Thursday, April 22, 2021

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Song Inductees (April 2021)

Originally posted 4/22/2021.

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog on January 22, 2019, Dave’s Music Database launched its own Hall of Fame. This is the ninth set of song inductees. These inductees were selected because of their iconic presence on MTV in the 1980s. These are the 11 highest-ranked ‘80s songs on the overall DMDB list that make the DMDB’s list of the “Top 100 Videos of All Time”). It does not include previously inducted songs “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson (1982) and “Every Breath You Take” by the Police (1983).

Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1982)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

The one-two punch of Jackson’s #1 songs “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” from his monstrous Thriller album sent him into the superstar stratosphere. With Eddie Van Halen on guitar, it was the most rock-oriented song Jackson had ever done. He also broke down racial barriers as one of the first black artists to get massive airplay on MTV. The iconic video was a mini-movie version of West Side Story with rival gangs facing off in a choreographed rumble. Read more.

Michael Jackson “Thriller” (1982)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

This was the seventh and final single from Jackson’s album of the same name. It became the first album in history with seven top-ten hits. Jackson tapped director John Landis, who’d done An American Werewolf in London, to direct the nearly-fourteen-minute, zombie-themed mini movie which served as the video for the song. It became what the Library of Congress called “the most famous music video of all time.” It was the first video to be inducted into the National Film Registry in 2009. Read more.

Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (1983)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were in the British pop group the Tourists in the latter half of the ‘70s before forming the new wave duo the Eurythmics in 1981. They released one album which went nowhere and then three singles from their second album before they found success with the title cut. It reached #2 in the UK and topped the charts in the United States, giving them what is arguably their signature song. The video, with its surreal imagery, is considered a classic of the early-MTV era. Read more.

Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

New wave singer Robert Hazard originally wrote and recorded this song in 1979. In his hands, it came across as misogynistic, but the remake by Lauper turned it into a sing-along party anthem for women’s empowerment. It was her first single as a solo artist and went all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video, in which she got friends, family, and business assocates to serve as a volunteer cast, was a fun-filled romp that showcased her quirky look and sense of style – and played a huge role in making her a star. Read more.

Van Halen “Jump” (1983)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

In the late ‘70s, Van Halen established themselves as one of the most popular hard rock acts, thanks to Eddie Van Halen’s legendary prowess on guitar and David Lee Roth’s frontman-extrordinaire schtick. When Eddie presented the band with the synth-driven “Jump,” they initially rejected it as too much of a departure. Roth thought it would look like they were selling out for radio airplay. When producer Ted Templeman heard it, he convinced Roth to give the song lyrics and the result wasn’t just the band’s first top-10 pop hit, but a huge #1. The performance video captured the band’s charisma and playfulness and especially turned Roth into an early star of MTV. Read more.

A-ha “Take on Me” (1984)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

The pop trio A-ha first recorded “Take on Me” in 1984 and it reached #3 in their native Norway. However, after they re-recorded the song and a new video, it became an international hit. Steve Barron, who’d done Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” directed the revolutionary video which combined live action with pencil-sketch animation. It took 16 weeks to make, but got heavy rotation on MTV and won six awards at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. The success of the video sent the song all the way to #1 on the U.S. pop charts. Read more.

Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” (1985)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

Steve Barron has a hand in three of the most important music videos ever made with Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” A-ha’s “Take on Me,” and Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.” The video used innovative computer animation to bring to life the band’s song about working-class guys who lambast rock stars for garnering massive paychecks without having to work for their money. It gave the group a #1 hit in the United States. Read more.

Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer” (1986)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

Gabriel was the lead singer for the British progressive rock band Genesis from 1967 to 1975 and then went solo. More than a decade later, he had the biggest success of his career with “Sledgehammer,” a #1 song fueled by a wildly inventive video which incorporated Claymation, stop motion, and pixilation. It eventually became MTV’s most played video of all time. Read more.

Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way” (1986)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

The rock band Aerosmith had a top-10 hit with this song from their 1975 album Toys in the Attic. More than a decade later, the rap group Run-D.M.C. remade the song. It became even bigger, becoming the first rap song to hit the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The video humorously presented Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry as Run-D.M.C’s neighbors trying to out-blast each other before they unite on stage to perform together. Read more.

Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

The 1980s saw the rise of hair bands, which were pop-metal groups with decadent images outfitted in tight leather pants and – of course – the massive ozone-destroying, hairsprayed-to-the-extreme poofed-up hair. Guns N’ Roses managed to simultaneously check all the boxes while simultaneously giving the genre a grittier vibe. However, it was “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” a sentimental love ballad, which gave the group a #1 hit and made the band an inescapable presence on MTV. Read more.

Madonna “Like a Prayer” (1989)

Inducted April 2021 as “MTV in the ‘80s”

Madonna became a massive star and the Queen of MTV because of her ability to craft catchy pop songs and ooze charisma while always finding new ways to generate press with one controversy or another. The gospel-flavored “Like a Prayer” raised eyebrows with its mix of sex and religion, especially through its video fueled by images of burning crosses and Madonna kissing a black saint. In 2005, it was voted the most groundbreaking music video of all time. Read more.
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Jazz: Top 100 Songs of All Time

Jazz:

Top 100 Songs

This is an aggregate of 30 lists (see sources at the bottom of the page) focused on the best jazz songs of all time. Many of these were not originally jazz compositions and have higher-ranked versions in Dave’s Music Database. As such, the listings here are not necessarily the most popular versions of the song, but the one attributed specifically to a jazz artist.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong “Summertime” (1957)
2. Dave Brubeck “Take Five” (1961)
3. Duke Ellington “Take the ‘A’ Train” (1941)
4. Coleman Hawkins “Body and Soul” (1940)
5. Thelonious Monk “‘Round Midnight” (1947)
6. Miles Davis “So What” (1959)
7. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967)
8. Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)
9. Dizzy Gillespie “A Night in Tunisia” (1946)
10. Cannonball Adderley “Autumn Leaves” (1958)

