THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1051-The Mission-Butterfly on a Wheel.
1990-Number 12 single.
Best Bit-At 2.55.The expression ‘Butterfly on a Wheel’ dates back to the year 1735.
The Mission(see also best songs 984,) who are known as The Mission UK in the United States, formed in Leeds, England in 1985. Lead singer Wayne Hussey had previously been a guitarist with ‘The Sisters of Mercy,’ Craig Adams, the bass player, had also been in that band, Simon Hinkler had been in the Punk band ‘Artery,’ he would later join Jarvis Cocker in Pulp.The lineup was completed by drummer Mick Brown, who had previously been a member of the Leeds based ‘Gothic Rock’ band, ‘Red Lorry Yellow Lorry.’
‘Butterfly on a Wheel’ is a love song about the break-up of Simon Hinkler, and his girlfriend Julianne Regan, who was the lead singer of the Rock group ‘All About Eve.’
The expression ‘Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?’ is a quotation from English poet Alexander Pope’s ‘Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot,’ which was a satirical work written in poetic form, in 1735.
In 1965 the editor of the British newspaper ‘The Times’ William Rees-Mogg, wrote an editorial with the headline ‘Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel,’ referring to the severity of a possible prison sentence, that could be handed to Mick Jagger, if found guilty of drug offences.
The expression means that the crime doesn’t fit the punishment, like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
‘Wise men say all is fair in love and war.’
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For a list of all the best 1000 songs click on the blog at www.barryphilipsdiscos

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1050-Patti Page-Old Cape Cod.
1957-Has never charted in the UK.
Best Bit-At 0.16.If I were to ask you who was the biggest selling female artist of the 1950’s, you probably wouldn’t say Patti Page.
Patti Page was born Clare Ann Fowler, on November 8,1927, in Claremore,Oklahoma,U.S.,she died on January 1, 2013. She was the best selling female artist of the 1950’s,selling over 100 million records, over her six decade career. However in the UK it is a completely different story, as her only charting success was her original version of the novelty song ‘(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window,’ which reached Number nine in 1953.
Cape Cod is a geographic cape extending into the Atlantic Ocean, from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States.The songs lyrics were originally written as a poem by Boston based housewife Claire Rothrock, for whom Cape Cod was a favourite vacation spot. She took her poem to ‘Ace Studios,’ a Boston based recording studio owned by the songwriter Milton Yakus, who modified the lyrics, with Allan Jeffrey writing the music,all three are credited as the songs writers.
Patti Page had never been to Cape Cod before recording the song,but visited several times after,her last visit was in 2010, in which she attended a ceremony, held in her honour. At the ceremony a street ‘Patti Page Way’ was named after her, in recognition of her contribution to the promotion of Cape Cod, as a place to visit.
‘If your fond of sand dunes, and salty air,quaint little villages, here and there.’

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1049-Estelle featuring Kanye West-American Boy.
2008-Number 1 single.
Best Bit-At 0.41.It is difficult to convince the world that you are a ‘Gangsta Rapper’ when your favourite drink is Ribena.
Back in the early noughties Estelle was trying to break into the music business, and after a less than successful recording session in L.A. she went for something to eat in a ‘Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffle,’ where she saw Kanye West(see also best songs 849-636-477 and 267,) and John Legend, she got the nerve up, and went over to introduce herself.
Estelle Swaray was born on January 18th, 1980 in London, England, to date she has released five studio Albums, and has had five UK top 40 hit singles.
The beat of ‘American Boy’ was written by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, and can be heard on his solo Album ‘Songs About Girls,’ from 2007, the track is called ‘Impatient.’
Of the song Estelle has said,’There are too many man bashing songs, so it was nice to have one with the opposing view, we were also trying to get John Legend into House Music.’ Although Estelle has stated publicly that the ‘boy’ is an amalgam of male friends, it is rumoured to be about American comedy writer Sam Means.
‘Don’t like his baggy jeans, but I’ma like what’s underneath it.’

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1048-Small Faces-Lazy Sunday.
1968-Number 2 single.
Best Bit-At 1.09.They chose their name because none of them was very tall, and ‘A Face’ was somebody special. In ‘Mod’ circles, a face was a leader, someone to look up to, a face had the sharpest clothes, the best record collection, and was always seen with the prettiest girl on his arm.
The Small Faces(see also best songs 872,) formed in London in 1965, consisting of Steve Marriott(1947-1991,) Ronnie Lane(1946-1997,) Kenney Jones, and James Winston, Ian McLagan(1945-2014) replaced Winston in 1966.
In 1968 Steve Marriott left the group citing musical differences,he joined forces with Peter Frampton, to form Humble Pie.The remaining Small Faces were joined by Rod Stewart, and Ronnie Wood, of the Jeff Beck Group, and changed their name to The Faces(see also best songs 565 and 70.)
‘Lazy Sunday’ was co-written by Steve Marriott, and Ronnie Lane, it has a traditional Cockney East End of London Music Hall sound, it was inspired by Marriott’s feuds with his neighbours. Marriott’s vocals are delivered in an exaggerated cockney accent, as he had been teased about never singing in his real voice.John Lydon the lead singer with the Sex Pistols has said that one of his few musical influences was the vocal delivery of Steve Marriott.
‘Gor-blimey, hello Mrs. Jones,how’s old Bert’s lumbago?’

