If you really want to make the "pop music sucks now" argument to me, please do not make it on the basis that there is nothing like Elvis, or the Beatles, or the Clash, or the Human League, or Nirvana in the charts these days, because on all of these counts, you would be wrong.

No, if you really want to make your case, point out that there is nothing like "Rasputin" on the charts right now. Because you would be right, and I would totally admit that we need more things like that. Really, the only thing I can think of is "We Didn't Start the Fire" and that was 15 years ago.

UPDATE: MP3 can be found here. (Bottom of page, click "free.") It's sort of the best song ever.
UPDATE2: Also, the chorus melody is clearly a minor-key variation on "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Tiny Little Polka Dot Bikini," which is like some sort of grand slam of novelty-song chains of being. I'll have to remember that for when I write my exhaustive history of the novelty song.
posted by Mike B. at 12:24 PM 0 comments