The Alternative Number Ones: The Railway Children’s “Every Beat Of The Heart”

In The Alternative Number Ones, I'm reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it's for members only. Thank you to everyone who's helping to keep Stereogum afloat.

When you're constantly reminded that something is great and important, there's a natural tendency to rebel. You want to poke holes in the story or maybe even reject the thing outright. It's like: Mozart? Moby Dick? Picasso? Do The Right Thing? Sure. Whatever. Stop bothering me. But then maybe one day you sit down and actually wrestle with the thing, and you learn that it really is as great as everyone's always said.

When you reach that understanding, it's liberating, but it's also a little embarrassing, if only because you have to admit that you were wrong the whole time. And that's why I come to you today, hat in hand, to concede that I've been fooling myself for no reason. The Railway Children really are the greatest, most important rock 'n' roll band of all time.