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.’

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.’

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.’

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.’

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.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

621-The Byrds-All I Really Want to Do.

1965-Number 4 single.

Best Bit-At 0.20. Using the lyrics of Bob Dylan, and heavily influenced by the harmonies of the Beach Boys, and arranged in a ‘Beatlesque’ manner, ‘Folk Rock’ had just been invented.

The Byrds were formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1964, and remained active until 1973, they then reformed between 1989-1991, and again for a final time in 2000, after which the band name was retired. The Byrds one constant was Roger McGuinn, (lead vocals, and guitar) who was known as Jim McGuinn until mid 1967. The other four original members were Gene Clark, (1944-1991) (rhythm guitar, and vocals) David Crosby, (1941-2023) (rhythm guitar, and vocals) (see also best songs 417) Michael Clarke, (1946-1993) (drums) and Chris Hillman (bass guitar, and vocals.) There were a further six members come and go, including Gram Parsons, (1946-1973) (rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals.) Initially the group called themselves ‘The Jet Set,’ but in late November 1964, two weeks after signing with ‘Columbia Records,’ they decided to rename themselves as ‘The Byrds,’ a moniker that retained the theme of flight, and also echoed the deliberate misspelling of the ‘Beatles.’

The discography of The Byrds includes 12 studio Albums released between 1965-1973, and 29 singles released between 1964-1973, there are also a massive 47 official compilation Albums, and three live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, seven of their singles made the top 40, with their cover of the Bob Dylan song ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ reaching Number 1, while in the UK they had five top 40 hits, with ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ also making the Number 1 spot.

‘All I Really Want to Do’ was the second of two singles released from The Byrds’ debut studio Album ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ from June 1965, the song was a cover of a Bob Dylan (see also best songs 792-358-103-36 and 7) song, and was produced by Terry Melcher (1942-2004.) Bob Dylan had recorded ‘All I Really Want to Do’ for his fourth studio Album ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan,’ in 1964, with the lyrical content being a departure from his normal topical political songwriting, to a more personal one. The song was inspired by Dylan’s recent separation from his girlfriend Suze Rotolo, (1943-2011) although some have speculated that the song is a message to his fans, that regardless of any change in musical style, he will always be there for them. Bob Dylan had been an acoustic artist up until this point, but was now wanting to experiment with electric instruments, something some of his loyal fan base didn’t want to comprehend.

‘All I Really Want to Do’ was the second cover version of a Bob Dylan song by The Byrds to be released as a single, following on from ”Mr. Tambourine Man,’ which had reached Number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. The Byrds had not wanted to do another Dylan cover, but Columbia Records had insisted, thinking a follow up hit was a certainty, but the American singer Cher, (see also best songs 672) also released her version of ‘All I Really Want to Do’ at the same time, which was produced by Sonny Bono, (1935-1998) as her debut solo single. A chart battle ensued, with Cher winning in America, when her version reached Number 15 on Billboard, with The Byrds only reaching Number 40, but in the UK, it was the other way around, with The Byrds winning the battle, by peaking at Number 4, while Cher stalled at Number 9.

The Byrds recording of ‘All I Really Want to Do’ was produced by Terry Melcher, who was born Terrence Paul Jorden, on February 8th, 1942, in New York City, United States, he was the son of the American singer, and actress Doris Day, (1922-2019) (see also best songs 333) he died on November 19th, 2004, after a long battle with melanoma.Terry Melcher, has been credited with helping to shape the sound of 1960’s ‘Surf Music’ in California, forming the vocal duo of ‘Bruce & Terry,’ with Bruce Johnson, who would later on join the Beach Boys. It was while working on the staff at Columbia Records’ that Melcher met The Byrds,’ and he went on to produce both of their first two studio Albums, and receive critical acclaim for helping to shape the new genre of ‘Folk Rock.’ In 1966 Melcher played tambourine on three tracks on the Beach Boys classic Album ‘Pet Sounds,’ including ‘Good Vibrations’ (see also best songs 180.) In 1988, Melcher was one of the four co-writers of the Beach Boys fourth and final Billboard Number 1 single ‘Kokomo.’

