The Muse Rankdown (Winner: Knights of Cydonia)

[Green Baron]

Leo... I gave you some leeway for liking Thrice, but this is no good

[Web]

there's one pretty big outlier in my rankings out of the remaining four, might be making some people unhappy if it barely misses #1 

[peacebone]

So, so happy to see this song go as far as it has...didn't think it would make the top 10 in the first place, as I've said above.

[Red]

Before we get to the top two non-singles (and no prizes for guessing what those top two are), let's get to the last two honorable mentions, including the song that just missed the top ten.

HM #9: NEW KIND OF KICK



Doc Indie Party Rock : 1

HM #10: THE SMALL PRINT



Lordef†ones : 3
Daryl the Beryl : 6

And now, the next top ten reveal.

#4...okay, I have a confession to make: I screwed up. It's not a BIG screwup, a rankdown-changing screwup...but it is a screwup. As it turns out, #4 is the real source of the second-lowest standard deviation. How did I forget this? Because I forgot to tally the SD and average rank for this song before I started the reveal. It really is that simple. Twelve top tens are lost here, including four top fives and another #1. Here's another fun fact for you: It is the only song in the entire rankdown where I'm at the very bottom of the participant list. Yep, I'm the lowest rank on the #4 song.

[Green Baron]

I predict "Time is Running Out"

[Red]

Oct 17, 2017 17:01:20 GMT -5 Green Baron said:

I predict "Time is Running Out"

Sorry, Daryl. It may have been the song to introduce me to Muse...but it's not quite one of my favorites.

Points: 563
Standard Deviation: 5.464
Average Rank: 9.72

Daryl the Beryl : 1
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast : 2
Juanca : 3
Web : 4
Pale Shelter : 8
Doc Indie Party Rock : 8
recordyear : 8
Unhinged : 9
YotamTS : 9
rowellfarm490 : 10
peacebone : 10
Who The Hell Is Leo?✔ : 10
alexcuse : 12
Lordef†ones : 12
sergejdordij : 14
Green Baron : 16
★Disco★ : 16
Red : 23

Tags
@jamesflame

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}Hysteria
Starlight
Knights of Cydonia

SPREADSHEET

[Red]

There were four songs to hit the #1 spot in this rankdown. "Map of the Problematique" got there early, but fell off and settled into the middle of the top ten. The other three songs to get to the top are the top three here. Those three songs, along with "Plug In Baby", were in every overall top ten. We've been talking about heavy hitters in this rankdown, and, well, the last three are the BIG three. #3 was steady early...and then, seemingly out of nowhere, it hit #1 in the middle of the ranking process. Ultimately, it fell just two spots shy of #1. All but five of the participants put this song in their top ten, with eight people placing this song in their top five and a tied for rankdown-high three #1s.

[Red]

Points: 590
Standard Deviation: 7.175
Average Rank: 8.22

rowellfarm490 : 1
Web : 1
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast : 1
Daryl the Beryl : 2
★Disco★ : 3
Red : 4
Doc Indie Party Rock : 4
Unhinged : 4
recordyear : 6
peacebone : 6
Green Baron : 9
sergejdordij : 10
Lordef†ones : 10
YotamTS : 11
Juanca : 13
Pale Shelter : 15
Who The Hell Is Leo?✔ : 22
alexcuse : 26

Tags
@jamesflame

SPOILER: Click to show

{Songs Remaining}Starlight
Knights of Cydonia

SPREADSHEET

[Who The Hell Is Leo?✔]

PiB was uninteresting to me

I guess Im team KoC

[Pale Shelter]

I'm hoping for Starlight to win, but I think Knights is more likely

[Web]

my outlier is still hanging around, I'm guessing it's the overall #2 but curious to know the margin

[Red]

Before we get to the top two fireworks factory, we have to deal with the other fireworks factory first: The top two non-singles. As you'd expect, they're the two big fan favorites from Origin of Symmetry. Which song prevailed? Well, I'll put it to you like this: All but one person ranked the #1, whereas only five ranked the #2. And EVERY ranking for the #1 was #4 or higher. And #1 had five #1s. This was no contest.

