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Posted by: In: Other 18 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

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.’

Posted by: In: Other 17 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

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.’

Posted by: In: Other 16 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

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.’

Posted by: In: Other 15 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

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.’

Posted by: In: Other 14 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

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.’

Posted by: In: Other 13 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

616-Lloyd Cole and the Commotions-Perfect Skin.

1984-Number 24 single.

Best Bit-At 2.05. ‘Nivea’ missed a wonderful advertising opportunity, and Lloyd Cole missed out on loads of potential royalties.

Lloyd Cole was born on January 31st, 1961, in Buxton, Derbyshire, England, he is a singer, songwriter, and a musician, who plays guitar, synthesizers, piano, harmonica, bass guitar, and banjo. After a year studying law at ‘University College London,’ England, he moved to the ‘University of Glasgow,’ Scotland, where he studied philosophy, and English, which is where he, and Blair Cowan, (keyboards) Laurence Donegan, (bass guitar) Neil Clark, (guitar) and Stephen Irvine, (drums) formed ‘Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ in 1982. The quintet remained active until 1989, but reunited in 2004 for a month, to tour and promote the release of the 25th anniversary of the deluxe edition of the ‘Rattlesnakes’ Album. Following the breakup of the ‘Commotions,’ Lloyd Cole has continued to record and tour as a solo artist, and he remains active at the time of writing.

The discography of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions includes three studio Albums released between 1984-1987, and 10 singles released between 1984-1988, there are also three official compilation Albums available. In the UK five of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Lost Weekend,’ from 1985, charting the highest at Number 17. Their three studio Albums all reached the top 20 in the UK, and Sweden, while their first two Albums both made the top 30 in Australia. They also found chart success on the singles chart in Ireland, with five top 40 hits in that country. The solo discography of Lloyd Cole includes 13 studio Albums released between 1990-2023, and 16 singles released between 1990-2016, there are also four official compilation Albums, and three live Albums available. In 1997, and 1998, Lloyd Cole played with some New York musicians, under the name the ‘Negatives,’ releasing one studio Album called ‘The Negatives,’ in 2000, and one single called ‘Impossible Girl,’ also in 2000. In the UK, as a solo artist Lloyd Cole has had one top 40 hit single, with ‘Like Lovers Do,’ which reached Number 24 in 1995.

‘Perfect Skin’ was the first of three singles released from ‘Rattlesnakes,’ the debut studio Album from Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, from October 1984, the song was written by Lloyd Cole, and produced by Paul Hardiman, who also produced the Album. Paul Hardiman found his greatest commercial success in 1986, when producing the British/Irish singer Chris de Burgh’s eighth studio Album ‘Into the Light,’ and it’s UK Number 1, and American Billboard Number 3 hit single ‘The Lady in Red.’

Lloyd Cole was 23 years old when he wrote all of the lyrics, and the majority of the music for ‘Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ critically acclaimed debut Album ‘Rattlesnakes,’ in 1984. Cole wrote the Album in the basement of the Glasgow Golf Club, where his parents lived and worked, and Cole has said that it was the impact of studying ‘English,’ and ‘Philosophy’ at University that influenced his lyrics. Musically Lloyd Cole was inspired by Bob Dylan, (see also best songs 792-621-358-103-36 and 7) and Booker T & the MGs, (see also best songs 906) Lloyd Cole has said,’I would say that ‘Perfect Skin’ is just a few ideas linked by a title. It’s just like ‘Michelle, ma belle’, wee verses that I thought sound good, the literal meaning of the words didn’t have a lot to do with it.’ Cole has also said, ‘It was a whole atmosphere. If I hadn’t listened to ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ (see also best songs 792) I could never have written ‘Perfect Skin’. I was totally drunk on Dylan at the time I wrote that song, and all the imagery is deliberately Dylanesque. I thought why not be blatant? The only difference is, Dylan would have written a song like ‘Perfect Skin’ in an hour, it took me a week!’

