Thursday, February 18, 2010

Reader Nomination: The Best Choral Version of a Pop Song.


I'm not sure why, but there seem to be some trends that rise and fall here at TBOE. Sometimes, it's all superheroes, all the time. Then, for a while there, I was getting a lot of heat over whether or not Japanese is The Best Language (and whether I was ridiculously subjective... a comment that was among the nicer of the reactions I got there.) And, of course, I'll never forget the insane amount of controversy generated by the single most provocatively correct thing I've ever said.)

The trend, right now, is Choral Versions of Pop Songs, and I have to say, it's an agreeable trend: Good music and genial comments in which nobody swears at me or accuses me of wrecking their wedding -- with an emphasis on the good music.

Today's Reader Nomination (and person who qualifies for the win-a-book drawing at the end of February, by commenting) is from Merton Sussex, who is a contributor on Diary Of Fools -- a blog I love -- and who also shares a name with not one, but two municipalities around the area where I grew up. Both Merton and Sussex were located near (or somewhat near) to Hartland, Wisconsin. To help keep them straight:

Merton Sussex = very funny blogger.

Merton Township
= lake country area of Wisconsin originally settled by nobles, theologians,
merchants, teachers and military officers, whose colony failed.

Anyhoo, Merton Sussex had this to say in response to Anonymous' nomination of the Capital Children's Choir the other day:


Agreed. That was awful pretty. But...I see your Capital Children's Choir and raise you the Sacramento State Jazz Singers, with their version of Ben Folds' "Selfless, Cold and Composed":

Total disclosure: I love Ben Folds beyond all reason, but this has become the definitive version of this song for me. It's ASTONISHINGLY good. Makes the hair stand up on my arms. Plus, not to ding your cherubic youngsters? But that little girl at :56 was auto-tuned to within an inch of her tender young life. Just sayin'.

Anonymous! The gauntlet has been flung! Auto-tuning accusations? Hair-standing on end? Sacramento? Are you going to just sit there and take that?

And you other readers: Don't stand idly by on the sidelines waiting for the dust to settle here. Weigh in!

Also, Merton: You're right-- that song was really good, and I say that as someone who believes that jazz should be buried under a rock and forgotten about. And, you're also right about Obi-Wan and the warning he should've given Luke. That dirty old man. (Read Merton's Twitter feed to find out what that means... but I think you already know.)






Read The Reader Nomination Of Best Choral Version of A Pop Song here.

Read the original post, "The Best Choral Version Of A Pop Song" here.


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