THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

991-Wham!-Club Tropicana.

1983-Number 4 single.

Best Bit-At 0.42. Fancy being constantly surrounded by bikini clad girls, and not appreciating it.

Wham! (see also best songs 142) were formed in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, in 1981, by George Michael, (1963-2016) (see also best songs 342) and Andrew Ridgeley, who had first met as teenagers while attending Bushey Meads School, near the town of Watford. The two of them first performed with five others as part of the short-lived ‘Ska’ band ‘The Executive,’ and when that band split, Michael and Ridgeley eventually formed Wham! who would remain active until 1986, then both George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley went their separate ways in order to to pursue solo careers. Although as Wham! they only released two studio Albums, in 1983, and 1984, the pair would go on to sell in excess of 35 million records worldwide.

Andrew John Ridgeley was born on January 26th, 1963, in Windlesham, Surrey, England, After the break up of Wham!, Andrew Ridgeley moved to Monaco in an attempt to start a new career as a ‘Formula Three’ motor racing driver, but when that fell through he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. In 1990 he released his one and only solo Album ‘Son of Albert,’ which was critically panned, although one of the two singles released off the Album, ‘Red Dress,’ did become a top 20 hit in Australia. The last time Ridgeley performed live with George Michael was in January 1991, when he joined him on stage for a few songs at the encore of Michael’s performance at the ‘Rock in Rio’ event, in the Maracana Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

‘Club Tropicana’ was the fourth and final single released from ‘Fantastic’ the debut Album from Wham!, from July 1983. The song was co-written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, and produced by Steve Brown (1955-2020.) (see also best songs 854 and 248) ‘Club Tropicana’ is one of only a few songs in the Wham! catalogue that gives Andrew Ridgeley a co-writing credit, as it was written as far back in 1981, before ‘Wham!’ were legally established. In the early days of their musical collaboration George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley co-wrote home demos, and this song was the second one they composed, the first being ‘Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do.’) Another song which Ridgeley receives a co-write on with George Michael is ‘Careless Whisper’ which is currently the 37th best selling song in the UK. It is said that Ridgeley still receives thousands of pounds in royalties from that song every year.

‘Club Tropicana’ has a memorable video which was shot at the ‘Pikes Hotel,’ which is now known as ‘Pikes Ibiza.’ It is a luxury hotel that was opened on the Balearic Island in 1978 by it’s owner Anthony Pike, (1934-2019) who appears in the video, he is the gentleman with the moustache, and can be first seen at 0.38. In 2022 the Scottish singer/songwriter Lewis Capaldi (see also best songs 1002) paid homage to the video with his song ‘Forget Me.’ (UK Number 1) Capaldi filmed the video for ‘Forget Me’ at the ‘Pikes Hotel’ copying every scene from the ‘Club Tropicana’ video reel to reel.

The ‘Club Tropicana’ video shows scenes of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley on the beach, making eyes at bikini-clad girls, who were played by their backing singers Dee C. Lee, and Shirlie Holliman. Lee, who was born Diane Sealy, was married to Paul Weller (see also best songs 670-94 and 59) between 1987-1998, and sang backing, and some lead vocals on much of ‘The Style Council’s’ 1980’s output, She also released four solo studio Albums between 1986-1998, and reached Number 3 in the UK with her 1985 single ‘See the Day.’ After the demise of Wham!, Shirley Holliman joined forces with Helen ‘Pepsi’ DeMacque, who had taken over the role in Wham! from Dee C. Lee after she had left in 1984, to form the singing duo ‘Pepsi & Shirley,’ together they released two studio Albums, and six singles, of which two made the UK top 10. Shirlie Holliman has been married to Martin Kemp of the English New Wave band Spandau Ballet since 1988.

‘Club Tropicana’ was influenced by the boom for cheap package holidays for younger single people of a hedonistic nature. In the UK particularly it was seen as taking a swipe at the ‘Club 18-30’ holiday packages that were very popular at that time.

‘Let me take you to the place where membership’s a smiling face, brush shoulders with the stars. Where strangers take you by the hand, and welcome you to wonderland, from beneath their panamas.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

992-Pink Floyd-See Emily Play.

1967-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 2.03. I am a great believer in that there is a fine line between genius and insanity.

