Another month, another set of 30 song challenges, some clearly better thought-out than others. I admit this one was perhaps my most challenging and definitely the easiest to mess up, given what a wide berth of songs (many of which are boiled into our collective pop subconscious) were prohibited. On several occasions, I caught myself being that guy – commenting the year of an 80’s song’s release under someone’s submission – but I don’t feel quite so bad, since I saw people jumping in to sound that buzzer before I even could. To me, that just means that these challenges have been building followings of people who feel an increasing sense of ownership, which is flattering as much as anything. Or, many people still have too much time on their hands. A little from Column A, a little from Column B.

Alright; to the tape!

1. The Wailers – “Simmer Down” (1963)
2. The Slackers – “Keep Him Away” (1998)
3. The Donna’s – “Let’s Go Mano” (1997)
4. The Steinways – “I Wanna Kiss You on the Lips” (2007)
5. Blackalicious – “Sky is Falling” (2003)
6. McLusky – “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues” (2002)
7. Deftones – “Tempest” (2012)
8. Belle & Sebastian – “The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner” (2000)
9. Chuck Ragan – “Do You Pray?” (2007)
10. The Bouncing Souls – “Kate is Great” (1998)
11. The Chats – “Smoko” (2016)
12. The Afghan Whigs – “What Jail is Like” (1993)
13. Kacey Musgraves – “Love is a Wild Thing” (2018)
14. Yo La Tengo – “Sugarcube” (1997)
15. Run Maggie Run – “Lion Tamer” (2015)
16. The Leftovers – “Dance with Me” (2007)
17. Supergrass – “Going Out” (1997)
18. Massive Attack – “Safe from Harm” (1991)
19. Airbag – “Prefiero la Playa” (2001)
20. Sly & the Family Stone – “Hot Fun in the Summertime” (1969)
21. Masked Intruder – “Crime Spree” (2014)
22. The Kinks – “David Watts” (1967)
23. Rancid – “Time Bomb” (1995)
24. Mustard Plug – “Beer (Song)” (1997)
25. The Buzzcocks – “Orgasm Addict” (1977)
26. Dropkick Murphy’s – “Going Out in Style” (2010)
27. Reel Big Fish – “I Want Your Girlfriend to be my Girlfriend” (1998)
28. Big Star – “Thirteen” (1972)
29. Roxy Music – “Do the Strand” (1973)
30. Aesop Rock – “One Brick” (2001)

Thanks to everyone who participated on multiple platforms this month. Tune in tomorrow at 8am ET for your October Song Challenge. That’s right…this train is still chuggin’ along and only stops at zoo station!