Ultimate Misery Mix Track 3 Winner

During the Christmas season it seems like time speeds up and days and weeks pass much faster than they do in, say, January. I know it isn't true, but sometimes it feels like it's true.

However, given the Vikings 2011 season, I'm not opposed to it passing by in a blur of purple discomfort and disappointment. In a season that began with some cautious optimism, fans have watched as the Minnesota Vikings have found new and inventive ways to underachieve. With the exceptions of blowout losses in Green Bay and in Chicago, the Vikings' seven other losses have been by 10 points or less. Those close losses seem to give hope just as they are ripping it away because, as an ex of mine was fond of saying, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Fortunately, despite the Vikings 2011 season I have the clever and musical members of the Daily Norseman community keeping things interesting and amusing with the Ultimate Misery Mix 2011 playlist where DN readers submit their best song choice for different topics inspired by events this season on the field and in the organization

Last week when we crowned the Track 2 winner I presented the challenge topic for Track 3--choosing a suitable break-up song for the Vikings and quarterback Donovan McNabb who was released from the team last week after going 1-5 as a starter and being benched in favor of rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. I'm not gonna lie, I had a certain amount of trepidation about the topic, fearing it would inspire creepy songs that play like a prelude to a restraining order. Fortunately, it did not.

Join me after the jump for some great break-up music and the crowning of the Track 3 winner. Well, provided we can pry our Burger King crown out of Thor82's fingers. He's got a really strong grip.

I have to say, I was kind of surprised that the break-up classic "All By Myself" wasn't suggested, but the 16 songs that were submitted for the challenge covered a lot of musical territory, from jazz to R&B, classic rock to alt-rock to pop. That kind of variety makes it more difficult to decide who will have the honor of wearing our Burger King crown. Fortunately, I had help from the other DN writers selecting the runners up and the winner of our Track 3 challenge. Even so, there are a couple ties--it happens.

Although not actually submitted for this challenge, the song HolySchnikes submitted for Track 1 seems perfect for the Track 3 challenge, so in fifth place we have The Downtown Fiction's "Thanks for Nothing." I still get that song stuck in my head.

Tied for fourth place we have Dr. John's "Right Place, Wrong Time" submitted by Landonio and Lily Allen's "Not Big" submitted by _clifton_, because I'm sure people group Dr. John and Lily Allen together all the time.

In third place we have another tie, this time between Purpledork's submission "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" by the Greg Kihn Band and liveforadrenaline's submission "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. Ted was adamant that both songs should place. As you can see, Ted's a persuasive guy.

Second place was a clear choice, a951racer's submission "Hit the Road Jack" by Ray Charles. I'm pretty sure Vikings fans could have burst out in a spontaneous chorus of this song when they heard McNabb was hitting the waiver wires.

The winner and champion of the Ultimate Misery Mix 2011 Track 3 challenge is none other than DN head honcho and writer extraordinaire, Chris Gates. He won with Ben Folds Five's "Song for the Dumped" because, with the Vikings on the hook for McNabb's 2011 base salary, the line "give me my money back" seemed too perfect to ignore. Congratulations Chris, enjoy your slightly crumpled Burger King crown.

My thanks to everyone who submitted songs, you are a constant source of proof to me that no matter how bleak the Vikings 2011 season might get, the fine folks here at DN refuse to lose our sense of humor. Which is good because our team is losing pretty much everything else. You rock.

Missed the start of the Ultimate Misery Mix 2011? Not a problem. Check out winners from Track 1 and Track 2.

Poll

How long did you think Donovan McNabb would last with the Vikings?

5%

I didn't think he'd make it past training camp.

29 votes

18%

Six weeks is about what I figured.

94 votes

76%

I thought he had a year in him. Not a great year, but still a year.

390 votes

513 votes | Poll has closed