New Wave Outpost Forum

by **Frau_Blucher** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:23 am

These are the cumulative results of the NWO Top 100 Songs polls that have now taken place four times, most recently here:

http://nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30993

These most-recent submissions were frankly too few to yield a representative sampling, so as before, I've combined all the polls with this one taking the place of any previous ones for those that have participated multiple times.

There are in total 81 participants with 4045 lines of entries (a few were actually 1 or 2 songs short of 50). Out of that, 855 different bands were named (!), 2035 different songs were chosen, 1378 were unique entries, the top 500 songs or 12% accounted for 62% of the points total, and therefore dissimilarities actually outweigh similarities. To tabulate, I used the following point system with the count of the song (number of times it was voted on) used as the positional tie-breaker:

7 pts to each top song
6 pts to songs 2-5
5 pts to songs 6-10
4 pts to songs 11-20
3 pts to songs 21-30
2 pts to songs 31-40
1 pt to songs 41-50

And the NWO Cumulative Top 100 Songs currently are...
<pre>
Rank Pts Count Band - Song
1 160 33 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
2 84 20 New Order - Blue Monday
3 83 21 Echo And The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
4 82 22 The The - Uncertain Smile
5 82 20 Smiths - How Soon Is Now
6 75 23 B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
7 73 16 Freur - Doot Doot
8 69 19 Split Enz - I Got You
9 68 21 Talk Talk - It's My Life
10 66 19 Heaven 17 - Let Me Go
11 60 14 Roxy Music - More Than This
12 56 16 Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
13 55 13 Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
14 49 17 Visage - Fade To Grey
15 49 12 A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
16 45 13 Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
17 44 10 New Order - Ceremony
18 43 9 Joy Division - Transmission
19 42 12 Icicle Works - Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)
20 41 13 OMD - Souvenir
21 41 12 Payolas - Eyes Of A Stranger
22 41 11 New Order - Temptation
23 41 8 Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-82-84)
24 39 13 Church - Under The Milky Way
24 39 13 English Beat - Save It For Later
26 37 12 Spoons - Nova Heart
27 37 10 Thomas Dolby - One Of Our Submarines
28 36 12 Modern English - I Melt With You
29 36 10 Gary Numan - Cars
30 36 9 Church - The Unguarded Moment
30 36 9 Jam - Town Called Malice
32 35 14 Peter Godwin - Images Of Heaven
33 35 11 Human League - Seconds
34 35 10 Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away
35 35 7 New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
36 34 10 Duran Duran - Planet Earth
36 34 10 Ultravox - Vienna
38 34 7 Chameleons - Swamp Thing
39 33 12 Echo And The Bunnymen - The Cutter
40 33 10 Human League - Don't You Want Me
41 33 8 A Flock Of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song
41 33 8 ABC - The Look Of Love
41 33 8 Cure - In Between Days
44 32 8 Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
44 32 8 Soft Cell - Tainted Love
46 31 10 Siouxsie And The Banshees - Cities In Dust
46 31 10 Thomas Dolby - Europa And The Pirate Twins
48 31 8 Fixx - Stand Or Fall
49 31 7 Chameleons - Tears
49 31 7 Cure - Just Like Heaven
49 31 7 Japan - Quiet Life
52 31 6 Siouxsie And The Banshees - Dazzle
53 30 10 A-Ha - Take On Me
53 30 10 Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric
55 30 8 Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
56 29 9 Jam - That's Entertainment
57 29 8 OMD - Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)
58 29 6 David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
58 29 6 Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right
60 28 10 Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach
61 28 8 Cure - Boys Don't Cry
61 28 8 Wire Train - Chamber Of Hellos
63 27 9 Bongos - Numbers With Wings
64 27 8 A Flock Of Seagulls - Telecommunication
65 27 7 Talk Talk - Talk Talk
66 26 10 Big Country - In A Big Country
66 26 10 Real Life - Send Me An Angel
66 26 10 U2 - I Will Follow
69 26 9 INXS - Don't Change
70 26 8 Comsat Angels - Will You Stay Tonight
71 26 7 Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love
71 26 7 Ministry - Revenge
73 25 7 English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom
74 25 6 OMD - Electricity
75 24 8 Cure - A Forest
75 24 8 Killing Joke - Love Like Blood
77 24 7 Cure - Close To Me
77 24 7 OMD - Enola Gay
77 24 7 Tears For Fears - Mad World
80 24 6 Chameleons - Up The Down Escalator
80 24 6 Joy Division - Atmosphere
82 23 9 Aztec Camera - Oblivious
82 23 9 Damned - Alone Again Or
84 23 8 Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
84 23 8 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
86 23 7 Clash - Train In Vain
86 23 7 Specials - Ghost Town
88 23 6 Records - Starry Eyes
89 23 5 Depeche Mode - But Not Tonight
89 23 5 Simple Minds - Love Song
89 23 5 Tubeway Army - Down In The Park
92 22 8 Translator - Everywhere That I'm Not
93 22 6 B-52's - Rock Lobster
94 22 6 Secession - Touch
94 22 5 APB - Shoot You Down
94 22 5 Kraftwerk - Tour De France
94 22 5 Yaz - Situation
98 21 7 Psychedelic Furs - The Ghost In You
99 21 6 The The - This Is The Day
100 21 5 Gang Of Four - Damaged Goods
</pre>
More analysis to follow. Very interested in peoples' comments.