Pink Floyd (see also best songs 280) were formed in London, England, in 1965, by Syd Barrett, (1946-2006) (guitar, and lead vocals) Nick Mason, (drums) Roger Waters, (bass) and Richard Wright (1943-2008) (keyboards) these were the four personnel who played on this song, and also the groups debut studio Album ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ in 1967. The only other person to be a member of Pink Floyd is Dave Gilmour, (guitar) who joined in 1967, shortly before the departure of Syd Barrett. At the time of writing the band are still active with only Mason and Gilmour as official members.

The discography of Pink Floyd includes 15 studio Albums released between 1967-2014, and 27 singles issued between 1967-2022. There are also a further four live Albums, 12 official compilation Albums, and five box sets, in total it is estimated that Pink Floyd have sold in excess of 250 million records worldwide, making them easily one of the best selling artists of all time, especially when you consider that the majority of their sales are Albums. Three of the bands Albums appear on the list of the best selling Albums of all time,’The Dark Side of the Moon,’ (1973) is currently the fourth best seller ever, with sales in excess of 24 million copies, while ‘The Wall,’ (1979) sits in 28th place, with estimated sales in excess of 18 million copies, and ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975) is currently the 77th best seller, with sales around 9 million copies.

‘See Emily Play’ was written by Syd Barrett, who was born Roger Keith Barrett, on January 6th, 1946, in Cambridge, England, he died on July 7th, 2006, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 60. There are two different versions as to how he acquired the name ‘Syd.’ One was that he took it from a local Cambridge Jazz musician called ‘Sid ‘the beat’ Barrett,’ and the other is that when he was 13 his schoolmates named him ‘Syd’ after he attended a scout meeting in a flat cap instead of a scout beret, because ‘Syd’ was considered a working class name. In the early days of Pink Floyd it was Barrett who led them musically, with a blend of ‘Psychedelic Pop,’ and ‘Experimental Rock,’ it was Barrett who wrote, or co-wrote the majority of the songs on Pink Floyd’s debut Album ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.’ Barrett had started to experiment with ‘LSD’ during 1965, and as the months past his habit caused his personality to change to the point where the other band members realised that they could not work with him anymore, and he was dismissed from the band, with Roger Waters taking over as the bands main lyricist in 1968. After leaving Pink Floyd, Barrett took a year out before returning to music in 1970 when he released both of his solo studio Albums, before giving up music for good, and retreating from the spotlight. Barrett is critically acclaimed for his work in pushing the boundaries of ‘Rock Music,’ with all time greats such as Paul McCartney, and Pete Townsend acknowledging him as an influence on their work.

‘See Emily Play’ was produced by Norman ‘Hurricane’ Smith, who also produced Pink Floyd’s debut Album. Smith was born on February 22nd, 1923, in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, he died on March 3rd, 2008, at the age of 85. Prior to teaming up with Pink Floyd, Smith had worked as an engineer, notably working with the Beatles, whom he engineered the sound for almost 100 of their songs. John Lennon (1940-1980) gave him the nickname ‘Normal,’ as a humorous reference to Smith’s unhurried, unflappable, and amiable nature. Smith also had a successful career as a singer, achieving three top 40 hit singles in the UK, including with his own composition ‘Oh Babe What Would You Say?’ (UK Number 4, and Billboard Number 3, in 1972.)

‘See Emily Play’ was released as a non Album single, but did appear as the opening track on the U.S. edition of ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ Album. The song was written by Syd Barrett following Pink Floyd’s appearance at the free ‘Games of May’ Rock concert in May 1967. ‘See Emily Play’ is about a girl named Emily, who Barrett claimed to have seen while sleeping in the woods after taking a psychedelic drug. The ‘Emily’ in question is probably Emily Young, the Honourable Emily Young, who was 15 years old at the time, and would attend concerts, where she acquired the nickname ‘The psychedelic girl.’ Emily would go on to become a world renowned sculptor, and is acknowledged as ‘Britain’s greatest stone sculptor.’ According to Roger Waters the woods that are mentioned in the song were based next to the ‘Gog Mahog Hills,’ near Barrett’s home town of Cambridge. Emily Young has said,’On Friday night at the Saints Hall, the regular band was the Pink Floyd Sound. I was more into R&B, so their dreamy hippie thing wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but it was interesting. and the light show was wonderful, and I liked to get stoned and dance. After playing, we’d sit around on grey sofas and pass around joints, I was quite pretty and word got out that I was a lord’s daughter, and apparently the guys in the band called me the ‘psychedelic schoolgirl.’