#2: SPACE DEMENTIA



Red : 1
recordyear : 3
peacebone : 4
Lordef†ones : 5
alexcuse : 8

#1: CITIZEN ERASED



peacebone : 1
recordyear : 1
Daryl the Beryl : 1
Green Baron : 1
Lordef†ones : 1
Red : 2
alexcuse : 4

And, with all of that out of the way, we're down to the top two singles. Like the non-singles, the top two are from the same album, this time Black Holes and Revelations. These were the top two songs in the Pulse Top Tens for Muse way back in the day, though opinions may have changed since we did that Muse top ten well over a year ago. Here's some fun facts about the top two:

- #1 has one #1 ranking. #2 has two #1 rankings.
- #1 and #2 have the sixth and fifth-lowest standard deviations, respectively.
- #1 has fifteen top ten rankings, while #2 has merely fourteen top ten rankings.
- Both songs have at least one ranking below the top twenty.
- #1 wound up being ahead of #2 by sixteen points.

What song ruled the roost: "Starlight" or "Knights of Cydonia"? Find out shortly...

[Red]

Or...find out now.
























































Oh, by the way, Webby, the difference between your ranking of "Knights" and "Starlight" was more than the difference between the songs in the rankdown, so...mission accomplished.

Points: 609
Standard Deviation: 6.680
Average Rank: 7.17

Red : 1
Juanca : 1
sergejdordij : 2
Unhinged : 3
rowellfarm490 : 3
alexcuse : 3
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast : 3
YotamTS : 4
Who The Hell Is Leo?✔ : 4
Pale Shelter : 5
Daryl the Beryl : 5
Doc Indie Party Rock : 6
Lordef†ones : 8
peacebone : 9
★Disco★ : 13
Green Baron : 14
recordyear : 22
Web : 23

Tags
@jamesflame



Which means...







Points: 625
Standard Deviation: 6.875
Average Rank: 6.28

Who The Hell Is Leo?✔ : 1
Green Baron : 2
Doc Indie Party Rock : 2
recordyear : 2
alexcuse : 2
Lordef†ones : 2
Red : 3
sergejdordij : 3
YotamTS : 3
Web : 3
Daryl the Beryl : 4
peacebone : 5
Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast : 6
rowellfarm490 : 7
★Disco★ : 7
Pale Shelter : 16
Unhinged : 20
Juanca : 25

Tags
@jamesflame

SPREADSHEET

[Web]

...and it was your #1, whoops!

"Starlight" is good but overrated as one of their best tracks imo, but clearly others didn't agree here and pushed it to #2. Glad "Knights Of Cydonia" won, same as the Pulse Top 10s from years back despite some new faces sending in lists. (thanks for the shoutout btw!)

Great job hosting Red, was fun to follow as always, looking forward to your Alt 2k9 rankdown!

[Who The Hell Is Leo?✔]

Omg omg omg omg omfg !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My #1 won this yaaaaaaaaaay

[Blurry]

"Knights in Cydonia" would have been my #1 with ease, so I like the outcome of this!

[Red]

Oct 17, 2017 17:42:30 GMT -5 Web said:

...and it was your #1, whoops!

Yeah, I've made no secret about my love of "Starlight". It's not just my favorite Muse single, it's not even just my favorite Muse song...in a world without Pearl Jam's "Black", it's my favorite song ever. It's the song that made me a superfan. When I saw Muse perform it live in concert, I nearly broke down into tears. That's how much that song means to me. They could release 100 "Dig Downs", and it seriously would not matter to me, because we'll always have "Starlight".

