For those of you who weren’t around for the LTD tournament, there is a moment when this long, drawn out exercise starts quickly picking up steam. As we sit here in the midst of the Round of 128, you may be surprised to know that the tournament is actually 64% over.
Anyway, sorry about the digression. This was an awfully strong unit, and you guys showed some love for most of these songs. Or maybe Brian Day just took a day off from voting (zing!). Seriously, though, other than poor ole’ Gordon Lightfoot, all the song easily cleared the “6” benchmark.
#1 Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys and the Pips) def. #8 Don Quixote (Gordon Lightfoot), 153-100. Even though we actually have another version of “Son of a Preacherman” in this tournament, I’m proclaiming Midnight Train to be the Preacherman of the Peoples’ Choice Tournament. The sultry female vocals over an easygoing rhythm and all. Question, is there really a midnight train from L.A to Georgia? Seems unlikely.
#4 Get Off of My Cloud (Rolling Stones) def. #5 Can You Get to That (Parliament/Funkadelic), 139-129. In most of our tournament match-ups, an average of 7 would buy you a ticket to the next round, but Parliament ran up against a scorching Stones troupe that averaged 7.42 in advancing. Parliament remains alive with “Flashlight”, which an 8th seed underdog.
#2 You’ve Really Got a Hold On (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) def. #7 Young Adult Friction (Pains of Being Pure at Heart), 140-126. Smokey racked up some big numbers in winning, and will be the slight favorite against The Heavy. The Beatles cover this song on one of their early albums. It’s not great.
#3 How Do You Like Me Now (Live on Letterman)(The Heavy) def. #6 Home Sweet Home (Motley Crue), 127-119. There is a serious internet rumor out there that this live performance is the first time Letterman has asked for an encore. Turns out that’s pretty untrue. Last year he asked Wanda Jackson (w/ Jack White) for an encore, and a few years ago he asked the Foo Fighters for an encore- they are apparently his favorite band. Still a pretty rockin’ tune.
Can I Get to That (Jacob and Catholic) and You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me (Maureen and Eileen) make the Wall of 10s.
Gordon Lightfoot, Motley Crue and the Pains etc. are out of the tournament.
Living the Dream 
As an unwavering supporter of “Preacherman” in the last tournament, I must respectfully disagree with the idea that “Midnight Train” carries its torch. I can see the descriptive similarities, but Preacherman unfailingly gets right to the root of whatever it is in me that generates emotion, and Midnight Train leaves me totally cold. I actually forgot to vote in the division… and then when I checked to see what I missed, was okay with that out of indifference. Such a thing would never have happened were I to have missed Dusty.
To each their own, I top out at about an “8” for both myself. I can probably relate more to a long train ride themed song than being attracted to a child of the cloth. That’s the part I never got about Preacherman. Really? That was the only person that could reach you? What’s wrong with you?
You’d think the same would be true for me since trains have played a way bigger and more
romantic part in my life than any sort of organized religion or anyone affiliated with it. So I don’t think it’s the straight up content so much as the composition of each song that gets me. But perhaps others feel Gladys harder than I do and you’ll be proven right.
question. I think you forgot to enter the last 3 votes for this division. I added them to the spreadsheet and it flips the result on the last matchup (barely!)
Eek. Usher in the age of the google form asap!
weird…i was pretty tired, but i must have not refreshed the Division J page or something. tough times for the heavy. and nice catch.