11. Benny Goodman “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” (1938)
12. Billie Holiday “Strange Fruit” (1939)
13. Frank Sinatra “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” (1964)
14. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (1960)
15. Erroll Garner Trio “Misty” (1954)
16. Glenn Miller “In the Mood” (1939)
17. Miles Davis “All Blues” (1959)
18. John Coltrane “Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme, Part I)” (1965)
19. John Coltrane “My Favorite Things” (1960)
20. Miles Davis “Blue in Green” (1959)

21. Weather Report “Birdland” (1977)
22. Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929)
23. Duke Ellington “Sophisticated Lady” (1933)
24. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane “In a Sentimental Mood” (1962)
25. Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong “St. Louis Blues” (1925)
26. Duke Ellington “Mood Indigo“ (1931)
27. Louis Armstrong “West End Blues” (1928)
28. Count Basie Orchestra “One O’Clock Jump” (1937)
29. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers “Moanin’” (1958)
30. Etta James “At Last” (1961)

31. Benny Goodman “Stompin’ at the Savoy” (1936)
32. Duke Ellington “Satin Doll” (1953)
33. John Coltrane “Giant Steps” (1959)
34. Dizzy Gillespie “All the Things You Are” (1945)
35. Louis Armstrong “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1933)
36. Artie Shaw “Stardust” (1941)
37. Dizzy Gillespie “Salt Peanuts” (1945)
38. Duke Ellington “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” (1932)
39. Glenn Miller “Moonlight Serenade” (1939)
40. Louis Armstrong “I Got Rhythm” (1932)

41. Dizzy Gillespie “Manteca” (1947)
42. Peggy Lee “Fever” (1957)
43. Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher” (1931)
44. Ella Fitzgerald “The Man I Love” (1959)
45. Ella Fitzgerald “Mack the Knife“ (1960)
46. Artie Shaw “Begin the Beguine” (1938)
47. Ella Fitzgerald “Night and Day” (1956)
48. Herbie Hancock “Watermelon Man” (1962)
49. Duke Ellington “Caravan” (1937)
50. Count Basie “April in Paris” (1955)

51. Paul Whitman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” (1924)
52. John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman “Lush Life” (1963)
53. Louis Armstrong “Sweet Georgia Brown” (1955)
54. Billie Holiday “God Bless the Child” (1941)
55. Louis Armstrong “All of Me” (1932)
56. Ella Fitzgerald with the Daydreamers “How High the Moon” (1947)
57. Art Tatum “Tea for Two” (1939)
58. Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1991)
59. Glenn Miller “The Nearness of You” (1940)
60. Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why” (2002)

61. Charlie Parker with Miles Davis & Dizzy Gillespie “Ko-Ko” (1945)
62. Louis Armstrong “When the Saints Go Marching In” (1939)
63. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong “Cheek to Cheek” (1956)
64. Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton “King Porter Stomp” (1923)
65. Billie Holiday “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936)
66. Fats Waller “Honeysuckle Rose” (1935)
67. Ella Fitzgerald “Someone to Watch Over Me” (1958)
68. Ray Charles “Come Rain or Come Shine” (1960)
69. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961)
70. Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938)

71. Bill Withers with Grover Washington, Jr. “Just the Two of Us” (1981)
72. Dizzy Gillespie “I Can’t Get Started” (1945)
73. Louis Armstrong “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935)
74. Billie Holiday “Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)” (1945)
75. Benny Goodman “Moonglow” (1934)
76. Louis Armstrong “Hello Dolly!” (1964)
77. Benny Goodman with Mildred Bailey “Darn That Dream” (1940)
78. Woody Herman “Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me)” (1941)
79. Pee Wee Hunt “Twelfth Street Rag” (1948)
80. Nat “King” Cole “Mona Lisa” (1950)

81. Woody Herman “Laura” (1945)
82. Nat “King” Cole “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (1944)
83. Artie Shaw “Dancing in the Dark” (1941)
84. Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (1988)
85. Lionel Hampton “Flying Home” (1942)
86. Frank Sinatra “One for My Baby and One for the Road” (1949)
87. Dinah Washington “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes” (1959)
88. Ella Fitzgerald “But Not for Me” (1959)
89. Tommy Dorsey “Opus One” (1943)
90. Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra “Cherokee (Indian Love Song)” (1939)

91. Duke Ellington “Perdido” (1942)
92. Chet Baker “My Funny Valentine” (1953)
93. Woody Herman “I’ll Remember April” (1942)
94. George Benson “On Broadway” (live, 1978)
95. George Benson “This Masquerade” (1976)
96. Stan Kenton “Artistry in Rhythm” (1944)
97. Herb Alpert “Rise” (1979)
98. Stan Getz & Charlie Bird “Desafinado” (1962)
99. Louis Armstrong “Potato Head Blues” (1927)
100. Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France “Nuages” (1940)

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First posted 3/3/2011; last updated 4/22/2021.

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Paul Carrack - Happy 70th birthday! His Top 30 Songs

Paul Carrack

Top 30 Songs

The pop/rock singer and keyboardist Paul Carrack was born April 22, 1951 in Sheffield, England. Fronted the band Ace, offered guest vocals for Squeeze, and worked with Mike + the Mechanics. Also worked as a solo singer. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 30 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. This list includes songs by Ace, Squeeze, and Mike + the Mechanics which featured Carrack on lead vocals. Unless otherwise noted, songs are by Paul Carrack as a solo artist.

Songs which hit #1 on the following charts are noted: Billboard Hot 100 (US), Cashbox (CB), Billboard adult contemporary chart (AC), Billboard album rock track chart (AR), Canadian pop chart (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU).

