offs, but we were content to sit on the edge of the ramp and split the whiskey. I might have said something about Otis Redding. And how this wasn’t how I imagined sitting on the dock of the bay, but it’d do. Ryan probably nodded silently, took a hard pull, and handed it to me. We probably talked of the typical make the best of it plan, going to a bar and pulling two roommates to take us home so we’d have somewhere to sleep. But it was Thanksgiving, and we hadn’t seen any open bars. And all of the sudden we were out of whiskey…that definitely happened, because it happened right as a boat started puttering toward the dock and turned its searchlight on. We stood up, and hopped back over the fence, back to the road, and walked on and on under the streetlights, past the abandoned bus stops, alone in this tourist part of the city and intent on finding alcohol.” (Hurricane Camp Stories, p. 212)
It’s Oh So Quiet 7
Me And Bobby McGee 8.5
Janis- marry me. I’ve been talking to people, got a spot staked out in Slab City. Let’s do it.
Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen) 6
What am I missing?
Heroes (David Bowie) 6.5
I keep wanting to like these guys. I keep not…
Where Is My Mind (Pixies) 7
Intervention (Arcade Fire) 6
Where is my Mind is one of those cool songs that you like, but isn’t that GOOD. Its kinda obnoxious, but its also awesome. Fucking Pixies, how do they work? Intervention was wow. Intense, very incredible production. Not something I’d want to listen to all that often though…
Rock With You (Michael Jackson) 4
Redemption Song (Bob Marley) 10
I love you Bob. Thank you for making such a mellow, fantastic, deep song.
Michael… I’m sorry you became a Grimm’s Fairy Tale creature. You didn’t deserve that.
Twisting The Night Away (Sam Cooke) 7
Sitting On The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) 9.5
I’ve just looped Otis’ opus for an entire morning before and been very pleased with it. Twisting is classic, but not so moving.
It’s Oh So Quiet (Bjork) 5
Me And Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) 8
Two big songs by gals trying real hard. Janis nails it, Bjork is cute and clever but just not that much fun to listen to.
Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen) [9.5]
Heroes (David Bowie) [7.5]
Where Is My Mind (Pixies) [6.5]
Intervention (Arcade Fire) [7.5]
Rock With You (Michael Jackson) [6.5]
Redemption Song (Bob Marley)[8.5]
Twisting The Night Away (Sam Cooke) [6.5]
Sitting On The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) [7.5]
It’s Oh So Quiet (Bjork) [5.5]
Me And Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin)[8.5]
Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen) 6 vs. Heroes (David Bowie) 8.5
Where Is My Mind (Pixies) 7.5 vs. Intervention (Arcade Fire) 8.5
Rock With You (Michael Jackson) 8 vs. Redemption Song (Bob Marley) 6
Twisting The Night Away (Sam Cooke) 9 vs. Sitting On The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) 9
It’s Oh So Quiet (Bjork) 7 vs. Me And Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) 9
Dancing in the Dark: 6.75
Heroes: 7
Where is my Mind: 7
Intervention: 9.75
Rock with You: 8.5
Redemption Song: 8
Twisting the Night Away: 8
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: 9
It’s Oh So Quiet: 6
Me and Bobby McGee: 9.5