THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

290-Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five featuring Melle Mel and Duke Bootee-The Message.

1982-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 3.44. This is the song that changed Rap music forever. Before this song MC’s only told people to take to the dance floor, and put their hands in the air.

‘The Message’ was the first ‘Hip-Hop’ song to provide a social commentary rather than the self congratulatory boasting, or party chants of earlier Hip-Hop. It’s influence cannot be stressed enough, as it paved the way for artists such as Public Enemy, (see also best songs 578 and 37) and N.W.A. (see also best songs 564 and 128.) In 2012 the American music ‘Rolling Stone Magazine’ named the song the greatest Hip-Hop song of all time.

The original demo of ‘The Message’ was written in 1980 by Edward ‘Duke Bootee’ Fletcher, (1951-2021) who at that time was employed as a songwriter at Sugar Hill Records. He took the demo which included his own Rap to Sylvia Robinson (1935-2011) (see also best songs 597-523-466-87 and 17) the co-founder of Sugar Hill Records, who asked Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to record it, (see also best songs 523 and 87) but they initially wanted nothing to do with it, Grandmaster Flash has said, ‘The subject matter wasn’t happy, It wasn’t no party sh#t, it wasn’t even some real street sh#t. We would laugh at it.’ With the group not wanting to record it Sylvia Robinson talked Melle Mel (see also best songs 523 and 85) of the Furious Five to perform the song with it’s writer Duke Bootee. Grandmaster Flash then had a change of mind and wanted to record the track, but Robinson refused. The only input on the song from Grandmaster Flash, (see also best songs 87) or the four other members of the Furious Five is at the end of the song, where they do a skit about being arrested by the police while stood on a street corner minding their own business.

As well as writing the majority of the songs lyrics ‘Duke Bootee’ also wrote the music, which unlike many ‘Hip-Hop’ tracks at the time didn’t have an up-tempo ‘Disco’ beat. ‘The Message’ has a ‘slow groove,’ and a reverberated synthesizer hook. Duke Bootee has said that he was influenced to write the music after hearing the songs ‘More Bounce to the Ounce’ by ‘Zapp’ from 1980, and ‘Genius of Love’ by ‘Tom Tom Club’ from 1981. The other songwriting credits on the song include Melle Mel who provided additional lyrics, and Clifton ‘Jiggs’ Chase, who was a producer at Sugar Hill Records, and also worked on this track, along with Sylvia Robinson.

The discography of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five includes two studio Albums, ‘The Message,’ from 1982, and ‘On the Strength,’ from 1988, they have also released 12 singles between 1979-1988, and there are 11 official compilation Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, surprisingly ‘The Message,’ which was also there only chart entry, stalled at Number 62, although six of their singles have made the Billboard ‘Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs’ top 40 chart. In the UK, the only top 40 hit single for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five is ‘The Message,’ which peaked at Number 8. The solo discography of Melle Mel includes one studio Album called ‘Muscles,’ from 2007, and a group Album called ‘On Lock,’ (2001) as part of ‘Die Hard,’ he has also been part of four collaborative Albums between 1984-2006. Melle Mel has also appeared on 48 singles between 1979-2015, either as part of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, as a solo artist, or in collaboration.

‘The Message’ was the third and final single released from the debut studio Album of the same name by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, from October 1982, the song was co-written by Duke Bootee, Melle Mel, Clifton ‘Jiggs’ Chase, and Sylvia Robinson, with the production being by Bootee and Robinson. Duke Bootee was born Edward Gernel Fletcher on June 6th, 1951, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States, he died on January 13th, 2021, of end-stage congestive heart failure, at the age of 69. Duke Bootee who wrote the majority of the lyrics for ‘The Message,’ also provided some of the Rap vocals on the track. He would later collaborate again with Melle Mel on the singles ‘Message II (Survival,’) (1982) and New York New York’ (1983.) After retiring from music in the early 1990’s Duke Bootee acquired a teaching certification and became an educator in New Jersey, and then later he became a professor of English at ‘Montclair State,’ and ‘Savannah State Universities.’ Clifton Jiggs’ Chase was born in 1940 in New Jersey, United States, he is a musician, composer, and record producer. During the 1980’s he was an in-house arranger and producer for Sugar Hill Records, (see also best songs 597-523-87 and 17) helping to propel the genre of ‘Hip-Hop’ music into the mainstream.

‘A child is born with no state of mind, blind to the ways of mankind. God is smilin’ on you, but he’s frownin’ too, because only God knows what you’ll go through.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

291-The Maytals-Monkey Man.

1969-Number 47 single.

Best Bit-At 0.47. This songs writer, and lead singer Toots Hibbert, is responsible for introducing the word ‘Reggae.’

Toots Hibbert was born Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert on December 8th, 1942, in May Pen, Colony of Jamaica, he died of COVID-19 during the pandemic in Jamaica, on September 11th, 2020, at the age of 77. In 2012 he was awarded the ‘Order of Jamaica,’ (OJ) which is the equivalent of a British Knighthood. The nickname ‘Toots’ (rhymes with newts) came from his older brother calling him ‘tuts’ when they were children. Toots Hibbert formed ‘The Maytals’ in 1962 with Henry ‘Raleigh’ Gordon, and Nathaniel ‘Jerry’ Mathias, as a vocal trio, in Kingston, Jamaica. According to Hibbert, ‘Maytals’ is a reference to the ‘Rastafari’ term for ‘do the right thing,’ but there have also been suggestions that the name was influenced by Hibbert’s hometown of ‘May Pen.’ The Maytals were initially a sought after vocal group, working with some of Jamaica’s top music producers such as Coxsone Dodd, (1932-2004) Byron Lee, (1935-2008) and Prince Buster (1938-2016) (see also best songs 734 and 139.) In the mid 1960’s the group was expanded, when musicians were added to the band, In total there have been 18 different group members come and go, with the band still active at the time of writing and performing as ‘Former members of The Maytals Band.’ They had originally started out as ‘The Maytals,’ which they were known as until 1972, when they became ‘Toots and the Maytals,’ until Hibbert’s death in 2020.

