THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

929-Rick Springfield-Jessie’s Girl.

1981-It was not released in the UK until 1984, when it reached Number 43.

Best Bit-At 2.19. As far as I am aware this is the only song in the world ever to have the word ‘moot’ in the lyrics, if that’s not a moot point to make.

Rick Springfield was born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23rd, 1949, in Guildford, New South Wales, Australia. He has found great success as both a musician and an actor, with both professions running concurrently throughout his career. Due to his fathers work as an army officer he lived in England between 1958-1963, which was were he learned to play the guitar. Springfield joined his first group ‘Rockhouse’ in 1968, and over the course of the next year he toured as a member of that group, and with other musicians as well, which included entertaining the Australian troops in South Vietnam. He first found chart success when becoming the lead singer of the Australian Pop/Rock band ‘Zoot,’ reaching Number 4 on the Australian ‘Go-Set’ Pop chart with a cover version of the Beatles ‘Eleanor Rigby’ in 1970 (see also best songs 599.) After ‘Zoot’ parted ways in 1971, Springfield set about a solo career, which included being marketed as a ‘Teen Idol,’ in the same mould as Donny Osmond, (see also best songs 642) and David Cassidy (1950-2017) The solo discography of Rick Springfield includes 22 studio Albums released between 1972-2019, and 34 singles issued between 1971-2019. In Australia he has charted on the top 40 on seven occasions, with ‘Jessie’s Girl,’ making Number 1. While in America on the Billboard Hot 100, he has had 17 top 40 hits, with ‘Jessie’s Girl’ also topping that chart. In the UK, where Springfield has never tasted the same success, only ‘Human Touch’ from 1983 has made the top 40, when reaching Number 23.

Rick Springfield has also had a very successful career as an actor, having made his debut in 1977 in an episode of the American science fiction television series ‘The Six Million Dollar Man.’ His big acting breakthrough occurred in 1981 when he joined the cast of the American daytime soap opera ‘General Hospital,’ playing the role of ‘Dr. Noah Drake,’ a role he would play until 1983, but would return to in later years. Springfield has also appeared in four movies, including ‘Battlestar Galactica’ in 1978, as well as making numerous other television acting appearances.

Jessie’s Girl’ was written by Rick Springfield, with the production credited to Keith Olsen, (1945-2020) and was the second single issued from Springfield’s fifth studio Album ‘Working Class Dog,’ from February 1981. ‘Jessie’s Girl’ is based on a true life experience that Springfield had had in his youth. In the mid 1970’s Springfield attended a course on ‘Stained Glass’ with a friend of his called Gary. Springfield has a major crush on Gary’s girlfriend, but she showed no interest in him. A few weeks later Springfield left the course, and never saw either of them again. The thoughts of his unrequited love stayed with him, and when writing for his 1981 Album ‘Working Class Dog,’ he finally got around to writing the song. He changed the name of ‘Gary’ to ‘Jessie,’ which he named after the American footballer Ron Jessie, (1948-2006) but admits that he doesn’t remember the girls name.

Rick Springfield has said that as far as he knows, the woman who inspired the song has no idea that she is ‘Jessie’s Girl.’ He told the American talk show host ‘Oprah Winfrey,’I was never really introduced to her. It was always just, like, panting from afar.’ The Oprah Winfrey show tried to find her, and they got as far back as finding out that the teacher of the class had died, and that his class records had been thrown out one year after his death.

‘Jessie’s Girl’ went to Number 1 in America on Billboard on the same week that ‘MTV’ was launched on August 1st, 1981, and became one the stations early successes. The popularity of the song was also a key factor in Springfield’s acting career, as people would tune in to ‘General Hospital,’ after hearing his music, and vice versa, those who fell in love with Dr. Noah Drake, would go and seek out his music.

‘I play along with the charade, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to change. You know, I feel so dirty when they start talking cute, I wanna tell her that I love her, but the point is probably moot.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

930-Beach Boys-California Girls.

1965-Number 26 single.

Best Bit-At 0.22. California, or Colorado, or Carolina, or Connecticut, or even Cleckheaton, as long as she’s got a pulse.

The Beach Boys (see also best songs 180 and 74) were formed in 1961, in Hawthorne, California, United States, by the brothers Brian, Dennis, (1944-1983) and Carl Wilson, (1946-1998) along with their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Bruce Johnson who officially joined the group in 1965, sang on a studio recording for the first time with the Beach Boys on this song.

