THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

606-Arthur ”Big Boy” Crudup-That’s All Right.

1946-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 1.04. Elvis Presley acknowledged Arthur Crudup’s importance to ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ when he said, ‘If I had any ambition, it was to be as good as Arthur Crudup.

Arthur William Crudup, was born on August 24th, 1905, in Forest, Mississippi, United States, he died of complications of heart disease and diabetes, on March 28th, 1974, at the age of 68. He was fondly known as ‘The Father of Rock and Roll,’ after Elvis Presley (1935-1977) had recorded cover versions of three of his songs, ‘That’s All Right,’ (1946) ‘My Baby Left Me,’ (1950) and ‘So Glad You’re Mine,’ (1946.) Arthur Crudup was born into a family of migrant workers travelling through the South and Midwest, and spent his formative years singing ‘Gospel’ music. In 1926 he was taught to play the ‘Blues’ by a local called Papa Harvey, (1887-1989?) enabling him to later perform in dance halls and cafes. He began his career as a ‘Blues’ singer around Clarksdale, Mississippi, then joined the black Gospel quartet the ‘Harmonizing Four,’ eventually leaving to start a solo career in Chicago in 1940.

Arthur Crudup recorded for ‘RCA Records’ in the mid to late 1940’s, and with ‘Ace Records,’ ‘Checker Records,’ and ‘Trumpet Records,’ in the early 1950’s, recording as Arthur ”Big Boy” Crudup,’ ‘Elmer James,’ and ‘Percy Lee Crudup.’ He stopped recording in the 1950’s because of disputes over royalties, saying, ‘I realised I was making everybody rich, and here I was poor.’ He continued to sing, and supplemented his income by working as a labourer, he later returned to Mississippi and took up bootlegging. In 1968 the ‘Blues’ promoter Dick Waterman (1935-2024) began fighting for Crudup’s royalties, and reached an agreement in which Crudup would be paid $60,000, however, ‘Hill and Range Songs,’ from which he was supposed to get the royalties, refused to sign the legal papers at the last minute, because the company thought it could not lose more money in legal action. By 1971 Crudup had collected a little over $10,000 in overdue royalties, through the intervention of the ‘Songwriters Guild of America.’ Recognising his fortunes would not change, Crudup said in 1970, ‘I was born poor, I live poor, and I am going to die poor.’ Arthur Crudup issued four solo studio Albums, and two collaborative Albums between 1962-1994, and there are 30 official compilation Albums available. Three of his singles charted in the top 5 in 1945, on the Billboard ‘Race Records’ chart, which is now the ‘Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs’ chart.

‘That’s All Right’ was originally recorded by Arthur Crudup in Chicago, United States, on September 6th, 1946, it was re-released in early March 1949 by ‘RCA Victor,’ under the title ‘That’s All Right, Mama.’ ‘That’s All Right’ is one of the contenders for the never ending discussion about who actually recorded the first ever ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ song. The ‘Rock’ historian Joseph Burns, of Southeastern Louisiana University has said,’This song could contain the first ever guitar solo break.’ Some of the lyrics to ‘That’s All Right’ had been lifted by Crudup from previous ‘Blues’ songs, most notably the 1926 ‘Blues’ recording, ‘That Black Snake Moan,’ by Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1929.)

At the age of 19, Elvis Presley (see also best songs 954-664-442 and 194) recorded his version of ‘That’s All Right, Mama,’ for his very first single, on the ‘Sun Records’ label. The song failed to chart on either side of the Atlantic, but when it was re-issued for it’s 50 anniversary in 2004, it reached Number 3 in the UK. In 1956 Presley recorded ‘My Baby Left Me,’ another Arthur Crudup song, for the ‘B’ side of his single ‘”I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,’ which reached Number 1 on Billboard, and Number 14 in the UK. Elvis Presley said of Arthur Crudup,’Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said, if I ever got to the place I could feel all old Arthur felt, I’d be a music man like nobody ever saw.’ In 2004 the American music magazine the ‘Rolling Stone,’ argued that Elvis Presley’s recording of ‘That’s All Right’ was the first ever ‘Rock and Roll’ record, also in 2004 an article in the British daily newspaper ‘The Guardian,’ argues that rather than Elvis Presley’s version being one of the first records of ‘Rock and Roll,’ it was simply one of ‘the first white artists’ interpretations of a sound already well established by black musicians almost a decade before, a raucous, driving, unnamed variant of ‘Rhythm and Blues.’

‘Mama she done told me, Papa done told me too, son, that gal your foolin’ with, she ain’t no good for you. But, that’s all right, that’s all right, that’s all right now mama, anyway you do.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

607-The Stranglers-Duchess.

1979-Number 14 single.

Best Bit-At 1.33. Don’t take offence if your name is Rodney.

The Stranglers were formed in Guildford, Surrey, England, in 1974, by Jet Black, (1938-2022) (real name, Brian Duffy) (drums) who was joined by Hugh Cornwell, (vocals, and guitar) Jean-Jacques Burnel, (bass) and Hans Warmling (1943-1995) (keyboards.) Warmling left the group to return to his home country of Sweden within a year, and was replaced by Dave Greenfield, (1949-2020) (keyboards.) Hugh Cornwell left the band in 1990 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Paul Roberts, (vocals) and John Ellis (guitar.) The Stranglers, who originally started out life as ‘The Guildford Stranglers,’ were at first a ‘Punk Rock’ group, but have experimented with other musical genres over the course of their Albums, and remain active at the time of writing, with Jean-Jacques Burnel being the groups one constant.