The discography of Toots and the Maytals includes 24 studio Albums released between 1964-2020, and 137 singles released between 1963-2021, there are also six extended plays, (EP’s) one box set, 21 official compilation Albums, and seven live Albums available. In the UK, they have never had a top 40 chart entry, but three of their singles have reached the top 100, ‘Monkey Man,’ (1969-Number 47) (54-46 Was My Number,’ (1970-Number 53) and ‘Reggae Got Soul’ (1976-Number 55.) Toots Hibbert has also had two solo singles chart in the UK, ‘Hard to Handle,’ (1989-Number 92) and ‘Broadway Jungle’ (2000-Number 77.)

In 1968 Toots Hibbert wrote a song called ‘Do the Reggay,’ which is widely credited as the genesis of the genre name ‘Reggae.’ Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960’s, strongly influenced by traditional Jamaican Folk music, as well as American Jazz, and R&B. Reggae evolved out of the earlier genres of ‘Mento,’ (see also best songs 390) ‘Ska’ (see also best songs 139) and ‘Rocksteady’ (see also best songs 420.) Toot Hibert has said, ‘There’s a word we used to use in Jamaica called ‘streggae.’ If a girl is walking and the guys look at her and say ‘Man, she’s streggae,’ it means she don’t dress well, she look raggedy. The girls would say that about the men too. This one morning me and my two friends were playing and I said, OK man, let’s do the reggay. It was just something that came out of my mouth. So we just start singing do the reggay, do the reggay, and created a beat. People tell me later that we had given the sound its name. Before that people had called it blue-beat and all kind of other things. Now it’s in the Guinness World of Records.’ Bob Marley (1945-1981) (see also best songs 618 and 56) said that the word Reggae came from a Spanish term for ‘the king’s music.’ In the liner notes of ‘To the King,’ which is a compilation of Christian Gospel Reggae, it suggests that the word Reggae was derived from the Latin ‘regi,’ meaning ‘to the king.’

‘Monkey Man’ was written by Toots Hibbert in 1969, with the production being by Leslie Kong, (1933-1971) (see also best songs 122) the song was recorded at the ‘Dynamic Studios,’ in Kingston, Jamaica, and issued on ‘Beverley’s Records’ in Jamaica, and ‘Trojan Records’ in the UK. Toots Hibbert who was a a multi-instrumentalist, is not only remembered as one of Reggae’s greatest artists, he was also ranked Number 71 in the American magazine ‘Rolling Stone’s’ ‘100 Greatest Singers of All Time’ in 2010. In his 2016 ‘The Rise of Reggae and the influence of Toots and the Maytals,’ Matthew Sherman wrote, ‘In the winter of 1968, the cool rocksteady beat gave way to a faster, brighter, more danceable sound. Reggae was born. Toots heralded the new sound with the seminal, complex groove monster ‘Do the Reggay’ advertising ‘the new dance, going around the town.’ Toots wanted ‘to do the Reggae, with you!’ From ’69 to ’71, Toots could do no wrong recording for Leslie Kong. With the consistent nucleus of musicians, the Beverley’s All-Stars (Jackie Jackson, Winston Wright, Hux Brown, Rad Bryan, Paul Douglas, and Winston Grennan) and The Maytals’ brilliant harmonising, Toots wrote and sang his unmistakable voice about every subject imaginable.’

‘Monkey Man’ has notable cover versions. There are two other charting versions in the UK, General Levy, (1993-Number 75) and Reel Big Fish (2003-Number 86.) In 1979 the British Ska revival band the Specials (see also best songs 924 and 372) recorded a version for their self titled debut studio Album, and in 2006 the British singer Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) (see also best songs 806) recorded the song for the Japanese edition of her second and final studio Album ‘Back to Black.’ In 2009, the Australian singer Kylie Minogue (see also best songs 928) and the Australian children’s music group the Wiggles recorded a version of the song to raise funds for ‘UNICEF.’

Monkey Man tells the tale of someone who has been dumped by his girlfriend, and has taken up with a big ugly brute of a man. In Jamaica a ‘Monkey Man’ is a slang word for a doorman, or a bouncer.

‘I see no sign of you, I only heard of you hugging up the big monkey man. Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, tell you baby, you’re hugging up the big monkey man.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

292-Foo Fighters-Everlong.

1997-Number 18 single.

Best Bit-At 1.29. David Grohl (see also best songs 999-788 and 9) is down on record as saying that one of his musical influences was the Scottish boy band ‘The Bay City Rollers.’ I honestly don’t know if he is pulling our legs or not.

David Eric Grohl was born on January 14th, 1969, in Warren, Ohio, United States. At the age of 13 he attended his first concert, where he was totally converted to ‘Punk Rock’ music, after seeing the American Punk band ‘Naked Raygun’ play live. While in high school he played guitar in several local bands, but switched to percussion, after teaching himself to play the drums. Grohl has said that he learned to play the drums by listening to the Canadian Rock band ‘Rush,’ of whom he names ‘Rush’ drummer Neil Pearl (1952-2020) as an early influence. He has also stated that Led Zeppelin (see also best songs 135 and 66) drummer John Bonham (1948-1980) is his greatest influence, and has Bonham’s ‘three-rings symbol’ tattooed on his right shoulder.

It was in 1990 that Dave Grohl was mutually introduced to Kurt Cobain, (1967-1994) and Krist Novoselic, of the ‘Grunge Rock’ group Nirvana, (see also best songs 788 and 9) Grohl has recalled, ‘I remember being in the same room with them and thinking, ‘What? That’s Nirvana? Are you kidding?’ Because on their record cover they looked like psycho lumberjacks. I was like, ‘What, that little dude and that big motherf#cker? You’re kidding me.’ Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic were looking for a drummer and Grohl soon joined them. It was during his four year tenure with Nirvana that Grohl wrote the songs that would eventually become the Foo Fighters debut self titled studio Album, Grohl has said that he was in awe of Kurt Cobain’s songwriting and felt that the songs that he had written were not suitable to the sound that Nirvana were recording, which is why he didn’t record and release them until after the demise of Nirvana.

Post Nirvana, David Grohl went into the studio and recorded a 15 track demo, on which he played every instrument, with the exception of a single guitar part on the song ‘X-Static,’ which was played by Greg Dulli of the American Rock band ‘Afghan Whigs.’ After passing the demo around a bidding war began, with Grohl signing to ‘Capitol Records’. Grohl did not wish to be known as a solo artist so recruited three band members, but the debut studio Album called ‘Foo Fighters’ from 1995, only featured the playing on it of Grohl. David Grohl chose the bands name from the UFO’s, and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War II. In total there have been nine different official members of the Foo Fighters come and go since their forming in 1994, and at the time of writing they remain active.

