Showing posts with label Digital Dream Door. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digital Dream Door. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Digital Dream Door: Songs of the Year (1920-2024)

Digital Dream Door:

Songs of the year, 1920-2024

Digital Dream Door offers multiple best-of music lists, including song-of-the-year lists from 1940 to present. Here are the best songs from each year:

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 4/6/2019; last updated 12/31/2025.

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Saturday, October 9, 2021

Digital Dream Door: Top 500 Songs

Digital Dream Door:

Top 500 Songs (1891-2019)

Digital Dream Door is one of the best sites out there for best-of music lists. Lists cover different eras, genres, and themes. The temptation was to simply duplicate their “1000 Greatest Popular Songs of All Time” list here, but that didn’t seem the best option because there are so many other song lists on the site that it seemed imperative to integrate them in as well.

Therefore this list is created by aggregating the more than 40 lists indicated at the bottom of this page. However, to still give the original 500 songs list appropriate impact, it was then averaged with the overall ranking of the aggregate. Here are the end results:

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

1. Aretha Franklin “Respect” (1967)
2. Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)
3. The Kingsmen “Louie Louie” (1963)
4. Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (1954)
5. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965)
6. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
7. Kool & the Gang “Celebration” (1980)
8. The Temptations “My Girl” (1964)
9. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)
10. Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (1958)

11. Billie Holiday “God Bless the Child” (1941)
12. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
13. Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
14. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
15. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1982)
16. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)
17. Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (1956)
18. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
19. The Sugarhill Gang “Rapper’s Delight” (1979)
20. James Brown “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (1965)

21. The Kinks “You Really Got Me” (1964)
22. Bo Diddley “Bo Diddley” (1955)
23. Chubby Checker “The Twist” (1960)
24. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” (1975)
25. The Supremes “Where Did Our Love Go” (1964)
26. Ray Charles “What’d I Say” (1959)
27. Chuck Berry “Maybellene” (1955)
28. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)
29. The Beatles “A Day in the Life” (1967)
30. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (1960)

31. Jerry Lee Lewis “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” (1957)
32. Percy Sledge “When a Man Loves a Woman” (1966)
33. The Beatles “She Loves You” (1963)
34. Nat “King” Cole “The Christmas Song” (1946)
35. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971)
36. The Isley Brothers “Shout” (1959)
37. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971)
38. The Jackson 5 “I Want You Back” (1969)
39. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” (1968)
40. Big Joe Turner “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (1954)

41. Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock” (1957)
42. Rick James “Super Freak” (1981)
43. Artie Shaw “Stardust” (1941)
44. Duke Ellington “Take the ‘A’ Train” (1941)
45. Wynonie Harris “Good Rockin’ Tonight” (1948)
46. Village People “Y.M.C.A.” (1978)
47. Carl Perkins “Blue Suede Shoes” (1956)
48. The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” (1966)
49. Queen “We Will Rock You” / “We Are the Champions” (1977)
50. Fats Domino “Blueberry Hill” (1956)

51. Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (1964)
52. The Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man” (1951)
53. The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1965)
54. The Animals “The House of the Rising Sun” (1964)
55. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
56. Martha & the Vandellas “Heat Wave” (1963)
57. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
58. The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (1960)
59. Little Richard “Tutti Frutti” (1955)
60. The Ronettes “Be My Baby” (1963)

61. Booker T. & the MG’s “Green Onions” (1962)
62. The Byrds “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965)
63. Wilson Pickett “In the Midnight Hour” (1965)
64. Elvis Presley “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956)
65. The Who “My Generation” (1966)
66. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
67. The Miracles “The Tracks of My Tears” (1965)
68. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
69. The Supremes “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1966)
70. Eagles “Hotel California” (1977)

71. The Who “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (1971)
72. Marvin Gaye “Let’s Get It On” (1973)
73. Elvis Presley “That’s All Right, Mama” (1954)
74. Crosby, Stills and Nash “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (1969)
75. The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (1963)
76. Johnny Cash “I Walk the Line” (1956)
77. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” (1956)
78. The Righteous Brothers “Unchained Melody” (1965)
79. The Miracles “You've Really Got a Hold on Me” (1962)
80. Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961)

81. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974)
82. “I Only Have Eyes for You” The Flamingos (1959)
83. “In the Mood” Glenn Miller Orchestra (1939)
84. Buffalo Springfield “For What It’s Worth” (1967)
85. Bing Crosby “White Christmas” (1942)
86. The Staple Singers “I’ll Take You There” (1972)
87. James Brown “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965)
88. James Brown “Please Please Please” (1956)
89. Deep Purple “Smoke on the Water” (1973)
90. Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” (1939)

91. Four Tops “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” (1966)
92. Bob Marley & the Wailers “No Woman, No Cry” (1974)
93. The Platters “The Great Pretender” (1955)
94. Creedence Clearwater Revival “Proud Mary” (1969)
95. The Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” (1968)
96. Sam Cooke “You Send Me” (1957)
97. Cream “Sunshine of Your Love” (1967)
98. Benny Goodman Orchestra “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” (1938)
99. Etta James “At Last” (1960)
100. Little Richard “Long Tall Sally” (1956)

101. Elvis Presley “All Shook Up“ (1957)
102. The Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964)
103. Hank Williams “Your Cheatin’ Heart” (1953)
104. Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” (1957)
105. The Beatles “Something” (1969)
106. The Drifters “White Christmas” (1954)
107. The Midnighters “Work with Me, Annie” (1954)
108. The Temptations “Ain't Too Proud to Beg” (1966)
109. The Doors “Light My Fire” (1967)
110. Little Eva “The Loco-Motion” (1962)

111. Simon and Garfunkel “The Sounds of Silence” (1965)
112. Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats “Rocket 88” (1951)
113. The Drifters “Money Honey” (1953)
114. The Five Satins “In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)” (1956)
115. Derek & the Dominos “Layla” (1971)
116. Lloyd Price “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” (1952)
117. Billie Holiday “Strange Fruit” (1939)
118. The Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin” (1967)
119. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Purple Haze” (1967)
120. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)

121. Isaac Hayes “Theme from ‘Shaft’” (1971)
122. AC/DC “You Shook Me All Night Long” (1980)
123. Chuck Berry “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956)
124. Frank Sinatra “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (1956)
125. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
126. Janis Joplin “Me and Bobby McGee” (1971)
127. Hank Williams “Jambalaya on the Bayou” (1952)
128. Sam & Dave “Soul Man” (1967)
129. Jefferson Starship “Somebody to Love” (1967)
130. James Brown “Get Up, I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine” (1970)

131. Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1951)
132. Eddie Cochran “Summertime Blues” (1958)
133. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Free Bird” (1973)
134. Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
135. The Spencer Davis Group “Gimme Some Lovin’” (1966)
136. Al Green “Let’s Stay Together” (1971)
137. Coleman Hawkins “Body and Soul” (1940)
138. Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter’s Orchestra & Williams Brothers Quartet “Swinging on a Star” (1944)
139. Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues (aka ‘Crossroads’)” (1936)
140. Roy Orbison “(Oh) Pretty Woman” (1964)

141. The Beatles “In My Life” (1965)
142. Hank Williams “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (1949)
143. The Clash “London Calling” (1979)
144. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
145. Patsy Cline “Crazy” (1961)
146. The Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968)
147. Elvis Presley “Mystery Train” (1955)
148. Johnny Ace “Pledging My Love” (1955)
149. Afrika Bambaataa “Planet Rock” (1982)
150. The Beach Boys “God Only Knows” (1966)

151. Buddy Holly “Peggy Sue” (1957)
152. The Beatles “Twist and Shout” (1963)
153. The Impressions “For Your Precious Love” (1958)
154. Sly & The Family Stone “Everyday People” (1968)
155. Jimmie Rodgers “Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)” (1928)
156. Count Basie Orchestra “One O’Clock Jump” (1937)
157. Little Willie John “Fever” (1956)
158. The Andrews Sisters “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ (1941)
159. Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (1947)
160. Roy Acuff “Wabash Cannonball” (1938)

161. The Orioles “Crying in the Chapel” (1953)
162. Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love” (1969)
163. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps “Be-Bop-A-Lula” (1956)
164. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
165. Dion “The Wanderer” (1961)
166. Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Balls of Fire” (1957)
167. Gary Glitter “Rock and Roll Part 2” (1972)
168. The Penguins “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” (1954)
169. New Order “Blue Monday” (1983)
170. Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)