DMDB Top 5%:

1. The Living Years (Mike + the Mechanics, 1988) #1 US, CB, AC, CN, AU
2. Tempted (Squeeze, 1981)
3. How Long (Ace, 1974) #1 CB

DMDB Top 10%:

4. Silent Running (Mike + the Mechanics, 1985) #1 AR
5. Don’t Shed a Tear (1987)

DMDB Top 20%:

6. I Need You (1982)
7. One Good Reason (1987)
8. I Live by the Groove (1989)
9. Everybody Gets a Second Chance (Mike + the Mechanics, 1991)
10. Over My Shoulder (Mike + the Mechanics, 1995)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

11. When You Walk in the Room (1987)
12. Button Off My Shirt (1987)
13. Rock and Roll Runaway (Ace, 1974)
14. Now That You’re Gone (Mike + the Mechanics, 1999)
15. Nobody Knows (Mike + the Mechanics, 1988)
16. Loving You Tonight (Squeeze, 1993)
17. Whenever I Stop (Mike + the Mechanics, 1999)
18. Romance (Paul Carrack with Terri Nunn, 1989)
19. Another Cup of Coffee (Mike + the Mechanics, 1995)
20. Eyes of Blue (1996)

21. Lesson in Love (1982)
22. Revolution (Mike + the Mechanics, 1989)
23. Battlefield (1989)
24. For Once in Our Lives (1997)
25. A Time and a Place (Mike + the Mechanics, 1991)
26. Love Will Keep Us Alive (1997)
27. Do Me Lover (Carlene Carter with Paul Carrack, 1981)
28. Beggar on a Beach of Gold (Mike + the Mechanics, 1995)
29. A Call to Arms (Mike + the Mechanics, 1985)
30. Oh How Happy (Carlene Carter with Paul Carrack, 1981)

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 12/23/2019; updated 6/5/2022.
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Monday, April 19, 2021

Big Band: Top 100 Songs

Big Band:

Top 100 Songs

Big Band, or Swing music, was especially popular in the 1930s and ‘40s. They were generally jazz-oriented orchestras led by such dominant names as Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. In fact, more than 20 of these songs also appear on the DMDB’s Top 100 Jazz Songs list.

This list was created by aggregating 21 lists focused on big band songs.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Duke Ellington “Take the ‘A’ Train” (1941)
2. Benny Goodman “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” (1938)
3. Glenn Miller “In the Mood” (1939)
4. Glenn Miller “A String of Pearls” (1942)
5. Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & the Four Modernaires “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (1941)
6. Artie Shaw “Begin the Beguine” (1938)
7. Artie Shaw “Stardust” (1941)
8. Glenn Miller “Tuxedo Junction” (1940)
9. The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen’s Orchestra “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (1941)
10. Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra “I’ll Never Smile Again” (1940)

11. Glenn Miller “Moonlight Serenade” (1939)
12. Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929)
13. Benny Goodman “Stompin’ at the Savoy” (1936)
14. Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly “Tangerine” (1942)
15. Tommy Dorsey “Opus One” (1945)
16. Les Brown’s Orchestra with Doris Day “Sentimental Journey” (1945)
17. Count Basie “One O’Clock Jump” (1937)
18. Woody Herman “At the Woodchoppers’ Ball” (1939)
19. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1930)
20. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)

21. Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter’s Orchestra “I’ll Be Seeing You” (1944)
22. Duke Ellington with Ivie Anderson “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” (1932)
23. Rosemary Clooney “Tenderly” (1952)
24. Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher (The Ho Do Ho Song)” (1931)
25. Duke Ellington “Perdido” (1942)
26. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Night and Day” (1932)
27. Coleman Hawkins “Body and Soul” (1940)
28. Glenn Miller “Pennsylvania 6-5000” (1940)
29. Billie Holiday with Camarata’s Orchestra “Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)” (1945)
30. Woody Herman “Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me)” (1941)

31. Tommy Dorsey “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” (1936)
32. Glen Gray “Sunrise Serenade” (1939)
33. Charlie Barnet “Skyliner” (1944)
34. Lionel Hampton “Flying Home” (1940)
35. Benny Goodman “Moonglow” (1934)
36. Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly & Helen O’Connell “Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)” (1941)
37. Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & Marion Hutton “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo” (1942)
38. Charlie Barnet “Cherokee (Indian Love Song)” (1939)
39. Duke Ellington “Caravan” (1937)
40. Harry James “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1941)

41. Bing Crosby “White Christmas” (1942)
42. Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” (1939)
43. Billie Holiday “Summertime” (1936)
44. The Andrews Sisters “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (Means That You're Grand)” (1938)
45. Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938)
46. Bunny Berigan “I Can’t Get Started” (1938)
47. Marion Harris “The Man I Love” (1928)
48. Paul Whiteman “Oh, Lady Be Good” (1925)
49. Duke Ellington “Mood Indigo“ (1931)
50. Count Basie “April in Paris” (1956)

51. Billie Holiday “God Bless the Child” (1941)
52. Cab Calloway “Hep! Hep! The Jumpin’ Jive” (1939)
53. Harry James with Frank Sinatra “All or Nothing at All” (1939)
54. Walter Huston “September Song” (1939)
55. Duke Ellington “Satin Doll” (1953)
56. Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee “Why Don’t You Do Right?” (1943)
57. Glenn Miller with Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke, & the Modernaires “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me” (1942)
58. Tommy Dorsey with the Pied Pipers “Let’s Get Away from It All” (1941)
59. Duke Ellington “Solitude” (1934)
60. Paul Whiteman “Song of India” (1921)

