Arctic Monkeys “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” hit #1 in the UK

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Arctic Monkeys

Writer(s): Alex Turner (see lyrics here) Released: October 17, 2005 First Charted: October 9, 2005 Peak: 7 AR, 12 UK, 18 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.4 US, 1.8 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 146.0 video, 539.69 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The early 2000s saw a garage revival led by American groups the Strokes and the White Stripes. Eager to have their own entry in the genre, the UK went all in on embracing the Sheffield-based Arctic Monkeys in 2005. Just a few years earlier, members Alex Turner and Jamie Cook got guitars for Christmas and, with help from bassist Andy Nicholson and drummer Matt Helders, started playing songs by the White Stripes and the Vines. They were “well on the way to joining their idols in the big leagues, thanks largely to the promise shown in a set of demos the band made available for free on the internet.” TB Thanks to that and their reputation for live performances, they’d built a strong fan base before ever releasing a record. It set the group up to be “the most talked about British band in years” TB when “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” debuted at #1 on the UK charts. Alison Howe, a talent booker, said it “felt like a moment that a generation would remember for the rest of their lives.” WK The Monkeys recorded the song with producer Alan Smyth first before trying again with James Ford and Rich Costey. They finally landed on a winning version with producer Jim Abbiss. WK The song features “jagged guitar chords and Turner’s stream-of-consciousness-style vocal about ‘dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984.’” TB British music magazine NME said it was “the perfect encapsulation of what it is to be young, pissed, lusty, angry, and skint in modern day Britain.” WK Stylistically, “Dancefloor” is somewhere “between the early-21st-century vogue for scratchy new wave and the confident swagger of 1990s favorites Oasis.” TB Music writer Tom Ewing even said the rise of the band “gave the impression that a return to the Britpop boom was upon us.” WK Their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, became the fastest-selling debut of all time in the UK. when it sold more than 365,000 copies in its first week. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Arctic Monkeys SF Songfacts DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 281. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 315. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 9/28/2023.

 

50 years ago: “Autumn Leaves” hit #1

10/29/1955: “Autumn Leaves” hit #1

Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes) Roger Williams

Writer(s): Joseph Kosma (music), Jacques Prévert (words – French), Johnny Mercer (words – English) (see lyrics here) First Charted: August 1, 1955 Peak: 14 US, 13 HP, 13 CB, 13 HR (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.12 video, -- streaming

Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes) Cannonball Adderley

Recorded: March 9, 1958 Released: August 1958 First Charted: -- Peak: -- (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 6.4 video, -- streaming

Awards (Williams’ version): (Click on award for more details).

Awards (Adderley’s version): (Click on award for more details).

About the Song: “Autumn Leaves” was originally written in 1945 as “Les Feuilles Mortes (The Dead Leaves)” by Hungarian composer Joseph Korma with French lyrics by Jacques Prévert. It was written as a choreographed duo for the ballet Le Rendez-Vous. It was introduced, without words, by Roland Petit in 1945 and copyrighted the next year. CJ The next year Marcel Carné used it in his film Les Portes de la Nuite (Gates of the Night) It was sung briefly in the film by Yves Montand, CJ who also recorded the song in 1950, WK and again by Irène Joachim. CJ Cora Vaucaire was the first to sing the song in public and recorded it in 1947. CJ Michael Golden from Capitol’s music publishing department loved the song and asked Johnny Mercer to write English lyrics for it. CJ The new version, titled “Autumn Leaves,” was recorded in July 1950 by Jo Stafford. WK Bing Crosby and Artie Shaw also recorded it that year. During the 1950s, it would also be covered by Nat “King” Cole and Frank Sinatra. WK Mercer later said he made more money from “Autumn Leaves” than any other song he wrote. CJ The song had its first chart success in the United States in 1955 with versions by Steve Allen, the Ray Charles Singers, Jackie Gleason, Mitch Miller, and Victor Young all reaching the Billboard pop charts. HT However, the most successful version was the “majestic instrumental reading” AMG by pianist Roger Williams which went to #1 in 1955. The song also became a favorite of jazz musicians. Cannonball Adderly and Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Erroll Garner, and Stan Getz were among those to record the song in the 1950s. Jazz historian Philippe Baudoin called it “the most important non-American standard,” noting that it is “the eighth most-recorded tune by jazzmen,” CJ having been recorded around 1400 times. CJ Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Roger Williams DMDB encyclopedia entry for Cannonball Adderley AMG All Music Guide review by Joe Viglione CJ CRJ-Online.org “History and Analysis of ‘Autumn Leaves’” HT Joel Whitburn (2016). Top Pop Singles 1955-2015. Menomonee Falls, WI; Record Research, Inc. Page 986. WK Wikipedia First posted 4/22/2021.

