THE GREATEST OF ALL TUNES: ARCADE FIRE EDITION! (THE TOP 10 TEN SONGS BY ARCADE FIRE…SO FAR…With Covers!)

4.  Wake Up (Funeral, 2004)

A traditional live-show opener, and a get-on-your-feet anthem.  If U2 were the first “arena rock” band-by which I mean a group whose songs made you feel the swell of the crowd behind you-then Wake Up established Arcade Fire as the indie version.  In fact, U2 used it as the last song played over the PA before they took the stage for their Vertigo tour.  Arcade Fire’s biggest (or at least most obvious) musical influences are David Byrne and David Bowie, so it must have been the biggest thrill of their lives when the Thin White Duke himself played this song with the band in 2005, which you can find on their tremendously good iTunes EP-featuring covers of “Life on Mars” and “Five Years.”

There are covers, but this version with Bowie is boss as fuck…




3.  Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Suburbs, 2012)

Continuing their role as groundbreakers, the band released an “interactive” video for this song where viewers could participate via webcam.  Which is ironic, because the song is about the hope for a world with less emphasis on technology-and an obvious precursor to their Reflektor album.  And I’m sure I’m not the first person to notice the similarities tonally between this song the kind of New Wave post-disco made famous by Blondie.


Next: The Top 2!

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