THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

371-The Harry J Allstars-Liquidator.

1969-Number 9 single.

Best Bit-At 1.23.’Liquidator’ is very well known in the football community. Chelsea Football Club are one of the teams who claimed to be the first ever to play the song when the team come on to the pitch just prior to kick off, and it is still played to this day. Other teams who have, or still walk out to the song, include Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Northampton Town, and St. Johnstone in Scotland.

Harry J. (see also best songs 391) was born Harry Zephaniah Johnson on July 6th, 1945, in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, he died after a long battle with diabetes in 2013, at the age of 67. In 1968 he launched his own record label ‘Harry J’ records, releasing some of the first records in the ‘Reggae’ genre. At it’s peak in the 1970’s the label released two Albums by Bob Marley and the Wailers, (see also best songs 618 and 56) and became so famous that artists of the calibre of The Rolling Stones, (see also best songs 933-662-452-160 and 77) and The Who (see also best songs 926-306 and 265) would make a special point of visiting the studio when available. In addition Chris Blackwell (see also best songs 494-291 and 56) the founder of Island Records, was a regular visitor, prior to moving to England in the early 1970’s. As well as having a hit with ‘Liquidator,’ Harry J. also found success on the UK top 40 singles chart as the producer of the 1970 Number 5 song ‘Young, Gifted and Black,’ for the Jamaican duo of Bob Andy (1944-2020) and Marcia Griffiths. There are three studio Albums available by the ‘Harry J Allstars,’ issued between 1969-2003, and five official compilation Albums, released between 1970-1989.

‘Liquidator’ is one of 12 instrumental Reggae tracks to appear on the Harry J Allstars debut studio Album, ‘The Liquidator,’ from 1969, other tracks on the Album include cover versions of ‘My Cherie Amour,’ originally co-written and performed by Stevie Wonder (see also best songs 920-843-834-682-570-503-366-205-152 and 65) in 1969, and ‘Je T’aime,’ originally performed by Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991) and Jane Birkin (1946-2023) (see also best songs 467) in 1967. It was after hearing the song ‘What Am I to Do’ by Tony Scott, (1969) that Harry J bought the rights to the song from Scott, and rearranged it, calling the new track ‘Liquidator,’ named after one of his earlier recordings called ‘The Liquidator.’ The Jamaican singer Alton Ellis (1938-2008) has said that the core of ‘Liquidator’ was lifted from his ‘Rocksteady’ track ‘Girl I’ve Got a Date,’ (1967) and after taking a listen, it is hard to disagree. The ‘Allstars’ who played on the track included Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, (see also best songs 618 and 56) who played the bass, and his brother Carlton (1950-1987) who played the drums, was also the long term drummer with Bob Marley and the Wailers.The organ playing was the work of Winston Wright, (1944-1993) who became known as ‘Jamaica’s master of the Hammond Organ,’ he had a long association with the Jamaican band Toots and the Maytals (see also best songs 291.)

Harry J. was one of the leading lights in the development and promotion of the musical genre ‘Reggae,’ that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960’s. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, called ‘Do the Reggay,’ was the first popular song to use the word Reggae, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. The 1967 edition of the ‘Dictionary of Jamaican English,’ lists ‘reggae’ as ‘a recently estab. sp. for rege,’ as in rege-rege, a word that can mean either ‘rags, ragged clothing,’ or ‘a quarrel, a row.’ The British Reggae historian Steve Barrow credits the Jamaican singer Clancy Eccles (1940-2005) with altering the Jamaican patois word ‘streggae’ (loose woman) into reggae. Toots Hibbert ((1942-2020) who wrote ‘Do the Reggay’ has said, ‘There’s a word we used to use in Jamaica called ‘streggae,’ If a girl is walking and the guys look at her and say ‘Man, she’s streggae,’ it means she don’t dress well, she look raggedy. The girls would say that about the men too. This one morning me and my two friends were playing and I said, ‘OK man, let’s do the reggay.’ It was just something that came out of my mouth. So we just start singing ‘Do the reggay, do the reggay,’ and created a beat. People tell me later that we had given the sound its name. Before that people had called it blue-beat and all kind of other things, now it’s in the Guinness World of Records.’ Bob Marley (1945-1981) offered a differing view, saying that the word ‘Reggae’ came from a Spanish term for ‘the king’s music,’ The liner notes of ‘To the King,’ a compilation of Christian gospel Reggae, suggests that the word Reggae was derived from the Latin ‘regi’ meaning ‘to the king.’

