Tuesday, December 1, 1992

Life Magazine "40 Years of Rock & Roll": The Songs

Life Magazine:

40 Years of Rock & Roll: The Songs

In 1992, Life magazine devoted a special issue to celebrate rock & roll, using the Moondog Coronation Ball held on March 21, 1952 in Cleveland as their starting point for rock & roll. They picked five songs to represent each year from 1952 to 1991. They also picked one album for each year from 1955 to 1991.

Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1952:

  • The Dominoes “Have Mercy, Baby”
  • Lloyd Price “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”
  • Johnny Ace “My Song”
  • The Clovers “One Mint Julep”
  • Jimmy Forrest “Night Train”

1953:

  • Willie Mae Thornton ““Hound Dog
  • The Clovers “Money Honey”
  • The Orioles “Crying in the Chapel”
  • Ruth Brown “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean”
  • Bill Haley & His Comets “Crazy Man Crazy”

1954:

  • The Chords “Sh-Boom
  • Johnny Ace “Pledging My Love”
  • Hank Ballard & the Midnighters “Work with Me Annie”
  • The Drifters “Honey Love”
  • Big Joe Turner “Shake, Rattle and Roll”

1955:

1956:

1957:

1958:

  • Dion & the Belmonts “I Wonder Why”
  • Little Anthony & the Imperials “Tears on My Pillow”
  • Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode
  • Jackie Wilson “Lonely Teardrops”
  • Eddie Cochran “Summertime Blues”

1959:

  • Dion & the Belmonts “A Teenager in Love”
  • Wilbert Harrison “Kansas City”
  • The Drifters “There Goes My Baby”
  • Ritchie Valens “Donna” / “La Bamba
  • The Crests “Sixteen Candles”

1960:

  • Brenda Lee “I’m Sorry”
  • Mark Dinning “Teen Angel”
  • Percy Faith “Theme from ‘A Summer Place’”
  • Roy Orbison “Only the Lonely”
  • Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs “Stay”

1961:

1962:

  • The Four Seasons “Big Girls Don’t Cry
  • The Crystals “He’s a Rebel”
  • The Miracles “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”
  • Gene Chandler “Duke of Earl
  • The Isley Brothers “Twist and Shout”

1963:

1964:

1965:

1966:

1967:

1968:

1969:

1970:

  • The Kinks “Lola”
  • The Miracles “The Tears of a Clown”
  • James Taylor “Fire and Rain”
  • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “Woodstock”
  • Van Morrison “Moondance”

1971:

1972:

1973:

  • Edgar Winter Group “Frankenstein”
  • Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side
  • Gladys Knight & the Pips “Midnight Train to Georgia”
  • The Rolling Stones “Angie”
  • The O’Jays “Love Train”

1974:

  • Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama
  • Bachman-Turner Overdrive “Takin’ Care of Business”
  • Steely Dan “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”
  • Eagles “Best of My Love”
  • Joni Mitchell “Help Me”

1975:

  • Eagles “One of These Nights”
  • Linda Ronstadt “You’re No Good”
  • Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody
  • David Bowie “Fame”
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers “No Woman, No Cry”

1976:

  • Peter Frampton “Show Me the Way”
  • Paul Simon “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”
  • Heart “Crazy on You”
  • Daryl Hall & John Oates “She’s Gone”
  • Boz Scaggs “Lowdown”

1977:

1978:

  • Talking Heads “Psycho Killer”
  • Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “Breakdown”
  • Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are
  • Elvis Costello “Watching the Detectives”
  • Meat Loaf “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”

1979:

  • The Police “Roxanne
  • Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing”
  • Donna Summer “Bad Girls”
  • The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes”
  • Joe Jackson “Is She Really Going Out with Him?”

1980:

  • Blondie “Call Me
  • The Pretenders “Brass in Pocket (I’m Special)”
  • Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II
  • Bruce Springsteen “Hungry Heart”
  • Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band “Against the Wind”

1981:

  • Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes
  • The Cars “Shake It Up”
  • The Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed”
  • The Pointer Sisters “Slow Hand”
  • REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You”

1982:

  • Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll
  • Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes “Up Where We Belong”
  • The Clash “Rock the Casbah”
  • Human League “Don’t You Want Me?
  • Men at Work “Who Can It Be Now?”

1983:

1984:

1985:

1986:

  • Bruce Hornsby & the Range “The Way It Is”
  • Robert Palmer “Addicted to Love”
  • Prince “Kiss
  • Whitney Houston “How Will I Know”
  • Steve Winwood “Higher Love”

1987:

1988:

  • Tracy Chapman “Fast Car
  • INXS “New Sensation”
  • Terence Trent D’Arby “Wishing Well”
  • Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine
  • Def Leppard “Love Bites”

1989:

  • Paula Abdul “Straight Up”
  • Public Enemy “Fight the Power”
  • Bonnie Raitt “Thing Called Love”
  • Fine Young Cannibals “She Drives Me Crazy”
  • Tone Loc “Wild Thing”

1990:

  • SinĂ©ad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U
  • Faith No More “Epic”
  • Mariah Carey “Vision of Love”
  • Chris Isaak “Wicked Game”
  • Technotronic “Pump Up the Jam”

1991:


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First posted 4/9/2021.

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