Brian Douglas Wilson (see also best songs 811) was born on June 20th, 1942, in Inglewood, California, United States, he is one of the most respected figures in the history of ‘Popular Music,’ with generations of musicians having been influenced by his work. Wilson himself has said that his formative influences included George Gershwin, (1989-1937) Phil Spector, (1939-2021) Burt Bacharach, (1928-2023) and the American male ‘Jazz,’ ‘Traditional Pop,’ and ‘Barbershop’ performers the ‘Four Freshmen.’ Wilson has suffered with mental health issues for all of his adult life, and has been diagnosed with ‘schizo-affective disorder,’ and ‘mild manic depression,’ Wilson has said that he began having hallucinations at the age of 22 in 1965, shortly after starting to use psychedelic drugs. The Beatles producer George Martin (1926-2016) said,’No one made a greater impact on the Beatles than Brian, the musician who challenged them most of all. Jimmy Webb (see also best songs 846-197 and 1) has said, ‘As far as a major, modern producer who was working right in the middle of the Pop milieu, no one was doing what Brian was doing. We didn’t even know that it was possible until he did it.’ Another telling tribute came from David Crosby, (1941-2023) (see also best songs 621 and 417) who said,’He was the most highly regarded pop musician in America. Hands down. Everybody by that time had figured out who was writing it all and who was arranging it all.

‘California Girls’ was co-written by Brian Wilson, (music) and Mike Love, (lyrics) with the songs production being by Wilson. It was the second of two singles released from the Beach Boys ninth studio Album ‘Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!’) from July 1965. The first single released from the Album ‘Help Me Rhonda’ had made Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America, while ‘California Girls’ reached Number 3. On the writing of ‘California Girls’ Brian Wilson has said,’I came up with the introduction first, I’m still really proud of that, it has a classical feel. I wrote the song ‘California Girls’ in the same key as the introduction.’ Wilson has also said that he got inspiration for the songs intro from ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Joy,’) the piece of music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) in 1723.

All five official members of the Beach Boys sang on ‘California Girls,’ along with Bruce Johnson, who also provided harmony and backing vocals. There was also another 13 musicians who were known as the ‘Wrecking Crew’ (see also best songs 846-811-744-672-660-527-486-262-202-197-192-180-127 and 71) who played on the track, these included the legendary Hal Blaine, (1929-2019) (drums) and Carol Kaye (bass guitar.) In 1985 David Lee Roth who had been the lead vocalist with the American Rock band Van Halen (see also best songs 647) released a cover version of ‘California Girls’ for his first solo single. The track which featured Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys on backing vocals, like the original, also peaked at Number 3 on Billboard.

Many come to the conclusion that the Beach Boys are stating that all the best looking girls come from California, but the true message isn’t that. Having been all around the world, and seen many pretty girls, the Beach Boys’ actual wish is that all those girls could live in California. Mike Love who sang the lead vocals, and wrote the songs lyrics has said,’I wanted the song to be a tribute to girls everywhere, not just in the United States, let alone California, but everywhere in the world.’

‘Well, East coast girls are hip I really dig those styles they wear, and the Southern girls with the way they talk, they knock me out when I’m down there. The Midwest farmer’s daughters really make you feel alright, and the Northern girls with the way they kiss, they keep their boyfriends warm at night.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

931-Black Legend-You See the Trouble with Me.

2000-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 1.24. The upside of being a Barry White tribute act is that you can eat as much as you want, in the knowledge that it is part of your job. The downside of course is health complications in later life.

Black Legend was the collaboration between the two Italian music producers Enrico ‘BSJ’ Ferrari, and Ciro Sasso, and the British vocalist Elroy ‘Spoonface’ Powell. The trio charted in the top 40 in nine European countries in 2000 with their interpretation of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ which went all the way to Number 1 in the UK, and although it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America, it did peak at Number 7 on Billboard’s ‘Dance’ music chart. They followed the success of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ also in 2000 with a cover version of ‘The Doors’ classic ‘Light My Fire,’ (see also best songs 235) which was recorded in a similar ‘House Music’ style, but this time they failed to repeat the success, and ‘Light My Fire’ disappeared without trace. In the UK, Black Legend just escaped joining the list of ‘One Hit Wonders’ when their third and final single release ‘Somebody’ crept inside the top 40, peaking at Number 37 in 2001. ‘Somebody’ which was accompanied with a promotional video, samples the 1986 ‘Dance-R&B’ track ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On but the Rent,’ (UK-Number 5) performed by the American singer Gwen Guthrie (1950-1999.)

The original version of ‘You See the Trouble with Me’ was co-written by Barry White, (1944-2003) (see also best songs 560-476 and 153) and Ray Parker Jr. of ‘Ghostbusters’ fame, and went on to reach Number 2 in the UK in 1976, although it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. ‘You See the Trouble with Me’ is one of three songs on this ‘Best 1000 songs list’ that appear twice in recordings by different artists, (see also best songs 931-863-214-145 and 112) coincidentally both versions of ‘You See the Trouble with Me’ have sold approximately the same amount of copies in the UK, said to be 250,000, the Black Legend recording ended the year 2000 as the 40th best selling single of that year in the UK.

