Showing posts with label Gloria Gaynor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gloria Gaynor. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Karaoke: Top 100 Songs

Karaoke:

Top 100 Songs

101-karaoke.com defines karaoke as “a form of interactive entertainment where individuals sing along to recorded music using a microphone and a public address system…Originating from Japan, karaoke has spread worldwide, becoming a staple in bars, clubs, and private parties. It offers a fun and engaging way for people to express themselves musically and enjoy their favorite songs.”

Lists from more than 30 sources were aggregated to create this list.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
2. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
3. Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me” (1987)
4. Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981)
5. Neil Diamond “Sweet Caroline” (1969)
6. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
7. The Killers “Mr. Brightside” (2004)
8. Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” (1999)
9. Lady Gaga with Bradley Cooper “Shallow” (2018)
10. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)

11. Kelly Clarkson “Since U Been Gone” (2004)
12. The B-52’s “Love Shack” (1989)
13. Spice Girls “Wannabe” (1996)
14. Adele “Someone Like You (2011)
15. Frank Sinatra “My Way” (1969)
16. Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995)
17. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1967)
18. Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983)
19. Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (1983)
20. Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” (2014)

21. Elton John & Kiki Dee “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (1976)
22. TLC “No Scrubs” (1999)
23. Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe” (2011)
24. Ben E. King “Stand by Me” (1961)
25. Def Leppard “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (1987)
26. Miley Cyrus “Party in the U.S.A.” (2009)
27. Toto “Africa” (1982)
28. Carrie Underwood “Before He Cheats” (2006)
29. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
30. Pharrell Williams “Happy” (2013)

31. Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton “Islands in the Stream” (1983)
32. Olivia Newton John & John Travolta & Grease Cast “Summer Nights” (1978)
33. Shania Twain “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” (1999)
34. Aretha Franklin “Respect” (1967)
35. Nancy Sinatra “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (1966)
36. Prince & the Revolution “When Doves Cry” (1984)
37. Britney Spears “Oops! I Did It Again” (2000)
38. Idina Menzel “Let It Go” (2013)
39. OutKast “Hey Ya!” (2003)
40. Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places” (1990)

41. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987)
42. Dolly Parton “Jolene” (1973)
43. Madonna “Like a Prayer” (1989)
44. Jimmy Buffett “Margaritaville” (1977)
45. Smash Mouth “All Star” (1999)
46. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
47. Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (2023)
48. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” (1995)
49. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” (1975)
50. Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961)

51. Fugees “Killing Me Softly” (1996)
52. John Denver “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (1971)
53. Vanilla Ice “Ice Ice Baby” (1990)
54. Lady Gaga “Bad Romance” (2009)
55. Johnny Cash “Ring of Fire” (1963)
56. Vanessa Carlton “A Thousand Miles” (2002)
57. N Sync “Bye Bye Bye” (2000)
58. Village People “Y.M.C.A.” (1978)
59. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
60. George Michael “Faith” (1987)

61. Sonny & Cher “I Got You Babe” (1965)
62. Rihanna with Jay-Z “Umbrella” (2007)
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (1982)
64. Britney Spears “Baby One More Time” (1998)
65. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974)
66. Queen “Don’t Stop Me Now” (1978)
67. Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road” (2018)
68. Destiny’s Child “Say My Name” (1999)
69. Billy Joel “Piano Man’ (1973)
70. Dolly Parton “9 to 5” (1980)

71. Natasha Bedingfield “Unwritten” (2004)
72. Sir Mix-A-Lot “Baby Got Back” (1992)
73. The Weather Girls “It’s Raining Men” (1982)
74. Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle “A Whole New World” (1992)
75. The Proclaimers “I’m Gonna Be 500 Miles” (1988)
76. Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)
77. Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (2006)
78. The Temptations “My Girl” (1965)
79. Marc Ronson & Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014)
80. Natalie Imbruglia “Torn” (1997)

