by Iain Lee
Can it really be ten years since this decade first reared its ugly head and spat in our collective eye? Yes, of course it can. And what a ballbreaking horny bastard of a musical year it’s been. Highs, lows and Daniel Beddingfield – yes, we’ve seen them all come and go and in some cases, seen their fitter sister making up for their awful crimes against nature and normal shaped faces.
I have in front of me a list of all of the choices for Song of the Decade from most of the Absolute Radio people. The major exceptions are the delightful Geoff, who is checking the terms and conditions to see if the Beatles Mono Remastered Rereleased Re-imagined albums count (they DON’T) and breakfast busy body C’OC, who is far too busy recording voice overs for insurance companies to worry about this.
Something that I think should be highlighted is that my best friend in the world of radio, Ben ‘Jammin’ Jones has picked exactly the same song as Absolute Radio head honcho and actual poncho wearer himself Mr.Grace (aka Clive Dickens). Sure, this could be coincidence (and I “might” be a successful television presenter) but really Ben, come on, pull your tongue out of there! It’s not doing you any good and it’s just humiliating for both of you. Anyway, we all know you love the work of Chad Kroeger and co so be a man, and put down Rockstar by Nickelback as your fave track of all time ever.
Hang on, I’ve just noticed that Absolute Radio star employee of the month Sharath Chandra (I have actually no idea who this person is. Partly because I’m an elitist that refuses to talk to ANYONE who works in the station, and partly because I’m in late at night when there is no one else around) has chosen ELVIS PRESLEY THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE! That was recorded in like 1836. What, has Sharath been living in the olden days for the last decade and then jumped into a time machine just for this vote? That’s unbelievable.
Anyway, I have to be honest and say that everyone at Absolute Radio is wrong. No one has got the right answer. Do you want to know what the actual Song of the Decade™ is?
I’ll tell you.
It’s Mike Post Theme by The Who.
Before you get all arsey with me, I can assure you this overlooked classic totally pisses over any other song of the previous 10 years. The aging rockers, totally kicked up the backside and reinvigorated by Zak Starkey on drums and Brian Cant on bass, came back in October 2006 with their first album in like a billion years. It should have been absolutely awful, just embarrassing. But it wasn’t. Endless Wire was superb. Sure, Daltrey’s voice is cracked and you can hear his dentures shifting when he really goes for it, but that older voice sits perfectly with Townshend’s mature, grizzled lyrics. And anyone who can toss off such a powerful song extolling the virtues of the genius who wrote the themes to The Rockford Files, Quantum Leap, The A Team and countless other shows, deserves credit.
It’s a real treat. Try it. You just might like it.
