SCORES & UPCOMING GAMES



CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL SCORE: (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 168, (7) Tracy Chapman 159 .......... FINAL FOUR FINAL SCORES: (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 154, (1) Joy Division 90 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 137, (1) The Cure 89 .......... ELITE EIGHT FINAL SCORES: (1) JOY DIVISION 74, (14) Low 60 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 85, (1) Elliott Smith 69 ..... THE CURE 65, (2) Radiohead 58 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 74, (1) Neutral Milk Hotel 44 ..... FINAL SWEET SIXTEEN SCORES: (1) JOY DIVISION 75, (5) PJ Harvey & Nick Cave 24 ..... (14) LOW 73, (2) Concrete Blonde (64) ..... (1) ELLIOTT SMITH 78, (4) Gary Jules 44 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 74, (6) Kate Bush 53 ..... (1) NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL 54, (13) The Church 49 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 73, (3) Sinead O’Connor 35 ..... (1) THE CURE 109, (3) Tori Amos 86 ..... (2) RADIOHEAD 76, (6) This Mortal Coil 50 ..... (1) JOY DIVISION 96, (9) Mazzy Star 91 ..... (2) CONCRETE BLONDE 76, (7) Bob Mould 28 ..... (14) LOW 60, (6) Crowded House 51 ..... (5) PJ HARVEY & NICK CAVE 65, (4) Alphaville 38 ..... (1) ELLIOTT SMITH 113, (8) Replacements 88 ..... (6) KATE BUSH 87, (3) Nirvana 64 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 99, (2) The Eels 62 ..... (3) GARY JULES 103, (12) Morrissey 63 ..... (6) Kate Bush 72, (3) Nirvana 53 ..... (3) SINEAD O'CONNOR 66, (11) Ride 27 ..... (13) THE CHURCH 106, (5) James 44 ..... (2) JEFF BUCKLEY 95, (10) Smashing Pumpkins 40 ..... (1) NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL 80, (9) New Order 56 ..... (2) RADIOHEAD 102, (7) Nine Inch Nails 99 ..... (6) THIS MORTAL COIL 61, (3) Indigo Girls 60 ..... (4) TORI AMOS 89, (5) Swans 40 ..... (1) CURE 82, (8) Tom Waits 68 ............... FINAL 1ST ROUND SCORES: (5) PJ HARVEY & NICK CAVE 93, (12) Midnight Oil 38 ..... (7) BOB MOULD 63, (10) Peter Murphy 47 ..... (1) JOY DIVISION 117, (16) Erasure 19 ..... (6) CROWDED HOUSE 98, (11) Leonard Cohen 54 ..... (7) TRACY CHAPMAN 199, (10) The Smiths 162 ..... (5) MORRISSEY 115, (12) Morphine 83 ..... (3) NIRVANA 137, (14) Slowdive 102 ..... (8) THE REPLACEMENTS 128, (9) Dream Academy 82 ..... (13) THE CHURCH 262, (4) Magnetic Fields 193 ..... (10) SMASHING PUMPKINS 165, (7) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 155 ..... (9) NEW ORDER 160, (8) Sarah McLachlan 78 ..... (1) JEFF BUCKLEY 204, (16) Bjork 92 ..... (4) TORI AMOS 78, (13) Echo & the Bunnymen 22 ..... (8) TOM WAITS 72, (9) The Pretenders 22 ..... (6) THIS MORTAL COIL 51, (11) Yaz 31 ..... (3) INDIGO GIRLS 71, (14) Pavement 26 ..... (9) MAZZY STAR 132, (8) REM 46 ..... (2) CONCRETE BLONDE 88, (15) Psychedelic Furs 34 ..... (4) ALPHAVILLE 71, (13) Dead Can Dance 36 ..... (14) LOW 120, (3) U2 65 ..... (1) ELLIOTT SMITH 63, (16) 10,000 Maniacs 24 ..... (2) EELS 50, (15) Counting Crows 46 ..... (4) GARY JULES 62, (13) Depeche Mode 19 ..... (6) KATE BUSH 59, (11) Sisters of Mercy 20 ..... (1) NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL 42, (16) Violent Femmes 12 ..... (11) RIDE 25 (6) Peter Gabriel 24 ..... (3) SINEAD O'CONNOR 37, (14) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 17, ..... (5) JAMES 24, (12) Red House Painters 23 ..... (7) NINE INCH NAILS 46, (10) Wilco 31, (5) SWANS 31, (12) Pet Shop Boys 18 ..... (1) THE CURE 50, (16) Gear Daddies 10 ..... (2) RADIOHEAD 40, (15) Liz Phair 35