‘Emily tries but misunderstands, ah ooh. She’s often inclined to borrow somebody’s dreams till tomorrow. There is no other day, let’s try it another way, you’ll lose your mind and play, free games for May. See Emily play.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

993-R. Kelly-Ignition (Remix.)

2003-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.37. Lock up your daughters!….No seriously, lock them up.

R. Kelly (see also best songs 800) was born Robert Sylvester Kelly on January 8th, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Controversy and rumours of sexual misdemeanours have courted R. Kelly for many years. In 2021 Kelly was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on charges including child pornography, kidnapping, and forced labour. At the time of writing Kelly is an inmate of the ‘Metropolitan Correctional Centre, Chicago, and is challenging his convictions.

Prior to his music career taking off in his teenage years, R. Kelly had had a very troubled adolescence. In his autobiography Kelly describes having a girlfriend called Lulu at the age of eight. He stated that one day while out playing with her things turned tragic when, after fighting with older children over a play area by a creek, she was pushed into the water, swept downstream by a fast moving current, and drowned. Kelly called Lulu his first musical inspiration. R. Kelly who never knew his father, had according to his brother Carey, suffered from years of sexual abuse at the hands of his older sister, Theresa, who was entrusted with babysitting her siblings.Carey stated that although their older brother, Bruce, was spared and allowed to play outside, both he and Kelly were punished at separate times indoors by Theresa, who refused to acknowledge the abuse when confronted years later. It is also said that around the age of 10, Kelly was also sexually abused by an older male who was a friend of the family. Another family friend has said that at the age of 11, R. Kelly attempted suicide by shooting himself.

R. Kelly has sold in excess of 75 million records worldwide, and has released 18 studio Albums between 1992-2016, he has also issued 119 singles between 1990-2018. His discography also includes producing four Studio Albums, and 68 singles for other artists, as well as three soundtrack Albums. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, two of his singles have made Number 1, while in the UK, he has appeared on three Number 1 singles. On Billboard he has also written and produced a further two chart toppers,’You Are Not Alone,’ for Michael Jackson, (1995) and ‘Bump, Bump, Bump,’ for the American boy band ‘B2K’ (2002.) In the UK,’You Are Not Alone’ also made Number 1 for Michael Jackson, and then in 2009 the song again topped the chart, when issued as a charity single by that years ‘X Factor Finalists.’

‘Ignition (Remix’) was written and produced by R. Kelly, and was the first of three singles released from his fifth studio Album ‘Chocolate Factory,’ from February 2003. The song spent four weeks at Number 1 in the UK, and peaked at Number 2 on Billboard in America for five consecutive weeks behind ‘In Da Club,’ by 50 Cent, (see also best songs 189) ‘Ignition (Remix’) also ended as the second best selling single of 2003 in America, again behind ‘In Da Club.’ On ‘Chocolate Factory’ the track ‘Ignition’ appears as track 9, and is followed by ‘Ignition (Remix’) which is track 10. Although it says ‘remix’ the truth is it isn’t really a remix, as there are just a couple of similarities between both songs, it is probably best described as an ‘inspiration.’ In fact R. Kelly has said,’First of all it was an old, old track that I had in my computer for a long time. When I pulled it up, for some reason I just heard ‘ignition’ on it, so I start really just messing with the words, and a lot of metaphors start coming to me. You know ‘trying to get you to my hotel/ you must be a football coach/ the way you got me playing the field/ So baby give me that ‘toot toot, that beep beep.’ You know what I mean? Just basically having fun with the song from there, once I tapped into the metaphor of it.’ R.Kelly has also stated that he had written the basis of ‘Ignition (Remix’) approximately five years before he wrote the song called ‘Ignition.’

‘It’s the remix to Ignition, hot and fresh out the kitchen. Mama rollin’ that body got every man in here wishin.’ Sippin’ on Coke and rum, I’m like so what I’m drunk. It’s the freakin’ weekend, baby, I’m about to have me some fun.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

994-Robin S.-Show Me Love.

1993-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 0.12. If you are a DJ, there are certain songs, from several musical genres that should fill the dance floor. In the genre of 1990’s Dance Music, this is the Daddy.

‘Show Me Love’ was co-written by Allen George, and Fred McFarlane, (1959-2016) and was originally recorded in 1990 in an ‘R&B’ style, with a ‘Disco’ beat, think,’Somebody Else’s Guy,’ by Jocelyn Brown, a song which had also been written and produced by George and McFarlane.