‘Liquidator’ has been sampled and covered by others. In 1972 the American Soul group The Staple Singers sampled the bass line, and intro of ‘Liquidator’ for their American Billboard Number 1 single ‘I’ll Take You There,’ and in 1980 the English Ska revival group the Specials covered ‘Liquidator’ as part of a Ska covers medley for the ‘B’ side of their UK Number 1 ‘Too Much Too Young’ (see also best songs 924.) Because of the cover version by the Specials, ‘Liquidator’ was re-issued as a double A-side with the original version of another song featured in the medley, ‘Long Shot Kick De Bucket,’ by The Pioneers, in March 1980. The reissue reached number 42 on the UK Singles Chart.

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

372-Specials-Ghost Town.

1981-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 1.50. The song was hailed by the contemporary UK music press as a major piece of social commentary. All of the top three music magazines of the time (‘Melody Maker,’ ‘NME,’ and ‘Sounds’) awarded ‘Ghost Town’ the accolade of ‘Single of the Year for 1981.’

The Specials, who were also known as The Special AKA, (see also best songs 924) were formed in Coventry, England, in 1977. The classic lineup, and those who performed on ‘Ghost Town’ were, John Bradbury, (1953-2015) (drums) Roddy Radiation, (guitar) Jerry Dammers, (keyboards) Lynval Golding, (guitar) Terry Hall, (1959-2022) (lead vocals) Horace Painter, (bass) and Neville Staple (vocals.) This was the last song recorded by this lineup as musical differences led to Staple, Golding, and Hall, leaving in order to form ‘The Fun Boy Three.’ The Specials reformed in 1982 as ‘Special AKA,’ adding new members, and remained active for the next two years. There was a re-union in 1993 when Radiation, Staple, Golding, and Panter collaborated with Desmond Dekker (1941-2006) (see also best songs 122) on his ‘King of Kings’ Album. There was further activity between 1996-2001, and then in 2008 Terry Hall officially returned to the group. After the death of Terry Hall in 2022, Horace Panter confirmed that the Specials had ceased to be following Hall’s death. He stated, ‘It would be ludicrous to tour without Terry, so yes, that’s definitely the end of the Specials.’

The discography of the Specials includes nine studio Albums released between 1979-2021, and 25 singles released between 1979-2019, there are also five extended plays, (EP’s) one collaboration Album, 10 official compilation Albums, and six live Albums available. In the UK, five of their studio Albums have reached the top 40, with their eighth Album ‘Encore,’ reaching Number 1 in 2019. The Specials have had 10 top 40 hit singles, with ‘Too Much Too Young,’ (1980) and ‘Ghost Town,’ (1981) both making the Number 1 position. The Specials never managed to make a breakthrough in America as their danceable rhythms of ‘Ska,’ and ‘Rocksteady,’ with the energy and attitude of ‘Punk,’ never found a place on American radio, although their music would become an influence for many American bands when ‘Ska’ finally became popular in the States in the 1990’s, with the next generation of artists.

