Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The 11 Best Songs By The National


I get a lot of crap from people that my lists are all wrong.  But these lists are by no means definitive.  They are my opinion of the best songs by a band.  I listen to the entire catalogue by a band before doing a list, so the music is fresh in my head.  I usually rate it on listenability, originality, how has it held up over the years.  My lists change.  If you look at bands that have been featured many times on my site, you will notice that the lists are different.  I even don't agree with myself.  But that's kind of the whole point.  This site isn't about me forcing my opinion on you...it's about everyone sharing their opinions of a band.  I love it when people submit their own lists.  That's the fun of it. 

But the one thing that has to stop...check the date of my lists before getting pissed that I neglected to include a song that hadn't been released when my list was made.

Here Are the 11 Best Songs By the National:

1.  Slipping Husband (Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers)
2.  Mistaken For Strangers (Boxer)
3.  Available (Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers)
4.  Son (The National)
5.  Brainy (Boxer)
6.  Cherry Tree (Cherry Tree EP)
7.  Abel (Alligator)
8.  John's Star (The National)
9.  So Far Around the Bend (Dark Was The Night)
10.  Trophy Wife (Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers)
11.  Pretty in Pink (Daytrotter)

Buy The National's new album, High Violet...now!!

15 comments:

~Kevin said...

Am not as familiar with the first 2 LPs as I am the last 3, so I'd have to have in my list:
Abel
Mr. November
Start A War
Fake Empire
Terrible Love (live version)
Apartment Story
Mistaken For Strangers
Lit Up
Looking For Astronauts
Brainy
and a bonus because it's just a great tune with a great title:
The Thrilling of Claire

chaps said...

Picking eleven favorite songs of The National is like picking your favorite child, but I'll give it a shot. (*Note--this list could change at any time).

1. About Today
2. Mistaken for Strangers
3. Bloodbuzz Ohio
4. Slow Show
5. Afraid of Everyone
6. Fake Empire
7. Mr. November
8. Daughters of the SoHo Riots
9. Lucky You
10 Coversation 16
11 Apartment Story

Unknown said...

1. About Today
2. Abel
3. Fake Empire
4. Afraid of Everyone
5. Santa Clara
6. Apartment Story
7. Lemonworld
8. Slow Show
9. Green Gloves
10. Available
11. Bloodbuzz Ohio

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CALVIN LAI said...

1. Fake Empire
2. Mistaken for Strangers
3. Bloodbuzz Ohio
4. Afraid of Everyone
5. All the Wine
6. Secret Meeting
7. Slow Show
8. Available
9. Lemonworld
10. About Today
11. Squalor Victoria

Rhody said...

1 Conversation 16 High Violet
2 City Middle Alligator
3 Baby We'll Be Fine Alligator
4 Secret Meeting Alligator
5 Cardinal Song Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
6 Cherry Tree The National
7 Slow Show Boxer
8 Bloodbuzz Ohio High Violet
9 Terrible Love High Violet
10 Runaway High Violet

Unknown said...

This is possibly the most difficult list to create, but I'll do my best.
In no particular order:
Baby, We'll Be Fine
Apartment Story
(The recently released) Exile Vilify
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
Gospel
Racing Like A Pro
Brainy
Lucky You
City Middle
Afraid Of Everyone
Squalor Victoria (Live)

The very end of Cardinal Song is also pretty damn beautiful, but I'm not sure that counts.

pimpim21 said...

1- Secret Meeting
2- Mr November
3- England
4- Abel
5- About Today
6- Lucky You
7- Slow Show
8- Rest Of Years
9- Fake Empire
10- Terrible Love
11- Afraid Of Everyone

pimpim21 said...

1- Secret meeting
2- Mr November
3- England
4- Abel
5- Slow Show
6- About Today
7- Lucky You
8- Fake Empire
9- Rest Of Years
10- Terrible Love
11- Afraid Of Everyone

Chris said...

1.Slow Show
2. About Today (Live on the Virginia EP)
3. Fake Empire
4. All Dolled-Up In Straps
5. Available
6. Slipping Husband
7. Cherry Tree
8. Mr November
9. Green Gloves
10. Secret Meeting
11. Daughters of the Soho Riots

Impossible list to make though.

kunk said...

1. walk off
2. apartment story
3. available
4. mistaken for strangers
5. daughters of the soho riots
6. england
7. vanderlyle crybaby geeks
8. brainy
9. secret meeting
10. bloodbuzz ohio

Withnail and you said...

In no particular order:
Ada
Brainy
Fake empires
Abel
Slow show
Conversation 16
Mistaken for strangers
Green gloves
Mr November
Apartment story
Abel

nire said...

Slow Show
Conversation 16
About Today
Cherry Tree
Fake Empire
It never happened
Ada
Available

Michael said...

1. terrible love
2. anyone's ghost
3. blank slate (this song should be more popular, it's so good)
4. about today
5. fake empire
6. brainy
7. daughters of the soho riots
8. abel
9. wasp nest
10. the perfect song
11. looking for astronauts

Pieter said...

I'll leave a few slower, more unknown songs. These songs are almost as beautiful as the lyrics:
Favourites marked with '*'

*Patterns of Fairytales, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
-Val Jester, Alligator
-Fake Empire, Boxer
*About Today, Cherry Tree EP
-Sorrow, High Violet
*You Were A Kindness, High Violet(Expanded)
-Lean, Recently Released Single
-Son, The National
-Cardinal Song, Sad Song for Dirty Lovers
-Rylan, Single
-Exile Vilify, Single