In 1992 the Swedish music producer Sten Hallstrom who is better known by his stage name ‘StoneBridge’ contacted ‘Champion Records’ looking for songs that he could possibly ‘remix,’ and they suggested the ‘R&B’ track ‘Show Me Love.’ After the record label initially rejected several of his mixes, StoneBridge created yet a new mix, this time after hearing contributing musician Richard Tomlinson’s demo using the ‘organ’ preset on the ‘Korg M1 Synthesizer,’ which created the songs distorted bassline. When the song became a hit StoneBridge regretted that he hadn’t insisted on having his name added to the song writing credits as he said that he ‘Basically composed a new track,’ but in recent years StoneBridge has acknowledged that the success of ‘Show Me Love’ led to many more doors being opened to him. StoneBridge has gone on to release nine studio Albums between 1998-2010, and 32 singles between 2004-2020. His biggest single release success came in 2006 in the UK, when his debut single ‘Put ‘Em High’ featuring ‘Therese’ reached Number 6. StoneBridge has also gone on to remix dozens of tracks for other artists, including Diana Ross, and Ne-Yo.

StoneBridge wasn’t the only artist who worked on ‘Show Me Love’ who thought that they should have had their name added to the writing credits, as also Andrea Martin, and Robin S. have also made their claims. Andrea Martin (1972-2021) was an American singer/songwriter who claimed to have written the entire melody and vocal arrangement, as well as sung on the demo. For the demo Martin took a one-time $300 fee for her contribution rather than asking for writing credits, which would have entitled her to publishing income, a decision they said she regretted for years, and blamed on her naivete of the then common industry practice. Andrea Martin went on to release one studio Album ‘The Best of Me’ in 1998, and 25 singles between 1999-2021. She had great success as a co-songwriter, especially in the UK, where 11 of her songs have made the top 40, with two reaching Number 1, ‘Breathe’ by Blu Cantrell featuring Sean Paul, (2003) and ‘Loneliness,’ by Tomcraft, which was a re-make of one of her older songs called ‘Share My Love,’ also in 2003.

Robin S. who had sang the vocals on the original 1990 R&B mix of ‘Show Me Love’ claims that she also was entitled to songwriting credits as she has said that she ‘Ad-libbed some lyrics in the studio,’ Robin S. was born Robin Stone on April 27th, 1962, in Hempstead, New York, United States, she has released two studio Albums in 1993, and 1997, and 28 singles between 1992-2020, which includes six remix versions of ‘Show Me Love.’ In America on Billboard, this song remains her only chart entry in the top 40, when making Number 5, while in the UK, she has charted on five occasions to date.

In 1997 ‘Show Me Love’ became a hit for a second time for Robin S. when the ‘Lisa Marie’ remix reached Number 9 in the UK. In 2009 a new remix of the song by Steve Angello (see also best songs 883 and 483) & Laidback Luke, featuring re-recorded vocals by Robin S. made Number 11, also in the UK. ‘Show Me Love’ was also covered by the Dutch music producer Sam Feldt featuring Kimberly Anne in 2015, when it peaked at Number 4 in the UK. There is confusion over another song also called ‘Show Me Love,’ which was performed by the Swedish singer ‘Robyn.’ That song was written by Denniz Pop, and Max Martin, (see also best songs 870-824 and 317) and made Number 7 on Billboard, and Number 8 in the UK in 1997, but it has absolutely nothing to do with this song.

‘Heartbreaks and promises I’ve had more than my share, I’m tired of giving my love and gettin’ nowhere, nowhere. What I need is somebody who really cares, I really need a lover, a lover that wants to be there.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

995-Harry Chapin-Cat’s in the Cradle.

1974-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 3.09. In the UK you have to be 18 to vote, 18 to drink alcohol, 17 to drive, but you only have to be 16 to have sex. If prospective parents had to have compulsory lessons on how to bring up children, then there would be less need for a song like this.

