THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

926-The Who-My Generation.

1965-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 2.23. I always publish the position in the chart that the song peaked at, but unfortunately it is no guide to an artists actual talent, as ‘The Who’ never had a UK Number 1 single, whereas ‘Westlife’ had 16, ‘Boyzone’ had 6, and ‘One Direction’ had 4. It’s a funny old world that we live in.

‘My Generation’ was the first of four singles released from the debut studio Album by The Who, (see also best songs 306 and 265) also called ‘My Generation,’ from December 1965, the single was issued a month prior to the Album.’My Generation’ was written by Pete Townsend, (see also best songs 891) and produced at the request of Townsend by Shel Talmy, (see also best songs 1014-939-770 and 592) after Townsend had been impressed with the production work Talmy had recently done with fellow British ‘Rock/Pop’ group the ‘Kinks’ (see also best songs 1014 and 770.)

‘My Generation was written by Pete Townsend on his 20th birthday, for the rebellious British youths known as ‘Mods,’ in order to express their feelings that the older generation just don’t understand today’s youth. Speaking in 1987 Townsend who had written the song while on a train ride from London to Southampton said,’My Generation was very much about trying to find a place in society. I was very, very lost. The band was young then. It was believed that its career would be incredibly brief. Townsend also commented on the song back in 1967 when calling it,’The only really successful social comment I’ve ever made.’ He then went on to explain the meaning of the song as, ‘Some pilled-up ‘Mod’ dancing around, trying to explain to you why he’s such a groovy guy, but he can’t because he’s so stoned he can hardly talk.’

‘My Generation’ contains one of the most famous lyrics in ‘Rock N’ Roll’ history,’I hope I die before I get old.’ Townsend has said that the lyrics are not meant to be taken literally, and that ‘Old’ actually means ‘Very Rich,’ as Townsend could see what he perceived to be the injustices of the class system. He has said,’The line actually came from a time when I was living in a really wealthy district of London, just by accident. I didn’t really understand quite where I was living at the time. And I was treated very strangely on the street, in an imperious way by a lot of people, and it was that that I didn’t like. I didn’t like being confronted with money, and the class system, and power. I didn’t like being in a corner shop in Belgravia, and some woman in a fur coat pushing me out of the way because she was richer, and I didn’t know how to deal with that. I could’ve, I suppose, insisted on my rights and not written the song. But I was a tucked-up little kid and so I wrote the song.’ Townsend has also credited the ‘Blues’ singer ‘Mose Allison’ (1927-2016) for the lyrics to his 1957 song ‘Young Man’s Blues’ as inspiration, saying,’Without Mose I wouldn’t have written ‘My Generation.’ The Who would later go on to record ‘Young Man’s Blues’ on their 1970 Album ‘Live at Leeds.’

Roger Daltrey who sang lead vocals on ‘My Generation’ has always had a stutter, and it was The Who’s manager Kit Lambert (1935-1981) who suggested that Daltrey should sing the song like a ‘Mod on speed.’ Daltrey has said,’I have got a stutter. I control it much better now, but not in those days. When we were in the studio doing ‘My Generation’, Kit Lambert came up to me and said ‘STUTTER!’ I said ‘What?’ He said ‘Stutter the words, it makes it sound like you’re pilled’ And I said, ‘Oh… like I am!’ And that’s how it happened. It was always in there, it was always suggested with the ‘f-f-fade,’ but the rest of it was improvised.’ When the song was first released the ‘BBC’ refused to play it, because they didn’t want to offend people with a stutter, but once the song became a hit, they changed their mind and played it.

Roger Harry Daltrey was born on March 1st, 1944, in London, England, he was one of the three founding members of ‘The Who,’ along with Pete Townsend, and John Entwistle (1944-2002.) As well as being recognised as one of the most charismatic ‘frontmen’ in ‘Pop Music’ history he has also had a very successful career in acting, including in the films ‘Tommy,’ (1975) and ‘McVicar’ (1980.) Daltry also pursued a solo music career while still a member of ‘The Who,’ which has seen him release 10 studio Albums between 1973-2018, and 42 singles between 1973-2014, he has also worked on 11 soundtrack Albums, issued between 1975-2002. In the UK, two of those singles have reached the top 40, with his debut solo single ‘Giving It All Away’ charting the highest when reaching Number 5 in 1973, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, his only top 40 entry to date is ‘Without Your Love,’ which made Number 20 in 1980.

‘People try to put us d-down, (talkin’ ’bout my generation,) just because we get around, (talkin’ ’bout my generation.) Things they do look awful c-c-cold, (talkin’ ’bout my generation.) I hope I die before I get old, (talkin’ ’bout my generation’)

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

927-John Lennon-#9 Dream.

1975-Number 23 single.

Best Bit-At 2.09. Only a true genius could invent a new language, ‘Ah! Bowakawa, pousse pousse,’ and people would believe it.

