My Top 1000 Songs #689: Ain't That Nothin'

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.] 

Television's 1977 debut Marquee Moon was a such a watershed its pretty great 1978 follow-up Adventure seems to get overlooked. Which means people are missing out on "Ain't That Nothin'," a stellar, understated li'l tune that owed more to skinny-tie new wave power pop than punk. It's the sort of miniature sing-along anthem that should've been a Top 10 hit, with its straightforward yet killer hook and intertwined guitars, but for Tom Verlaine's not-quite-prime-time vocal style.

Live 1978:

Rain Parade cover: