THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

483-Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin-Don’t You Worry Child.

2012-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.40. In ‘Electronic Dance Music’ this segment is known as a ‘Drop,’ and is one of the reasons why DJ’s love doing the job.

Prior to the forming of the Swedish House Mafia (see also best songs 883) in 2008, the three founding members Axel Christofer Hedfors, (Axwell) Steven Fragogiannis, (Steve Angello) and Sebastian Ingrosso, along with Eric Prydz, had worked as solo artists, as well as collaborating together on occasions. Eric Prydz has stated that he preferred to work on his own, so declined the offer to join the other three. Axwell, and Ingrosso were both born in Sweden, while Angello was born in Greece, but lived in Sweden from an early age, it was when fans began nicknaming them the ‘Swedish House Mafia,’ that they decided to use the name on their formation. They were active between 2008-2013, but reformed in 2018, and at the time of writing they remain active. The Swedish House Mafia have been called ‘The faces of mainstream ‘Progressive House Music,’ and have been credited for ‘Setting the tone for the ‘Electronic Dance Music’ boom of the early 2010’s, more than any other act in modern dance music.’ They are also credited with increasing the popularity of ‘House Music’ in the United States in the late 2000’s.

The discography of the Swedish House Mafia includes one studio Album ‘Paradise Again,’ released in 2022, and 16 singles released between 2010-2024, there are also two extended plays, (EP’s) two official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In their native Sweden on the ‘Sverigetopplistan,’ (the Swedish national record chart) the Swedish House Mafia have had 13 top 40 singles, with ‘Don’t You Worry Child,’ featuring John Martin, reaching Number 1, while in the UK, they have charted within the top 40 on eight occasions, with ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ peaking the highest at Number 1. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, two of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ charting the highest at Number 6.

‘Don’t You Worry Child’ was the fourth and final single released from the Swedish House Mafia’s second compilation Album ‘Until Now,’ from October 2012, the song was co-written by the three members of the Swedish House Mafia, along with John Martin and Michel Zitron, with the production credited to the Swedish House Mafia. John Martin was born, John Martin Lindström, on August 22nd, 1980, in Stockholm, Sweden. Martin bought a guitar at the age of 13 and formed a band, he then began singing at the age of 15. In 2010 he first met Axwell of the Swedish House Mafia, and co-wrote the group’s 2011 song, ‘Save the World’ (Sweden-Number 4 & UK-Number 10.) As the lead artist John Martin has released four singles between 2014-2021, with his debut single ‘Anywhere for You,’ reaching Number 38 in Sweden, and Number 7 in the UK, he has also appeared on a further nine singles as the featured artist, with ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ reaching Number 1 in Sweden and the UK. Michel Zitron is a long term collaborator with John Martin, ever since they co-wrote ‘Save the World’ in 2011. In 2018 the pair began releasing music together as ‘VCATION.’ Michel Zitron was also the co-writer of song ‘Red Lights,’ by Tiesto,’ on which he provides vocals on, although unaccredited (2013-Sweden Number 9 & UK-Number 6.)

‘Don’t You Worry Child’ began to come to fruition in 2010 when John Martin and Michel Zitron were in Zitron’s studio. Both were reminiscing about their early lives, when Zitron started opening up about his upbringing in a broken home in Stockholm, mentioning the divorce between his parents. The pair took around a month to put the song together, then recorded a demo, and eventually decided to send it to Sebastian Ingrosso of the Swedish House Mafia, it would be a further two years before the song was released as a single. John Martin has spoken about how the song developed, ‘That song was actually written by me and Michel Zitron, my friend that I write with. We sat down in Michel’s studio on a Sunday, we were kind of hangover. We had this discussion about our relationship with our dads. We started to play around with a loop, then this melody came out quickly, and we did it in one day. You have to touch the crying nerve in music. When you mix sad melodies with euphoric tracks, there is something that happens that really works.’

‘Don’t You Worry Child’ was first performed at the Swedish House Mafia’s final UK gig, at the Milton Keynes Bowl on the 14th July 2012, it featured John Martin on vocals. In September 2012 the song debuted at Number 1 in the UK, and has gone on to sell in excess of 600,000 copies in the UK.

‘There was a time, I used to look into my father’s eyes, in a happy home, I was a king I had a golden throne. Those days are gone, now the memories are on the wall, I hear the sounds from the places where I was born.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

484-The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group-Rock Island Line.

1955-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 1.09. No exaggeration, this is one of the most important songs in the development of ‘Pop’ music, as it influenced many of the next generations top musicians.

The musical genre of ‘Skiffle’ is ‘Folk’ music, with influences of ‘Jazz,’ and ‘Blues,’ that developed in the early part of the 20th Century in America. Artists who performed ‘Skiffle’ would use homemade, or improvised instruments such as the ‘washboard,’ ‘musical saw,’ and ‘comb and paper kazoos,’ by the 1940’s the term ‘Skiffle’ had disappeared from American music.

‘Skiffle’ was all but forgotten until it’s revival in the mid 1950’s, by it’s main proponent Lonnie Donegan (1931-2002) (see also best songs 136.) British teenagers saw that it was possible to form bands, and make music with a very low cost budget. Among those who were influenced was future ‘Beatle’ John Lennon, (1940-1980) (see also best songs 927-599-473-456-319-238-218-168-141-80-51-20-10 and 5) who formed the ‘Skiffle’ group the ‘Quarrymen’ in 1956. The English singer/songwriter Billy Bragg in his 2017 book ‘Roots, Radicals and Rockers, a history of the skiffle movement,’ has compared the development of ‘Skiffle’ in Britain in the 1950’s to ‘Punk Rock’ in the 1970’s, noting that ”Skiffle’ was a revolt by young people against the culture of their parents, and allowed them to create their own style of music without expensive equipment, or great musical virtuosity.’ The origin of the English word ‘skiffle’ is unknown, however, in the dialect of the West of England to make a ‘skiffle,’ meaning to make a mess of any business, can be traced back to 1873. In early 20th Century in America the term ‘skiffle’ was one of many slang phrases for a ‘rent party,’ which was a social event with a small charge designed to pay rent on a house. Tenants would hire a musician or band to play, and pass the hat around to raise money to pay their rent, this originated in Harlem during the 1920’s.