61. Benny Goodman “Don’t Be That Way” (1938)
62. Count Basie “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” (1938)
63. Tommy Dorsey with Jo Stafford & Sy Oliver “Yes Indeed!” (1941)
64. Teddy Wilson “Sweet Lorraine” (1935)
65. Johnny Mercer with Jo Stafford & the Pied Pipers “Candy” (1945)
66. Glenn Miller “Skylark” (1942)
67. Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)
68. Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard “All the Things You Are” (1939)
69. The Andrews Sisters “Rum and Coca-Cola” (1945)
70. Larry Clinton with Bea Wain “Deep Purple” (1939)

71. Artie Shaw “Frenesi” (1940)
72. Jelly Roll Morton “King Porter Stomp” (1923)
73. Dick Haymes with Victor Young’s Orchestra “It Might As Well Be Spring” (1945)
74. Nat “King” Cole with Frank DeVol’s Orchestra “Nature Boy” (1948)
75. Hal Kemp with Bob Allen “Where or When” (1937)
76. Ella Fitzgerald & the Delta Rhythm Boys “It’s Only a Paper Moon” (1945)
77. Roger Wolfe Kahn “Sometimes I’m Happy” (1927)
78. Dooley Wilson “As Time Goes By” (1942)
79. Nat “King” Cole “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (1944)
80. Artie Shaw “Dancing in the Dark” (1941)

81. Nat “King” Cole “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” (1946)
82. Johnny Mercer & the Pied Pipers “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe” (1945)
83. Judy Garland with Georgie Stoll’s Orchestra “The Trolley Song” (1944)
84. Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard “Marie” (1937)
85. Glenn Miller with Ray Eberle “Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread” (1940)
86. Benny Goodman with Martha Tilton “And the Angels Sing” (1939)
87. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Cheek to Cheek” (1935)
88. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935)
89. Earl Burtnett with Harry Richman “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (1930)
90. Paul Whitman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” (1924)

91. Kate Smith “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (1940)
92. Duke Ellington “Sophisticated Lady” (1933)
93. Perry Como with Russel Case’s Orchestra “If I Loved You” (1945)
94. The Ink Spots “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (1943)
95. Horace Heidt with Larry Cotton, Donna Wood, & Don Juans “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire’ (1941)
96. Harry James with Helen Forrest “I’ve Heard That Song Before” (1943)
97. Benny Goodman with Helen Forrest “Taking a Chance on Love” (1940)
98. Louis Jordan “Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie” (1946)
99. Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra “Oh, Look at Me Now” (1941)
100. Nat “King” Cole “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” (1946)

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First posted 4/18/2021; last updated 4/19/2021.

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Saturday, April 17, 2021

Variety Magazine: Golden 100 Songs

Variety Magazine:

Golden 100 Songs

Variety Magazine came up with a listing of what it called the “Golden 100.” The songs were listed in alphabetical order by title and no specific artist was noted. For this DMDB version of the list, the artist with the highest-ranked version of each song is noted and the songs have been ranked in order by their DMDB rating. There’s no indication when this list was done, but it covers songs from 1906-1959.

Click here to see lists from other publications and/or organizations

1. Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers “White Christmas” (1942)
2. Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” (1939)
3. Arthur Collins with Byron Harlan “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)
4. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Night and Day” (1932)
5. Gene Austin “My Blue Heaven” (1927)
6. Artie Shaw “Stardust” (1941)
7. Artie Shaw “Begin the Beguine” (1938)
8. Al Jolson “April Showers” (1922)
9. Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong “St. Louis Blues” (1925)
10. Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)

11. Al Jolson “Swanee” (1920)
12. Dooley Wilson “As Time Goes By” (1942)
13. Peerless Quartet “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” (1911)
14. Gene Autry with the Pinafores “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949)
15. Coleman Hawkins “Body and Soul” (1940)
16. Bing Crosby with George Stoll’s Orchestra “Pennies from Heaven” (1936)
17. Billy Murray with the Haydn Quartet “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
18. Paul Whiteman with Bob Lawrence “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1933)
19. The Harmonicats “Peg O’ My Heart” (1947)
20. Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard “All the Things You Are” (1939)

21. Byron Harlan “School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)” (1907)
22. Al Jolson “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1913)
23. Original Dixieland Jazz Band “Tiger Rag” (1918)
24. Paul Robeson “Ol’ Man River” (1928)
25. Ben Selvin “Happy Days Are Here Again” (1930)
26. Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter’s Orchestra “I’ll Be Seeing You” (1944)
27. Marion Harris “After You’ve Gone” (1919)
28. Les Paul with Mary Ford “How High the Moon” (1951)
29. Kate Smith “God Bless America” (1939)
30. Harry MacDonough with Elise Stevenson (as Miss Walton) “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1909)

31. Sophie Tucker “Some of These Days” (1911)
32. Marion Harris “Tea for Two” (1925)
33. Marion Harris “The Man I Love” (1928)
34. Judy Garland with Gene Kelly “For Me and My Gal” (1942)
35. Billie Holiday “Summertime” (1936)
36. Cliff Edwards “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” (1928)
37. George Olsen with Fran Frey, Bob Rice, & Edward Joyce “Always” (1926)
38. Heidelberg Quintet “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” (1912)
39. Byron Harlan “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie” (1906)
40. Count Basie “April in Paris” (1956)

41. Woody Herman “Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me)” (1941)
42. Ted Weems with Elmo Tanner “Heartaches” (1947)
43. Henry Burr “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” (1909)
44. Arthur Collins with Byron Harlan “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1918)
45. Glen Gray with Kenny Sargent “Blue Moon” (1935)
46. Red Nichols “I Got Rhythm” (1930)
47. Rosemary Clooney “Tenderly” (1952)
48. Perry Como “Some Enchanted Evening” (1949)
49. Little Jack Little “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935)
50. Walter Huston “September Song” (1939)

