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Rock Athem Finalists and Stuff

So something crawled in my stomach, burrowed there and died. Just thought I'd share.

The finalists for Rock Anthem are:

AC/DC - For Those About to Rock
Queen - We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions
Kiss - Rock and Roll All Night

Leave your choice in the comments with a short testimonial and, if you can think of one, a category for tomorrow's voting as I can't come up with anything right now as I'm too busy dying.

I'm off to read the new Gaimain until I throw up/fall asleep/whichever comes first.

Comments

Puh-lease.

Kiss? That song is a limp-wristed fun!fun! party track, perfectly suited to sing-alongs by giggling teenage girls and its remake by fucking Poison. Eh.

We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions? A great "anthem", to be sure, (also painfully overplayed), but it doesn't capture the angry edge of rock n' roll.

Now "For Those About to Rock" - from the spare, ryhtmic guitar licks to the growling, menacing vocals to the pell mell headbanging balls-to-the-wall finsih (replete with cannon fire!) - now that is a "rock anthem."

Winner, Anthem Division: Kiss.

New Category Suggestion: Greatest "WTF?" Song, defined as a great tune performed by a band whose usual stock in trade is entirely different. Nominees have to be generally known bands (keep obscure groups out of this one), and the song didn't damage the band's standing...just left people going "WTF? That's (fill in the blank)?"

Ah, Bill, go back to grilling your homeless cadaver.

Your description of the Kiss song is precisely why it deserves to win. It is an anthem. It happens to be one of my least favorite KISS songs, but Rock & Roll All Night gets my vote for Best Rock Anthem!

Why? Because I want to rock & roll all night, and party every day!

We will Rock you is a good contender, but its been watered down by all the collge marching bands, etc. Yuck.

For Those About to Rock? Probably my least favorite AC/DC song, and I cringe when I hear it. It's just too, shit I dunno. There ya go.

Have to go with KISS on this one.

I like the Penguin's suggestion for the next category, but it's gonna be a head scratcher.

I'll try to think of another category to suggest, but don't hold your breath tonight. My almost step daughter's birthday is tonight so I'll be rock & rollin' and partying all night (well, as much as one can with an 11 year-old).

Wait a second? How did Freebird escape the finals? Isn't it required by law? I think it's in the Consitution or something.

Give us a review on the Gaiman when you've finished !

Vote goes to Queen - great for all highly charged events and general euphoria.

Another vote for Queen.

Reluctantly, I must enter the vote of my girlfriend, whose name is also Michelle (two ells). Limited to the three choices, here is her vote:

AC/DC: For Those About to Rock

Why? The KISS song is too much fluff, and the Queen song is too wimpy and has been coopted by jocks. Therefore, the AC/DC song is the least objectionable.

If she had nominated, she would have suggested Sid Vicious's version of "My Way" or the Beastie's "Fight for your Right to Party!" Well, those were her thoughts after 5 seconds of reflection as we left for the sushi bar.

Anyway, I did my duty and faithfully entered her vote. Time for sake!

shit, I was still entering my nomination....

Anyhow... I'll Go with AC/DC "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" because my ears bled for a week each time I heard it end a show (I've seen AC/DC every tour until the most recent one (oops!)) and because I'm playing it in iTunes right now!

"Hail, Hail to the good times
cause ROCK has got the right of way!"

The winner, with little question, is We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions.

It covers nearly everything. The chant, the edgy guitar solo, the ballad and, most importantly, the upward key change near the end. Plus, there's that non-rocky piano thing, just to add to their musician cred.

The Kiss song is bubblegum. For Those About to Rock is just a little bit repetitive for my taste. Plus, my Zippo just ain't feeling it.

Queen. QUEEN. Period. Those who disagree will be taken out back and flogged. To a Queen soundtrack.

We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions is the most anthemic rock song in all the world. It doesn't matter who co-opted it...the song is still the biggest anthem around.

Hmm . . . I always kinda liked "Cum On Feel The Noize," as an anthem-like tune, but if I had to pick between the three finalists . . .

Damn--too much wrong with any one of them. I guess I'd have to go with AC/DC, simply for the opening of the song. It kinda sets a tone from the onset that this is going to be something BIG.

I have a suggestion for a category: Best song to which you can't stand to listen. Songs that are fantastic lyrically or musically, but you're more than likely going to turn it off because as good as it is, you're never really in the mood to hear it. The one you always burn to CD when you're making the "Best. Mix. Ever." but you never let it play through when it comes around.

Bo nailed it. I just burned a CD today and it seems like I always put a Beasties song on my CD's, but usually skip it. That's a great category.

I would say Queen's 'We Will Rock You' if it wasn't used in every sporting event known to man. It's no longer a rock anthem, but a novelty song. It was played at the end of "Revenge of The Nerds" for crying out loud.

The winner should be "For Those About To Rock." An anthem originally was a song of loyalty or devotion (to a nation, person, school, etc.) There's no better way to celebrate that then by saying, "For those about to rock, we salute you!" Following it up with exploding cannons is just icing on the cake.

Tough choice, but I would have to go with AC/DC mainly because I haven't hear a remake of For Those About to Rock.

I like 'R&RAll Night' cause I can sing it, however "For those about to Rock' is a far better rock anthem. So I got for AC/DC.

Bubbling under: 'We're no going to take it' Twisted Sister.

STOMP-STOMP CLAP!
STOMP-STOMP CLAP!
STOMP-STOMP CLAP!
STOMP-STOMP CLAP!

EVERBODY, WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU, C'MON!

Freddie's infectous voice? Brian May's screaming-so-sweetly guitar?

A choice you call this?

Queen. You could get the audience at a chess match chanting that and it would send the energy level through the roof.

Hey Mark?
When I wrote the suggestion for the next category yesterday, I was saying the same thing the minute I typed it: "Now name one, genius."
"Err..."
I'm still stumped...have a couple of candidates, but no hammer to toss in the ring.

Oh, and INDeCent Bill's ballot should be tossed in the trash alongside his Moonbat hunting gear.

(really Billy...last weekend screamed for the English/Aussie perfesser.)

AC/DC by default.

Please, for all that's holy, not Queen!

Hey, TC, for your WTF category, how about Kiss' "I Was Made For Loving You"?

1)AC/DC - it has balls

2)Queen - overplayed but everyone knows it

3)KISS - no comment