And on that note, thanks for joining me on this latest Red rankdown journey! As much as I love "Starlight", I will readily admit that "Knights" is a deserving winner, too. We're all winners. (Except for Juanca, who was the lone bottom twenty holdout on "Knights". ) If you enjoyed me hosting this as much as I enjoyed hosting the rankdown, feel free to join me in the Alternative 2009 rankdown, or, later, the second Journey Through Time.

You guys electrify my life. All of you. 

[★Disco★]

Thanks for hosting Red! I love how fast the reveals were.

[Green Baron]

Was not expecting to be the third-lowest ranker on "Starlight"

[Who The Hell Is Leo?✔]

Thanks for hosting Red. Such a wonderful host!!

[Deleted]

Good winner. Probably would've been my #3 behind Hysteria and Reapers

[Juanca]

Thanks, Red!
This was good fun and now I'll have to listen to the top 5 non-singles!
Good to see a few examples of songs where Green and I were at the same page
Knights was a first listen to me, and I guess I found it a bit gimmicky or trying to hard with the inclusion of a mariachi trumpet (wtf?) and the Queen-lite choral breakdown. At some point it was at #13 in my list so maybe it's just a matter of time...
Starlight however is one of my favorite songs of the past 20 years. Everything works for me, from the instrumentation to the vocals to the song structure.
Time is running out is the song that made me a fan though, being the second song I've ever heard of them (after FG).

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

10. New Born
I actually do enjoy this song a lot. It just surprised me how it made the top 10. The intro has even more Panic! At The Disco ,vibe. I like the song because it gets better once that intro is done.

9. Uprising
I actually expected this to be top 3. I myself couldn't rank it any higher than #7, but it's always a great listen. The guitar kicks at the end of each verse reminded a bit of how he also emphasizes each word in "Panic Station". I just love that part to death.

8. Stockholm Syndrome
I was the lowest ranker for this. Oh well. Sorry, but this song never clicked with me. melodically, it just sounds like it's all over the place.

7. Super massive Black Hole
Hellyeah! Now this rocks. That intro. Listen to Adam Ant's "Room At The Top". Anyway, I love his falsetto vocals in this song. I was skeptical this one would make the top 10. I'm glad to see it's a Muse favorite.

6. Map of The Problematique
Here is another song, that I don't go nuts for. Not like everyone else. It's interesting in the melodies, but it doesn't grab my attention fully like their other hits.

5. Plug In Baby
Now this is a nice surprise here. I had never heard this song before, and for me to rank it just outside my top 10, says how amazed I was by it. The song's title, gave me STP vibes, and I love how they just abuse those guitars the MV. Awesome.

4. Time Is Running Out
This is the first Muse song I ever heard, so I will always put it in top 10. That chorus is so f**king epic.

3. Hysteria
This song is so classic. I really love it, and not only because it shares the album title of one of my favorite bands ever. This is one of those Muse songs no other band can touch. The composition of the guitar works is breathtaking. This song looks great at #3.

2. Starlight
I love this song as much as the next person. It's catchy, melodic and great lyrics too, but not at the expense of "Hysteria".

1. Knights Of Cydonia
HELLYEAH. Now you know my #1 song, if "Panic! Station: didn't exist. Seems that #2 is a P-P-P-P- PERFCET ranking for a lot of us. An amazing song, just not our favorite, but among the rest of the songs, this sits high on its throne. It's funny that ,that Guitar melody goes on for about 2 minutes, still not a boring thought comes to mind. In fact, it seems like the perfect buildup to the epicness of the rest of the song. I also want to add, that the album art ,is one of the most gorgeous art pieces I've seen too.



*This was such an awesome rankdown. My favorite part besides the song, is the album art. You all know how I drool for album and single sleeve art. So, Red, keep doing this for your future hosted rankdowns.

[recordyear]

Lol at me pushing Butterflies and Hurricanes out of top 10 with New Born . I dig the piano-guitar transition, those guitar riffs and Matt's vocal ascension.

