THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

87-Grandmaster Flash-The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel.

1981-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 5.39. The kids today don’t know they’re born. This is how granddad had to get the party started.

Grandmaster Flash (see also best songs 523 and 290) is the stage name of Joseph Saddler who was born on January 1st, 1958, in The Bronx, New York, United States, he is considered to be one of the pioneers of ‘Hip-Hop DJing, which involves, cutting, scratching, and mixing. Saddler wasn’t the first to experiment with these techniques, but it was he who popularised and advanced the skills, bringing them into the mainstream. The artists who influenced Saddler included the DJ Pete Jones, DJ Kool Herc, and Grandmaster Flowers (1954-1992.)

Grandmaster Flash was a founding member of ‘Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five which formed in The Bronx, New York City, in 1978, they signed with ‘Sugar Hill Records’ (see also best songs 597-523-466-290 and 17) in 1980, and were active until 1983. They did reform in 1987 releasing one studio Album ‘On the Strength,’ which met with a lukewarm reception, and the original line up then broke up for good in 1988. The discography of Grandmaster Flash includes 11 Albums issued between 1982-2009, and nine singles released between 1979-1996.

If you were born after 1985 you’re probably listening to this song and wondering what the fuss is all about, because after all it’s just a bunch of songs mixed together. Well the fact is, it was the first song ever made by mixing different tracks together in order to create a new song. It also introduced sampling, and the cutting and scratching techniques that we’re the hallmarks of early Hip-Hop. Today anybody with a computer and the correct software can create their own music, but that technology was not available in 1981. In order to achieve what Grandmaster Flash did required three turntables, a mixer, headphones, and a complete knowledge of the music he was mixing, plus endless hours of practise. There was no fancy editing on this track, Grandmaster Flash recorded it live in one take. His unique foresight, and DJ skills cannot be overstated, especially in the development of ‘Hip-Hop,’ and ‘Dance Music.’

There are 10 different songs mixed into ‘The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel,’ and also sampled is the spoken word vocals from a 1966 album titled ‘The Official Adventures of Flash Gordon.’ The only artists who receive the songwriting credits are Clifton ‘Jiggs’ Chase, Melvin Glover, (see also best songs 228) George Jackson, and Sylvia Robinson (1935-2011) who participated in the writing of ‘8th Wonder,’ ‘Birthday Party,’ ‘Freedom,’ ‘Monster Jam,’ and ‘Rappers Delight,’ (see also best songs 17) which were the songs that were licensed to ‘Sugar Hill Records.’ The other five songs that were used are Chic-‘Good Times,’ (1979) (see also best songs 175) Blondie-‘Rapture,’ (1980) Queen-Another One Bites the Dust,’ (1980) Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band-‘Apache,’ (1973) and The Hellers-‘Life Story’ (1968.)

‘Fab Five Freddie told me everybody’s high, DJ’s spinnin’ are savin’ my mind. Flash is fast, Flash is cool. Francois c’est pas.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

88-James Brown-Get Up (I Feel Like Being a ) Sex Machine.

1970-Number 32 single.

Best Bit-At 2.12. If you Google sex machine it brings up some very weird results, so my advice is to add the words James Brown song, because this is a family friendly music countdown.

In March 1970 most of James Brown’s (see also best songs 880-349 and 270) mid to late 1960’s backing band of musicians who were known as ‘The James Brown Band, and The James Brown Orchestra,’ had walked out on him due to money disputes, although his longtime collaborator Bobby Byrd, (1934-2007) (see also best songs 561) and the drummer John ‘Jabo’ Starks (1937-2018) remained. James Brown set about organising a new backing band which included William ‘Bootsy’ Collins and his brother, guitarist Phelps “Catfish” Collins, (1943-2010) (see also best songs 850-612-340-143 and 26) formerly of the obscure funk band ‘The Pacemakers.’ Also added were three inexperienced horn players, who were Clayton “Chicken” Gunnells, Darryl “Hasaan” Jamison, and Robert McCollough, Brown also added the conga player Johnny Griggs. It was this line up that recorded ‘Sex Machine,’ thus proving that James Brown could still be successful without the majority of his old band.