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1047-The Verve-Bitter Sweet Symphony.
1997-Number 2 single.
Best Bit-At 1.21.On discovering that he would receive no royalties, Richard Ashcroft sarcastically said,’This is the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years,’noting it was their biggest UK success since ‘Brown Sugar.’ Keith Richards replied,’If The Verve can write a better song, they can keep the money.
‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ heavily samples the 1965 recording of ‘The Last Time’ by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra,which had been written by David Whitaker(1931-2012,) who was famous for his film scores, Oldham was the manager of The Rolling Stones at time, and released the song as a side project.The Verve released Bitter Sweet Symphony having received permission from Decca Records,however they did not receive permission from former Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein(1931-2009,) who owned the copyrights to all the Rolling Stones pre 1970 songs, including ‘The Last Time.’Although Bitter Sweet Symphony had already been released Klein refused to grant a licence for the sample,The Verve had to relinquish all royalties to Klein, with the songwriting credits changed to Jagger/Richards, Richard Ashcroft who wrote the songs lyrics received $1000 for complying. In April 2019 Jagger and Richards signed over all their publishing rights to Ashcroft for Bitter Sweet Symphony.Ashcroft said,’It’s been a fantastic development,it’s life affirming in a way.’
As I have said countless times when writing about music,nothing is totally original, take a listen to the Staple Singers 1955 Gospel song ‘This May Be the Last Time,’and see where Jagger and Richards got their inspiration.
‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ has a powerful message.Ashcroft’s father was an office clerk,he was stuck in a dead end job,only earning enough to just get by,he died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage when Ashcroft was only 11 years old,Ashcroft said,’I immediately realised that wasn’t the life for me.’The songs message is that there has to be more to life than just earning enough to get by,but sometimes circumstances stop us.
‘Trying to make ends meet,you’re a slave to money, then you die.’

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1046-Helen Reddy-Angie Baby.
1975-Number 5 single.
Best Bit-At 0.57.Two stories to capture the imagination,one fact,one fiction.
Angie Baby was written by Alan O’Day(1940-2013,) he is one of a few select artists to have written a Billboard Number 1 single for himself, and also for another artist to perform.He topped the American chart in 1977 with ‘Undercover Angel,’three years after ‘Angie Baby’ had done the same for Helen Reddy.
The rise to fame for Helen Reddy was certainly an eventful one,she married a much older man at the age of 20,they had a child,and divorced soon after.She uprooted to America from her home in Australia, taking her young child with her,seeking a career in show business. In 1968 she married her future manager Jeff Wald, enabling her to stay in the States,she also converted to Judaism,their marriage would last four years.With the guidance of Wald, she became the biggest selling female artist for two years running, and achieved three Billboard Number 1 singles,the other two are ‘I Am Woman,’ and ‘Delta Dawn.’She earned herself the nickname of the ‘Queen of 70’s Pop.’
What is the song ‘Angie Baby’ about? It has certainly captured peoples’ imagination.The song tells the tale of a young girl who is ‘socially retarded,’ and spends her days in her bedroom listening to the radio.One day a man breaks in to her house to cause her harm,but it isn’t her who suffers, because she takes him prisoner to become her slave.People have always mused over whether the man was real or just a figment of Angie’s imagination,the songs writer Alan O’Day left it up to us to make up our own minds.
‘It’s so nice to be insane,no one asks you to explain.’

