How would a song sound based on a list of likes and dislikes gathered from a group of several hundred people?

A poll written by Dave Soldier was conducted in Spring 1996 answering that question in logical fashion, but only in written form.

And so Nina Mankin and David Soldier, armed with their list of “do’s” and “don’ts”, embarked on a quest to create two songs for this hideously exciting experiment.

First, the most wanted song’s ensemble:

This “most wanted” version combines the elements the 500 people surveyed said they wanted most — love, soprano sax, humble ambition, tenor sax, a marriage proposal, cheesy electronic drum fills, working the night shift, string swells, power chords, and saccharine male/female harmonies — into an easy listening-style adult contemporary sound that could peel the paint off of the Space Shuttle.

Click here to listen to most wanted song.

As expected, it’s incredibly generic and boring, like the crap they play on muzak at a department store, airport bathroom, or my favorite, before any movie at a theater.

Second, and my personal favorite, the most unwanted song.

Komar & Melamid and David Soldier’s list of undesirable elements included holiday music, bagpipes, pipe organ, a children’s chorus and the concept of children in general (really?), Wal-Mart, cowboys, political jingoism, George Stephanopoulos, Coca Cola, bossanova synths, banjo ferocity, harp glissandos, oompah-ing tubas and much, much more.

Click here to listen to most unwanted song

Ahhh…an opera singer rapping?  Now that’s entertainment.

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