The discography of The Stranglers includes 18 studio Albums released between 1977-2021, and 41 singles released within the same time period, there are also 28 official compilation Albums, and 16 live Albums available. In the UK, 13 of The Stranglers Albums have reached the top 40, with both ‘No More Heroes,’ (1977) and ‘Black and White,’ (1978) both peaking at Number 2. On the UK top 40 singles chart, The Stranglers have had 23 hits, with ‘Golden Brown,’ charting the highest at Number 2 in 1982.

Jet Black, a founding member of The Stranglers was born Brian John Duffy, on August 26th, 1938, in Ilford, Essex, England, he died from respiratory problems, on December 6th, 2022, at the age of 84. Prior to co-founding The Stranglers, Jet Black was a successful businessman, owning a fleet of ice cream vans, and an off-licence. In the mid 1970’s he decided to become a full time musician, and first met Hugh Cornwell of the band ‘Johnny Sox,’ after reading an advertisement in the British music weekly magazine ‘Melody Maker.’ Jet Black and Hugh Cornwell would work together in The Stranglers until Cornwell left the band in 1990, it is said that following the split, the pair did not keep in touch. Jet Black was The Stranglers drummer, and it was announced in 2007 on the groups website that he was was suffering from atrial fibrillation, (abnormal heart rhythm) and therefore would have to take a break from touring. He would perform sporadically over the next 11 years, before retiring in 2018.

Hugh Alan Cornwell, was born on August 28th, 1949, in Tufnel Park, North London, England, since leaving The Stranglers he has released 10 solo studio Albums between 1988-2022. Cornwell began his music career in the 1960’s playing bass in a band with Richard Thompson, who would later become a member of the Folk Rock band Fairport Convention. In the late 1960’s he moved to Sweden to study chemistry at the ‘Lund University,’ which was where he formed the group ‘Johnny Sox,’ who on returning to the UK in 1974, would eventually become The Stranglers. Hugh Cornwell has acted in a number of productions, in the early 1980’s he appeared in ‘Charlie’s Last Stand,’ with Bob Hoskins (1942-2014) at the Almeida Theatre, London, he has also appeared in the 1987 Peter Richardson directed film, ‘Eat the Rich,’ which was part of the award-winning BBC ‘Screen Two’ series, the successor to ‘Play for Today.’ Cornwell is also the author of six books between 1980-2020, including ‘Inside Information,’ (1980) which tells of the time he spent in ‘HM Prison Pentonville’ for drug possession, and ‘The Stranglers – Song by Song,’ (2001) which guides the reader through all of The Stranglers back catalogue.

‘Duchess’ was the first of three singles released from The Stranglers fourth studio Album ‘The Raven,’ from September 1979, with the songwriting credited to The Stranglers, and the production credited to The Stranglers, and Alan Winstanley (see also best songs 913 and 69.) ‘Duchess’ is a song about a girl who claims to be an heiress, but she has hit on hard times. She knows all of her family history, saying she descends from King Henry V111. When she was well to do, men from the lower classes would attempt to raise their profile by trying to court her, these chancers are known as ‘Rodney’s,’ of whom her parents would strongly disapprove.

‘Duch of the Terrace never grew up, I hope she never will. Says she’s an Heiress sits in her Terrace, says she’s got time to kill, time to kill. And the Rodney’s are queuing up, God forbid, and they all want to win the cup God forbid.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

608-Arctic Monkeys-Fluorescent Adolescent.

2007-Number 5 single.

Best Bit-At 0.09. Some good old plain, straight to the point talk, from Yorkshire folk.

The Arctic Monkeys were formed in Sheffield, England, in 2002, by Alex Turner, (lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards) Matt Helders, (drums) Jamie Cook, (guitar, and vocals) and Andy Nicholson, (bass, and backing vocals) Nicholson left the group after their first studio Album in 2006, and was replaced by Nick O’Mally, (bass guitar) and the quartet remain active at the time of writing. The Arctic Monkeys took their name from a band that Matt Helders father had played in during the 1970’s, evidently the name had been used on several occasions by other groups. Alex Turner has said, ‘He passed it down from generation to generation, like a recipe.’ The Arctic Monkeys are recognised as one of the first bands to come to the public’s attention via the Internet, with commentators suggesting that they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed. The group initially began to record demos, which grew to 18 tracks, which were eventually burned on to CD’s, and given away at gigs. A fan of the band filmed one of their gigs, and posted it on his website alongside the collection of demos, and unknown to the Arctic Monkeys, they were gaining popularity via a ‘MySpace’ site set up by their fans.

The discography of the Arctic Monkeys includes seven studio Albums released between 2006-2022, and 23 singles released between 2005-2022. In the UK the first six of their studio Albums all reached Number 1, with their seventh stalling at Number 2, while on the UK singles chart, 15 of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,’ (2005) and ‘When the Sun Goes Down,’ both reaching Number 1. In America on Billboard, they have never had a top 40 single, but all seven of their studio Albums have made the Billboard 200 Album top 30 chart.

‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ was the second of three singles released from the Arctic Monkeys second studio Album ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare,’ from April 2007. The songs music was co-written by all four band members, with the lyrics credited to Alex Turner, and Johanna Bennett, with the production being by James Ford, and Mike Crossey.

Alex Turner was born Alexander David Turner, on January 6th, 1986, in Sheffield, England, he has been named by some music critics as the best lyricist of the 21st Century. Among his musical influences, Turner cites the poetry of John Cooper Clarke (see also best songs 816) and the lyrics of the ‘Hip-Hop’ artists Roots Manuva, and Method Man (see also best songs 369 and 166.) Away from the Arctic Monkeys, Turner has released one solo Album, ‘Submarine,’ in 2011, and two studio Albums, and seven singles between 2008-2016, with his other group ‘The Last Shadow Puppets.’ Both of those studio Albums reached Number 1 in the UK, two of their singles made the UK top 40, with ‘The Age of the Understatement,’ (2008) peaking the highest at Number 9.

‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ was co-produced by James Ford, and Mike Crossey. James Ford is known for being a member of the English Electronic music duo ‘Simian Mobile Disco,’ as well as a member with Alex Turner in ‘The Last Shadow Puppets,’ he is one of the most sought after music producers of the 21st Century, with his productions including Albums by Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, and Blur. Mike Crossey is a Northern Irish record producer, and songwriter, who produced the Arctic Monkeys first EP ‘ Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys,’ he has also produced, and written for other acts, including ‘The 1975,’ ‘Imagine Dragons,’ and ‘Twenty One Pilots.’

The lyrics to ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ are credited to Alex Turner, and his then girlfriend Johanna Bennett, who would later go on to marry the Kings of Leon’s lead guitarist Matthew Followill, (see also best songs 551 and 106) in 2009. Johanna Bennett has said,’We were on holiday and had cut ourselves off from everything. We were in a really quiet hotel and didn’t watch TV or listen to that much music. So as not to drive each other mad we started messing around with these words like a game, singing them to each other. It’s great to think that it came from something we did for fun on holiday. It’ll always be a good memory for Alex and I. He doesn’t usually write lyrics with other people, though I think he enjoyed it. ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ is a song about ageing, and nostalgia for youth. It describes a woman who dreams of her youth, while her current life is unsatisfying, and boring.

‘You used to get it in your fishnets, now you only get it in your night dress. Discarded all the naughty nights for niceness, landed in a very common crisis.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

609-The Seekers-Georgy Girl.

1966-Number 3 single.

Best Bit-At 1.08. With sales in excess of 50 million records worldwide, The Seekers are Australia’s best ever selling artists before 1980.

The Seekers were an ‘Easy Listening,’ ‘Pop,’ and ‘Folk’ act, who were formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1962, they were active until 1968, but then members reformed in 1975, through until 1988, and then again in 1992, until the group were finally retired in 2022. In total there were 12 different members come and go, with the classic line up being recognised as the three founding members, Athol Guy, (double bass) Keith Potger, (twelve string guitar, and banjo) Bruce Woodley, (vocals, guitar, mandolin, and banjo) and Judith Durham, (1943-2022) (vocals, and piano) who joined the group soon after it’s formation. The Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described their style as ‘Concentrated on a bright, uptempo sound, although they were too ‘Pop’ oriented to be considered strictly ‘Folk,’ and too ‘Folk,’ to be ‘Rock.” The Seekers first disbanded in 1968, after Judith Durham left to pursue a solo career. Athol Guy went into politics, and was elected to the ‘Victorian Legislative Assembly,’ in a by-election on the 11th December, 1971, for ‘Gisborne,’ as a member of the Liberal Party. Bruce Woodley continued his career as a successful songwriter, and Keith Potger went on to form ‘The New Seekers’ in 1969. All four members would participate in the reformations of the group over the decades, as well as participating in the many re-union concerts.

The discography of The Seekers includes 12 studio Albums released between 1963-2019, and 40 singles released between 1963-2022, there are also 35 official compilations, and seven live Albums available. In Australia, 11 of their singles have reached that countries top 40, with three of those tracks, including ‘Georgy Girl,’ making the Number 1 spot. In the UK, they have had eight top 40 hits, with, I’ll Never Find Another You,’ (1964) and ‘The Carnival Is Over,’ (1965) both reaching Number 1, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, three of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Georgy Girl,’ peaking the highest at Number 2.

‘Georgy Girl’ was the only single released from The Seekers fifth studio Album, ‘Come the Day,’ which in North America, was re-titled ‘Georgy Girl,’ from 1966, the track was co-written by Tom Springfield, (1934-2022) (music) and Jim Dale, (lyrics) with the production being by Springfield. ‘Georgy Girl’ was used for the 1966 British romantic comedy film, also called ‘Georgy Girl,’ starring Lynn Redgrave, (1943-2010) Alan Bates, (1934-2003) Charlotte Rampling, and James Mason, (1909-1984.) The song is heard at both the beginning and the end of the film, with markedly different lyrics, to fit the films story line, many of the lyrics are not used on the commercially released 7 inch single, or Album version.