The term ‘Folk Rock’ refers to the blending of elements of Folk music and Rock music, the term ‘Folk Rock’ was first coined by the American music press to describe the music of The Byrds. The commercial success of The Byrds’ cover version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ along with Dylan’s own recordings with Rock instrumentation, on Albums such as ‘Bringing It All Back Home,’ (1965) and ‘Blonde on Blonde,’ (1966) encouraged other Folk acts, such as ‘Simon & Garfunkel,’ to use electric backing on their records. Bob Dylan’s controversial appearance at the ‘Newport Folk Festival,’ on 25 July, 1965, where he was backed by an electric band, was also a pivotal moment in the development of the genre.

‘I ain’t lookin’ to compete with you, beat or cheat or mistreat you. Simplify you, classify you, deny, defy or crucify you. All I really want to do, is, baby, be friends with you.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

622-Fleetwood Mac-Everywhere.

1988-Number 4 Single. It also re-entered the chart on downloads in 2013, when reaching Number 15.

Best Bit-At 0.01. I don’t mean to be rude, but if you would rather ‘Jack’ than listen to Fleetwood Mac, then I feel sorry for you.

Fleetwood Mac have a long and turbulent history. They were formed in London, England, in 1967, by Peter Green, (1946-2020) (guitar) who then recruited Mick Fleetwood, (drums) Jeremy Spencer, (vocals and guitar) and Bob Brunning, (1943-2011) (bass) with John McVie (bass) replacing Brunning a few weeks after their first public appearance. Danny Kirwan, (1950-2018) (vocals and guitar) joined the group in 1968, with Christine McVie, (1943-2022) (vocals and keyboards) joining in 1970, shortly after Peter Green had left the band. This first edition of ‘Fleetwood Mac,’ who took their name from the surname of Mick Fleetwood, and from ‘Mac’ being short for McVie, was very different musically to the later incarnation of the mid 1970’s onward, with the first lineup playing a mixture of ‘Blues Rock,’ and ‘Folk Rock.’ Their musical style changed radically in 1975, to a more commercially sounding ‘Pop Rock,’ and ‘Soft Rock’ influence, with the arrival of Lindsay Buckingham, (guitar) and Stevie Nicks, (vocals) in total there have been 18 different members come and go, and at the time of writing they remain active, with Mick Fleetwood being the groups longest serving member.

The discography of Fleetwood Mac, who have sold in excess of 120 million records worldwide, includes 18 studio Albums released between 1968-2003, and 62 singles released between 1967-2013, there are also 23 official compilation Albums, and 10 live Albums available. Their 11th studio Album, ‘Rumours,’ from February 1977, is currently the eighth best selling Album worldwide of all time, with sales in excess of 40 million. In the UK, 16 of their singles have reached the top 40, with their 1968 instrumental track ‘Albatross,’ making the Number 1 spot, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, 18 of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Dreams,’ from 1977, reaching Number 1, and ‘Everywhere,’ peaking at Number 14.

‘Everywhere’ was the fourth of seven singles released from ‘Tango in the Night,’ which was the fourteenth studio Album from Fleetwood Mac, from April 1987. The song was written by Christine McVie, with the production being by Richard Dashut, who was a long term collaborator with Fleetwood Mac, and produced some of their other Albums, including ‘Rumours.’ Dashut also produced solo Albums for the Fleetwood Mac group members as well.

Christine McVie was born Christine Anne Perfect, on July 12th, 1943, in Greenodd, Lancashire, England, she died of a stroke on November 30th, 2022, at the age of 78, having been suffering from metastatic cancer of an unknown primary origin. Prior to joining Fleetwood Mac, McVie had been the vocalist, and keyboard player with the British ‘Blues’ band ‘Chicken Shack,’ and had sung lead vocals on their 1969 UK Number 14 hit single ‘I’d Rather Go Blind,’ She had married John McVie in 1968, and joined him in Fleetwood Mac in 1970, the couple were married until divorcing in 1976, but remained friends, and working colleagues. Christine McVie released four solo studio Albums between 1970-2017, and seven solo singles between 1969-2022, including the Billboard Hot 100 Number 10 hit ‘Got a Hold on Me’ in 1984. She also appeared on 14 Fleetwood Mac Albums, and two Chicken Shack Albums. Following her death Fleetwood Mac issued a statement saying that she was ‘The best musician anyone could have in their band, and the best friend anyone could have in their life.’ Stevie Nicks said that McVie had been her ‘Best friend in the whole world.’

One of the striking things about ‘Everywhere’ is the songs unusual ‘intro.’ Richard Dashut who produced the track has said,’That’s a half-speed acoustic guitar and electric combined.’ Christine McVie has also spoken about the song’s intro, Lindsay Buckingham slowed the tape down, really slowly, and played the parts slowly, and then when it came to the right speed, it sounded bloody amazing.’ ‘Everywhere’ is a song about being completely lost in love. Christine McVie wrote the song around the time that she married her second husband Eduardo Quintela in 1986.

