Orrrr "Undone" by Weezer.

Man, Teen Spirit is probably the most influential, but I cannot possibly see how it might be the BEST song of the past 20 years. 10 better songs, randomly chosen, and in no particular order:

Jeremy
One (Metallica)
One (U2)
Last Dance With Mary Jane
Nightrain (GnR)
Nightrain (the Commodores)
Rebirth of Slick
Ashes in Your Mouth
Sir Psycho Sexy
Bul Ma Miin

All the music I'll ever need.

Sweet Child O' Mine is almost pop garbage. Welcome to the Jungle should be higher than that ballad puke. Slash couldn't stand the song, and I am with him on that.

If Teen Spirit is, by some accounts, the most influential song, that would put it in the best song arena.
Have you people forgotten the wasteland that was 80's music! Aside from a few, and I mean few, high points, it was crrrrrrap.

If I have to hear Sweet Child much more I am going to have to hurt someone.

/COBAIN SAVED ROCK
//for all of us

I always thought Foo's "Everlong" took the title...

Meh: Every song off of Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the aeroplane over the sea" is better than those songs.


When you were young you were the king of carrot flowers
And how you built a tower tumbling through the trees
In holy rattlesnakes that fell all around your feet

And your mom would stick a fork right into daddy's shoulder
And your dad would throw the garbage all across the floor
As we would lay and learn what each other's bodies were for.

/Yeah, I know nobody ever read posted lyrics

"Hey man, nice shot"

Not even OutKast's best song. Try these first:

Spodieodiedopaliciousangel

Southernplayalisticcadillacmusic

Ms Jackson

Players Ball

just to name a few.


Nirvana had About a Girl and On A Plane that were better than Teen Spirit, IMO.

GnFnR's, well they had some great songs, but Sweet Child is probably easily their best, followed by the likes of Rocket Queen, November Rain, and Paradise City.

One year ago this list would have included "Rock Me Amadeus".

Now it's been too long

/foo

I am sad that 90% of "good" music was released before I was born.

Off the top of my head good music = Lehrer, beatles, eagles, the dead, bob marley, BNL, buffalo springfield, flying lizards. What only BNL are that recent right?

/born late 80's

He's still a favorite of mine for killing hair metal's marketability and sending it straight to the state fair circuit, where it belonged.

For that, I'll always love him.

Nirvana WAS a great band, but the fact is that bands like Metallica and Guns N Roses paved the way for them by turning people to a heavier direction from the force-fed corporate dreck that was the music of 1983-1987.

And nobody seems to remember that, but it was the truth of the matter.

SlothB77
is the stupid "living on a prayer" in the past 20 years? if i hear that damn bon jovi song one more time . . .

You'll what??? Rock out really hard because of how awesome it is?

I thought so...

So... since that is a rip-off of "U Mass" by Charles Thompson (Frank Black/Pixies), U-Mass is the greatest song of the last 20 years, right?

Right?

I actually like U Mass better.

Frank can scream better than Kurt Cobain could. Plus he IS a better songwriter.

He could/can scream better.

PLUS he's smart enough not to shoot himself.

PLUS he's released ~20 or so albums in the past 20 years.

PLUS he didn't marry Courtney Love.

I bet the girls Charlie sleeps with are prettier than Courtney Love.

This post is "EDUCATION..AL!!!!!

What? no Ween??

Another crappy list.

We've been... thunderstruck.

I mentioned Frank's screaming twice. Was that wrong of me?

I'm with Jake3988

My least likable song by Nirvana is "Smells Like Teen Spirit". I was a grunt when Nevermind came out and I can say with some certainty that every idiot moron with no ear liked that song. Probably because it was everywhere on the radio and the first song on the album. But, thankfully, it did kill the hair bands.

I guess "Lounge Act" and "Breed" must be the worst songs of the last 20 years.

Valdes: I mentioned Frank's screaming twice. Was that wrong of me?

Relax, it's normal. It's all you hear with his dick in your mouth.

Nirvana wasn't even the best grunge band of the era. Cobain is overrated and is only legendary because he had the good sense to die at the height of his popularity. It's a double-edged sword...in ventilating his skull, we're no longer subjected to his psuedo artsy lyrics and faux angst. By killing himself, though, Cobain made sure that the whiny 15 year old kids that cared about his music a dozen or so years ago would grow up to write articles about how great he was. He's a bit of pop culture that took the coward's way out of life. Nothing more, nothing less. If that happens to be greatness to you, so be it.

Wow, Necrocide, tell us how you really feel

Goodfella

No "Dracula's Wedding?" I like that song...

And somehow a thread on Fark that has mentioned Nirvana hasn't degraded into a music flamewar? How the hell?

Personally, I would rank every song on Momentary Lapse of Reason or The Division Bell ahead of the entire list.

Bat_Freak, Embden.Meyerhof

Exactly, Everlong is a fantastic song, always liked Foo Fighters.

That acoustic version of Hey Ya farking sucks. It's a good pop song, which is exactly what it's supposed to be. It doesn't need to be all done up like the soundtrack to some sentimental Hallmark movie.

