The Hot 27 is a list of the Hottest 27 songs.
Remarks by @BizPlej. Posted as a public playlist below. Not expecting much disagreement about any of this.
(June 23, 2023)
One Trick Ponies / Kurt Vile (2018) How to write a ”never you mind” rock n’ roll song
Selfish Soul / Sudan Archives (2022) It’s about hair. “I don’t want no struggles, I don’t want no fear”
Surrender / Will Butler (2020) High pitched scream/singing at its best
Never Been in a Riot / Mekons (2004) “1234” British country punk. “I’m always in the toilet, missing all the noise.”
Volcanoes / Islands (2006) “In trouble with Gods” – NOT a good place to be. “The world is going to end in 2007” – not sure if any volcanoes did indeed heroically erupt, but overall this turned out to be incorrect
Now, We’re Gonna Sign / The Howling Hex (2005) Having a good drummer matters
Work All Week / Mekons (2004) Some romantic bloke sing about working / saving for a wedding ring
Pale Blue Eyes / The Velvet Underground (1969) So good. Don’t forget about us
Subway Train / New York Dolls (1973) Used to hate the “Dinah won’t you blow your horn” bit. These days it’s my favorite part
Moonlight Mile / The Babies (2012) Only thing The Babies gotta do to make this list in greater numbers is put out some more shit
Moonlight Mile / The Rolling Stones (1971) Play this one on the radio more. Please stop playing “please allow me to introduce myself” over and over and over and over a’ fucking again
Purple Rain / Dwight Yoakam (2016) New favorite (only?) song from the Yoak-ster. Just add mandolin and a fiddle…and wallah, it’s country. So easy
Oh No / Wet Leg (2021) “You’re so woke. Diet Coke….checked my phone. And now I’m excited” and “whatever it is that you always talk about”
Imperial Twist / No-No Boy, Robert Vifian (2021) Can rock n’ roll save Saigon?
Luckenback, Texas / Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson (1977) Solid solid solid number for Karoake. How much country is too much country?
Tower of Song / Willie Nelson (2022) I’m led to believe this is a Leonard Cohen cover. Fits pretty well right here – “I was born like this. I had no choice. I was born with the gift of a golden voice.”
The Bump / Deer Tick (2011) Great yelling
So Trendy / Sleaford Mods (2023) “So trendy…oh so trendy.”
Birds Go Die Out of Sight (Don’t Go Home) / Peter One, Allison Russell (2023) Never want this song to end
Act Nice and Gentle / The Black Keys (2004) Absolute sacrilege to put the stinky fingered Black Keys cover of a The Kinks song in here, so I didn’t. I did not do this
Rehab / Amy Winehouse (2008) I’d like to suggest that something can’t be “too on the nose”. It’s just “on the nose”. That’s it. You can’t go beyond that. You’ve nailed the quintessential thing…like driving down the Hollywood strip and seeing Ron Jeremy having a latte outside the Hooters Cafe
You’ll Never Surf Again / Dan Reader (2006) “Put your pants back on, and tie up those shoes” and “My dreams of Rinçon, Bonzai Pipeline and Wiamaia Bay, one second to next just faded away”
The Galway Girl / Steve Earle (2000) Scurd that the current meta sez it’s racist to mention eye color? Might be…but shame on you either way!
If My Mother Thinks I’m Happy / The Bug Club (2021) “I could tell a little lie…but I don’t like the feeling of feeling that alive”
It’s So Fine / LaVern Baker (1960) “It’s so fi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-ine… brrrr bop a be bop, brrrr bop a be bop leapen down deepa you dooten dow….”
Les Genoux qui craquent / Les Chats Sauvages, Dick Rivers (1961) Anger and disgust aimed at the French selections to this list are its lifeblood.
Christmas in Prison / John Prine (1973) “Wait awhile eternity” – can hardly do better than that
***The Hot 27 owes its inspiration to my older brother, Matt. Years ago, my brother had an extensive collection of vinyl records. He bought a couple of music store record bins in a going out of business sale, and he organized his collection into them alphabetically, complete with cardboard tabs for each letter. Any album that had just been played was returned to the first column of the bin, and placed in front of a tab marked “The Hot 14”. It always held a minimum of 14 records. When it got too big for it's slot, some records were refiled, but the front 14 stayed there, some of them for months on end. My best guess is that the number of albums under that tab was normally closer to twenty-seven.
ARCHIVED HOT 27 lists
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