‘Ghost Town’ was issued as a stand alone single, on June 12th, 1981, it was written by Jerry Dammers, with the production being by John Collins, who also produced the songs two official ‘B’ sides, ‘Why?’ and ‘Friday Night, Saturday Morning.’ Jerry Dammers was born Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers, on May 22nd, 1955, in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, South India, in 2014 he received the ‘South African Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo in silver award,’ (GCOT) a national honour, for his role in the anti-apartheid movement. Jerry Dammers has said, ‘It feels fantastic. It is a real honour to be considered for this, especially when I compare what little I did to the work of those who sacrificed their lives, I am humbled.’ As well as co-founding the Specials with whom he remained a member until 1981, he was also the founder of ‘2 Tone Records’ in 1979. Jerry Dammers has said that anti-racism was a key element in the forming of the Specials, with black and white, and multi racial group members being a statement of what they stood for. ‘2 Tone Records’ launched the careers of groups such as ‘Madness,’ the ‘Beat,’ and the ‘Selecter,’ and it was Jerry Dammers’ suggestions for the adoption of retro 1960’s ‘Mod/Rude Boy’ clothes which were a key element in starting the Ska revival of the late 1970’s, and the Two Tone Ska/Punk sound specifically. It was Jerry Dammers, with the assistance of Horace Panter, and graphic designer John ‘Teflon’ Sims, who developed the iconic ‘Walt Jabsco’ logo (a man in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, pork pie hat, white socks and black loafers) to represent the Two-Tone genre. The logo was based on an early Album cover photo of the Jamaican Reggae musician Peter Tosh, (1944-1987) and included an added black-and-white check pattern.

‘Ghost Town’ was partly influenced by recession hit Britain, and the long lasting effects it would leave. While on tour with the Specials Jerry Dammers observed what was happening, he has said, ‘In Liverpool all the shops were shuttered up, everything was closing down. In Glasgow there were little old ladies on the streets selling their household goods.’ Dammers has also said that the song had a personal meaning as well, ”Ghost Town’ was about the breakup of the Specials, it just appeared hopeless, but I just didn’t want to write about my state of mind, so I tried to relate it to the country as a whole.’ The lyrics ‘All the clubs have been closed down,’ refer to the ‘Locarno’ club in the band’s home city of Coventry, a venue where Neville Staple and Lynval Golding frequented. The building which housed the club is now ‘Coventry Central Library.’

The summer of 1981 saw many riots breakout all over the UK, some commentators linked those events with this song. Terry Hall said, ‘When we recorded Ghost Town we were talking about 1980’s riots in Bristol, and Brixton. The fact that it became popular when it did was just a weird coincidence.’ Also not everyone was pleased in Coventry, where some residents were angry at the characterisation of their city as a town in decline.

‘Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? We danced and sang, and the music played in natty boom town.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

373-Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera-Moves Like Jagger.

2011-Number 2 single.

Best Bit-At 2.16. Up until New Years Day 2021 when the Wham! classic ‘Last Christmas’ finally reached Number 1, after first being released in 1984, it had been the UK’s best selling song not to have topped the chart. ‘Moves Like Jagger’ now has that honour, having spent seven weeks at Number 2 in 2011, and with sales at the time of writing in the UK of just short of 2 million copies.

It is safe to say that Maroon 5 were not an overnight sensation, having formed in 1994, it wasn’t until 2002 that they finally found success. The original line up, Adam Levine, (vocals) Jesse Carmichael, (keyboards) Ryan Dusick, (drums) and Mickey Madden, (bass) first met while attending Brentwood School, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At first they went by the name of ‘Kara’s Flowers,’ ‘Kara’ was a female pupil at the school who all the band members fancied. As ‘Kara’s Flowers,’ playing a mixture of ‘Alternative Rock,’ and ‘Pop Rock’ they released two Albums in 1995, and 1997, and one single ‘Soap Disco’ in 1997, which all met with little success. It was around the year 2000 that Levine and Carmichael began becoming interested in ‘R&B’ music, and this led to a complete change in the bands style, and look, and also a name change, which gained them attention from ‘A&M Octone Records,’ and their breakthrough Album ‘Songs About Jane’ was released in 2002. As for where the new name ‘Maroon 5′ came from, Adam Levine has said,’The origin of the name is so bad, it’s such a horrendous story, that we decided that shrouding it in mystery will make it a better story than the actual story, and it works.’ In total as ‘Kara’s Flowers,’ and then ‘Maroon 5,’ there have been eight different official band members come and go, and at the time of writing they remain active.

