"Riptide" by Vance Joy

Reranked Position: #5

Last updated: March 09, 2014

Appearances

• 2013: #1

I must admit I was genuinely surprised that Riptide managed to beat out 2013's number 2, Royals by Lorde. Everyone I asked could tell me the title was Royals and that it was composed and sung by New Zealander Lorde. As for Riptide? People could tell you that the song was used in an advert for health insurance, but that's about it... I went one step further - I couldn't even tell you which provider it was for.

That's not to say that Riptide isn't a great song - it is - there's just nothing about it that makes it memorable in the same way that Wonderwall by Oasis is (the 2013 All-Time #1). The guitar/ukulele (not 100% sure here) sounds beautiful, and the way the instruments build up into that chorus is fantastic. To be quite honest, the vocals, while a joy to listen to, are the most forgettable component to Riptide.

Riptide does grow on you over multiple listens. However, don't do what I did and listen to it more than a couple of times on loop (this is how I review and rank songs). I can guarantee you will get bored and go back to disliking it with a passion.

Would I listen to more of Vance Joy's work? Absolutely. Is it number 1 material? Not quite, but it's definitely right up there. At the very least, it's better than Do-Re-Mi's Man Overboard.

"Man Overboard" by Do-Re-Mi

Reranked Position: #7

Last updated: March 09, 2014

Appearances

• All-Time 1989: #98

To be quite honest, I'm finding it really hard to "get" Man Overboard. The music is great - especially that bass line - and the lyrics have some impact, but when everything is put together, it doesn't really do anything for me.

Listening to other songs from Do-Re-Mi, such as Adultery, Happiest Place in Town and Haunt You, show that they had better songs. Yet, Man Overboard was their biggest hit.

I'm starting to think that I have absolutely no idea about the 1980s. Great songs get completely overlooked, and bands that should have been big never got out of the popular-obscurity stage.

The sound engineer Man Overboard has done a brilliant job - you could quite easily play it next to a song from today and still have it stand out. All the instruments have a really nice separation. Everything can be heard clearly. Deborah Conway's voice is very much the highlight of this song.

Even with everything going for Man Overboard, I still can't quite get my head around the lyrics with the music. I want to place it higher, I really do. However, this is too niggling for me to let it slide. Definitely go out and hunt down everything that isn't Man Overboard, though. Do-Re-Mi are a great band.