‘Can you hear me calling out your name? You know that I’m falling, and I don’t know what to say. I’ll speak a little louder, I’ll even shout,
you know that I’m proud, and I can’t get the words out.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

623-Hole-Celebrity Skin.

1998-Number 19 single.

Best Bit-At 0.59. Ignore all of that 1990’s media fake news, you were force fed by the tabloids. The real musical ‘Girl Power’ wasn’t all that Spice hype, it was ladies like this.

Courtney Love was born Courtney Michelle Harrison, on July 9th, 1964, in San Francisco, California, United States, she is a singer, musician, songwriter, and an actress, and has appeared in seven films between 1986-2002. Courtney Love is best known for being the co-founder, and lead vocalist of the ‘Alternative Rock’ group ‘Hole,’ and also for being the widow of Kurt Cobain, (1967-1994) (see also best songs 788 and 9) the frontman for ‘Nirvana,’ whom she married in 1992. Together they had one child, Frances Bean Cobain, who was born on August 18th, 1992, and currently controls the publicity rights to her father’s name and image.

‘Hole’ who were an ‘Alternative Rock,’ ‘Grunge,’ ‘Punk Rock,’ and ‘Noise Rock’ group, were formed in 1989, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, by Courtney Love, (lead vocals, and rhythm guitar) and Eric Erlandson, (lead guitar) after he had responded to an advertisement placed by Courtney Love in ‘Recycler,’ a local classified ad paper. The advertisement read,’I want to start a band. My influences are ‘Big Black,’ ‘Sonic Youth,’ and ‘Fleetwood Mac.” Love and Erlandson began to write together, and were soon joined by Mike Geisbrecht, (rhythm guitar,) Lisa Roberts, bass) and Caroline Rue, (drums) in total there have been 15 different members come and go, with Courtney Love being the groups one constant during their active years of 1989-2002, and then 2009-2012. Of the naming of the band, Courtney Love has said that the name was partly inspired by a quote from ‘Euripides’ (Greek Writer-480-406 BC) that read, ‘There is a hole that pierces right through me.’ Love has also acknowledged the ‘obvious’ genital reference in the band’s name, alluding to the vagina.

The discography of ‘Hole’ includes four studio Albums released between 1991-2010, and 16 singles released between 1990-2010, there is also one official compilation Album, and one live Album available. In America they have never had a top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100, but nine of their songs have reached the Billboard ‘Alternative Airplay’ top 40, with ‘Celebrity Skin’ making the Number 1 spot. In the UK, five of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Doll Parts,’ from 1994, peaking the highest at Number 16. Courtney Love has also released one solo studio Album, ‘America’s Sweetheart,’ in 2004, which made Number 53 on Billboard, and Number 56 in the UK.

‘Celebrity Skin’ was the first single released by Hole from their third studio Album of the same name, from September 1998, the song was co-written by Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, and Billy Corgan of the ‘Smashing Pumpkins,’ (see also best songs 374) with the production being by Michael Beinhorn (see also best songs 614.) ‘Celebrity Skin’ represented a departure from the bands first two Albums, which were more aggressive in melody, and less lyrically restrained, It is said that Courtney Love was in need of inspiration at that time, and so brought in Billy Corgan, who wrote this songs main guitar riff, as well as co-writing four tracks on the Album.

The lyrics to ‘Celebrity Skin’ were written by Courtney Love, as were all the lyrics on the Album. The song tells of the futility of celebrity, and fame, and is anti Hollywood. The lyrics contain literary references, the line,’Oh look at my face/my name is might have been,’ is directly lifted from the opening verse of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s (1828-1882) poem ‘A Superscription,’ (1869) and the phrase ‘Pound of flesh,’ originates from William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) ‘The Merchant of Venice’ (1598.) A line from the song, ‘Beautiful Garbage,’ inspired the ‘Alternative Rock’ group ‘Garbage’ to call their third studio Album in 2001, ‘Beautiful Garbage.’ Eric Erlandson has said,’Courtney writes what she feels, and this is obviously one of her observations of Hollywood. We used this great hollow city as inspiration for the Album.’