‘Rock Island Line’ is an American Folk song that was written in 1929 by Clarence Wilson, who was a member of the ‘Rock Island Colored Booster Quartet,’ a singing group which was made up of employees of the ‘Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.’ The original lyrics bare little resemblance to later versions, including Lonnie Donegan’s cover, as artists would develop the song in their own way over the years. Lonnie Donegan got to know about the ‘Rock Island Line’ song after hearing it performed on record by the ‘Blues’ musician ‘Lead Belly’ (1888-1949) (see also best songs 431.) According to ‘The Penguin Book Of American Folk Songs’ published in 1964, they say of ‘Rock Island Line,’ ‘John A. Lomax (1867-1948) (see also best songs 781) recorded this song at the ‘Cummins State Prison farm,’ Gould, Arkansas, in 1934 from its convict composer, Kelly Pace. The Negro singer, Lead Belly, heard it, rearranged it in his own style, and made commercial phonograph recordings of it in the 1940’s. One of these recordings was studied and imitated phrase by phrase, by a young English singer of American Folk songs, (referring to Lonnie Donegan) who subsequently recorded it for an English company. The record sold in the hundreds of thousands in the U.S. and England, and this Arkansas Negro convict song, as adapted by Lead Belly, was published as a personal copyright, words and music, by someone whose contact with the Rock Island Line was entirely through the grooves of a phonograph record.’

‘Rock Island Line’ was recorded in July 1954 by Lonnie Donegan, (guitar and vocal) Chris Barber, (1930-2021) (bass) and Beryl Bryden (1920-1998) (washboard) and released as ‘The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group.’ The song was the first debut single record to be certified gold in the UK, where it triggered the ‘Skiffle’ craze. In the UK the song reached Number 8, while in America on Billboard it also peaked at Number 8, and eventually went on to sell in excess of one million copies worldwide. It is said that after recording ‘Rock Island Line’ the trio accepted a flat session fee of £50 rather than a royalty on every copy sold. Lonnie Donegan lived to regret that decision, and complained throughout his career about his lack of financial reward for cutting the song, although he was compensated by re-recording it on more than one occasion.

‘The Acoustic Music’ organisation has said about Lonnie Donegan’s version. ‘It flew up the English charts. Donegan had synthesized American Southern Blues with simple acoustic instruments, acoustic guitar, washtub bass, and washboard rhythm. The new style was called ‘Skiffle’ …. and referred to music from people with little money for instruments. The new style captivated an entire generation of post-war youth in England.’

‘Well if you want to ride you gotta ride it like you find it. Get your ticket at the station of the rock island line. Well I may be right, I may be wrong, you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

485-Ike & Tina Turner-Nutbush City Limits.

1973-Number 4 single.

Best Bit-At 0.01. Nutbush isn’t a city, it’s actually a ‘little old town in Tennessee.’ Apparently, a ‘one horse town.’

Tina Turner (see also best songs 752 and 192) was born Anna Mae Bullock, on November 26th, 1939. in Brownsville, Tennessee. United States, she died at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, on May 24th, 2023, at the age of 83 following years of illness. In her 2018 memoir ‘My Love Story,’ she revealed that she had multiple life-threatening illnesses, including high blood pressure since 1978, which remained mostly untreated, and resulted in damage to her kidneys and eventual kidney failure. In 2013, three weeks after her wedding to the German born actor and producer Erwin Bach, she had a stroke and needed to learn to walk again, and in 2016, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.

Tina Turner was the youngest of three sisters, and during the war years the sisters were separated when their parents relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, to work at a defence facility during World War II. Tina Turner went to stay with her strict, religious paternal grandparents who were deacon and deaconess at the ‘Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church.’ After the war the family settled in ‘Nutbush,’ where Tina Turner grew up, attending school, and singing in the church choir at Nutbush’s ‘Spring Hill Baptist Church.’

Tina Turner is considered to be one of the best singers of all time, and her reinvention as a solo artist in the 1980’s, after her split from Ike Turner, (1931-2007) is cited as one of the greatest comebacks of all time. In January 1988 she performed in front of approximately 180,000 at the ‘Maracanã Stadium,’ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, setting a ‘Guinness World Record’ at the time for the largest paying concert attendance for a solo artist. She has sold anywhere between 100-150 million records worldwide, making her one of the best selling artists of all time, and she is the only artist to have had a top 40 hit single in the UK in seven different decades (1960’s-2020’s.)

The solo discography of Tina Turner includes nine studio Albums released between 1974-1999, and 72 singles released between 1964-2023, there is also one soundtrack Album, six official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, 14 of her singles have reached the top 40, including her duet with Bryan Adams on ‘Its Only Love,’ (1985-Billboard Number 15 & UK Number 29) with ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It,’ in 1984, and the remix by Kygo in 2020, both reaching Number 1, while in the UK, Tina Turner has had 31 top 40 hit singles, with both ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It,’ (1984) and ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome’) (1985) peaking the highest at Number 3.

‘Nutbush City Limits’ was the first of two singles released from Ike & Tina Turner’s 16th studio Album of the same name from November 1973, the song was written by Tina Turner, with the production being by Ike Turner. ‘Nutbush City Limits’ is semi-autobiographical, with Tina telling us about life growing up in a close knit community, as she reminisces about everyday life, and the places she knew as a child. When recalling memories of Nutbush, Tina has said that she didn’t turn any heads, as she was too skinny, and ‘Many women there had the goods.’ Tina Turner has recorded ‘Nutbush City Limits’ on two further occasions for single release. In 1988 she released a live version, which had been recorded on her 1986-1987 ‘Break Every Rule’ tour, but the single failed to chart. In 1991 for part of the promotion for her solo greatest hits Album ‘Simply the Best,’ the song was reworked in a 1990’s ‘Dance’ style, and reached Number 23 in the UK.

