The Eliminator 1000 – Great Songs to Listen To – Supalonely (Benee) vs. I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones)

Next up in the Eliminator is classic song eliminator #25 of 44. I’ve realized that 44 songs that were in the original songlist are indeed all time classic songs, but they have absolutely nothing to do with the goal of the Eliminator, which is fresher and relevant music that is good to listen to. I’m replacing them with 44 songs that are certainly more relevant for me and more recent, even if they are not brand new songs.

The classic song that is leaving is I Wanna Be Sedated, the 1978 super long term popular song by The Ramones. It’s currently #1000 in The Eliminator 1000. And it’s replacement song is Supalonely, last year’s release by New Zealand artist Benee.

Here are the two YouTubes:

I Wanna Be Sedated is the perfect Elimination song. This is a song that has been so incredibly overplayed that it is insane. And you will have all kinds of defenders of this song as really epic and just so much to listen to today. I really don’t think so. If there is a note or a part in this song that you don’t know by heart, you haven’t participated in society. This song is like etched in people’s memory banks as a kind of permanent fixture. I can just picture the fixed neuron set in the musical part of people’s brains. It is time to move on.

Benee at least so far appears to be a one hit wonder, though she has been a kind of star in New Zealand locally. For me, as the father of an 18 year old, she captures a LOT of what that generation is all about, and I love it. These under 20s are just so laid back and publicly out there about key things like basic emotions. This whole song is I guess a love song, but really it’s about being alone. And it’s about being yourself. There are certain cultural markers that go with this generation, and they are readily identifiable, but I’d argue they are a LOT more culturally independent thanks to things like being born in the internet age. Also, there is a lot of Bjork in Benee.

Supalonely goes in at #601 (1,889 more listens). This is a pop song, for sure, and you have probably heard it a few times, so it will not last forever in The Eliminator. But for now, this song is a really good listen, relevant and interesting. As for I Wanna Be Sedated, I think people have been sedated by this song at this point. There are people going to their graves right now who claim I Wanna Be Sedated is fresh and current, because its the Ramones and all that. That was 1978. I Wanna Be Sedated is Eliminated.

Want to learn more about The Eliminator 1000? Propose a song to go in! Here’s the links: the Spotify Playlist, the Youtube Playlist, the Google Sheets List, and the webpage.