Who Rocked it Best: Battle of the Same Song Titles

Who can lay claim to releasing the best "Butterfly"?

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Complex Original

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"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal." —T.S. Eliot

"No idea's original." —Nas

Who rocked this unoriginal idea better? "No Idea's Original" samples "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby," while T.S. Eliot's quote comes from The Sacred Wood, a book that you have to get from the library or on your "Nook." Either way, it has no beat to speak of. Verdict: Nas gets the championship belt for this one.

So yeah, nobody is really an original. And they definitely aren't coming up with original ways of titling their works of art, either. It was easier not to notice this pre-iTunes, but now that you can line up your entire library by song title, the lack of originality in naming tracks is more evident than ever. Oh, you have a song called "Molly"? So do eight other rappers. (Tyga > Stuey Rock > 8TMG, if you were wondering).

But which artists get to call the song title their own? We put 42 songs across genres head-to-head, to solve once and for all Who Rocked it Best: Battle of the Same Song Titles.

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Billy Joel "New York State of Mind" (1976) vs. Nas "N.Y. State of Mind" (1994)

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Billy Joel made his name off melancholy piano ditties like "The Piano Man," so when he performed "New York State of Mind" at the Concert for New York City, a benefit for the families of slain police and firemen one month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the song reached new heights of pathos. But it's really just a moody bicoastal complaint about a pop star who's sick of living in La La land. Boo-hoo for Billy.

By contrast, the first full track off Nas' magum opus Illmatic plunges the listener deep into the a jazzy yet gritty beat as DJ Premier's Joe Chambers sample makes you forget all about the Piano Man. Then Nasty Nas comes at you "Straight out the fucking dungeons of rap/Where fake niggas don't make it back." Would BJ even stand a chance? —Rob Kenner

Winner: Nas



Juvenile "Slow Motion" (2004) vs. Panda Bear "Slow Motion" (2011) vs. Lifehouse "Slow Motion" (2012)

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So, did you want to twerk, strum the chords of an air guitar, or trip on acid and dance in circles? Those are your choices when trying to compare Juvenile, Lifehouse, and Panda Bear's versions of "Slow Motion."

Let's start with Panda Bear, who defines "Slow Motion" as actually slowing something down and realizing that it's not what people say, it's what they don't say. Very philosophical.

Next up is Lifehouse, who, aside from "Hanging By A Moment," should have left the lane of borderline-throat singing to Creed. Their definition of "Slow Motion" is extremely fucking emo. While Panda Bear was being all "existential crisis," Lifehouse was all, "These tears ain't running out/Like living in slow motion/Burning out the days are upside down." Pick yourself up—you're Lifehouse—you should be full of life.

Last, but certainly not least because he is our winner, Juvenile gets the true meaning of "Slow Motion." TWERKING, grinding, sexual fantasies—all of that, and a very slow sensual beat to go along with his raunchy, explicit lyrics. Lifehouse, Panda Bear, take notes. —Lauren Nostro

Winner: Juvenile





Outkast "Roses" (2004) vs. Kanye West "Roses" (2005)

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Do roses smell like poo-oo-ooo or do roses make you smile? It's obvious that Kanye West's "Roses" wins this song title battle. OutKast's bitter battle on the mic over a female who's only after money—catchy chorus or not—falls short of Kanye's ode to family. OutKast's rose is a beautiful woman who, up close, isn't what you thought she'd be. Kanye's metaphor for a rose is family—and on the Late Registration track, Kanye's lyrics take us on a journey to the time his grandmother spent in the hospital. The West family never sent flowers—they were the flowers, and Kanye's heart-warming track is the better of the two "Roses." —Lauren Nostro

Winner: Kanye



Bob Marley & The Wailers "One Love" (1977) vs. Nas "One Love" (1994)

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Nas says his song "One Love" drew inspiration from the salutations and sign-offs he'd read in letters sent to and from incarcerated loved ones. Although he didn't explicity link the expression "One Love" with Bob Marley, there can be no doubt that the phrase originated with Bob Marley and The Wailers, whose song of the same name was so well loved that it was chosen as the theme for the Jamaica Tourist Board.