‘Perfect Skin’ can be filed under the musical genre of ‘Jangle Pop,’ which is a sub-genre of ‘Pop/Rock,’ that emphasises jangly guitars, and 1960’s style ‘Pop’ melodies. The term ‘Jangle Pop’ originated from the Bob Dylan’s song Mr. Tambourine Man,’ whose 1965 rendition by the ‘Byrds’ (see also best songs 621) is considered one of the genre’s representative works. The term ‘Jangle Pop’ was not used during the original movement of the 1960’s, but was popularised later, during the 1980’s, as a reference to the lyric ‘In the jingle jangle morning, I’ll come following you,’ from the Byrds’ 1965 rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ as well as the chiming sound of the 12-string ‘Rickenbacker’ guitars upper-register strings. Other groups in the early 1980’s to popularise the ‘Jangle Pop’ sound included ‘R.E.M.’ and the ‘Smiths.’

‘Up eight flights of stairs to her basement flat, pretty confused huh, being shipped around like that. Seems we climbed so high, now we’re down so low. Strikes me the moral of this song must be, there never has been one.’

Posted by: In: Other 11 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

617-Fats Domino-The Fat Man.

1949-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 1.08. There are a number of songs in this countdown which can claim to be the first ever ‘proper’ ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ record, but this one may have the best claim, as it was recorded in 1949, even so the term ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ hadn’t even been invented then.

Fats Domino (see also best songs 272) was born Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. on February 26th, 1928, in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, he died of natural causes, on October 24th, 2017, at the age of 89. It has been said that Fats Domino’s humility and shyness, is the reason why his contribution to ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ has been to a point overlooked, with the Beatles, stating they were influenced by him, and Elvis Presley (1935-1977) saying that he was a ‘Huge influence on me when I started out,’ and when they first met in 1959, Presley described him as, ‘The real king of Rock ‘N Roll.’ Fats Domino began learning his trade, and performing in New Orleans bars at the age of 14, then in 1947 the New Orleans bandleader Billy Diamond, (1916-2011) after hearing Domino perform at a backyard barbecue, hired him to play the piano in his band for $3 a week. It was Diamond who nicknamed him ‘Fats,’ because Domino reminded him of the pianists Fats Waller (1904-1943) (see also best songs 412) and Fats Pichon, (1906-1967) but also because of his large appetite. Fats Domino signed to ‘Imperial Records’ in 1949, and would go on to record in excess of 60 singles for the label, and although he never had a Billboard Number 1 single, five of his singles went on to sell in excess of one million copies, including ‘The Fat Man.’ Fats Domino was among the first ‘R&B’ artists to gain popularity with white audiences, with both black and white youths attending his concerts wherever it was permitted, and their shared appreciation of his music, was said to be a factor in the breakdown of racial segregation in the United States. The music of Fats Domino was popular in Jamaica, where New Orleans radio stations signals could sometimes be heard, and this has been cited as a seminal influence on what would later emerge as ‘Ska’ and ‘Reggae’ music.

‘The Fat Man’ was co-written by Fats Domino, and his long term collaborator Dave Bartholomew, (1918-2019) and was released in December 1949 as the ‘B’ side to Fats Domino’s debut single, ‘Detroit City Blues,’ which was also his first release on ‘Imperial Records,’ The melody to ‘The Fat Man’ is a variation on the traditional New Orleans tune ‘Junker Blues,’ which also provided the melody for the Lloyd Price (1933-2021) song ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy,’ from 1952, which was produced by Bartholomew, and had Fats Domino playing the piano on it. ‘The Fat Man’ is semi autobiographical, and finds Fats Domino standing on the corner of Rampart and Canal Street in New Orleans, watching the Creole girls go by, but he decides to leave because,’Women and a bad life’ are ‘Carrying this soul away.’

Dave Bartholomew was born Davis Bartholomew, on December 24th, 1918, in Edgard, Louisiana, United States, he died of heart failure, on June 23rd, 2019, at the age of 100. Bartholomew started his music career as a trumpet player, becoming active in many musical genres, including ‘Rhythm and Blues,’ ‘Big Band,’ Swing,’ and ‘Rock ‘N Roll.’ On his induction into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ in 1991, he was cited as a key figure in the transition from ‘Jump Blues,’ and ‘Swing,’ to ‘R&B,’ and as ‘One of the Crescent City’s greatest musicians, and a true pioneer in the Rock and Roll revolution.’ Bartholomew, who was also a musical arranger, producer, and bandleader, composed, or co-composed many well known songs of the 1950’s, including his co-write of ‘Ain’t That a Shame,’ with Fats Domino, which when covered by Pat Boone, reached Number 1 on Billboard in 1955. Dave Bartholomew is also responsible for writing three UK Number 1 singles. In 1970 Dave Edmunds covered ‘I Hear You Knocking,’ in 1972 Chuck Berry (1926-2017) covered ‘My Ding-a-Ling,’ and Elvis Presley (1935-1977) covered ‘One Night,’ which was Number 1 in 1958, and then when re-issued in 2005, it became a UK Number 1 for a second time, as well as becoming the 1000th UK Number 1 single, since that charts inception in 1952.