Black Legend had asked permission to use the original vocals of Barry White for their cover of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ but White declined them permission, which is said that after the success of the song it cost White a substantial amount in royalties that he could have made. Black Legend then turned to the British vocalist Elroy Powell, who goes by the stage name of ‘Spoonface,’to record the vocals in a similar style to that of Barry White, Powell also provided the vocals on the two follow up singles ‘Light My Fire,’ and ‘Somebody.’ Over the years Powell has worked with other artists including the Sugababes, and Craig David, he has also worked as an actor, notably appearing in 2015 in the ‘Star Wars Episode VII,’-‘The Force Awakens,’ as Rosser Weno, and also as a regular character on the BBC television soap opera ‘Eastenders’ as a market trader since 2014.

At the time of writing Ciro Sasso continues to tour Europe as ‘Black Legend,’ playing his ‘DJ sets.’ Sasso is also the owner of ‘Reverse Records,’ and the ‘iLike Records’ labels, that since 2003, have issued ‘Dance Music’ worldwide. The other producer of ‘You See the Trouble with Me,’ Enrico ‘BSJ’ Ferrari, was born in Priverno, Italy, in 1963, the ‘BSJ’ stands for ‘Barry Saint Just,’ Prior to joining forces with Sasso for the ‘Black Legend’ project, Ferrari had released his first music in 1994. He also set up his own record labels in 2013,’TRAKTORIA Records,’ and ‘DOMOZERO’ Records, in order to distribute music worldwide.

1975, We’re goin’ to an Album, with a song. ‘Put your hands together, come on, y’all, clap your hands. You know, yeah that’s right. Put your hands together, come on sing it, trouble, baby. Can’t do nothin’, no, darlin,’ can’t feel, can’t feel nothin.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

932-Gary Moore-Still Got the Blues (For You.)

1990-Number 31 single.

Best Bit-At 5.03. If guitars could speak, this one would be saying everything you ever wanted to hear.

Robert William Gary Moore was born on April 4th, 1952, in Belfast, Northern Island, he died on February 6th, 2011, of a heart attack in his sleep, at the age of 58. At certain points in his life Moore had been a drug user, and during the later years of his life he had developed a serious drinking problem. It was reported that the heart attack was brought on by a high level of alcohol in his body at that time.

Gary Moore cited Peter Green, (1946-2020) the founding member of Fleetwood Mac (see also best songs 622) and Eric Clapton (see also best songs 726) as his musical inspirations. In 1968 Moore left Belfast, and moved to Dublin, Ireland, where he joined the Irish Blues Rock band ‘Skid Row,’ (not to be confused with the American group of the same name) this was where he first met Phil Lynott, (1949-1986) (see also best songs 125) who at that time was that bands vocalist. In 1974 Moore and Lynott would again play together in ‘Thin Lizzy’ for a short time, and then again they would team up in 1977, and again in 1978. Following the death of Lynott in 1986, Moore performed with members of Thin Lizzy at the ‘Self Aid’ concert the following May.

The discography of Gary Moore includes two studio Albums recorded with ‘Skid Row,’ in 1970 and 1971, and as a full time member of ‘Thin Lizzy, on their ninth studio Album ‘Black Rose: A Rock Legend,’ in 1979. As a solo artist Moore released 17 studio Albums between 1978-2008, there was also one posthumous release in 2021. He also issued 53 singles between 1978-2011, of which 11 made the UK top 40, with his two collaborations with Phil Lynott on ‘Parisienne Walkways,’ (1979-Number 8) and ‘Out in the Fields,’ (1985-Number 5) giving him both of his top 10 hits. In America his only Billboard Hot 100 entry was ‘Still Got the Blues (For You’) which crept in the chart at Number 97 in 1990.

‘Still Got the Blues (For You’) was the second of four singles released from Gary Moore’s eighth studio Album ‘Still Got the Blues’ from March 1990. The song was written by Moore, and produced by Moore, and the veteran producer and engineer Ian Taylor. By the late 1980’s Gary Moore had grown tired of playing ‘Hard Rock,’ and Heavy Metal,’ and decided to return to his first love ‘The Blues,’ leading to the recording of the ‘Electric Blues’ Album ‘Still Got the Blues,’ which became a great success selling in excess of 3 million copies worldwide. Gary Moore recalled,’I left Lizzy in 1980, and had a band called ‘G-Force,’ then got into my solo thing. I found that when I was in my dressing room, warming up for a gig, I would be playing ‘Blues,’ so I felt I was getting a bit of a message from that. Around ’89, I started playing ‘Blues’ again.’ Gary Moore also spoke about the 1959 ‘Les Paul’ guitar that he had purchased in 1989.’I put it away because I was still doing ‘Hard Rock’ at the time, and it wasn’t the right guitar for that, but when it came time to do ‘Still Got The Blues,’ I took it to the studio to test the room. The first day, we did ‘Still Got The Blues’ in one take, straight through, it was really a dramatic day, I’ll never forget it.’

