The original Dick Clark raters almost always said something like "Well, Dick, I'd give it a 90. It has a good beat and you can dance to it."

Neither of these is very danceable, but they're interesting. I'm much more familiar with Regina Spektor, and while I always liked this song, it wasn't my favorite (probably her live version of Hallelujah was). Rating: 87. Minus points for that video--when the kids started to play instruments at the end, Spektor should have included their playing in the mix. Keeping them muted was in my view disrespectful--it suggested they were just props.

I haven't heard much Suzanne Vega--this one was surprisingly rich tonally. I usually listen to a song a lot before focusing on the words, so you're getting a first impression here, just like what the Bandstand kids gave. 90 (but even Michael Jackson couldn't dance to it).