In Australia where the original version of ‘Nutbush City Limits’ peaked at Number 14 in 1973, it has become a staple of social occasions, and celebrations. The ‘Nutbush’ is a line dance that is performed by people of all ages and genders, with it’s own dance moves. On July 16th, 2019, a new record of 2,330 people performed the ‘Nutbush’ at the ‘Big Red Bash,’ breaking the previous years record. It had been rumoured for years that Marc Bolan, (1947-1977) (see also best songs 790-386 and 67) played the guitar on the original recording of ‘Nutbush City Limits,’ this was confirmed in 2007 by Bolan’s girlfriend Gloria Jones.

In 2002 a segment of Tennessee State Route 19, near Nutbush, was named ‘Tina Turner Highway’ in her honour. Other notable residents of Nutbush include the ‘Blues’ singers Hambone Willie Newbern, (1901-1965) Sleepy Joe Estes, (1899 or 1900-1877) and Noah Lewis (1891-1961.)

‘A church house, gin house, a school house, outhouse. On highway number nineteen, the people keep the city clean. They call it Nutbush, oh, Nutbush, call it Nutbush city limits.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

486-Bob Lind-Elusive Butterfly.

1966-Number 5 single.

Best Bit-At 0.51. Don’t be concerned, this will not harm you, it’s just poetry in musical motion.

Bob Lind was born Robert Neale Lind, on November 25th, 1942, in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, he is a singer, songwriter, and author. In 1965 he signed with ‘World Pacific Records,’ which was a subsidiary of ‘Liberty Records.’ For many years Bob Lind suffered from drug and alcohol problems, but he has been clean and sober since 1977. Between 1971-2006 he didn’t release any new music, instead concentrating on writing. In 1988 he relocated to Florida, where he went on to write five novels, an award winning play, and a screenplay called ‘Refuge,’ which won the ‘Florida Screenwriters’ Competition’ in 1991. In October 2019, his short play ‘A Good Night’ won a place in the ‘Delray Beach Playwright’s Festival,’ and in May 2023, another of his one-acts, ‘Spain,’ enjoyed a successful run in ‘The Curtain Call Playhouse’s Short Play Festival.’ Bob Lind has also been a regular contributor to weekly American tabloid newspapers for many years, and at the time of writing he still composes new music, and continues to perform live from time to time.

The discography of Bob Lind who helped define the 1960’s ‘Folk/Rock’ movement in the United States and the UK, and has had his body of work covered by over 200 artists, includes eight Albums released between 1966-2022, and nine singles released between 1965-1971. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, his only charting single is ‘Elusive Butterfly, which reached Number 5, while in the UK that song is also his only one to chart, and also made Number 5.

‘Elusive Butterfly’ was the only single released from Bob Lind’s 1965 debut Album called ‘Don’t Be Concerned,’ it was written by Bob Lind, with the production being by Richard Bock, (1927-1988) and the string arrangement being by Jack Nitzsche (1937-2000.) Bob Lind has said that he wrote the lyrics around sunrise, sometime in 1964. He credits the songs inspiration as coming from the Irish poet W B Yeats’ (1865-1939) poem ‘The Song of Wandering Aengus,’ first printed in 1897. Lind has said, ‘I wanted to write something like Yeats’ poem, that had the sense we feel of being most alive when we’re searching or looking or chasing after something. That expectation is more life affirming than getting the thing you’re after.’ In the song the narrator sees himself as a butterfly hunter, he is looking for romance, but he finds it as elusive as butterflies are to capture. The original version, first recorded by Bob Lind of the song, is more of a ‘Folk’ guitar based acoustic recording, (think early Bob Dylan) and when recorded lasted for nearly six minutes, and had more verses, Lind has said, ‘I played it for everybody I knew, but I didn’t think ‘Man, this is my best song, it’s going to be a hit that millions of people will hear. It was just another Bob Lind song. I was thrilled then by everything I wrote.’ It was after the songs producer Richard Bock had Jack Nitzsche take a listen, that the song was transformed. Nitzsche added a lush string arrangement, thus making the song one of the first ‘Folk/Rock’ songs to feature a string section.

Jack Nitzsche was born Bernard Alfred Nitzsche, on April 22nd, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 1998 he suffered a stroke which ended his career, and he died on August 25th, 2000, of cardiac arrest brought on by a recurring bronchial infection, at the age of 63. Jack Nitzsche was a musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer, who first came to prominence in the early 1960’s as the right hand man of the producer Phil Spector, (1939-2021) (see also best songs 820-782-737-262-192-127-91 and 20) working as the arranger and conductor, orchestrating almost all of the ‘Wall of Sound’ hits for Spector. Nitzsche worked with many big names including The Rolling Stones, and Neil Young, he can be heard playing keyboards on The Rolling Stones hit singles ‘Paint It, Black,’ (1966) and ‘Let’s Spend the Night Together,’ (1967) he also wrote the choral arrangements for ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ (1968.) Jack Nitzsche wrote film scores, and these included ‘Performance,’ (1970) ‘The Exorcist,’ (1973) and ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975.) His songwriting credits include co-writing the 1983 ‘Academy Award for Best Original Song,’ ‘Up Where We Belong,’ with his then wife Buffy Sainte-Marie, and his co-write with Sonny Bono of ‘Needles and Pins,’ which was first a hit for Jackie DeShannon in 1963.

‘Elusive Butterfly’ was initially released as the ‘B’ side to Bob Lind’s first single release ‘Cheryl’s Goin’ Home,’ in November 1965, because the record company thought it was too different sounding from the types of music that were becoming hits at that time, and therefore wouldn’t be successful. It was when one of the DJ’s at the Miami radio station ‘WQAM’ began playing it, the track started to get requests from the listening audience, leading ‘Elusive Butterfly’ to be re-issued as the ‘A’ side in January 1966, with ‘Cheryl’s Goin’ Home,’ relegated to the ‘B’ side.

‘Elusive Butterfly’ has many cover versions. In 1966 the song was also recorded by the Irish singer Val Doonican, (1927-2015) and released as a competing version with Bob Lind’s original, both competing versions reached Number 5 in the UK. Other noteworthy cover versions include the one by the Zimbabwe born singer Judy Page, who made Number 5 in South Africa with her recording in 1966, and Levi Stubbs’ (1936-2008) passionate rendition on the Four Tops 1970 Album ‘Still Waters Run Deep.’ Of all the cover versions Bob Lind has said that his favourite is the 1966 recording by Petula Clark, ‘Nobody believes me when I say that, she wasn’t considered cool in the 60’s, she was considered mainstream and very vanilla, but I love her version of ‘Elusive Butterfly.’

‘Don’t be concerned, it will not harm you, it’s only me pursuing somethin’ I’m not sure of. Across my dreams with nets of wonder, I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

487-Prince-Sign o’ the Times.

1987-Number 10 single.

Best Bit-At 1.47. This is one of the best examples of what Prince was capable of writing about, when he wasn’t just thinking about sex. According to the music engineer Susan Rogers, who worked on the record with Prince, he wrote this song on a Sunday, because that was when he composed his most introspective songs.

Prince Rogers Nelson (see also best songs 884-269-85 and 54) was born on June 7th, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, he was a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and actor, he died on April 21st, 2016, at the age of 57. A press release from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Anoka County on June 2nd, 2016, stated that Prince had died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, there were no signs of suicide or foul play.

‘Sign o’ the Times,’ which is stylised as ‘Sign “☮︎” the Times,’ was the first of four singles released off Prince’s ninth studio Album of the same name from March 1987, in America on the Billboard Hot 100 the song peaked at Number 3, while reaching Number 10 in the UK. ‘Sign o’ the Times’ (the song) was not only written and produced by Prince, he also provided all of the lead and backing vocals, and played every instrument, which included electric guitar, and the programming of the ‘Fairlight CMI’ sampling synthesizer, which was state of the art at that time, and also ‘The LinnDrum,’ ‘LN-2’ drum machine, which was at the height of it’s popularity in the mid 1980’s. It was at around this period in his career that Prince was probably at his most productive musically, he had written enough material to fill three Albums, and his plan was to issue a triple CD Album, but his record label ‘Warner Bros.’ refuted the idea, with Prince eventually compromising, and releasing the double Album ‘Sign o’ the Times.’ This episode is seen as the start of his dispute with the label, which eventually led to him changing his name to a ‘squiggle,’ and having the word ‘slave’ written on his face.

Prince was brought up in a religious family, with both of his parents being observant to the Christian faith, which Prince also followed. Prince has said, ‘I wanted to be like my father, and I loved everything he loved, my mother, the Bible, and music.’ Many of Prince’s songs have a recurring theme of God and Jesus, including a complete recitation of ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ featured in the full length Album version of his 1981 song ‘Controversy’ (see also best songs 269.) In 2001 Prince became a ‘Jehovah’s Witness,’ as a result of his friendship with the ‘Funk’ musician Larry Graham, (see also best songs 589) Prince said that he did not consider it a conversion, but a ‘realisation,’ comparing his connection with Larry Graham to ‘Morpheus’ and ‘Neo’ in the film ‘The Matrix.’ As is the duty of a ‘Jehovah’s Witness,’ he attended meetings at a local ‘Kingdom Hall,’ and occasionally knocked on people’s doors to discuss his faith.

‘Sign o’ the Times’ is considered by many music critics to be Prince’s best Album, and is included in many lists of the greatest Albums of all time. The music author Michaelangelo Matos wrote in ‘The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004’) that ‘Sign o’ the Times’ is ‘The most complete example of Prince’s artistry’s breadth, and arguably the finest Album of the 1980’s,’ In 2017, the Album received further recognition when it was inducted into the ‘Grammy Hall of Fame’ that honours musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.

The title ‘Sign o’ the Times’ came from a magazine called ‘Signs of the Times,’ which is a monthly religious publication. The song makes many social references to the state of the world in the mid 1980’s, including ‘AIDS,’ gang warfare, poverty, drug culture, the amount spent on the American space programme, and the imminent threat of nuclear war. The reference to the rocket ship exploding is to the January 28th, 1986, Space Shuttle disaster when ‘The Challenger’ shuttle blew up. It is said that Prince was surprised that people would still be interested in space travel after the incident, especially when there were so many problems in the United States. The lyrics ‘My cousin tried reefer for the very first time, now he’s doing horse,’ is that ‘reefer’ is slang for marijuana, and ‘horse’ is slang for heroin. Towards the end of the song Prince is telling us to grab happiness while we can, and live for today.

The songs lyric video is an early example of the type of video that has become commonplace over the years. The official ‘B’ side to ‘Sign o’ the Times’ is a song called ‘La, La, La, He, He, Hee,’ evidently the Scottish singer Sheena Easton who duets with Prince on the track ‘U Got the Look,’ (Billboard Number 2 & UK Number 11) dared Prince to write a song with the lyrics ‘la, la, la, he, he, hee,’ which resulted in Sheena Easton sharing the writing credit.

‘Sign o’ the times mess with your mind, hurry before it’s too late. Let’s fall in love, get married, have a baby. We’ll call him Nate, if it’s a boy.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

488-Wilson Pickett-Land of a Thousand Dances.

1966-Number 22 single.

Best Bit-At 0.09. The Pony, Chicken, Mashed Potato, Alligator, Watusi, Twist, Fly, Jerk, Tango, Yo-Yo, Sweet Pea, Hand Jive, Slop, Bop, Fish, and the Popeye. I could mention the other 884 dances, but I would run out of room.

‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ was originally written and recorded by the American R&B singer Chris Kenner in 1962, his version peaked at Number 77 in 1963, on the American Billboard Hot 100. Kenner got the idea for the recording from an ‘old spiritual song’ that was sung in the American South called ‘Children Go Where I Send Thee,’ which is a song where the narrator enumerates all the places where he can ‘send thee.’ In ‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ Chris Kenner substituted the places for types of dances, although he only lists 16 in his version. On some early pressings of the record Fats Domino (1928-2017) (see also best songs 617 ans 272) is given co-writing credit, even though he had nothing to do with the writing of it. Kenner had offered him the credit and half the royalties if he would record it, which he did, but in the end Kenner’s version was the more successful. In the original Chris Kenner version there is a spoken word intro, ‘I’m gonna take you, baby, I’m gonna take you to a place. The name of the place is the Land of a Thousand Dances.’ That intro was missing from the songs ‘radio edit,’ and is also left off most of the numerous cover versions.

Chris Kenner was born on December 25th, 1929, in Kenner, Louisiana, United States, he died on January 25th, 1976, from a heart attack, triggered by alcoholism, at the age of 46. His first success in music came in 1957 when his recording of his own composition ‘Sick and Tired,’ reached Number 13 on the Billboard ‘Hot R&B’ chart, it was then covered in 1958 by Fats Domino (Billboard Number 22 & UK Number 26.) Chris Kenner also had great success with his co-write with Allen Toussaint, (1938-2015) of the song ‘I Like It Like That,’ which he recorded and took to Number 2 on Billboard in 1961. In 1965 the English Rock group ‘The Dave Clark Five’ reached Number 7 on Billboard with their cover version of the song. Chris Kenner’s career was affected by his unpredictable behaviour, as he drank and spent heavily, and he sometimes missed shows or forgot the words to his songs. He continued to record until 1968, but with less and less commercial success. In 1968, he was convicted of unlawful sex with a minor and spent three years in Louisiana’s Angola prison.

‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ first became a top 40 hit in 1965, when recorded by the Mexican/American group ‘Cannibal & the Headhunters,’ who took their version to Number 30 on Billboard. This was the first time that the songs famous ‘na, na, na, na, na’ hook had been used, having been improvised by the groups lead singer ‘Frankie ‘Cannibal’ Garcia (1946-1996.) While performing the song Garcia’s microphone kept cutting out, and so to fill the gaps he chanted the ‘na, na.’ It is probable that all subsequent covers of the song now include the chant, including this most famous version by Wilson Pickett. In 1994 the Jamaican Reggae artist Ini Kamoze used the ‘na, na, na,’ in the chorus of his Billboard Number 1 & UK Number 4 hit single ‘Here Comes the Hotstepper.’

Wilson Pickett was born on March 18th, 1941, in Prattville, Alabama, United States, during his life he had suffered with alcoholism and cocaine addiction, which led to run-ins with the law. He had been suffering from health problems for the last year of his life, and died on January 19, 2006, as a result of a heart attack, at the age of 64. Wilson Pickett is considered a major figure in the development of ‘Soul Music,’ and after a grounding in ‘Gospel Music,’ he joined the influential American R&B group ‘The Falcons’ (see also best songs 828) in 1960, and remained a band member until pursuing a solo career in 1963.

‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ was the fourth and final single released from ‘The Exciting Wilson Pickett,’ the third Album release by Wilson Pickett, from August 1966. Pickett recorded his version of ”Land of a Thousand Dances,’ and it’s parent Album at the ‘FAME’ studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, using many of the top session players of the era, and also members from the ‘Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.’ I cannot find anywhere that states who actually produced ‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ for Wilson Pickett, with the likelihood it being an amalgamation of the five producers of the Album, who were, Jerry Wexler, (1917-2008) Steve Cropper, Jim Stewart, (1930-2022) Rick Hall, (1932-2018) and Tom Dowd (1925-2002.) In 1967 Wilson Pickett returned to the ‘FAME’ studio to record ‘Mustang Sally,’ these sessions were so successful that Pickett’s label, ‘Atlantic Records,’ started sending more of their artists to record there, including their labels biggest star Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) (see also best songs 644 and 366.) Muscle Shoals became a very popular recording destination, with artists such as Bob Seger, The Staple Singers, and Paul Simon, recording there during the 1970’s.

‘One, two, three, one, two, three. You gotta know how to pony, like Bony Maronie. Mashed Potato, do the Alligator. Put your hands on your hips, let your back-bone slip, do the Watusi, like my little Lucy. Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

489-Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine-Sheriff Fatman.

1989-It didn’t chart on it’s initial release, but when re-issued in 1991 it made Number 23.

Best Bit-At 3.19. I don’t wish to start a lawsuit, but this bit here sounds awfully like ‘The Waterboys’ song ‘The Whole of the Moon’ (see also best songs 755.)

Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, or ‘Carter USM,’ as they were also known, were formed in 1987, in London, England, by the singer James Robert Morrison, who is known as Jim ‘Jim Bob’ Morrison, and the guitarist Leslie George Carter, who is known as Les ‘Fruitbat’ Carter, they were active until 1998, but have reformed to perform live on several occasions between 2007-2014. Prior to first playing together in the British ‘Indie Pop’ band ‘Jamie Wednesday’ between 1984-1987, the duo had plied their trade in other bands. When ‘Jamie Wednesday’ disbanded after little success, Morrison and Carter joined forces to record music in the genres of ‘Alternative Rock,’ ‘Indie Rock,’ ‘Alternative Dance,’ ‘Grebo,’ and ‘Punk Rock.’ In 1994 they added a drummer called ‘Wez,’ and the trio toured America, Japan, and Europe, and then in 1996, ‘Wez’s brother Steve joined the group on guitar, Ben Lambert was brought in as the keyboard player, and Salvatore Alessi from the English ‘Punk Rock’ group ‘S*M*A*S*H’ joined as the bass player.