‘Still Got the Blues (For You’) has had more than it’s fair share of controversy. In 2008 a German court ruled the guitar solo on the song was plagiarised by Gary Moore from a 1974 instrumental recording called ‘Nordrach,’ by the German ‘Progressive Rock’ band ‘Jud’s Gallery.’ Gary Moore denied ever hearing the song, but the judge ruled in favour of Jurgen Winter of the group ‘Jud’s Gallery,’ and Moore was ordered to pay an undisclosed amount in damages. Go to ‘YouTube,’ and make up your own mind at 8 minutes and 16 seconds.

‘Used to be so easy to give my heart away, but I found out the hard way, there’s a price you have to pay. I found out that love was no friend of mine. I should have known time after time. So long, it was so long ago, but I’ve still got the blues for you.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

933-The Rolling Stones-Fool to Cry.

1976-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 2.55. In the wonderful world of ‘Pop Music,’ where longevity is at a premium, the majority of artists have produced their best work within a couple of Albums. The Rolling Stones were in their 14th year, and on to Album Number 15.

‘Fool to Cry’ was the first of two singles released from The Rolling Stones 13th British, and 15th American studio Album,’Black and Blue,’ from April 1976. The only other single,’Hot Stuff,’ which is the opening song on the Album failed to chart in the UK, and stalled at Number 49 on Billboard in America. ‘Fool to Cry’ was co-written by Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, with the production also credited to them, under their working production name of ‘The Glimmer Twins.’ It is probably fair to say that the song was more a composition by Jagger rather than Richards, as it is well known Richards is not a fan of the song, in fact it is said that he once fell asleep while the ‘Stones’ were performing the song in 1976 while touring Germany. Keith Richards has said,’I was just glad somebody in the band could sing that falsetto. I got a pretty good falsetto myself, but when you got a singer and he can hit those notes, baby go for it. And Mick was always fascinated with the falsetto Soul singers like Aaron Neville.

Sir Michael Philip Jagger was born on July 26th, 1943, in Dartford, Kent, England, he was honoured with a knighthood for services to popular music in the ‘Queen’s 2002 Birthday Honours’ list. Mick Jagger who was inspired by ‘Blues Music’ from an early age, went on to play a major role in the development of ‘Rock Music’ in the 1960’s, and is recognised as one of the most influential ‘frontmen’ of all time, with his energetic performances. His way of singing in those early days with the ‘Stones’ led the way for the acceptance of ‘Rock’ vocalists with a different style from the norm, such as Bob Dylan, and Van Morrisson, to become more widely accepted, and appreciated. Away from The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger has released five solo studio Albums between 1972-2001, and 22 singles, between 1970-2022. In the UK, five of those single have made the top 40, with his 1985 collaboration with David Bowie (1946-2016) on ‘Dancing in the Street,’ reaching Number 1. While in America on Billboard he has charted within the top 40 on four occasions, with ‘Dancing in the Street’ peaking the highest at Number 7. For further reading on Mick Jagger away from The Rolling Stones in this countdown (see also best songs 639 and 373.)

‘Fool to Cry’ was issued as a single three days after the release of it’s parent Album ‘Black and Blue,’ on April 26th, 1976. The Album was greeted with mixed reviews, with some music critics acclaiming it, while others totally panned it, which just goes to show the futility of trying to get anyone to agree on a ‘Best 1000 songs’ of all time list. The Album was recorded at a transitional time for The Rolling Stones, (see also best songs 662-452-160 and 77) as their former guitarist Mick Taylor had quit in December 1974, and numerous guitarists were being auditioned, with Ronnie Wood finally being chosen as the replacement, although on ‘Fool to Cry,’ it was Wayne Jenkins who had auditioned, and was chosen to play on the track.The Rolling Stones who performed on ‘Fool to Cry’ were Mick Jagger, (lead vocals) Keith Richards, (guitar) Bill Wyman, (bass) and Charlie Watts (1941-2021) (drums.) The only other guest artist on the song was Nicky Hopkins, (1944-1994) (piano and synthesizer) who has been a session musician on many other songs on this countdown.

And now the difficult bit, what is the meaning of the song ‘Fool to Cry’ all about. A man comes home after working all night, he puts his daughter on his knee, and she asks him, whats wrong? He doesn’t tell her, and she tells him he is foolish to cry. From time to time he goes to visit a woman on the other side of town, and they make love. She also tries to get him to tell her what is troubling him, and she comes to the same conclusion as the daughter, that he is a fool to cry. Song lyrics are always open to interpretation, and here we are left wondering, is he cheating on someone, is he suffering from depression, does he want his cake and eat it, or is it something else.

‘Even my friends say to me sometimes, and make out like I don’t understand them. You know what they say? They say, ooh daddy you’re a fool to cry, you’re a fool to cry, and it makes me wonder why.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

934-Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters-Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive.

1944-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 1.17. This is quite possibly the very first ever ‘Happy Clappy’ song.

‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ was co-written by Harold Arden, (music) and Johnny Mercer, (lyrics) and first appeared in the 1944 American romantic comedy, ‘Here Comes the Waves,’ where it was performed by Bowen Charlton ‘Sonny’ Tufts, (1911-1970) as part of a ‘blackface’ routine, (see also best songs 310) something that was common in many musicals of the era, but which would be not allowed now. Arden and Mercer had been commissioned to write the music for the film, for which they wrote nine songs, of which eight were used, with ‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ proving by far to be the most popular. The first recording of the song was by Johnny Mercer, on vocals, with ‘The Pied Pipers’ and the Paul Weston (1912-1996) (see also best songs 584) Orchestra.’ ‘The Pied Pipers’ are a very successful vocal group who perform with ‘Jazz Orchestra’s, they formed in 1938, and still tour at the time of writing. This recording was highly successful, and peaked at Number 2 on the ‘Billboard Magazine’ in America in April 1945. The version of ‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ that I have chosen by Bing Crosby (1903-1977) (see also best songs 457 and 259) and The Andrew Sisters (see also best songs 252) was equally successful, when also peaking at Number 2 on Billboard in 1945. The song as you can well imagine has dozens of other recordings through the generations, by some of the the worlds top artists.

Harold Arlen was born Hyman Arluck on February 15th, 1905, in Buffalo, New York, United States, he died of cancer on April 23rd, 1986, at the age of 81, Arlen composed over 500 songs, many of which appear in the ‘Great American Songbook,’ (see also best songs 281) and as well as writing with Johnny Mercer, he also collaborated with others including ‘E. Y. Harburg, (1896-1981) and Ted Koehler (1894-1973) on many of the 20th Century’s best loved songs. Shortly before his death, Arlen adopted the 22 year old adult son of his brother Julius “Jerry” Arluck, so that his estate would have an heir in order to extend his copyright. Samuel Arlen runs the company that owns the rights to the Arlen catalogue.

‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ was written for the Navy themed musical ‘Here Comes the Waves,’ and the songs lyricist Johnny Mercer (1909-1976) (see also best songs 281 and 45) has explained how an old idea came to mind.’When I was working with Benny Goodman (1909-1986) back in ’39, I had a publicity guy who told me he had been to hear Father Divine, (1876-1965) and that was the subject of his sermon, ‘Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.’ Well, that amused me so, and it sounds so Southern and so funny that I wrote it down on a piece of paper, and this was, what, five years later? And Harold Arlen (1905-1986) (see also best songs 634-281 and 68) and I were riding home from the studio after a conference about getting a song for the sailors, and Harold was singing me this little tune he had sung me before. Now, that’s a strange thing about your subconscious, because here’s a song that’s kind of lying dormant in my subconscious for five years, and the minute he sang that tune, it jumped into my mind as if it dialed a phone number. Because it doesn’t really fit. The accent is all different. I just think there’s some kind of fate connected with it.’

Father Divine whom Johnny Mercer referred to, was an American spiritual leader who founded the ‘International Peace Mission movement,’ in the 1920’s, and due to his ideology many consider him to have been a cult leader. Father Divine who claimed to be ‘God’ had many followers, and preached openly on many subjects, including race, chastity, politics, and positive thinking. Tying in with the sermons of Father Divine,’Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’ references two biblical stories, ‘Jonah and the Whale,’ and ‘Noah and the Ark.’ and asks the question ‘What did they do just when everything looked so dark?’ To which the song tells us to be positive, ‘Eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, and don’t mess with Mister In-Between.’

‘Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear about the eliminatin’ of the negative, and the accent on the positive. And gather ’round me children if you’re willin’ and sit tight, while I start reviewin’ the attitude of doin’ right.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

935-Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley-Jack Your Body.

1987-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 6.25. The House that Jack built.

Steven W. Hurley was born on November 9th, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, he was an early pioneer of the genre of music that was to become known as ‘House Music,’ and because of where he recorded, this song also came to be known as ‘Chicago House’ music. Working under the stage name ‘Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’ his only chart hit in the UK remains ‘Jack Your Body,’ which reached Number 1 in January 1987, so by never making that charts top 40 again, he is a true ‘one hit wonder’ in that country, (under the Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley name) for a list of the other ‘one hit wonders’ on this countdown see also best songs 990-698-496-467-116 and 101. In truth though Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley isn’t actually a ‘one hit wonder’ as he has found success working under different names, including ‘J.M. Silk,’ and ‘The Voices of Life.’ In the UK, as ‘The Voices of Life’ featuring Sharon Pass, he made Number 26 in 1997 with the song ‘The Word Is Love (Say the Word.’) Although he has never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America, seven of his tracks have made the ‘Billboard Dance Club Songs’ top 40 chart, with ‘I Can’t Turn Around’ (see also best songs 981) from 1986, reaching Number 1.

