Alan Lewens Popular Song: Soundtrack of the Century

Alan Lewens Popular Song: Soundtrack of the Century – Top 100+

Lewens background is in television where has produced music programs on a variety of genres including blues, country, jazz, opera, and country. For this book, he selected 100 songs to represent the 20th century. For the most part, he selected one song per year but there were a few circumstances where he chose more than one song. He identified songs by the writers (w = words, m = music) and not recording artists. The songs were not ranked but simply listed in chronological order. Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1900: Scott Joplin (w/m) “Maple Leaf Rag” 1901: Charles K. Harris (w/m) “After the Ball” 1902: Richard H. Gerard (w) and Harry Armstrong (m) “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)” 1903: George M. Cohan (w/m) “Give My Regards to Broadway” 1904: Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton (m) “Jelly Roll Blues” 1905: George Fairman (w/m) “The Preacher and the Bear” 1906: Charles Albert Tindley (w/m) “Stand by Me” 1907: Harry Lauder (w/m) “I Love a Lassie” 1908: Rida Johnson Young (w) and Victor Herbert (m) “Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life” 1909: Frederick Weatherly (w), traditional (m) “Danny Boy” 1910: Irving Berlin (w/m) “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” 1911: Joe McCarthy (w), James V. Monaco (m) “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” 1912: George Norton (w), Ernie Burnette (m) “Melancholy Baby” 1913: W.C. Handy (w/m) “St. Louis Blues” 1914: Herbert Reynolds (w), Jerome Kern (m) “They Didn’t Believe Me” 1915: George Powell (w), Felix Powell (m) “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile” 1916: Frederick Weatherly (w), Hayden Wood (m) “Roses of Picardy” 1917: Sam Lewis and Joe Young (w), Jean Schwartz (m) “Rockabye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” 1917: Walter Donaldson (w/m) “My Mammy” 1918: Irving Caesar (w), George Gershwin (m) “Swanee” 1919: The Original Dixieland Jazz Band (w/m) “Tiger Rag” 1920: traditional, arranged by W.C. Handy (w/m) “Careless Love” 1921: Irving Mills (w), Cliff Friend (m) “Lovesick Blues” 1922: Arthur Freed, Abe Lyman, and Gus Arnheim (w/m) “I Cried for You” 1923: Gus Kahn (w), Isham Jones (m) “It Had to Be You” 1924: Irving Caesar (w), Vincent Youmans (m) “Tea for Two” 1925: Lorenz Hart (w), Richard Rodgers (m) “Manhattan” 1926: Boyd Atkins (w/m) “Heebie Jeebies” 1927: Hoagy Carmichael (w/m), Mitchell Parish (rewritten words in 1931) “Stardust” 1928: Oscar Hammerstein II (w), Jerome Kern (m) “Ol’ Man River” 1929: Arthur Freed (w), Herb Nacio Brown (m) “Singin’ in the Rain” 1930: Ira Gershwin (w), George Gershwin (m) “But Not for Me” 1931: Jimmie Rodgers (w/m) “Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)” 1932: E.Y. “Yip” Harburg (w), J. Gorney (m) “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” 1933: Otto Harbach (w), Jerome Kern (m) “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” 1934: Cole Porter (w/m) “Night and Day” 1935: Dubose Heyward (w), George Gershwin (m) “Summertime” 1936: Cole Porter (w/m) “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” 1937: The Reverend Guy Smith (w), traditional (m) “The Great Speckled Bird” 1938: Abel Meeropol (aka “Lewis Allen”) (w/m) “Strange Fruit” 1939: E.Y. “Yip” Harburg (w), Harold Arlen (m) “Over the Rainbow” 1940: Lorenz Hart (w), Richard Rodgers (m) “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” 1941: Ralph Freed (w), Burton Lane (m) “How About You?” 1942: Irving Berlin (w/m) “White Christmas” 1943: Johnny Mercer (w), Harold Arlen (m) “One for My Baby” 1944: Tommie Connor (w), Norbert Schultze (m) “Lili Marlene” 1945: Cole Porter (w/m) “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” 1946: Bobby Troupe (w/m) “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” 1947: Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup (w/m) “That’s All Right, Mama” 1947: Bill Monroe (w/m) “Blue Moon of Kentucky” 1948: Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart (w/m) “Tennessee Waltz” 1949: Johnny Marks (w/m) “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” 1950: Hank Williams (w/m) “Cold, Cold Heart” 1951: Jackie Brenston (w/m) “Rocket 88” 1952: Ned Washington (w), Dmitri Tiomkin (m) “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)” 1953: Paul Francis Webster (w), Sammy Fain (m) “Secret Love” 1954: Wille Dixon (w/m) “Hoochie Coochie Man” 1955: Max Freedman (w), Jimmy DeKnight (m) “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” 1956: Carl Perkins (w/m) “Blue Suede Shoes” 1957: Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer (w/m) “Great Balls of Fire” 1958: Chuck Berry (w/m) “Memphis, Tennessee” 1959: Ray Charles (w/m) “What’d I Say” 1960: Joe and Audrey Allison (w/m) “He’ll Have to Go” 1961: Gerry Goffin (w), Carole King (m) “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” 1962: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Ben E. King (w/m) “Stand by Me” 1963: John Lennon and Paul McCartney (w/m) “I Want to Hold Your Hand” 1964: Otis Redding (w/m) “Respect” 1964: Hal David (w), Burt Bachrach (m) “Walk on By” 1965: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, and Phil Spector (w/m) “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” 1966: Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Gene Clark (w/m) “Eight Miles High” 1966: Brian Wilson and Mike Love (w/m) “Good Vibrations” 1967: John Lennon and Paul McCartney (w/m) “Strawberry Fields Forever” 1967: John Lennon and Paul McCartney (w/m) “Penny Lane” 1968: Bob Dylan (w/m) “All Along the Watchtower” 1969: Paul Anka (w), Jacques Revaux and Claude Francois (m) “My Way” 1970: The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Alphonso Mizell, Freddie Perren, and Deke Richards) (w/m) “ABC” 1971: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (w/m) “Brown Sugar” 1972: Stevie Wonder (w/m) “Superstition” 1973: David Bowie (w/m) “Space Oddity” 1973: David Bowie (w/m) “Life on Mars?” 1974: Bob Marley (w/m) “No Woman, No Cry” 1975: Hutter/Schneider/Schult (w), Hutter/Schneider (m) “Autobahn” 1976: Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (w/m) “Dancing Queen” 1977: Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Don Felder (w/m) “Hotel California” 1977: Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock, and Johnny Rotten “God Save the Queen” 1978: Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, and Maurice Gibb (w/m) “Stayin’ Alive” 1979: Tim Rice (w), Andrew Lloyd Webber (m) “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” 1980: Ian Curtis (w/m) “Love Will Tear Us Apart” 1981: Jo Callis, Philip Oakley, Philip Adrian Wright (w/m) “Don’t You Want Me?” 1982: Sylvia Robinson, Ed Fletcher, Melvin Glover, Nathaniel Chase (w/m) “The Message” 1983: Marvin Gaye and David Ritz (w), Marvin Gaye and Odell Brown (m) “Sexual Healing” 1984: Peter Gill, Holly Johnson, Brian Nash, Marc O’Toole, and Paul Rutherford (w/m) “Relax” 1985: George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley (w/m) “Careless Whisper” 1986: Peter Gabriel (w/m) “Sledgehammer” 1987: Bono (w), Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen (m) “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” 1988: Matt Stock, Mike Aitken, and Pete Waterman (w/m) “Never Gonna Give You Up” 1988: Matt Stock, Mike Aitken, and Pete Waterman (w/m) “I Should Be So Lucky” 1989: Beresford Romeo, Caron Wheeler, Simon Law, and Nellee Hooper (w/m) “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)” 1990: Prince (w/m) “Nothing Compares 2 U” 1991: Kurt Cobain (w/m) “Smells Like Teen Spirit” 1992: Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles, Robert Del Naja, Shara Nelson (w/m) “Unfinished Sympathy” 1993: Jim Steinman (w/m) “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” 1994: Diane Warren and Albert Hammond (w/m) “Don’t Turn Around” 1995: Artis Ivey Jr., Larry Sanders, Doug Rasheed, and Stevie Wonder (w/m) “Gangsta’s Paradise” 1996: Matt Rowe, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams, Emma Bunton, and Richard Stannard (w/m) “Wannabe” 1997: Bernie Taupin (w), Elton John (m) “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” 1998: Will Jennings (w), James Horner (m) “My Heart Will Go On” 1999: Max Martin (w/m) “Baby One More Time” Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: lists from critics and individuals Dave’s Music Database: lists from publications and/or organizations Alan Lewens (7/1/2001). Popular Song: Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. First posted 11/21/2022.

