A New Tourney Leader Emerges
Sorry everyone- as you know, I don’t have Internet, so sometimes my abilities to post on weekends can hinge on whether I end up at a coffee shop or not. And I didn’t yesterday. Whomp whomp. However, we have completed the Round of 64 and will be launching into the next round. Who are the last 4 songs moving forward? Let’s review.
I’ve never seen as wild of a polarizing match-up as “I Fought The Law” and “Wonderwall.” In fact, out of curiosity I went through to grab the average of the absolute value of the score differences across everyone that submitted- 3.858. You either loved or hated one of these songs. In the end The Clash leave triumphant and eliminate Ryan Adams, 147.35-116.4. Still participating- New York. Nonplussed- Chicago.
Closes match of the day was Swell Season-Wallflowers, but in the end the Van cover proves triumphant. “Into The Mystic” defeats “I’m Looking Through You,” 114.3-109.4
The furious outpouring of support for “What A Wonderful World” was not unfelt in Hawaiian heaven where Israel eyes his potential competitors. The Ramones claim high average for The Round of 64 with a sweltering 8.055 and eliminate “I Will Always Love You,” 161.1-124.15. Could this whole thing end in a “What A Wonderful World”-off? The Louis Armstrong original version fell to “Fortunate Son” in the third round of the original LTDMT tourney, but you better believe Satchmo lives on vicariously through these songs.
No Special Sauce Necessary
Rounding out the numbers is G Love, whose “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” cover ousts Norah Jones’ “Cold Cold Heart,” 142.3-125.6.
Round of 64 starts tonight.
Living the Dream 
We were pregaming when we voted on this, so I didn’t have time to write a proper justification for my low Ryan Adams score. The most important factor was noted by my friend Tim during the Round of 64: if you listed to the original version of Wonderwall, you’ll hear an up-tempo, aggressive bass line and drum beat. This keeps the song moving, even as the guitar and vocals drag slowly. The contrast is part of what makes the song. An acoustic version that slows the song down even further simply doesn’t work.
Second, Wonderwall was for many people who participate in these tournaments, a nostalgic anthem. That’s non-transferable credit.
Finally, for all of Liam Gallagher’s shortcoming as a singer and human being, this song was a perfect fit for him. The lyrics seem sweet and vulnerable, but there’s an edge to them as well that his snarl captures pretty well.
I speak only for myself, but variations on these themes were universally felt among our voting group.