Tom Springfield was born Dionysius Patrick O’Brien, on July 2nd, 1934, in Hampstead, London, England, he died on July 27th, 2022, at the age of 88. In 1960 Tom Springfield joined forces with Tim Field, (1934-2016) and his sister Mary O’Brien, (1939-1999) who would later as Dusty Springfield (see also best songs 882 and 171) achieve international success as a solo singer, to form the British ‘Folk/Pop’ trio ‘The Springfields,’ who remained active until 1963, with Mike Hurst replacing Tim Field in 1962. Tom Springfield wrote several of The Springfields hits including ‘Island of Dreams,’ (UK Number 5-1962) before going on to write and produce many of The Seekers best known songs. After 1970, Springfield essentially retired from the music industry, as both a writer and performer. He formally changed his name by deed poll from Dionysius Patrick O’Brien, to Tom Springfield in 1977. It is said that he disliked being in the public eye, with his former Springfields member Mike Hurst describing him as ‘A recluse, a bohemian in the true sense,’ saying, ‘He led his life in a solitary way, doing what he wanted to do.’ Mike Hurst has also reflected on how little he knew of Tom and Dusty’s private lives while he was performing with them in the sixties. ‘I never felt I knew them well, there was always a distance. I had no idea back then that Tom and Dusty were both gay. They were naïve times, I just wasn’t really aware of such things.’

The song lyrics to ‘Georgie Girl’ were written by Jim Dale, who was born James Smith, on August 15th, 1935, in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, England. In the UK he is best known for his many appearances in the 31 ‘Carry On’ films between 1958-1992, while in America he is best known for narrating all seven of the ‘Harry Potter’ audio books. Jim Dale became a ‘Pop’ star at the age of 22, when becoming the first Pop singer to be produced by the legendary George Martin (1926-2016.) Dale had four top 40 UK hits, with ‘Be My Girl,’ charting the highest at Number 2 in 1957, but he always put his acting and comedy aspirations ahead of being a teen idol. In 2003, he was awarded the ‘MBE,’ as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for his work in promoting children’s English literature.

‘You’re always window shopping, but never stopping to buy. So shed those dowdy feathers and fly, a little bit, hey there, Georgy girl.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

610-Beastie Boys-(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)

1987-Number 11 single.

Best Bit-At 0.07. Back of the net!!

The classic line up of the Beastie Boys was Michael ‘Mike D’ Diamond, (vocals, drums, and programming) Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz, (vocals, and guitar) and Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch (1964-2012) (vocals, and bass.) Diamond had been part of an experimental ‘Hardcore Punk’ band called the ‘Young Aborigines,’ from 1978, and when one of the members dropped out, they were replaced by Adam Yauch in 1981, which was when the band changed their name to the ‘Beastie Boys,’ chosen by the then guitarist John Berry, (1963-2016.) Shortly after, Berry would leave the band, and be replaced by Adam Horovitz. This was the time that the Beastie Boys transitioned from ‘Punk,’ to ‘Rap/Rock,’ releasing their first ‘Hip-Hop’ single ‘Cooky Puss,’ in March 1983. It was also the final recording to feature their long term drummer Kate Schellenbach, as the band moved in a different direction. The trio would remain active through until the death of Adam Yauch in 2012, when the group was retired.

The discography of the Beastie Boys, who have sold in excess of 40 million records worldwide, includes eight studio Albums released between 1986-2011, and 40 singles released between 1983-2011, there are also five official compilation Albums available. In America the Beastie Boys were far more successful with their Album sales, than their singles, with Album sales in the States topping the 20 million mark, and four of their Albums reaching Number 1 on Billboard, with their debut studio Album ‘Licensed to Ill,’ in 1986 becoming the first ever ‘Rap’ Album to top the Billboard 200 Album chart. On Billboard three of their singles reached the top 40, with (‘You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!’) peaking the highest at Number 7. while in the UK, 13 of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Intergalactic,’ from 1998, charting the highest at Number 5.

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) was the fourth of seven singles released from ‘Licensed to Ill,’ the debut studio Album by the Beastie Boys from November 1986, the song was co-written by Adam Yauch, Adam Horovitz, and Rick Rubin, with the songs production also being by Rubin. Rick Rubin (see also best songs 977-305 and 55) was born Frederick Jay Rubin, on March 10th, 1963, in Long Beach, New York, United States, he is considered to be one of the most influential music producers of all time. In 1984 Rubin co-founded the ‘Def Jam Recordings’ record label with the American entrepreneur, and writer Russell Simmons, and the pair helped to popularise ‘Hip-Hop’ music, with the signing of artists, including Run-DMC, (see also best songs 305 and 113) Public Enemy, (see also best songs 578 and 37) and LL Cool J. It was Rick Rubin who was the major player in the fusing of ‘Rap,’ and ‘Heavy Metal’ music, that invented the genre of ‘Rap/Rock,’ Rubin had brought together the ‘Hip-Hop’ group Run-DMC, and the ‘Rock’ group Aerosmith to achieve the first ‘Rap/Rock’ hit ‘Walk This Way’ in 1986 (see also best songs 305.)

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) lyrically, actually started out life as a joke, a ‘mickey’ take on what Adan Yauch called ‘Dumb Rock songs.’ The Beastie Boys recorded the vocals as a joke, and Rich Rubin added the loud drums, and the guitar track, continuing with the joke. The Beasties made a video where they played along with the drunken party boy image that this song had created. Soon the Beastie Boys were superstars, thanks to their new fan base, It is ironic that the song which made the Beastie Boys superstars, was thanks to the new ‘fan base’ they had set out to parody.