The discography of Maroon 5 who have sold in excess of 120 million records worldwide includes eight studio Albums (1 as Kara’s Flowers) released between 1997-2021, and 35 singles (1 as Kara’s Flowers) released between 1997-2023, there are also six extended plays, (EP’s) (1 as Kara’s Flowers) one remix Album, two official compilation Albums, and three live Albums available. In America all seven Maroon 5 Albums have reached the top 10 on Billboard, with two of the Albums making the Number 1 position, while on the Billboard Hot 100, 23 of their singles have reached the top 40 with four of those singles including ‘Moves Like Jagger,’ featuring Christina Aguilera, making Number 1. In the UK, all the Maroon 5 studio Albums have reached the top 20, with two of them reaching Number 1, while 20 of their singles have made the UK top 40, with ‘Payphone’ featuring Wiz Khalifa, peaking the highest at Number 1 in 2011.

‘Moves Like Jagger’ was the fourth and final single released from the re-released edition of ‘Hands All Over,’ the third studio Album from Maroon 5, from July 2011, the song was co-written by Adam Levine, Benny Blanco, (see also best songs 888) Ammar Malik, and Shellback, (see also best songs 317) with the production credited to Ammar Malik, and Shellback.’ Guest vocals on the track are provided by Christina Aguilera, who at that time was a coach on the American reality competition show ‘The Voice,’ alongside Adam Levine, which aired on ‘NBC.’ When ‘Moves Like Jagger’ hit the top spot Christina Aguilera, became only the second female artist to have Billboard Number 1 singles in the 1990’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s, the other being Britney Spears.

The lyrics to ‘Moves Like Jagger’ refer to the male narrator trying to impress his love interest with his dance moves, which he compares to those of Mick Jagger, the lead singer of The Rolling Stones (see also best songs 933-662-452-160 and 77.) Of his thoughts about the song Mick Jagger has said, ‘It’s very catchy. I could say I wish I had written it, but wouldn’t that be weird? It’s fun, very young children like it, which is always cool and funny. Only thing is, it puts a bit of pressure on me when I go out dancing.’ Adam Levine has said, ‘Jagger has the moves like Jagger. That being said, if there was ever someone to aspire to, I don’t think anyone could claim to have the moves like James Brown, (1933-2006) (see also best songs 880-349-270 and 88) or the moves like Michael Jackson, (1958-2009) (see also best songs 812-511-249-191 and 137) or the moves like Prince (1958-2016) (see also best songs 884-487-269-85 and 54.) There’s something about the way Jagger moves that is uniquely his own and hard to imitate, but also accessible and silly and fun, and not taking itself too seriously.’

Other songs to name check Mick Jagger since the turn of the Century, and bring him to the attention of a whole new generation include, ‘Swagga Like Us,’ by T.I. and Jay Z ft Kanye West and Lil Wayne,’ (2008) ‘The Time (Dirty Bit,’) from The Black Eyed Peas, (2010) and ‘Swagger Jagger,’ by Cher Lloyd (2011.) The other song to name check Mick Jagger in this ‘1000 Best Songs’ list is ‘Drive-In Saturday,’ by David Bowie (see also best songs 807.)

‘Just shoot from the stars and aim for my heart if you feel like it. Take me away and make it okay, I swear I’ll behave.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

374-Smashing Pumpkins-1979.

1996-Number 16 single.

Best Bit-At 1.09. Billy Corgan once joked, ‘We wrote this song for Michael Jackson, but found he couldn’t do the Moonwalk to it.’

The Smashing Pumpkins were formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 1988. Even before co-founding The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan had already chosen the name. Corgan has said ‘I like the idea of smashing being aggressive, as well as wonderful.’ He also has said, ‘It could have been any vegetable, it has nothing to do with Pumpkins or Halloween, it just came to me, there’s no related story. ‘The original lineup of The Smashing Pumpkins was Billy Corgan, (lead vocals, and guitar) D’arcy Wretzky, (bass) James Iha, (guitar) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums.) In total there have been eight members come and go, with Corgan being the bands only constant. They split in 2000, but Corgan and Chamberlin reconvened in 2006, and as of 2025 they remain active with James Iha rejoining in 2018, and Jeff Schroeder (guitars, and keyboards) being a member since 2007. The Smashing Pumpkins are filed under the musical genre of ‘Alternative Rock,’ but they have explored many offshoots including, ‘Grunge,’ ‘Psychedelic Rock,’ ‘Shoegaze,’ and ‘Dream Pop.’