171. Junior Walker & the All-Stars “Shotgun” (1965)
172. The Mamas & the Papas “California Dreamin’” (1966)
173. Sister Sledge “We Are Family” (1979)
174. Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb & His Orchestra “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938)
175. Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop” (1976)
176. Soft Cell “Tainted Love” (1981)
177. The Temptations “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972)
178. The Everly Brothers “Bye Bye Love” (1957)
179. Sam Cooke “Bring It on Home to Me” (1962)
180. Jimmie Rodgers “In the Jailhouse Now” (1928)

181. Nat “King” Cole “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (1944)
182. Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963)
183. Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1978)
184. Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961)
185. The Chords “Sh-Boom” (1954)
186. Billie Holiday “Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)” (1945)
187. The Carter Family “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” (1935)
188. Les Paul & Mary Ford “How High the Moon” (1951)
189. The Human League “Don’t You Want Me?” (1981)
190. U2 “One” (1992)

191. Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” (1990)
192. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967)
193. Little Richard “Good Golly Miss Molly” (1958)
194. Chic “Le Freak” (1978)
195. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1982)
196. Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)
197. Fats Domino “Ain’t That a Shame (aka ‘Ain’t It a Shame’)” (1955)
198. Les Brown’s Orchestra with Doris Day “Sentimental Journey” (1945)
199. The Mills Brothers “Paper Doll” (1942)
200. Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)

201. The Beach Boys “Surfin’ U.S.A.” (1963)
202. Johnny Cash “Folsom Prison Blues” (1955)
203. Elton John “Your Song” (1970)
204. Kate Smith “God Bless America” (1939)
205. Lionel Hampton “Flying Home” (1940)
206. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band “Old Time Rock and Roll” (1978)
207. The Temptations “Just My Imagination Running Away with Me” (1971)
208. Aretha Franklin “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” (1967)
209. Ernest Tubb “Walking the Floor Over You” (1941)
210. Sam Cooke “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1965)

211. Paul Whiteman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” (1924)
212. Roy Orbison “Only the Lonely” (1960)
213. Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (1983)
214. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)
215. Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)” (1933)
216. Frank Sinatra “My Way” (1969)
217. Kurtis Blow “The Breaks” (1980)
218. The Beach Boys “I Get Around” (1964)
219. Black Sabbath “Paranoid” (1970)
220. Dizzy Gillespie “A Night in Tunisia” (1946)

221. Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” (1979)
222. Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & the Four Modernaires “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (1941)
223. Donna Summer “Hot Stuff” (1979)
224. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
225. Guns N’ Roses “November Rain” (1991)
226. Jackie Wilson “Lonely Teardrops” (1958)
227. The Who “Baba O’Riley” (1971)
228. Al Jolson “Swanee” (1920)
229. Aerosmith “Dream On” (1973)
230. Aerosmith “Walk This Way” (1976)

231. Louis Jordan “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” (1946)
232. Louis Armstrong “West End Blues” (1928)
233. The Impressions “People Get Ready” (1965)
234. Artie Shaw Orchestra “Begin the Beguine” (1938)
235. The Drifters “Under the Boardwalk” (1964)
236. Madonna “Into the Groove” (1985)
237. Radiohead “Paranoid Android” (1997)
238. Mamie Smith “Crazy Blues” (1920)
239. Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” (1987)
240. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988)

241. Bruce Springsteen “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984)
242. Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962)
243. U2 “With or Without You” (1987)
244. Bing Crosby “Silent Night” (1935)
245. Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (1984)
246. Bill Withers “Lean on Me” (1972)
247. John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen” (1949)
248. Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher” (1931)
249. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” (1995)
250. The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)

251. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys “New San Antonio Rose” (1944)
252. The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
253. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971)
254. Pearl Jam “Jeremy” (1991)
255. The Platters “Only You (And You Alone)” (1955)
256. Ruth Brown “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” (1953)
257. T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday” (1947)
258. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)
259. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Under the Bridge” (1992)
260. Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra “I’ll Never Smile Again” (1940)

261. Jo Stafford “You Belong to Me” (1952)
262. Meat Loaf “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” (1978)
263. Technotronic “Pump Up the Jam” (1990)
264. Bob Dylan “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1964)
265. The Kinks “All Day and All of the Night” (1964)
266. The Spaniels “Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite” (1954)
267. Bunny Berigan & His Orchestra “I Can’t Get Started” (1938)
268. The Impressions “It’s All Right” (1963)
269. Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way” (1986)
270. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “All Along the Watchtower” (1968)

