Brilliant. I don't think it is possible to write a better song than "Fools Gold." Here's why:

1. Instantly recognizable bassline
2. A dance beat mixed with random bongos
3. In its proper glory, a 9:53 run time.
4. The instruments work their way in one-by-one like a walk through a familiar neighborhood; they greet you like old friends
5. Ian Brown gives some of the most excellent yet understated vocals in the history of mankind.
6. Reference to a geologic material – twice!

In fact, "Fools Gold" might be one of my top five favorite songs ever. Why? I think the best criteria is this: If you NEVER skip the song when it comes up when your iPod is on shuffle, then the song is one of your favorites. This means whether it be "Fools Gold," "Holland 1945," or "Big Pimpin'," if you listen every time, it is a favorite. The giddiness you get from it coming up on shuffle is a multiplying factor for the favoriteness of the song, and maybe we need to add some factor for the age of the song and the newness to your iPod, so something like this:

Favorite song = [(never skip on shuffle) * giddiness] + 0.5*age of song – 0.2*newness to iPod.

This is all part of my attempt to quantify my work here on TIG with equations (Oh, just you wait…). And in this sense, "Fools Gold" scores very high. What a nice way to start the day, eh?