Harold Forster Chapin (see also best songs 474) was born on December 7th, 1942, in New York City, United States, he died on July 16th, 1981, en route to perform a free benefit concert at Eisenhower Park, New York, when he was fatally injured in a traffic collision with a semi-trailer truck, he was 38 years old. Chapin was a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger, he was one of those who helped create the ‘Presidential Commission on World Hunger,’ in 1977. Chapin donated an estimated third of his paid concerts to charitable causes, and after his death his widow Sandra said (with only slight exaggeration),’Harry was supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations, and 82 charities. Harry wasn’t interested in saving money, he always said, ‘Money is for people,’ so he gave it away.’ Chapin was also the inspiration for the anti-hunger projects ‘USA for Africa,’ (1985) and ‘Hands Across America,’ (1986) which were organised by Ken Kragen, (1936-2021) who had been Chapin’s manager at the end of Chapin’s career, Kragen, explaining his work on these benefit events, said, ‘I felt like Harry had crawled into my body and was making me do it.’

‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ was the third of three singles released from Harry Chapin’s fourth studio Album ‘Verities & Balderdash,’ from August 1974. The song was co-written by Harry Chapin, and his wife Sandra Chapin, and produced by Paul Leka (1943-2011.) Leka was a prolific songwriter, whose best known compositions, or co-compositions are ‘Green Tambourine,’ for the ‘Lemon Pipers,’ (1968-Billboard Number 1) and ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,’ for ‘Steam,’ (1969-Billboard Number 1) Leka also co-produced the first two studio Albums of the American Rock band ‘R.E.O. Speedwagon,’ in 1971, and 1972.

The lyrics to ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ began as a poem written by Sandra many years before Harry wrote the music. Sandra was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband James, and his father John. After the birth of Chapin’s son Josh, Harry remembered the poem, realising that he too was getting caught up in the same situation, he wrote the music, admitting, ‘Frankly, this song scares me to death.’ Sandra Chapin has said,’Cat’s In The Cradle was a combination of a couple of things. Whenever I was on a long drive I would listen to Country Music, because words would keep me awake more than just music, and I heard a song, I can remember the story, but I don’t remember who sang it, or what the title was, but an old couple were sitting at their breakfast table and looking out the window, and they saw the rusted swing and the sandbox, and they were reminiscing about the good old days when all the children were around and then the grandchildren, and how it passed, and now it’s all gone.

‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ went on to reach Number 1 in America on Billboard in December 1974, and is Harry Chapin’s best selling single with sales in excess of 1 million copies, it also reached Number 1 in Canada, and Number 6 in Australia. The song didn’t become a hit in the UK until a 1992 cover version by the American Rock band ‘Ugly Kid Joe’ reached Number 7, their version also peaked at Number 6 in America on Billboard, with estimated sales of 500,000 copies.

‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ is the sad tale of a father who is so caught up in work, providing for his family, that he never has any quality time to spend with his son. The years fly by, then one day when the father has retired, he requests a meeting with his son, but the father is told by his son that due to work commitments, and family issues, he hasn’t time for them to meet up. The father suddenly realises, that his son has grown up just like him.

‘And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me, my boy was just like me.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

996-A Flock of Seagulls-Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You.)

1982-Number 10 single.

Best Bit-At 0.08. If I ever get around to compiling a best ‘intro’s’ list, this could well be the Number 1.

A Flock of Seagulls are a New Wave, Synth/Pop band who were formed in Liverpool, England, in 1979, by Mike Score, his brother Alistair, and Frank Maudsley, in total there have been 29 different members come and go, with Mike Score remaining as the bands one constant. The band were active between 1979-1986, and then reformed in 1988, and are still active at the time of writing. A Flock of Seagulls took their name from the English Punk Rock group ‘The Stranglers’ (see also best songs 607) 1978 song ‘Toiler on the Sea,’ from their Album ‘Black and White,’ whose lyrics include ‘A flock of seagulls.’ Mike Score has said that the bands name was also influenced by the 1970 novel ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull,’ by the author Richard Bach. In a scene from the iconic 1994 movie ‘Pulp Fiction,’ (see also best songs 882 and 301) the actor Samuel L. Jackson can be heard during one of his killing sprees name checking ‘A Flock of Seagulls.’

The discography of A Flock of Seagulls includes seven studio Albums released between 1982-2021, and 25 singles issued between 1981-2022. In the UK, four of those singles have reached the top 40, with this song being the most successful, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles top 40, they have charted on three occasions, with their most successful song being ‘I Ran (So Far Away,’) which failed to chart in the UK, but reached Number 9 on Billboard in 1982, and is the song that they are best remembered for in that country, while ‘Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You’) only made Number 26 there.