‘When I wake up, in my makeup, it’s too early for that dress, wilted and faded somewhere in Hollywood. I’m glad I came here with your pound of flesh. No second billing ’cause you’re a star now, oh, Cinderella.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

624-Billie Holiday-Strange Fruit.

1939-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 1.11. ‘The Lady Sings the Blues.’

Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan, on April 7th, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, she died on July 17th, 1959, after a long battle with drugs, and alcohol, at the age of 44. Billie Holiday had a turbulent upbringing, at the age of 11 she found a job running errands in a brothel, and at the age of 13 she became a victim of sexual trafficking. Her father Clarence Halliday, (1898-1937) became her father at the age of 16, but didn’t stick around, choosing to move to Baltimore, to pursue a career in music, where he became a successful musician, playing rhythm guitar, and the banjo. Clarence Halliday died in 1937, he had been exposed to mustard gas while serving in World War I, and later fell ill with a lung disorder while on tour in Texas, and was refused treatment at a local hospital. This led to him getting pneumonia, and without antibiotics, the illness was fatal. Two years later Billie Holiday recorded ‘Strange Fruit’ in her father’s memory. She took her stage name from her fathers surname, (her parents had never married) and her first name from the American actress Billie Dove, (1903-1997) whom she admired. It was her friend, the American Jazz tenor saxophonist Lester Young, (1909-1959) who gave her the nickname ‘Lady Day.’ Billie Holiday is remembered as one of the greatest ‘Jazz,’ and ‘Pop’ vocalists of the 20th Century, with her vocal style being strongly influenced by Jazz instrumentalists, as she created a unique way of manipulating phrasing and tempo, and being revered for her vocal delivery, and improvisational skills. Holiday said that she always wanted her voice to sound like an instrument, and cited amongst her influences, Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) (see also best songs 1039-767-286-231 and 100) and the African-American ‘Blues’ singer Bessie Smith (1894-1937.)

‘Strange Fruit’ was originally written as a poem in 1937, by the white Jewish, songwriter, school teacher, and union activist Abel Meeropol, (1903-1986) under his pseudonym of Lewis Allan. Meeropol had been outraged after seeing a photograph of a horrific lynching in a civil rights magazine. The photo was a shot of two black men hanging from a tree, after they had been lynched in Marion, Indiana, United States, the two men are the ‘strange fruit.’ Meeropol wrote some music to go with the lyrics, and his wife, the singer Laura Duncan (now deceased) first performed ‘Strange Fruit’ as a protest song in New York City venues in the late 1930’s, including at Madison Square Garden. In 1939 while a performer at the first integrated venue in New York, the ‘Café Society’ nightclub,’ the song was brought to the attention of Billie Holiday. It was a very brave decision for Billie Holiday to record, and perform the song, as it would be bound to cause controversy, putting Holiday’s own personal safety at risk, as well as potentially damaging her career as a black performer.

Billie Holiday first performed ‘Strange Fruit’ at the ‘Café Society’ in 1939. She said that singing it made her fearful of retaliation but, because its imagery reminded her of her father, she continued to sing the song, making it a regular part of her live performances. Because of the emotions the song created, Barney Josephson, (1902-1988) who was the founder of the ‘Café Society,’ insisted that Billie Holiday would close her performances with it, the waiters would stop all service in advance, the room would be in darkness, except for a spotlight on Holiday’s face, and there would be no encore. During the musical introduction to the song, Holiday would stand with her eyes closed, as if she were evoking a prayer.

Billie Holiday approached her record label ‘Columbia Records,’ with whom she was contracted to at the time, to record ‘Strange Fruit,’ but ‘Columbia’ feared the reaction by record retailers in the South, as well as negative reaction from affiliates of its co-owned radio network, ‘CBS.’ Billy Holiday turned to her friend Milt Gabler, (1911-2001) (see also best songs 628) who, with the permission of ‘Columbia Records,’ as a one off, allowed Holiday to record ‘Strange Fruit’ on Gabler’s own label, ‘Commodore.’ The Café Society’ band led by Frankie Newton (1906-1954) were used for the recording, with Milt Gabler producing the track, which went on to sell in excess of one million copies, and become Billie Holiday’s best selling record.

‘Strange Fruit’ became Billy Holiday’s signature tune, and was the song that she would always finish on for the rest of her career. In 1999 the American ‘Time’ news magazine voted ‘Strange Fruit’ the ‘Song of the Century.’ When the song had first come out in 1939, the same magazine had denounced it as ‘A piece of musical propaganda.’