51. Ted Lewis “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1930)
52. That Old Black Magic…Glenn Miller with Skip Nelson (1943)
53. Gene Austin “My Melancholy Baby” (1928)
54. Ray Noble “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (1936)
55. Ruth Etting “Love Me Or Leave Me” (1929)
56. Bing Crosby with the Mills Brothers “Dinah” (1932)
57. Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton “Lover” (1933)
58. Wayne King with Ernie Birchill “Goodnight Sweetheart” (1931)
59. The Victory Military Band “Poor Butterfly” (1917)
60. Prince’s Orchestra “Ballin’ the Jack” (1914)

61. Dinah Washington “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes” (1959)
62. John Steel “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody” (1919)
63. Bill Snyder “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered” (1950)
64. Artie Shaw “Dancing in the Dark” (1941)
65. Paul Whiteman “Somebody Loves Me” (1924)
66. Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton, Charles Gaylord, & Austin Young “The Birth of the Blues” (1926)
67. Dick Haymes “It Might As Well Be Spring” (1945)
68. Benny Goodman with Helen Ward “These Foolish Things Remind Me of You” (1936)
69. Fred & Tom Waring “Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life” (1928)
70. Leo Reisman “What Is This Thing Called Love?” (1930)

71. Al Jolson “All Alone” (1925)
72. George Olsen “Who?” (1926)
73. Ethel Merman “I Get a Kick Out of You” (1935)
74. Guy Lombardo with Carmen Lombardo How Deep Is the Ocean?” (1932)
75. Ben Selvin “Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town)” (1922)
76. Isham Jones with Ray Miller & Frank Bessinger “I’ll See You in My Dreams” (1925)
77. Tommy Dorsey with Jack Leonard “Marie” (1937)
78. Ben Pollack with Franklyn Baur “Sweet Sue, Just You” (1928)
79. Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton “Lover Come Back to Me” (1929)
80. Ruth Etting “Exactly Like You” (1930)

81. Richard Himber with Stuart Allen “Just One of Those Things” (1935)
82. Edith Piaf “La Vie En Rose” (1950)
83. Frank Sinatra “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (1945)
84. Hal McIntyre “My Funny Valentine” (1945)
85. Margaret Whiting “Come Rain or Come Shine” (1946)
86. Leo Reisman with Clifton Webb “Easter Parade” (1933)
87. Roger Wolfe Kahn “Sometimes I’m Happy” (1927)
88. Larry Clinton with Bea Wain “You Go to My Head” (1938)
89. Paul Whiteman with Al Rinker, Jack Fulton, Charles Gaylord, & Austin Young “My Heart Stood Still” (1928)
90. Cab Calloway “I’ve Got the World on a String” (1932)

91. Frankie Laine “I Believe” (1953)
92. Paul Whiteman with Bing Crosby “Without a Song” (1929)
93. Paul Whiteman with Bing Crosby “Great Day” (1929)
94. Leo Reisman with Ran Weeks “With a Song in My Heart” (1929)
95. Glenn Miller “The Nearness of You” (1940)
96. Sarah Vaughn “S’ Wonderful” (1927)
97. Julie Andrews “I Could Have Danced All Night” (1956)
98. Olive Kline “Kiss Me Again” (1916)
99. Nat Shilkret with Phil Dewey, Frank Luter, & Leo O’Rourke “Get Happy” (1930)
100. Judy Garland “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” (1943)

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First posted 8/1/2014; last updated 4/17/2021.

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Tin Pan Alley: Top 100 Songs

Tin Pan Alley:

Top 100 Songs

Tin Pan Alley is a reference to a collection of late 19th century and early 20th century music publishers and songwriters in New York City, specifically West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Manhattan. The era is generally marked as starting in 1885 when a number of music publishers first set up shop in the area. Some consider the start of the Great Depression in the 1930s to mark the ending – a time when sheet music was no longer the driving force for American popular music, but a time when the phonograph, radio, and movies had more influence. Others consider the movement to have lasted into the 1950s when it was upstated by the rise of rock & roll and the subsequent influence of writers from the Brill Building. Some of the the most significant Tin Pan Alley writers were Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern, Frank Loesser, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Albert Von Tilzer. The phrase, however, has come to be associated more broadly with commercially successful music of the early 20th century.

This list was creating by aggregating 18 lists and giving extra weight to songs which fell between 1885 and 1933 and were written by one of the significant songwriters specifically associated with the Tin Pan Alley era. Songs are listed with the songwriters and first year the song emerged. These songs have largely become standards; more than half of them appear on the DMDB list of the top 100 American Songbook Standards .

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Irving Berlin “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)
2. Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
3. Jack Norworth and Nora Bayes “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1908)
4. Shelton Brooks “Some of These Days” (1910)
5. Milton Ager and Jack Yellen “Ain’t She Sweet?” (1927)
6. Leo Friedman and Beth Slater Whitson “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” (1910)
7. Shelton Brooks “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1917)
8. Ren Shields and George Evans “In the Good Old Summertime” (1902)
9. Irving Berlin “God Bless America” (1939)
10. Charles K. Harris “After the Ball” (1892)

11. George M. Cohan “Give My Regards to Broadway” (1904)
12. Edward Madden and Gus Edwards “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” (1909)
13. Joseph E. Howard and Ida Emerson “Hello Ma Baby” (1899)
14. Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher “Peg O’ My Heart” (1913)
15. George Gershwin and Irving Caesar “Swanee” (1920)
16. George M. Cohan “Over There” (1917)
17. John Schonberger, Richard Coburn, and Vincent Rose “Whispering” (1920)
18. Milton Ager and Jack Yellen “Happy Days Are Here Again” (1930)
19. Hughie Cannon and Johnnie Queen “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902)
20. Harry Von Tilzer and William Dillon “I Want a Girl Just Like the Girl Who Married Dear Old Dad” (1911)

21. Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks “All of Me” (1931)
22. Walter Donaldson and George A. Whiting “My Blue Heaven” (1927)
23. Edward Madden and Percy Wenrich “Moonlight Bay” (1912)
24. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1930)
25. Spencer Williams and Jack Palmer “Everybody Loves My Baby” (1924)
26. Jimmy Monaco and Joseph McCarthy “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1913)
27. Irving Berlin “Cheek to Cheek” (1935)
28. Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish “Stardust” (1927)
29. W.C. Handy “St. Louis Blues” (1914)
30. Theodore August Metz and Joe Hayden “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (1896)

31. Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, and Maceo Pinkard “Sweet Georgia Brown” (1925)
32. Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell “Georgia on My Mind” (1930)
33. Irving Berlin “Always” (1926)
34. Harry Akst, Sam M. Lewis, and Joe Young “Dinah” (1932)
35. Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon “Bye Bye Blackbird” (1926)
36. Joseph E. Howard, Harold Orlob, Frank R. Adams, and Will M. Hough “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” (1909)
37. Fred Fisher and Alfred Bryan “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine” (1910)
38. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” (1928)
39. Nat D. Ayer and Seymour Brown “Oh You Beautiful Doll” (1911)
40. George Meyer, Edgar Leslie, and E. Ray Goetz “For Me and My Gal” (1917)

41. Harry Von Tilzer and Andrew B. Sterling “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie” (1905)
42. Chris Smith and Jim (James Henry) Burris “Ballin’ the Jack” (1913)
43. Scott Joplin “The Entertainer” (1902)
44. Harry Von Tilzer and Arthur J. Lamb “A Bird in a Gilded Cage” (1900)
45. Cole Porter “Night and Day” (1932)
46. George and Ira Gershwin “I Got Rhythm” (1930)
47. Charles B. Lawlor and James W. Blake “The Sidewalks of New York” (1894)
48. Johnny Green, Eddie Heyman, Robert Sour, and Frank Eyton “Body and Soul” (1930)
49. Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson “Carolina in the Morning” (1923)
50. Paul Dresser “On the Banks of the Wabash” (1897)

51. Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)
52. Frank Silver and Irving Cohn “Yes! We Have No Bananas” (1923)
53. Turner Layton and Henry Creamer “After You’ve Gone” (1918)
54. W.C. Handy, George A. Norton, Charles Tobias, and Peter DeRose “The Memphis Blues” (1912)
55. Alfred Bryan and Al Piantadosi “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier” (1915)
56. Ray Henderson, Sam Lewis, and Joe Young “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue” (1926)
57. Turner Layton and Henry Creamer “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” (1922)
58. Gus Edwards and Will D. Cobb “School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)” (1907)
59. Buddy DeSylva and Louis Silvers “April Showers” (1922)
60. Tell Taylor “Down by the Old Mill Stream” (1910)

61. Joe Burke and Al Dubin “Tip Toe Through the Tulips” (1929)
62. Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby” (1925)
63. Cole Porter “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (1936)
64. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Harry DeCosta “Tiger Rag” (1918)
65. George M. Cohan “You’re a Grand Old Flag (aka “The Grand Old Rag”)” (1906)
66. Isham Jones and Gus Kahn “I’ll See You in My Dreams” (1925)
67. Arthur B Sterling and Kerry Mills “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” (1904)
68. Cole Porter “I Get a Kick Out of You” (1934)
69. Mark Fisher, Joe Goodwin, and Larry Shay “When You’re Smiling, the Whole World Smiles with You” (1928)
70. Gus Edwards and Vincent Bryan “In My Merry Oldsmobile” (1902)

71. Victor Young and Will Harris “Sweet Sue, Just You” (1928)
72. George M. Cohan “Yankee Doodle Boy” (1905)
73. Fred Fisher “Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town)” (1922)
74. Johnny S. Black “Paper Doll” (1942)
75. Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar “Tea for Two” (1925)
76. Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn “Makin’ Whoopee” (1928)
77. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart “Blue Moon” (1935)
78. Arthur Johnson and Johnny Burke “Pennies from Heaven” (1936)
79. Irving Berlin “White Christmas” (1942)
80. Jean Kenbrovin and John William Kellette “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” (1919)

81. Richard H. Gerard and Harry Armstrong “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)” (1903)
82. Isham Jones and Gus Kahn “It Had to Be You” (1924)
83. Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1933)
84. Irving Berlin “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (1930)
85. Henry J. Sayers “Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-De-Ay” (1891)
86. Scott Joplin “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899)
87. Herman Hupfield “As Time Goes By” (1931)
88. Daniel Decatur Emmett “Dixie” (1860)
89. Euday L. Bowman “Twelfth Street Rag” (1916)
90. George & Ira Gershwin “Summertime” (1935)

91. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II “Ol’ Man River” (1927)
92. Cole Porter “Begin the Beguine” (1935)
93. Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young, and Jean Schwartz “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” (1918)
94. Irving Berlin “Blue Skies” (1927)
95. Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, and Dan Russo “Toot Toot Tootsie (Goo-Bye!)” (1922)
96. Harry M. Woods “Side by Side” (1927)
97. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart “My Funny Valentine” (1937)
98. George & Ira Gershwin “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” (1937)
99. Harold Arlen and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg “Over the Rainbow” (1939)
100. Hoagy Carmichael and Sidney Arodin “Lazy River” (1931)

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First posted 4/17/2021.

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Friday, April 16, 2021

Standards of the American Songbook: Top 100

American Songbook Standards:

Top 100 Songs

Songs which have become known as standards or those comprising the great American songbook are generally popular songs from the early 20th century. These are songs from an era when songwriters were more at the forefront, penning songs for theater and film that were often recorded by multiple artists and spawned multiple chart versions.

