My Top 2000 Songs #1121: Glad Girls

Every time I feel we're due for another Guided By Voices inclusion on the list--this appears to be our 9th, more or less--there's the thorny question of Ok, but which one? Because while today I feel like it should be "Glad Girls," tomorrow I'll undoubtedly regret this decision and wish I'd gone in one of a dozen other ways. Oh, well. Just gotta commit.

And "Glad Girls" (off 2001's Isolation Drills) is undeniably a super-fun GbV song, a jubilantly meaningless burst of giddy glee. It's certainly one of their most straightforwardly in-you-face power pop songs, awash in crunchy power chords and a sing-along chorus. And sure, one might wonder if it would've felt more distinctively GbV had they gone with a more lo-fi approach, and cut the running length in half, but if you're trying to convince someone of the greatness of Robert Pollard, this is a pretty easy tune to welcome a newbie.

Live and pretty wasted:

As covered by Circa 62:

GbV tribute band Gang of Pricks:

I'm among those who have never watched a single episode of How I Met Your Mother, but gotta respect the needle-drop!