The discography of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine includes six studio Albums released between 1990-1998, and 17 singles (including two re-issues) released between 1988-1995, there are also five official compilation Albums, four live Albums, and one extended play (EP) available. Five of their studio Albums have reached the UK top 40, with their third release ‘1992 – The Love Album,’ making the Number 1 spot in 1992. They have also had 12 of their singles reach the UK top 40, with ‘The Only Living Boy in New Cross,’ peaking the highest at Number 7 in 1992. In America on Billboard, two of their songs have reached the ‘Modern Rock Tracks,’ chart, now known as the ‘Alternative Airplay’ chart, with ‘Sheriff Fatman,’ making Number 29 in 1991, and ‘The Only Living Boy in New Cross,’ reaching Number 26 in 1992.

‘Sheriff Fatman’ was the only single release from ‘101 Damnations,’ which was the debut studio Album by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, from January 1990, the song was first issued in December 1989, but failed to chart, it was then featured on the influential 1990 ‘Madchester’ compilation Album ‘Happy Daze,’ released by ‘Island Records.’ Two other tracks on the compilation are also featured in this ‘1000 Best Songs’ list (see also best songs 844 and 724.) ‘Sheriff Fatman’ which finally found commercial success when re-issued in 1991, was co-written by both group members at that time, Leslie George Carter, and James Neil Morrison, with the duo co-producing the track, along with the English music producer Simon Painter. The Album ‘101 Damnations’ was recorded with a very low budget, said to be around £800. As they did not own a sampler, snippets of television shows, films, and news broadcasts, were added to the recordings via a pair of cassette decks. When Morrison asked Simon Painter how to achieve a megaphone sound for ‘Sheriff Fatman,’ he performed what he wanted by cupping his hands over his mouth, to which Painter remarked, ‘Do that.’

‘Sheriff Fatman’ is a song about a fictional ‘slum landlord,’ and the way he manipulates his tenants with threats, and violence. There are notorious figures from the past name checked in the song, including Nicolas Van Hoogstraten, who is referred to as ‘Nicholas Van what’s his face.’ Hoogstraten is a British businessman who became a convicted criminal over his property dealings. Another mentioned is Peter Rachman, (1919-1962) who was a Polish born landlord, who operated in ‘Notting Hill’ London in the 1950’s, and 1960’s, he became infamous for his exploitation, and intimidation of his tenants, in particular the Caribbean immigrant community in West London in the 1950’s.

Leslie George Carter, was born on December 12th, 1958, in London, England, prior to meeting James Morrison he had already played in several bands. The pair first met at ‘The Orchestra Pit,’ in Streatham, Greater London, in 1980, where Carter’s band ‘The Ballpoints,’ and Morrison’s band ‘Dead Clergy,’ used to rehearse. Since the split of ‘Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine,’ Carter has continued to perform live on his own and with others. James Morrison, was born in London, England, on November 22nd, 1960, since the split of ‘Carter USM,’ he has gone on to release 15 Albums between 2001-2023, and 10 singles between 1999-2020, he is also an author of two non-fiction, and five fiction books, written between 2006-2020.

‘There’s bats in the belfry, the windows are jammed. The toilet’s ain’t healthy, he don’t give a damn. Just chuckles and smiles, laughs like a madman, a born again Rachman, here comes Sheriff Fatman.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

490-James-Sit Down.

1991-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 3.03. It’s the second most popular song in the world ever for sitting on the floor to dance to. ‘Oops upside your head, say oops upside your head.’

James’ (see also best songs 109) were formed in Whalley Range, Manchester, England, in 1982, they were active until 2001, but then reformed in 2007, in total there have been 13 different members come and go, their musical output has been described as ‘Indie Pop,’ ‘Madchester,’ ‘Alternative Rock,’ and ‘Britpop.’ ‘James’ were formed when Paul Gilbertson persuaded his friend Jim Glennie to buy a bass guitar, and form a band with him, they were soon joined by Gavan Whelan. They met future lead singer Tim Booth at the ‘University of Manchester’ later in 1982, and after playing live under various names including ‘Venereal and the Diseases,’ ‘Volume Distortion,’ and ‘Model Team International,’ they settled on ‘James,’ Jim Glennie, who is the bands one constant has said, ‘No one ever calls me James, so I don’t associate it with my name in that respect. We couldn’t use Tim because he’s the singer and that would be weird. Our drummer was called Gavan, and we thought it sounded too ‘heavy metal,’ and the other one was Paul, so it was either James or Paul, so we went with James. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time we just thought, ‘Cool let’s call the band ‘James.” Paul Gilbertson had to leave the group in 1985 due to drug problems, and he was replaced by Larry Gott, who remained a band member until 2015. Drummer Gavan Whelan left in 1988, and his place was taken by David Baynton-Power, who at the time of writing is still an official member. The other three group members who played on this 1991 recording of ‘Sit Down’ were, Saul Davies, Mark Hunter, and Andy Diagram, who all joined the band in 1989.

The discography of ‘James’ includes 18 studio Albums released between 1986-2024, and 37 singles released between 1986-2021, there are also four official compilation Albums, four extended plays, (EP’s) and four live Albums available. In the UK, their 18th studio Album ‘Yummy,’ from April 2024, finally gave them their first ever studio Number 1 Album, (although their 1998 ‘The Best Of’ compilation had previously made Number 1) while in America on Billboard, their 1993 Album ‘Laid,’ has been their most successful, reaching Number 72. In the UK, 19 of their singles have reached the top 40, with the 1991 re-recorded version of ‘Sit Down’ peaking the highest at Number 2 for three consecutive weeks. Their only charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 singles is ‘Laid,’ which made Number 61 in 1993.