by **wherewereuin82** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:45 am

I'm sure every one of us has all those songs on our iPods. I'm surprised only 5 of my top 50 are on that list. I thought it was pretty tame. So, should I read from the bottom up when you post that one?

by **Frau_Blucher** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:48 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by wherewereuin82[/i]
 I'm sure every one of us has all those songs on our iPods. I'm surprised only 5 of my top 50 are on that list. I thought it was pretty tame. So, should I read from the bottom up when you post that one?
[/quote]
I would think that should be a badge of honor. [^]

by **Frau_Blucher** » Tue May 31, 2011 1:18 pm

The table below shows the change in rank from previous polls, color-coded so that larger changes downward are in darkening shades of Red and vice versa with Green. It starts to not make as much sense past the 300 rank because you're then getting into single digits of points totals, unless of course it's a big change downward, meaning that song was previously considered quite good. Examples of this plummet are The Clash's Clampdown, Fiction Factory's Feels Like Heaven, and the Human League's Lebanon (for whatever reasons).

INXS' The One Thing is a crazy big gainer in terms to absolute number (+391 positions!) - maybe that damned TV show?? I think Joy Division's Transmission might be even more impressive with a 52 spot jump to 18 - harder to make a gain among the established favorites I would think. Among the top 10, Uncertain Smile was the biggest gainer, going up 3 spots to 4 (really??), while It's My Life lost 4 spots (I'd love to see it even lower).

<img src="http://blir.smugmug.com/photos/i-pL2Fnm6/0/O/i-pL2Fnm6.jpg">

by **Frau_Blucher** » Tue May 31, 2011 1:25 pm

And here are some songs that dropped out of the top 500 with their previous 2007 cumulative ranks. Again, none of the bottom ones are statistically significant, but I'd say that those first 5 or 6 are. Still, with so few of the over-300s falling, I'd say that points to an amazing consistency in the top songs:

