And the Winner Is . . .

Some time ago, Jason Heat postulated that "Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding might just be the most well-written song of all time. However, here at These Gentlemen, we believe in letting the people have a voice. We believe in experimentation, trial-and-error, and that 1 million years ago an intergalactic dictator named Xenu used nuclear weapons to kill billions of aliens, thus creating Earth. Or something like that. The point is, we can't just let a hypothesis like that one go untested.

And what do the results say?

With all votes tallied, including absentee ballots, late ballots, hanging chads, pregnant chads, spotted chads, citizens of the Republic of Chad, and football star Chad Ochocinco . . .

THE WINNER

of

THE GREATEST SONG EVER WRITTEN CONTEST

After surviving five grueling rounds of competition, we have found that Mr. Heat was indeed correct in his assertion. "Dock of the Bay" is the most well-written song of all time. Congratulations, Otis Redding, your final recording will go down in history as a masterpiece for the ages.

Thank you to all who participated, and I look forward to thinking up further contests in the future. Until next time, I leave you with some of the more famous attempts by other artists to recapture Redding's magic. Good night, and God bless.

Greatest Song Ever Written Contest 2010: The Finale

Let's not beat around the bush. The votes are in, the decisions have been made, and we are down to our final two contenders. One of these two songs will be voted the Greatest Song Ever Written. Here they are, presented for your approval.

Send in your final votes to TGSongContest@gmail.com. All votes are due by midnight, March 1st, after which time a winner will be declared.

Let the final round of voting begin! Your two finalists are . . . .

FINAL ROUND

"Dock of the Bay"
by: Otis Redding

Written in 1967 and released in 1968, this soft soul ballad tells the tale of a man who took a chance on a new life - and how it just didn't work out. Set against the backdrop of Steve Cropper's unforgettable guitar stylings, "Dock of the Bay" became the first posthumously-released song to become a #1 Single. Recorded just three days before Redding's tragic death in a plane crash, it has become the song which defined his career, winning 2 Grammys and being covered by artists ranging from Michael Bolton to Pearl Jam. It has forged an unforgettable legacy in the annals of music history, and is without argument one of the finest recordings of all time.

"Moondance"
by: Van Morrison

This blend of jazz and country rock in the inimitable style of Van Morrison has captivated listeners for 40 years. Released in 1970 on an album of the same name, "Moondance" propelled Van Morrison to success as an artist. Its accessible nature as a song and soothing, swinging rhythm has made it one of the most often-covered songs of the modern era, and has been performed in concert by Van Morrison more than anything else he has written. Reminiscent of Frank Sinatra yet easily re-recorded by Michael Buble, "Moondance" has the timeless quality of a truly well-written song, and will continue to swing through the airwaves for decades to come.

Videos of Van Morrison playing "Moondance" are hard to find, so enjoy this link to the song.


"Dock of the Bay" or "Moondance?" Which will win? The decision is in your hands now.

Greatest Song Ever Written Contest 2010: Semi-Final Round

Straight from the frozen heart of our nation, the quest to find the Greatest Song Ever Written continues, with now but four stalwart contenders still vying for the throne. Despite the initial misgivings of our audience, no one can speak out against the quality and staying power of these four juggernauts. In our toughest brackets yet, you, the readers, must decide who will go on to compete in the final championship round, and win the crown.

Send your votes to TGSongContest@gmail.com by midnight, February 17th. The end is in sight!

SEMI-FINAL ROUND


1st Bracket:

"Imagine" by John Lennon
vs.
"Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding


2nd Bracket:

"Moondance" by Van Morrison
vs.
"Wonderwall" by Oasis

Greatest Song Ever Written Contest 2010: Round Three

Here they are, the winners of the 2nd round of the These Gentlemen Song Contest! Competition was fierce, but ultimately 8 songs had to go, leaving us with just 4 brackets left in this, the Quarter-Finals. The match-ups are growing more intense, the decisions more difficult with each elimination. Who will move on to the Semi-Finals? What will be the final choice of you, the reader?

Send in your votes to TGSongContest@gmail.com by midnight, February 3rd. A champion must be named!