The discography of Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley includes two studio Albums released in 1987 and 1989, and 21 singles issued between 1985-2014. The other names that Hurley has released singles under are ‘J.M. Silk.’ and ‘SilkMix. com.’ he was also one of writers and producers on the 1991 Keith Nunnally debut single ‘Seasons of Love.’ Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley has also produced chart hits for other artists including Ce Ce Peniston, with ‘We Got a Love Thang’ (UK Number 6 and Billboard Number 20-1992) and Kym Sims with ‘Too Blind to See It’ (UK Number 5 and Billboard Number 38-1991.)

‘Jack Your Body’ which was later added to Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s debut studio Album ‘Hold on to Your Dream’ in 1987, is a landmark track in that it brought ‘House Music’ in to the mainstream. The song which went all the way to Number 1 in the UK in January 1987 was a complete surprise as it had been ignored by the national BBC Radio 1 music station, and was only receiving major play in night clubs. At the time if a 12 inch record had more than 25 minutes of music on it, then it would only be eligible for the Album chart, but the chart compilers failed to notice. Had only the sales of the 7 inch version been taken in to account the song would have stalled at Number 7, but would have made Number 1 on the Album chart.

At the back end of the 1970’s ‘Disco’ music had all but run it’s course, and with ‘Electronic’ instruments developing all the time, even ‘Joe Bloggs’ could now experiment with making music in their bedroom, using synthesizers and drum machines, such as the ‘Roland TR-808.’ The idea for ‘Jack Your Body’ was developed by Hurley using the bass line (by speeding it up and looping it) from the 1983 Disco song ‘Let No Man Put Asunder’ by the all female group ‘First Choice’ The vocals were added by Hurley, who said his inspiration for the grunts, and some of the other sounds he produced were inspired by the actor ‘Mr T.’ and the comedian Richard Pryor.

‘Jack Your Body’ is a homage to a dance craze that was popular in the early 1980’s in Chicago, where the dancer ripples their torso back and fourth in an undulating motion, known as Jacking,’ or ‘Jackin,” or ‘The Jack.’ Although the song actually sounds quite tame by today’s standards, like many others, on first hearing the song, I knew I was listening to something completely different, a game changer. The track was indeed a game changer, leading the way for many others to produce their own ‘House Music’ tracks, and branching the genre off in many new directions, including the onset of ‘Acid House,’ but that’s another story.

‘Jack, jack, ja jack jack your body. Jack ya, jack, jack ya, jack your body. Jack, jack, ja jack jack your body.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

936-Eminem featuring Dido-Stan.

2000-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 6.34. Such was the impact of this song, that the name ‘Stan’ was included in the ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ in 2017. It is a slang term meaning, overzealous, maniacal, or an overly obsessed fan of a celebrity, or personality. ‘ST’-alker’ + f’AN’ =’STAN.’

Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers, on October 17th, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri, United States. At the age of 14 he began rapping with a high school friend, adopting the name ‘M&M,’ that later evolved in to ‘Eminem.’ There were several ups and downs between 1986, through until his big career break which occurred in 1997, when Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997 ‘Rap Olympics’, an annual, nationwide battle rap competition. Eminem finished second, but had impressed Dean Geistilinger of ‘Interscope Records,’ who immediately contacted the record producer Dr. Dre, (see also best songs (564-544-482-189-128 and 48) who when criticised by his associates for hiring a white rapper said,’I don’t give a f..k if you’re purple, if you can kick it, I’m working with you.’ Eminem is credited for popularising ‘Hip-Hop’ music to a ‘Middle American’ audience, and for breaking racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in Popular Music. He is recognised as being greatly influential in the careers of many other artists, not just in ‘Hip-Hop,’ but in various other musical genres as well.

With sales in excess of 225 million Eminem is among the elite when it comes to record sales worldwide. His discography includes 11 studio Albums released between 1996-2020, of which the last nine all went straight in at Number 1 on the Billboard chart in America. He has also issued 57 singles as the lead artist, and 22 singles as the featured artist, between 1998-2022. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, 43 of those singles have reached the top 40, with five of those tracks making Number 1, while in the UK, he has charted on 46 occasions in the top 40, with 10 of those singles making the Number 1 spot.

‘Stan’ was the third of five singles released from ‘The Marshall Mathers LP,’ which was the third studio Album by Eminem, from May 2000. ‘Stan’ was co-written by Eminem, Dido, and Paul Herman, with the production credited to Eminem, and The 45 King, which is the stage name of the American ‘Hip-Hop’ music producer Mark James. James who was born on October 16th, 1961, in The Bronx, New York, got his name ‘The 45 King,’ through his ability to make ‘beats’ from sourcing obscure ’45 RPM’ vinyl records, James is best remembered for his 1987 groundbreaking ‘Breakbeat’ track ‘The 900 Number (UK-Number 60.) James had heard the song ‘Thank You’ by ‘Dido,’ and sent a remix he had done to Eminem, who incorporated it in to his lyrics, which would become ‘Stan.’ After ‘Dido’ had given her permission the song became eligible for release. Paul Herman who co-wrote ‘Thank You,’ with ‘Dido’ is therefore also credited as one of the writers of ‘Stan.’