Bob Marley and/or The Wailers made several versions of the song, starting way back in the 1960s at Studio 1 and continuing up until his premature death in 1981. All of Bob Marley's versions owe a significant debt to Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions' "People Get Ready," but this one is a case where the original has not resonated as powerfully as the cover version. Bottom line: the dread rocked it best. —Rob Kenner

Winner: Bob Marley



Radiohead "Creep" (1992) vs. TLC "Creep" (1994)

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The lead single from TLC's smash album CrazySexyCool also became their first No. 1 hit, a slinky Dallas Austin-produced groove about a lady who knows her man is cheating so she decides turnabout is fair play, as long as she keeps it on the down-low. So she "creeps," or sneaks around.

Radiohead's song used the word "creep" in a totally different way, as a first-person lament. It was the first single the band ever released, back in 1992, but Radio 1 in England found the tune too depressing to spin. The band's label had issues with it too. But it has since become a fan favorite, and its cathartic rage rings much truer than TLC's tidier tit-for-tat confection. The late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes objected to the song's message—threatening to wear black tape over her mouth in the video—but eventually capitulated. She'd probably rock with Radiohead too. —Rob Kenner

Winner: Radiohead



Frank Sinatra "My Way" (1969) vs. Usher "My Way" (1997)

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This one isn't even fair. A nineteen-year-old R&B prodigy gets with Jermaine Dupri and cuts a record about how he's so fly he can take your girl. Does that rock harder than a 54-year-old O.G. of American music singing a song penned by Paul Anka in which he stares death in the eye, takes stock of a lifetime of triumphs (and a few regretss), and makes a final peace with his own mortality? No contest. —Rob Kenner

Winner: Frank Sinatra



Nas "Represent" (1994) vs. Bubba Sparxxx "Represent" (2006)

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Two things stalkers love: Google Maps Street View and rappers' obsession with "representing" for the people of their coast, state, city, neighborhood, block, and building. Lyrics like "You can find me in the [insert place to lurk at 3 a.m.]" are extremely helpful to creepers, especially when the rapper provides details of said location.

Take Nas on "Represent," off his undisputed classic debut Illmatic. Encouraged by the simple chorus (his boys shouting "Represent! Represent!"), the ascendant wordsmith paints a vivid picture of Queensbridge's gully streets: "The corners is the hot spot, full of mad criminals/who don't care, guzzlin' beers, we all stare/at the out-of-towners. They better break North/before we get the four pounders, and take their face off." Listeners might imagine they're watching an episode of The Wire as he describes drug transactions observed by undercover officers positioned atop project roofs.

It's debatable whether Nas, who mostly observed and journalistically reported what he saw friends doing, ever was "pullin' a Tec out the dresser" because police had him under pressure, but in the end it doesn't matter because he transports you to a place he knows well, and then makes you want to get the fuck out before you get shot.

Bubba is far less boastful and celebratory in his return voyage. After failing to do Eminem numbers with Deliverance, his critically acclaimed 2003 country-fried masterpiece full of banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas, the mid aughts' other really dope white boy is reluctantly back in the dusty sticks of Georgia—which is bordered by the states of bitter depression and defiance—on the opening track of his follow-up album, The Charm (as in hopefully "the third time's...").

Bubba: "Y'all can suck my right and left nut with the same slurp/No more of the fame's perks, I'm back in LeGrange hurt/Can't work, same dirt I thought I had wiped off." Using impressive multi-syllabic rhymes like defensive punches, he describes being this close to the success of Marshall Mathers, to whom he was always compared, but being done in by bad timing. The song ultimately suggests he'll persevere, but when he closes by saying he'd never trade places with Em, you can't help but wonder if he's actually living in a town called Denial, population: Bubba.

