THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

446-Al Wilson-The Snake.

1968-It did not chart until reissued in 1975, when reaching Number 41.

Best Bit-At 2.37. The song which helped elect an American President.

The Snake was originally written and performed by Oscar Brown Jr (1926-2005) in 1963, he also recorded the first version. In 1966 the American singer/songwriter Johnny Rivers released a version, but the song didn’t become a hit until covered by Al Wilson in 1968, when peaking at Number 27 on Billboard, his version was produced by Rivers on ‘Soul City Records,’ the record label owned by Rivers. In the UK the track has become a cult classic among fans of Northern Soul Music,being one of the most popular songs of that genre.

The songs lyrics are inspired by Aesop’s Fable of The Farmer And The Viper.It tells of a kind woman who finds a frozen snake and nurses it back to health.The snake repays her by biting her with deadly poisonous venom,when she asks why, the snake tells her that she knew he was a snake before she took him in.

During the 2016 United States Presidential election campaign Republican candidate Donald Trump read out the lyrics at several campaign rallies to illustrate his position on the Syrian refugee crisis,claiming that the decision to allow people claiming refugee status to enter the U.S.would ‘Come back to bite us,’as happened to the woman who took in the snake in the song.The daughters of the late songwriter Oscar Brown Jr have asked Trump to stop using their fathers song saying ‘He’s perversely using The Snake to demonise immigrants’ and that Brown ‘Never had anything against immigrants.’

Al Wilson was born Allen LaMar Wilson on June 19th, 1939, in Meridian, Mississippi, United States, he died on April 21st, 2008 from kidney failure. Wilson recorded five studio Albums between 1968-1979, and released 22 singles, four of which made the Billboard top 40. His major success occurred in 1973 when his version of the Jerry Fuller song ‘Show and Tell’ reached Number 1 in America. In the UK he is best remembered for this song which is a staple of over 30 Northern Soul various artists compilations, and in a survey of the most popular Northern Soul songs of all time it came in at Number 4 (see also best songs 97.)

‘Oh shut up silly woman said the reptile with a grin, now you knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

447-John Paul Young-Love Is in the Air.

1978-Number 5 single.

Best Bit-At 2.48. Take a deep breath, inhale, and enjoy yourself.

John Inglis Young was born on June 21st, 1950, in Bridgeton, Scotland, at the age of 11 in 1962 he emigrated with his family to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His first professional venture in to music occurred at the age of 17 when asked to be the lead singer in a band called ‘Elm Tree’ that had been formed by his schoolmates. It was the music producer and manager Simon Napier-Bell (see also best songs 171) who after hearing Young perform with Elm Tree then offered him a recording contract in 1971. Napier-Bell produced Young’s first single ‘Pasadena,’ which was written by Harry Vanda, George Young and David Hemmings (1941-2003) the song reached Number 16 in Australia in 1972.

It would be three years until Young would taste chart success again, this time with the Vanda/Young composition ‘Yesterday’s Hero,’ which he performed on the Australian music show ‘Countdown.’ The show chose Young as an experiment to see if they could make someone who was basically an unknown in to a megastar. Young would become a regular presenter of the show, and an on and off performer through until Countdown’s demise in 1987.

John Paul Young has released nine studio Albums between 1975-2006, and has achieved 12 top 40 hits in Australia. Two of his songs have made Number 1 in South Africa, while ‘Love Is in the Air’ remains his only hit in the UK or America. His first five studio Albums were all co-written and produced by Harry Vanda and George Young, (no relation) (1946-2017) both Vanda and Young had both been members of the Australian Rock/Pop band The Easybeats between 1964-1969 (see also best songs 939.)

‘Love Is in the Air’ was written and produced by Vanda and Young, and is the title track from John Paul Young’s fourth studio Album from 1978. The song was written to try to stay contemporary, and also to cash in on the current ‘Disco’ fad of the late 1970’s, John Paul Young has said,’We actually did ‘Love Is in the Air’ because we needed something for the German market. It was all electronic mania, all clicks and electric buzzes, so George and Harry gave it the treatment. Young performed the song on episode 148 of Countdown on April 30th, 1978. In 1992 the song was remixed for a more up to date sound, and chosen for the soundtrack to the Australian romantic comedy film ‘Strictly Ballroom,’co-written and directed by Baz Luhrmann, the remixed recording peaked at Number 3 in Australia, the same position as the original version had in 1977.