‘Don’t step out of this house if that’s the clothes you’re gonna wear. I’ll kick you out of my home, if you don’t cut that hair. Your mom busted in and said, what’s that noise? Aw, mom you’re just jealous, it’s the Beastie Boys. You gotta fight for your right to party.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

611-David Essex-Hold Me Close.

1975-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 3.10. David Essex wasn’t just a pretty face, as far as teen idols go, he was probably the most talented.

David Essex was born David Albert Cook, on July 23rd, 1947, in Plaistow, Essex, England, which probably provides the clue as to where he took his stage name from. He is a singer, songwriter, and actor. His father Albert, worked on the docks in the East End of London, and his mother Olive, was a self-taught pianist, and an Irish Traveller. Just after his birth his father had to enter hospital due to bronchitis, leaving the family destitute, and he had to move with his mother into a ‘workhouse,’ and then later on into temporary housing. David Essex first became interested in music in his teens, playing drums in a local band called ‘China Plates,’ before becoming a singer. Prior to his breakthrough hit single in 1973, he had recorded 11 singles between 1965-1971, all of which had failed to make any impact on the charts. His first notable acting role, was the lead in the stage musical ‘Godspell,’ in 1971, at the age of 23. His major film breakthrough occurred in 1973, when he starred in the film ‘That’ll Be the Day,’ and wrote the song ‘Rock On,’ which played at the end of the film, and gave him his first hit single (UK-Number 3 & Billboard Number 5.) David Essex went on to appear in many more films, and also had roles in television series, including ‘Heartbeat,’ and ‘Eastenders.’ In the 1999 ‘New Years Honours,’ he was appointed an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) ‘for charitable services, especially to Voluntary Service Overseas.’

The discography of David Essex includes 26 studio Albums released between 1973-2013, and 68 singles released between 1965-2013, there are also 19 official compilation Albums, and five live Albums available. In the UK, 19 of his singles have reached the top 40, with both ‘Gonna Make You a Star,’ (1974) and ‘Hold Me Close,’ (1975) both making the Number 1 position. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, only ‘Rock On,’ from 1973, has reached the top 40, when peaking at Number 5. In 1989 the American actor and singer Michael Damian did a cover version of ‘Rock On,’ which reached Number 1 on Billboard, and also topped the chart in Canada as well.

‘Hold Me Close’ was the second of three singles released by David Essex from his third studio Album ‘All the Fun of the Fair,’ from 1975, the song was written by David Essex, with the production being by Jeff Wayne, who was born on July 1st, 1943, in New York City, United States. Jeff Wayne will always be best remembered for his 1978 Album ‘Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds,’ which is an ‘Album Musical’ adapted from the science-fiction novel ‘The War of the Worlds,’ (1898) by H. G. Wells, (1866-1946) in a ‘Rock Opera’ style with a Rock band, orchestra, and narrator. The Album features guest artists including, Justin Hayward, and Phil Lynott, (1949-1986) with the actor Richard Burton, (1925-1984) providing narration. David Essex provides lead vocals on two of the Albums 13 tracks. The Album is currently one of the 40 best selling Albums of all time in the UK, with sales in excess of 2.7 million, while worldwide it’s sales are in excess of 15 million copies. Jeff Wayne has written music for many films, and television programmes, and it is said that he has also written around 3,000 advertising jingles.

‘Hold Me Close’ is a commercial happy go lucky love song, and was released as the follow up single to the far more serious ‘Rolling Stone,’ (UK-Number 5.) David Essex has said,’It’s just a good-time song. ‘Rolling Stone’ stretched the market, and credibility started to sneak in with the music papers. So instead of coming out with something heavy that would have made me ‘solid, man,’ I thought it would be nice to come out with something journalists would really hate – and they did hate it.’

‘And if that road gets tougher, oh I love you. No I’ll let ya suffer, ’cause I love the things that you do. So hold me close, don’t let me go oh no, you and me, yes our love it will grow and grow, do you know. With your love light shining, every cloud has a silver lining, so hold me close, hold me close, hold me close, don’t let me go.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

612-Parliament-Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)

1976-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 3.57. If you ever attend a George Clinton concert, you will always hear the phrase, ‘Give up the Funk’ chanted, sometimes hundreds of times, starting with the audience imploring the band to take to the stage.

George Edward Clinton (see also best songs 340-143 and 26) was born on July 22nd, 1941, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States, alongside James Brown, (1933-2006) (see also best songs 880-612-340-143 and 88) and Sly Stone, (see also best songs 589) he is cited as one of the foremost innovators of ‘Funk’ music. George Clinton’s first professional foray into music was when forming a ‘Doo-Wop’ group in Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, in 1955 called ‘The Parliaments,’ who were initially inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers (see also best songs 250.) By the 1960’s ‘The Parliaments’ had developed a unique sound, based on the emerging styles of ‘Soul’ and ‘Funk’ music, and on occasions they would use quirky lyrics to enhance their songs. ‘The Parliaments’ were active between 1955-1969, releasing four Albums. They had one hit single called (‘I Wanna) Testify,’ which was co-written by George Clinton, and Deron Taylor, which reached Number 20 on the American Billboard Hot 100, and Number 23 in Canada in 1967. In total there were 13 different members come and go, with several staying in Clinton’s employment for many more years to come. In order to capitalise on the success of (‘I Wanna) Testify,’ George Clinton put together a group of touring musicians, but due to a contractual dispute he lost the rights to the name ‘The Parliaments,’ so he reformed, using the name ‘Funkadelic,’ in 1968 (see also best songs 340 and 26.) As the amount of newly recruited musicians grew, Clinton decided to form a second group to run concurrently alongside ‘Funkadelic,’ and this became the formation of ‘Parliament,’ (see also best songs 143) also in 1968.