I practically grew up obsessed with Nirvana. I subsequently shunned them for years but have in the past two or three years begun listening to them again and have discovered that they did in fact kick ass (though, of course, Smells Like Teen Spirit was not their best song). I have attained Nirvana nirvana. It's shiatty, loud, mainstream, oversaturated, etc., but that doesn't make it kick any less ass.

I think you have to put 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' in context. It was the early 90's...nothing had rocked for several years. Heavy metal had degenerated into crossdressing posturing, punk was pretty much dead, and power pop ruled the airwaves.

I hadn't bought an album in 2 or 3 years...until the day i chanced upon the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit on my 13" television with the itty bitty speaker. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, and I was rocked. I went straight to the record store and bought Nevermind, which is a damn fine album.

I have no idea what any of the lyrics meant, if anything, and I don't care. I still love that album, and a lot of the music it inspired. Sure Cobain was a junkie, but that was his business, and he farking rocked there for a bit. I don't understand why people get so into interviewing artists and analyzing what they say. To me that crap is completely irrelevant. You want to be a peeping tom, go look in people's windows. You want to rock, listen to rock.

Nevermind gave rock a kick in the ass that brought it to life again. Smells Like Teen Spirit gave Nevermind the kick in the ass that got it started.

We've all heard it hundreds of times, and the edge is long gone, but I can still remember the electric feeling I got hearing it the first time, out of that crappy little speaker.

If it wasn't the best song of the last 20 years, I'd like to know what was.

The Duke of Carrot Flowers

Wow... such anger. Why the hate? Did your herpes test come back positive today?

I was kind of mad when I read the headline saying it's the best song in the last 20 years, but in the article it corrected itself, saying it's the best POP song in the last 20 years. We all know that pop music blows anyways.

let me be the next to say the video with the bearded guy playing "hey ya" is probably the lamest thing i've ever heard. omg, he's using an acoustic guitar and stopping his voice sometimes when he sings!

it has none of the joy, none of the originality, none of the musicality of the outkast version. when the bearded guy starts singing "ok now fellas..." that's when the song moves from the realm of lame into self-parody.

i also think that ports55 in the comments section below the video is hilarious. he says the cover reminds him of iron and wine. why, because the guy's playing a guitar and has a beard? LOL.

I gotta give another vote for Al.

"turn around biatch i got a use for you. besides you ain't got nothin better to do and i'm bored."

/obscure?
//the live b side single was even better.

.... Isn't the Massive Attack song called "Unfinished Sympathy" ? not unfinished symphony... not to call them wrong or anything... but I think they may be wrong.
I'm not even going to nominate a best list, mainly because I don't have one for myself, I don't think I can choose a top 10 since my choices would switch so often.

The Duke of Carrot Flowers

Oh... by the way... I own a copy of "In the aeroplane over the sea".... and it sucks.

Even for Elephant 6 bands The Apples in Stereo and Olivia Tremor Control were better.

Necrocide
we're no longer subjected to his psuedo artsy lyrics and faux angst.

You just used the prefixes pseudo and faux in the same sentence. Niice...

That being said, I'm sure any music you listen to can be described in similar terms. I would love to hear what you think is genuinely artsy or angsty...

/just sayin.

Everything paved the way for everything that came after. Art is based on influence, taking something that exists and making it your own creation. Saying Nirvana wasn't worthwhile because they had influences is pointless, everything had influence. The only question is what they do with that influence; do they take it and make it into their own creation that affects and changes the world, or do they just repackage it with a new look but the product is the same. Nirvana took something and made it their own, and did it extremely well. Growing up in the crappy 90's, I can think of lots of groups that the kids loved, but none of them were on the same level as Nirvana. I know a great percentage of Farkers are miles above the vermin teenagers who have emotional trouble, and I'm sure the world thanks you for your spite and stability.

If you're coming in late to this thread, lemme break it down for ya:

"I like red!"

"Well, I like blue!"

"Blue sucks and is totally overrated!"

"So is red!"


/Music preference is subjective

brandent

"turn around biatch i got a use for you. besides you ain't got nothin better to do and i'm bored."

/obscure

Yeah, because those bazillion-selling albums are so "obscure."

Valdes: Wow... such anger. Why the hate? Did your herpes test come back positive today?

Mm, yeah I guess my sense of humour is a little warped today. Sorry if I offended you. I was just amused to see the way you idolized him: it screamed of fanboyism.

Plus, as someone mentionned, this thread is lacking flames.

Momma Said Knock You Out-LLCoolJ
I second that weezer one.
Setting Sun-Chemical Brothers
Lil Fluffy Clouds-Orb
Soon-My Bloody Valentine (Come on, a Brit magazine has to pick that one)
Get Ready to Die-Andrew WK
Paranoid Android-Radiohead
I'll Fly Away-O' Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack
Me Myself and I-De La Soul
Loser-Beck

Still a pretty weak 20 years.

Goulet!

can I vote for "Camel_Toe_-_Soaring_Death_Tube"