The new line up were called ‘The J.B.’s,’ and with a total of 34 different members coming and going, they would remain active until 2006. As well as backing James Brown, in the studio and on tour, the ‘J.B.’s’ would also be used as the in house band at ‘People Records,’ which was the label owned by James Brown to record artists such as Lynn Collins, (1948-2005) and Vicki Anderson. The ‘J.B.’s’ also issued 13 Albums between 1972-2014, and 25 singles between 1970-1978.

‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine’ was co-written by James Brown, Bobby Byrd, and Ron Lenoff, (1931-2006) with the production credited to Brown. The song is considered to be another important step in the development of ‘Funk’ music, the genre that Brown and Byrd had already had a big say in, with some music critics pointing to Brown’s 1967 song ‘Cold Sweat’ as the first ‘Funk’ record. ‘Sex Machine’ is a call and response song, Brown would sing his line, and Byrd would respond. Towards the end of the song Brown starts singing ‘Shake Your Moneymaker,’ this is a tribute to the American Blues singer Elmore James, (1918-1963) who had recorded the Blues song ‘Shake Your Money Maker’ in 1961. Elmore James wasn’t credited as one of ‘Sex Machine’s’ writers, so it is highly unlikely that his estate received any of the songs royalties.

In 1970, using the word ‘sex’ in a songs title was brave, with no track up until then ever having charted on Billboard with the word ‘sex’ in the title. The song would peak at Number 15 on Billboard, and it would be a further four years until the ‘Moments’ (see also best songs 466) would reach Number 17 with ‘Sexy Mama.’ In the UK, ‘You Sexy Thing’ by ‘Hot Chocolate’ (see also best songs 864) was one of the first songs to get the ball rolling, when it reached Number 2 in 1975.

As for the songs meaning, ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine’ is probably not about sex, but more to do with motivation, and channelling all your energy into being the best at what you attempt to do.

‘Fellas, I’m ready to get up and do my thing! (Yeah! That’s right! Do it!) I want to get into it, man, you know? (Go ahead! Yeah!) Like a, like a sex machine, man, (Yeah!) movin’, groovin’, doin’ it, y’know? (Yeah!) Can I count it off? (Okay! Alright!) One, two, three, four!’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

89-Deep Purple-Smoke on the Water.

1971-It didn’t chart in the UK until it was re-issued in 1977 when reaching Number 21.

Best Bit-At 0.01. It’s the most famous and iconic guitar riff in the world ever. Whenever a budding rock star decides that they want to learn how to play an electric guitar, this is the riff they always attempt to play first.

Deep Purple (see also best songs 550) have gone through many personnel changes since their initial forming in 1968, in London, England. They remained active through until going on hiatus in 1976, and then they reformed in 1984, and remain active at the time of writing, with Ian Paice being the bands one constant. In total there have been 16 different members come and go, with the five who are considered to be the classic line up being Ian Paice, (drums) Ritchie Blackmore, (guitar) (see also best songs 976) John Lord, (1941-2012) (keyboards) Ian Gillan, (vocals) and Roger Glover (bass) (see also best songs 558.) The group took their name from the 1933 song called ‘Deep Purple,’ written by Peter DeRose, (1896-1953) as it was Ritchie Blackmore’s grandmothers favourite song.

Alongside Led Zeppelin (see also best songs 135 and 66) and Black Sabbath, (see also best songs 814) Deep Purple have been referred to as the ‘unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid- seventies,’ and they are considered to be one of the most influential rock bands of all time, with record sales in excess of 100 million. The discography of Deep Purple includes 22 studio Albums that have been released between 1968-2021, and 58 singles issued over the same time period. In the UK five of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Black Night’ from 1970 charting the highest at Number 2, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, three of their singles have made the top 40, with both ‘Hush’ from 1968, and ‘Smoke on the Water,’ (1972) both peaking at Number 4.