This one goes to Nas, because even with all the murders, drugs, and violence directed at outsiders in "Represent," Bubba's version seems to be in a much darker space than even a stalker would want to lurk in. —Justin Monroe

Winner: Nas



Jodeci "Stay" (1991) vs. Rihanna f/ Mikky Ekko "Stay" (2012)

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One night, or a lifetime? That's the difference between Jodeci's "Stay" and Rihanna's "Stay." Jodeci's track was their second No. 1 hit—a milestone in the group's career, but a hopeless plea to get their lady back after lies, cheating, and a lot of self pity ("Cause all of my tears/You know they left me drownin'/Please baby I'm beggin'/For you to stay at home.") OK, they messed up and they want you back.

Nearly two decades later, Rihanna stripped down her vocals, bared all in her lyrics, and belted on "Stay," off of her latest album, Unapologetic. On Jodeci's hit, we're left wondering whose heart they broke. On Rihanna's, we already know—making it more painful, more raw, and an emotional ride for anyone who can bare to hold back tears to the line "Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving."

Rihanna wins one round for vulnerability and emotions. Jodeci, you're all messed up, and you probably got your lady back, but the ability to craft a slow jam and love ballad into "Stay," coupled with those harmonies, makes the 1991 version the winner. —Lauren Nostro

Winner: Jodeci



Fat Joe "The Shit Is Real" (1993) vs. Mic Geronimo "Shit's Real" (1994) vs. Black Moon "Shit Iz Real" (1993)

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In case you didn't know: Shit was definitely real in the early '90s. How real, you ask? So real that a trio of Golden Age artists spun the oft-used phrase into song titles. Fat Joe's offering suffers from the fact that the original—produced by the Beatnuts and appearing on his debut album, Represent—pales in comparison to the superior DJ Premier remix, which popped up on Joe's second LP. Meanwhile, Mic Geronimo's take has the gift and the curse of a meaty sample: The loop, a muddied flip of Deniece Williams' "Free," is undeniably dope but by song's end it feels repetitive.

That leaves one winner in this realest of battles: Black Moon. "Shit Iz Real" encapsulates why Enta Da Stage is a classic—Buckshot's smooth, succinct rhymes over Evil Dee's beautifully layered beats. All that, and it's just an album cut. Back then, even Black Moon's superficial joints were super official. —Donnie Kwak

Winner: Black Moon



Lil Wayne f/ Drake & Future "Love Me" (2013) vs. Eminem f/ Obie Trice & 50 Cent "Love Me" (2002)

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Does the world want to feel love or feel hate? Leave those answers up to Obie Trice and Future. This is very simple—Eminem's "Love Me" featuring Obie Trice and 50 Cent is so cold, so mean, so unwelcoming that it's hard to put it in the same realm as Lil Wayne's "Love Me," featuring Drake and Future.

Sure, Weezy gets kind of gross and misogynistic, as per usual ("She wake up, eat this dick/Call that breakfast in bed"), but come on: Obie Trice says "We wanna love alcohol. We wanna love guns. We wanna love money. We don't wanna love bitches, though." And Future is crooning "Long as my bitches love me." So, whatever else they're rapping about doesn't really matter—would you rather have Obie Trice tell you he doesn't want to love you tonight? Or would you rather Future belt out that nothing else matters as long as you love him?

But remember, "bitch" is never really endearing, so they both should lose. But then again, Future is a real romantic. —Lauren Nostro

Winner: Future



Rihanna "SOS" (2006) vs. ABBA "S.O.S." (1975)

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S.O.S. is maritime code for a ship in distress. Both of these songs are melodramatic declarations of love presented as a plea for some sort of rescue. Rihana's Soft Cell–sampling tune is one of the more interesting cuts off her sophomore album A Girl Like Me. The Stockholm–based quartet Abba 1975 song of the same name is brilliantly produced and mixed, but irredeemably cheesy. Not that RiRi's isn't somewhat cheesy either, but her "S.O.S." version rocks way harder with its "Tainted Love" interpolation. Somebody please throw her a life preserver. —Rob Kenner

Winner: Rihanna



Hall & Oates "Maneater" (1982) vs. Nelly Furtado "Maneater" (2006)

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Sorry, Big Lurch: There have been two Top 40 hits named "Maneater" over the years, and neither of them are about funky cannibals. Nonetheless, using cannibalism as a metaphor for feminine intimidation is too delicious to resist.

