Marc Myers Anatomy of a Song

Marc Myers: Anatomy of a Song: Top 100 Songs

In 2016, writer and music historian Marc Myers published Anatomy of a Song, a book analyzing 45 songs from the 1950s to the 1990s. Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. In 2022, he published a second volume, Anatomy of 55 More Songs. Combined the two volumes covered 100 songs, which are listed here chronologically. Dates refer to the song’s earliest release, be it as a single or an album cut. Songs are noted with a 1 if featured in the first book and 2 if in the second book. Lloyd Price “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” (5/17/1952) 1 Little Willie Littlefield “K.C. Lovin’” (8/12/1952) / Wilbert Harrison “Kansas City” (4/3/1959) 1 The Isley Brothers “Shout (Parts 1 and 2)” (9/7/1959) 1 The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” (8/21/1961) 1 Dion “Runaround Sue” (9/15/1961) 1 The Dixie Cups “Chapel of Love” (4/16/1964) 1 Dionne Warwick “Walk on By” (4/16/1964) 2 Martha Reeves & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (7/31/1964) 2 The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (8/4/1964) 1 The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (12/11/1964) 1 The Temptations “My Girl” (12/21/1964) 1 Donovan “Sunshine Superman” (7/29/1966) 2 Four Tops “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” (8/18/1966) 1 The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (10/10/1966) 2 The Doors “Light My Fire” (1/4/1967) 1 The Lovin’ Spoonful “Darling Be Home Soon” (2/11/1967) 1 Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit” (2/28/1967) 1 The Youngbloods “Get Together” (3/25/1967) 2 The Young Rascals “Groovin’” (4/21/1967) 1 The 5th Dimension “Up, Up and Away” (6/3/1967) 2 Linda Ronstadt & the Stone Poneys “Different Drum” (6/30/1967) 1 Otis Redding “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” (1/8/1968) 1 Loretta Lynn “Fist City” (2/24/1968) 1 The Crazy World of Arthur Brown “Fire” (6/26/1968) 2 The Band “The Weight” (8/8/1968) 2 The Rolling Stones “Street Fighting Man” (8/31/1968) 1 Tammy Wynette “Stand by Your Man” (9/20/1968) 1 Steppenwolf “Magic Carpet Ride” (10/5/1968) 1 Creedence Clearwater Revival “Proud Mary” (1/18/1969) 1 Tommy James & the Shondells “Crystal Blue Persuasion” (2/1/1969) 2 The Edwin Hawkins Singers with Dorothy Combs Morrison “Oh Happy Day” (4/26/1969) 1 Creedence Clearwater Revival “Bad Moon Rising” (5/2/1969) 2 Elvis Presley “Suspicious Minds” (8/26/1969) 1 Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love” (10/22/1969) 1 Diana Ross “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (6/19/1970) 2 Black Sabbath “Paranoid” (8/7/1970) 2 The Grateful Dead “Truckin’” (11/1/1970) 2 Janis Joplin “Mercedes Benz” (1/30/1971) 1 Alice Cooper “I’m Eighteen” (2/20/1971) 2 The Rolling Stones “Moonlight Mile” (4/23/1971) 1 Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (5/31/1971) 1 Joni Mitchell “Carey” (6/22/1971) 1 T-Rex “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” (7/2/1971) 2 The Staple Singers “Respect Yourself” (10/2/1971) 1 The Hollies “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” (10/8/1971) 2 Yes “Roundabout” (11/30/1971) 2 Jackson Browne “Doctor My Eyes” (1/31/1972) 2 Todd Rundgren “Hello It’s Me” (2/28/1972) 2 Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water” (March 1972) 2 Elton John “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Gonna Be a Long Time)” (4/14/1972) 2 The Temptations “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (7/27/1972) 2 Jimmy Cliff “The Harder They Come” (July 1972) 1 The Spinners “I’ll Be Around” (8/19/1972) 2 Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1/19/1973) 2 The Allman Brothers Band “Ramblin’ Man” (8/17/1973) 1 Gladys Knight & the Pips “Midnight Train to Georgia” (8/25/1973) 1 Daryl Hall & John Oates “She’s Gone” (11/3/1973) 2 Redbone “Come and Get Your Love” (1/5/1974) 2 Gordon Lightfoot “Sundown” (2/2/1974) 2 The Hues Corporation “Rock the Boat” (5/4/1974) 1 10cc “I’m Not in Love” (4/19/1975) 2 Aerosmith “Walk This Way” (4/30/1975) 1 Roxy Music “Love Is the Drug” (9/30/1975) 2 Thin Lizzy “The Boys Are Back in Town” (4/17/1976) 2 Steve Miller Band “Fly Like an Eagle” (5/26/1976) 2 Stevie Wonder “Love’s in Need of Love Today” (9/28/1976) 1 Al Stewart “Year of the Cat” (10/9/1976) 2 Heart “Barracuda” (5/14/1977) 2 Carly Simon “Nobody Does It Better” (7/15/1977) 2 Elvis Costello “The Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes” (7/22/1977) 1 Steely Dan “Deacon Blues” (10/15/1977) 1 Steely Dan “Peg” (10/15/1977) 2 The Cars “My Best Friend’s Girl” (6/6/1978) 2 Blondie “Heart of Glass” (9/16/1978) 1 Kenny Rogers “The Gambler” (10/28/1978) 2 Earth, Wind & Fire “September” (11/17/1978) 2 The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes” (12/23/1978) 2 Elvis Costello “Accidents Will Happen” (1/5/1979) 2 Charlie Daniels Band “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (4/1/1979) 2 Chic “Good Times” (6/4/1979) 2 AC/DC “Highway to Hell” (7/27/1979) 2 Gary Numan “Cars” (8/21/1979) 2 Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” (11/23/1979) 1 The Clash “London Calling” (12/7/1979) 1 Donna Summer “On the Radio” (1/4/1980) 2 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “Bad Reputation” (5/17/1980) 2 Blondie “Rapture” (11/30/1980) 2 The Neville Brothers “Brother John/Iko Iko” (April 1981) 1 Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (7/31/1981) 2 Merle Haggard “Big City” (10/31/1981) 1 Joe Jackson “Steppin’ Out” (7/17/1982) 2 Talking Heads “Burning Down the House” (6/1/1983) 2 Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time” (10/14/1983) 1 Huey Lewis & the News “The Power of Love” (6/28/1985) 2 John (Cougar) Mellencamp “Small Town” (8/5/1985) 2 Keith Richards “Take It So Hard’ (10/3/1988) 2 Bonnie Raitt “Nick of Time” (3/21/1989) 1 Pet Shop Boys “Being Boring” (10/22/1990) 2 R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (2/19/1991) 1 Sheryl Crow “If It Makes You Happy” (8/31/1996) 2 Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: lists from critics and individuals Dave’s Music Database: lists from publications and/or organizations Marc Myers (November 2016). Anatomy of a Song. Grove Press: New York, NY. Marc Myers (12/6/2022). Anatomy of 55 More Songs. Grove Press: New York, NY. First posted 8/6/2023.