‘Smoke on the Water’ was the third single released from Deep Purple’s sixth studio Album ‘Machine Head’ from 1972, with all five band members at that time being given the songwriting, and the production credits. The lyrics to ‘Smoke on the Water’ tell a true story. The band had flown in to Montreux, Switzerland, and on December 4th, 1971, were to record an Album using ‘The Rolling Stones’ mobile recording studio (mentioned in this song) that was parked in the Montreux Casino entertainment complex. In the evening the Deep Purple band members went to see ‘Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention’ playing a concert in the casino’s theatre, where at some point in the evening somebody in the audience fired a flare gun towards the ceiling. Although there were no major injuries, the resulting fire destroyed the entire casino complex. The ‘Smoke on the Water’ that became the songs title is down to Roger Glover who has related how the title occurred to him, after he woke from a dream a few days later, ‘It was probably the biggest fire I’d ever seen up to that point and probably ever seen in my life. It was a huge building. I remember there was very little panic getting out, because it didn’t seem like much of a fire at first, but, when it caught, it went up like a fireworks display.’

The opening guitar riff to ‘Smoke on the Water’ is probably the most famous guitar riff of all time. Ritchie Blackmore who wrote the riff has said that on first hearing it friends of the band gave it the thumbs down saying it was too simplistic. Blackmore has claimed that the riff is an interpretation of inversion of ‘Symphony No.5,’ (written between 1804-1808) by Ludwig van Beethoven, (1770-1827) Blackmore has said,’And for that “I owe him a lot of money.’ Ian Paice has said,’The amazing thing with that song, and Ritchie’s riff in particular, is that somebody hadn’t done it before, because it’s so gloriously simple, and wonderfully satisfying.’

‘We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline,to make records with a mobile. We didn’t have much time, but Frank Zappa and the Mothers were at the best place around, but some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

90-Meat Loaf-Paradise by the Dashboard Light.

1976-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 4.27. Is that the gear stick, or are you just pleased to see me.

‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ is track 2 from side 2 of Meat Loaf’s solo debut Album ‘Bat Out of Hell’ from 1976, although the Album wasn’t released until October 1977. The Album is currently the 12th best selling of all time with sales in excess of 34 million copies, with an estimated 200,000 copies being sold worldwide every year. All seven tracks were written by Jim Steinman, and the Album was produced by Todd Rundgren.

James Richard Steinman was born on November 1st, 1947, in Hewlett, New York, United States, he had a stroke in 2004, and then another one in 2017, he died from kidney failure on April 19th, 2021, at the age of 73. On reacting to his death, Meatloaf (1947-2022) said,’We didn’t know each other, we were each other..’ Steinman and Meatloaf worked together on a total of six Albums, Steinman also released one solo studio Album ‘Bad for Good’ in 1981. Other notable songs written by Steinman include ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ which was a UK and U.S Number 1 for Bonnie Tyler in 1983, and ‘Making Love Out of Nothing at All,’ which made Number 2 in America for Air Supply,’ also in 1983.

‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’ was the third of five singles released from the Album ‘Bat out of Hell,’ (see also best songs 22) and is a duet between Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley, which some music critics have called the greatest duet of all time. Ellen Foley was born in 1951, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and recorded her vocal for the song individually in one take, with Meat Loaf in the room to help her sing in character. Foley would go on to issue five solo Albums between 1979-2021, and also provide vocals for bands such as Pandora’s Box, The Clash. and Blue Oyster Cult.’ It is said that Foley is the subject of ‘Should I Stay, or Should I Go,’ the 1991 UK Number 1 single from The Clash. When Meatloaf toured the ‘Bat out of Hell’ Album Foley had prior commitments, and was replaced by the singer Karla DeVito, who also appears in the songs official video lip syncing.

At 3.35, seconds in to the track the American Baseball commentator Phil Rizzuto (1917-2007) broadcasts a portion of an imaginary baseball game that serves as a metaphor for the male character in the song trying to get sex. Rizzuto tried to distance himself from the record saying he had no idea his commentary was linked with sex, Meat Loaf refuted that ,saying that he knew exactly what he was doing.

