We're into the final week of the normblog songs poll, deadline this coming Sunday. To encourage entries from the morose, the reluctant or the aloof, the delinquent or merely tardy or pressured, let me tell you that this poll has already outstripped all previous normblog polls in the history of normblog pollery by the size of the entry. So you need to be in it - you do. In first announcing the poll, I explained its origin in my friend Drew's top 50 songs list which he put together for his fiftieth birthday. Here I offer my own top 50, as a preliminary exercise to choosing my top 10. I should explain that the rules of Drew's top 50 only allow one song per singer (group etc). That's not a constraint for the normblog poll; but I'm following Drew's rule all the same, since it makes the exercise a bit easier. Here, not ranked but in (rough) chronological order, are the NG preliminary 50, from which my top 10 will be selected by the time the poll closes on January 16.
'The Great Pretender' - The Platters
'Blueberry Hill' - Fats Domino
'Long Tall Sally' - Little Richard
'Come Go With Me' - The Dell Vikings
'Wake Up Little Susie' - The Everly Brothers
'That'll Be The Day' - Buddy Holly and the Crickets
'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On' - Jerry Lee Lewis
'All Shook Up' - Elvis Presley
'Sweet Little Sixteen' - Chuck Berry
'What'd I Say' - Ray Charles
'What Do You Wanna Make Those Eyes At Me For' - Emile Ford
'Three Steps To Heaven' - Eddie Cochrane
'Runaway' - Dell Shannon
'Don't Think Twice It's All Right' - Bob Dylan
'House of the Rising Sun' - The Animals
'Yesterday' - The Beatles
'Unchained Melody' - The Righteous Brothers
'Good Vibrations' - The Beach Boys
'Reach Out, I'll Be There' - The Four Tops
'River Deep, Mountain High' - Ike and Tina Turner
'A Whiter Shade of Pale' - Procol Harum
'Ruby Tuesday' - The Rolling Stones
'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' - The Band
'The Ballad of Easy Rider' - The Byrds
'The Boxer' - Simon and Garfunkel
'Me and Bobby McGee' - Janis Joplin
'Give Me Some Truth' - John Lennon
'Help Me Make It Through The Night' - Kris Kristofferson
'Monday, Monday' - The Mommas and the Poppas
'Moonshine Whiskey' - Van Morrison
'Pinball Wizard' - The Who/Elton John
'Take It To The Limit' - The Eagles
'Ashes To Ashes' - David Bowie
'The Chain' - Fleetwood Mac
'Wish You Were Here' - Pink Floyd
'My Way' - Sid Vicious
'My Life' - Billy Joel
'I Will Survive' - Gloria Gaynor
'The Winner Takes It All' - Abba
'Romeo And Juliet' - Dire Straits
'Sweet Dreams' - Eurythmics
'Dollar Bill Blues' - Townes Van Zandt
'One Tree Hill' - U2
'Smells Like Teen Spirit' - Nirvana
'Losing My Religion' - REM
'Fairytale Of New York' - The Pogues and Kirsty McColl
'Columbia' - Oasis
'Exit Music (For A Film)' - Radiohead
'My Oh My' - David Gray
'Ft Worth Blues' - Steve Earle
Now do your worst. Nod. Sigh. Moan. Cackle. But believe me, everyone who's anyone will be there. You be there too.