Questions like "which is the best [insert group name here] song?" always give me trouble. I never know whether to answer based on the group's particular style or on a general standard of excellence. For example, on today's poll, I was waffling between picking what I considered the best Beach Boys song (i.e. the song which best exemplified the Beach Boys' style) or the best song by the Beach Boys (i.e. the song which I would be most likely to put on a "great songs" list). It's something like the comedy dilemma which, if my memory serves me well, Sam talks about somewhere on this site: when choosing the best comedies, one has to decide whether one is choosing the funniest movies or the best movies which happen to be comedies.

Sometimes it doesn't make a difference: I'd say the best Leonard Cohen song is "Hallelujah" by either standard. With the Beach Boys, however, the distinction is notable. I selected "Sloop John B" based on the second standard; looking at the general poll spread, it looks like most people went with the first. Or at least chose the songs I would have chosen by the first standard. (I'd probably have picked "Good Vibrations").

Of course, my favorite Beach Boys song wasn't on the list at all, but I'm not sure if I'd have picked it for the best in any case. "God Only Knows" is a terrific song and one of my all-time favorite love songs, but I don't think it's as artistically excellent as "Sloop John B" or as classic as "Good Vibrations." I try to weed personal attachments out of my assessment of bests.

Lire"this is why my 'best of' lists always have at least four categories"lyn