The Song that Best Represents a Band/Artist

[Mickey]

Want to split the difference and call Expressway to yr. Skull the representative SY track?

Sure, though I can certainly defer to "Schizophrenia" -- I'm way more interested in the long-winded discussion than the eventual consensus anyway!

Thanks for not tl;dr-ing my reply!

This is what posting is all about.

It's also why I sometimes ask an easily googleable question on RM and get baffled when someone (mickey mostly) posts that stupid LMGTFY link gimmick.

I haven't used that gimmick since 2009

[Norah]

yeah i don't think anyone has

[Norah]

reid are you still mad about getting rick rolled 12 years ago too?

[E.H. Ruddock]

[tragabigzanda]

[warehouse]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

[Chris_H_2]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

[warehouse]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

its on their best album

i think the 3 separate pieces best show radioheads diversity. again, i cant even think of another song that is going to incorporate the straight forward rock songs of the bends and the weird ambient sounds of a moon shaped pool.

[tragabigzanda]

[Chris_H_2]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

its on their best album

i think the 3 separate pieces best show radioheads diversity. again, i cant even think of another song that is going to incorporate the straight forward rock songs of the bends and the weird ambient sounds of a moon shaped pool.

but the point of the exercise is not to identify a band's best song, or most quintessential song, or even defining song. it's to identify the song that best represents the band's entire career. and paranoid android doesn't do that. when i listen to it, i have no idea that a song like daydreaming, or nude, or everything in its right place even exists.

it's a great song to be sure. possibly their best. but it definitely does not do the best job of representing the band's catalog over the course of 9 albums.

[warehouse]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

its on their best album

i think the 3 separate pieces best show radioheads diversity. again, i cant even think of another song that is going to incorporate the straight forward rock songs of the bends and the weird ambient sounds of a moon shaped pool.

Guys it’s 2+2=5. Starts as an electronic ballad, morphs into a full blast rock song.

this is an excellent thought

[warehouse]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

its on their best album

i think the 3 separate pieces best show radioheads diversity. again, i cant even think of another song that is going to incorporate the straight forward rock songs of the bends and the weird ambient sounds of a moon shaped pool.

but the point of the exercise is not to identify a band's best song, or most quintessential song, or even defining song. it's to identify the song that best represents the band's entire career. and paranoid android doesn't do that. when i listen to it, i have no idea that a song like daydreaming, or nude, or everything in its right place even exists.

it's a great song to be sure. possibly their best. but it definitely does not do the best job of representing the band's catalog over the course of 9 albums.

disagree, but 2+2=5 is also a great choice. what song do you think best represents radiohead?

[Chris_H_2]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

its on their best album

i think the 3 separate pieces best show radioheads diversity. again, i cant even think of another song that is going to incorporate the straight forward rock songs of the bends and the weird ambient sounds of a moon shaped pool.

but the point of the exercise is not to identify a band's best song, or most quintessential song, or even defining song. it's to identify the song that best represents the band's entire career. and paranoid android doesn't do that. when i listen to it, i have no idea that a song like daydreaming, or nude, or everything in its right place even exists.

it's a great song to be sure. possibly their best. but it definitely does not do the best job of representing the band's catalog over the course of 9 albums.

disagree, but 2+2=5 is also a great choice. what song do you think best represents radiohead?

i would choose Optimistic, but i can live with 2+2 = 5.

[spike]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

its on their best album

i think the 3 separate pieces best show radioheads diversity. again, i cant even think of another song that is going to incorporate the straight forward rock songs of the bends and the weird ambient sounds of a moon shaped pool.

but the point of the exercise is not to identify a band's best song, or most quintessential song, or even defining song. it's to identify the song that best represents the band's entire career. and paranoid android doesn't do that. when i listen to it, i have no idea that a song like daydreaming, or nude, or everything in its right place even exists.

it's a great song to be sure. possibly their best. but it definitely does not do the best job of representing the band's catalog over the course of 9 albums.

best bet is something off the later records that captures the essence of the early days

[Strat]

How can the Radiohead answer not be Paranoid Android?

Why would it be?

its 3 distinctly different songs all perfectly sown into 1. there's a weird time change you dont even notice. obscure story. lead single thats over 6 minutes long. it starts with computer beeps. i'm not sure there's another answer

But how does any of that best represent nearly 30 years of the band’s music? It sounds nothing like anything on arguably two of their best albums.

its on their best album

i think the 3 separate pieces best show radioheads diversity. again, i cant even think of another song that is going to incorporate the straight forward rock songs of the bends and the weird ambient sounds of a moon shaped pool.

but the point of the exercise is not to identify a band's best song, or most quintessential song, or even defining song. it's to identify the song that best represents the band's entire career. and paranoid android doesn't do that. when i listen to it, i have no idea that a song like daydreaming, or nude, or everything in its right place even exists.

it's a great song to be sure. possibly their best. but it definitely does not do the best job of representing the band's catalog over the course of 9 albums.

best bet is something off the later records that captures the essence of the early days

Maybe radiohead means different things to different people and there is no wrong answer

[tree_]

One of the coolest things about Radiohead is their ability to grow and evolve musically as they age and change. Unlike a band like, say Foo Fighters. Naming one song to sum up a band with many different distinct eras is pretty dumb.

[epilogue]

To Strat's point, Paranoid Android best represents Radiohead to me. Or rather represents best what makes the band great. But it doesn't feel like the right answer, nonetheless.

Much like Tom Waits, Radiohead have a separation point. And I'm not sure the other side of that separation represents them very well anymore. Especially in the context of this thread.

As such Optimistic isn't really the right pick either.

[tragabigzanda]

[spike]

Joey has me foed so he has no idea I’ve already selected the right song.

does it have beeps and boops in it

[tragabigzanda]