‘#Number 9 Dream’ was the second of two singles released from ‘Walls and Bridges’ the fifth solo studio Album from John Lennon, (see also best songs-solo-473-456-168 and 20) and with the Beatles, (see also best songs 599-456-319-238-218-141-80-51-10 and 5) which was released in September 1974. The song was written and produced by John Lennon, and among the nine musicians who played on the Album, and this track, were Klaus Voormann, (bass guitar) who had also played on the 1971 Lennon Album ‘Imagine,’ and Nicky Hopkins, (1944-1994) (electric piano) who had also played on ‘Imagine,’ and also on the 1971 Lennon Xmas single ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over.’)

John Lennon has said that the song came to him a dream, and was just ‘Churned out’ with ‘No inspiration.’ May Pang, who was in a relationship with Lennon at the time confirmed that the repeated phrase,’Ah! Bowakawa, pousse, pousse,’ came to Lennon in a dream, and has no specific meaning. Pang has said.’He woke up and wrote down those words along with the melody. He had no idea what it meant, but he thought it sounded beautiful.’ May Pang who also sang backing vocals on the track, and can be heard whispering ‘John,’ has also said that Al Coury, (1934-2013) who was vice-president of ‘Capitol Records’ initially protested against the use of the word ‘pussy’ in the chorus, but after Lori Burton, (1940-2021) who also sang backing vocals on the track, and was the wife of studio engineer Roy Cicala, (1939-2014) suggested that it should be sung as “poussé’, as if in a foreign language, the lyrics were kept in. In 1980 John Lennon spoke about ‘#9 Dream,”That’s what I call craftsmanship writing, meaning, you know, I just churned that out. I’m not putting it down, it’s just what it is, but I just sat down and wrote it, you know, with no real inspiration, based on a dream I’d had.

May Fung Yee Pang was born on October 24th, 1950, in New York City, United States. In 1970 she became the personal assistant and production coordinator, for John Lennon, and Yoko Ono, and when Lennon and Ono separated in 1973, Pang and Lennon began a relationship that lasted for more than 18 months, Lennon would later refer to this time as his ‘Lost Weekend.’ In 1973 Lennon and Ono were having marital problems, and it was with Ono’s blessing that Lennon and Pang should get together. Speaking about that period of his life Lennon said,’I may have been the happiest I’ve ever been. I loved this woman (Pang), I made some beautiful music, and I got so f….d up with booze and s..t and whatever.’ In 1989 Pang married the record producer Tony Visconti, (see also best songs 386-302-209 and 118) the couple had two children, and they got divorced in 2000.

Four months prior to the release of ‘Walls and Bridges,’ John Lennon had just finished producing the 10th studio Album ‘Pussy Cat,’ by the American singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson, (1941-1994) (see also best songs 388 and 39) and Lennon freely admitted that the string arrangement on ‘#9 Dream’ is very similar to Nilsson’s rendition of ‘Many Rivers To Cross,’ on that ‘Pussy Cat’ Album.

Throughout his life John Lennon had always been fascinated with the ‘Number 9.’ Two Beatles songs have that Number in their title,’Revolution 9,’ (1968) and ‘One After 9’ (1970.) John Lennon was born on October 9, as was his son Sean, the Beatles first gig at ‘The Cavern Club’ took place on February 9, 1961, and their manager Brian Epstein (1934-1967) first saw them perform on November 9, of that same year. The Beatles first single ‘Love Me Do.’ was released on ‘Parlophone Records’ ‘R4949,’ and it was on May 9, 1962, that the Beatles contract with ‘EMI Records’ was confirmed. Lennon’s first home was 9 Newcastle Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, those three names each contain 9 letters, and to top it all off, this song peaked at Number 9 on the American Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

‘So long ago, was it in a dream, was it just a dream? I know, yes I know., it seemed so very real, seemed so real to me. Took a walk down the street, through the heat whispered trees. I thought I could hear.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

928-Kylie Minogue-Can’t Get You Out of My Head.

2001-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 0.15. The song does exactly what it says on the tin.

Kylie Ann Minogue was born on May 28th, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and with worldwide record sales in excess of 80 million she is the highest selling female Australian artist of all time. Prior to launching a singing career, Kylie was an actress, starting with a minor role in the Australian soap opera ‘The Sullivans’ in 1979, then she next appeared in another small role in 1980, in another Australian soap opera, ‘Skyways.’ In 1985 she was cast in her first major role in the Australian television series ‘The Henderson Kids,’ before moving on to ‘Neighbours’ in 1985, where she starred as ‘Charlene Mitchell,’ until leaving to start her singing career in 1988.

In 1987 at a benefit concert Kylie performed ‘The Loco-Motion,’ (see also best songs 1030) which impressed the television producer Greg Petherick, who arranged for Kylie to record a demo of the song, re-titled as ‘Locomotion.’ The song was was released as her debut single, and went on to become the best selling song of the 1990’s in Australia. The success of ‘Locomotion’ then led to Kylie travelling to England to meet the songwriters/producers ‘Stock Aitken Waterman,’ (see also best songs 627 and 402) who would go on to produce her first four studio Albums.