81. The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
82. Brandy with Monica “The Boy Is Mine” (1998)
83. Amy Winehouse with Mark Ronson “Valerie” (2007)
84. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)
85. Rick Springfield “Jessie’s Girl” (1981)
86. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)
87. Alanis Morissette “Ironic” (1996)
88. Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta “You’re the One That I Want” (1978)
89. Abba “Mamma Mia” (1975)
90. No Doubt “Don’t Speak” (1996)

91. Bill Medley with Jennifer Warnes “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” (1987)
92. Aretha Franklin “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” (1967)
93. Patsy Cline “Crazy” (1961)
94. Robbie Williams “Angels” (1997)
95. Wham! “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (1984)
96. The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1964)
97. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)
98. Christina Aguilera “Genie in a Bottle” (1999)
99. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
100. Beastie Boys “You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party” (1986)

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 7/2/2024.

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Monday, May 10, 2021

The Top 100 Disco Songs of All Time

Disco:

Top 100 Songs

Disco is one of the most-aligned musical genres, ridiculed for its robotic music and simplistic lyrics. However, those who rip on it for being light, trivial music miss the point: that’s what it was designed to be. It was supposed to be fun, party music and wasn’t created with the idea of standing the test of time. However, these songs exemplify how, like it or not, some of these songs have endured.

This list was created by aggregating 40 lists and compilation albums focused on disco. See sources at the bottom of the page. All songs appearing on 3 or more lists were then ranked in order of their overall status in Dave’s Music Database.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
2. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
3. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
4. Chic “Le Freak” (1978)
5. Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1978)
6. Village People “Y.M.C.A.” (1978)
7. Kool & the Gang “Celebration” (1980)
8. Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977)
9. Sister Sledge “We Are Family” (1979)
10. Queen “Another One Bites the Dust” (1980)

11. Bee Gees “Night Fever” (1977)
12. Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music” (1976)
13. Michael Jackson “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (1979)
14. Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (1980)
15. Diana Ross “Upside Down” (1980)
16. The Sugarhill Gang “Rapper’s Delight” (1979)
17. Chic “Good Times” (1979)
18. Donna Summer “Hot Stuff” (1979)
19. Commodores “Brick House” (1977)
20. The Emotions “Best of My Love” (1977)

21. Rick James “Super Freak” (1981)
22. Andy Gibb “Shadow Dancing” (1978)
23. Rod Stewart “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (1978)
24. Van McCoy “The Hustle” (1975)
25. Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting” (1974)
26. Donna Summer “I Feel Love” (1977)
27. Earth, Wind & Fire “September” (1978)
28. Andy Gibb “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” (1977)
29. KC & the Sunshine Band “Get Down Tonight” (1975)
30. KC & the Sunshine Band “That’s the Way I Like It” (1975)

31. Thelma Houston “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (1976)
32. George McCrae “Rock Your Baby” (1974)
33. Michael Jackson “Rock with You” (1979)
34. Donna Summer “Bad Girls” (1979)
35. The Rolling Stones “Miss You” (1978)
36. Bee Gees “You Should Be Dancing” (1976)
37. Donna Summer “Last Dance” (1978)
38. The Trammps “Disco Inferno” (1977)
39. The Four Seasons “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” (1975)
40. The O’Jays “Love Train” (1973)

41. Rose Royce “Car Wash” (1976)
42. Anita Ward “Ring My Bell” (1979)
43. Marvin Gaye “Got to Give It Up” (1977)
44. Barry White “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” (1974)
45. Barry White “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” (1974)
46. LaBelle “Lady Marmalade” (1974)
47. Earth, Wind & Fire “Shining Star” (1975)
48. A Taste of Honey “Boogie Oogie Oogie” (1978)
49. Diana Ross “Love Hangover” (1976)
50. Bee Gees “Jive Talkin’” (1975)

