What an exciting Day 2. It feels like the tournament is getting its groove back, with good turnout, scoring averages up, a healthy sprinkling of 10s, and a few upsets. In total, eight 10s were dished out, with Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio (KISS) and Killing Me Softly (Fugees) making the Wall, the latter racking up four 10s. Let’s jump in:
#8 Killing Me Softly (Fugees) crushed #57 Sex on Fire (Beyonce), 160.5-110.7, with an impressive 7.64 average. Killing Me Softly is actually making it’s second tournament appearance, and it did decently last time too. I think Guillermo’s comment is an important one- will people burn out on a single they’ve all heard so many times before as the tournament progresses? Sex on Fire would’ve been tantalizing as a studio track.
#40 Like a Rollin’ Stone (Rolling Stones) def. #25 Tumbling Down (Venus in Furs), 140.8-125.6 . In the first of today’s two quasi-upsets, the Rolling Stones got their act together after a tough first round, and sent the latest Velvet Goldmine alum packing. The soundtrack’s overall tournament record falls to 1-3.
#56 Do You Remember Rock n’ Roll Radio (KISS) def. #9 One/ Take Five (Rodrigo y Gabriela), 131.7-129.3. I actually had to re-write this post because I was certain KISS was going to lose. It will probably go down next round, as it’s going to be an underdog by a full point. Rodrigo y Gabriela almost became the first instrumental to make the Round of 32 in a tournament.
#41 Travelin’ Solider (Dixie Chicks) def. #24 Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay (Staple Singers), 151.6-120, with a sterling 7.22 average. It’s tough to call this an upset, but the Dixie Chicks did come on a lot stronger than expected, and are perhaps angling for that “Son of a Preacherman” / “Landslide” mellow female vocal that does quite well in these tournaments. At least, on this side of the bracket, as Amy Winehouse is holding down that patent across the water. As for the Staple Singers- their cover of “Slippery People” is now my favorite cover. Curse the fates that I discovered it two weeks into the tournament! There’s always next year.
Living the Dream 
four 10s, so maybe not so much?
That is the most this tournament so far…there has been so much movement on scores from Round 1 to Round 2 that we’ll have to reconsider who the contenders are after the full Round of 64 shakes out.
I have no idea what is going to happen in this tournament, but I think a Sweet Sixteen match between the Fugees and the Dixie Chicks will be contentious. and likely.