So, What are the Best Three Songs in a Row?

Believe it or not, this is a question I ponder frequently. And I have the answer. I have the definitive answer. But you need to understand the ground rules for this question. The three songs have to be in a row, from the same album (and greatest hits albums don't count). Anyone can mix and match, but hitting it out of the park three straight times is a lot more difficult.

Allow me to illustrate my point. On Guns N' Roses 1987 album Appetite for Destruction they notched an impressive triad of songs: "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City," and "Sweet Child O' Mine." But those are the 1st, 6th, and 9th songs on the album. Not bad for a debut album (DEBUT!) but there are 7 less stellar songs in between all three, which makes them not the greatest three songs in a row. Obviously.

Another reason reaching the Musical Trifecta is so difficult is simply because making two bomb-ass songs in a row is a whole hell of a lot easier than making three in a row. Outkast knows this feeling well. The duo released great songs in, shall I say, duos. "So Fresh, So Clean" is beside "Ms. Jackson," and "Hey Ya!" comes just before "Roses," but if you look at either of the bookend songs for those couples they simply don't stack up. One hit is hard. Two hits back to back is rare. But three masterful songs in a row - that's basically unheard of.

That being said, I have compiled a list of seven contenders (21 songs) for the Musical Trifecta. And no, none of them are any combination of Hamilton songs. (I offer this advice now- listen to the songs I talk about, because, besides it being the literal context of the debate, it makes one hell of a playlist.)

Let me start with the Beatles and the Abbey Road medley at #7. That's "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Polythene Pam," and "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" for those of you whose classic rock memories are failing you. While these songs are good, great even, and on one of my favorite albums, they're short. Too short. They're like three to four minutes combined. Now, I admit those three to four minutes go HARD. They flow seamlessly one into the next, proving the Beatles were still at the top of their game even at the end of their time together. It is a perfect medley. But it isn't the best three songs in a row.

That's because N.W.A. entered into the music world with three songs worthy of being #6 in the race for the perfect musical trilogy. On their 1988 debut (Another one!) album N.W.A. opened with "Straight Outta Compton," "F**k tha Police," and "Gangsta Gangsta." These three songs not only reflected the nature of life in Drug War-era Compton, it ushered in a whole new wave of hip-hop, where Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre were the kings. These songs changed music and the country, however they haven't aged well (just listen to those lyrics) and better things were still to come from the group members.

My #5 pick has less to do with cultural importance/peak performance and more to do with the fact that this group of songs pretty much brings me to tears whenever I hear it. It's Bon Iver's "715 - CRΣΣKS," "33 "GOD"," and "29 #Strafford APTS" off his 2016 album 22, A Million. I know. That's a lot of confusing titles and a lot of confusing numbers, and if you listen to them it's a very confusing amalgamation of auto-tuned singing and acoustic guitar. And yet they're beautiful. Truly. This triad's only fault is that they musically don't coalesce as well as some other groups. But whatever, who cares. They're definitely top five.

#4. Lauryn Hill and her amazing goddamn Miseducation. The three are "Ex-Factor," "To Zion," and "Doo Wop (That Thing)," and I'll admit up front that this string of songs was the inspiration for this exercise in madness. I was packing up my room in Massachusetts and I put the album on to soothe myself through the emotional destruction that is packing, and I thought to myself, "Wow. I don't think there are a better three songs in a row on any album ever." That's what I thought. That shows the power of these songs. However, I was wrong. Three albums have three songs in a row that are better.

Just seven years before Ms. Hill delivered her own greatness unto this world Nirvana banged, clawed, and smashed shut the door of the true rock n' roll era, propelling them into the #3 spot. I'm talking namely "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "In Bloom," and "Come As You Are." Three songs in a row that defined the nineties. They were so good they took a garage band and made them, dare I say, (questionably) overrated. I really do believe that these songs mark the beginning and the end of the last great rock band. Nirvana never overcame the power of these songs as artists, and rock, as a genre, never got its head back on straight after the release of Nevermind. In retrospect, that makes these songs kind of sad. So, that's why this triad is at #3. Because it's a final testament to good, pure rock.

Before we get down to the final two, I'd like to shout out Carole King (Tapestry), Frank Ocean (Blonde), and Simon & Garfunkel (Bridge Over Troubled Water). The first three songs on each of those albums are awesome. They are all worthy of praise and should all be listened to for some amazing, fun, soulful music. But also, they aren't the best. Like they're great but not the best. In fact, while I'm at it let's just say fuck it and make Ocean #10, King #9, and the lover pals #8. Now we have a solid Top 10. Anyway, they're good. Listen to the beginning of each of those albums. It's worth it.

So, now we're down to two. I'd like to say this is easy for me. But it's not. I mean the winner is clear. But it's not easy. #2 is simply #2 because #1 is just better. That being said, #2 comes from the middle of Dark Side of the Moon: "Time," "The Great Gig in the Sky," and "Money" by Pink Floyd. These songs are, not only the peak of Pink Floyd's ability, but of all musical ability by anyone, ever, at any point in time. The writing, the instrumentation, the goddamn singing, especially on "The Great Gig in the Sky." Everything is absolute perfection. Say what you will about Dark Side of the Moon or even the band as a whole, there is no denying this level of greatness when you hear it. Really, it upsets me this isn't #1. Because it should be. It should be. There is quite literally nothing wrong with this triad. Pink Floyd ran the gauntlet, and they came across the finish line only to discover that the Musical Trifecta was to be claimed by someone else.

And that someone else, that #1, is Michael Jackson. The King of Pop created a trilogy of songs so infectious, so bold, so perfect every member of the seemingly free world knows every beat and pop of each one to a tee. On the 1982 masterpiece that is Thriller Jackson did the unbelievable and put  greatness in a line. "Thriller." "Beat It." "Billie Jean." Just read those titles again. You can hear them. You can actually feel them flowing through you on sight because that's just how good they are. Those aren't great pop songs. "Human Nature" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" are great pop songs. They are also, for the record, the next two songs after the Trifecta. No, those three songs are not great pop songs. They are PERFECT songs. Each one is the best pop song ever made. So, no matter how brilliantly orchestrated or culturally important another set of songs might be by some other artist, they will never touch the Musical Trifecta. They will never touch the best three songs in a row. They will never touch M.J. Hell, they probably won't even break the top seven.