#lo34

Bastille - Pompeii 2013

"Pompeii" is a song by British indie pop band Bastille. It is the fourth single from their debut studio album Bad Blood and was released on 11 January 2013. The song's title and lyrics refer to the Roman town of the same name that was destroyed and buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. "Pompeii" became the band's breakthrough hit, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the eleventh best-selling song that year and, until June 2014, was the country's most streamed single of all time. It was also successful worldwide, reaching the top ten in fifteen countries, including number one in Scotland and Ireland, number two in Italy, and number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for British Single of the Year at the 2014 BRIT Awards.

According to lead singer Dan Smith, the song is written as a conversation between two victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, stating in an interview, "I was reading a book that had some picture of the people who got caught up in the volcanic eruption. And it's just such a kind of dark powerful image, and it got me thinking about how boring it must have been emotionally after the event. To be sort of stuck in that same position for hundreds and hundreds of years. So, the song is sort of an imaginary conversation between these two people who are stuck next to each other in their sort of tragic death pose."

Belgian singer Heleen Uytterhoeven recorded a cover version in Latin. Bustle magazine noted that the Youtube video contained commenters arguing in Latin over the accuracy of her translation. The "eheu" chanted throughout the song is a Latin interjection commonly used by ancient Roman authors to express sorrow, grief, pain, or fear. It translates to "alas" or "oh no", or in the words of the Youtube commenters, "oh shit".

The lyrics are referenced in an in-game achievement for the video game Civilization VI, as part of the Gathering Storm DLC. The achievement requires the player to lose a city's population from Vesuvius' eruption while playing as the Romans. In August 2020, the song's chorus became an Internet meme involving a before and after shot of countries, states or provinces viewed on a map, usually disappearing or changing after the line "But if you close your eyes" is sung, as well as a major meme in the NASCAR and Formula One community over similar events that look almost exactly the same, such as finishes or crashes. The cast of Glee performs "Pompeii" as the closing number of the season 5 finale.

"Pompeii" received a total of 84,7% yes votes!

They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) 1990

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. The lyrics humorously refer to the official renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul. The song was originally recorded by Canadian vocal quartet The Four Lads in 1953. (Listen to it here!) It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard magazine charts, and was certified as a gold record.

Numerous cover versions have been recorded over the years, including by Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bette Midler. One of the best-known versions of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is the cover by American alternative rockband They Might Be Giants, who released it as the second single on their album Flood in 1990. The single reached number 61 on the UK Singles Chart in 1990. They Might Be Giants later recorded an electronic version of the song for their 2011 compilation album, Album Raises New and Troubling Questions.

The song is prominently featured in the 1991 episode "Tiny Toon Music Television", of Tiny Toon Adventures, for a music video segment featuring Plucky Duck trying to find a missing statue. It was used as the theme in the 1992 TV movie Black Magic. It plays as an ending to the 2005 episode "Mobile Homer", of The Simpsons, and it plays during a donut shop fight scene in the 2019 series premiere, "We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals", of The Umbrella Academy.

"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" received a total of 93,1% yes votes!

Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil Went Down to Georgia 1979

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and recorded by American music group Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album Million Mile Reflections. The song's verses are closer to being spoken rather than sung (i.e., recitation), and tell the story of a young man named Johnny, in a variant on the classic deal with the Devil. The performances of the Devil and Johnny are played as instrumental bridges. The song was the band's biggest hit, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Daniels was inspired to write the song when he realized that the album he and his band was recording was lacking a song that featured fiddle. He wrote the song on the spot at the Woodland Sound Studios where the band was recording. In 2026, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation's recorded sound heritage."

In 1993, a sequel to the song, "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia", was released by master violinist Mark O'Connor on his album Heroes. The song featured Daniels on fiddle, with Johnny Cash as the narrator, Marty Stuart as Johnny, and Travis Tritt as the devil. The song peaked at #54 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in 1994. In the sequel, the devil, still furious ten years after being beaten, decides to take up Johnny's challenge to "c'mon back if y'ever wanna try again". Johnny is now grown with a wife and infant son, and the devil believes that Johnny's sinful pride will be his undoing, so he takes back the golden fiddle, forcing Johnny to practice with his old fiddle before their rematch – the same one he played when he defeated the devil. Though the song reiterates Johnny's bold claim that he is "the best that's ever been", the lyrics do not reveal who won the rematch. But in the video, the devil is shown defeated by Johnny again.