Blue-eyed soul icons Daryl Hall & John Oates first warned us about the voracious vixen in 1982 on their No. 1 single, which paints her as a heartless gold-digger: "The woman is wild, a she-cat tamed by the purr of a Jaguar/Money's the matter, if you're in it for love, you ain't gonna get too far." In 2006, Nelly Furtado assumed the identity of the "Maneater," making her seem more sassy than scary: "I wanna see you all on your knees, knees/You either wanna be with me or be me."

Musically, both songs take a retro approach—Hall & Oates' version is a sleek twist on the classic Motown bass line groove from the '60s (most famously heard on The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love"), while Nelly hits you over the head with an '80s New Wave electro-pop thump that recalls The Eurythmics. But even with Timbaland and Danja behind the boards, Nelly can't compete with the original "Maneater," which became Hall & Oates' biggest hit.

Recently, the duo filed a lawsuit against their publisher for refusing to take action against "Maneater" copycats, including an unnamed 2006 song they considered a rip-off. The songs do technically sound different, but we can see why Daryl & John might be pissed. Nelly could have at least asked them to jump on the remix instead of Lil Wayne! —Brendan Frederick

Winner: Hall & Oates



Ghost Town DJ's "My Boo" (1996) vs. Usher f/ Alicia Keys "My Boo" (2004)

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Do we really even need to have this conversation? Jermaine Dupri made a nice little ditty called "My Boo" for Usher in 2004, capitalizing on Kanye West's then-signature chipmunk soul sample style (ironically, the song was ghost produced by Kanye's original mentor, No I.D.). But absolutely nothing is touching the original "My Boo," a transcendent one-hit wonder from 1996 that has stood the test of time like few dance pop numbers. Throw it on at any party and you'll catch even the hardest dudes singing: "At night, I think of you/I want to be your lady, baby."

Masterminded by Carl Mo (later known for producing OutKast's "I Like the Way You Move") and sung by slept-on Atlanta singer Virgo Williams, The Ghost Town DJs' "My Boo" is the Holy Grail of quad music, an influential genre that fused uptempo Miami bass with the soothing vocals of the R&B ballad. The song was the breakout hit from So So Def Bass All-Stars Vol. 1, a compilation album executive produced by Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri. So when JD gave his Usher and Alicia duet the same name eight years later, he knew exactly what he was doing: pimping nostalgia. We're expecting a new Mariah Carey song called "Shawty Swing My Way" any day now. —Brendan Frederick

Winner: Ghost Town DJ's



Ciara "My Love" (2006) vs. Justin Timberlake f/ T.I. "My Love" (2006)

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Ciara is one of R&B's biggest stars (thanks in part to her sick dance moves), and this song, with its desperately sad message, was a crucial track in the Ciara canon. But as much as Ci brought it on this break-up song, there's no way it can hold a candle to the 1-2 combo of Justin Timberlake and T.I. on FutureSexLoveSounds. With its echoing electronic intro and Justin's signature falsetto croon, the song became a club staple, and helped make JT's second solo album a huge success. It's really that T.I. feature that cements Timberlake's victory, as the line "Shorty cool as a fan" will live on in infamy forever and ever, amen. —Caitlin White

Winner: Justin Timberlake



Atlanta Rhythm Section "So Into You" (1976) vs. Tamia "So Into You" (1998)

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One of the closest matchups in modern musical history is the battle between '70s Southern rock traditionalists Atlanta Rhythm Section and mildly successful late '90s R&B star Tamia. The Atlanta Rhythm Section track is perhaps one of history's most flawless compositions, a slinky MOR rock radio staple that hides its desire within the safe confines of songwriting craft and an understated vocal performance. Yet its reserved, masculine swagger (with an essential hint of vulnerability) has an honest seriousness that is refreshing in our irony-drenched era. In the song, our hero is captivated by someone he has just met ("There was voodoo in the vibes.")