CURRENT GAMES BELOW — PAST GAMES ARCHIVED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

First Round Matchup: THE PRETENDERS vs TOM WAITS

(9) The Pretenders, "Back on the Chain Gang"

For better or worse, I am old enough to recall “Back on the Chain Gang”’s original release in 1982, and, even though I was only 8, I remember being arrested by the bleak drama of the bridge: “The powers that be / That force us to live like we do / Bring me to my knees / When I see what they’ve done to you” (aside: The Pretenders do really great bridges; the bridge for “Don’t Get Me Wrong” is my favorite bridge ever). I also remember taking the chain gang stuff really literally, and thinking that the song was about two lovers separated in some sort of Communist work camp scenario, which is extra funny to me after watching the anti-capitalist video. Political overtones aside, “Back on the Chain Gang” is about a lost love, a love that provided the singer with her only happy moments, “Like a break in the battle was your part, oh oh oh oh / In the wretched life of a lonely heart.” It’s also one of the more cynical songs in the bracket, not only because it equates life with being on a chain gang, but also because of the “circumstance beyond our control” that “Got in the house like a pigeon from hell oh oh oh oh / Threw sand in our eyes and descended like flies.” So, we’re all on a chain gang PLUS the world is a heartless place that will destroy all of our attempts to love. Thanks, Pretenders. You really showed up for March Sadness.



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(8) Tom Waits, "Downtown Train"

The committee would like to state up front that there are other, probably sadder Tom Waits songs (“Time,” for instance, or “Georgia Lee,” or the almost-too-obviously-titled to be chosen “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis,” or the serious fan could probably suggest another dozen, as we suggest you do in the comments), but this song's perfectly positioned on the edge between the pop hit and the strange lament. You might know it from its more famous Rod Stewart cover, or perhaps the kind of insane Patty Smyth (“The Warrior”) cover that you really must watch. It’s easy enough to go down the youtube hole on cover versions and wonder how these radically different artists found their way to the song, but the answer is largely that the original’s a brilliant—and brilliantly sad—song. Waits' is the original, if that matters, and I suppose it does enough to mention it here. His version retains a bit of the romance angle, but offsets it with the more obvious spastic drunken watcher angle. The thing that’s great about it, though, is that helmed by the inimitable Waits it’s still not creepy, or not totally creepy. The Rod Stewart version is creepier, frankly. This one's still sad, devastating really, still as forlorn as anything, still watching something it will never have, wanting, and knowing it’s just wanting that you’re feeling: “Will I see you tonight / On a downtown train / Where Every night its just the same / You leave me lonely.”

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Which is sadder? Vote by 9am 3/10

Downtown Train
Back on the Chain Gang
Quiz Maker

5 comments:

  1. On the topic of dazzling Pretenders bridges, may I offer the key change & guitar solo of “Kid”–a scorching 15 seconds (1:30–1:45)—as well the song’s thematically relevant lyrics: “Kid, gracious kid, your eyes are blue, but you won't cry, I know. Angry tears are too dear. You won't let them go.”

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  2. I'd like to propose Tom Waits' "A Little Rain" as a seriously sad bastard singalong contender: "She was 15 years old / And had never seen the ocean. / She climbed into a van / With a vagabond. / And the last thing she said / Was 'I love you mom.' // And a little rain / Never hurt no one."

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  3. Yikes: cheery. Would be interesting to see that up against PJ Harvey & Nick Cave's "Henry Lee"

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  4. That match up would just be an endless series of overtimes that only ever ended in sudden death ties.

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  5. I fell asleep before the Tom Waits song was even over. And I like him!

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