2. Guided by Voices, "Hit" Definitely a band known for their brevity, our Guided by Voices are. 1995's Alien Lanes is one of their best works ever, and "Hit" is definitely a clever little piece. The liner notes of the album seem to hint that the song was about Bob Pollard's frustration with the music industry and how bad songs become popular. You'll have to decided that for yourselves though.

1. Phantom of the Paradise, "Never Thought I'd Get to Meet the Devil" If you haven't seen Brian DePalma's macabre musical masterpiece that places the classic Phantom story in the funky, groovy '70s, then you are missing out. Paul Williams did the score, and actually got nominated for an Academy Award because of it. This brief tune doesn't appear on the official soundtrack, but is a neat little composition that follows composer Winslow Leech as he decides to crash the man who stole his music's house.

BONUS SONG: Anything Box, "45" A 45-second running time is the only thing that kept this bit of genius by Anything Box from being our No. 1 song. It's still one of my favorite videos of all time, and the song itself is a desperate gambit of a thing that showed a different side to AB. I couldn't let the subject go without a nod to its excellence.

Jef has a new story, a tale of headless strippers and The Rolling Stones, available now in Broken Mirrors, Fractured Minds. You can also connect with him on Facebook.

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