Listacular!

Just in case you wanted to get good and riled up on a Monday morning, consider these two lists of musical "bests."

First, there's the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's 100 Best Songs of the South list. Even though (of course) I think the list makes some glaring omissions, overall I dig it. Its best achievement, I think, is including songs of many genres, showing that music can address one theme (or, in this case, one region) from many different angles and from many different perspectives. The list contains lots of jazz songs, plenty of hip-hop, and a decent showing of country (the corny kind and the classic) and even bluegrass and Americana. It's telling that the list is called Songs of the South, not from the South. Is the list skewed heavily toward Southern songwriters and artists? Well sure, people tend to write about what they know, and you don't know anything better than you know home. But there's also a strong representation from non-Southerners (including Alison Krauss and Uncle Tupelo), which just goes to show music can take you to other places, I guess.

Another list out recently is Blender's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born -- to be published in the October issue. Sadly, "Since You Were Born" only applies if you were born in ... sigh ... 1980. The idea, though, is to dispel the myth that no good songs came out after 1975. I haven't seen the full list yet -- I think only 1-20 were released in advance -- but it looks as though we're definitely talking about mainstream pop and hip-hop here, so don't be looking for Steve Earle or Lyle Lovett or anyone else actually good. But still, it's fun to see which "defining" (whether you like it or not) songs of your youth made the list. Am I going to deny cranking up the car radio for "Sweet Child O' Mine" back in the day? I am not.

I refrained from making specific gripes about the Songs of the South list, but I can't resist just one jab at this one. OK, two jabs. First, 500 songs is too many songs for a list. Fact. Second: OutKast's "B.O.B" at No.2 on the list? Are you serious? Now, I love OutKast. And "B.O.B" was a fine song, but good lord. That song before Nirvana? Before U2? Before R.E.M. (not even in the top 20!)? I call bullshit.

So there it is. Now I'm riled up, you're riled up, and these lists have hereby done their jobs. You don't even need coffee today!