This one requires a bit of set-up: I’m going to ask you to vote for two different songs – one by Fleetwood Mac, and one by Hall & Oates. Before we get to that, let’s cover the backstory on how we got to this point.
I’ll have the occasional musical debate with my good friend and co-worker Michael, who is based in our New York office. Usually, these discussions start around a work topic of someone that he is looking to book for a run of radio interviews, and the discussion spirals deep into Top 40 hell. We certainly have fun with what we do for a living.
As the person that amassed a collection of every 80s charting top 40 single on 45 rpm, (a collection that I now own, thanks to Michael,) he knows a few things about music.
And as someone with a similar musical sickness (actually, probably worse,) it makes for an entertaining discussion.
Today’s discussion started with a Fleetwood Mac reference after I had gotten several emails worth of work-related requests from Michael at the end of the day..
Matt: you’re starting to piss me off. I’d hate to have to fist fight a Fleetwood Mac fan
Matt: but your love of average F. Mac songs doesn’t help matters
Michael: bring it. anyone who thinks Kiss On My List is worth quoting can’t be much of a problem.
Matt: I can’t help your apparent lack of musical taste
Michael: dude, two words:
Michael: Billy
Michael: Vera
Michael: c’mon
Matt: One more word
Matt: ROCKS!
Michael: let’s go outside and start lining up the Vera fans vs. Fleetwood Mac fans
Matt: haha – I’ll admit, that you could get the Vera fans in a rented SUV
Michael: In fact – let’s line up the Fleetwood fans vs. the Hall & Oates fans
Matt: now there, you might have competition
Michael: Are you saying “Never Going Back Again” is a mediocre F. mac song? (I had given him crap about having a lyric from the song in his FB status update.)
Matt: not completely
Michael: You, who likes almost everything!
Matt: but it worked for the argument
Matt: sometimes I like to incite trouble and riots
Michael: you do it well
Michael: Let’s do an MTV Friday Night Video Fight: Gypsy vs. Family Man
Matt: I’d quote Secondhand News and Monday Morning before I’d quote that one
Matt: Family Man would win without a spin
Michael: I don’t compare their songs. They’re all different and brilliant.
Michael: hmmmmm what makes you so sure?
Matt: I don’t think your average person could hum Gypsy
Matt: while I think most know Family Man
Matt: not a bash on Gypsy, I think that’s just fact
Matt: Where did Gypsy chart?
Michael: #12 I believe (Correct, and from memory no less. He’s like that. Sick.)
Matt: I’m putting it to the test – posting it as Facebook status and Twitter status as well
Michael: you’re putting the songs up against each other on FB & Twitter?
At this moment, the combined totals from responses on FB and Twitter are close, with only a couple of positions separating the two.
The reaction was quick – I got my first Twitter reply about 10 seconds after it was posted:
No contest. “Gypsy” all the way. Mirage is, IMHO, the greatest Buckingham-era Mac LP bar none. Maximum relistening power.
And then the Facebook comments started rolling in – here’s a sampling of several of them:
1. Gypsy, hands down. Not even close.
2. H n O baby
3. Hall & Oates Family Man…. don’t like Fleetwood Mac and never did.. 🙂
4. Gypsy!!
5. Family Man is one of the worst Hall & Oates songs ever……..
6. I would choose Hall and Oates over Fleetwood Mac, but in this case, you took a decent song from Fleetwood Mac over the 2nd worst song in the history of H&O (one on one being the worst).
What’s your vote: Fleetwood Mac “Gypsy” or Hall & Oates “Family Man?
Fleetwood Mac all day long.
I’d say it’s a draw – neither song does it for me, even considering I’m much more familiar with FM than HnO.
I can’t vote for H&O in any poll – unless its ‘most overrated pop band’ or ‘worst mullet perms’. FM will easily win this outmatched competition in a run-away.
Really – none of the above. Gypsy? Overwrought Stevie Nicks twirling drivel. Family Man? What were you THINKING?
Ann, I like both tunes……although I’ll admit that Family Man isn’t my favorite H&O tune…still didn’t think that it would get slaughtered in the competition!
Michael already has two more songs picked out…looking forward to putting those out there next week..haha
Well,
They both kinda suck. But I’d have to take Fleetwood Mac as the least offensive of the two…
Don’t get me wrong, They’ve both done some incredible stuff, but this isn’t it.
suck it
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Thanks