The discography of Kylie Minogue includes 15 studio Albums released between 1988-2020, and 13 compilation Albums released between 1992-2019. Kylie has also issued 96 singles between 1987-2022, of which 46 of those tracks have made the ‘ARIA’ top 40 Australian chart, with 10 of those songs making Number 1. In the UK, she has charted within the top 40 on 52 occasions, with seven of those songs reaching the Number 1 spot, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, she has had five top hits, with ‘Locomotion’ charting the highest at Number 3 in 1988.

Kylie Minogue is recognised for reinventing herself in her music, and in her fashion, which has led to her being referred to as the ‘Princess of Pop,’ and the success of ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ is defined as the pinnacle of her ‘Disco’ period. The song was the first of four singles released from her eighth studio Album ‘Fever’ from October 2001, and was co-written, and co-produced by Cathy Dennis, and Rob Davis (see also best songs 773.) Catherine Roseanne Dennis who was born on March 25th, 1969, in Norwich, Norfolk, England, is a very successful songwriter, having written or co-written eight UK Number 1 singles, and two Billboard chart toppers, including ‘Toxic,’ for Britney Spears, (2004) ‘Before Your Love,’ for Kelly Clarkson, (2002) and ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ for Katy Perry (2008.) Prior to her success as a songwriter and producer, Cathy Dennis was a singer, first charting in 1989 when providing vocals for the British Dance act ‘D Mob’ on the UK Number 15 hit ‘C’mon and Get My Love.’ The discography of Cathy Dennis includes three studio Albums released between 1990-1996, and 16 singles issued between 1989-1997, of which 11 of those songs made the UK top 40, with ‘Touch Me (All Night Long’) peaking the highest at Number 5 in 1991. In America on Billboard, she has charted on five occasions, with ‘Touch Me (All Night Long’) making Number 2.

‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ is recognised as Kylie Minogue’s signature tune, and is her best selling single. With sales in the UK of around 1.2 million, it is currently the 75th best selling song of all time in that country at the time of writing, while worldwide sales are said to be in excess of 5 million copies, as the song has topped the charts in 40 different countries. Initially Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis wrote the song with ‘S Club 7’ in mind, but their manager Simon Fuller felt that it wasn’t right for that bands image. The song was then offered to the management of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, but that was also met with rejection, although Bextor denies ever being informed. In 2012 the UK agency ‘PRS’ for Music, which collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and composers, named ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ as the the most played song in the 2000’s decade, with another Cathy Dennis song ‘Toxic,’ by Britney Spears, taking the Number 2 position.

‘La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. I just can’t get you out of my head, boy, your lovin’ is all I think about. I just can’t get you out of my head, boy, its more than I dare to think about.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

929-Rick Springfield-Jessie’s Girl.

1981-It was not released in the UK until 1984, when it reached Number 43.

Best Bit-At 2.19. As far as I am aware this is the only song in the world ever to have the word ‘moot’ in the lyrics, if that’s not a moot point to make.

Rick Springfield was born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23rd, 1949, in Guildford, New South Wales, Australia. He has found great success as both a musician and an actor, with both professions running concurrently throughout his career. Due to his fathers work as an army officer he lived in England between 1958-1963, which was were he learned to play the guitar. Springfield joined his first group ‘Rockhouse’ in 1968, and over the course of the next year he toured as a member of that group, and with other musicians as well, which included entertaining the Australian troops in South Vietnam. He first found chart success when becoming the lead singer of the Australian Pop/Rock band ‘Zoot,’ reaching Number 4 on the Australian ‘Go-Set’ Pop chart with a cover version of the Beatles ‘Eleanor Rigby’ in 1970 (see also best songs 599.) After ‘Zoot’ parted ways in 1971, Springfield set about a solo career, which included being marketed as a ‘Teen Idol,’ in the same mould as Donny Osmond, (see also best songs 642) and David Cassidy (1950-2017) The solo discography of Rick Springfield includes 22 studio Albums released between 1972-2019, and 34 singles issued between 1971-2019. In Australia he has charted on the top 40 on seven occasions, with ‘Jessie’s Girl,’ making Number 1. While in America on the Billboard Hot 100, he has had 17 top 40 hits, with ‘Jessie’s Girl’ also topping that chart. In the UK, where Springfield has never tasted the same success, only ‘Human Touch’ from 1983 has made the top 40, when reaching Number 23.

Rick Springfield has also had a very successful career as an actor, having made his debut in 1977 in an episode of the American science fiction television series ‘The Six Million Dollar Man.’ His big acting breakthrough occurred in 1981 when he joined the cast of the American daytime soap opera ‘General Hospital,’ playing the role of ‘Dr. Noah Drake,’ a role he would play until 1983, but would return to in later years. Springfield has also appeared in four movies, including ‘Battlestar Galactica’ in 1978, as well as making numerous other television acting appearances.