271. The Contours “Do You Love Me?” (1962)
272. Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983)
273. Madonna “Like a Virgin” (1984)
274. Queen “Another One Bites the Dust” (1980)
275. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
276. Johnny Burnette & the Rock ‘N’ Roll Trio “Train Kept-a-Rollin’” (1956)
277. Madonna “Vogue” (1990)
278. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock “It Takes Two” (1988)
279. Devo “Whip It” (1980)
280. Harry James with Frank Sinatra “All or Nothing at All” (1939)

281. Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime” (1980)
282. Benny Goodman “Don’t Be That Way” (1938)
283. Barrett Strong “Money (That’s What I Want)” (1960)
284. Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax” (1983)
285. The Romantics “What I Like About You” (1980)
286. Mary Wells “My Guy” (1964)
287. Steppenwolf “Born to Be Wild” (1968)
288. David Bowie “Space Oddity” (1969)
289. The Supremes “Baby Love” (1964)
290. Tony Bennett “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962)

291. Salt-N-Pepa “Push It” (1987)
292. Blondie “Rapture” (1980)
293. Dionne Warwick “Walk on By” (1964)
294. Dion “Runaround Sue” (1961)
295. The Troggs “Wild Thing” (1966)
296. Wilbert Harrison “Kansas City” (1959)
297. The Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy” (1994)
298. Barry White “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” (1974)
299. Prince “1999” (1982)
300. Stevie Wonder “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (1972)

301. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” (1982)
302. Stevie Wonder “Living for the City” (1973)
303. Eminem with Dido “Stan” (2000)
304. Michael Jackson “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (1979)
305. The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” (1961)
306. Funkadelic “One Nation Under a Groove” (1978)
307. Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me” (1987)
308. Fatss Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929)
309. Chic “Good Times” (1979)
310. Edwin Starr “War” (1970)

311. Glenn Miller “Moonlight Serenade” (1939)
312. Public Enemy “Figh the Power” (1989)
313. The Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed” (1981)
314. Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” (1985)
315. De La Soul “Me, Myself, and I” (1989)
316. Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb” (1979)
317. Sly & the Family Stone “Family Affair” (1971)
318. Pretenders “Brass in Pocket (I’m Special)” (1979)
319. Free “All Right Now” (1970)
320. George McCrae “Rock Your Baby” (1974)

321. Bill Doggett “Honky Tonk” (1956)
322. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” (1975)
323. Led Zeppelin “Kashmir” (1975)
324. Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (1992)
325. The Orioles “It’s Too Soon to Know” (1948)
326. AC/DC “Back in Black” (1980)
327. The Beach Boys “Don’t Worry Baby” (1964)
328. Janet Jackson “Nasty” (1986)
329. The Drifters “There Goes My Baby” (1959)
330. Prince & the Revolution “Purple Rain” (1984)

331. The Yardbirds “Heart Full of Soul” (1965)
332. Tupac Shakur (2pac) with Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman “California Love” (1996)
333. The O’Jays “Love Train” (1973)
334. Chuck Willis “CC Rider” (1967)
335. Gladys Knight & the Pips “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)
336. Van Halen “Jump” (1983)
337. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)
338. Woody Guthrie “This Land Is Your Land” (1940)
339. The Lovin’ Spoonful “Do You Believe in Magic?” (1965)
340. Metallica “One” (1988)

341. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
342. Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (1979)
343. Big Brother & the Holding Company “Piece of My Heart” (1968)
344. Billy Joel “Piano Man’ (1973)
345. The Ink Spots “If I Didn’t Care” (1939)
346. Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (1980)
347. Jimmie Davis “You Are My Sunshine” (1940)
348. The Mills Brothers “You Always Hurt the One You Love” (1944)
349. Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (1998)
350. The Dominoes “Have Mercy Baby” (1952)

351. Duke Ellington “Mood Indigo” (1931)
352. Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott “Get Ur Freak On” (2001)
353. Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Cheek to Cheek” (1935)
354. Ritchie Valens “La Bamba” (1958)
355. Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side” (1972)
356. Sonny & Cher “I Got You Babe” (1965)
357. Ray Charles “I Gotta Woman” (1955)
358. OutKast “Hey Ya!” (2003)
359. Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995)
360. Nat “King” Cole “Nature Boy” (1948)

361. Larry Clinton with Bea Wain “Deep Purple” (1939)
362. Los Del Rio “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” (1995)
363. Jay-Z “Hard-Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” (1998)
364. Marcia Griffiths “Electric Slide (Electric Boogie)” (1989)
365. Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1991)
366. Gene Autry & Pinafores “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949)
367. Mariah Carey “Dreamlover” (1993)
368. Louis Jordan “Caldonia Boogie” (1945)
369. Irene Cara “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” (1983)
370. Olivia Newton-John “Physical” (1981)