The discography of the Smashing Pumpkins who have sold in excess of 30 million records worldwide, includes 13 studio Albums released between 1991-2024, and 55 singles released between 1990-2024, there are also six extended plays, (EP’s) three box sets, five soundtrack Albums, seven official compilation Albums, and seven live Albums available. In America on Billboard, seven of their studio Albums have reached the top 40, with their third studio Album ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,’ peaking the highest at Number 1 in 1995. On the Billboard Hot 100, four of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘1979’ peaking the highest at Number 12. They have charted on several occasions on both the ‘Billboard Alternative Airplay’ chart, and the ‘Billboard Mainstream Rock’ chart, with ‘1979,’ reaching the Number 1 position on both charts. In the UK, the Smashing Pumpkins have had five top 40 Albums, with three of those Albums all peaking at Number 4, while 10 of their singles have made the UK top 40, with ‘Tonight, Tonight,’ charting the highest at Number 7 in 1996.

‘1979’ was the second of six singles released from ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,’ the third studio Album by the Smashing Pumpkins, from October 1995, the song was written by Billy Corgan, with the production credited to Billy Corgan, Alan Moulder, and Mark Ellis, who is best known by his professional pseudonym ‘Flood'(see also best songs 438.) Billy Corgan (see also best songs 623) was born William Patrick Corgan Jr. on March 17th, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, he is credited with helping to push the boundaries, and popularise the ‘Alternative Rock’ genre. For much of his life Billy Corgan has struggled with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, self-harm, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and suicidal idealisation. He has attributed these problems to the abuse he endured as a child at the hands of his father and stepmother, as well as other personal issues. He has since become an advocate for abuse support networks. When the Smashing Pumpkins split in 2000, Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, with others, formed the Rock band ‘Zwan,’ releasing one studio Album in 2003, Billy Corgan has also released three solo Albums between 2005-2019, and three solo singles between 2005-2017.

‘1979’ signified the transition of the Smashing Pumpkins from a guitar based ‘Rock’ band into the ‘Synth-Pop’ sound they would embrace on their fourth studio Album ‘Adore’ in 1998. ‘1979’ is a song about making the transition out of youth and into adulthood. The song was written as a nostalgic coming-of-age story by Billy Corgan, who in the year 1979 was 12 years old, and this is what he considered his transition into adolescence. Corgan has said, ‘Sometimes, when I write a song, I see a picture in my head. For some reason, it’s of the obscure memory I have.’ The memory that goes with this song is from when he was around 18 years old. He was driving down a road near his home on a rainy night, and was waiting at a traffic light. He has said that the picture ‘Emotionally connotes a feeling of waiting for something to happen, and not being quite there yet, but it’s just around the corner.’

‘And I don’t even care to shake these zipper blues. And we don’t know just where our bones will rest, to dust I guess, forgotten and absorbed into the earth below.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

375-Jimmy ”Bo” Horne-Dance Across the Floor.

1978-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 2.39. Just when you think Wow! that’s a great song, definitely a 9 out of 10, along comes what can only be described as ‘the monster drop,’ and you realise it’s now a 10 out of 10.

Jimmy “Bo” Horne, was born Jimmie Horace Horne, Jr. on September 28th, 1949, in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. In 1971 he completed a sociology degree at the ‘Bethune-Cookman University,’ in Daytona Beach, Florida, then in the mid 1970’s he relocated to Miami, Florida, signing with ‘T.K. Records,’ which was also the home of Harry Wayne Casey, and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, (see also best songs 893) the writers of this song. In the mid to late 1970’s Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch were producing hits like they were coming off of a conveyor belt, so I can only imagine that with not wanting to flood the market with yet another ‘KC’ hit, Jimmy ”Bo” