There's people around who tell you that they know
And places where to send you, and it's easy to go
They'll zip you up and dress you down and stand you in a row
But you know you don't have to, you can just say "no"

My Kind of Soldier - Guided By Voices

Birds & Ships - Natalie Merchant

The Ballad of El Goodo - Big Star

Galaxy of Emptiness - Beth Orton

Down In A Hole - Alice In Chains

Celebrity Skin - Hole

Our Secret - Beat Happening

Chota - Ozomatli

Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine

If Looks Could Kill - Camera Obscura

..and one found at the bottom of a pocket stuck to a mint: Shake Your Money - Black Grape

First a a video which is a lousy video. but a great recording of El Goodo, and then a story.

Now the story: I was sitting around talking with songwriter Steve Poltz once, and The Ballad of El Goodo came on and in mid-sentence he stopped and said, "Dude. This is one of the best fucking songs ever done." And then he sang along with it until the end at which point we went back to our conversation as if it had never happened. I think it's one of the greatest unknown pop songs ever recorded .

By the way, Poltz is one of the most entertaining people you'll ever meet. Watch him here, here, and here (in sequence) to get an idea.