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" received a total of 90,5% yes votes!

Boney M. - Rasputin 1978

"Rasputin" is a song by Germany-based Afro Caribbean pop and Eurodisco group Boney M. It was released as the second single from their third studio album Nightflight to Venus. The core of the song tells of Grigori Rasputin's rise to prominence in the court of Tsar Nicholas II during the early 1900s, referencing the hope held by Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna that Rasputin would heal her hemophiliac son, Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, and as such his appointment as Alexei's personal healer.

The song claims that Rasputin was Alexandra's paramour, a widespread rumour in Rasputin's time, with which his political enemies intended to discredit him. It accurately states that the conspirators asked him "Come to visit us", and then recounts a widely popular account of the assassination in Yusupov's estate: that Rasputin's assassins fatally shot him after he survived the poisoning of his wine.

"Rasputin" rose to the top of the charts in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Australia, and went to No. 2 in the UK, Argentina, Finland, Spain and Switzerland. It enjoyed great popularity in the Soviet Union, however it was omitted from the Soviet pressing of the album and Boney M. were barred from performing the song during their ten performances in Moscow.

It's pretty safe to say this song put a impressive and unbeatable record in the amounts of votes and reblogs! 💖 This is currently the most liked song on this poll blog with a whooping 94,8% total yes votes.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) 1983

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British synth-pop duo Eurythmics. It was released in January 1983 as the fourth and final single from their second album of the same name. It was their breakthrough hit, establishing the duo worldwide. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1983, and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 six months later; it was their first single released in the US. According to Dave Stewart, their record label RCA Records did not think the song was suitable as a single in the US as it lacked a chorus. After a radio DJ in Cleveland kept playing the song from the album, and it generated a strong local response, RCA decided to release it in the US. The song also peaked at number one in Canada, and reached the top ten in a number of countries including Australia, West Germany, Spain, and South Africa.

With Annie Lennox appearing with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's business suit in the accompanying music video, the BBC stated Lennox's "powerful androgynous look" was the music video that "broke the mould for female pop stars". In 2020, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2023, it was selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart wrote the song after the Tourists had broken up and they formed Eurythmics. Although the two of them also broke up as a couple, they continued to work together. They became interested in electronic music and bought new synthesizers to play around with. According to Stewart, he managed to produce the beat and riff of the song on one of their new synthesizers, and Lennox, on hearing it, said: "What the hell is that?" and started playing on another synthesizer, and beginnings of the song came out of the two dueling synths.

According to Lennox, the lyrics reflected the unhappy time after the breakup of the Tourists, when she felt that they were "in a dream world" and that whatever they were chasing was never going to happen. She described the song as saying: "Look at the state of us. How can it get worse?" adding "I was feeling very vulnerable. The song was an expression of how I felt: hopeless and nihilistic." Stewart thought the lyrics too depressing and added the "hold your head up, moving on" line to make it more uplifting.

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" received a total of 96,7% yes votes and is the new most liked song on this poll blog, beating A-ha's long reign! 🥳

Huntrix - Golden 2025

KPop Demon Hunters is a 2025 American animated musical urban fantasy film and stars the voices of Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun. The story follows a K-pop girl group, Huntrix, who lead double lives as demon hunters. They face off against a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons. KPop Demon Hunters originated from Kang's desire to create a story inspired by her Korean heritage, drawing on elements of mythology, demonology, and K-pop to craft a visually distinct and culturally rooted film. It began streaming on Netflix on June 20, 2025, and became the most-watched original title in Netflix history with over 500 million views. A sing-along version had limited theatrical releases. Its theatrical release was the widest by number of theaters for a Netflix film, and the first to top the box office in the US. The soundtrack was the first film soundtrack to have four songs in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, and was certified double platinum in the US in October 2025.

"Golden" is a song performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami as the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix. It was co-written by Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick. Within the narrative of KPop Demon Hunters, "Golden" is the latest musical release by Huntrix, intended to bring about the "Golden Honmoon", a permanent magical barrier against the demons that Huntrix fight. The song was released on July 4, 2025 as the second single from the film's soundtrack album. Critically praised and an immediate hit, the song reached number one on the Billboard Global 200 and topped the charts in more than 30 countries, including South Korea, the UK, and the US. It reached the top ten of charts in more than 20 other countries, and was certified 2x Platinum or higher in eight countries. The song received several accolades, including the Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award, and Academy Award for Best Original Song.