The discography of the Foo Fighters includes 11 studio Albums released between 1995-2023, and 57 singles released within the same time period, there are also 14 extended plays, (EP’s) four official compilation Albums, and one live Album available. In America on the Billboard 200 Album chart all of their studio Albums have reached the top 40, with ‘Wasting Light,’ (2007) and ‘Concrete and Gold,’ (2017) both making the Number 1 position, while three of their singles have reached the Billboard Hot 100, with ‘Best of You’ peaking the highest at Number 18 in 2005. ‘Everlong’ failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but several of their singles have charted on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, and the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. In the UK all of the Foo Fighters studio Albums have reached the top 10, with six of them making the Number 1 position, while they have had 20 top 40 hit singles, with ‘Best of You’ peaking the highest at Number 4.

‘Everlong’ was the second of three singles released from the Foo Fighters second studio Album ‘The Colour and the Shape,’ (see also best songs 999) from May 1997, the song was written by Dave Grohl, and produced by Gil Norton (see also best songs 904 and 490.) ‘Everlong’ was written soon after the breakup of Grohl’s first marriage to Jennifer Youngblood. He wrote the lyrics after falling for Louise Post of the American Alternative Rock band Veruca Salt, she can be heard singing backing vocals on the track. Grohl wanted Louise Post to sing the ‘doo-doos,’ which were inspired by Veruca Salt’s 1996 track ‘Shimmer Like A Girl,’ As Post was in Chicago at the time, her vocals were done through two different telephone lines in the studio calling her, one connected as her monitor, the other for recording. Louise Post has said, ”I sang these back-ups over the phone at 2.0 a.m, after being woken up from a deep sleep in Chicago by DG who was tracking the vocals for ‘Everlong’ in L.A. He wanted me to sing the doo-doo’s. While I was at it, I wrote a harmony for the chorus and sang that too.’

On the songs meaning David Grohl has said, ‘It’s about a girl that I’d fallen in love with, and it was basically about being connected to someone so much, that not only do you love them physically and spiritually, but when you sing along with them you harmonise perfectly.’

‘And I wonder when I sing along with you, if everything could ever feel this real forever. If anything could ever be this good again. The only thing I’ll ever ask of you, you’ve got to promise not to stop when I say when.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

293-Hank Mizell-Jungle Rock.

1958-It did not chart until it was re-released in 1976, when reaching Number 3.

Best Bit-At 0.10. It took 18 years for this song to become a hit, so it appears that the ‘Jungle Drums’ were communicating very slowly.

Hank Mizell was born William M. Mizell, on November 9th, 1923, in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, he died on December 23rd, 1992, at the age of 69. After joining the United States Army, and serving in the Second World War, Mizell decided to take up singing professionally in a band that included a guitarist named Jim Bobo. Mizell got a job in Montgomery, Alabama, singing regularly on a local radio station, which was where one of the presenters nicknamed him ‘Hank,’ after the Country singer Hank Williams (1923-1953) (see also best songs 555.) In 1958 Hank Mizel and Jim Bobo were approached by a local Country vocalist called Gene Parsons, (not to be confused with the drummer in the Byrds) who had just set up his own record label called ‘Eko Records,’ the duo recorded three songs for the label, including ‘Jungle Rock.’ Although ‘Jungle Rock’ made no impression with the record buying public, it did receive favourable reviews from the Billboard magazine which wrote, ‘A persistent jungle blues item, would make good swingin’ dance fare.’ Some eight months later after the song had come to the attention of an employee at the ‘King Records’ label, the song was re-issued, but once again failed to make any real impact. Hank Mizel and Jim Bobo continued playing live together until 1962, until it was no longer financially viable. Mizel was now married, and also had four children to support, and he took the decision to give up music, and become a preacher for the Church of Christ.

In 1971 unbeknown to Hank Mizell, ‘Jungle Rock’ was one of the tracks reissued on a Dutch bootleg compilation Album called ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll, Vol 1,’ it had been issued by the Dutchman Cees Klop (-2017) who was a collector of rare 1950’s Rock ‘N’ Roll. Some of the early ‘Eko Records’ recordings of ‘Jungle Rock’ has mistakenly credited Jim Bobo with being the songs writer, and Klop took that information, and Bobo was credited as the songs writer on the Album. The Album came to the attention of the British DJ Roy Williams, who started playing ‘Jungle Rock,’ this led to ‘Charly Records’ who specialised in reissuing old songs releasing it in the UK in 1976. The song went on to reach Number 3 in the UK, Number 27 in Germany, Number 9 in Sweden, Number 2 in Belgium, Number 1 in the Netherlands. Hank Mizell who was now 53 years old had no idea that ‘Jungle Rock’ had become a European hit some 18 years after he first recorded it. The British flagship music programme ‘Top of the Pops,’ had to use their in house dancers ‘Pans People’ to perform the song when it first charted, but Mizell was finally tracked down in Tennessee, and was persuaded to come over to England and perform the song on the show, he also appeared on the Dutch music programme ‘Toppop.’

The discography of Hank Mizell includes one Album called ‘Jungle Rock,’ released in 1976, which only charted in Sweden, reaching Number 36, the Album was hastily put together from Mizell’s old material, and some covers. There are also 14 single available, (including four re-issues of Jungle Rock) released between 1958-2014, of which only ‘Jungle Rock’ has charted within any top 40 chart, although that songs follow up release ‘Kangaroo Rock,’ also in 1976, did reach Number 59 in the UK.

‘Jungle Rock’ is a ‘Rockabilly’ track. ‘Rockabilly’ (see also best songs 664) is one of the earliest styles of ‘Rock and Roll’ music. It dates back to the early 1950’s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as ‘Country’ with that of ‘Rhythm and Blues,’ The term ‘Rockabilly’ is a blend of the word ‘Rock’ from ‘Rock ‘N Roll,’ and ‘Hillbilly,’ which is a reference to the ‘Country music’ often called ‘Hillbilly music’ from the 1940’s and 1950’s, that contributed strongly to the style. Defining features of the ‘Rockabilly’ sound included strong rhythms, boogie woogie piano riffs, vocal twangs, doo-wop acapella singing, and common use of the tape echo. The genre peaked in popularity in the late 1950’s, due to artists of the calibre of Carl Perkins, (1932-1998) (see also best songs 664) Elvis Presley, (1935-1977) (see also best songs 954-664-442 and 194) Johnny Burnette, (1934-1964) and Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022) (see also best songs 362 and 99.) There were numerous amounts of musicians who recorded songs in the Rockabilly style, and many record companies were eager to release Rockabilly records. Some enjoyed major chart success and were important influences on future Rock musicians.