50 years ago: Hank Williams “Cold Cold Heart” hit #1 on country chart

Cold, Cold Heart Hank Williams

Writer(s): Hank Williams (see lyrics here) Released: February 2, 1951 First Charted: March 17, 1951 Peak: 27 US, 2 HP, 1 CB, 11 CW, 17 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 13.2 video, -- streaming

Cold, Cold Heart Tony Bennett with Percy Faith’s Orchestra

Released: July 2, 1951 First Charted: July 28, 1951 Peak: 16 US, 2 HP, 1 CB (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, -- video, -- streaming

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

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Awards (Bennett):

About the Song: Hank Williams was only 29 years old when he died on New Year’s Day 1953. Thanks to hard living, “he could have passed for 50.” LW In his short life, however, he “set the parameters of country music.” LW He was “a master of the three-chord song” LW and “the spirit and the look of country music, all cowboy hat and rhinestones.” LW “He had a gift of sounding as though he lived in his songs, and…he probably did.” LW He is “one of a handful of performers who have shaped the music of the [21st] century.” LW “The inspiration for the song which would really open Hank Williams’s music to the whole world was born in a hospital.” AC His wife, Audrey, was suffering from an infection brought on by a self-performed abortion, unbeknownst to Hank. WK He went to visit her, offering up a mink coat to apologize for the problems he caused. His drinking drove a wedge between them, but he thought he could make it clear “he loved her even more than he loved his vices.” AC When his housekeeper asked about how Audrey was doing, Williams said “she’s got the coldest heart I’ve ever seen.” AC That night he wrote down his thoughts, crafting what “would become his personal favorite of the more than one hundred songs he wrote.” AC The melody was adapted from “You’ll Still Be in My Heart,” a song written by Ted West in 1943 and recorded two years later by T. Texas Tyler. WK Williams recorded the song on December 21, 1950. “This is the song which reveals not only what Hank most wanted, but how helpless he was in trying to obtain it.” AC Williams had other songs which topped the country charts for more weeks, but “Cold, Cold Heart” “lingered on radio station playlists for forty-six weeks.” AC It has become “one of country music’s most beloved songs.” AC Crooner Tony Bennett recorded the song with an orchestra and took it to the top of the pop charts. “Many critics credit this single with fully establishing Bennett as a star.” AC It also paved “the way for country stars to make inroads into the lucrative pop market.” WK “Real country music by real country performers had crossed over.” LW Resources: AC Ace Collins (1996). The Stories Behind Country Music’s All-Time Greatest 100 Songs. New York, NY; The Berkley Publishing Group. Pages 74-75. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 93. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/22/2022.