‘Dido’ was born Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O’Malley Armstrong, on December 25th, 1971, in Kensington, London, England, her brother is the music producer ‘Rollo’ (see also best songs 890 and 207.) Both ‘Dido’ and ‘Rollo’ were given there shortened names by their parents in childhood, and ‘Dido’ considers it to be here real name.The name ‘Dido’ derives from the legendary ‘Queen of Carthage,’ the legendary founder, and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
‘Dido’ and Paul Herman wrote ‘Than You’ in the late 1990’s, and it first appeared on the soundtrack of the movie ‘Sliding Doors,’ in 1998. It was then included on ‘Dido’s’ 1999 debut studio Album ‘No Angel,’ and released as a single in September 2000, reaching Number 3, in both the UK, and in America, on Billboard.

‘Stan’ is the story of a fan obsessed with Eminem. The fan whose name is Stan writes letters to Eminem, but Eminem doesn’t get to see them. Stan thinks that Eminem is wilfully ignoring him, which makes him angry, and frustrated. With all the other mental issues going on in Stan’s head, he drives himself, and his pregnant girlfriend, who he has locked in the boot of his car, over a bridge, killing them all. A while later Eminem having finally received his fan-mail, is setting about answering it, when he comes across Stan’s letter. Remembering the story of the bridge incident he heard on the news, he puts two and two together, and the reality hits him.

‘Some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge, and had his girlfriend in the trunk, and she was pregnant with his kid. And in the car they found a tape, but they didn’t say who it was to. Come to think about, his name was, it was you. Damn.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

937-Golden Earring-Radar Love.

1973-Number 7 single.

Best Bit-At 0.19. The best driving song in the world ever, it’s almost worth getting a speeding ticket for.

Golden Earring were formed in 1961, in The Hague, Netherlands, initially calling themselves ‘The Tornados,’ but on realising that there was another, and at that time much more famous group who were already established with that name, they instead chose the ‘The Golden Earrings.’ which was taken from a 1961 instrumental song by the British group ‘The Hunters,’ whom they had toured with. They dropped the ‘The’ in 1967, and the plural ‘s’ was discarded in 1969.

Golden Earring were formed by 13 year old George Kooymans, (guitar and vocals) and his 15 year old neighbour Rinus Gerritson (bass.) They were joined later by Frans Krassenburg, (vocals) and Jaap Eggermont, (drums) initially paying a mixture of ‘Pop/Rock,’ and scoring a 1965 Number 8 hit in the Netherlands with their first single ‘Please Go.’ Jaap Eggermont left the group in 1969, and would find his greatest success in the early 1980’s with his ‘Stars on 45’ project. In 1968 Krassenburg was replaced on vocals by Barry Hay, and Eggermont was replaced in 1969 by Cesar Zuiderwijk on the drums, these four of Kooymans, Gerritson, Hay, and Zuiderwijk who played on ‘Radar Love,’ and have performed together since 1970, are considered the classic lineup. In 2021 Kooymans announced that he was suffering from ‘amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,’ (ALS) and would retire. Shortly afterwards, Golden Earring announced that they would officially disband. In total over their 60 year career, there have been 15 different members come and go.

The discography of Golden Earring includes 25 studio Albums released between 1965-2012, and 74 singles issued between 1965-2019, there are also eight official live Albums, and two compilation Albums available. On the Dutch top 40, Golden Earring have achieved 51 hit singles, with five of those tracks reaching Number 1, including ‘Radar Love.’ In the UK, ‘Radar Love’ remains the groups only top 40 hit single, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, they have charted within the top 40 twice, with ‘Radar Love’ making Number 13, and ‘Twilight Zone’ from 1982, reaching Number 10. Golden Earring started out life as a ‘Pop/Rock’ outfit, but since 1970 they transformed themselves in to a ‘Hard Rock,’ and ‘Progressive Rock’ group.

‘Radar Love’ is track 4 on ‘Moontan,’ which was the ninth studio Album release by Golden Earring, from July 1973. The song was written by George Kooymans, and Barry Hay, with the production being credited to Golden Earring. ‘Radar Love’ tells the story of a driver who has a very long drive ahead of him. He senses that his girlfriend needs him by her side, so he puts his foot down on the accelerator. In the days before mobile phones, there was no way of being able to communicate instantly, but the driver thinks he has a psychic relationship with her, which he calls ‘Radar Love.’ He switches on the radio to pass the time, and it is playing the 1966 Billboard Number 11 hit ‘Coming On Strong,’ by Brenda Lee. Brenda Lee (see also best songs 522) has said that she was flattered to be mentioned in such a great song.