On March 21st, 1997 the ‘Rockabilly Hall of Fame’ was established by Bob Timmers, to present early Rock and Roll history and information relative to the original artists and personalities involved in the ‘Rockabilly’ music genre. It was headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2000 an International ‘Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame’ and Museum’ was established in Jackson, Tennessee, and in recent years, the works of both ‘Halls of Fame’ have been absorbed.

‘Oh well the fox grabbed the rabbit and they hit the bunny hug, and all the beasts that fly was a cutting the rug.Oh well the camel was a jitter buggin’ with a kangaroo, and the elephant, the mover with the ring-ding-oo.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

294-Clash-The Call Up.

1980-Number 40 single.

Best Bit-At 0.16. The song opens and closes with a U.S. Marines traditional call and response marching, or running song, which was provided by Band Sgt. Dave Yates, who was drafted in for his appearance.

The Clash (see also best songs 638) were formed in 1976, in London, England, before coming together the bands future members had been active in the London music scene. The classic line up of the Clash, three of whom played on this track, were Joe Strummer, (1952-2002) (lead vocal, and rhythm guitar) Mick Jones, (lead guitar) (see also best songs 867) and Nicky ‘Topper’ Headon, (drums) Paul Simonon (bass guitar) wasn’t available at the time, and the bass guitar on the track was played by Norman Watt-Roy (see also best songs 150.) Headon left the band in 1982, and Mick Jones left in 1983, the group remained active until 1986, with six other members coming and going in that 10 year period.

The discography of the Clash includes six studio Albums released between 1977-1985, and 31 singles released between 1977-1991, there are also two extended plays, (EP’s) four box sets, nine official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In the UK, all of their studio Albums have reached the top 20, with ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope,’ (1978) and ‘Combat Rock,’ (1982) both peaking the highest at Number 2, while 16 of their singles have made the top 40, with the 1991 re-release of their 1982 Number 17 hit ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ reaching the Number 1 position. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, three of their studio Albums have reached the top 40, with ‘Combat Rock’ peaking the highest at Number 7, while two of their singles have made the Billboard Hot 100 top 40, ‘Train in Vain,’ (1979-Number 23) and ‘Rock the Casbah’ (1982-Number 8.)

‘The Call Up’ was the first of three singles released from ‘Sandinista!’ the fourth studio Album by the Clash, from December 1980. ‘The Call Up’ like all the other original tracks on ‘Sandinista!’ has the songwriting credited to all four members of the Clash at that time, their three previous Albums had just credited only Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. ‘Sandinista!’ was a triple Album containing 36 tracks, with six on each side. In order for the record label to agree to such a large release, the Clash had to compromise by forgoing any royalties on the first 200,000 copies sold in the UK, and a 50% cut in royalties elsewhere. Joe Strummer had been unhappy that ‘CBS’ records had rejected their previous Album ‘London Calling’ (1979) being released as a double Album, and said, ‘It was doubly outrageous, actually it was triply outrageous.’ Mick Jones said, ‘I always saw it as a record for people who were, like, on oil rigs, or Arctic stations, people that weren’t able to get to the record shops regularly.’ The Albums title ‘Sandinista!’ refers to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, who are a socialist political party. Its members are called Sandinistas. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, (1895-1934) who led the Nicaraguan resistance against the United States occupation of Nicaragua in the 1930’s. On ‘Sandinista!’ The Clash continued to expand their exploration of musical genres including ‘Funk,’ ‘Reggae,’ ‘Jazz,’ ‘Gospel’ ‘Rockabilly ‘Folk,’ ‘Dub,’ ‘Rhythm and Blues,’ ‘Calypso,’ ‘Disco,’ and ‘Rap.’ In 2020 it was ranked Number 323 on the American monthly music magazine ‘Rolling Stone’ list of ‘The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.’

Joe Strummer was born John Graham Mellor, in Ankara, Turkey, on August 21st, 1952, he died of a heart attack due to an undiagnosed congenital defect, on December 22nd, 2002, at the age of 50. In January 2003 he was posthumously inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ along with four other members of the Clash. In his remembrance, his friends and family established the ‘Joe Strummer Foundation’ a non-profit organisation that gives opportunities to musicians, and supports projects around the world that create empowerment through music. It was in 1975 that he adopted the stage name ‘Joe Strummer,’ subsequently insisting that his friends call him by that name. The surname ‘Strummer’ apparently referred to his role as a rhythm guitarist in a self-deprecating way. Joe Strummer has said that he developed a love of ‘Rock’ music by listening to records by Little Richard, (1932-2020) (see also best songs 521) the Beach Boys, (see also best songs 930-811-180 and 74) and Woody Guthrie (1912-1967.)

On April 3rd, 1976, the then-unknown Sex Pistols (see also best songs 576-92 and 27) opened for the ‘101ers,’ who Joe Strummer was a member of, at a venue called the ‘Nashville Room’ in London. Strummer recalled, ‘I knew something was up, so I went out in the crowd which was fairly sparse. And I saw the future, with a snotty handkerchief, right in front of me. It was immediately clear. Pub rock was, ‘Hello, you bunch of drunks, I’m gonna play these boogies and I hope you like them.’ The Pistols came out that Tuesday evening and their attitude was, ‘Here’s our tunes, and we couldn’t give a flying fu#k whether you like them or not. In fact, we’re gonna play them even if you fu#king hate them.’ Within three months the Clash had been formed, and made their debut performance on July 4th, 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols at the ‘Black Swan’ nightclub in Sheffield, England.

‘The Call Up’ is a song about ‘The Draft,’ and war in general. It also tells of things that a soldier may miss out on, ‘There is a rose that I want to live for.’

‘All the young people down the ages, they gladly marched off to die. Proud city fathers used to watch them, tears in their eyes.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

295-Art Shaw and his Orchestra-Begin The Beguine.

1938-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 2.29. The songs author Cole Porter christened the dance that is performed to this song, he called it ‘The Beguine.’

Artie Shaw was born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky on May 23rd, 1910, in New York City, United States, he died on December 30th, 2004, at the age of 94, having been in ill health for sometime. The specific cause of death was never made public, but he had been a long term sufferer from diabetes. Artie Shaw who is probably best remembered as one of Jazz’s finest clarinettists, was one of the United States most popular band leaders in the late 1930’s, through to the early 1940’s. Between 1936-1946, he had 44 songs chart on Billboard, with four of them reaching the Number 1 spot, including ‘Begin The Beguine,’ Although having been successful prior to recording ‘Begin The Beguine,’ it was that song which propelled Artie Shaw to stardom. Shaw soon grew tired of of playing ‘mainstream’ music, and was keen to experiment, his blending of ‘Jazz’ and ‘Classical’ music, was later coined in 1957 by the American composer Gunther Schuller (1925-2015) as ‘Third Stream’ music. Artie Shaw eventually grew tired of being a major celebrity, and professional musician, and completely retired from music in 1954. He once said that he got sick of having to play ‘Begin The Beguine’ 500 times a year.

Artie Shaw who received a ‘Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 2004, had the honorific title of ‘King of the Clarinet’ bestowed upon him by his fans in response to Benny Goodman’s (1909-1986) nickname, the ‘King of Swing.’ Artie Shaw said that the titles should be reversed, ‘Benny Goodman played clarinet. I played music,’ By his own admission Artie Shaw was a ‘very difficult man.’ He was married eight times, including to the America actress Lana Turner (1921-1995) in 1940, Betty Kern (1913-1996) the daughter of Jerome Kern between 1942-1943, and the American actress Ava Gardner (1922-1990) between 1945-1946. Both Lana Turner, and Ava Gardner later described Shaw as being extremely emotionally abusive. He often publicly threatened his wives, promising to ‘teach them a lesson later on’ if they did not ‘shut their yapper.’ His controlling nature and incessant verbal abuse drove Turner to have a nervous breakdown, soon after which she divorced him.

It was the American composer Cole Porter (1891-1964) (see also best songs 944-655 and 73) who wrote the music and the lyrics to ‘Begin The Beguine’ during a 1935 Pacific cruise between Kalabahi, Indonesia, and Fiji. Cole Porter got the idea for the song, and invented the word ‘Beguine’ after watching people perform a dance he had never seen before which was similar to a ‘Rhumba.’ ‘Begin The Beguine’ was first performed in October 1935 by the American actress June Knight (1913-1987) in the Broadway Musical ‘Jubilee,’ but didn’t become a major hit until Artie Shaw recorded it in 1938. The song was initially issued as the ‘B’ side to ‘Indian Love Call,’ on August 17th, 1938, as ‘Art Shaw and His Orchestra.’ and it was the songs ‘swing’ arrangement by Artie Shaw, and Jerry Gray (1915-1976) which caught the public’s imagination.

Jerry Gray was born Generoso Graziano on July 3rd, 1915, in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States, he died on August 10th, 1976, at the age of 61. In 1936 Jerry Gray joined the Artie Shaw orchestra as lead violinist, within a year under the tutelage of Shaw he had become a musical arranger. In November 1939 Artie Shaw broke up his band and moved to Mexico. The next day, Glenn Miller (1904-1944) (see also best songs 808-321 and 146) called Gray and offered him a job arranging for his band. In later years Jerry Gray said, ‘To me, Glenn’s band didn’t swing like Artie’s., but after I made up my mind to accept things as they were, things started to click. He was a businessman who appreciated music, I may have been happier musically with Artie, but I was happier personally with Glenn.’ During World War II Gray toured with Miller entertaining the troops as the chief arranger for the ‘Miller’s Band of the Training Command,’ which was later known as the ‘Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra.’ In 1953 Jerry Gray and Henry Mancini (1924-1994) (see also best songs 45) worked on the film ‘The Glenn Miller Story,’ starring James Stewart, (1908-1997) and June Allyson (1917-2006.)

Like many songs on this ‘1000 Best Songs’ list ‘Begin The Beguine’ has been recorded numerous times by many of the worlds top artists down the decades. The song featured in the 1940 musical film ‘Broadway Melody of 1940,’ with Fred Astaire (1899-1987) (see also best songs 385) and Eleanor Powell (1912-1982) dancing to it, with a Flamenco choreography. Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) (see also best songs 877-567-469-120 and 73) took his version of the song to Number 23 on Billboard in 1946, and Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) (see also best songs 944-702-286-231 and 100) included the song on her ‘Verve’ release ‘Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook’ in 1956. The most successful charting version of ‘Begin The Beguine’ in the UK is the recording by Julio Iglesias which made Number 1 in 1981. Apart from the opening line which is sung in English, the rest of the song is sung in Spanish. Iglesias wrote new lyrics, and the music was based on a ‘Disco’ version recorded by Johnny Mathis (see also best songs 706) from 1979. When Julio Iglesias took his version to Number 1 it became the first Spanish language song to top the UK chart, and Iglesias became only the second Spanish artist to reach Number 1, the first being ‘Baccara’ in 1997 with ‘Yes Sir I Can Boogie.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

296-Pink-Get the Party Started.

2001-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 0.10. At the age of 14, she chose the stage name ‘Pink,’ she had already had that as a nickname for quite sometime, calling herself after the character ‘Mr Pink’ in Quentin Tarantino’s film ‘Reservoir Dogs’ (see also best songs 524.)

‘Pink’ was born Alecia Beth Moore on September 8th, 1979, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States, with sales in excess of 100 million records, she is one of the best selling artists of all time. At the age of 16 she formed an R&B girl group called ‘Choice’ with two others. A copy of their debut single ‘Key to My Heart’ was sent to L.A.Reid of ‘LaFace Records’ who signed them in 1995, but by 1998 Reid gave Pink an ultimatum, go solo or go home.’ Pink’s debut solo Album ‘Can’t Take Me Home,’ from 2000, was recorded in the R&B genre, eventually selling over two million copies in America, and producing three top 40 singles on both sides of the Atlantic. Even with this great initial success Pink wasn’t happy with the direction her career was going in, as she saw herself more of a ‘Rock’ artist that an ‘R&B’ artist. Pink has spoken about the danger of changing musical genres, ‘I knew the risk involved. I’d seen artists change styles and fail miserably, but I’ve also seen artists change and continue to do well. That’s why Madonna (see also best songs 774 and 587) has always been an inspiration for me. I told him (L.A. Reid) I had faith in my ability and I was willing to take the chance. And I have so much respect for him, [Reid] because he turned around during that meeting. By the end, he said, “OK, let’s do it” Pink obviously made the right decision as her second studio Album ‘Missundaztood’ has gone on to sell in excess of 12 million copies worldwide.