‘They call, they call me the fat man, ’cause I weight two hundred pounds. All the girls they love me, ’cause I know my way around. I was standin’, I was standin’ on the corner of Rampart and Canal, I was watchin,’ watchin,’ watchin’ all these creole gals.’

Posted by: In: Other 10 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

618-Bob Marley and the Wailers-Exodus.

1977-Number 14 single.

Best Bit-At 5.01. In no other musical genre is one single artist so well known. When you think of Reggae, the first name that springs to mind is Bob Marley.

Bob Marley was born Robert Nesta Marley, on February 6th, 1945, in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Colony of Jamaica. In July 1977, he was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under the nail of his right big toe. Marley rejected his doctors’ advice to have his toe amputated, citing his religious beliefs, and instead, the nail and nail bed were removed. By the autumn of 1980 his health had deteriorated further, as his cancer had spread throughout his body. Marley decided to undergo an alternative cancer treatment called ‘Issels’ treatment, partly based on avoidance of certain foods, drinks, and other substances. After eight months of this treatment having failed to effectively treat his advancing cancer, which had now spread to his lungs and brain, he succumbed to the illness, and died on May 11th, 1981, at the age of 36.

The earliest incarnation of Bob Marley and the Wailers, were formed in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1963, by Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, (1947-2021) Peter Tosh, (1944-1987) Junior Braithwaite, (1949-1999) Cherry Smith, (1943-2008) and Beverley Kelso. They originally called themselves the ‘Teenagers,’ before becoming the ‘Wailing Wailers,’ and eventually ‘The Wailers.’ By 1974 all of the original Wailers had gone their own way, and Marley set about forming a new group, with his wife Rita becoming one of his three female backing vocalists. The ‘Wailers’ who played on ‘Exodus,’ and it’s parent Album of the same name were, Junior Marvin, (guitar) Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, (1946-2024) (bass) his brother Carlton Barrett, (1950-1987) (drums) Tyrone Downie, (1956-2022) (synthesizer) and Alvin ‘Seeco’ Patterson, (1930-2021) (percussion.) For the discography of Bob Marley and the Wailers (see also best songs 56.)

On December 3rd, 1976, two days before the ‘Smile Jamaica’ free concert, which Bob Marley and the Wailers were to play at, which was organised by the Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley, (1924-1997) in an attempt to ease tension between the two warring political groups in Jamaica, an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley. Marley, his wife Rita, and the groups manager Don Taylor, (1943-1999) were wounded in an assault by an unknown gunmen inside Marley’s home. Taylor and Rita sustained serious injuries, but later made full recoveries. Bob Marley received minor wounds in the chest and arm.The attempt on his life was thought to have been politically motivated, as many felt the concert was really a support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled, two days after the attempt, with members of the Jamaican Reggae group ‘Zap Pow’ performing as his backing band in front of an 80,000 crowd, because members of the Wailers had gone in to hiding. The concert was concluded peacefully. After a month recovering from his injury, Marley left Jamaica for England, where he spent the next two years in self imposed exile, writing and recording his next two Albums ‘Exodus, (1977) and ‘Kaya (1978.)

‘Exodus’ was the first of six singles released from Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ninth studio Album of the same name, from June 1977, and was written by Bob Marley, with the songs production credited to Bob Marley and the Wailers. ‘Exodus’ is Bob Marley’s most critically acclaimed Album, with five of the songs also appearing on ‘Legend,’ the 1984 posthumously released Bob Marley and the Wailers Album, which is the best selling ‘Reggae’ Album of all time, with sales in excess of 25 million copies sold worldwide.