Whereas ‘Funkadelic’ were more of a ‘Funk/Rock’ orientated group, ‘Parliament’ leaned more towards ‘R&B’ and ‘Psychedelic Soul,’ with both groups who were led by George Clinton, releasing several Albums and singles on a regular basis for more than a decade. The discography of Parliament includes 10 studio Album, with nine of them issued between 1970-1980, and a further one in 2018, they also released 20 singles between 1971-2018, and there are 11 official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, two of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker’) peaking the highest at Number 15, but it was on the Billboard ‘Hot R&B,’ chart, which in the 1970’s was called the ‘Best Selling Soul Singles’ chart, where Parliament had their greatest success, with 14 of their singles reaching the top 40, with ‘Flashlight,’ (1978) and ‘Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop’) (1978) both making the Number 1 spot. In the UK, Parliament never had a top 40 hit single.

‘Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker’) was the second of three singles released from Parliament’s fourth studio Album ‘Mothership Connection,’ from December 1975, the song was co-written by George Clinton, Jerome Brailey, and Bootsy Collins, (see also best songs 850-340-143 and 88) with the production being by Clinton. Jerome Brailey is a drummer, who was born on August 20th, 1950, in Richmond, Virginia, United States, he has played in both Parliament, and Funkadelic, and was one of the 15 other members of ‘Parliament-Funkadelic,’ who were inducted in to the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ in 1997.

‘Mothership Connection’ is one of the most critically acclaimed Albums of all time, especially in the genre of ‘Funk,’ and has gone on to sell in excess of one million copies in America. As well as featuring many members of Parliament on the Album, there were guest musicians as well, which included the horn players Maceo Parker (see also best songs 850-270-143 and 88) and Fred Wesley, (see also best songs 850-143 and 88) who had previously backed James Brown in the J.B.’s. ‘Mothership Connection’ is a concept Album on which George Clinton lets his imagination run wild. The Album is held together by a loose, escapist outer-space theme, of which George Clinton has said, ‘We had put black people in situations nobody ever thought they would be in, like the White House. I figured another place you wouldn’t think black people would be was in outer space. I was a big fan of Star Trek, so we did a thing with a pimp sitting in a spaceship shaped like a Cadillac, and we did all these James Brown-type grooves, but with street talk and ghetto slang. On it’s release ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine called the Album ‘A parody of modern Funk,’ and stated that ‘Unlike the Ohio Players (see also best songs 506)) or Commodores, the group refuses to play it straight. Instead, Clinton spews his jive, conceived from some cosmic Funk vision.’

‘You’ve got a real type of thing going down, gettin’ down, there’s a whole lot of rhythm going round. You’ve got a real type of thing going down, gettin’ down, there’s a whole lot of rhythm going round. Ow, we want the funk, give up the funk, ow, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

613-Basshunter and DJ Mental Theo’s Bazzheadz-Now You’re Gone.

2008-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 1.12. In 2010 Basshunter was a contestant in the seventh series of the British version of Celebrity Big Brother. One of the tasks he had to undertake was being locked in a room, and as a form of torture, he had to listen to this song all night being played on a loop.

Basshunter is the stage name of Jonas Erik Altberg, with the Swedish pronunciation being ˈjûːnas ˈêːrɪk ˈâltbærj.’ He was born on December 22nd, 1984, in Halmstad, Sweden, and is a singer, songwriter, music producer, and a DJ. Basshunter who took his stage name in reference to his musical style, and has described the name as ‘commercial and powerful,’ is an ‘Electronic Dance Music’ producer, making music in the genres of ‘Eurodance,’ ‘Trance,’ and ‘Electro/Pop.’ He began producing music at the age of 17, and promoted himself by posting his work mainly through the Internet for free download, on platforms such as chat channels and gaming websites. He recorded a YouTube video, entitled ‘Basshunter Tutorial,’ showing his recording process, the track from the video was covered over 200 times. Prior to his commercial breakthrough in 2006, he worked for several years as a DJ in Swedish clubs.

The discography of Basshunter, who has sold in excess of three million records worldwide to date, includes five studio Albums released between 2004-2013, and 30 singles released between 2004-2023, there are also two official compilation Albums available. In his native Sweden on ‘Sverigetopplistan,’ which is the official Swedish national record chart, Basshunter has had nine top 40 hit singles, with ‘Boten Anna,’ from 2006 reaching Number 1, while in the UK, seven of his singles have made the top 40, with ‘Now You’re Gone’ making the Number 1 spot.

‘Now You’re Gone’ was the first of five singles released from ‘Now You’re Gone – The Album,’ from July 2008, the track was co-written by Basshunter, (music) and DJ Mental Theo’s Bazzheadz, (lyrics) with the production credited to Basshunter, and Robert Uhlmann, who was born on March 14th, 1968, and is a Swedish music producer, who has worked with several other acts since 1995, including Sean Paul, Shaggy, and Dr Alban.

