Feel free to click on the first Global Song Competition post in which we determined “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” was Australia’s best ever contribution to music to learn the rules of this game. In short, we didn’t want to talk about the aftermath of the last regular season baseball series, so I started a distraction contest to...

...determine the greatest song of all time, based on my limited knowledge of music and other countries.

First, we’ll go with the smattering of countries I can accurately point to on a globe and spell correctly—sorry, Kyrgustan (nope: it was Kyrgyzstan)—and then, we’ll go state by state in the good ol’ US of A.

*Note: Feel free to disagree with my choices violently, and suggest better songs in the comments. I will not listen to you, nor will it affect the outcome of this ridiculous distraction contest, but I want you all to feel both seen and heard, even though I don’t know what most of you look like, nor sound like, but I want you all to feel effectively placated.

England Part I was the Metal scene. Yesterday, we looked at England (Pre-1980). Today, we look at the past 40 years or so.

Oh, and I’m not counting Queen for England if that helps. If you guys vote for Tanzania for letter T, it will be all Queen songs.

The Songs

1) Blur “Song 2.”

It wasn’t easy to narrow the music of England of the last 40 years ago down to just 4 songs. But nothing is is.

Woo hoo.

This was my favorite song in middle school, and it’s a testament to its simple greatness that it stays near the top of my perpetual playlist.

2) Radiohead “Just.”

I’m not sure there exists a song that better sums up the Vanderbilt sports experience than the one that repeatedly tells us, “You do it to yourself; that’s what really hurts.”

Also, they mocked Scott Tenorman for crying after eating his parents in Cartman’s Chili. Respect.

3) The Clash “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

Vanderbilt fans know full well the paradox of being stuck between both damned if you do and damned if you don’t. In other words, after the Diamond Dores limped to the postseason, this song speaks to us. During feetball season, it yells at us until our ears bleed.

4) Dire Straits “Money for Nothing.”

Though Mark Knopfler was from Glasgow, Dire Straits was formed in London in 1977. That’s good enough for our purposes here. Beyond that, when Weird Al asked Knopfler if he could parody it with “Beverly Hillbillies,” Knopfler made but one condition: that he be allowed to play the guitar on the track. How fucking cool is that?

Vote in the Poll (click on the tweet to vote on it, you crumb bums)

Honorable Mention

Though Mick Jagger’s not exactly my cup of tea, I’ll give the Stones this one.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why neither Coldplay nor Oasis made this list, it’s because they suck. Same reason Nickelback didn’t make either of Canada’s entries.

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