152 Blondie - Atomic
201 Cars - Let's Go
230 Bill Nelson - Flaming Desire
258 Gang Of Four - I Found That Essence Rare
270 Level 42 - Something About You
279 Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday
285 Cure - The Walk
310 Hubert Kah - The Picture
313 John Palumbo - Blowing Up Detroit
317 Maurice And The Cliches - Soft Core
330 Marc Almond - Tears Run Rings
331 New Order - Dreams Never End
334 Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing
335 Replacements - I Will Dare
337 Berlin - Sex (I'm A...)
338 Nails - 88 Lines About 44 Women
341 A-Ha - The Sun Always Shines On Tv
347 Captain Sensible - Wot
348 Cee Farrow - Should I Love You?
351 Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
357 Jam - The Bitterest Pill
361 Men Without Hats - I Like
363 Modern English - Life In The Gladhouse
369 U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
373 Blue Peter - Don't Walk Past
376 Missing Persons - Walking In LA
378 Polecats - Make A Circuit With Me
388 Food And Shelter - What Is The Problem
390 Jason And The Nashville Scorchers - I Can't Help Myself
398 ABC - Tears Are Not Enough
400 Blancmange - Feel Me
403 Book Of Love - Boy
413 Duran Duran - New Moon On Monday
414 Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army
416 Flesh For Lulu - Postcards From Paradise
417 Fra Lippo Lippi - Come Summer
418 Game - Walk Away
419 Go-Betweens - Streets Of Your Town
420 Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
422 Jags - Back Of My Hand
423 Killing Joke - A New Day
424 Kim Wilde - Cambodia
425 Knack - My Sharona
426 Mighty Lemon Drops - Out Of Hand
427 Nena - 99 Luftballoons
428 OMD - Talking Loud And Clear
429 OMD - Tesla Girls
431 Pale Fountains - Palm Of My Hand
432 Pat Wilson - Bop Girl
433 Psychedelic Furs - Heaven
434 Sideways Look - Knowing You From Today
435 Simple Minds - Alive And Kicking
436 Sisters Of Mercy - Alice
438 Soft Cell - Torch
442 Trio - Da Da Da
443 U2 - Bad
444 Undertones - You've Got My Number
445 It's Immaterial - Driving Away From Home
448 Alan Parsons Project - Don't Answer Me
449 Alison Moyet - Love Resurrection
450 Alphaville - Jerusalem
451 APB - One Day
452 Art Company - Susanna
453 Art Of Noise - (Do) Donna (Do)
454 Barracudas - We're Living In Violent Times
455 Blancmange - Lorraine's My Nurse
456 B-Movie - Scare Some Life Into Me
457 Book Of Love - Modigliani
458 Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap
459 Box - My Dreams Of You
460 Breathless - Monkey Talk
461 Broken Silence - Part Of The Machinery
462 Buzzcocks - Time's Up
463 Clan Of Xymox - Agonised By Love
464 Clash - Car Jamming
465 Clash - Stay Free
466 Cure - More Than This
467 Cure - One Hundred Years
468 Danielle Dax - Cathouse
469 Dawn - Enveloped Ideas
470 Dragon - Rain
471 Drivers - Tears On Your Anorak
473 Eurythmics - English Summer
474 Fay Ray - Family Affairs
475 Fay Ray - Heat Wave
476 Felony - Vigilante
477 Flash And The Pan - Hey St Peter
478 French - Set Me On Fire
479 Freur - Matters Of The Heart
481 Home Service - Only Men Fall In Love
482 Icicle Works - Hollow Horse
483 Jam - Beat Surrender
485 Japan - Methods Of Dance
486 Joy Division - Decades
487 Kate Bush - Hello Earth
488 Kids In The Kitchen - Current Stand
489 Killing Joke - Sanity
490 King Crimson - Sleepless
491 Kings - Switchin' To Glide
492 Kissing The Pink - Certain Things Are Likely
493 Klaus Nomi - The Nomi Song
495 Limited Warranty - Never Enough
496 Los Lobos - Will The Wolf Survive
497 Love And Rockets - The Dog-End Of A Day Gone By
498 Malcolm Mclaren - D'ya Like Scratchin'?
499 Manicured Noise - Faith
500 Miss Kimberly - My Boyfriend Is A Communist

by **Frau_Blucher** » Tue May 31, 2011 5:53 pm

And the final stats for the night...erm, morning. As before, I did a hierarchical clustering of all the data to see who's similar. Think of this as an upside-down tree. The closer you are connected at the base of a branch to someone, the more closely your song and band selections are to that person.

We're only seeing about the top 225 data points of the matrix due to size constraints, but this calculation actually does include all 4500 lines of submitted data. Note that I've also factored in Bands alone at 1/3 of their total point value in addition to Songs on the premise that picking the same band should count toward some similarity rather than none at all if you picked different Songs.

Using a Spearman Rank Order algorithm with Weighted Centroid Clustering, we again get two major clusters, a bigger A cluster on the left and a smaller B. I'm thinking the latter are the cool kids. There is a -31% correction between these two clusters, meaning that the choices someone from one cluster would make are more likely to be anti-correlated to the choices from the other.

B itself is further split into a major B1 and minor B2 cluster. That B2 sub-cluster has Frank_Chickens, yipipcoyte, eight6, and Opera Primera - the exact 4 people that I'd personally guess were most unique in their tastes - truly apart from the crowd. There's a -12% correlation that anything they pick will be similar to folks even in the B cluster. Even amongst themselves there's a -2% correlation, with Frank_Chickens being the most dissimilar amongst them.

The B2 cluster has some more mainstream songs than B1 but the distribution looks much broader than A cluster (less of the most popular songs higher up). B2b exhibits this even more so than B2a (the even darker spots higher up the graph).

The A cluster is split into a major A1 and a very minor A2 cluster that has only Pacification and skeggia in it - a -4% correlation to the rest of A. A1 is also split into a minor A1b and major A1a cluster that has the majority of the population. Correlation is 7% between these subclusters. I consider that far right node of A1b to be proof that all this donkulation works - note that fellow islanders fanciz, rubbeet, dsr, and empyrean all reproducibly sit there just as they did last time. [:o)]

A1 also has the most similar pairings. Fanciz and rubbeet have a 36% correlation - an extraordinary similarity given how many different possible songs they could have selected. This isn't like a bucket of 50 pieces where everyone picks all 50 and orders them in their own way - the 50 are ordered out of a bucket of over 2000 pieces, so a negative correlation would more the norm while 36% is huge.