Tamia's song, which was produced by R&B mainstays Tim & Bob and flipped a sample of The Commodores' "Say Yeah," is similarly earnest rendition of falling for another, but with more certitude behind it. Rather than Atlanta Rhythm Section's love-at-first-sight, the song's crush seems built from comfort and familiarity: "I think you're truly something special." Very "male"/"female" takes on the same concept. We could hook up ARS vocalist Ronnie Hammond and Tamia, but this is a battle, and Tamia wins for that unforgettable bass-drop groove, and more convincing long-term odds for her crush. —David Drake

Winner: Tamia



Young Jeezy f/ Timbaland "3 A.M." (2006) vs. Matchbox 20 "3 A.M." (1997)

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It must be said: This is not Jeezy's best record. It's also not his second best, or third best. Timbo beats at their best sound expensive, cosmopolitan, and glossy, especially around 2006, when "3 A.M." was released. Jeezy is grimy and gritty; if you can think of two producers whose core sounds are more opposed than Timbo and Shawty Redd, Jeezy's go-to producer at the time, we'd be interested to hear about them.

Matchbox 20's track is one of the group's career highlights, but on the other hand, that group was one of the most visible parts of a fairly staid subgenre of popular alt-rock from the late 1990s that reminds this writer of one particularly long family car trip with a sibling who couldn't get enough of Rob Thomas' strange singing voice. Despite this personal history, Matchbox 20's radio hit has become more bearable with time, as these things often do, thanks in part to it no longer receiving blanket-airplay. It's now safely contained on YouTube and in the background at your supermarket. Hopefully Jeezy's "Get Ya Mind Right" gets grocery store play in a few years, but "3 A.M."? Eh. —David Drake

Winner: Matchbox 20



Elliott Smith "Somebody That I Used To Know" (2000) vs. Gotye f/ Kimbra "Somebody That I Used To Know" (2011)

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Elliot Smith and Gotye couldn't be more different. Smith wrote heart-wrenching, softly-strummed ballads about his life long struggles with depression, pain, and suicidal thoughts. Gotye has only written one song, as far as anyone knows, and it is one of those tracks that crawls into every wrinkle of your brain and nests there in a bed of incessant, unavoidable pop hooks.

Oddly enough, the main message behind Smith's version and Gotye's track is the same: You fucked me over but now I don't care about you anymore. (Too bad actually writing a song about the person you claim you have forgotten undermines the original message.) Either way, we've got Elliott's heart-tugging tune as the winner here. That flute at the beginning of Gotye's is just too goddamn annoying, lingering in your head kind of like that one person you're trying to forget. —Caitlin White

Winner: Elliot Smith



Paula Abdul "Straight Up" (1988) vs. Future "Straight Up" (2012)

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Who cares if Paula Abdul's legendary "Straight Up" single hit No. 1 on the charts? Future is from another planet; he sings about going to Mars and taking the baddest broad. Meanwhile, Paula is just being downright needy ("Do you love me? Do you love me?"). Love you forever? Bitch, please. Future is somewhere past Saturn and close to Pluto, singing about how he's got your baby's mom and she's in love with who he is. "You are so hard to read/You play hide and seek." And Future's ducking down in his spaceship trying to avoid you from outer space!

But to be fair, Paula's video is definitely better—it's in black and white film stock, and she hops around in front of street signs. We're kidding—Future is on a rooftop in an American flag hat and his ladies are all out shopping with his dough. He wins. Paula loses. And someone, somewhere in the world, needs to do a mash-up of "Straight up now tell me/Would you take me to Plu-to forever." That would win everything. —Lauren Nostro

Winner: Future



Ras Kass "Anything Goes" (1996) vs. Frank Sinatra "Anything Goes" (1954)

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Three guesses as to which of these two songs was based upon a 1934 Broadway musical that satirized Depression-era American society. OK, time's up: if you guessed the Ras Kass version, you would be incorrect.