The song is divided in to three parts. ‘Part 1’, is ‘Paradise,’ The song opens with the characters reminiscing their about days as a young high school couple on a date.They are parked in a car in a secluded area when the male character suggests they go all the way. ‘Part 2’ is ‘Let Me Sleep on It’ and tells of the female character refusing to have sex unless he promises to love her forever and marry her. Reluctant to make a long term commitment, the boy asks if he can sleep on it, however that is not enough for her. He finally cracks and gives his promise, ’I started swearing to my God and on my mothers grave that I would love you to the end of time.’ ‘Part 3’, is ‘Praying for the end of Time.’ Back in the present the male character can no longer stand the woman, but he cannot break his vow, he is now ‘Praying for the end of Time.’ Perhaps if this song was used in schools as part of ‘Sex Education’ there might be less teenage pregnancies.

‘So now I’m praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive,’cause if I gotta spend another minute with you I don’t think that I can really survive. I’ll never break my promise or forget my vow, but God only knows what I can do right now.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

91-The Righteous Brothers-Unchained Melody.

1965-Number 14 single. When it was re-issued in 1990 it reached Number 1.

Best Bit-At 1.56. The original version of the song was first performed in the 1955 prison film ‘Unchained,’ where Todd Duncan (1903-1998) sings to a ‘captive’ audience. The song has captivated every generation since.

The Righteous Brothers (see also best songs 782) were originally the duo of Bill Medley, (see also best songs 439) and Bob Hatfield, (1940-2003) when the duo first split in 1968, Hatfield performed as ‘The Righteous Brothers’ with his new partner Jimmy Walker between 1968-1972, and Medley has been performing as ‘The Righteous Brothers’ with Bucky Heard since 2016. Medley and Hatfield had reformed again between 1974-1976, and then again between 1986-2003. The discography of The Righteous Brothers includes 15 Albums released between 1963-2016, and 41 singles (including re-issues) released between 1963-1990. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, 12 of their songs have made the top 40, with ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin,’ (1964) and ‘You’re My Soul and Inspiration,’ (1965) both making Number 1, while in the UK they have charted on eight occasions, (including re-issues) with ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin,’ and ‘Unchained Melody,’ both reaching the top spot.

‘Unchained Melody’ was written by Alex North, (1910-1991) who wrote the music, and Hy Zaret, (1907-2007) who provided the lyrics for the little known film ‘Unchained’ released in 1955. Alex North who was also commissioned to write further music for the film is also remembered for writing the scores to ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ (1951) and ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf’ (1966.) ‘Unchained Melody tells of someone who pines for a lover he has not seen in a ‘long, lonely time.’

In the 1950’s it was normal for several artists to jump on the bandwagon and record a version of the best new songs of the day. In 1955 four versions appeared in the UK top 20 simultaneously. Al Hibbler (1915-2001) reached Number 2, Les Baxter, (1922-1996) made Number 10, Liberace, (1919-1987) reached Number 20, and Jimmy Young (1921-2016) took his recording all the way to Number 1. The song was also very successful in America where three versions all made the top 10, recorded by, Al Hibbler, Les Baxter, and Roy Hamilton (1929-1969.)

The Righteous Brothers recording of ‘Unchained Melody’ was sung solely by Bob Hatfield, with Bill Medley handling the songs production, he also played the Wurlitzer piano on the track. On the original pressings of the single it is Phil Spector (1939-2021) (see also best songs (820-782-737-262-192-127 and 20) who is credited as the songs producer, but on later pressings this was changed. In 1990 the song was brought to the attention of a whole new generation when it was used in the film ‘Ghost.’ The song was re-issued, and this time went all the way to Number 1 in the UK. In 1995 ‘Unchained Melody’ was covered by the English Pop duo ‘Robson & Jerome,’ and once again the song made Number 1, and then in 2002 the English singer Gareth Gates also took the song to Number 1.’Unchained Melody’ has been to Number 1 on four occasions in the UK, a fete that is only matched by the four different recordings of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ by ‘Band Aid.’ (see also best songs 455.)