‘Exodus’ may have been partly inspired by that assassination attempt, as the song ties in with the Biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, in the hope that one day the Rastafarians will also be led to freedom. Although the song is probably not about any certain race or religion, as that would contradict the message Marley is sending us, the song is probably about man’s struggle with trying to find God.

‘We know where we’re going, we know where we’re from. We’re leaving Babylon, we’re going to our father land. Exodus, movement of Jah people.’

Posted by: In: Other 09 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

619-Joy Division-Love Will Tear Us Apart.

1980-Number 13 single. When it was re-released in 1983, it reached Number 19, and when re-released for a second time in 1995, it once again made Number 19.

Best Bit-At 0.14. Ian Curtis knew of the song ‘Love Will Keep Us Together,’ by the ‘Captain & Tennille,’ and with that in mind, he wrote about his own experiences of love.

Joy Division were formed in Salford, England, in 1976, with the classic line up consisting of Ian Curtis, (1956-1980) (lead vocals, and guitar) Bernard Sumner, (guitar, and keyboards) Peter Hook, (bass) and Stephen Morris (drums.) They initially called themselves ‘Warsaw,’ taking the name from the David Bowie (1948-2016) song ‘Warszawa,’ from his 1977 Album ‘Low,’ but in order to stop confusion with another group called ‘Warsaw Pakt,’ they renamed themselves Joy Division in early 1978, borrowing the name from the sexual slavery wing of a Nazi concentration camp mentioned in the 1955 novel ‘House of Dolls,’ by the author ‘Ka-tzetnik 135633.’ When first forming, they were greatly influenced by the then current ‘Punk Rock’ scene, especially after some of the band members had seen the ‘Sex Pistols’ (see also best songs 576-92 and 27) play live in 1976, but over time they began to develop their own ‘Post Punk’ sound. After Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, the three remaining members dropped the name ‘Joy Division,’ and re-formed later that year as ‘New Order’ (see also best songs 885.) Despite their short career, Joy Division have still become regarded as a major influence on many other acts, with the music critic John Bush of the American online music database ‘AllMusic,’ arguing that they, ‘Became the first band in the Post-Punk movement, by emphasising not anger and energy, but mood and expression, pointing ahead to the rise of melancholy Alternative Music in the ’80’s.”

The discography of Joy Division includes two studio Albums ‘Unknown Pleasures,’ released in 1979, and ‘Closer,’ released in 1980, there are also 12 official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. Joy Division issued five singles between 1979-1980, which were all issued before appearing on either studio Album. In the UK, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart,’ is their highest charting single, when peaking at Number 13 in 1980, with their only other hit being the 1988 re-issue of ‘Atmosphere,’ (1980) and ‘She’s Lost Control,’ (1979) as a double ‘A’ sided single, making Number 34. Joy Division had their biggest chart success in New Zealand, where their debut studio Album ‘Unknown Pleasures,’ reached Number 1, and two of their singles, including ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart,’ also made the Number 1 spot.

‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ was written by all four members of Joy Division at that time, with the production credited to Joy Division, and Martin Hannett, who was born James Martin Hannett, on May 31st, 1948, in Manchester, England. Hannett’s career declined in his later years due to his heavy use of alcohol and drugs, especially heroin. He died on April 18th, 1991, as a result of heart failure, at the age of 42. Martin Hannett was a prolific music producer, who helped shape the sound for acts, including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and Happy Mondays, for the other songs that he produced in this ‘Best 1000 Songs,’ (see also best songs 1016 and 816.) His headstone which is at the ‘Southern Cemetery,’ Manchester, pays him tribute, as the creator of ‘The Manchester Sound.’

Ian Kevin Curtis was born on July 15th, 1956, in Stretford, Lancashire, England, he died by committing suicide, by hanging on May 18th, 1980, at the age of 23. Curtis had written the lyrics to ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ based on his own personal experiences, he had recently ended his marriage, and had been diagnosed with epilepsy, causing him to have fits when performing on stage. Bernard Sumner has spoken about Ian Curtis,’He’d got married very, very young. And by the time of that song, he’d come to a fork in the road, relationship-wise. His life had changed enormously, and he had to make a choice. We thought his head space was OK. But Ian had two faces, the public face for the band, and the private troubles he had at home, and the way they came out through his lyrics. We didn’t really listen to the lyrics. Joy Division was four people on pedestals, and we didn’t communicate with each other about what the songs are about.’ The title of this song ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart,’ are the words inscribed as an epitaph on Ian Curtis’s tombstone.