Sinatra's flip of the Cole Porter song is a streamlining of the original; it removed references to Sam Goldwyn's box office failure Nana and other timely specifics. Instead, it's whitewashed into generic ways polite society used to be so much more polite—"In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking/Now heaven knows, anything goes." Or "Good authors too who once knew better words/Now only use four letter words writing prose, anything goes." Pretty by-the-book, reactionary stuff.

Then, we're pretty sure, he uses that as an excuse to try to score with the target of his affection, although that part is shrouded in ambiguity: "So though I'm not a great romancer, I know that you're bound to answer/When I propose, anything goes." Frank is, to use the parlance of our times, GGG.

On the other hand, Ras Kass' version is more about the ruthless cynicism of contemporary society, where folks will do anything to get over on the next man: "Big bank take little bank, anything goes/Legal or illegal however you make your cash flow." He sounds like this writer when he's bounced a check, lamenting the cruel injustice of the modern financial system while beating himself up for forgetting that the payment to ConEd hadn't already cleared. Ras Kass is directly indicting our way of life: "Capitalism is pimps and hoes/In '96 I suppose anything goes." Frank's version is politically defanged and kind of creepy. This one goes to Ras Kass. —David Drake

Winner: Ras Kass



Foo Fighters "All My Life" (2002) vs. Max B "All My Life" (2009)

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The Foo Fighters' "All My Life" is catchy, propulsive pop-rock; the song rides short, punchy and frenetic riffs, careening forward and back with tight, chugging energy. It utilizes quiet-LOUD dynamics to great effect, a fiery, combustible rock 'n' roll engine.

Max B's "All My Life," with a beat by Dame Grease, goes for the opposite ambiance, floating along on intricately layered production: vocal samples coo in the background, flooded with low-key chimes, while harmon-muted trumpets recall smokey nightclubs and piano lines elegantly drape the track in garlands of melody. The interplay of the instruments creates a smooth, carefully crafted head-in-the-kush-clouds atmosphere that works as the perfect framework for Max's laconic, grungy persona.

"What you want me to do?" he intones, his vocals nestled deep into the beat's cushion-y pocket, as the song bubbles along effervescently, sweeping the listener up in a river of cognac, intoxicated. Where were we? Oh yeah, Max B would probably lose an actual fight to the Foo Fighters, but in this battle, Max's world-numbing euphoria beats the Foo Fighters' speed-addled anxiety any day. —David Drake

Winner: Max B



Crazy Town "Butterfly" (2000) vs. Mariah Carey "Butterfly" (1997)

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Mariah Carey's "Butterfly" is the archetypal '90s Mariah ballad. Her singing is at once breathily casual and effortlessly, powerfully acrobatic. The hardest of hard rocks get tingles up their collective spines when Mariah starts hitting those little vocal runs at the song's conclusion, and many may contemplate butterfly tattoos (You've seen Game's old tat, right? Blame Mariah.)

On the other hand, Crazy Town's "Butterfly" is pop-rap nonpareil, perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of western civilization, and a true feat of Red Hot Chili Pepper-sampling ingenuity. That's right, the beat that filled a million black zipper CaseLogic CD sleeves was derived from a clip of RHCP's "Pretty Little Ditty." Of course, saying that a SoCal funk-metal band was influenced by the Chili Peppers isn't shocking, nor is the video, which, between the frosted tips and the dreadlocked blonde girl, is like a tramp stamp set to music.

Lead singer Shifty Shellshock has the sartorial skill of Mystery from The Pickup Artist, down to the painted nails, and the band pretends to play a song that was clearly sampled, because pop artists in the late-'90s were required to pretend to be bands at all times. There are about a million hyper-specific life details that this song will recall for most listeners simultaneously, i.e.: It smells like cigarette butts in the ashtray of a '93 Ford Focus with a cracked windshield on the night after the last day of sophomore year of high school, in the glow of orange sodium lights en route to a rave outside Milwaukee.

The song's sincerity is where its power is. Crazy Town's "Butterfly" is proof that even the tackiest, least skilled, and most uncool crews can make truly amazing popular art. Crazy Town bests Mariah in an endurance match, the group's unapologetic classlessness approaching the sublime. —David Drake

Winner: Crazy Town



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