The discography of Pink includes nine studio Albums released between 2000-2023, and 59 singles released within the same time period, there are also six official compilation Albums, one live Album, and a collaborative Album called ‘You+Me,’ recorded with the Canadian musician Dallas Green as ‘Rose Ave.’ in 2014. In America on Billboard, three of her studio Albums have reached Number 1 on the ‘Billboard 200 Album’ chart, while she has had 24 top 40 hits on the ‘Billboard Hot 100,’ with four of those tracks making the Number 1 position, while ‘Get the Party Started’ reached Number 4. In the UK, Pink has achieved four Number 1 Albums, while 38 of her singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Lady Marmalade’ with Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and Mýa, (2001) ‘Just Like a Pill,’ (2002) and ‘So What,’ (2008) all making Number 1.

‘Get the Party Started’ was the first of four singles released from ‘Missundaztood,’ the second studio Album from Pink, from November 2001, the song was written and produced by Linda Perry, who was born on April 15th, 1965, in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. In 1989 Linda Perry was asked to join the all female group (at that time) ‘4 Non Blondes,’ In 1992 they released their only studio Album ‘Bigger, Better, Faster, More!’ which included the Linda Perry penned song ‘What’s Up? which would prove a worldwide hit, reaching Number 2 in the UK, and Number 14 on Billboard in America. Perry left ‘4 Non Blondes’ in 1994 citing creative disagreements between herself and the band, and also that her sexuality had a part to play in her tensions with the group.

Before meeting Pink, Linda Perry released two solo studio Albums in 1996, and 1999, there has since been a further one in 2015. In 2000 she changed her style of songwriting, acquiring recording equipment, including a ‘TASCAM DA-88’ recorder, and ‘Roland and Korg Triton’ synthesizers, and taught herself to use them, writing her first dance song, ‘Get the Party Started,’ in the process. She sent the song to Madonna’s manager Guy Oseary, who turned it down. Shortly after, Pink who had as a teenager been a big fan of ‘4 Non Blondes’ approached Perry for assistance in her change of musical style, seeking production and songwriting assistance on her second Album, ‘Missundaztood.’ Linda Perry co-wrote and produced much of the Album, including full writing credits for the songs ‘Lonely Girl,’ and ‘Get the Party Started.’ In 2015 Linda Perry was inducted into the ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame.’

‘Get the Party Started’ was written by Linda Perry as an experiment to see if she could write something in a completely different style to what she had previously done. As well as using different instruments, she also wrote the songs lyrics, deliberately using every party cliche she could think of. In 2006 the Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey (see also best songs 441) covered the song for the Marks & Spencer Christmas television advertising campaign. It was later released as a single in 2007, and reached Number 47 in the UK, giving Bassey her 33rd charting song since ‘The Banana Boat Song (Day-O’) had made Number 8 in 1957. This made Shirley Bassey the first female artist in the UK chart to have had chart entry’s spanning over a 50 year period.

‘Pumpin’ up the volume, breakin’ down to the beat, cruisin’ through the Westside, we’ll be checkin’ the scene.Boulevard is freakin’ as I’m comin’ up fast, I’ll be burnin’ rubber, you’ll be kissin’ my ass.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

297-Swing Out Sister-Where in the World.

1989-Number 47 single.

Best Bit-At 4.14. They took their name from the title of an obscure 1945 musical movie called ‘Swing Out Sister,’ They claim they chose the name because it was the only one they could all agree on, in that they all hated it.

Swing Out Sister are a ‘Pop,’ ‘Jazz,’ and ‘Sophisti-Pop’ group who were formed in 1985, in Manchester, England, by Andy Connell, (keyboards) and Martin Jackson, (drums) prior to joining forces Andy Connell had performed in other bands, with the highest profile being the Manchester based Post Punk band ‘A Certain Ratio.’ Martin Jackson had also been in other bands, most notably ‘Magazine,’ who were another Post Punk band, also from the Manchester area. The pair recorded demo’s for ‘Phonogram Records,’ who insisted that they added vocals to their Electronic based music, and they turned to the Soul singer Diane Charlemagne (1964-2015.) Due to contractual problems Charlemagne was unable to officially work with the pair, so they approached Corinne Drewery whom they had first met in 1984, to become the groups vocalist, Drewery had previously been a fashion designer. Martin Jackson stayed with Swing Out Sister for the release of their debut Album ‘It’s Better to Travel,’ although he is credited with co-writing two of the tracks on the bands second Album ‘Kaleidoscope World’. Since Jackson’s departure Swing Out Sister have been a duo, but have brought in several high profile musicians to perform with them in the studio, and when performing live.

The discography of Swing Out Sister includes 10 studio Albums released between 1987-2017, and 23 singles released between 1985-2007, there are also 13 official compilation Albums and two live Albums available. In the UK, all of the first three of their studio Albums have reached the top 40, with their debut ‘It’s Better to Travel’ making the Number 1 position, also in the UK, six of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Breakout,’ from 1986, peaking the highest at Number 4. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, two of their singles have reached the top 40, ‘Breakout,’ (1986-Number 6) and ‘Twilight World,’ (1987-Number 31) while ‘Where in the World’ failed to chart within the top 100. Swing Out Sister have also released other various live, compilation, or remix albums, some of which are only available in certain regions of the world.

