I read the news today oh boy

[B. Goren.]

The 1967 Beatles track A Day In The Life has been hailed the best British song of all time.

Take a look here.

A Day in the Life

I read the news today oh boy

About a lucky man who made the grade

And though the news was rather sad

Well I just had to laugh

I saw the photograph

He blew his mind out in a car

He didn’t notice that the lights had changed

A crowd of people stood and stared

They’d seen his face before

Nobody was really sure

If he was from the House of Lords.

I saw a film today oh boy

The English Army had just won the war

A crowd of people turned away

But I just had to look

Having read the book.

I’d love to turn you on

Woke up, got out of bed,

Dragged a comb across my head

Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,

And looking up I noticed I was late.

Found my coat and grabbed my hat

Made the bus in seconds flat

Found my way upstairs and had a smoke,

And somebody spoke and I went into a dream

I heard the news today oh boy

Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire

And though the holes were rather small

They had to count them all

Not they know how many holes it takes

To fill the Albert Hall.

I’d love to turn you on.

[sal]

I may have to agree with that one.

[Dan Gould]

C'mon, how can you trust the results of a poll in which "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" doesn't even appear?

[RDK]

BEST BRITISH SONG

1. A Day In The Life - The Beatles

2. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

3. Wonderwall - Oasis

4. God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols

5. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

6. My Generation - The Who

7. Angels - Robbie Williams

8. Life on Mars? - David Bowie

9. Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones

10. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

Really glad to see the Kinks so high up the list!

[sidewinder]

No. 7??

[Aggie87]

I've somehow missed the whole Oasis craze. How did they manage to get to #3? Aren't they a Beatles slag-off band or something?

[Rosco]

There was a similar poll done by listeners to Virgin Radio a couple of month ago

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4592897.stm

This one chosen by the general public as opposed to 'music experts'... Not that it helps much. Oasis loom even larger. And Robbie Williams rears his ugly head again.

Edited September 13, 2005 by Rosco

[Rosco]

10. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

←

This seems somewhat a surprising entry. Good record, mind.

[RDK]

I've somehow missed the whole Oasis craze.  How did they manage to get to #3?  Aren't they a Beatles slag-off band or something?

←

I've never understood the press' comparison of Oasis to the Beatles. Sure, maybe the Beatles - from 25-30 years before - inspired them, but no more so than hundreds of other pop-rock Brit bands. Actually had a couple of really good albums in them before the usual "personal problems" tore them apart.

[neveronfriday]

I think this one should be in the top ten:

(coverdale/lord/marsden/moody/murray/paice)

I ain’t an educated man

As all you fleet street preachers know,

It’s just the simple things in life

Get my motor running, ready to go

If I can make you smile

I will raise my glass,

An’ if you don’t like it

Then, baby, you can kiss my ass!

You can tell me it’s wrong,

But, I love wine, women an’ song

Give me a good time woman,

An’ a love potion bottle of booze

’cos I got a juke box heart

Full of honky tonk rhythm an’ blues

You better lock up your daughter, your sister too,

If get in my way, I’m gonna rock an’ roll over you,

Ain’t nothing you can do

You can tell it’s wrong,

But I love wine, women an’ song

Wine, women an’ song, talking ’bout

Wine, women an’ song,

Wine, women an’ song,

Wine, women an’ song

You get what you can

But, don’t take too long

Wine, women an’ song,

Give me a rock an’ roll band

With a mean an’ dirty blues guitar,

Take me to a dance hall palace

With a twenty four hour bar

Then you better lock up your daughter, your sister too,

If you get in my way, I’m gonna rock an’ roll over you,

Ain’t nothing you can do

You can tell me it’s wrong,

But I love wine, women an’ song

Wine, women an’ song, talking ’bout

Wine, women an’ song,

Wine, women an’ song,

Wine, women an’ song

You get what you can

But, don’t take too long,

Wine, women an’ song

Wine, women an’ song,

Wine, women an’ song,

Wine, women an’ song

You get what you can

But, don’t take too long,

Wine, women an’ song

Wine, women an’ song

[Kalo]

BEST BRITISH SONG

1. A Day In The Life - The Beatles

2. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

3. Wonderwall - Oasis

4. God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols

5. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

6. My Generation - The Who

7. Angels - Robbie Williams

8. Life on Mars? - David Bowie

9. Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones

10. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

Really glad to see the Kinks so high up the list! 