371. Run-D.M.C. “It’s Like That” (1983)
372. Billie Holiday “Summertime” (1939)
373. Sidney Bechet “Summertime” (1939)
374. Lionel Richie “All Night Long (All Night)” (1983)
375. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991)
376. Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly & Helen O’Connell “Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)” (1941)
377. The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women” (1969)
378. The Ink Spots “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” (1941)
379. Woody Herman “At the Woodchopper’s Ball” (1939)
380. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (1998)

381. The Searchers “Needles and Pins” (1964)
382. No Doubt “Don’t Speak” (1996)
383. Rick James “Give It to Me Baby” (1981)
384. The Monkees “I’m a Believer” (1966)
385. Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time” (1983)
386. Patti Page “Tennessee Waltz” (1948)
387. Foreigner “I Want to Know What Love Is” (1984)
388. John Michael Montgomery “I Swear” (1994)
389. Petula Clark “Downtown” (1964)
390. Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” (1977)

391. The Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian” (1986)
392. Artie Shaw “Frenesi” (1940)
393. Berlin “Take My Breath Away” (1986)
394. Johnny Mathis “Misty” (1959)
395. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
396. Otis Redding “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” (1965)
397. C + C Music Factory “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (1990)
398. Four Tops “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” (1965)
399. Johnnie Ray & the Four Lads “Cry” (1951)
400. Aretha Franklin “Think” (1968)

401. Bob Dylan “Subterrean Homesick Blues” (1965)
402. The Yardbirds “For Your Love” (1965)
403. The Del-Vikings “Come Go with Me” (1957)
404. The Trammps “Disco Inferno” (1977)
405. TLC “Waterfalls” (1994)
406. Kanye West “Jesus Walks” (2004)
407. Blondie “Call Me” (1980)
408. Beck “Loser” (1993)
409. Elvis Presley “Love Me Tender” (1956)
410. Radiohead “Creep” (1992)

411. Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the U.K.” (1976)
412. Donovan “Sunshine Superman” (1966)
413. Frank Sinatra “That’s Life” (1966)
414. Nirvana “Come As You Are” (1991)
415. The Pointer Sisters “I’m So Excited” (1984)
416. Jimmy Forrest “Night Train” (1952)
417. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun” (1994)
418. Blur “Song 2” (1997)
419. The Byrds “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” (1965)
420. M.C. Hammer “U Can’t Touch This” (1990)

421. The Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar” (1971)
422. Stevie Wonder “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” (1965)
423. Sir Mix-a-Lot “Baby Got Back” (1992)
424. Smashing Pumpkins “1979” (1995)
425. Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)
426. Alicia Keys “Fallin’” (2001)
427. Donna Summer “I Feel Love” (1977)
428. Talking Heads “Burning Down the House” (1983)
429. Pearl Jam “Alive” (1991)
430. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)

431. OutKast “Ms. Jackson” (2000)
432. DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince “Summertime” (1991)
433. The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” (2003)
434. Elvis Presley “Baby Let’s Play House” (1955)
435. Tracy Chapman “Fast Car” (1988)
436. The Supremes “You Can’t Hurry Love” (1966)
437. Yes “Roundabout” (1972)
438. Madonna “Holiday” (1983)
439. Ice Cube “It Was a Good Day” (1993)
440. Nine Inch Nails “Closer” (1994)

441. Snoop Doggy Dogg “Gin & Juice” (1994)
442. The Miracles “The Tears of a Clown” (1967)
443. Dave Clark Five “Glad All Over” (1964)
444. Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated” (1978)
445. Beastie Boys “Sabotage” (1994)
446. The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset” (1967)
447. Chuck Berry “Rock and Roll Music” (1957)
448. Santana “Black Magic Woman” (1970)
449. The Zombies “She’s Not There” (1964)
450. Chaka Khan “I Feel for You” (1984)

451. Led Zeppelin “Rock and Roll” (1972)
452. The Rolling Stones “Paint It Black” (1966)
453. Led Zeppelin “Dazed and Confused” (1969)
454. The Four Seasons “Sherry” (1962)
455. Huey “Piano” Smith & His Clowns “Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu” (1957)
456. Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985)
457. Whitney Houston “How Will I Know” (1985)
458. Prince “Kiss” (1986)
459. The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (1997)
460. The Band “The Weight” (1968)

