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Top 20 Jeff Tweedy Songs


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Guest Francis X. Hummel

I love the song, but it doesn't belong on this list.

 

QFT

 

I can think of 14 songs on Being There alone, that deserve to be ahead of this one. I do like Wilco (the song) a lot though.

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Guest Speed Racer

I'm predicting Ashes.

 

I don't know, both Ashes and Jesus are good guesses, but this author's kind of a loose canon. He could just as easily pick Pecan Pie, HMD or wow us with his knowledge by choosing Atomic Power.

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I thought it was great fun on Colbert, but never dreamed they'd let it anywhere near an album. Well, it is a better song than (the line) suggests, but (the line) definitely nudges it into novelty territory. Any new song should be a tough sell on this kind of list, and this song more than most. Bad choice.

 

But, hey -- I love the guy for doing this. Anybody who devotes an entire month to a countdown of my favorite songs is ok by me. Even if his taste doesn't exactly gibe with mine.

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I am not even reading this column so I don't know what the guy says about the song. But, as I said, more people have told me that Wilco loves you baby than I ever would have imagined. Lots of people have connected with the song and with its message. That makes it a great song (in my mind) even if its not a great song. If that makes any sense. I am going to drop this now if that's ok with everyone.

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thanks to everyone posting the daily songs and saving us the terrible ordeal of dealing with the writer's comments. Also, it's a bit interesting to think about the fact that the writer may well stumble across this post during his top 20 listing, and what impact that may have if he did.

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I like Wilco (The Song) a lot, but it doesn't belong on this list. It's a fun pop song, in every sense of the word, but it doesn't belong up there with Jeff's absolute masterpieces.

 

I think this guy will go for something bold, and number one won't be Ashes or Jesus. And I'm going to go ahead and call HMD as a top five song. THAT will incite a riot here.

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Guest Francis X. Hummel

Not every song has to be (or can be) Jesus, Etc. Which, for the record, had better be #1. It's not even close, really.

 

I think it's close. I'd say Top 5. I would probably discredit any list of Jeff's greatest songs that doesn't have this in the Top 5 (maybe 10). But it's close for me. He's written some pretty amazing stuff over the years.

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My top 20 (I've excluded any track from W(TA) because it's still so new

 

Overall, I'm very pleased with my list. I'm kind of surprised it wasn't harder for me to do this.

 

1. Poor Places

2. Ashes of American Flags

3. Hell Is Chrome

4. How To Fight Loneliness

5. Radio King

6. Muzzle Of Bees

7. Theologians

8. Jesus, etc.

9. She's A Jar

10. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

11. Sunken Treasure

12. New Madrid

13. A Shot In The Arm

14. Please Tell My Brother

15. Impossible Germany

16. On and On and On

17. Long Time Ago

18. Gun

19. Please Be Patient With Me

20. Misunderstood

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#13 - Gun - http://www.americansongwriter.com/2009/07/the-top-20-jeff-tweedy-songs-13-gun/

 

Key lyric: “Crawling back to you now, I sold my guitar to the girl next door. She asked me if I knew how, I told her ‘I don’t think so anymore.’”

 

Another great pick / lyric.

 

 

Gun would probably be in my top 5, almost for that lyric alone.

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Gun would probably be in my top 5, almost for that lyric alone.

 

Not to mention where the lyric falls in the song.

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He is; the interview was posted in the reviews thread awhile ago and is available online. I looked at the print version the other day at a book store, and was appalled by the editing. More specifically, the lack thereof. This is admittedly one of my pet peeves, but how can a magazine call itself legitimate and publish something like this? As a pull quote, no less?

 

3732331951_25acee147a.jpg

 

You're muscles? Really? ARE YOU?

 

Not to mention the fact that throughout the entire article they refer to Nels as Nils. Multiple mentions. Some by Jeff. I really try not to be insufferable about this, but it makes me angry. I halfway expect this crap online now that anyone can be a "journalist," but if it's extending to national print media, that's just a sad state of affairs.

 

Incidentally, the magazine also includes a list of American Songwriter's favorite songs from 1984-2009, and Ashes is #3.

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I really try not to be insufferable about this, but it makes me angry. I halfway expect this crap online now that anyone can be a "journalist," but if it's extending to national print media, that's just a sad state of affairs.

 

Hear, hear. That's a cocktail of depressing/infuriating.

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He is; the interview was posted in the reviews thread awhile ago and is available online. I looked at the print version the other day at a book store, and was appalled by the editing. More specifically, the lack thereof. This is admittedly one of my pet peeves, but how can a magazine call itself legitimate and publish something like this? As a pull quote, no less?

 

You're muscles? Really? ARE YOU?

 

Not to mention the fact that throughout the entire article they refer to Nels as Nils. Multiple mentions. Some by Jeff. I really try not to be insufferable about this, but it makes me angry. I halfway expect this crap online now that anyone can be a "journalist," but if it's extending to national print media, that's just a sad state of affairs.

 

Incidentally, the magazine also includes a list of American Songwriter's favorite songs from 1984-2009, and Ashes is #3.

I just bought this and had the same reaction...frankly, it makes their (they're) credibility suspect to me. I haven't read the entire article yet. I'm sure I'll be even more incensed.

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I just bought this and had the same reaction...frankly, it makes their (they're) credibility suspect to me. I haven't read the entire article yet. I'm sure I'll be even more incensed.

 

That is pretty sad that it went to print like that (have the issue myself), but this magazine has been around for 25 years. I'm a bit more worried about the overall state of print media these days (i.e. No Depression folding its magazine operation, many newspapers filing for bankruptcy, etc.) than I am about a poorly edited article. I guess what I'm saying is--I'd rather magazines like this stay afloat in the current economic climate, even given the shitty editorship.

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I'm a bit more worried about the overall state of print media these days (i.e. No Depression folding its magazine operation, many newspapers filing for bankruptcy, etc.) than I am about a poorly edited article. I guess what I'm saying is--I'd rather magazines like this stay afloat in the current economic climate, even given the shitty editorship.

But do staying afloat and not letting glaring errors make it to print need to be mutually exclusive? And, for what it's worth, at least two poorly edited articles. I also skimmed a review of "Rattle and Hum" and learned that U2's drummer is named Larry "Mullin."

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But do staying afloat and not letting glaring errors make it to print need to be mutually exclusive? And, for what it's worth, at least two poorly edited articles. I also skimmed a review of "Rattle and Hum" and learned that U2's drummer is named Larry "Mullin."

 

Not really, but magazines are a dying breed. The interview was good, even including the typos / misspellings.

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