Even more insane is the 43% correlation between the GROUP and Swampthing. GROUP is a composite individual representing the top 50 choices - the "norm" so to speak. If we go up one node, glokstadt is included at 35%, then MikeP at 32% (very well representative of his constituency!), then myself, ebbhead, and freewave all at 30% correlation. I consider this fine company. [^]

Graph is below. Again, remember that it's not necessarily how close you are horizontally along the graph to someone that determines your similarity. It's rather how closely you are linked as you go up the branches of the graph - it's kinda like a 3-D mobile on a 2-D representation. Therefore, someone like skeggia in cluster A2 is just as far from wherewereuin82 as GROUP is, even though they're represented next to eachother - they're both only connected far up the branches back at the first A-B split. The intensity of the Red squares is equal to how highly you picked that band and song - black is 0/no choice. I would be glad to answer any questions or hear what you might be seeing in these views...

<img src="http://blir.smugmug.com/photos/i-NSS7Ks5/0/O/i-NSS7Ks5.jpg">

by **hello_world** » Tue May 31, 2011 11:53 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]
 The table below shows the change in rank from previous polls, color-coded so that larger changes downward are in darkening shades of red and then green for vice versa.
[/quote]

Thank you for putting the poll results together. I couldn't make out a pattern in the change. Some songs I was glad to see fall or rise, others sad to see fall or rise.

p.s. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" has never done much for me. I hope "Transmission" passes it in the next poll!

by **plagiarism** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:09 am

I'll never truly understand this graph, but it's fascinating.

Looking at the previous results, I see that zill, schwenko and I all submitted new results and moved from group B to A. So of course 82 tries to get away from us and goes from A to B. Meanwhile, AFAIK, Opera Prima and skeggia didn't submit new entries and they switch groups as well.

What happened to groups A1C and A3?

by **Frau_Blucher** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:20 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by plagiarism[/i]
 What happened to groups A1C and A3?
[/quote]
Those are just my arbitrary descriptions of the different nodes. You could say that A2a is split into A2a1 and A2a2 nodes that are pretty distinct. A2b is actually kinda weird. ExRat sits by himself at what you might call an A2b1 node then there's the rest of A2b2. A2b is almost like a Survivor Island scenario, where going from right to left, you can imagine nodes being voted off that are more and more different than the GROUP.

Regarding skeggia and Opera Prima, part of that is that the sum can change the relationship of the parts. Part of it also may be me tweaking the parameters. These things aren't really that precise given such a narrow range of values (1-7) with so many null values.

by **Jim2** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:23 am

I would like to see a master list of all 2035 different songs.

Please?

If you don't feel like posting it, an e-mail would be wonderful.

by **Frau_Blucher** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:48 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by Jim2[/i]
 I would like to see a master list of all 2035 different songs.

Please?

If you don't feel like posting it, an e-mail would be wonderful.
[/quote]
You bet Jim. I was thinking of posting it later so it doesn't possibly swamp the first page of the thread. Drop me an email and I'll provide it.

by **plagiarism** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:55 am

Changes in rank from last time. Can't get the nice formatting as Frau.