Nickelback All the Right Reasons hit #1

All the Right Reasons Nickelback

Released: October 4, 2005 Peak: 11 US, 13 UK, 14 CN, 2 AU Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 0.6 UK, 18.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: mainstream rock

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Follow You Home Fight for All the Wrong Reasons Photograph (8/20/05, 2 US, 18 UK, 16 AC, 1 AR, 3 MR, 1 AA, sales: 0.8 m, air: 0.5 m) Animals (11/26/05, 97 US, 1 AR, 16 MR, air: 0.1 m) Savin’ Me (3/11/06, 19 US, 29 AC, 11 AR, 29 MR, 2 AA, air: 0.3 m) Far Away (1/28/06, 8 US, 40 UK, 5 AC, 1 AA, air: 0.4 m) Next Contestant Side of a Bullet (3/17/07, 7 AR) If Everyone Cared (2/3/07, 17 US, 17 AC, 37 AR, 1 AA, air: 0.2 m) Someone That You’re With Rockstar (7/29/06, 6 US, 2 UK, 4 AR, 37 MR, 6 AA, sales: 3.09 m, air: 0.5 m) Total Running Time: 41:33 The Players: Chad Kroeger (vocals, guitar) Ryan Peake (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) Mike Kroeger (bass, backing vocals) Daniel Adair (drums, backing vocals)

Rating: 3.542 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Before Nickelback became the go-to punching bag of 21st century rock, they were one of the most successful rock bands on the planet. They formed in 1995 in Alberta, Canada. Their first two albums, 1996’s Curb and 1998’s The State, only reached #182 and #130 on the Billboard album chart. In 2001, however, the band exploded with the success of #1 single “How You Remind Me” and its parent album, Silver Side Up, got to #2 and sold ten million copies worldwide. The 2003 follow-up, The Long Road, was another hit peaking at #6 and selling five million worldwide. Then 2005’s All the Right Reasons became the commercial highlight of Nickelback’s career, topping the Billboard album chart and selling 18 million copies worldwide. It is one of only a handful of rock albums to generate five or more top-20 hits in the U.S. WK At this point, the disconnect between fans and critics was apparent. AllMusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine called them “unspeakably awful,” STE a saying they “favor clumsy, plodding riffs, still incessantly rewrite the same chords and melody, still harmonize exactly the same way on every song, [and lead singer Chad] Kroeger still sounds as if he’s singing with a hernia [and] he still writes shockingly stupid lines.” STE The New York Times’ Kelefa Sanneh called the album “another brash but sullen CD with more of the worst rock lyrics ever recorded.” WK On this, their fourth outing, “Nickelback ditches any pretense of being a grunge band and finally acknowledges they’re a straight-up heavy rock band. Not that they’ve left the angst of grunge behind…there’s lots of tortured emotions threaded throughout the 11 songs here. But where their previous albums roiled with anger – their breakthrough ‘How You Remind Me’ was not affectionate, it was snide and cynical – there’s a surprisingly large sentimental streak running throughout All the Right Reasons, and it’s not just limited to heart-on-sleeve power ballads like Far Away and Savin’ Me, the latter being the latest entry in their soundalike sweepstakes.” STE “Kroeger is in a particularly pensive mood here, looking back fondly at his crazy times in high school on Photograph (‘Look at this photograph/ Every time I do it makes me laugh/ How did our eyes get so red?/ And what the hell is on Joey’s head?’), lamenting the murder of Dimebag Darrell on Side of a Bullet (where a Dimebag solo is overdubbed), and, most touching of all, imagining ‘the day when nobody died’ on If Everyone Cared.” STE “Appropriately enough for an album that finds Kroeger’s emotional palette opening up, Nickelback try a few new things here, adding more pianos, keyboards, and acoustic guitars to not just their ballads, but a few of their big, anthemic rockers; they even sound a little bit light and limber on Someone That You’re With, the fastest tune here and a bit of relief after all the heavy guitars.” STE In yet another vein, “despite the attempted sarcasm of Rockstar, he still shows no discernible sense of humor.” STE “All this makes for a more varied Nickelback album, but it doesn’t really change their essence.” STE

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Nickelback STE Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia First posted 2/19/2010; last updated 3/3/2024.

