#lo12

Barnes & Barnes - Fish Heads 1978

Barnes & Barnes were an American musical duo, formed in Los Angeles in 1970. Most commonly associated with novelty music and comedy rock, their music also incorporated elements of new wave, synth-pop, and folk rock. The duo was formed in 1970 by actor Bill Mumy and Robert Haimer who were high school classmates, originally as a private home recording project. When recording or performing as Barnes & Barnes, Mumy and Haimer adopted the personae of Art Barnes and Artie Barnes, respectively: twin brothers from the fictional civilization of Lumania.

"Fish Heads" is a novelty song that was released as a single in 1978 and later featured on Barnes & Barnes' 1980 album Voobaha. It is the most requested song on the Dr. Demento radio show. Actor Bill Paxton, a filmmaker at the time, directed and appeared in the music video for the song in 1980, which got in regular rotation on MTV. The lyrics are an absurdist celebration of fish heads, describing them in the high-pitched chorus as "roly poly" and delicious to eat. The verses describe various things they (mostly) cannot do, such as play baseball, wear sweaters, play the drums, and drink cappuccino in Italian restaurants with Oriental women.

The song is featured in The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror VII". Alan Arkin sings the song in the 1993 movie Indian Summer. In the 2017 television episode "Goodwill" of Halt and Catch Fire, Joe and Haley listen to the song while driving in Joe's car.

"Fish Heads" received a total of 40,1% yes votes.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA - Luther 2024

"Luther" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar and American singer-songwriter SZA. Titled after the American R&B and soul singer Luther Vandross, the track contains a sample of Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of "If This World Were Mine", originally performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. "Luther" was released as the third single from Lamar's sixth studio album, GNX, on November 29, 2024. A contemporary R&B and hip-hop love ballad with influences of 1980s R&B and freestyle music, "Luther" features Lamar and SZA's vocal harmonies against 808 drums, hi-hats, and an orchestral arrangement. Its lyrics are about imagining a better future for one's loved ones.

The single has spent 13 consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it Lamar and SZA's longest-charting number one song on the chart. It also peaked at number one in New Zealand, the Philippines, and Singapore; at number three on the Billboard Global 200 chart; and in the top 10 in many countries including in Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the UK. Lamar made history on the December 21, 2024, issue of Billboard by replacing himself at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with "Luther", becoming the first artist to achieve three consecutive number ones without interruption in the magazine's history. Lamar and SZA performed "Luther" live at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on February 9, 2025.

"Luther" received a total of 50,6% yes votes.

Boyzone - Words 1996

"Words" is a 1968 song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The song reached number 1 in Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. It was the Bee Gees third UK top 10 hit, reaching number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, and in a UK television special on ITV in December 2011 it was voted fourth in "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song". It has been recorded by many other artists, including Elvis Presley.

Boyzone were an Irish boyband created in 1993 by the talent manager Louis Walsh, who was looking to make an "Irish Take That" following on from that band's success. They have released seven studio albums and nine compilation albums. Boyzone released a cover of "Words" in 1996 as the lead single from their second studio album, A Different Beat. The single was their seventh single overall, becoming their first number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart and earning a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry. The album brought the band worldwide success, and sold 2 million copies worldwide.

"Words" received a total of 34,5% yes votes. Previous Bee Gees polls: #413 "Tragedy".

Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men - One Sweet Day 1995

"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and American vocal harmony group Boyz II Men. The song was released on November 14, 1995, as the second single from Carey's fifth studio album, Daydream. The artists co-wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff, who co-produced it with Carey. The artists wrote the song about the loss of specific people in their lives, and being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic which was globally prevalent at the time.

"One Sweet Day" received universal acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised its lyrical content and vocals while calling it a standout track on Daydream. It was ranked first in Rolling Stone's reader's poll for the Best Collaboration of All Time. The song spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, becoming the longest-running number-one song in the chart's history at the time, a record held for 23 years. Boyz II Men had previously held this record twice, with "End of the Road" (1992) spending 13 weeks at the top and "I'll Make Love to You" (1994) spending 14. "One Sweet Day" still remains the only number one debut to spend sixteen consecutive weeks at number one. The song ranked first on Billboard's Hot 100 decade-end chart. Subsequently, the publication ranked it as the ninth best charting single of the 1990s with post-'90s sales and streaming figures incorporated. Internationally, the song topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top-ten in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Sweden and the UK.

"One Sweet Day" won many prestigious awards throughout 1996. At the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, the song won the award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Single Female. It also won the award for Song of the Year at the BMI Awards and a Special Award for 16 weeks at #1 at the Billboard Music Awards.

"One Sweet Day" received a total of 42,1% yes votes. :( Previous Mariah Carey polls: #46 "The Roof (Back in Time)" Previous Boyz II Men polls: #243 "Hey Lover"

Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At 2001

The song is based on samples from Gary Numan's songs "M.E." and "This Wreckage". It peaked at number nine in Canada and the UK, number 16 in Australia, and number 39 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

It was used at the end credit of the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The music video won two awards at the 11th Annual Music Video Production Awards for Best Electronica Video and Best Directorial Debut.

It gained a total of 49,9% yes votes, making it insanely close to a draw! 😱

Michael Jackson - Will You Be There 1993

"Will You Be There" is the eighth single from Michael Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous. The song gained recognition for its appearance on the soundtrack to the 1993 film Free Willy, of which it is the main theme, and was also included in the album All Time Greatest Movie Songs and video game Michael Jackson: The Experience. "Will You Be There" became yet another successful single from Dangerous, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in USA, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Ireland, Switzerland, and the UK.

It won the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Song from a Movie. Jackson revealed in Living with Michael Jackson that "Will You Be There" was one of several songs he wrote in addition to "Heal the World" while at the Giving Tree, located on his Neverland Ranch property.

It received 40,6% total yes votes. :'(

Jonas Brothers - Only Human 2019

"Only Human" is a song by American pop/rock group the Jonas Brothers. It was released as the third and final single from their fifth studio album Happiness Begins (2019). The group co-wrote the song with its Swedish producer Shellback, who also played bass guitar, drums, keyboards and tambourines.

Commercially, "Only Human" peaked at number 18 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100. The song reached the top 10 of the Mediabase Hot AC chart, debuted atop the Canada Hot AC chart, and charted on the Canada AC chart at number 11. In addition, the song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Pop Songs and Adult Pop Songs charts. It also entered the US Adult Contemporary Chart at number 10 and Dance/Mix Show Airplay at number 12. The song charted at number 38 in Australia, number 64 in the UK, number 4 in Spain, and number 10 in both the Flanders and Wallonia regions of Belgium. It was certified gold in Belgium, platinum in France, and double platinum in Canada.

"Only Human" received a total of 43,8% yes votes.