‘Where in the World’ was the second of four singles released from Swing Out Sister’s second studio Album ‘Kaleidoscope World,’ from May 1989, the song was co-written by Corinne Drewery, and Andrew Connell, with the production being by Paul Staveley O’Duffy. Their debut studio Album ‘It’s Better to Travel’ had been recorded with mainly Electronic instruments, but ‘Kaleidoscope World’ was recorded with the addition of an Orchestra, making for a retro sounding sophisticated ‘Easy Listening’ sound. This sound would be continued throughout the duo’s career. Their music is heavily influenced by the ‘Easy Listening’ genre of the 1960’s, (see also best songs 419) you could say they were the Burt Bacharach and Hal David of the 1980’s (see also best songs 902-832-815-740-644 and 224.) Notable musicians who performed on ‘Where in the World’ include, Vini Reilly, who played the Spanish guitar on the surprise ending to the song. Reilly also features in this ‘1000 Best Songs’ list, having played guitar and keyboards on the Morrissey song ‘Suedehead’ (see also best songs 940.) The drummer on this song is Chris Whitten, who was also the drummer on ‘The Whole of the Moon’ by the Waterboys (see also best songs 755.)

‘Where in the World’ was produced by Paul Staveley O’Duffy who was born on December 31st, 1963, in London, England. At the age of 17 he began his music career as an engineer in London, before moving to New York in 1984, where he establishing himself as a club re-mixer, working on remixes for artists such as KC and the Sunshine Band, (see also best songs 893) and Freeez (see also best songs 825.) On returning to London in the late 1980’s, O’Duffy earned a ‘BMI’ nomination for ‘Producer of the Year’ in 1987, for his work on the multi-platinum debut Album ‘It’s Better to Travel,’ by Swing Out Sister, he would continue to collaborate with Swing Out Sister on a further four of their studio Albums as a producer and songwriter. Paul Staveley O’Duffy is also a well known composer for television, having composed the themes and incidental music for ‘The Team – A Season with Mclaren,’ (BBC2 series) The Great Outdoors,’ (Channel 4 series) ‘The Big Elsewhere,’ (with Swing Out Sister, NHK Japan series) and ‘London Bridge’ (Carlton TV drama series.)

Swing Out Sister are one of the prominent artists in the musical genre of ‘Sophisti-pop,’ which is a Pop music sub-genre that developed during the mid-1980’s out of the British ‘New Wave’ era. It originated with acts who blended elements of ‘Jazz,’ ‘Soul,’ and ‘Pop’ with lavish production. The term ‘Sophisti-pop’ was coined only after the genre’s peak in the mid-late 1980’s. Sophisti-pop is characterised by its extensive use of electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and polished arrangements, with artists often adopting a sharp, well-dressed and well-groomed visual presentation. The American online music and film magazine ‘Stylus Magazine’ suggested that acts had been influenced by the work of Roxy Music, (see also best songs 316 and 57) such as their 1982 Album ‘Avalon,’ often cited as the first ‘Sophisti-pop’ Album, and Bryan Ferry’s (see also best songs 721) 1985 Album ‘Boys and Girls.’

‘Where in the World’ was co-written by Andy Connell, (music) and Corinne Drewery, (lyrics) and tells the tale of a woman who for whatever reason has parted from her lover. She is making herself physically and mentally ill because she is missing this person so much.

‘Keep telling me my condition hasn’t changed, can’t appreciate there’s no one but myself to blame.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

298-Dire Straits-Romeo and Juliet.

1981-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 2.23. Romeo and Juliet is Mark Knopfler’s ‘Play’ on words.

Mark Knopfler OBE was born Mark Freuder Knopfler, on August 12th, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, in 1956 he moved to Blyth, near Newcastle, England, with his parents, and his younger brother and older sister. Dire Straits (see also best songs 829) were formed in Deptford, London, England, in 1977, by Mark Knopfler, (lead vocals, and lead guitar) his younger brother David, (born 1952) (rhythm guitar) John Illsley, (bass) and David ‘Pick’ Withers (drums.) Dire Straits were active between 1977-1988, they then went on hiatus, before reforming in 1990, until finally retiring the band in 1995, Mark Knopfler has often been quoted as saying that he will never play in Dire Straits again.

With record sales estimated between 100-120 million, Dire Straights are one of the best selling artists of all time, their fifth studio Album ‘Brothers in Arms’ from 1985 became the first Album on Compact Disc to sell one million copies in the UK, where it is currently the eighth best selling Album of all time in that country. The discography of Dire Straits includes six studio Albums released between 1978-1991, and 31 singles released between 1978-2005, there are also four extended plays, (EP’s) two box sets, three official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. In the UK all six of their studio Albums have made the top 5, with three of those Albums making the Number 1 position, while 11 of their singles have reached the UK top 40, with ‘Private Investigations,’ (1982) and ‘Walk of Life, (1985) both peaking the highest at Number 2. In America all six of their studio Albums have made the ‘Billboard 200 Album’ chart, with ‘Brothers in Arms,’ (1985) peaking the highest at Number 1, while four of their singles have reached The ‘Billboard Hot 100,’ top 40, with ‘Money for Nothing’ peaking the highest at Number 1, and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ failing to chart.

The solo discography of Mark Knopfler includes 10 studio Albums released between 1996-2024, and 26 singles released between 1983-2024, there are also three extended plays, nine soundtrack Albums, and two official compilation Albums available. In the UK three of his singles have reached the top 40, with his 2006 duet with Emmylou Harris, ‘All the Roadrunning,’ peaking the highest at Number 8, while none of his solo singles have reached the American Billboard Hot 100. Mark Knopfler has remained busy following the demise of Dire Straits, as he has also released two collaborative Albums, with Chet Atkins (1924-2001) in 1990, and with Emmylou Harris in 2006, he has also released an Album in 1986 with ‘The Notting Hillbillies,’ a Country Rock group he formed in that year. Mark Knopfler has several production credits for other artists, including Bob Dylan ‘Infidels,’ (1983) and ‘Knife’ for Aztec Camera (1984.) He has played as a session musician on dozens of tracks for other artists, including ‘Gotta Serve Somebody,’ for Bob Dylan, (1979) and ‘Foreign Affair’ for Tina Turner, (1989) he had previously written Turner’s hit single ‘Private Dancer’ (1984-Billboard Number 7 & UK Number 26.)