Variety - 100 Icons of the Century

image from latimesblogs.latimes.com

Variety named its 100 icons of the century based on factors like their commercial and creative impact. The list consisted of people from all facets of the entertainment industry, but only those in the music arena are listed below (the top ten were ranked):

• Louis Armstrong (ranked #2)
• Fred Astaire
• The Beatles (ranked #1)
• Irving Berlin
• Chuck Berry
• Maria Callas
• Johnny Cash
• Ray Charles
• Kurt Cobain
• Bing Crosby
• Miles Davis
• Bob Dylan
• Duke Ellington
• Aretha Franklin
• Judy Garland
• Woody Guthrie
• Oscar Hammerstein II
• Jimi Hendrix
• Billie Holiday
• Michael Jackson
• Robert Johnson
• Al Jolson
• Janis Joplin
• Gene Kelly
• Little Richard
• Madonna
• Bob Marley
• Edith Piaf
• Elvis Presley (ranked #10)
• Richard Rodgers
• Ginger Rogers
• The Rolling Stones
• The Sex Pistols
• Tupac (2pac) Shakur
• Frank Sinatra
• Igor Stravinsky
• Barbra Streisand
• The Supremes
• Hank Williams
• Stevie Wonder

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Resources:

• Variety – 100 Icons (October 2005)

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Supertramp: A Retrospective (1970-2002)

Supertramp A Retrospective: 1970-2002

Overview: Supertramp was a classic rock band with progressive leanings that formed in London in 1970. They released their last studio album in 2002, although they did continue to tour through 2011. Primary Players Rick Davies (vocals, songwriting, keyboards, harmonica: 1970-2012). Died 2025. Roger Hodgson (vocals, songwriting, keyboards, guitar, bass: 1970-1983) Bob Siebenberg (drums, percussion: 1973-2012) John Helliwell (saxophone, woodwinds, keyboards, backing vocals: 1973-2011) Dougie Thompson (bass: 1972-88) Other Members Richard Palmer-James (guitar, vocals, percussion, songwriting: 1970) Robert Millar (drums, percussion, harmonica: 1970-71). Died 2024. Dave Winthrop (saxophone, flute, vocals: 1970-73) Kevin Currie (drums, percussion: 1971-73) Frank Farrell (bass, keyboards, backing vocals: 1971-72) Mark Hart (vocals, keyboards, guitar: 1996-2002) Carl Verheyen (guitar, percussion, backing vocals: 1996-2012) Cliff Hugo (bass: 1996-2012) Lee Thornburg (trombone, trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals: 1996-2012) Tom Walsh (percussion: 1996-97) Jesse Siebenberg (vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards: 1997-2012) Gabe Dixon (keyboards, vocals: 2010-12) Cassie Miller (backing vocals (2010-12) Links DMDB encyclopedia entry for Supertramp Supertramp.com (official site) Facebook Wikipedia

Awards

Studio Albums

Compilations A The Autobiography of Supertramp (1974-85, released 1986) C Classics (1974-85, released 1987) V1 The Very Best of (1974-85, released 1990) V2 The Very Best of 2 (1974-87, released 1992) R Retrospectacle (1970-2002, released 2005) Spotify Playlist Check out my Spotify playlist Supertramp 1970-2002 to get the songs on the above collections (other than the unnecessary The Very Best of 2) all in one playlist. Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Supertramp Supertramp

Released: August 14, 1970 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 2.843 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: Surely R It’s a Long Road Aubade / And I Am Not Like Other Birds of Prey Words Unspoken Maybe I’m a Beggar Home Again Nothing to Show Shadow Song Try Again Surely (Reprise) Total Running Time: 47:31 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

Indelibly Stamped Supertramp

Released: June 25, 1971 Peak: 158 US, -- UK, -- CN, 53 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 2.651 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: Your Poppa Don’t Mind R Travelled Rosie Had Everything Planned Remember Forever Potter Coming Home to See You Times Have Changed Friend in Need Aries Total Running Time: 40:33 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

Crime of the Century Supertramp

School [5:35] V1,R Bloody Well Right [4:32] A,C,V1,R Hide in Your Shell [6:49] C,V1 Asylum [6:45] Dreamer [3:31] A,C,V1,R Rudy [7:17] C,V1,R If Everyone Was Listening [4:04] V2 Crime of the Century [5:36] A,C,V1,R

About the Album: Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Crisis? What Crisis? Supertramp

Released: November 28, 1975 Peak: 44 US, 20 UK, 12 CN, 20 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.50 world (includes US + UK), 4.36 EAS Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.199 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

Tracks: Easy Does It Sister Moonshine R Ain’t Nobody But Me C,V1,R A Soapbox Opera V2 Another Man’s Woman R Lady V2,R Poor Boy Just a Normal Boy The Meaning Two of Us R Total Running Time: 47:24 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

Even in the Quietest Moments Supertramp

Released: April 8, 1977 Peak: 16 US, 12 UK, 14 CN, 5 AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.50 world (includes US + UK), 10.26 EAS Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.624 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings)

Tracks: Give a Little Bit A,C,V1,R Lover Boy Even in the Quietest Moments V2,R Downstream V2,R Babaji V2 From Now On A,C,V1,R Fool’s Overture V2 Total Running Time: 43:27 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

Breakfast in America (1979) Supertramp

Gone Hollywood [5:19] V2,R The Logical Song [4:07] A,C,V1,R Goodbye Stranger [5:46] A,C,V1,R Breakfast in America [2:37] A,C,V1,R Oh Darling [3:43] V2,R Take the Long Way Home [5:08] A,C,V1,R Lord Is It Mine [4:08] Just Another Nervous Wreck [4:22] V2 Casual Conversations [2:56] Child of Vision [7:24]

About the Album: Go to the DMDB page for more about this album including chart performance, sales, awards, and information on individual songs.

Famous Last Words Supertramp

Released: October 29, 1982 Peak: 5 US, 6 UK, 15 CN, 1 AU, 10 DF Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 3.50 world (includes US + UK), 7.05 EAS Genre: classic rock Rating: 3.567 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

Tracks: Crazy Put on Your Old Brown Shoes It’s Raining Again A,C,V1,R Bonnie Know Who You Are My Kind of Lady V2,R C’est Le Bon Waiting So Long V2 Don’t Leave Me Now V2,R Total Running Time: 47:35 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

Brother Where You Bound Supertramp

Released: May 13, 1985 Peak: 21 US, 20 UK, 11 CN, 22 AU, 2 DF Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.50 world (includes US + UK), 2.58 EAS Genre: classic rock Rating: 3.361 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings)

Tracks: Cannonball [7:38] A,C,V1,R Still in Love [4:36] No Inbetween [4:36] Better Days [6:15] Brother Where You Bound [16:30] Ever Open Door [3:06] Total Running Time: 42:44 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

The Autobiography of Supertramp Supertramp

Recorded: 1974-1985 Released: October 10, 1986 Peak: -- US, 9 UK, 12 CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.3 UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.933 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

Tracks: (1) Goodbye Stranger (2) The Logical Song (3) Bloody Well Right (4) Breakfast in America (5) Take the Long Way Home (6) Crime of the Century (7) Dreamer (8) From Now On (9) Give a Little Bit (10) It’s Raining Again (11) Cannonball About the Album: The first Supertramp anthology does a decent job gathering the most familiar material from the band, although the U.S. version called Classics is the better bet with three additional songs.

Classics Supertramp

Recorded: 1974-1985 Released: 1987 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU, 14 DF Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.933 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) Goodbye Stranger (2) The Logical Song (3) Bloody Well Right (4) Breakfast in America (5) Rudy (6) Take the Long Way Home (7) Crime of the Century (8) Dreamer (9) Ain’t Nobody But Me (10) Hide in Your Shell (11) From Now On (12) Give a Little Bit (13) It’s Raining Again (14) Cannonball About the Album: This is an extended version of The Autobiography of Supertramp, released in 1986.