‘Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root. Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

625-Raspberries-Overnight Sensation (Hit Record.)

1974-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 4.18. It’s ironic that the main reason that the song never became a hit record in the UK, was because radio stations wouldn’t play songs which were more than three minutes long.

The Raspberries were formed in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in 1970, from the coming together of two local bands, ‘The Choir,’ and ‘Cyrus Erie.’ In total there have been seven different members come and go, with the ‘classic lineup’ consisting of Eric Carmen, (vocals, guitar, bass, and piano) Wally Bryson, (guitar) Dave Smalley, (guitar, and bass) and Jim Bonfanti (drums.) The group remained active until 1975, but then got together again in 1999, until 2000, with Wally Bryson reforming the band, without Eric Carmen, but with Dave Smalley, and Scott McCarl (bass.) They re-united one final time, with Eric Carmen back in the fold, to tour, between 2004-2005.

The discography of the Raspberries includes four studio Albums released between 1972-1974, and 10 singles released between 1972-1975, there are also at least three official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, four of their singles reached the top 40, with ‘Go All the Way,’ charting the highest at Number 5 in 1972, and ‘Overnight Sensation (Hit Record,’) peaking at Number 18, while in the UK, none of their Albums or singles have ever charted. The majority of the songs recorded by the Raspberries were written by Eric Carmen, and it was resentment to the amount of input Carmen had, which led to the group splitting initially. Eric Carmen went on to have a very successful solo career, issuing six studio Albums between 1975-2000, and reaching the Billboard Hot 100 top 40 with eight of his singles between 1975-1988, with his debut single ‘All by Myself’ peaking the highest at Number 2 in 1975, that track was also his only UK top 40 entry, reaching Number 12. In 1996 the Canadian singer Celine Dion, did a cover version of ‘All by Myself,’ which made Number 4 on Billboard, and Number 6 in the UK. Another successful cover of an Eric Carmen song was by the American singer Sean Cassidy, who took the Carmen penned ‘That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ to Number 3 on Billboard in 1977, but the best known song by Eric Carmen, and probably his biggest earner is ‘Hungry Eyes,’ (1987-Billboard Number 4 & UK Number 82) which has gained notoriety through being one of the most popular tracks that was chosen for the 1987 film ‘Dirty Dancing,’ (see also best songs 439) and it’s soundtrack Album, which has sold in excess of 32 million copies worldwide.

‘Overnight Sensation (Hit Record’) was the first of two singles released from the Raspberries fourth studio Album ‘Starting Over,’ from September 1974. and was written by Eric Carmen, with the production being by Jimmy lenner, who would go on to be the key music producer for the 1987 film ‘Dirty Dancing,’ and also be the co-executive producer of the soundtrack, along with Bob Feiden.

The Raspberries were particularly influenced by the British Rock group ‘The Who,’ (see also best songs 926-306 and 265) with Eric Carmen saying,’Pete Townshend coined the phrase ‘Power Pop’ to define what The Who did. For some reason it didn’t stick to The Who, but it did stick to these groups that came out of the 70’s, that played that kind of melodic songs, with crunchy guitars, and some wild drumming.”Power Pop’ is a subgenre of ‘Rock Music,’ and a form of ‘Pop/Rock,’ based on the early music of bands such as The Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. ‘Power Pop’ incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and cheerful sounding music, with lyrics that create a sense of yearning, longing, despair, or self-empowerment. Along with the Raspberries, other notable 1970’s artists who are considered exponents of ‘Power Pop’ include ‘Badfinger, and Dave Edmunds. The genre continued to flourish in the 1980’s, and 1990’s, and also into the 21st Century.

‘Overnight Sensation (Hit Record’) tells the tale of an aspiring singer/songwriter yearning to have a song of his get played on the radio, and make the charts. Perhaps when Eric Carmen wrote the song, he was despairing of ever breaking through to more substantial recognition. John Lennon (1940-1980) was a fan of the Raspberries, and was present at the recording of the Album ‘Starting Over,’ and although not credited, he is rumoured to have been involved in the mixing and production of ‘Overnight Sensation (Hit Record.’) Interestingly John Lennon called a track on his final Album ‘Double Fantasy,’ from 1980, (‘Just Like) Starting Over.’

‘Well I know it sounds funny, but I’m not in it for the money, no. I don’t need no reputation, and I’m not in it for the show. I just want a hit record, yeah, wanna hear it on the radio. Want a big hit record, yeah, one that everybody’s got to know.’