461. King Crimson “21st Century Schizoid Man” (1969)
462. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” (1977)
463. Danny & the Juniors “At the Hop” (1957)
464. Stray Cats “Rock This Town” (1982)
465. Boston “More Than a Feeling” (1976)
466. Roy Orbison “Crying” (1961)
467. The Dirfters “Save the Last Dance for Me” (1960)
468. The Everly Brothers “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (1958)
469. The Four Tops “Baby I Need Your Loving” (1964)
470. The B-52’s “Love Shack” (1989)

471. The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?” (1984)
472. Depeche Mode “Personal Jesus” (1989)
473. Tupac Shakur (2pac) “Dear Mama” (1995)
474. Sex Pistols “God Save the Queen” (1977)
475. Pink Floyd “Time” (1973)
476. Them “Gloria” (1964)
477. The Jackson 5 “I’ll Be There” (1970)
478. N.W.A. “Fuck tha Police” (1989)
479. Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” (1972)
480. The Supremes “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965)

481. Vernon Dalhart “The Prisoner’s Song” (1925)
482. The MC5 “Kick Out the Jams” (1969)
483. Wu-Tang Clan “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” (1994)
484. Cameo “Word Up” (1986)
485. Martha & the Vandellas “Nowhere to Run” (1965)
486. The Coasters “Yakety Yak” (1958)
487. Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong “St. Louis Blues” (1925)
488. The Crystals “Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)” (1963)
489. Tammy Wynette “Stand by Your Man” (1968)
490. Prince & the Revolution “Let’s Go Crazy” (1984)

491. Naughty by Nature “O.P.P.” (1991)
492. INXS “Need You Tonight” (1987)
493. Tennessee Ernie Ford “Sixteen Tons” (1955)
494. Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing” (1978)
495. Bobby Brown “My Prerogative” (1988)
496. The Notorious B.I.G. “Big Poppa” (1994)
497. Chuck Berry “School Days” (1957)
498. Paul McCartney “Maybe I’m Amazed” (1970)
499. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” (1982)
500. Faye Adams “Shake a Hand” (1953)

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First posted 4/4/2020; last updated 1/12/2024.

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Saturday, January 6, 2018

50 years ago: Cream “Sunshine of Your Love” charted

Sunshine of Your Love

Cream

Writer(s): Peter Brown, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton (see lyrics here)

Released: December 1967

First Charted: January 6, 1968

Peak: 5 US, 6 CB, 4 HR, 1 CL, 25 UK, 3 CN, 18 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): 1.0 US

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 33.0 video, 300.94 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

In 1966, Eric Clapton had established himself as the premiere blues guitarist in Britain, thanks to stints in the Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Feeling confined by the latter group, he and fellow Bluesbreaker Jack Bruce formed a power trio with drummer Ginger Baker, who’d worked with Bruce in the Graham Bond Organisation. The resulting supergroup, Cream, only lasted two years but had a lasting impact on rock music.

“No song illustrates this better than “Sunshine of Your Love,” which mixed hard rock with aspects of psychedelia to wonderful effect. The song centers around what is perhaps one of the most simplistic guitar riffs of all time, courtesy of ‘Slowhand’ himself, Eric Clapton. In many ways though, restraint is what propels “Sunshine of Your Love” forward, although Clapton’s remarkable skill with the guitar are on prominent display throughout the solo section.” UCR

“Vocal duties are shared between Clapton and Jack Bruce, as the latter’s menacing bass gives the song it’s hefty low end. Drummer Ginger Baker cuts slightly loose during the song’s chorus, but otherwise keeps time as if he were in a military band.” UCR The lyrics were written by Peter Brown, a beat poet who was friends with Baker and Bruce. He also wrote the words for Cream’s songs “I Feel Free” and “White Room.” SF

Bruce based the song a distinctive bass riff he developed after seeing Jimi Hendrix in concert on January 29, 1967, at the Saville Theatre in London. WK As Clapton said, “it was strictly a dedication to Jimi.” WK After Cream released “Sunshine of Your Love,” “the guitar legend began adding the song to his concert setlists,” UCR Unaware that he’d inspired the song. SF

According to Bruce, Booker T. Jones and Otis Redding heard the song before its release and both said it would be a smash. SF Atlantic Record’s Ahmet Ertegun initially dismissed it as “psychedelic hogwash,” SFSF

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First posted 8/1/2022.