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1045-Sheila E-The Belle of St. Mark.
1985-Number 16 single.
Best Bit-At 0.24. A genuine sex cymbal.
Sheila Escovedo was born into a musical family on December 12th,1957, in Oakland,California,U.S.,her father Pete Escovedo is an accomplished percussionist.Five of her Uncle’s are also musicians,as is her brother Peter.
Sheila E has released eight studio Albums to date, but is best known for being the worlds most famous female drummer,she is commonly referred to as ‘The Queen of Percussion.’
‘The Belle of St.Mark’ was written by Prince, who she first met at a concert when performing with her father in 1978.She first worked with Prince on the ‘Purple Rain’ recording sessions, providing vocals on ‘Erotic City.’Prince co-wrote, and co-produced with Sheila E, this songs parent Album ‘The Glamorous Life’ in 1984.They also performed together during the ‘Purple Rain,’and ‘Lovesexy’ tours.
The songs subject is of the male gender, but is referred to throughout as the feminine ‘Belle.’He lives in Paris, but ‘St. Mark’ is a famous location in Venice,Italy.It has also been suggested that it may be a reference to ‘St.Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery,’ namesake of St. Mark’s Place, in the East Village,Manhattan U.S.
Just another of the wonderful mysteries left to us by the legend that was Prince(see also best songs 884-487-85 and 54.)
‘The Belle of St. Mark wore clothes that belonged to his father,even though he was only seventeen.’
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THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1044-Wanda Jackson-Let’s Have a Party.
1960-Number 32 single.
Best Bit-At 0.05.Great advice,have a party,keep me in work.
Wanda Jackson was born on October 20.1937, in Maud,Oklahoma,U.S.,she is known as the ‘Queen of Rockabilly,’ or the ‘First lady of Rockabilly.’
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock ‘N’ Roll music,it’s genre blends the sound of Country music, with that of Rhythm and Blues.Wanda Jackson was one of the first females to lead the way in performing Rock ‘N’ Roll, and Rockabilly.
‘Let’s Have a Party’ was written by Jessie Mae Robinson(1918-1966,) she was one of the few black songwriters to break the colour barrier,and the first female African-American member of ‘ASCAP,’ two of her other successful compositions are ‘Black Night,’ a Blues hit in 1951, and ‘I Went To Your Wedding,’ made famous by Patti Page in 1952.
The first recording of ‘Let’s Have a Party’ was by Elvis Presley which featured in his second movie ‘Loving You,’ from 1957.Wanda Jackson first recorded her version in 1958, for her self titled debut Album,it was not released as a single until 1960.The song was brought to the attention of a whole new generation when her version was featured in the 1989 critically acclaimed film, ‘Dead Poets Society.’
‘I’ve never kissed a bear,I’ve never kissed a goon,but I can shake a chicken in the middle of the room.’
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For a list of all the best 1000 songs click on the blog at www.barryphilipsdiscos.

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently complete ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1043-Future featuring Drake-Life is Good.
2020-Number 3 single.
Best Bit-At 1.43.It sounds like two completely different songs.
I am sat here trying to think of any other song that is so blatantly two different songs released as one track.For the first ninety seconds or so Drake does his thing,and then for the remainder of the song Future takes over with a completely different backing track.Both parts would easily make quality stand alone hits,I personally just prefer Future’s part.
Drake tells us that although he has more money than even he knows about,being in the public eye constantly is not easy.Future is also not averse to letting us know that money isn’t a problem,but he isn’t complaining.
This is not the first time the two rappers have collaborated,in 2015 they released the Album ‘What a Time to Be Alive,’ which peaked at Number 6 in the UK.
This song became a landmark for Drake(see also best songs 921 and 858,) providing him with his 207th entry on the Billboard Hot 100, as an artist on a song, in some capacity,equalling what ‘Glee Cast’ had previously achieved.The song also marked Drake’s 100th top 40 entry,a feat no other artist has achieved.
‘Say my days are numbered,but I keep wakin’ up.’
PLEASE SHARE TO REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE.
For a list of all the best 1000 songs click on the blog at www.barryphilipsdiscos.

THE BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

To compliment my recently completed ‘1000 BEST SONGS LIST,’ here is another that just missed the cut.

1042-The Toy’s-A Lover’s Concerto.
1965-Number 5 single.
Best Bit-At 0.08.Classical music never sounded so good.
‘A Lover’s Concerto’ was co-written by the prolific songwriters Denny Randell, and Sandy Linzer,the melody was adapted from the Classical piece ‘Minuet In G,’written by the German composer Christian Petzold (1677-1733) around 1725, Petzold does receive co-writing credit,but I am not sure if his descendants received any royalties.
Randell has explained how the song came about,’I started listening to Minuet In G at an early age,I must have been about five, or six.I always had it on my mind that it would make a wonderful grounds for a pop song, if done in the right way.It’s in a different groove, and it’s a different time signature, than the original piece.’
The lucky recipients of the song were the girl group ‘The Toys,’they formed in 1961 hailing from Jamaica, a middle class neighbourhood in the New York borough of Queens.The trio were Barbara Harris, who sang lead vocal,Barbara Parritt, and June Montiero. They split in 1968 having released one Album, and six singles,their only other top 40 single was ‘Attack’ in 1966, reaching Number 18 in America, and Number 36 in the UK.
‘How gentle is the rain, that falls gently on the meadow.’
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For a list of all the best 1000 songs click on the blog at www.barryphilipsdiscos.