What is the Quintessential Goth Song?

[Troy Spiral (13)]

We've not done this for about 3 years or so, tempted to necro-post but seems more fun to start a new one.

What is the Quintessential Goth Song?

Quintessential: 1. - representing the perfect example of a class or quality.

I'd add a small Caveat just so we don't go TOO far all over the board - That is a song that is pretty widely known within the subculture.

So a song like say Rokey Ericson's - Night of the Vampire or 69 Eyes - Gothic Girl both of which which I L O V E, wouldn't fit the bill (a bit too obscure).

I've got about 4-5 songs floating around in my head but I don't want to bias the list right off the bat.

[Nate Kriepp]

Jeez, gotta think about this. Been listening to a lot of Tom Waits lately so my judgement may be clouded.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Jeez, gotta think about this. Been listening to a lot of Tom Waits lately so my judgement may be clouded.

Love me some tom waits.

[Joey Deadcat]

Either...

What was it you lads said that night I played this..."Goth As Fuck".

Or...

The song and everything about this scene...

[Nate Kriepp]

Never really gave him a close listen until the last few weeks. I'm blown away by the lyrics and don't know if I can see past them in a gothy way right now.

[Nate Kriepp]

Joey, never heard Gargoyle Sox before until now. That rocks!

[Troy Spiral (13)]

So much for me trying to preempt the obscurity/otling type stuff and keep things on-topic. lol. Don't get me wrong, hell I think Simon & Garfunkel have "goth songs" , and I miss real drums and the post-punk/rock type stuff, just not what I'm trying to get at here.

[Nate Kriepp]

So much for me trying to preempt the obscurity/otling type stuff and keep things on-topic. lol. Don't get me wrong, hell I think Simon & Garfunkel have "goth songs" , just not what I'm trying to get at here.

Didn't mean to threadjack. Ok, when I think quintessential goth song I think.....Blue Water by Fields of the Nephilim. Might be because I was a youngster when I first heard it, but it still does it for me.

[the eternal]

I'm tempted to criticize Deadcat for picking more obscure selections, but his songs are so fucking perfect, how can I?

Great choices!

Quintessential Goth Song?

Well let's see--

Hmmm...

Kicked off the modern goth movement

Band showed up for concerts in a hearse

Heavily featured in a legendary vampire movie

That starred David Bowie

Yeah I think we may have a winner

[DJ Nocker]

Its pretty obvious... At least for this board.

Bauhaus- Bella Lugosi's Dead

Siouxsie and the Banshees- Cities in Dust

Sisters of Mercy- This Corrosion

Joy Division- Love Will Tear Us Apart (technically post/punk but widely accepted in the goth community)

Will prolly be the top answers, maybe a cure song.

But ill put my vote in for Kiss Kiss Bang Band by Specimen, although snobs will call it "batcave" instead of goth.

[phee]

The way the subculture is structured... as soon as you answer the question it becomes incorrect.

[Simon Bar Sinister]

this week, it's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmHk9QQ09Pk

[DJ Nocker]

The way the subculture is structured... as soon as you answer the question it becomes incorrect.

Phee is 100% correct, LoL

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Its pretty obvious... At least for this board.

That's what I thought too (that some of this would be obvious), but apparently not. We more "into it" type people tend to interbreed a lot, and assume that others know at least the basic stuff that we take for granted. Early on, I used to go out of my way to talk to almost EVERYONE about what music they liked and didn't like, and it was probably 10 to 1 at CC , here on DGN or the callers at 89.3 FM when i was a DJ there, that were "insiders" lets say. Most people are on the edges , often put off by , or not really caring to ask the "basic questions" or do, right away ask questions I just assumed they already knew the answer to.

I was very suprized how few DGNers (and club goers) are familair with lets call them "the classics" especially not by name. Only the "regulars" get "bored" by hearing the same 200 songs, the rest of the people (proably 90% of the audience) are generally just casual listeners and dont know the difference and don't mind or actually would PREFER to hear the "top 200" rather than the stuff that the more jaded (and vocal) types want.

And since there is almost always a new crop of people cycling through, that same "10%" lets call it seems to be fairly static, with a huge swath of people that need to be re-introduced. (part of why I started DGN, to help out newbies)

[Troy Spiral (13)]

I do like the discussion (well except for the fact that I have to donkey punch phee too often).

[DJ Nocker]

That's what I thought too (that some of this would be obvious), but apparently not. We more "into it" type people tend to interbreed a lot, and assume that others know at least the basic stuff that we take for granted. Early on, I used to go out of my way to talk to almost EVERYONE about what music they liked and didn't like, and it was probably 10 to 1 at CC , here on DGN or the callers at 89.3 FM when i was a DJ there, that were "insiders" lets say. Most people are on the edges , often put off by , or not really caring to ask the "basic questions" or do, right away ask questions I just assumed they already knew the answer to.

I was very suprized how few DGNers (and club goers) are familair with lets call them "the classics" especially not by name. Only the "regulars" get "bored" by hearing the same 200 songs, the rest of the people (proably 90% of the audience) are generally just casual listeners and dont know the difference and don't mind or actually would PREFER to hear the "top 200" rather than the stuff that the more jaded (and vocal) types want.