Uprising is just not that good. Maybe it is anthemic but they have better anthems.

Chorus of Stockholm Syndrome is just painful to hear. It's too depressing, but I love this atmosphere .

The whole Supermassive Black Hole is in falsetto, showing power of Matt's vocal very well.

Sorry but I can never get into Map of the Problematique . The guitars are so repetitive and I always skip this song when playing Black Holes and Revelations.

The intro of Plug In Baby slays! And you can hear one of Matt's highest notes in this song too!

Time Is Running Out is one of better anthemic songs
.
Hysteria's bass guitar part is awesome.

Starlight is not really their signature song. The "calm" part and fiery guitar parts sound so disjointed for me. I won't skip this one when playing Black Holes and Revelations though.

And congrats to Knights of Cydonia which to me is the more popular one. The extended intro, Matt's vocal combined with guitar and these lyrics...it's an epic mini movie .



The spanish guitar and horns make City of Delusion a very unique song in their catalog.

Also happy that Space Dementia and Citizen Erased get recognization here, especially the former. The latter is a fans favorite so I am not surprised to see it dominates non-single rankdown. However, the piano loop and the ending "zipping" effect in Space Dementia are so astonishing to my ears, so I can accept its #2 ranking.

Thanks for hosting the rankdown!

[willapted33]

Knights would've been my number 3, so I'm very happy with it winning, but Uprising would've been my number 1 so I wish it finished top 5 at least

[YotamTS]

Bumping this, had no time to comment on the past couple of days because school got crazy.

SPOILER: Click to show

{#17-11}
17. Resistance - Grew on me since the 2010 alt rankdown, another great single from The Resistance. I get it's different than their older stuff, but I think it's still really fun to listen to.
16. Reapers - After listening to Drones twice, this and Dead Inside were the only great tracks on it. It still ended up pretty low on my ranking because I liked other stuff better.
15. Muscle Museum - Really happy it made it this far, the best Showbiz song on the list. It's really unique and I loved it on first listen.
14. Undisclosed Desires - It honestly made it further than I thought. I don't get the hate for it, maybe the vocals on the pre-chorus aren't great but it's still an enjoyable track and not similar than any of their songs. Awesome song.
13. Bliss - Didn't like the vocals on it, sorry. They've made much better songs than it imo.
12. Madness - Now this not making top 10 is a surprise because it was their biggest hit. I really enjoy it but I do get the hate for this one.
11. Butterflies And Hurricanes - When the preference revealer put this at #38 for me I re-listened to it and really liked it but still I couldn't put it higher cause I liked the other songs better. I should've ranked it higher.

10. New Born - Great song, don't mind to see it making the top 10.
9. Uprising - God damnit. I thought it would be higher :/ Another song I don't get the hate for. Rooting for my #3 which might win.
8. Stockholm Syndrome - Ranked it kind of low but I still do like it a lot, not much to say here.
7. Supermassive Black Hole - Another really unique song by them, love it. Was hoping for top 5 placement.
6. Map Of The Problematique - Was my lowest rank remaining, it's really nice but kind of forgettable.
5. Plug In Baby - Awesome discovery, loved the guitar on it and it's overall a fun song. Well-deserved top 5.
4. Time Is Running Out - A bit surprised it made it this far, not really complaining, great song. I think that the breaths throughout the whole song pretty much are a bit unnecessary.
3. Hysteria - Really nice guitar riff and the hook is good too. I'm fine with it making the top 3 even though it wasn't in my top 10. So it's down to my #3 & 4. Expected, but great top 2!
2. Starlight - The piano is just so special, and the song is a really nice listen. happy it made the top 2. 
1. Knights Of Cydonia - My top 3 was really close, all of them could've been my #1 so it's definitely a great winner. What can I say about this, the long intro is great and the instrumentals are so nice.

Thanks for hosting this Red! this was a really nice rankdown and it was cool discovering more of their early stuff.