Jessie’s Girl’ was written by Rick Springfield, with the production credited to Keith Olsen, (1945-2020) and was the second single issued from Springfield’s fifth studio Album ‘Working Class Dog,’ from February 1981. ‘Jessie’s Girl’ is based on a true life experience that Springfield had had in his youth. In the mid 1970’s Springfield attended a course on ‘Stained Glass’ with a friend of his called Gary. Springfield has a major crush on Gary’s girlfriend, but she showed no interest in him. A few weeks later Springfield left the course, and never saw either of them again. The thoughts of his unrequited love stayed with him, and when writing for his 1981 Album ‘Working Class Dog,’ he finally got around to writing the song. He changed the name of ‘Gary’ to ‘Jessie,’ which he named after the American footballer Ron Jessie, (1948-2006) but admits that he doesn’t remember the girls name.

Rick Springfield has said that as far as he knows, the woman who inspired the song has no idea that she is ‘Jessie’s Girl.’ He told the American talk show host ‘Oprah Winfrey,’I was never really introduced to her. It was always just, like, panting from afar.’ The Oprah Winfrey show tried to find her, and they got as far back as finding out that the teacher of the class had died, and that his class records had been thrown out one year after his death.

‘Jessie’s Girl’ went to Number 1 in America on Billboard on the same week that ‘MTV’ was launched on August 1st, 1981, and became one the stations early successes. The popularity of the song was also a key factor in Springfield’s acting career, as people would tune in to ‘General Hospital,’ after hearing his music, and vice versa, those who fell in love with Dr. Noah Drake, would go and seek out his music.

‘I play along with the charade, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to change. You know, I feel so dirty when they start talking cute, I wanna tell her that I love her, but the point is probably moot.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

930-Beach Boys-California Girls.

1965-Number 26 single.

Best Bit-At 0.22. California, or Colorado, or Carolina, or Connecticut, or even Cleckheaton, as long as she’s got a pulse.

The Beach Boys (see also best songs 180 and 74) were formed in 1961, in Hawthorne, California, United States, by the brothers Brian, Dennis, (1944-1983) and Carl Wilson, (1946-1998) along with their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Bruce Johnson who officially joined the group in 1965, sang on a studio recording for the first time with the Beach Boys on this song.

Brian Douglas Wilson (see also best songs 811) was born on June 20th, 1942, in Inglewood, California, United States, he is one of the most respected figures in the history of ‘Popular Music,’ with generations of musicians having been influenced by his work. Wilson himself has said that his formative influences included George Gershwin, (1989-1937) Phil Spector, (1939-2021) Burt Bacharach, (1928-2023) and the American male ‘Jazz,’ ‘Traditional Pop,’ and ‘Barbershop’ performers the ‘Four Freshmen.’ Wilson has suffered with mental health issues for all of his adult life, and has been diagnosed with ‘schizo-affective disorder,’ and ‘mild manic depression,’ Wilson has said that he began having hallucinations at the age of 22 in 1965, shortly after starting to use psychedelic drugs. The Beatles producer George Martin (1926-2016) said,’No one made a greater impact on the Beatles than Brian, the musician who challenged them most of all. Jimmy Webb (see also best songs 846-197 and 1) has said, ‘As far as a major, modern producer who was working right in the middle of the Pop milieu, no one was doing what Brian was doing. We didn’t even know that it was possible until he did it.’ Another telling tribute came from David Crosby, (1941-2023) (see also best songs 621 and 417) who said,’He was the most highly regarded pop musician in America. Hands down. Everybody by that time had figured out who was writing it all and who was arranging it all.

‘California Girls’ was co-written by Brian Wilson, (music) and Mike Love, (lyrics) with the songs production being by Wilson. It was the second of two singles released from the Beach Boys ninth studio Album ‘Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!’) from July 1965. The first single released from the Album ‘Help Me Rhonda’ had made Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America, while ‘California Girls’ reached Number 3. On the writing of ‘California Girls’ Brian Wilson has said,’I came up with the introduction first, I’m still really proud of that, it has a classical feel. I wrote the song ‘California Girls’ in the same key as the introduction.’ Wilson has also said that he got inspiration for the songs intro from ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Joy,’) the piece of music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) in 1723.

All five official members of the Beach Boys sang on ‘California Girls,’ along with Bruce Johnson, who also provided harmony and backing vocals. There was also another 13 musicians who were known as the ‘Wrecking Crew’ (see also best songs 846-811-744-672-660-527-486-262-202-197-192-180-127 and 71) who played on the track, these included the legendary Hal Blaine, (1929-2019) (drums) and Carol Kaye (bass guitar.) In 1985 David Lee Roth who had been the lead vocalist with the American Rock band Van Halen (see also best songs 647) released a cover version of ‘California Girls’ for his first solo single. The track which featured Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys on backing vocals, like the original, also peaked at Number 3 on Billboard.