‘Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea to the open arms of the sea. Lonely rivers sigh wait for me, wait for me, I’ll be coming home, wait for me.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

92-Sex Pistols-Anarchy in the UK.

1976-Number 36 single.

Best Bit-At 2.00. I can recall doing a teenagers disco in a village hall shortly after this song first came out. From out of nowhere the local village policeman, a middle aged man from what I remember came up to me and politely but firmly asked me not to play this song as it was according to him offensive and not the sort of thing young people should be listening to. When I think of some of the songs I play today, I realise how times and attitudes have changed.

The Sex Pistols (see also best songs 576 and 27) were formed in London, England, in 1975 by the vocalist John Lydon, (Johnny Rotten) (see also best songs 967 and 323) Steve Jones, (guitar) Paul Cook, (bass) and Glen Matlock, (guitar) under the management of Malcolm McLaren (1946-2010) (see also best songs 751) Matlock left the group in 1977, before the release of the bands only studio Album ‘Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols,’ and was replaced by Simon John Ritchie (Sid Vicious) (1957-1979.)

‘Anarchy in the UK’ was the debut single by the Sex Pistols, and was released by ‘EMI’ records on November 26th, 1976, with all four band members at that time receiving the song writing credits, although it has always been a bone of contention, particularly between Jones and Matlock as to whom had the most input in the actual writing of the music. Matlock states that although he was not a member of the Sex Pistols at the time of the Album’s release that he had a significant hand in 10 of the 12 tracks, for which he is credited on the Album. ‘Anarchy in the UK’ is also credited with three producers, Chris Thomas, (see also best songs 576-316-285 and 27) Bill Price, (1944-2016) and Dave Goodman (1951-2005.)

Anarchy is society without government or law, but the songs lyrics writer John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) isn’t actually advocating anarchy, he has said,’I have always thought that anarchy is mind games for the middle class, it’s a luxury. It can only be afforded in a democratic society, therefore kind of slightly f–king redundant. It also offers no answers and I hope in my songwriting I’m offering some kind of answer to a thing, rather than spitefully wanting to wreck everything for no reason at all, other than it doesn’t suit you.’

The songs lyrics mention the ‘MPLA,’ which are a political party that took control of Angola, formerly one of Portugal’s African colonies, in a 1975–76 civil war, and still run the country today. Also mentioned are the the ‘IRA,’ and the ‘UDA’ who were the largest paramilitary armies in the conflict in Northern Ireland. The heavily armed IRA (Irish Republican Army) were on the Republican (anti-British, pro-unification) side, while the thousands-strong ‘UDA’ (Ulster Defence Association) were on the Loyalist (pro-British, anti-unification) side. Lydon also sings ‘I use the enemy,’ which is a play on words, he actually means the ‘NME,’ which is a British magazine called the ‘New Musical Express.’ The Sex Pistols definitely used them for lots of publicity.

‘How many ways to get what you want, I use the best, I use the rest, I use the enemy, I use anarchy. ‘Cause I want to be anarchy, its the only way to be.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

93-Luciano Pavarotti-Nessun dorma.

1990-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 2.45. ‘You’re not singing anymore,’ ‘Three Lions on a shirt,’ and ‘You only sing when your winning,’ are favourite chants among football fans, but this is the daddy of them all.

Luciano Pavarotti was born on October 12th, 1935, in Modena, Kingdom of Italy, he died of pancreatic cancer on September 5th, 2007, at the age of 71. Pavarotti made numerous recordings of complete operas, and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for his tone, and achieving the honorific title ‘King of the High Cs’. In 2013 he posthumously received the ‘Italy-USA Foundation’s America Award,’ and then in 2014 the ‘Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music’, During the latter part of his career he embraced ‘Popular Music,’ and his recording of ‘Nessum dorma’ is the most successful ‘Opera’ song ever to chart in the UK, and with sales in excess of 100 million records he is one of the best selling artists of all time. ‘Nessun dorma’ isn’t the only hit single for Luciano Pavarotti in the UK top 40 singles chart, as in 1995 he sang on the ‘Passengers’ Number 6 hit single ‘Miss Sarajevo’. The ‘Passengers’ were in fact the Irish Rock band ‘U2’ (see also best songs 766-320-190 and 84) using a pseudonym, Bono, the lead vocalist of U2, has said that ‘Miss Sarajevo’ is his all time favourite U2 song.