And since there is almost always a new crop of people cycling through, that same "10%" lets call it seems to be fairly static, with a huge swath of people that need to be re-introduced. (part of why I started DGN, to help out newbies)

Well this question is easy to answer, obviously the quintessential goth song was by one of the quintessential goth bands, which there were about 5 big bands, give or take. each of them only had maybe 3 hits, which leaves aprox 15 potential answers.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Well this question is easy to answer, obviously the quintessential goth song was by one of the quintessential goth bands, which there were about 5 big bands, give or take. each of them only had maybe 3 hits, which leaves aprox 15 potential answers.

Sure for the "in crowd" but I try not to squash conversations like this so quickly. You'd be surpized how easily one of the "cool kids" acting like a subject is obviously not even worth discussing since everyone who's anyone already knows the answer can squash something that would otherwise be interesting to many people. Theres a ton of people that couldn't name a single "big goth band" around, and I mean a ton.

Plus then there is just the idea of discussion for discussion's sake. I've got probably 3 songs in my mind for this one, but , given the right makeup of posters this can be a 50 post long discussion (or longer) or just informative to the lurker/shy types. Although the tone is now turned into a dramatic one, and only the more thick skinned will post, which is the vast minority.

[DJ Nocker]

Sure for the "in crowd" but I try not to squash conversations like this so quickly. You'd be surpized how easily one of the "cool kids" acting like a subject is obviously not even worth discussing since everyone who's anyone already knows the answer can squash something that would otherwise be interesting to many people. Theres a ton of people that couldn't name a single "big goth band" around, and I mean a ton.

Plus then there is just the idea of discussion for discussion's sake. I've got probably 3 songs in my mind for this one, but , given the right makeup of posters this can be a 50 post long discussion (or longer) or just informative to the lurker/shy types. Although the tone is now turned into a dramatic one, and only the more thick skinned will post, which is the vast minority.

If you are in the goth community and cant name a single big goth band, are you really into the music in the first place to even care about this question? Sorry, it is an easy question if you go buy the definition that I gave in a different thread. But just to stimulate conversation (as you would say), have fun debating

As for people not being thick skinned...how did you last in the community if you ARENT thick skinned? Goths get poked at more than juggalos do, LoL.

Feel free to delete my posts if you think it will get 50 responses I kind of doubt it as 90% of the people that do populate this forum dont even like goth music, which is the real reason why there havent been many posts in this thread. You would probably get more hits for a "quintessential industrial song".

[Troy Spiral (13)]

If you are in the goth community and cant name a single big goth band, are you really into the music in the first place to even care about this question? Sorry, it is an easy question if you go buy the definition that I gave in a different thread. But just to stimulate conversation (as you would say), have fun debating

As for people not being thick skinned...how did you last in the community if you ARENT thick skinned? Goths get poked at more than juggalos do, LoL.

Feel free to delete my posts if you think it will get 50 responses I kind of doubt it as 90% of the people that do populate this forum dont even like goth music, which is the real reason why there havent been many posts in this thread. You would probably get more hits for a "quintessential industrial song".

Many of what I'd call "hardcore" goths are thick skinned, but they are few and far between (hardcore goths), just for that reason, timidity / aversion to confrontation etc. So the "borderline" or "curious" people for various reasons who might have otherwise became "goths" never do, not due to outside persecution (that is one reason, just not the reason I'm addressing) but also due to insider disdain.

A lot of people come to this community for what "we" would think are lame reasons. They like harry potter, they like black clothing, they like vampires etc. But, they can "convert" into knowledgeable persons, but never will if they get sort of bitch-slapped (over simplification on my part) right out the gate before they even get in the door. Thats partly why I started DGN, 10 years ago the only online local things I could find were email groups that were so closed (or inactive) to outsiders it wasn't funny, or , they were so wide-open and unmoderated that everyone just called each other faggots constantly (like is usual for say youtube commentary) and thus it was difficult for all but the most thick skinned to get involved.

There are a ton of timid folks out there, who, are / would be great to have involved in things, but never will due to certain "problems" with entry, one of them being fear. Now, don't get me wrong, some people just need to grow some balls. But, given the very real problem of people just being shy/timid, I try to take my audience into account, which , in the context here (message board) the audience is largely lurkers / newbies (and shy ones at that).

This sort of "beginner" or "easy" discussion topic is exactly what many people want/like , its also how to grow / educate a largely ill informed community of people that might say, only play dressup on the weekend.

True we'd think "couldn't they just google this stuff?" but again, that's an off putting response to someone , better in the long run to just avoid that down-the-nose implication. (even when we didn't really mean it that way, it just comes off that way). A little diplomacy can do a lot to 'bring in' them that otherwise would just do something else.

Even if that means we have to hold our noses or tongues sometimes and be more, civil lets call it, than we might otherwise want to be. I'm super blunt/politically incorrect by nature, never thought, 12 years ago I'd EVER be making this sort of argument.

[Joey Deadcat]

Willful, blissful ignorance and apathy on the part of the majority has made me come to appreciate any perceived elitism. You don't wanna know and refuse to break away from the status quo then, yeah, you deserve to feel left out.