In 2006 Basshunter recorded the song ‘Boten Anna, for his second studio Album ‘LOL.’ The Swedish lyrics tell the story of a female ‘Internet Relay Chat’ user, who the narrator believes is a ‘bot,’ and then he later finds out that she is a beautiful woman, although she will always remain a ‘bot’ in his eyes. The song met with great success, reaching Number 1 in Sweden, and Denmark, and also becoming the first Swedish language song to reach Number 1 on the ‘Dutch top 40,’ in the Netherlands, on the chart compiled by ‘Stichting Nederlandse.’ In 2007 the Dutch music producer DJ Mental Theo’s Bazzheadz re-wrote the lyrics in English, completely changing the songs subject, to a story about a young couple breaking up. In the music video for ‘Now You’re Gone’ it is suggested that the couple reconcile, but there is no mention of this in the songs lyrics. Basshunter had been trying to translate the Swedish lyrics of ‘Botten Anna’ into English, but having failed to match anything to the melody, he teamed up with DJ Mental Theo’s Bazzheadz, and used his English lyrics, while retaining the original melody of ‘Boten Anna.’ On ‘Boten Anna’ it was Basshunter who provided the vocals, but on ‘Now You’re Gone,’ the vocals are those of Sebastian Westwood, who is unaccredited on the track.

DJ Mental Theo’s Bazzheadz, is the stage name of Theodorus Josephus Jan Nabuurs, who was born on February 14th, 1965, in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. He has released two solo studio Albums (in 2005 and 2006) to date, and 31 singles, between 2000-2021, with his only chart entry being in the Netherlands in 2008, with his track ‘Say You’ll Stay,’ featuring Sebastian Westwood, and reaching Number 21. DJ Mental Theo’s Bazzheadz was also part of the duo ‘Charly Lownoise and Mental Theo,’ who released five Albums between 1995-2006, and 31 singles between 1993-2022, the duo remained active, recording and touring, until 2022.

‘Now you’re gone, I realised my love for you was strong, and I miss you here now you’re gone. I keep waiting here by the phone, with your pictures hanging on the wall.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

614-Soundgarden-Black Hole Sun.

1994-Number 12 single.

Best Bit-At 1.54. Any amateur astronomers reading this, don’t panic, you haven’t got it wrong. There is a black hole, and there is a sun, but there is no black hole sun.

Soundgarden were formed in 1984, in Seattle, Washington, United States, by Chris Cornell, (1964-2017) (lead vocals, and guitar) Kim Thayil, (lead guitar) and Hiro Yamamoto, (bass) the groups drummer Matt Cameron joined full time in 1986. Hiro Yamamoto left in 1989, and was replaced Ben Shepherd (bass) in 1990, the other two official members were Scott Sundquist, (drums) from 1985-1986, and Jason Everman, (bass) between 1989-1990. Soundgarden remained active until 1997, but did reform in 2010-2018, and then again in 2019, after which the group was retired. They originally named themselves after a wind channelling pipe sculpture titled ‘A Sound Garden,’ which is to be found in the ‘National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’ property, next to ‘Magnuson Park,’ in Seattle. The music of Soundgarden can be filed under ‘Heavy Metal,’ ‘Alternative Metal,’ ‘Alternative Rock, and ‘Grunge,’ which they are considered to be one of the main originators of, along with their ‘Washington’ contemporaries Nirvana, (see also best songs 788 and 9) and Pearl Jam (see also best songs 458.)

The discography of Soundgarden, who have sold in excess of 30 million records worldwide, includes six studio Albums released between 1988-2012, and 24 singles released between 1987-2013, there are also six official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In America, Soundgarden have never had an entry on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, due to the fact that many of their songs didn’t receive a physical release, with the record companies, at that time, figuring that if the single wasn’t available, then the customer would buy the Album instead. Soundgarden did have great success on the Billboard ‘Alternative Airplay’ chart, which was formerly known as the ‘Modern Rock Tracks’ chart between 1988-2009, where 12 of their tracks made the top 40, with three of those songs including ‘Black Hole Sun’ peaking at Number 2. In the UK seven of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Black Hole Sun’ peaking the highest at Number 12.

‘Black Hole Sun’ was the third of five singles released from ‘Superunknown,’ which was the fourth studio Album by Soundgarden, from March 1994, the song was written by Chris Cornell, with the production credited to Michael Beinhorn, (see also best songs 623) and Soundgarden. ‘Black Hole Sun’ was something that the songs writer Chris Cornell had misheard. He was watching the news on television, and thought that he heard the newsreader say ‘black hole sun,’ but in fact he was really saying something else. Cornell so liked the phrase, and thought it would make a good title for a song. Cornell has said,’I wrote it in my head, driving home from Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, a 35-40 minute drive from Seattle.’ The songs lyrics are a mixture of Cornell’s thoughts at that time, written in an experimental manner, with more than one potential meaning. ‘Black Hole Sun’ was produced by Michael Beinhorn, who has recalled his reaction on first hearing the song.’I think for the rest of my entire life, until I draw my last breath, I’ll never ever forgot how I felt when they started playing that song. From the very first few notes, I felt like I’d been hit by a thunderbolt. I was just absolutely stunned. What in the world is this? I get goosebumps thinking about it now.’