This list has been created by aggregating 31 lists (see sources at the bottom of the page) which focused on 20th century song titles not recorded by any specific artist. Here are the top 100 songs listed with their songwriters and first year of appearance:

1. Irving Berlin “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)
2. Cole Porter “Night and Day” (1932)
3. Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish “Stardust” (1927)
4. W.C. Handy “St. Louis Blues” (1914)
5. Irving Berlin “White Christmas” (1942)
6. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II “All the Things You Are” (1939)
7. Harold Arlen and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg “Over the Rainbow” (1939)
8. Cole Porter “Begin the Beguine” (1935)
9. George M. Cohan “Give My Regards to Broadway” (1904)
10. George M. Cohan “Over There” (1917)

11. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1930)
12. Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929)
13. George Gershwin and Irving Caesar “Swanee” (1920)
14. Isham Jones and Gus Kahn “It Had to Be You” (1924)
15. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” (1928)
16. Hughie Cannon and Johnnie Queen “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902)
17. George and Ira Gershwin “I Got Rhythm” (1930)
18. Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar “Tea for Two” (1925)
19. Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936)
20. Cole Porter “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (1936)

21. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II “Ol’ Man River” (1927)
22. Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1933)
23. Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)
24. Irving Berlin “Cheek to Cheek” (1935)
25. Richard H. Gerard and Harry Armstrong “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)” (1903)
26. Duke Ellington, Mitchell Parish, and Irving Mills “Sophisticated Lady” (1933)
27. Gus Kahn, Raymond B. Egan, and Richard Whiting “Ain’t We Got Fun?” (1921)
28. Ernie Burnett and George A. Norton “My Melancholy Baby” (1928)
29. Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson “Carolina in the Morning” (1923)
30. Kurt Weill, Mark Blitzstein, and Berthold Brecht “Mack the Knife” (1928)

31. Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
32. Jay Gorney and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” (1932)
33. Duke Ellington “Mood Indigo” (1931)
34. Herman Hupfield “As Time Goes By” (1931)
35. Jimmy Monaco and Joseph McCarthy “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1913)
36. George & Ira Gershwin “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” (1937)
37. Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer “Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me)” (1941)
38. George & Ira Gershwin “Someone to Watch Over Me” (1926)
39. Walter Donaldson and George A. Whiting “My Blue Heaven” (1927)
40. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart “Manhattan” (1925)

41. Arthur B Sterling and Kerry Mills “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” (1904)
42. Irving Berlin “Blue Skies” (1927)
43. Vernon Duke and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg “April in Paris” (1932)
44. Jerome Kern and P.G. Wodehouse “They Didn't Believe Me” (1914)
45. George Meyer, Edgar Leslie, and E. Ray Goetz “For Me and My Gal” (1917)
46. traditional, adapted by Fred Weatherly “Danny Boy” (1913)
47. George M. Cohan “You’re a Grand Old Flag (aka “The Grand Old Rag”)” (1906)
48. Irving Berlin “God Bless America” (1939)
49. Edward Madden and Percy Wenrich “Moonlight Bay” (1912)
50. Irving Berlin “Always” (1926)

51. Harry H. Williams and Egbert Van Alstyne “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree” (1905)
52. Harry Warren and Al Dubin “I Only Have Eyes for You” (1934)
53. Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson “September Song” (1905)
54. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart “Blue Moon” (1935)
55. John Schonberger, Richard Coburn, and Vincent Rose “Whispering” (1920)
56. Shelton Brooks “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1917)
57. Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed “Singin’ in the Rain” (1929)
58. Johnny Green, Eddie Heyman, Robert Sour, and Frank Eyton “Body and Soul” (1930)
59. Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell “Georgia on My Mind” (1930)
60. Richard A. Whiting and Raymond B. Egan “Till We Meet Again” (1919)

61. Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935)
62. Andy Razaf and Joe Garland “In the Mood” (1939)
63. Buddy DeSylva and Louis Silvers “April Showers” (1922)
64. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart “My Funny Valentine” (1937)
65. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart “Lover” (1933)
66. Irving Berlin “Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning” (1918)
67. Fred Fisher “Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town)” (1922)
68. Cole Porter “Just One of Those Things” (1935)
69. Edward Madden and Gus Edwards “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” (1909)
70. George Powell (aka Charles Asaf) and Felix Powell “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile” (1915)

71. Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher “Peg O’ My Heart” (1913)
72. Max Freedman and Jimmy DeKnight “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
73. Paul Dresser “My Gal Sal” (1905)
74. Richard Whiting “The Japanese Sandman” (1920)
75. Ren Shields and George Evans “In the Good Old Summertime” (1902)
76. Ren Shields and George Evans “In My Merry Oldsmobile” (1902)
77. Jack Norworth and Nora Bayes “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1908)
78. Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young, and Jean Schwartz “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” (1918)
79. Milton Ager and Jack Yellen “Happy Days Are Here Again” (1930)
80. Leigh Harline and Ned Washington “When You Wish Upon a Star” (1940)

81. George M. Cohan “Yankee Doodle Boy” (1905)
82. Leo Friedman and Beth Slater Whitson “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” (1910)
83. Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn “My Buddy” (1922)
84. George & Ira Gershwin “Summertime” (1935)
85. Shelton Brooks “Some of These Days” (1910)
86. Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer “That Old Black Magic” (1943)
87. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” (1941)
88. Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin “I Can’t Get Started” (1938)
89. Walter Donaldson and Arthur Fields “The Aba Daba Honeymoon” (1914)
90. Cole Porter “I Get a Kick Out of You” (1934)

91. Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” (1945)
92. Harry Warren and Al Dubin “42nd Street” (1933)
93. Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin “Long Ago and Far Away” (1944)
94. Walter Gross and Jack Lawrence “Tenderly” (1947)
95. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II “It Might As Well Be Spring” (1945)
96. Nat D. Ayer and Seymour Brown “Oh You Beautiful Doll” (1911)
97. Walter Donaldson, Sam Lewis, and Joy Young “My Mammy (The Sun Shines East, the Sun Shines West)” (1920)
98. George & Ira Gershwin “Embraceable You” (1930)
99. George & Ira Gershwin “The Man I Love” (1928)
100. Turner Layton and Henry Creamer “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” (1922)

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First posted 4/11/2020; last updated 4/16/2020.