Many come to the conclusion that the Beach Boys are stating that all the best looking girls come from California, but the true message isn’t that. Having been all around the world, and seen many pretty girls, the Beach Boys’ actual wish is that all those girls could live in California. Mike Love who sang the lead vocals, and wrote the songs lyrics has said,’I wanted the song to be a tribute to girls everywhere, not just in the United States, let alone California, but everywhere in the world.’

‘Well, East coast girls are hip I really dig those styles they wear, and the Southern girls with the way they talk, they knock me out when I’m down there. The Midwest farmer’s daughters really make you feel alright, and the Northern girls with the way they kiss, they keep their boyfriends warm at night.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

931-Black Legend-You See the Trouble with Me.

2000-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 1.24. The upside of being a Barry White tribute act is that you can eat as much as you want, in the knowledge that it is part of your job. The downside of course is health complications in later life.

Black Legend was the collaboration between the two Italian music producers Enrico ‘BSJ’ Ferrari, and Ciro Sasso, and the British vocalist Elroy ‘Spoonface’ Powell. The trio charted in the top 40 in nine European countries in 2000 with their interpretation of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ which went all the way to Number 1 in the UK, and although it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America, it did peak at Number 7 on Billboard’s ‘Dance’ music chart. They followed the success of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ also in 2000 with a cover version of ‘The Doors’ classic ‘Light My Fire,’ (see also best songs 235) which was recorded in a similar ‘House Music’ style, but this time they failed to repeat the success, and ‘Light My Fire’ disappeared without trace. In the UK, Black Legend just escaped joining the list of ‘One Hit Wonders’ when their third and final single release ‘Somebody’ crept inside the top 40, peaking at Number 37 in 2001. ‘Somebody’ which was accompanied with a promotional video, samples the 1986 ‘Dance-R&B’ track ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On but the Rent,’ (UK-Number 5) performed by the American singer Gwen Guthrie (1950-1999.)

The original version of ‘You See the Trouble with Me’ was co-written by Barry White, (1944-2003) (see also best songs 560-476 and 153) and Ray Parker Jr. of ‘Ghostbusters’ fame, and went on to reach Number 2 in the UK in 1976, although it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. ‘You See the Trouble with Me’ is one of three songs on this ‘Best 1000 songs list’ that appear twice in recordings by different artists, (see also best songs 931-863-214-145 and 112) coincidentally both versions of ‘You See the Trouble with Me’ have sold approximately the same amount of copies in the UK, said to be 250,000, the Black Legend recording ended the year 2000 as the 40th best selling single of that year in the UK.

Black Legend had asked permission to use the original vocals of Barry White for their cover of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ but White declined them permission, which is said that after the success of the song it cost White a substantial amount in royalties that he could have made. Black Legend then turned to the British vocalist Elroy Powell, who goes by the stage name of ‘Spoonface,’to record the vocals in a similar style to that of Barry White, Powell also provided the vocals on the two follow up singles ‘Light My Fire,’ and ‘Somebody.’ Over the years Powell has worked with other artists including the Sugababes, and Craig David, he has also worked as an actor, notably appearing in 2015 in the ‘Star Wars Episode VII,’-‘The Force Awakens,’ as Rosser Weno, and also as a regular character on the BBC television soap opera ‘Eastenders’ as a market trader since 2014.

At the time of writing Ciro Sasso continues to tour Europe as ‘Black Legend,’ playing his ‘DJ sets.’ Sasso is also the owner of ‘Reverse Records,’ and the ‘iLike Records’ labels, that since 2003, have issued ‘Dance Music’ worldwide. The other producer of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ Enrico ‘BSJ’ Ferrari, was born in Priverno, Italy, in 1963, the ‘BSJ’ stands for ‘Barry Saint Just,’ Prior to joining forces with Sasso for the ‘Black Legend’ project, Ferrari had released his first music in 1994. He also set up his own record labels in 2013,’TRAKTORIA Records,’ and ‘DOMOZERO’ Records, in order to distribute music worldwide.

1975, We’re goin’ to an Album, with a song. ‘Put your hands together, come on, y’all, clap your hands. You know, yeah that’s right. Put your hands together, come on sing it, trouble, baby. Can’t do nothin’, no, darlin,’ can’t feel, can’t feel nothin.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

932-Gary Moore-Still Got the Blues (For You.)

1990-Number 31 single.

Best Bit-At 5.03. If guitars could speak, this one would be saying everything you ever wanted to hear.

Robert William Gary Moore was born on April 4th, 1952, in Belfast, Northern Island, he died on February 6th, 2011, of a heart attack in his sleep, at the age of 58. At certain points in his life Moore had been a drug user, and during the later years of his life he had developed a serious drinking problem. It was reported that the heart attack was brought on by a high level of alcohol in his body at that time.

