FAB 50 2008 ON RTÉ 2FM
Now in its 28th year, Fanning’s Fab 50 is not only the longest running radio poll in Ireland, it is the longest running and most credible rock and roll poll as well. As usual U2 were the single biggest act with five songs in the top 50, and one song at number 1, but this time given a close race by Kings of Leon with ‘Sex On Fire’, just one of their three in the Fab 50. Of the other Irish acts in the top 50, Horslips with the classic ‘Dearg Doom’ scored highest at 11, not bad for a 35 year old tune, now at its highest point ever in the poll – and beating Snow Patrol (two tunes) and The Undertones. In all nine of the 50 were Irish.
Aside from the classics like Jeff Buckley with the very topical Hallelujah (now 13 years in the Fab 50), The Pixies’ Debaser (18 years so far), Zep’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ ( 28 years), the crop of 2008’s releases and new acts were well represented with MGMT and two tunes, The Verve, Coldplay, Elbow, The Killers. Other points of interest were Pearl Jam undergoing a huge revival, making the top 10 at 9 with ‘Black’, and the enduring popularity of The Smiths with two in the top 10 and Pink Floyd in their highest position ever at four with ‘Wish You Were Here’.
The full poll is below:
FANNING’S FAB 50 2008 – EDITION 28
NO
SONG
ARTIST
1
One
U2
2
Sex on Fire
Kings of Leon
3
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana
4
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
5
Bad
U2
6
With or Without You
U2
7
How Soon Is Now
The Smiths
8
There is a Light That Never Goes Out
The Smiths
9
Black
Pearl Jam
10
I Am The Resurrection
The Stone Roses
11
Dearg Doom
Horslips
12
Run
Snow Patrol
13
Love Will Tear Us Apart
Joy division
14
Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin
15
Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen
16
Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen
17
Hurt
Johnny Cash
18
Chasing Cars
Snow Patrol
19
Human
The Killers
20
Imagine
John Lennon
21
Gimme Shelter
The Rolling Stones
22
Kids
MGMT
23
Viva la Vida
Coldplay
24
Comfortably Numb
Pink Floyd
25
Use Somebody
Kings of Leon
26
Live Forever
Oasis
27
I Wanna Be Adored
The Stone Roses
28
Hallelujah
Jeff Buckley
29
Sweet Child o’Mine
Guns n roses
30
Mr. Brightside
The Killers
31
A day in the life
The Beatles
32
1979
Smashing Pumpkins
33
Intervention
Arcade Fire
34
Where the Streets Have No Name
U2
35
Teenage Kicks
The Undertones
36
Debaser
The Pixies
37
Creep
Radiohead
38
Thunder Road
Bruce Springsteen
39
Rebellion (Lies)
Arcade fire
40
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Smashing Pumpkins
41
Sunday Bloody Sunday
U2
42
One Day Like This
Elbow
43
Don’t Stop Believing
Journey
44
Fans
Kings of Leon
45
Time to Pretend
MGMT
46
November Rain
Guns n Roses
47
Fool’s Gold
The Stone Roses
48
Enter Sandman
Metallica
49
Love is noise
The Verve
50
Back in Black
AC/DC