‘Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You’) was the first of four singles released from A Flock of Seagulls second studio Album ‘Listen,’ from April 1983, and was written by the four members of the band at that time, Mike Score, Paul Reynolds, Frank Maudsley, and Alistair Score, with the production being by Mike Howlett, who had also produced the bands self titled debut Album in 1982. Howlet was a much sort after producer in the late 1970’s, and throughout the 1980’s, working with artists such as ‘Martha and the Muffins,’ and ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (see also best songs 748 and 720.)

Mike Score who is one of the bands founding members, and also the groups main songwriter was born on November 5th, 1957, in Beverley, England, as well as appearing on all of the ‘A Flock of Seagulls’ seven studio Albums, he also released a solo Album ‘Zeebratta in 2014. In the early 1980’s Score was known for his striking signature back combed haircut, which once seen was never forgotten, he has said,’My mom used to say, ‘Don’t copy people, try to be yourself because then people will remember you. There was a little bit of David Bowie and Alice Cooper in the band’s appearance, without copying them.’ It is said that Score based his haircut on the look of David Bowie’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’ character. His distinctive hairstyle is referred to in the 1998 film ‘The Wedding Singer.’

Mike Score has also explained how ‘Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You’) came about. ‘Wishing’ is about a real person, it was the eve of the first trip we ever took to America, and I had met a girl. We went out for the night, and I didn’t want to forget her, so I said, ‘We’re going on tour and I’ll be back. I’d like to get a photograph of you, if I could get one.’ and she said, ‘No, because you’re going to go on to be famous, and you’ll forget me.’ It appears that their meeting had no fairy tale ending, the girl was right, they never met again.

‘It’s not the way you look,it’s not the way that you smile, although there’s something to them. It’s not the way you have your hair, it’s not that certain style, it could be that with you.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

997-Eden Kane-Forget-Me-Not.

1962-Number 3 single.

Best Bit-At 0.41. If you think of three very talented musical brothers, you instantly think Bee Gees, but what about the Sarstedts.’

Eden Kane was born Richard Graham Sarstedt on March 29th, 1940, in New Delhi, British India, just prior to stardom his management team changed his stage name to Eden Kane. ‘Eden,’ because of it’s biblical associations, as at that time Adam Faith (see also best songs 745) was a big Pop star, and ‘Kane,’ because one of his managers Michael Barclay was a fan of the film ‘Citizen Kane.’ After the death of his father in 1954, Kane along with his mother, his two brothers, and his sisters emigrated to Croyden, in London, England, where he formed a ‘Skiffle’ group, the ‘Fabulous 5,’ which included his two younger brothers Peter and Clive. After winning a talent contest, he was contracted to sing an advertising jingle for ‘Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate,’ which was played regularly on ‘Radio Luxembourg, which led to him being signed to ‘Pye Records’ in 1960. Eden Kane became a ‘teen idol’ in the early 1960’s, in the period between the peak of ‘Rock N’ Roll,’ and the just prior to the era of the Beatles.

Eden Kane had two younger brothers who also both had hit singles. The second eldest of the brothers was Peter Sarstedt, (1941-2017) who is best remembered for his 1969 UK Number 1 single ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?’ (see also best songs 910) His other brother was Robin Sarstedt, (1944-2022) whose only hit single in the UK was ‘My Resistance Is Low,’ which made Number 3 in 1976. In 1973 all three brothers joined forces to form ‘The Sarstedt Brothers,’ releasing the Album ‘Worlds Apart Together.’

The discography of Eden Kane includes seven studio Albums released between 1962-2014, and 19 singles issued between 1960-1971. In the UK, five of those singles reached the top 40, with his 1961 song ‘Well I Ask You’ making Number 1, while none of his Albums or singles have broken into the American charts. After music tastes changed in the mid 1960’s Eden Kane continued to tour, and he also became an actor on the ‘Star Trek’ team, making several appearances in the various television series, and also in the films, using his real name Richard Sarstedt.

