Advice I Would've Given Pitchfork, Had I Been Asked

A few simple rules that I would've given Pitchfork about their book, had I been asked:

(1) We Are Rating the Songs here, people, not the reputation. Focus on the song.

(2) It's 500 songs over 30 years, so that's really the top 16/17 songs per year. But keep in your head "is this one of the top 15 songs of the year?" If not, it better have been a great year for music.

(3) No fucking lifetime achievement awards. I know it feels unfair to exclude certain bands because they had 30 real good songs and no great ones, but that's what you do. Save those bands for other books. Here, please focus on the song.

(4) If a band invents a genre, that's great. That doesn't mean that their song is one of the best of the genre. Induct the band in the Rock Hall. Give them awards, but don't put them in the book, please, Pitchfork. This isn't a fucking history book. Focus on the FUCKING SONG.

(5) Lyrics matter, but let's not get carried away.

(1st rule of tentfort; 5th rule of sbsttp4k500)

(6) Political impact can matter a little bit, but not much. Thank God Pitchfork started it in 1977. If they went back 10 years' earlier, God knows what the criteria would've been.