‘And I don’t know if I’m just dreaming, don’t know if I feel safe, but it’s something that I must believe in and it’s there when I look in your eyes.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

448-Cola Boy-7 Ways to Love.

1991-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 4.13. Just so you don’t get confused, this song is not an abbreviated version of the Karma Sutra.

Cola Boy was the brainchild and side project of Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs who in 1990 had formed the Alternative Dance act Saint Etienne. Stanley and Wiggs who had known each other since childhood had been listening to the Dance Music of the day and realised that they could do it just as well, or maybe even better. As Saint Etienne were a serous project, the pair invented the name Cola Boy, as they felt that a ‘Euro Pop’ sounding song might compromise their standing in the music community.

‘7 Ways to Love’ was initially recorded as a white label and sent to record stores that dealt in Dance Music, once it began to take off Arista Records signed Stanley and Wiggs in order to release the song nationwide. Sarah Cracknell who was the third member and lead singer of Saint Etienne could not sing on the track as she was bound by another contract, so Janey Lee Grace who had previously been a backing singer for Wham on their world tours for three years was recommended. Also brought in to form a face for the band was Andrew Midgeley (not to be confused with Andrew Ridgeley of Wham) A follow up single called ‘He Is Cola’ was issued, but after it flopped Cola Boy were disbanded. Janey Lee Grace went on to become a radio presenter on BBB Radio 2, and she is also an author, having released four books. In 1993 Stanley and Wiggs produced a new remix of the song for the Japanese singer Nokko for her Album ‘I Will Catch You,’ in which she added new lyrics, sung in both Japanese and English.

Saint Etienne were formed in Croyden, London, England, in 1990 and remain active, they took their name from the French football club ‘A.S. Saint Etienne.’ They have released a total of 10 studio Albums between 1991-2021, and 38 singles of which 17, including collaborations have made the UK top 40. Ironically ‘7 Ways to Love’ the song they didn’t want St Etienne to be associated with remains the bands only top 10 single.

‘7 ways to love.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

449-Jackie Wilson-Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet.)

1957-Number 6 single. When it was re-issued in 1986 it reached Number 1.

Best Bit-At 0.45. Without the hits of Jackie Wilson there may never have been any Tamla Motown records.

‘Reet Petite’ was co-written by Berry Gordy (see also best songs 411 and 137) his sister Gwen Gordy Fuqua (1927-1999) and Jackie Wilson’s cousin Roquel ‘Billy’ Davis (1932-2004.) With the royalties from this song, and other tracks that Berry Gordy co-wrote for Wilson, he was able to borrow the money needed to start up Tamla Motown records.

‘Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet’) was the debut solo single release by Jackie Wilson, and later became one of the tracks on his debut studio Album ‘He’s So Fine’ from 1958. Although the song reached Number 6 in the UK, in Wilson’s native America it only reached Number 62, the songs title was influenced by the 1947 film ‘Reet Petite, and Gone,’ starring Louis Jordan, who also sang a song with that same title in the film.

In 1986 the song was reissued as ‘Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town’) following the showing of a clay animation video on the BBC Two television documentary series ‘Arena.’ The clay animation video proved so popular that it helped propel the song to be the Christmas Number 1 single of 1986 in the UK, almost three years after the death of Jackie Wilson. The song holds the record for taking the longest amount of time to reach Number 1 since release at 29 years, and eight months.

Jackie Leroy Wilson Jr. was born on June 9th, 1934, in Detroit, Michigan, United States, he died on January 21st, 1984, at the age of 49 from complications of pneumonia. Wilson was a tenor with a four octave range, with Berry Gordy saying he was the greatest singer he ever heard. Wilson was also very energetic when performing on stage, earning the nickname ‘Mr Excitement,’ artists who have admitted being influenced by Wilson’s live performances include Elvis Presley, James Brown, and Michael Jackson. Wilson was sometimes called ‘The Black Elvis,’ when asked about this Elvis said,’ I guess that makes me the white Jackie Wilson.’

‘Well have you ever seen a girl for whom your soul you’d give. For whom you’d fight for, die for, pray to God you’d lie for.’