<pre "size=+1">
Rank "+/-" Band - Song
1 0 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
2 0 New Order - Blue Monday
3 2 Echo And The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
4 5 The The - Uncertain Smile
5 -2 Smiths - How Soon Is Now
6 -2 B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
7 -1 Freur - Doot Doot
8 6 Split Enz - I Got You
9 -1 Talk Talk - It's My Life
10 -3 Heaven 17 - Let Me Go
11 14 Roxy Music - More Than This
12 1 Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
13 -3 Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
14 12 Visage - Fade To Grey
15 3 A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
16 -5 Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
17 30 New Order - Ceremony
18 6 Joy Division - Transmission
19 -8 Icicle Works - Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)
20 7 OMD - Souvenir
21 0 Payolas - Eyes Of A Stranger
22 -6 New Order - Temptation
23 16 Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-82-84)
24 -3 Church - Under The Milky Way
24 3 English Beat - Save It For Later
26 -3 Spoons - Nova Heart
27 6 Thomas Dolby - One Of Our Submarines
28 9 Modern English - I Melt With You
29 -2 Gary Numan - Cars
30 1 Jam - Town Called Malice
30 46 Church - The Unguarded Moment
32 18 Peter Godwin - Images Of Heaven
33 18 Human League - Seconds
34 50 Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away
35 -5 New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
36 -18 Ultravox - Vienna
36 61 Duran Duran - Planet Earth
38 25 Chameleons - Swamp Thing
39 -8 Echo And The Bunnymen - The Cutter
40 22 Human League - Don't You Want Me
41 -21 Cure - In Between Days
41 12 A Flock Of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song
41 18 ABC - The Look Of Love
44 new Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
44 new Soft Cell - Tainted Love
46 -5 Siouxsie And The Banshees - Cities In Dust
46 14 Thomas Dolby - Europa And The Pirate Twins
48 22 Fixx - Stand Or Fall
49 -32 Japan - Quiet Life
49 -16 Cure - Just Like Heaven
49 -14 Chameleons - Tears
52 -14 Siouxsie And The Banshees - Dazzle
53 new Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric
54 -14 Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
55 25 Jam - That's Entertainment
56 -13 OMD - Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)
57 24 Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right
57 new David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
59 new Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach
60 -3 A-Ha - Take On Me
61 -25 Wire Train - Chamber Of Hellos
61 32 Cure - Boys Don't Cry
63 27 Bongos - Numbers With Wings
64 29 A Flock Of Seagulls - Telecommunication
65 new Talk Talk - Talk Talk
66 -21 Big Country - In A Big Country
66 new Real Life - Send Me An Angel
66 new U2 - I Will Follow
69 -54 INXS - Don't Change
70 -12 Comsat Angels - Will You Stay Tonight
71 -29 Ministry - Revenge
71 -8 Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love
73 new English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom
74 -18 OMD - Electricity
75 -7 Killing Joke - Love Like Blood
75 new Cure - A Forest
77 -22 Tears For Fears - Mad World
77 -7 Cure - Close To Me
77 7 OMD - Enola Gay
80 -37 Chameleons - Up The Down Escalator
80 -33 Joy Division - Atmosphere
82 -36 Damned - Alone Again Or
82 -6 Aztec Camera - Oblivious
84 -23 Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
84 0 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
86 -34 Clash - Train In Vain
86 1 Specials - Ghost Town
88 -23 Records - Starry Eyes
89 -19 Depeche Mode - But Not Tonight
90 -17 Simple Minds - Love Song
90 new Tubeway Army - Down In The Park
92 -24 Translator - Everywhere That I'm Not
93 -20 Secession - Touch
93 new B-52's - Rock Lobster
95 -46 Yaz - Situation
95 new APB - Shoot You Down
95 new Kraftwerk - Tour De France
98 new Psychedelic Furs - The Ghost In You
99 new The The - This Is The Day
100 new Gang Of Four - Damaged Goods
</pre>

Dropped out:

53 Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind
65 Blancmange - Dont Tell Me
65 PiL - Public Image
75 Cure - Lets Go To Bed
76 Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
76 Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
82 Waterboys - The Whole Of The Moon
83 Propaganda - Duel
87 Smiths - This Charming Man
89 Tears for Fears - Change
90 Blancmange - Blind Vision
90 English Beat - I Confess
95 Clash - The Magnificent Seven
96 New Order - Your Silent Face
98 Pete Shelley - Homosapien
99 Industry - State Of The Nation
100 When In Rome - The Promise

by **Frau_Blucher** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:03 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by plagiarism[/i]
 Dropped out:

53 Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind
65 Blancmange - Dont Tell Me
65 PiL - Public Image
75 Cure - Lets Go To Bed
76 Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
76 Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
82 Waterboys - The Whole Of The Moon
83 Propaganda - Duel
87 Smiths - This Charming Man
89 Tears for Fears - Change
90 Blancmange - Blind Vision
90 English Beat - I Confess
95 Clash - The Magnificent Seven
96 New Order - Your Silent Face
98 Pete Shelley - Homosapien
99 Industry - State Of The Nation
100 When In Rome - The Promise
[/quote]
A shame, each and every one of these, eh? By last time, I'm thinking 2007-only?

by **plagiarism** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:12 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]

A shame, each and every one of these, eh? By last time, I'm thinking 2007-only?
[/quote]

I compared the results from those listed here:

http://nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22167

by **Frau_Blucher** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:17 am

Up the Down Escalator falling 37 spots. A travesty I tell ya!

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NWO Top 100 Songs: 2005-2011 Cumulative

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