51. Bee Gees “Tragedy” (1979)
52. Patrick Hernandez “Born to Be Alive” (1979)
53. Donna Summer “Love to Love You Baby” (1975)
54. Earth, Wind & Fire “Let’s Groove” (1981)
55. The Hues Corporation “Rock the Boat” (1974)
56. The Weather Girls “It’s Raining Men” (1982)
57. McFadden & Whitehead “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” (1979)
58. Hot Chocolate “You Sexy Thing” (1975)
59. Average White Band “Pick Up the Pieces” (1974)
60. Diana Ross “I’m Coming Out” (1980)

61. Kool & the Gang “Jungle Boogie” (1973)
62. Ohio Players “Love Rollercoaster” (1976)
63. Yvonne Elliman “If I Can’t Have You” (1977)
64. KC & the Sunshine Band “Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake Your Booty” (1976)
65. Vicki Sue Robinson “Turn the Beat Around” (1976)
66. Peaches & Herb “Shake Your Groove Thing” (1978)
67. Love Unlimited Orchestra “Love’s Theme” (1973)
68. Rufus & Chaka Khan “Ain’t Nobody” (1983)
69. Kiss “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” (1979)
70. MFSB with the Three Degrees “T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)” (1974)

71. The S.O.S. Band “Take Your Time, Do It Right” (1980)
72. Alicia Bridges “I Love the Nightlife (Disco ‘Round)” (1978)
73. Rick James “Give It to Me Baby” (1981)
74. Cheryl Lynn “Got to Be Real” (1978)
75. Kool & the Gang “Get Down on It” (1982)
76. Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions “Boogie Wonderland” (1979)
77. Kool & the Gang “Ladies’ Night” (1979)
78. Silver Convention “Fly Robin Fly” (1975)
79. Meco “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” (1977)
80. Andrea True Connection “More, More, More” (1976)

81. Leo Sayer “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” (1976)
82. Evelyn “Champagne” King “Shame” (1978)
83. Johnnie Taylor “Disco Lady” (1976)
84. Barry Manilow “Copacabana (At the Copa)” (1978)
85. Donna Summer “MacArthur Park” (1978)
86. Amii Stewart “Knock on Wood” (1979)
87. The Jacksons “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground” (1979)
88. Heatwave “Boogie Nights” (1977)
89. The Miracles “Love Machine” (1975)
90. Gloria Gaynor “Never Can Say Goodbye” (1974)
91. Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes “The Love I Lost” (1972)
92. Candi Staton “Young Hearts Run Free” (1976)
93. Village People “Macho Man” (1978)
94. Tavares “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” (1976)
95. Lou Rawls “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” (1976)
96. Silver Convention “Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)” (1976)
97. Village People “In the Navy” (1979)
98. Donna Summer “On the Radio” (1980)
99. Commodores “Lady, You Bring Me Up” (1981)
100. Stephanie Mills “Never Knew Love Like This Before” (1980)

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 6/18/2015; last updated 5/10/2021.

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Saturday, March 24, 1979

My First Album: K-Tel’s High Energy compilation

High Energy

various artists

Released: 1979

Charted: 5/27/1978 to 3/24/1979

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: disco/pop/rock

Tracks: (Click for codes to singles charts.)