‘Sit Down’ was the last of five singles released from ‘Gold Mother,’ the third studio Album by ‘James,’ from June 1990, the song was co-written by Jim Glennie, Larry Gott, Tim Booth, and Gavan Whelan, with the production being by Steve Power (see also best songs 406.) The original version of ‘Sit Down’ was first released in 1989 as a stand alone single, and stalled at Number 77 on the UK top 100, it was issued as an edited 7 inch single, and also on 12 inch, with a running time of 8.31, this original first recording was produced by the English music producer Gil Norton (see also best songs 904 and 292.) Even so the song had badly failed commercially ‘James’ still had faith, and bought the rights to the track just before their record label ‘Rough Trade’ went bankrupt. When ‘James’ signed with ‘Fontana Records,’ the band and producer Gill Norton gave ‘Sit Down’ the overhaul that we all know today, making it more uptempo, which was the way it had originally been performed when played live. In 1998 the English ‘Electronic Rock’ group ‘Apollo 440’ remixed ‘Sit Down’ as part of the promotion for the ‘2002 Commonwealth Games’ launch in Manchester, England, and this time the song made Number 7 on the UK top 40 singles chart.

The lyrics to ‘Sit Down’ are mainly the work of the bands lead singer Tim Booth, who was born on February 4th, 1960, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. He remained with ‘James’ as their lead singer until 2001, when the group went on hiatus, but rejoined in 2007. Away from ‘James’ he has released the Album ‘Booth and the Bad Angel,’ with the American composer Angelo Badalamenti in 1996, and two solo Albums in 2004, and 2011. Tim Booth has said that he wrote ‘Sit Down’ in 1988 at a time when he was feeling lonely and depressed. He credits the British novelist Doris Lessing, (1919-2013) and the American Rock singer Patti Smith as his inspirations. ‘They both connected to me when I felt very alone and misunderstood. Throughout my teens, I’d had an undiagnosed illness, and my skin was almost yellow. When I was 21 I’d almost died, so I was feeling pretty tortured in those days.’ He has also said, ”Sit Down’ is about me feeling so alone in my 20’s, and reading books by a writer called Doris Lessing, which made me realise I wasn’t. It was about being awake at 4.0.am, and having no one to talk to.’

‘I sing myself to sleep, a song from the darkest hour. Secrets I can’t keep, in sight of the day, swing from high to deep, extremes of sweet and sour. Hope that God exists, I hope, I pray.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

491-Eddie Kendricks-Keep On Truckin’

1973-Number 18 single.

Best Bit-At 0.10. ‘Keep On Truckin” is a phrase of encouragement, meaning to continue to stay focused regardless of circumstances or setbacks.

Eddie Kendricks was born Edward James Kendrick, on December 17th, 1939, in Union Springs, Alabama, United States, he was a heavy smoker for 30 years, and died of lung cancer on October 5th, 1992, at the age of 52. Kendrick was one of the founding members of what would become ‘Tamla Motown’s’ most successful male group, the ‘Temptations’ (see also best songs 1031-1001-777 and 569.) He remained with the group from their formation in 1955, until leaving in bitter circumstances in 1971, to pursue a solo career. Eddie Kendricks, who added the ‘s’ at the end of his surname for his stage name, was noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, and can be heard singing the lead vocal on many of the ‘Temptations’ hits, including ‘Get Ready,’ and ‘Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me.’) During the mid 1980’s, he dropped the ‘s’ from his stage name, and reverted back to his birth name. The American Rapper, songwriter, and filmmaker Kendrick Lamar was named by his mother after Kendricks.

Eddie Kendricks solo career got off to a slow start, with all of his first five singles, released from his first two solo Albums, failing to break into the American Billboard Hot 100 top 40, His first two Albums also fared no better, but things changed with the release of his third Album, and especially after the release of ‘Keep On Truckin” as a single. The solo discography of Eddie Kendricks includes 15 Albums released between 1971-1987, and 30 singles released within the same time period. Included in those Album releases is a ‘Live at the Apollo’ recording with David Ruffin, and Daryl Hall & John Oates, from 1985, and a duets Album with his fellow ex ‘Temptations’ band mate David Ruffin, (1941-1991) called ‘Ruffin & Kendrick,’ which turned out to be Eddie Kendricks final recording, in 1987. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, Eddie Kendricks (away from the Temptations) has had six top 40 hit singles, with ‘Keep on Truckin’ reaching the Number 1 position, while in the UK, he has charted twice, with ‘Boogie Down,’ being the other hit when reaching Number 39 in 1973.

‘Keep on Truckin’ was the second and final single released from Eddie Kendricks’ self titled third solo studio Album from May 1973, the song was co-written by Leonard Caston Jr., Anita Poree, (1939-2018) and Frank Wilson, (1940-2012) (see also best songs 1001-411 and 97) who also produced the song. ‘Keep on Truckin’ was released with ‘Part 1’ being on the ‘A’ side, and ‘Part 2’ being on the ‘B’ side, as the Album version lasts for 8 minutes. The song which signified a change in style, moving towards a more ‘dance’ orientated sound, finally gave Eddie Kendricks a hit single at the seventh time of asking, and was finally making him more successfully commercial than his bitter rivals the ‘Temptations.’ ‘Keep on Truckin’ is considered to be one of ‘Disco Music’s’ first breakthrough hits.

Leonard Caston Jr. who was one of the songs co-writers was born on November 13th, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, he is a songwriter, record producer, pianist and singer. In 1964 he joined the American R&B group ‘The Radiants,’ who were signed to ‘Chess Records,’ he stayed a member until 1965. At ‘Chess’ he began to write and produce music, as well as working as a session musician, notably playing piano on the Fontella Bass song ‘Rescue Me’ (1965-Billboard Number 4 & UK Number 11.) Caston left ‘Chess’ for ‘Motown Records’ in 1968, where his numerous songwriting credits include ‘Nathan Jones,’ for the ‘Supremes’ (1971-Billboard Number 16 & UK Number 5.)