The Very Best of Supertramp

Recorded: 1974-1985 Released: June 3, 1990 Peak: -- US, 8 UK, 17 CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.30 UK Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.719 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

Tracks: (1) School (2) Goodbye Stranger (3) The Logical Song (4) Bloody Well Right (5) Breakfast in America (6) Rudy (7) Take the Long Way Home (8) Crime of the Century (9) Dreamer (10) Ain’t Nobody But Me (11) Hide in Your Shell (12) From Now On (13) Give a Little Bit (14) It’s Raining Again (15) Cannonball About the Album: This was the third anthology to cover the same era (1974-1985). Of the three, this is the best collection as it covers everything on The Autobiography of Supertramp (1986) and Classics (1987) plus another song not on either set (“School”).

Free As a Bird Supertramp

Released: October 23, 1987 Peak: 101 US, 93 UK, 34 CN, 30 AU, 5 DF Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.00 world (includes US + UK) Genre: classic rock Rating: 2.469 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings)

Tracks: It’s Alright Not the Moment It Doesn’t Matter Where I Stand Free As a Bird V2,R I’m Beggin’ You You Never Can Tell with Friends Thing for You An Awful Thing to Waste Total Running Time: 44:17 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

The Very Best of 2 Supertramp

Recorded: 1974-1987 Released: November 1992 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.176 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

Tracks: (1) Lady (2) Oh Darling (3) Even in the Quietest Moments (4) Waiting So Long (5) Babaji (6) Gone Hollywood (7) If Everyone Was Listening (8) Just Another Nervous Wreck (9) Don’t Leave Me Now (10) My Kind of Lady (11) A Soapbox Opera (12) Downstream (13) Fool’s Overture (14) Free As a Bid About the Album: This is a completely unnecessary collection. Supertramp didn’t have enough hits to warrant a second best-of set so this one may have a song or two at best that the casual fan knows.

Some Things Never Change Supertramp

Released: March 24, 1997 Peak: -- US, 74 UK, 44 CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classic rock veteran Rating: 2.533 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: It’s a Hard World You Win, I Lose R Get Your Act Together Live to Love You Some Things Never Change Listen to Me Please Sooner or Later Help Me Down That Road And the Light Give Me a Chance (bonus track added to some editions) C’est What? Where There’s a Will Total Running Time: 70:03 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

Slow Motion Supertramp

Released: April 23, 2002 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classic rock veteran Rating: 2.649 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: Slow Motion Little by Little Broken Hearted Over You R Tenth Avenue Breakdown A Sting in the Tail Bee in Your Bonnet Goldrush Dead Man’s Blues Total Running Time: 50:07 About the Album: Read more at Wikipedia.

Retrospectacle: The Anthology Supertramp

Recorded: 1970-2002 Released: October 18, 2005 Peak: -- US, 9 UK, 80 CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.60 UK, -- world Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.676 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Surely * (2) Your Poppa Don’t Mind (3) Land Ho * (4) Summer Romance (5) School * (6) Bloody Well Right * (7) Dreamer * (8) Rudy (9) Crime of the Century * (10) Sister Moonshine (11) Ain’t Nobody But Me * (12) Lady (13) Two of Us (14) Give a Little Bit * (15) Downstream (16) Even in the Quietest Moments (17) From Now On * Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Gone Hollywood (2) The Logical Song * (3) Goodbye Stranger * (4) Breakfast in America * (5) Oh Darling (6) Take the Long Way Home * (7) You Started Laughing (live) (8) It’s Raining Again * (9) My Kind of Lady (10) Don’t Leave Me Now (11) Cannonball * (12) Free As a Bird * (13) You Win, I Lose * (14) Another Man’s Woman (live) (15) Over You * on the single-disc version About the Album: This covers roughly the same territory as The Very Best of (1990) and The Very Best of 2 (1992) with a couple of major improvements. The set is compiled in chronological order and covers albums previously ignored by earlier compilations, specifically Supertramp’s first two albums and last two albums. None are essential albums, nor are there any essential cuts from them, but this career retrospective is perfect for the fan that wants to dig a little deeper. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Land Ho (1974 single) R Summer Romance (B-side of “Land Ho”) R You Started Laughing (1975 B-side of “Lady”) R

Resources/References: Wikipedia page for Supertramp’s discography Related DMDB Links: First posted 9/8/2025; last updated 9/9/2025.