‘Forget-Me-Nots was written by Les Vandyke, (1931-2021) arranged by John Keating, (1927-2015) and produced by Bunny Lewis, (1918-2001) who were the same trio who had also worked on Eden Kane’s Number 1 hit ‘Well I Ask You.’ Les Vandyke was born John Worsley on June 21st, 1931, in Battersea, London, England, he died on August 6th, 2021, at the age of 90. Worsley wrote three UK Number 1 singles including both of Adam Faith’s (1940-2003) chart toppers,’What Do You Want,’ (1959) (see also best songs 745) and ‘Poor Me’ (1960.) He also wrote ‘Jack in the Box’ (UK, Number 4-1971) for Clodagh Rodgers, and ‘Gonna Make You an Offer You Can’ Refuse’ (UK, Number 8-1973) for Jimmy Helms. John Keating is best remembered for writing the ‘Theme from Z-Cars,’ which was the theme tune to the long running BBC television series, the song peaked at Number 8 in the UK in 1962, and has since been adopted by the English football club Everton as the song that the team come out to at home matches. Bunny Lewis produced four UK Number 1 singles, as well as ‘Well I Ask You,’ (1962) he also produces ‘Cara Mia,’ (1954) and ‘Answer Me,’ (1953) which were both chart toppers for David Whitfield, (1925-1980) and ‘Only Sixteen’ (1959) for Craig Douglas.

‘Forget-Me-Nots’ is the tale of the narrator realising that his romantic relationship is coming to an end, but in one last attempt to try to win his love back, he tries to remind them of the wonderful times that they had previously shared.

‘There’s no need to remind me. love’s afire when the kisses grow hot. So take this ember, then you’ll remember Forget-Me-Not.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

998-Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX-I Love It.

2013-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 0.22. It’s Pop. It’s Punk. It’s Electro. It’s Rock N’ Roll, I Love It.

It was the Swedish songwriter/producer Patrik Berger who initially sent the English singer/songwriter Charli XCX two ‘beats’ to work on. One of those ‘beats’ became ‘You’re the One,’ which would later appear on her debut studio Album ‘True Romance’ in 2012, it would also be released as her fifth single also in 2012, but failed to reach the charts. The other ‘beat’ which Charlie XCX worked on became this song, ‘I Love It.’ At that time Charlie XCX felt that the song didn’t fit with the image she was trying to portray, so after writing and singing the vocals she gave it back to Berger, who presented it to the Swedish Pop duo Icona Pop, who immediately fell in love with the song. Icona Pop then took the song to the Swedish music producer John Eklow, who is better known by his stage name ‘Style of Eye.’ Caroline Hjelt of Icona Pop described Charli XCX’s original demo as ‘More cute, in a way, really cool and cocky,’ she told ‘Style of Eye’ to make a rougher version of the track,’We want the punkiness. We want the ‘f..k it’ feeling.’

Charlie XCX was born Charlotte Emma Aitchison on August 2nd, 1992, in Cambridge, England, when she began performing live at the age of 14 she was billed on the flyers under the stage name ‘Charlie XCX’ which had been her ‘MSN Messenger’ display name when she was younger. The discography of Charli XCX includes five studio Albums released between 2013-2022, and 47 singles issued between 2008-2022. In the UK, she has achieved eight top 40 singles as the lead artist, and a further five as a featured artist, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles she has chartered within the top 40 on three occasions, including being the featured artist on the 2014 Iggy Azalea Number 1 hit ‘Fancy,’ a song she also co-wrote. Charli XCX also has dozens of other songwriting credits to her name.

Icona Pop are an ‘Electropop’ duo who formed in 2009, in Stockholm, Sweden. The two members are Caroline Hjelt, who was born on November 8th, 1987, and Aino Jawo, who was born on July 7th, 1986. Although the pair had both attended the same music school in Stockholm, it wasn’t until February 2009 that they met by chance at a party. To date Icona Pop have released two studio Albums in 2012 and 2013, and 21 singles between 2011-2022. In their native Sweden four of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘I Love It’ charting the highest at Number 2. In the UK they have charted on two occasions, and in America on Billboard, ‘I Love It’ remains their only hit, when peaking at Number 7.

‘I Love It’ was first released by Icona Pop as a single in Sweden, in May 2012. After it’s success it was issued in America in February 2013, and in the UK in June 2013, where it entered that chart at Number 1, it has gone on to sell in excess of 4.3 million certified downloads worldwide. Charli XCX has said that she got the inspiration for writing the lyrics having had bad memories of dating an older man for a little while. On hearing the lyrics both members of Icona Pop said that they could also identify with the sentiment. Charli XCX has said,’I just sat down and wrote it in half an hour. I knew straight away that it wasn’t right for me as an artist, but when Icona Pop came down to the studio a few weeks later and Patrick played them the song, they were really into it. They kept my vocal in there and put a whole new twist on it and took it to this crazy, amazing place. The rest is history.’ Caroline Hjelt of Icona Pop explained,’It’s a song about getting out of a really bad heartbreak, and how you slowly, slowly get up on your feet again, and then one day you feel a little bit stronger, and then you start to realise like, ‘you know what, I deserve better’ and you feel kind of empowered again.”