There is a school of thought that suggests ‘Radar Love’ hasn’t got a happy ending, with some thinking that the narrator has driven in a reckless manner to get to his girlfriend quicker, and by doing so has crashed and been killed, highlighted by the lyrics,’And the line of cars drove down real slow,’ suggesting that the narrator is now watching his own funeral, but I prefer to think that the cars are slow because he has reached the end of his journey, and he can now embrace his girlfriend.

‘I’ve been drivin’ all night, my hand’s wet on the wheel, there’s a voice in my head that drives my heel. It’s my baby callin’, says I need you here, and it’s a half past four and I’m shiftin’ gear.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

938-Natalie Imbruglia-Torn.

1997-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 3.28. As a DJ, until becoming more acquainted with her surname I did struggle. The same could be said of my pronunciation of ‘Aguilera.’ Then further back I also remember the problems that occurred when coming across the Punk Rock band ‘Splodgenessabounds,’ but nothing compares with the toughest one of them all, that top 10 song in 1976 by Quantum Jump. ‘The Lone Ranger,”Taumatawhakatangihangakuayuwotamateaturipukakupikimaungahoronukupokaiawhenuakatanatahumatakuatanganuakawamiki-tora.’

Natalie Jane Imbruglia was born on February 4th, 1975, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Her first major breakthrough occurred in 1992 when landing the role of ‘Beth Brennan’ in the Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours,’ a role she played until 1994, when leaving to further her career, with a move to London, England. It was her manager Anne Barret, whom Imbruglia had first met in England, who convinced her to record a demo of four songs, one of which was ‘Torn,’ which impressed ‘RCA Records.’

Natalie Imbruglia who has gone on to sell in excess of 10 million records worldwide, has to date released six studio Albums between 1997-2021, and 17 singles between 1997-2022, there is also a greatest hits package ‘Glorious: The Singles 97-07,’ which was released in 2007. In Australia, Imbruglia has achieved six top 40 ‘Aria’ hits, with ‘Torn’ charting the highest at Number 2, while in the UK, she has charted within the top 40 on 10 occasions, with both ‘Torn,’ (1997) and ‘Big Mistake,’ (1998) both peaking at Number 2. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, she has never charted within the top 40, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The record company wouldn’t release ‘Torn’ as a single in America, as they wanted to get people to buy the Album ‘Left of the Middle’ instead, ‘Torn’ was one of the most played songs on American radio in 1997, but at that time ‘Billboard’ didn’t include airplay tracks into the chart, but when the rules changed in December 1998, even so ‘Torn’ was at the end of it’s commercial run on radio playlists, it still managed to chart at Number 42. Away from music Natalie Imbruglia has also appeared in six films between 2003-2015, including co-starring alongside Rowan Atkinson in ‘Johnny English,’ in 2003. She has also appeared as a guest judge in both the UK and Australian versions of ‘The X Factor,’ and in 2022, she made an appearance in the very last episode of the Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours.’

‘Torn’ was the debut single release from Natalie Imbruglia, and was the first of four singles issued from her debut studio Album ‘Left of the Middle,’ from November 1997, the Album went on to sell in excess of seven million copies worldwide, making it the best selling debut ever by a female ‘Rock/Pop’ artist. ‘Torn’ was co-written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley, with the production credited to Thornally. Cutler, and Preven had both been members of the American ‘Alternative Rock’ group ‘Ednasnap,’ and they had written ‘Torn’ back in 1993, but didn’t release their version until 1995. The actual first issued recording of the song was in 1993 by the Danish singer Lis Sorensen, with Danish lyrics written by Elisabeth Gjerluff Nielsen, and titled ‘Braendt’ (Burned.) Another earlier cover version of ‘Torn’ was in 1996 by the Norwegian singer Trine Rein, her recording was a hit in Norway, where it reached Number 10, and is very similar in style to the version by Natalie Imbruglia.

The songs co-writer and producer Phil Thornalley was born on January 5th, 1960, in Worlington, Mildenhall, Suffolk, England. As a writer and producer, his career highlights include writing and producing two UK Number 1 singles for Pixie Lott, ‘Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh’) (2009) and ‘Boys and Girls’ (2009.) Thornalley who has also worked closely with Bryan Adams for many years, was the producer of ‘The Cure’s’ 1982 Album ‘Pornography,’ and in 1983 co-produced their UK Number 7 hit single ‘The Love Cats,’ for which he was critically acclaimed for playing the distinctive double bass line on the track.

‘Torn’ tells of the realisation of the narrator, that the man she fell in love with has changed. He once loved and cared for her, but now he is distant, and not interested in her anymore.

‘I thought I saw a man brought to life, he was warm, he came around like he was dignified. He showed me what it was to cry, well, you couldn’t be that man I adored, you don’t seem to know, or seem to care what your heart is for, but I don’t know him anymore.’