  1. Blondie “Heart of Glass” (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) [3:09] (1/3/79, 11 US, 11 CB, 11 HR, 11 RR, 44 AC, 14 UK, 11 CN, 15 AU, sales: 3.72 million)
  2. Amii Stewart “Knock on Wood” (Floyd, Cropper) [3:20] (1/27/79, 11 US, 11 CB, 11 HR, 3 RR, 6 RB, 6 UK, 11 CN, 2 AU, sales: 2 million)
  3. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (Dino Fekaris, Freddie Perren) [3:16] (12/16/78, 13 US, 11 CB, 11 HR, 2 RR, 9 AC, 4 RB, 14 UK, 1 CN, 5 AU, sales: 14 million)
  4. Peaches & Herb “Shake Your Groove Thing” (Dino Fekaris, Freddie Perren) [3:25] (10/28/78, 5 US, 5 CB, 7 HR, 8 RR, 4 RB, 26 UK, 5 CN, 13 AU)
  5. Instant Funk “I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)” (K. Miller, S. Miller, R. Earl) [3:23] (1/6/79, 20 US, 22 CB, 26 HR, 13 RB, sales: 1 million)
  6. Chic “Le Freak” (Edwards, Rodgers) [3:36] (9/21/78, 16 US, 17 CB, 17 HR, 12 RR, 15 RB, 48 AC, 7 UK, 12 CN, 15 AU)
  7. Foxy “Hot Number” (Ish Ledesma) [4:12] (2/17/79, 21 US, 29 CB, 38 HR, 4 RB)
  8. G.Q. “Disco Nights (Rock Freak)” (Emanuel LeBlanc, Herb Lane, Keith Crier, Paul Service) [3:37] (2/10/79, 12 US, 10 CB, 11 HR, 22 RR, 12 RB, sales: 1 million)
  9. The Pointer Sisters “Fire” (Bruce Springsteen) [3:38] (11/11/78, 2 US, 2 CB, 2 HR, 2 RR, 21 AC, 14 RB, 34 UK, 3 CN, 7 AU, sales: 1 million)
  10. Foreigner “Double Vision” (Lou Gramm, Mick Jones) [3:25] (9/22/78, 2 US, 5 CB, 8 HR, 2 RR, 2 CL, 7 CN, 97 AU, sales: 1 million)
  11. Orleans “Love Takes Time” (Larry Hoppen, Marilyn Mason) [3:28] (3/24/79, 11 US, 12 CB, 18 HR, 7 RR, 13 AC, 23 CL, 23 CN)
  12. Pablo Cruise “Love Will Find a Way” (David Jenkins, Cory Lerios) [3:47] (5/27/78, 6 US, 5 CB, 4 RR, 28 AC, 18 CL, 5 CN, 8 AU)
  13. Farragher Brothers “Stay the Night” (Farragher, Farragher) [3:25] (2/24/79, 50 US)
  14. Captain & Tennille “You Never Done It Like That” (Greenfield, Sedaka) [2:58] (7/29/78, 10 US, 10 CB, 6 HR, 12 RR, 14 AC)
  15. Gino Vannelli “I Just Wanna Stop” (Gino Vannelli) [3:32] (9/9/78, 4 US, 2 CB, 8 HR, 2 RR, 4 AC, 21 RB, 12 CN, 59 AU)
  16. Styx “Renegade” (Tommy Shaw) [3:52] (3/17/79, 16 US, 18 CB, 22 HR, 17 RR, 10 CN)

Total Running Time: 66:00

Rating:

4.033 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

Quotable: This is where my obsession with music began.

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

1979. I was 12 years old. I plunked down my hard-earned allowance at K-mart for the K-Tel compilation High Energy. K-Tel was a Canadian-based company launched in 1962. They specialized in selling products like the Veg-O-Matic and the Miracle Brush via infomercials, but also pioneered the idea of producing compilation albums featuring original hits by the original performers. From their first set in 1966 through the end of the ‘80s, the company put out somewhere around 100 albums.

The album didn’t achieve any kind of landmark status for K-Tel, but it was significant for me as my very first album purchase. On his K-Tel tribute website, Herc proclaims it one of his top 5 K-Tel albums and that nearly a dozen fans told him High Energy was also their first album. HK

I use the term “album” loosely as I bought it in the decidedly unwieldy 8-track format. Sure it allowed for more portability and durability than vinyl, but the listener didn’t have the same control – and there was that loud ka-klunk sound signifying the jump between tracks. Over the years I changed with the formats, accumulating cassettes, CDs, and now some 40,000 digitized songs on my laptop. Of the some 4000 albums I now have in my collection, though, none measures up to the sentimentality of High Energy.