‘When routine bites hard, and ambitions are low, and resentment rides high, but emotions won’t grow, and we’re changing our ways, taking different roads. Love, love will tear us apart again.’

Posted by: In: Other 08 Mar 2024 Comments: 0

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

620-The Vaccines-If You Wanna’.

2012-Number 35 single.

Best Bit-At 0.48. When they first chose their name, they could not possibly have known that it would become one of the most important words in the English language.

The Vaccines are an ‘Indie Rock’ band who were formed in West London, England, in 2010, by Justin Hayward-Young, (lead vocals, and guitars) Freddie Cowan, (lead guitar, and backing vocals) Árni Árnason, (bass guitar, and backing vocals) and Pete Robertson (drums, percussion, and backing vocals.) In 2016 Robertson left the group, and the bands touring musicians, Timothy Lanham, (keyboards) and Yoann Intonti, (drums) both became full time members. In 2023, Freddie Cowan left the group, having just become a father, stating that he didn’t want to tour all of the time.

The Vaccines who have sold in excess of two million records worldwide to date, have released six studio Albums between 2011-2024, and 26 singles between 2010-2023, there is also one official live Album available. In the UK, all of their studio Albums have reached the top 5 on the Album chart, with their second release ‘Come of Age,’ in 2012, making the Number 1 spot. Four of their singles have also reached the UK top 40 singles chart, with ‘Post Break-Up Sex,’ peaking the highest at Number 32, in 2011.

‘If You Wanna” was the third of six singles released from The Vaccines debut studio Album ‘What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?’ from March 2011, with the writing credits shared amongst all four group members at that time, and the production being by Dan Grech-Marguerat. In 2014 ‘If You Wanna” was used in a television advertisement for the Spanish beer ‘Estrella Damm,’ and due to that, the song reached Number 9 on the ‘Productores de Música de España,’ the Spanish singles music chart, giving The Vaccines their only significant chart hit outside of the UK.

‘If You Wanna” was produced by Dan Grech-Marguerat, who was born Daniel James Grech-Marguerat, on July 11th, 1981, in Bedford, England, he is renowned for his audio mixing of recorded music. Dan Grech has worked with many of the top artists of the 21st Century, including mixing the ‘Scissor Sisters’ second Album ‘Ta-Dah,’ and it’s UK Number 1 single ‘ I Don’t Feel Like Dancin.” Other notable work from Dan Grech includes, the mixing of George Ezra’s second studio Album, ‘Staying At Tamara’s,’ (see also best songs 355) in 2018, and producing eight of the 12 tracks on Liam Gallagher’s debut solo Album As You Were, in 2017. Gallagher has said on working with Grech, ‘I’ll play him a tune very badly and he’ll go, ‘Yeah, I get where you’re coming from,’ and get the acoustics down, and away we go.’

”If You Wanna” is a song about a break up, with the narrator trying to come to terms with the fact that his girlfriend doesn’t want to be with him anymore. Justin Haywood-Young has said,’As with a lot of the lyrics on the record, I’ve tried to be as direct as possible. Sometimes when you want to say something it’s best to not be too clever about it. The lyrics are pretty defeatist, maybe even slightly pathetic. But we’ve all been there. I wanted us to have a song with really downbeat lyrics, juxtaposed with a poppy and upbeat melody.’ Haywood-Young has also said that the song had a different chorus before he came up with a new one,’I thought it was like super cheesy, and I kind of got shivers down my spine like, ‘Eww, I feel dirty,’ and everyone in the room was like, ‘No, that was really cool. That’s a much better chorus.’ I think that was a real turning point for the band, because I think it was like me accepting that I write really cheesy pop songs, and so I should embrace that as a writer.’

The Vaccines, most notably on their earlier Albums, had a retro sound, dating back to the ‘Punk’ era of the mid to late 1970’s, and ‘If You Wanna,” particularly to my ear, sounds like something ‘The Ramones,’ (see also best songs 707 and 102) would have been proud of. Perhaps The Vaccines would have been even more successful had they been born 40 years earlier.

‘Well I don’t want to wake up in the morning, but I’ve got to face the day. That’s what all the friends I do not like as much as you say.’