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Monday, May 26, 1997

Radiohead “Paranoid Android” released

Paranoid Android

Radiohead

Writer(s):Radiohead (see lyrics here)

Released: May 26, 1997

Peak: 3 UK (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 22.8 video, -- streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

“If you had to play somebody one Radiohead song to convince them of the band's brilliance, it should probably be ‘Paranoid Android.’” RS’11 This is “their first truly original artistic statement” RB and “very possibly the best rock song of the millennium, the last few decades and maybe even ever.” PS’16 “They distilled everything that makes them great, the energy, the beauty, the experimentation, the abrasiveness, the gentleness, the fearlessness, the fears, the transcendence of those fears, the songwriting, the musicianship, the uniqueness, the utter, unadulterated brilliance, the whole ball of wax, into one crazy, untamable beast of a song.” AS “Nothing about ‘Paranoid Android’… makes sense: The chords don’t go together. The sections feel jumbled. There’s no clear narrative. The melodies are too strange. The choir sounds cut off. The song’s too long! But these are also reasons why it's one of Radiohead's best songs.” RB

This is “a towering pop mutation” RB “clocking in at a tortured, schizophrenic 6-and-a-half minutes.” BZ It is “as tricky and complex as anything found in ‘70s prog,” DF “a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for the nineties.” AD It also “draws comparisons to The Beatles’ ‘A Day in the Life’” RV and its three stitched-together parts from other songs was inspired by the Beatles’ “Happiness Is a Warm Gun.” RS’11 “tethered…by a pleading urgency in which Yorke lashes out at his unnamed opposition in between distorted guitar screeches and dead-eyed harmonies.” BB Guitarist Ed O’Brien described the song as “Queen meets the Pixes.” RG The initial version was “a 14-minute sprawler that included organ” CS which producer Nigel Godrich said delved into “Deep Purple territory” RG while Yorke jokingly described the song as a “Pink Floyd cover.” FT

“The comparisons to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ were inevitable, but whereas Queen’s song suite bursts with melodic joy, the moody “Paranoid Android” is full of anxiety and lacks any obvious hooks.” BB “There’s absolutely no interest in coddling listeners or adhering to trends” SA and when Radiohead released it as the album’s first single, they refused to cut it down for radio. RS’11 It is “a lumbering Frankenstein’s monster of sludgy prog-rock and stuttery electronica” SA which “incorporates several different styles into a single bombastic symphony of dread.” RV

The epic is packed with “alternating time signatures, wild dynamic shifts, drama and adrenaline to spare.” VH1 “This dizzying suite begins as a creepy lullaby” EX and then “combusts with speaker-blown alt-rock,” EX “morphing and rocketing around like a firework with a broken fuse.” CS“Just when you think you’ve had enough, it slows back down” SP to “the Gregorian-chant pace working subtle magic on our defenses that have already been battered by the first two parts,” AS “before finally being sucked down into hell with a squalling guitar freakout.” EX “Greenwood gives you every reason to practice your air guitar, where everything sounds as if it’s burning down.” CS

It is long enough that one of its “three sections…even has its own sub-section. There’s a terrific, jazzy 7/8 part with electric piano and deep-grooving bass; there’s a hefty dose of blistering rock (with two guitar solos); and there’s a truly awesome vocal harmony sequence reminiscent of a load of monks chanting a particularly intense extract from David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold the World.’” QM

“Yorke delivers some of his best singing here, pleading for redemption from on high only to be rebuffed by another version of himself snapping him back to reality.” AS Listening to the song is about spending time “with either a manic-depressive or a brief thunderstorm.” SP Yorke wrote it after encountering a woman at a bar who turned violent when someone spilled a drink on her. BZ He said it was about “the fall of the Roman Empire, but good luck finding anything in the lyrics that seem related to that topic in any way.” RS’11 The title refers to Marvin the Paranoid Android from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, CS but that also seems to have nothing to do with the song. “As unhinged as the lyrics…may seem, there is a consistent thread of dread running through them, the feeling that all of these seemingly unreal acts of tyranny and fascism are committed on a smaller scale every single day.” AS

The video “interestingly seems to reflect the sound as heard.” DG-54 “The adventures of the cartoon protagonists seem to match the music.” DG-54

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First posted 6/9/2022.

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