The collection was an odd mix. Side one of the vinyl version consisted of seven top-ten R&B songs, six of which were also top 5 hits on the disco chart, and 4 which hit #1 on the pop chart. HK Andrew Weiss of Armagideon Time said it “had one of the strongest first sides of any K-Tel release, ever.” AT “The one-two electrodance punch of Blondie’s Heart of Glass and Amii Stewart’s spaced-out cover of my favorite Sixties soul track was reason enough to buy a copy. Throwing in the apex disco of I Will Survive plus the party jam combo of Shake Your Groove Thing and Le Freak bumped High Energy into the stratosphere.” AT Three of those songs (“Heart of Glass,” “I Will Survive,” and “Le Freak”) rank in the DMDB’s top 1% of all time.

“The second side was K-tel's usual blend of Top 40 fare with both soft rock and hard rock.” HK Weiss says it was “all over the place…[and] never manages to hit anything close to a sweet spot.” AT Of course, it was precisely the disparity which drew me in. I loved “Heart of Glass” and “Le Freak” as well as Foreigner’s Double Vision and Styx’s Renegade and now I had them all in one package! Four decades later, “Heart of Glass,” “Le Freak,” and “Renegade” still rank in my top 100 songs of all time.

Interestingly, while side one felt like the pinnacle of disco, Weiss considers High Energy “a significant artifact” in the death of the format because it marked “a looming shake-up of the status quo” and the extinction of a “bloated and complacent music industry.” AT “Hard rock, soft rock, easy listening pop, mellow soul, jazz rock — all would stagger into the new decade of diminishing returns and increasingly fractalized formatting and marketing practices.” AT

The album was a mess and it may well have marked the end of an era. It was, however, the beginning for me. More than forty years later, I look around my living room at the jukebox, the chart book sitting on my coffee table, and the photo over my fireplace of my kids playing air guitar. Music has become a pervasive force in my life and I can trace it back to the point when High Energy entered my life.

Notes:

Confusingly, the same title was used for K-Tel collections later released on cassette and CD which had very different track listings.

Review Sources:

First posted 8/6/2020; last updated 9/5/2021.

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Saturday, March 10, 1979

Gloria Gaynor hit #1 with “I Will Survive”

I Will Survive

Gloria Gaynor

Writer(s): Dino Fekaris, Freddie Perren (see lyrics here)

First Charted: December 16, 1978

Peak: 13 US, 11 CB, 3 GP, 11 HR, 2 RR, 9 AC, 4 RB, 14 UK, 1 CN, 5 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 1.02 UK, 14.0 world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 229.7 video, 866.42 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

With its message of “of defiance and freedom,” FB “I Will Survive” became an anthem for both feminism and gay rights, AMG but for Gloria Gaynor it was a personal statement. Unlike the song’s narrator, she was happily married, SF but she was overcoming major obstacles, including the death of her mother, a career in freefall, and a literal fall from the stage. AMG

Gaynor was crowned the Queen of Disco in the wake of her 1974 hit “Never Can Say Goodbye,” but subsequent failed singles left her career fighting for survival. In the spring of 1978, a tumble off the stage left her bedridden for nine months with a severe spinal injury. AMG Once out of the hospital, this declaration of resilience was just the kind of recovery she needed. The song is “equal parts dancefloor juggernaut and Broadway show-stopper,” AMG so full of “attitude and sass that it veers dangerously close to pure camp” AMG but Gaynor gives it an authenticity that lifts it above its melodramatic qualities.

Originally this was a B-side for what Gaynor said was “the company president’s pet project so there was no way I could get the record flipped.” KL She persuaded club DJs to play the song and it became a favorite of the famed Studio 54 in New York. TB Polydor Records then promoted the song as “More than a hit – it’s a way of life.” AMG

The song gained new life when it emerged as a hit again fifteen years after its original release. In 1994, it was featured in the drag-queen comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and topped the charts in Australia, AMG showing that it was truly a song built to survive.

Resources:

  • DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Gloria Gaynor
  • AMG All Music Guide review by Jason Ankeny
  • FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 498.
  • KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 246.
  • SF Songfacts
  • TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 179.

Last updated 11/27/2022.

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