"Golden" received a total of 73,3% yes votes!

OK Go - Here It Goes Again 2006

"Here It Goes Again" is a song by American rockband OK Go, the fifth single released from their second studio album, Oh No (2005). It was the band's only single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 until "I Won't Let You Down" in November 2014 and peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their second UK top-40 hit. It peaked at number 28 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart and number 63 on the Australian ARIA top 100 singles chart, and also topped the Hitseekers chart, which surveys tracks by bands that have not reached into the top 50 of the main chart. Written by the band's lead singer and guitarist Damian Kulash, "Here It Goes Again" was recorded at Gula Studion in Malmö, Sweden, mixed at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, and finally mastered at Capitol Mastering, also in Los Angeles.

The music video is a performance of the band dancing on eight treadmills, arranged in two rows of four and in alternating opposite directions, in a single continuous take. The video was choreographed and co-directed by Damian Kulash's sister Trish Sie and filmed at her home in Orlando, Florida, between tour stops for the band's Oh No album. It took two to three days of practice and then 17 attempts to complete the video. The band did not inform its managers or Capitol Records of creating the video, fearing they would be refused if they said they were pausing the tour for several days and were spending $4000 to make the video.

The finished video sat for at least a year on Kulash's laptop, as they were worried about being pigeonholed as a "goofy dancing band" following the viral success of their previous video for "A Million Ways"; after about a year, the band's webmaster suggested they upload the video to Youtube, which at the time was just beginning to take off as a video sharing site. The video debuted on Youtube on July 31, 2006, and has been viewed over 69 million times as of January 2026. It premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown that same day. OK Go performed the dance routine live at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. The music video won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video and the 2006 Youtube awards for Most Creative Video. In July 2011, the music video was named one of "The 30 All-Time Best Music Videos" by Time magazine.

During mid-2006, the band recorded a slower version of "Here It Goes Again" in their attic. This version, dubbed "UK Surf" or the "UK Surf Mix", was released on iTunes in the UK the same day as the single. After being featured in the Grey's Anatomy episode "Great Expectations", it was released in the US through iTunes on February 1, 2007, as a digital download.

"Here It Goes Again" received a total of 88,6% yes votes!

Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé - Telephone 2010

"Telephone" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third extended play (EP), The Fame Monster (2009) — the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). Featuring American singer Beyoncé, it was released as the EP's second single on January 26, 2010. Gaga and Beyoncé wrote "Telephone" with Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, and Lazonate Franklin. Jerkins was responsible for the production, with Gaga co-producing with him. Gaga originally wrote the song for Britney Spears. "Telephone" conveys Gaga's fear of not finding time for fun given the increasing pressure for her to work harder as an artist.

"Telephone" received positive reviews from critics who called it a stand-out track from The Fame Monster and praised Gaga's chemistry with Beyoncé. Several critics included it in their best-of list of 2010. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and it won a ASCAP Pop Music Award and a BMI Award. Peaking at number three in the US, it was particularly successful in Europe where it topped the charts in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and the UK. The song sold 7.4 million digital copies worldwide in 2010, making it the year's fourth-best-selling single.

The accompanying music video for "Telephone", shot as a short film, is a continuation of the video for "Paparazzi" (2009), the fifth single from The Fame. It follows Beyoncé as she bails Gaga out of prison for killing her boyfriend; they go to a diner and poison the customers' breakfast. The video ends as they attempt to escape a high-speed police chase. It references Quentin Tarantino and his films Pulp Fiction (1994) and Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003). In January 2015, Billboard named it the best video of the first half of the decade. NME listed it as one of the 100 greatest music videos of all time. Retrospective reviewers analyzed the video's themes, including feminism, lesbianism, and commentary on fame and celebrity culture.

"Telephone" received a total of 90,1% yes votes! Previous Lady Gaga polls: #497 "Poker Face". Previous Beyoncé polls: #51 "Jumpin', Jumpin'", #198 "With Me", #234 "Hymn for the Weekend", #340 "Work It Out".