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Kevin Gilbert box set Call Me Kai released

Call Me Kai

Kevin Gilbert

Released: April 18, 2021

Recorded: 1984-1987

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: progressive rock

Disc 1 (Decent Exposure ‘85):

  1. Suitcase Living [4:43]
  2. Staring into Nothing [6:01]
  3. Carpet Man [3:01]
  4. Simpler Times [5:38]
  5. Circling Winds [3:29]
  6. Walking in Your Shoes [5:24]
  7. Goodman Badman [4:35]
  8. Rain Suite: a) If I Ever Rain… [4:02]
  9. Rain Suite: b) Broken Ties [4:20]
  10. Welcome Home [4:29]

Disc 2 (Sometimes Why ‘86):

  1. Never Say Never [4:11]
  2. Another Day [4:59]
  3. Until I Get You Back [5:23]
  4. God’s Been Tapping My Phone [5:28]
  5. Image Maker [3:10]
  6. Livin’ in the U.S.A. [4:10]
  7. Child in Your Arms [5:04]
  8. One of Those Days [4:24]
  9. Tired Old Man Suite: a) Tired Old Man [3:58]
  10. Tired Old Man Suite: b) Terpsichorean [3:50]
  11. Tired Old Man Suite: c) Still Aire [0:34]
  12. Tired Old Man Suite: d) Back on the Shelf [0:54]

Disc 3 (Point Blank ‘87):

  1. Nightmares [4:47]
  2. Shannon Elizabeth [3:12]
  3. One Bad Habit [3:44]
  4. Goodbye L.A. [5:19]
  5. Staring into Nothing [4:46]
  6. Only 1 U Need [4:11]
  7. More for You [3:54]
  8. No Big Deal [3:32]
  9. Danarae [4:51]
  10. Suits Me Fine [5:06]

Disc 4 (Mixed Bag ’84-’87):

  1. B-Men 1 [1:08]
  2. Sherwood [2:24]
  3. Tersichorean [2:43]
  4. Sometimes Why [2:07]
  5. B-Men 2 [1:06]
  6. Tracy [4:44]
  7. Never Gonna Change [4:34]
  8. This Rain [5:28]
  9. Finale [1:55]
  10. Yo Yo Yo [4:09]
  11. Just Can’t Stand [4:01]
  12. Sail Away [5:21]

Rating:

2.222 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)

About the Album:

This 4-CD box set covers recordings made by Kevin Gilbert from 1984 to 1987 between his years with NRG (1984) and Giraffe (1987-89). Gilbert adopted the stage name “Kai” in the mid-to-late ‘80s and made it a goal to create and distribute an album each year to his friends and family. As he said, “I made a rule for myself when I was fifteen and I got a job at a studio. I said, ‘Once a year I’m going to finish 10 songs, 45 minutes of music, and call it a record.” PP 25 years after his death, the estate of Kevin Gilbert has released this collection of recordings from that era.

In episode 5 of the Kevin Gilbert podcast, guest Mark McCrite said these were the albums as Gilbert initially conceived them. YH He and Wayne Perez, the KG estate archivist and host of the podcast, discuss how Kevin hadn’t intended his recordings prior to 1990’s Toy Matinee album to be distributed. However, McCrite notes that after Gilbert’s death, early recordings emerged which weren’t top-notch recordings and it made sense to rerelease quality versions of these songs.

McCrite comments throughout the podcast on select tracks. Regarding Simpler Times, from the Decent Exposure disc, noting that he liked the vocal, arrangement, and drum-machine programming, comparing the latter to Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.” YH

He also noted how Walking in Your Shoes has an intro inspired by the acapella harmony vocals from Yes’ “Leave It” and then a keyboard sequence similar to “Changes,” another cut from the Yes’ 90125 album. He also called the sax doubling with the bass at the end “Zappaesque.” YH

Perez says he hears a big shift in Gilbert’s music from the first disc to the second. Decent Exposure still had a similar sound to Gilbert’s 1984 NRG project while Sometimes Why showed more of his emerging abilities at production. McCrite also said he thought Gilbert’s songwriting showed notable improvement.

Perez refers to the Tired Old Man Suite as a “complex and multi-faceted track.” YH He notes that this song as well as Suits Me Fine were both performed live by Giraffe. McCrite compared “Tired Old Man” to the Who’s “A Quick One While He’s Away,” saying it was Gilbert’s mini-opera. YH Perez noted that the version that showed up later on 2009’s Nuts was initially intended for Gilbert’s 1995 Thud album.

They also talk about other songs on the collection which were recycled in later years, such as Staring into Nothing and Image Maker for The Shaming of the True.

There’s even one track, Terpsichorean, which is recycled three times within the Call Me Kai collection. It first appears on Decent Exposure as part of the “Tired Old Man Suite.” Then it shows up again on Mixed Bag under that title and again as Yo Yo Yo.

They also discuss the song Nightmares, which was recorded by the Motels’ Martha Davis for the soundtrack of Night of the Creeps. Perez says Giraffe’s Stan Cotey claims that Gilbert stripped Davis’ vocals and recorded his own for his version of the song. YH McCrite also notes the influence of Yes’ 90125 again where Gilbert uses samples at the end of the song from “Owner of a Lonely Heart.”

Perez explained that the fourth disc, Mixed Bag, showed where the seeds of Gilbert’s soundtrack work began. McCrite commented specifically on the song Sometimes Why, which Perez called “melancholy and casual.” YH McCrite thought the instrumental did a good job showcasing Gilbert’s specific style as a pianist. YH

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First posted 6/4/2021.

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