‘I Love It’ (in my opinion) is one of the best songs of the 21st Century, but the best description of the track was written by the music critic Lindsay Zoladz, who wrote that the song was, ‘Basically just two-and-a-half minutes of ‘drop.”

‘You’re on a different road, I’m in the Milky Way, you want me down on Earth, but I am up in space. You’re so damn hard to please, we gotta kill this switch, you’re from the ’70’s, but I’m a ’90’s bitch.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

999-Foo Fighters-Monkey Wrench.

1997-Number 12 single.

Best Bit-At 2.33. The best temper tantrum in Rock N’ Roll history.

David Eric Grohl was born on January 14th, 1969, in Warren, Ohio, United States, prior to forming the Foo Fighters (see also best songs 292) in 1994, he had been the drummer with the American Grunge/Rock band Nirvana, (see also best songs 788 and 9) until their demise in 1994. In total there have been eight official different members of the Foo Fighters come and go, and at the time of writing they remain active, with the view of continuing to record new material, and tour. For the discography of the Foo Fighters, see best songs 292. As a member of Nirvana between 1990-1994, David Grohl did record solo material, but he never offered it to Nirvana to record, as he felt that Kurt Cobain’s (1967-1994) music was the sound of Nirvana. Grohl has also stated that he was in awe of the writing talents of Cobain. After the death of Cobain, and the split of Nirvana, Grohl recorded those songs, and they made up the majority of the Foo Fighters self titled debut studio Album released in June 1995, on which Grohl co-produced with Barrett Jones, he also wrote all 12 tracks, provided all of the vocals, and played every instrument on all of the tracks, with the exception of additional guitar on track 10 ‘X-Static,’ which was provided by Greg Dulli.

‘Monkey Wrench’ was the first of three singles released from the Foo Fighters second studio Album ‘The Colour and the Shape,’ from May 1997, with three of the members of the band at that time, David Grohl, Nate Mendel, (bass) and Pat Smear, (guitar) all sharing the song writing credits, and Gill Norton (see also best songs 904 and 490) being the producer of the single, and it’s parent Album. Norton would also work with the Foo Fighters again in 2007 on their sixth studio Album ‘Silence, Patience & Grace’ The songs video which was directed by David Grohl, features the first appearance of Taylor Hawkins (1972-2022) playing the drums for the Foo Fighters, although Hawkins actually didn’t play on the studio recording of ‘Monkey Wrench.’ Grohl had done the drumming after he and Gill Norton had not been satisfied with the Foo Fighters former drummer William Goldsmith, who had recently left the group in disgust at having his drumming re-recorded. Taylor Hawkins would remain a member of the Foo Fighters until his death in 2022, having played on 10 of their studio Albums between 1999-2021.

‘Monkey Wrench’ is a song about David Grohl’s deteriorating relationship with his wife of three years Jennifer Leigh Youngblood, who he would eventually divorce in 1997. Of the songs subject Grohl has said,’It’s about living with someone, and feeling like you’re living in a f–king cell, and then I wound up getting a divorce.’ Grohl has also said that it’s ‘About realising that you are the source of all of the problems in a relationship, and you love the other person so much, you want to free them of the problem, which is actually yourself.’ In the song David Grohl is using ‘Monkey Wrench’ as a metaphor. A monkey wrench is a piece of hard wear, which is useful for many tasks. In the song it is a metaphor for being used and trapped in a relationship.

‘Monkey Wrench’ is famous for David Grohl’s long rant starting at 2.33 seconds into the song. Grohl has said that he rarely attempts to sing it live these days, as it is very difficult to do in one breath, and he doesn’t want to risk losing his voice. One thing he has done to get around the problem is having the audience sing it instead. In 2015 when performing the song in Sweden, Grohl missed a landing on a jump, and fell off the stage, breaking his leg. After receiving medical attention he returned to the stage and finished off the set, while being propped up by an attendant holding his leg. Some of the bands future tour dates had to be cancelled , but when Grohl returned, the tour dates became known as the ‘Broken leg tour.’

‘One last thing before I quit I never wanted any more than I could fit into my head. I still remember every single word you said and all the shit that somehow came along with it. Still, there’s one thing that comforts me, since I was always caged and now I’m free.’