‘Keep On Truckin” was also co-written by Anita Poree, who was born on September 14th, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, she died of cancer on July 8th, 2018, at the age of 78. Prior to co-writing ‘Keep On Truckin” she had co-written two American Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits for the American vocal group ‘The Friends of Distinction, ‘Going in Circles,’ (1969-Number 15) and ‘Love or Let Me be Lonely,’ (1970-Number 6.) Harry Elston of that group said after her death, ‘She was a pioneer during a period when women were less accepted as popular songwriters.’ The musician Greg Poree who is her brother said that after several years of composing songs, his sister became disheartened with the music industry, and the whole Hollywood scene. She re-focused her life creating art with paints, composing poetry, and calling for justice for racial minorities, members of the ‘LGBTQ’ community, and others denied equal treatment and opportunity.

In ‘Keep on Truckin” the narrator is telling us of his love, and desire for another, and he will do whatever it takes to make that person his. The lyric ‘In old temptation’s rain I’m duckin,” is a dig at his former band mates, who had previously had a dig at him and David Ruffin, in their song ‘Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are.’)

‘I’m the red ball express of lovin,’ Diesel-powered straight to you, I’m truckin.’ In old Temptation’s rain, I’m duckin, ‘for your love through sleet and snow, I’m truckin,’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

492-Jimi Hendrix Experience-Hey Joe.

1966-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 1.51. A warning to old ladies everywhere, don’t go messin’ round with another man. You might end up getting shot.

‘Hey Joe’ was originally written and performed by Billy Roberts, who was born William Moses Roberts Jr. on August 16th, 1935, in Greenville, South Carolina, United States, he died on October 7th, 2017, at the age of 81. Roberts recorded ‘Hey Joe’ himself, but never had it officially released, but he did have it copyrighted in 1962. Billy Roberts was a Folk singer, and was a member of the ‘Driftwood Singers’ between 1964-1965, who played on the same bill as artists of the calibre of Johnny Cash, (1932-2003) (see also best songs 857-428-and 199) and Carmen McRae (1920-1994.) In 1975, Roberts released his one studio Album, called ‘Thoughts of California. It is thought that Billy Roberts got his inspiration for writing ‘Hey Joe’ from an earlier work by his then girlfriend Niela Horn, whose song ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go to Town’ uses the same chord progression. Also the 1953 U.S. Country hit ‘Hey Joe’ written by Felice Bordleaux & Diadorius Bryant shares the same title, and ‘questioning’ format. There is also an early 20th Century traditional ballad called ‘Little Sadie’ that tells of a man on the run after he has shot his wife.

‘Hey Joe’ has been recorded in many different styles, and by numerous artists over the years. The probable first commercially released ‘Rock’ version was in 1966 by the ‘Garage’ band the ‘Leaves,’ who reached Number 31 on the American Billboard Hot 100, the highest chart placing the song has reached in America. ‘Hey Joe’ also reached Number 94 for Cher in 1967, and Number 59 for Wilson Pickett (1941-2006) in 1969. The Jimi Hendrix Experience recording failed to chart on Billboard, but it is the only version of the song to chart in the UK. Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) (see also best songs 983) got to know about the song after seeing the Folk singer Tim Rose (1940-2002) perform a slower version. On the advice of Chas Chandler, (1938-1996) (see also best songs 851 and 649) who was then Hendrix’s manager, ‘Hey Joe’ became the first single release of the ‘Jimi Hendrix Experience.’

‘Hey Joe’ was released as a stand alone single in the UK in December 1966, but was later featured on the American only released version of the Jimi Hendrix Experience debut studio Album ‘Are You Experienced,’ from May 1967. ‘Hey Joe’ would later be added to the UK, and international Compact Disc reissues as one of the bonus tracks in 1997. The Jimi Hendrix Experience version of ‘Hey Joe’ was produced by Chas Chandler, with the musicians playing on the song, who were the ‘Jimi Hendrix Experience,’ being Jimi Hendrix, guitars, and vocals, Noel Redding, (1945-2003) bass guitar, and Mitch Mitchell 1946-2008) drums. There are also backing vocals on the track provided by ‘The Breakaways,’ who were an English female vocal group, whose members included Vicki Brown, (1940-1991) who had also been a member of ‘The Vernon Girls, and the first wife of the English musician Joe Brown, and mother of the singer Sam Brown. ‘The Breakaways’ sang backing vocals on many songs in the 1960’s, including ‘Downtown’ for Petula Clark (see also best songs 838.)

The discography of the Jimi Hendrix Experience includes three studio Albums released between 1967-1968, and 14 singles released between 1966-1970, there are also three official live Albums, and two official compilation Albums available. All three studio Albums made the top 10 in America on Billboard, and in the UK, while in America their only charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 is ‘All Along the Watchtower’ which reached Number 20 in 1968, In the UK, six of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Purple Haze’ peaking the highest at Number 3 in 1967. After the death of Jimi Hendrix in 1970, there have been numerous posthumous releases of demos, studio outtakes/alternate takes, and jams, which have made up into a further 13 studio Albums released between 1971-2018, there have also been 19 anthologies, 28 live Albums, and 28 singles issued posthumously. In October 1970, exactly five weeks after the death of Jimi Hendrix, the track ‘Voodoo Chile,’ from the 1968 Album ‘Electric Ladyland’ was issued as a single, with ‘Hey Joe,’ and ‘All Along the Watchtower’ as the ‘B’ sides, the single failed to chart in America, but reached Number 1 in the UK. Two further singles have posthumously charted in the UK, ‘Gypsy Eyes,’ (1971-Number 35) and ‘Johnny B Goode’ (1972-Number 35.)

‘Hey Joe’ is the story of a man who finds out that his woman has been cheating on him, and he takes his revenge by purchasing a gun, and shooting the woman, and her lover. In order to not face trial, and the hangman, he travels down to Mexico. The Hendrix version omits the first verse where ‘Joe’ buys the gun, and he also makes no mention of killing the woman’s lover, which is part of the original version by Billy Roberts.

‘Hey Joe, I said where you goin’ with that gun in your hand. I’m goin’ down to shoot my old lady, you know I caught her messin’ ’round with another man. Yeah, I’m goin’ down to shoot my old lady, you know I caught her messin’ ’round with another man.’