Gary Moore cited Peter Green, (1946-2020) the founding member of Fleetwood Mac (see also best songs 622) and Eric Clapton (see also best songs 726) as his musical inspirations. In 1968 Moore left Belfast, and moved to Dublin, Ireland, where he joined the Irish Blues Rock band ‘Skid Row,’ (not to be confused with the American group of the same name) this was where he first met Phil Lynott, (1949-1986) (see also best songs 125) who at that time was that bands vocalist. In 1974 Moore and Lynott would again play together in ‘Thin Lizzy’ for a short time, and then again they would team up in 1977, and again in 1978. Following the death of Lynott in 1986, Moore performed with members of Thin Lizzy at the ‘Self Aid’ concert the following May.

The discography of Gary Moore includes two studio Albums recorded with ‘Skid Row,’ in 1970 and 1971, and as a full time member of ‘Thin Lizzy, on their ninth studio Album ‘Black Rose: A Rock Legend,’ in 1979. As a solo artist Moore released 17 studio Albums between 1978-2008, there was also one posthumous release in 2021. He also issued 53 singles between 1978-2011, of which 11 made the UK top 40, with his two collaborations with Phil Lynott on ‘Parisienne Walkways,’ (1979-Number 8) and ‘Out in the Fields,’ (1985-Number 5) giving him both of his top 10 hits. In America his only Billboard Hot 100 entry was ‘Still Got the Blues (For You’) which crept in the chart at Number 97 in 1990.

‘Still Got the Blues (For You’) was the second of four singles released from Gary Moore’s eighth studio Album ‘Still Got the Blues’ from March 1990. The song was written by Moore, and produced by Moore, and the veteran producer and engineer Ian Taylor. By the late 1980’s Gary Moore had grown tired of playing ‘Hard Rock,’ and Heavy Metal,’ and decided to return to his first love ‘The Blues,’ leading to the recording of the ‘Electric Blues’ Album ‘Still Got the Blues,’ which became a great success selling in excess of 3 million copies worldwide. Gary Moore recalled,’I left Lizzy in 1980, and had a band called ‘G-Force,’ then got into my solo thing. I found that when I was in my dressing room, warming up for a gig, I would be playing ‘Blues,’ so I felt I was getting a bit of a message from that. Around ’89, I started playing ‘Blues’ again.’ Gary Moore also spoke about the 1959 ‘Les Paul’ guitar that he had purchased in 1989.’I put it away because I was still doing ‘Hard Rock’ at the time, and it wasn’t the right guitar for that, but when it came time to do ‘Still Got The Blues,’ I took it to the studio to test the room. The first day, we did ‘Still Got The Blues’ in one take, straight through, it was really a dramatic day, I’ll never forget it.’

‘Still Got the Blues (For You’) has had more than it’s fair share of controversy. In 2008 a German court ruled the guitar solo on the song was plagiarised by Gary Moore from a 1974 instrumental recording called ‘Nordrach,’ by the German ‘Progressive Rock’ band ‘Jud’s Gallery.’ Gary Moore denied ever hearing the song, but the judge ruled in favour of Jurgen Winter of the group ‘Jud’s Gallery,’ and Moore was ordered to pay an undisclosed amount in damages. Go to ‘YouTube,’ and make up your own mind at 8 minutes and 16 seconds.

‘Used to be so easy to give my heart away, but I found out the hard way, there’s a price you have to pay. I found out that love was no friend of mine. I should have known time after time. So long, it was so long ago, but I’ve still got the blues for you.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

933-The Rolling Stones-Fool to Cry.

1976-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 2.55. In the wonderful world of ‘Pop Music,’ where longevity is at a premium, the majority of artists have produced their best work within a couple of Albums. The Rolling Stones were in their 14th year, and on to Album Number 15.

‘Fool to Cry’ was the first of two singles released from The Rolling Stones 13th British, and 15th American studio Album,’Black and Blue,’ from April 1976. The only other single,’Hot Stuff,’ which is the opening song on the Album failed to chart in the UK, and stalled at Number 49 on Billboard in America. ‘Fool to Cry’ was co-written by Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, with the production also credited to them, under their working production name of ‘The Glimmer Twins.’ It is probably fair to say that the song was more a composition by Jagger rather than Richards, as it is well known Richards is not a fan of the song, in fact it is said that he once fell asleep while the ‘Stones’ were performing the song in 1976 while touring Germany. Keith Richards has said,’I was just glad somebody in the band could sing that falsetto. I got a pretty good falsetto myself, but when you got a singer and he can hit those notes, baby go for it. And Mick was always fascinated with the falsetto Soul singers like Aaron Neville.

