The Definitive Sonic Youth Song
 

Not your favourite, but the one you'd play to someone who'd never heard them before so you'd be able to say, 'yeah, that's pretty much what sonic youth sound like'.

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Candle, without question

Dirty Boots.

I've always thought "Schizophrenia" -- has both Thurston/Kim vocal parts and some very pretty/very atonal-dark passages, plus that great ending. Really, what's better?

Preferably a live version though...

Ah, good one.

Mote

No songs, sorry. What might be the sonic youth to you might not be for others.

Death Valley '69.

The Sprawl

"I Killed Christgau With My Big Fucking Dick"

mote

The Sprawl

I would like to say The Diamond Sea. But I am not entirely too sure.

NYC Ghosts & Flowers
Okay maybe it's not rock enough or too Lee Ranaldo
so Mote, yeah

I´d go for Schizoprenia as well

mildred pierce

schizophrenia
or
the diamond sea
or
Expressway

schizo or something off Evol coz of the epiphanies in every song. ha.

the one that always get everyone I know hooked on them.

CROSS THE BREEZE.

but for what it is its pretty catchy, and thats definately a SY-ish thing

yeah, that track was one of the outstanding ones on DDN, which always catched my attention while playing it at moderate volume on my moms car while driving me around and I turned it louder.

pattern recognition (it's in the title, no?)

no!

No one song can encapsulate them, but Schizophrenia would probably come closer than any other song.

It rocks, it gets noisy and dense, but it is also soft and beautiful.

why no? pattern recognition = recognizing sonic patterns (the pop, the noise, there's a bit of "Bro-J" before the solo, which is by the way reminding of daydream nation)
This is what I felt the first I heard this song : the whole of sonic art jumped at my ears!

Renegade Princess

I don't know about it being the most representative, it's just one of my favourite songs of theirs, so I'd say that. Maybe.

Schizophrenia is a good call. Teenage Riot too.

definitely THE DIAMOND SEA

you've got awesome thurston singing.
good melodics, little ballad.
and representative guitars in break thru the verses.
then come back to melodic song.

one of my favourite songs ever.

Time takes its crazy toll
and how does your mirror grow
you better watch yourself when you jump into it
'cause the mirror's gonna steal your soul

I wonder how it came to be my friend
that someone just like you has come again
you'll never, never know how close you came
until you fall in love with the diamond rain

throw all his trash away
look out he's here to stay
your mirror's gonna crack when he breaks into it
and you'll never never be the same

look into his eyes and you can see
why all the little kids are dressed in dreams
I wonder how he's gonna make it back
when he sees that you just know it's make-belief

blood crystalized as sand
and now I hope you'll understand
you reflected into his looking glass soul
and now the mirror is your only friend

look into his eyes and you will see
that men are not alone on the diamond sea
sail into the heart of the lonely storm
and tell her that you'll love her eternally

time takes its crazy toll
mirror fallin' off the wall
you better look out for the looking glass girl
'cause she's gonna take you for a fall

look into his eyes and you shall see
why everything is quiet and nothing's free
I wonder how he's gonna make her smile
when love is running wild on the diamond sea

the diamond sea or the cruxifixtion of sean penn

brother james

I'm trying to think of a song that has one of their massive buildups where they form an octave and move it up the neck, a cool guitar solo, some ugliness, some prettiness, and a noise section.

death valley '69

I've found one.

Expressway to yr. skull.

Yeah, definitely The Diamond Sea

Very good one ;)

schizophrenia.