Chris Cornell was born Christopher John Boyle, on July 20th, 1964, in Seattle, Washington, United States, he died on May 18th, 2017, by committing suicide, at the age of 52. Chris Cornell had struggled with depression for most of his life, and was found dead in his hotel room in the early hours of May 18, 2017, after performing at a Soundgarden concert an hour earlier, at the ‘Fox Theatre,’ in Detroit, Michigan, his death was ruled a suicide by hanging. Away from Soundgarden, Chris Cornell released five solo studio Albums between 1999-2020, and 19 singles within the same time period. He was also a member of the group ‘Temple of the Dog,’ who released one studio Album in 1991, and also a member of the group ‘Audioslave,’ who released three studio Albums between 2002-2006. His only solo charting single was ‘You Know My Name,’ which reached Number 7 in the UK in 2006. The song is the theme song of the 2006 ‘James Bond’ film ‘Casino Royale,’ and was performed by Cornell, who wrote and produced it jointly with the English film composer David Arnold, Following Chris Cornell’s death there were many tributes, including one from Alice Cooper, (see also best songs 427) who said,’Chris Cornell, in our circle, was known as ‘The Voice,’ because he had the best voice in Rock and Roll. I was lucky enough to write and record two songs with him. His death comes as a total shock to all of us. ‘Black Hole Sun’ will live on as a classic, and his is a true legacy of Rock and Roll.’

‘In my eyes, indisposed, in disguises no one knows. Hides the face, lies the snake, in the sun, in my disgrace. Boiling heat, summer stench, ‘neath the black the sky looks dead. Call my name through the cream, and I’ll hear you scream again.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

615-Queen-Seven Seas of Rhye.

1974-Number 10 single.

Best Bit-At 1.36. At the very end of the track, Queen sample a song from 1907. That is what you call a proper ‘Golden Oldie.’

Queen (see also best songs 918-208-126-47 and 3) were formed in London, England, in 1970, with the classic line up being Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) (lead vocals, piano) Brian May, (guitar, vocals) Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon, (bass) they remain active at the time of writing, with the current members being Brian May, and Roger Taylor. It was Freddie Mercury who suggested the name ‘Queen,’ the others were uncertain, but Mercury assured them, ‘It’s wonderful, dear, people will love it.’ It was also around that time that he decided to change his surname to Mercury, inspired by the line ‘Mother Mercury, look what they’ve done to me,’ from the song ‘My Fairy King,’ written by Freddie, and first appearing on Queen’s self titled debut studio Album, from 1973.

Queen are one of the best selling artists of all time, with sales in excess of 250 million records sold worldwide. The discography of Queen includes 15 studio Albums released between 1973-1995, and 73 singles issued between 1973-2023, there are also 16 official compilation Albums, and 10 live Albums available. In the UK they have had 55 top 40 singles, which includes two extended plays, (EP’s) and also being the featured artist, or with re-issues, with six of those tracks reaching the Number 1 position, including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 1975, and then again in 1991, when it was re-issued as a double ‘A’ side with ‘These Are the Days of Our Lives.’ In America on the Billboard Hot 100, they have had 12 top 40 hits, with both ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love,’ (1979) and ‘Another One Bites the Dust,’ (1980) both reaching Number 1.

‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ was the only single released from ‘Queen II,’ the second studio Album released by Queen, from March 1974, the song was written by Freddie Mercury, with the production credited to John Anthony, Roy Thomas Baker, and Queen. ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ had first appeared in instrumental form, at just 1.25 seconds, as the final track on Queen’s debut studio Album ‘Queen,’ from 1973, and when Freddie Mercury added lyrics, it was once again issued as the closing track, this time on ‘Queen II.’ At the very end of the track, the group break in to the old music hall song ‘I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside,’ which was written in 1907 by John Glover-Kind, (1880-1918) and first recorded by the English music hall comedian and singer Mark Sheridan, (1864-1918) in 1909. At the start of the opening track ‘Brighton Rock,’ from Queen’s third studio Album ‘Sheer Heart Attack, from 1974, someone can be heard whistling ‘I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside,’ over the opening bars of that song. ”I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside’ was probably used tongue in cheek by the band, as ‘Rye’ is a small town in East Sussex, England, with a beach near by.

Freddie Mercury let his imagination run wild on ‘Seven Seas of Rhye.’ He wrote the lyrics, basing them on a fantasy world he called ‘Rhye,’ that he had created with his younger sister ‘Kashmira Bulsara.’ Mercury and his sister had been brought up on the African island of Zanzibar, and had been educated in the ‘Zoroastrianism’ religion, which was founded in Iran, and this fuelled Mercury’s flights of fancy. The fantasy land of ‘Rhye’ was a theme running through other early recordings of Queen, including ‘Lily of the Valley,’ ‘My Fairy King,’ and ‘The March of the Black Queen.’

‘Seven Seas of Rhye,’ was the third single released by Queen, and their breakthrough hit, convincing Freddie Mercury, who had been working on a stall in London’s Kensington Market, that he could quit his day job and become a full time Pop star. Although Freddie Mercury is the only one given songwriting credit on ‘Seven Seas of Rhye,’ Brian May did actually write the guitar parts.

‘Fear me you Lords and lady preachers, I descend upon your earth from the skies. I command your very souls you unbelievers, bring before me what is mine, the Seven Seas of Rhye.’