Iconicity

I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about the arts - what catches on with society and what doesn't.

It's not so much analysis as it is just pondering.  I'm not really sure why some songs, books or movies become hits and others don't. But I find the subject fascinating and do some reading on it when I can.

In the course of my woolgathering, I have reached a conclusion:

Popular bands who reach the zenith of success usually have one song that can be considered iconic.

They may have many hits, several songs that are good or even great. But only one of their hits can be called iconic.

By iconic, I mean a song that strongly identifies the band. A song that a large majority of people have heard and can name the band who did it even if they aren't fans of that band or its genre. It may not be considered their best song by many critics, but all of its elements come together - the lyrics, the melody, the production, the personality of the song - in such a way as to elevate it to be the zeitgeist of the band.

I use the term zeitgeist a little loosely, because even though the iconic song can reflect an era and recall memories of where we were when we first heard it, the song, in actuality, has a timelessness to it. Thirty years may pass from its inception, yet it doesn't sound dated when played today.

To give an example of what I'm yammering about, I've compiled a list of what I think are iconic songs. Some may disagree with this list; that's fine. It is, after all, based on my opinion. It's not a complete list by any means, but it hopefully gets my point across.

Styx had many hits including Lady, Renegade, Mr. Roboto, Lorelei. But I would say their iconic song is Come Sail Away.

Fleetwood Mac has had a long run with popular songs such as Don't Stop, Rhiannon, Dreams, and Landslide to name a few. But their far and above iconic piece is Go Your Own Way, and it's made even more so if you know the story behind it.

I don't think anybody would argue that Stairway to Heaven is Led Zeppelin's icon.

Eric Clapton has had a string of well known hits both with a group and solo. Layla, recorded when he was with Derek and the Dominoes, has to stand out as the icon of all his work.

Groups like the Beatles and Rolling Stones may be a little more difficult to nail down with iconicity, and this may be a situation where they produced more than one standout.

For the Beatles one could argue Let It Be and A Day in the Life as icons. Probably other songs as well. The Rolling Stones selections may be Satisfaction or Jumping Jack Flash, however, I'd have to say that their premier iconic song is really You Can't Always Get What You Want.

The Who may be a toss up between Won't Get Fooled Again and Baba O'Riley with the former probably holding an edge over the latter.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have a lot of songs rich with imagery and musicality. But their iconic anthem will forever be Born to Run.

Would anyone argue that the Eagles hit iconic levels with Hotel California?

Some others....

U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
The Band - The Weight
Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence (many would probably say Bridge Over Troubled Water)
Jimi Hendrix - Probably Purple Haze (though I think Little Wing is better)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird (though I think Tuesday's Gone is better)

These are just a few examples, there are much more that could be listed. Calling the specific songs listed above iconic does not mean they are my favorite songs from those artists. For instance, I like Jungleland and Backstreets by Springsteen much more than I like Born to Run. And I can think of several Rolling Stones songs I would prefer to hear than You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Feel free to add your own comments or suggestions as to what you think are iconic songs.