ROUND THREE

1st Bracket:

"Imagine" by John Lennon
vs.
"Love Song" by The Cure


2nd Bracket:

"Moondance" by Van Morrison
vs.
"Build Me Up, Buttercup" by The Foundations

3rd Bracket:

"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
vs.
"Wonderwall" by Oasis


4th Bracket:

"Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
vs.
"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder

Greatest Song Ever Written Contest 2010: Round Two

The first round has concluded. 32 songs went in, only 16 songs remain. From this list, you, the reader, will now decide which songs will move on to the quarter finals in the quest to be named the Greatest Song Ever Written. The fat has been trimmed, and what remains is a streamlined list of some of the greatest songs of any era.

Please send in your votes to TGSongContest@gmail.com by Saturday, January 23rd at midnight. Vote early. Get your friends to vote. Get your enemies to vote. Let your cat walk across your keyboard and hope it either votes for the songs you like or transforms you into the Freakazoid. The point is; vote!

The brackets for the second round are:

ROUND TWO

1st Bracket:

"Wake Up" by The Arcade Fire
vs.
"Imagine" by John Lennon


2nd Bracket:

"Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley
vs.
"Moondance" by Van Morrison


3rd Bracket:

"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
vs.
"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd


4th Bracket:

"Moon River" by Henri Mancini
vs.
"Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding


5th Bracket:

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
vs.
"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder


6th Bracket:

"Wonderwall" by Oasis
vs.
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys


7th Bracket:

"Build Me Up, Buttercup" by The Foundations
vs.
"Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G.


8th Bracket:

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" by John Denver
vs.
"Love Song" by The Cure

Greatest Song Ever Written Contest 2010: Round One

It has begun. From our initial list, the contenders have been narrowed down to 32 songs which will compete for the title of "Best Song Ever Written."

I'd like to take this moment to remind everybody that the emphasis is on the "Written" portion. This isn't about popularity or commercial success or notoriety. This is about the quality of the work from the most objective point of view possible when examining music. Does the quality of the music supplement and enrich the lyrics, if there are any? Do those lyrics reach out across generational and cultural gaps? Could anyone, at any place, at any time, listen to this song and grasp its meaning? Will it age itself into irrelevance, or will the tune truly become timeless?

In the next 5 rounds of competition, that is what you, the reader, will decide. The contest is now out of the hands of These Gentlemen and into yours. Each week, the votes will be released and the list reduced by half until a clear winner emerges. That song will be declared the Best Song Ever Written.

To vote, simply send an e-mail to TGSongContest@gmail.com with "Song Contest" in the title line. All you need to do is list the name of the song you're voting for. No more than one vote per person, per bracket. That means this week you can vote for 16 songs, next week 8, and so on and so forth.

Now, I present to you the songs which will contend in this, the opening round of the very first These Gentlemen Greatest Song Ever Written Contest! Take the time to listen, think carefully, and get your votes in by Tuesday, January 13th at midnight.

Off we go!

ROUND ONE

1st Bracket:

"Wake Up" by The Arcade Fire
vs.
"Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust


2nd Bracket:

"Renegade" by Styx
vs.
"Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley


3rd Bracket:

"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
vs.
"In My Life" by The Beatles


4th Bracket:

"Just a Girl" by No Doubt
vs.
"Moon River" by Henri Mancini


5th Bracket:

"Roadrunner" by The Modern Lovers
vs.
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole


6th Bracket:

"I Only Have Eyes For You" by The Flamingos
vs.
"Wonderwall" by Oasis


7th Bracket:

"Build Me Up, Buttercup" by The Foundations
vs.
"Don't Stop Believing" by Journey


8th Bracket:

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" by John Denver
vs.
"Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson


9th Bracket:

"Love Song" by The Cure
vs.
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!


10th Bracket:

"Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G.
vs.
"Born In the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen


11th Bracket:

"Under Pressure" by Queen & David Bowie
vs.
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys


12th Bracket:

"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
vs.
"Tangled Up in Blue" by Bob Dylan


13th Bracket:

"Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy
vs.
"Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding


14th Bracket:

"Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
vs.
"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd


15th Bracket:

"I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5
vs.
"Moondance" by Van Morrison


16th Bracket:

"Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles
vs.
"Imagine" by John Lennon