‘Nessun dorma’ which in English means ‘none shall sleep’, is an ‘aria,’ (a self contained piece of music from a larger work) and is from the final act of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s (1858-1924) opera ‘Turandot,’ which was written in 1924, but not first performed until after his death in 1926. Puccini never got to complete ‘Turandot’ as he died of throat cancer, and it was finally completed by the Italian composer Franco Alfano (1875-1954) in 1926. The opera’s libretto (the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work) was written by the Italians Guiseppe Adami, (1878-1946) and Renato Simoni (1875-1952.)

‘Opera’ originated in Italy at the end of the 16th Century, and soon spread through Europe, it is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component, and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Opera incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costume, and sometimes dance or ballet. The literal translation of the Italian word ‘opera’ in English, is ‘work.’

On July 7th, 1990, on the eve of the ‘FIFA World Cup Final’ in Rome, a charity concert took place, with the three performers being Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, and Placido Domingo, for the encore Pavarotti sang ‘Nessun dorma.’ The sight of the three ‘tenors’ in full costume dress singing in a ‘World Cup’ captivated a global audience. An Album of the concert called ‘The Three Tenors in Concert’ was issued, which has gone on to become the best selling operatic Album of all time. Such was the popularity of that concert that the three tenors were asked to perform the aria at three subsequent World Cup Finals, in 1994 in Los Angeles, 1998 in Paris, and 2002 in Yokohama.

‘Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma. Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano d’amore, e di speranza!’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

94-The Jam-Going Underground.

1980-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.09. In his youth Paul Weller was known as ‘the angry young man.’ It’s a shame we haven’t got any young man, or woman as angry today.

Paul John Weller was born John William Weller on May 25th, 1958, in Woking, England, despite being named ‘John,’ he became known to everyone as ‘Paul.’ In his youth Weller was heavily influenced by the ‘Mod’ groups of the 1960’s such as The Who, (see also best songs 926-891-306 and 265) and The Small Faces, (see also best songs 1048 and 872) and it was these musical influences that helped construct the sound of ‘The Jam,’ (see also best songs 670 and 59) and earning Weller the honorific title of ‘The Modfather.’

In 1982 to the complete surprise of his two band mates Bruce Foxton, and Rick Buckler, Weller decided he had had enough of The Jam, and needed to explore other musical genres, which led to him forming ‘The Style Council,’ where he would explore ‘Jazz,’ ‘Pop,’ ‘New Wave,’ and ‘Blue Eyed Soul.’ The Style Council remained active until record sales began to wane, and they split in 1989. Weller would once again resurrect his career in 1990 when this time launching a solo career, which has once again seen him critically acclaimed.

Although Paul Weller is considered to be one of ‘Pop Music’s’ greatest ever exponents, his success outside of the UK has remained limited, with many putting it down to him being too ‘English’ for the foreign markets. With The Style Council, Weller issued five studio Albums between 1984-1989, and 24 singles between 1983-1989, of which 16 made the UK top 40, with ‘Long Hot Summer’ charting the highest at Number 3 in 1983. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart only ‘My Ever Changing Moods’ (Number 29 in 1984) has charted. As a solo artist Weller has issued 16 studio Albums to date, between 1992-2021, and 39 singles between 1991-2022. In the UK, 32 of those singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Peacock Suit’ from 1996 charting the highest at Number 5, while on Billboard none of his singles have ever charted. For the discography of The Jam see best songs 59.

‘Going Underground’ was written by Paul Weller, and produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, as a stand alone single, and did not appear on a ‘Jam’ Album until 1982’s live Album ‘Dig the New Breed.’ The songs producer Vic Smith who would work with The Jam on their first five studio Albums had previously worked as a sound engineer for Cat Stevens, (see also best songs 384) and The Rolling Stones, as well as many others.