‘Romeo and Juliet’ was the third and final single released from ‘Making Movies,’ which is the third studio Album from Dire Straits, from October 1980, the song was written by Mark Knopfler, with the production being by Knopfler, and Jimmy Lovine (see also best songs 84.) Jimmy Lovine was born James Lovine, on March 11th, 1953, in New York City, United States, as well as being involved in the engineering, mixing, and production of more than 250 Albums between 1973-2014, he was the co-founder of ‘Interscope Records,’ In 2006, along with Dr. Dre (see also best songs 564-544-482-189-128 and 48) he co-founded ‘Beats Electronics.’ In 2008, the brand launched its first set of headphones, and in 2013, they began the development for ‘Beats Music,’ and released it in 2014, which went on to become the framework for ‘Apple Music.’ The company was purchased by ‘Apple Inc.’ for $3 billion in May 2014. Jimmy Lovine has worked on some of the most iconic Albums of all time including ‘Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run,’ (1975) Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out of Hell,’ (1977) and ‘U2’s ‘Rattle and Hum’ (1988.)

‘Romeo and Juliet’ is based on Mark Knopfler’s own real life experience of falling in love as a young man. He was dating the American singer/songwriter Holly Vincent, and he felt he was being used by her so that she could further her own musical career. The line in the song, ‘Now you just say, oh Romeo, yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him,’ refers to an interview with Holly Vincent where she said, ‘What happened was that I had a scene with Mark Knopfler, and it got to the point where he couldn’t handle it, and we split up.’

In the song the couple are referred to as Romeo and Juliet, which of course is a reference to the William Shakespeare (1564-1616) play which was first premiered in 1597. Mark Knopfler also makes a point of mentioning other works involving young love, including the song ‘Somewhere’ from ‘West Side Story,’ (1957) which itself is based on the Shakespeare play, and also the song ‘My Boyfriends Back,’ (1963-Billboard Number 1 & UK Number 50) from the American girl group ‘The Angels.’

‘Juliet when we made love you used to cry. You said I love you like the stars above, said I’ll love you baby till I die, and there’s a place for us, you know the movie song. When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong Juliet.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

299-Judy Collins-Both Sides Now.

1968-It didn’t chart in the UK until 1970, when reaching Number 14.

Best Bit-At 1.36. It’s one of Pop Music’s most thought provoking songs, but the great mystery is how a 22 year old could have acquired the knowledge to write about life’s experiences, so accurately, without having lived through them yet.

‘Both Sides Now’ was written in 1966 by Joni Mitchell, (see also best songs 637 and 558) who was born Roberta Joan Mitchell on November 7th, 1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada. The exact date she actually wrote the the song is unknown, but it was definitely before November 17th, 1966, because that was when she first performed it live at ‘The Second Fret,’ Folk club, in Philadelphia, the song and the rest of her performance was finally released in 2014 on ‘All Access Records,’ as the Album ‘Joni Mitchel: Live at the Second Fret 1966.’ Mitchell has said that ‘Both Sides Now’ was inspired by a passage in ‘Henderson the Rain King,’ which is a 1959 novel by Saul Bellow (1915-2005.) Mitchell has said, ‘I was reading ‘Henderson the Rain King’ on a plane, and early on in the book Henderson is also up in a plane. He’s on his way to Africa and he looks down and sees these clouds too, and I immediately started writing the song. I had no idea that the song would become as popular as it did.’

‘Both Sides Now’ was first released by the American Folk singer Dave Van Ronk (1936-2002) and the Hudson Dusters under the title ‘Clouds’ in June 1967. The songs author Joni Mitchell included the song on her second studio Album ‘Clouds,’ from May 1969. The most commercially successful version of the song is this recording from Judy Collins, who recorded it for her sixth studio Album ‘Wildflowers,’ from October 1967. It was released with the title ‘Both Sides Now,’ and was the only single issued from the Album. The song was produced by Mark Abramson, (1934-2007) and arranged by Joshua Rifkin.

Judy Collins was born Judith Marjorie Collins on May 1st, 1939, in Seattle, Washington, United States, this song, along with her renditions of ‘Amazing Grace’, (1970) and ‘Send in the Clowns’ (1975) are considered her signature songs. As a teenager Judy Collins studied Classical piano under the tutelage of Antonia Brico, (1902-1989) Brico took a dim view when Collins developed an interest in Folk music. Years later after she became internationally known, she invited Brico to one of her concerts in Denver. When they met after the performance, Brico took both of Collin’s hands into his, looked wistfully at her fingers and said, ‘Little Judy- you really could have gone places.’ In the 1960’s Judy Collins would perform many songs by aspiring Folk music writers such as Eric Anderson, Fred Neil, (1936-2001) (see also best songs 388) and Joni Mitchel, well before they became famous. It was Collins who introduced a then unknown Mitchell to the crowd at the 1966 ‘Newport Folk Festival’. Judy Collins version of ‘Both Sides Now’ reached Number 8 in America on Billboard, Number 6 in Canada, and Number 7 in New Zealand, in 1968, and Number 14 in the UK in 1970.

The discography of Judy Collins includes 36 studio Albums released between 1961-2022, and 21 singles released between 1963-2014, there are at least 24 official compilation Albums and nine live Albums available. In America ‘Wildflowers’ is her most commercially successful Album reaching Number 5 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, while four of her singles have made the Billboard Hot 100, with ‘Both Sides Now’ peaking the highest at Number 8. In the UK, Judy Collins’ most successful Album is her 10th studio Album ‘Judith’ from 1975, which peaked at Number 7, while three of her singles have reached the UK top 40, with ‘Amazing Grace’ from 1970, charting the highest at Number 5.

Joni Mitchell re-recorded ‘Both Sides Now’ in 2000 in an Orchestral fashion, for her 17th studio Album ‘Both Sides Now.’ She has also performed the song on numerous occasions, notably on July 24th, 2022, when at age of 78 she performed it with the American singer Brandi Carlile. With her voice shaken by age and the after-effects of a 2015 brain aneurysm, it is said that Joni Mitchell turned back the clock and delivered a powerfully emotional performance imbued with the wisdom of her life experience, punctuated with the last line of the song, ‘I really don’t know life at all.’ ‘Both Sides Now’ has been covered on numerous occasions down the years by dozens of different artists, including notable versions by Frank Sinatra, (1968) Clannad, as a duet with Paul Young, (1991) and Herbie Hancock (2007.)

‘Both Sides Now’ is about how your views, and the views and expectations of people you know change as you experience events that happen in your life. The wonderful future you imagined as a youngster may not have turned out as you expected. What seemed a simple path to follow at 16, proved to be fraught with dangers at 66.

‘Bows and flows of angel hair, and ice cream castles in the air, and feathered canyons everywhere, I’ve looked at clouds that way.’