Sir Michael Philip Jagger was born on July 26th, 1943, in Dartford, Kent, England, he was honoured with a knighthood for services to popular music in the ‘Queen’s 2002 Birthday Honours’ list. Mick Jagger who was inspired by ‘Blues Music’ from an early age, went on to play a major role in the development of ‘Rock Music’ in the 1960’s, and is recognised as one of the most influential ‘frontmen’ of all time, with his energetic performances. His way of singing in those early days with the ‘Stones’ led the way for the acceptance of ‘Rock’ vocalists with a different style from the norm, such as Bob Dylan, and Van Morrisson, to become more widely accepted, and appreciated. Away from The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger has released five solo studio Albums between 1972-2001, and 22 singles, between 1970-2022. In the UK, five of those single have made the top 40, with his 1985 collaboration with David Bowie (1946-2016) on ‘Dancing in the Street,’ reaching Number 1. While in America on Billboard he has charted within the top 40 on four occasions, with ‘Dancing in the Street’ peaking the highest at Number 7. For further reading on Mick Jagger away from The Rolling Stones in this countdown (see also best songs 639 and 373.)

‘Fool to Cry’ was issued as a single three days after the release of it’s parent Album ‘Black and Blue,’ on April 26th, 1976. The Album was greeted with mixed reviews, with some music critics acclaiming it, while others totally panned it, which just goes to show the futility of trying to get anyone to agree on a ‘Best 1000 songs’ of all time list. The Album was recorded at a transitional time for The Rolling Stones, (see also best songs 662-452-160 and 77) as their former guitarist Mick Taylor had quit in December 1974, and numerous guitarists were being auditioned, with Ronnie Wood finally being chosen as the replacement, although on ‘Fool to Cry,’ it was Wayne Jenkins who had auditioned, and was chosen to play on the track.The Rolling Stones who performed on ‘Fool to Cry’ were Mick Jagger, (lead vocals) Keith Richards, (guitar) Bill Wyman, (bass) and Charlie Watts (1941-2021) (drums.) The only other guest artist on the song was Nicky Hopkins, (1944-1994) (piano and synthesizer) who has been a session musician on many other songs on this countdown.

And now the difficult bit, what is the meaning of the song ‘Fool to Cry’ all about. A man comes home after working all night, he puts his daughter on his knee, and she asks him, whats wrong? He doesn’t tell her, and she tells him he is foolish to cry. From time to time he goes to visit a woman on the other side of town, and they make love. She also tries to get him to tell her what is troubling him, and she comes to the same conclusion as the daughter, that he is a fool to cry. Song lyrics are always open to interpretation, and here we are left wondering, is he cheating on someone, is he suffering from depression, does he want his cake and eat it, or is it something else.

‘Even my friends say to me sometimes, and make out like I don’t understand them. You know what they say? They say, ooh daddy you’re a fool to cry, you’re a fool to cry, and it makes me wonder why.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

934-Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters-Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive.

1944-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 1.17. This is quite possibly the very first ever ‘Happy Clappy’ song.

‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ was co-written by Harold Arden, (music) and Johnny Mercer, (lyrics) and first appeared in the 1944 American romantic comedy, ‘Here Comes the Waves,’ where it was performed by Bowen Charlton ‘Sonny’ Tufts, (1911-1970) as part of a ‘blackface’ routine, (see also best songs 310) something that was common in many musicals of the era, but which would be not allowed now. Arden and Mercer had been commissioned to write the music for the film, for which they wrote nine songs, of which eight were used, with ‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ proving by far to be the most popular. The first recording of the song was by Johnny Mercer, on vocals, with ‘The Pied Pipers’ and the Paul Weston (1912-1996) (see also best songs 584) Orchestra.’ ‘The Pied Pipers’ are a very successful vocal group who perform with ‘Jazz Orchestra’s, they formed in 1938, and still tour at the time of writing. This recording was highly successful, and peaked at Number 2 on the ‘Billboard Magazine’ in America in April 1945. The version of ‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ that I have chosen by Bing Crosby (1903-1977) (see also best songs 457 and 259) and The Andrew Sisters (see also best songs 252) was equally successful, when also peaking at Number 2 on Billboard in 1945. The song as you can well imagine has dozens of other recordings through the generations, by some of the the worlds top artists.

Harold Arlen was born Hyman Arluck on February 15th, 1905, in Buffalo, New York, United States, he died of cancer on April 23rd, 1986, at the age of 81, Arlen composed over 500 songs, many of which appear in the ‘Great American Songbook,’ (see also best songs 281) and as well as writing with Johnny Mercer, he also collaborated with others including ‘E. Y. Harburg, (1896-1981) and Ted Koehler (1894-1973) on many of the 20th Century’s best loved songs. Shortly before his death, Arlen adopted the 22 year old adult son of his brother Julius “Jerry” Arluck, so that his estate would have an heir in order to extend his copyright. Samuel Arlen runs the company that owns the rights to the Arlen catalogue.

‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ was written for the Navy themed musical ‘Here Comes the Waves,’ and the songs lyricist Johnny Mercer (1909-1976) (see also best songs 281 and 45) has explained how an old idea came to mind.’When I was working with Benny Goodman (1909-1986) back in ’39, I had a publicity guy who told me he had been to hear Father Divine, (1876-1965) and that was the subject of his sermon, ‘Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.’ Well, that amused me so, and it sounds so Southern and so funny that I wrote it down on a piece of paper, and this was, what, five years later? And Harold Arlen (1905-1986) (see also best songs 634-281 and 68) and I were riding home from the studio after a conference about getting a song for the sailors, and Harold was singing me this little tune he had sung me before. Now, that’s a strange thing about your subconscious, because here’s a song that’s kind of lying dormant in my subconscious for five years, and the minute he sang that tune, it jumped into my mind as if it dialed a phone number. Because it doesn’t really fit. The accent is all different. I just think there’s some kind of fate connected with it.’

Father Divine whom Johnny Mercer referred to, was an American spiritual leader who founded the ‘International Peace Mission movement,’ in the 1920’s, and due to his ideology many consider him to have been a cult leader. Father Divine who claimed to be ‘God’ had many followers, and preached openly on many subjects, including race, chastity, politics, and positive thinking. Tying in with the sermons of Father Divine,’Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ references two biblical stories, ‘Jonah and the Whale,’ and ‘Noah and the Ark.’ and asks the question ‘What did they do just when everything looked so dark?’ To which the song tells us to be positive, ‘Eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, and don’t mess with Mister In-Between.’

‘Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear about the eliminatin’ of the negative, and the accent on the positive. And gather ’round me children if you’re willin’ and sit tight, while I start reviewin’ the attitude of doin’ right.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

935-Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley-Jack Your Body.

1987-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 6.25. The House that Jack built.

Steven W. Hurley was born on November 9th, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, he was an early pioneer of the genre of music that was to become known as ‘House Music,’ and because of where he recorded, this song also came to be known as ‘Chicago House’ music. Working under the stage name ‘Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’ his only chart hit in the UK remains ‘Jack Your Body,’ which reached Number 1 in January 1987, so by never making that charts top 40 again, he is a true ‘one hit wonder’ in that country, (under the Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley name) for a list of the other ‘one hit wonders’ on this countdown see also best songs 990-698-496-467-116 and 101. In truth though Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley isn’t actually a ‘one hit wonder’ as he has found success working under different names, including ‘J.M. Silk,’ and ‘The Voices of Life.’ In the UK, as ‘The Voices of Life’ featuring Sharon Pass, he made Number 26 in 1997 with the song ‘The Word Is Love (Say the Word.’) Although he has never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America, seven of his tracks have made the ‘Billboard Dance Club Songs’ top 40 chart, with ‘I Can’t Turn Around’ (see also best songs 981) from 1986, reaching Number 1.

The discography of Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley includes two studio Albums released in 1987 and 1989, and 21 singles issued between 1985-2014. The other names that Hurley has released singles under are ‘J.M. Silk.’ and ‘SilkMix. com.’ he was also one of writers and producers on the 1991 Keith Nunnally debut single ‘Seasons of Love.’ Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley has also produced chart hits for other artists including Ce Ce Peniston, with ‘We Got a Love Thang’ (UK Number 6 and Billboard Number 20-1992) and Kym Sims with ‘Too Blind to See It’ (UK Number 5 and Billboard Number 38-1991.)

‘Jack Your Body’ which was later added to Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s debut studio Album ‘Hold on to Your Dream’ in 1987, is a landmark track in that it brought ‘House Music’ in to the mainstream. The song which went all the way to Number 1 in the UK in January 1987 was a complete surprise as it had been ignored by the national BBC Radio 1 music station, and was only receiving major play in night clubs. At the time if a 12 inch record had more than 25 minutes of music on it, then it would only be eligible for the Album chart, but the chart compilers failed to notice. Had only the sales of the 7 inch version been taken in to account the song would have stalled at Number 7, but would have made Number 1 on the Album chart.

At the back end of the 1970’s ‘Disco’ music had all but run it’s course, and with ‘Electronic’ instruments developing all the time, even ‘Joe Bloggs’ could now experiment with making music in their bedroom, using synthesizers and drum machines, such as the ‘Roland TR-808.’ The idea for ‘Jack Your Body’ was developed by Hurley using the bass line (by speeding it up and looping it) from the 1983 Disco song ‘Let No Man Put Asunder’ by the all female group ‘First Choice’ The vocals were added by Hurley, who said his inspiration for the grunts, and some of the other sounds he produced were inspired by the actor ‘Mr T.’ and the comedian Richard Pryor.

‘Jack Your Body’ is a homage to a dance craze that was popular in the early 1980’s in Chicago, where the dancer ripples their torso back and fourth in an undulating motion, known as Jacking,’ or ‘Jackin,” or ‘The Jack.’ Although the song actually sounds quite tame by today’s standards, like many others, on first hearing the song, I knew I was listening to something completely different, a game changer. The track was indeed a game changer, leading the way for many others to produce their own ‘House Music’ tracks, and branching the genre off in many new directions, including the onset of ‘Acid House,’ but that’s another story.

‘Jack, jack, ja jack jack your body. Jack ya, jack, jack ya, jack your body. Jack, jack, ja jack jack your body.’