It was only by fortune that ‘Going Underground’ was ever an ‘A’ side, as the intention had been to release ‘Dreams of Children,’ but following a mix up at the pressing plant the single was issued as a double A’ side, and it was the radio DJ’s who chose to play ‘Going Underground,’ which would eventually go on to give The Jam’ the first of their four UK Number 1 singles. ‘Going Underground’ was Paul Weller’s angry outcry against the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government. In particular the way it seemed more keen on spending tax payers money on nuclear weapons, rather than the ‘National Health Service’. In recent years Paul Weller has stated that he has no time anymore for politicians of any party.

‘You choose your leaders and place your trust, as their lies wash you down and their promises rust. You’ll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns, and the public wants what the public gets, but I don’t get what this society wants.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

95-Fatboy Slim-The Rockafeller Skank.

1998-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 4.02.’My favourite artist right now is Fatboy Slim, that guy kicks ass.”How tremendous is Fatboy Slim?”The band of the 90’s, if you wanna call it a band, because it’s a one man name,’ ‘Wow, Fatboy, and you wanna hear that new Fatboy song?”Absolutely!”Which one?”The huh…it’s funk soul brother, check it out.’

Fatboy Slim (see also best songs 950-760 and 387) was born Norman Leo Cook, on July 31st, 1963, in Bromley, Kent, England, in 1996 he adopted the name ‘Fatboy Slim,’ of which he has said,’It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve told so many different lies over the years about it I can’t actually remember the truth. It’s just an oxymoron, a word that can’t exist. It kind of suits me, it’s kind of goofy and ironic.’ During his music career which began in 1979 he has used at least 25 different stage names including ‘DJ Quentox,’ ‘Drunk Soul Brother,’ and ‘Margret Scratcher.’ In the 1980’s Cook encouraged the youth of Brighton, England, to get involved in music by staging events, which proved to have a positive effect in the city. This was acknowledged with Cook being awarded a star on the city of ‘Brighton’s Walk of Fame’, next to that of Winston Churchill.

Cook holds the UK record for most top 40 chart entries under different names, these are, as ‘Fatboy Slim’, and also with ‘The Housemartins,’ (see best songs 387) ‘Beats International,’ ‘Freak Power,’ and ‘Pizzaman.’ As ‘Fatboy Slim’ he has recorded four studio Albums between 1996-2004, and 28 singles between 1996-2020, he has also remixed tracks for dozens of other artists including ‘Brimful of Asha’ which was a UK Number 1 for ‘Cornershop’ in 1998. As Fatboy Slim, 12 of his singles have reached the UK top 40, with ‘Praise You’ making Number 1 in 1999, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, only ‘Praise You (Number 36) has ever charted.

‘The Rockafeller Skank’ was both written and produced by Fatboy Slim, and was the first of five singles to be issued from his second studio Album ‘You’ve Come a Long Way Baby,’ which was released in October 1998. ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ features a total of six different samples, and in order to get clearance so that he could release the song, Fatboy Slim ended up having to pay 100% of the tracks royalties to the original writers, meaning he made no money from the song himself. The ‘Right about now, the funk soul brother,’ is a vocal sample by the rapper ‘Lord Finesse’ from the 1990’s Hip-Hop song ‘Vinyl Dog Vibe,’ by ‘Vinyl Dogs,’ Lord Finesse has said that the money he has made from ‘The Rockerfeller Skank’ is his ‘retirement money.’ The other prominent sample on the record is the 1972 instrumental ‘Sliced Tomatoes’ by the ‘Just Brothers,’ which is a popular ‘Northern Soul’ song. The drum intro to the 1966 hit ‘I Fought the Law,’ by ‘The Bobby Fuller Four’ can be heard prominently, although I can’t hear the David Bowie song ‘Join the Gang’ from 1967, which is also stated to be another song sampled. The other two samples are ‘Beat Girl,’ by John Barry, from 1960, and also a guitar line from the song ‘Twistin’ ‘N’ Twangin” by Dwane Eddy, from 1962.

‘Right about now, the funk soul brother, check it out now the funk soul brother.’