←

Me too, except I would have put "Waterloo Sunset" at No. 1.

"A Day in the Life" isn't even the Beatles's best song.

[porcy62]

A 'Best of...' without 'Stairway to Heaven'

...and without Van Morrison and U2, but maybe they will be in the Irish 'Best of'

[JohnJ]

A 'Best of...' without 'Stairway to Heaven' 

...and without Van Morrison and U2, but maybe they will be in the Irish 'Best of'

←

Surely you jest Porcy. Anyway 'Stairway to Heaven' is certainly no worse than 3,5,7 and 10 on the list, which is saying very little.

More to the point, where is Noel Coward?

[7/4]

I think this one should be in the top ten:

(coverdale/lord/marsden/moody/murray/paice)

Coverdale is a poodle. And not even a good one.

[neveronfriday]

I hate to disagree here, but I think he makes an excellent poodle.

I wonder how many blow dryers the guy went through in his life. I think her might have single-handedly sustained an entire industry.

Edited September 14, 2005 by neveronfriday

[Johnny E]

What about "Close to the Edge", "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Songs from the Woods", and "Tarkus"?

[Aggie87]

I wouldn't mind living in a world where those were all Top 10 smashes, Johnny

[neveronfriday]

I wouldn't mind living in a world where those were all Top 10 smashes, Johnny 

←

Ditto.

[BruceH]

BEST BRITISH SONG

1. A Day In The Life - The Beatles

2. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

3. Wonderwall - Oasis

4. God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols

5. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

6. My Generation - The Who

7. Angels - Robbie Williams

8. Life on Mars? - David Bowie

9. Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones

10. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

Really glad to see the Kinks so high up the list! 

←

"Waterloo Sunset" has got to be the best pick on that list. But what about Eno's "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More"?

Also, one song each by Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and XTC would have been nice. But that's just me.

[Jazzmoose]

Just eliminate 3, 5, 7, 8 & 10, and I can deal with it. Replacing them with BruceH's suggestions would be mighty fine...

[BruceH]

Thanks Jazzmoose. Although, to be fair, I should point out that David Bowie did a lot of songs that were better than "Life On Mars." (#8)

[gdogus]

I'm not really into best-of lists and such things, but I think it's worth noting that Q magazine cited "A Day in the Life" as "the ultimate sonic rendition of what it means to be British." This is rather different from the criterion that most of you seem to be using, which has something to do with what is "the best song" by a British writer/group.

I'm not saying that "A Day in the Life" is the "best" based on that criterion - I just wanted to clarify the terms of the debate.

[Jazzmoose]

Thanks Jazzmoose.  Although, to be fair, I should point out that David Bowie did a lot of songs that were better than "Life On Mars." (#8)

←

Oh hell, yeah! That wouldn't even make my list of top ten Bowie songs.

Edited September 26, 2005 by Jazzmoose

[Jim Alfredson]

I'm not really into best-of lists and such things, but I think it's worth noting that Q magazine cited "A Day in the Life" as "the ultimate sonic rendition of what it means to be British." This is rather different from the criterion that most of you seem to be using, which has something to do with what is "the best song" by a British writer/group.

I'm not saying that "A Day in the Life" is the "best" based on that criterion - I just wanted to clarify the terms of the debate.

←

Whatever, limey.

[Kalo]

What about "Close to the Edge", "21st Century Schizoid Man", "Songs from the Woods", and "Tarkus"?

←

What about them?

BEST BRITISH SONG

1. A Day In The Life - The Beatles

2. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

3. Wonderwall - Oasis

4. God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols

5. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

6. My Generation - The Who

7. Angels - Robbie Williams

8. Life on Mars? - David Bowie

9. Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones

10. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

Really glad to see the Kinks so high up the list! 

←

"Waterloo Sunset" has got to be the best pick on that list. But what about Eno's "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More"?

Also, one song each by Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and XTC would have been nice. But that's just me.

←

I thought it was common knowledge that "Burning Airlines..." was the best song of all time.

I love the artists that you've selected above, but which songs of theirs, man, which songs?!?! Perhaps Lowe and Costello could be collapsed into one: the latter's rendition of the former's "What's so Funny 'bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?"

Just eliminate 3, 5, 7, 8 & 10, and I can deal with it.  Replacing them with BruceH's suggestions would be mighty fine...

←

How old are you 'moose? I'm the same age as BruceH. Is this an age-dependent thang?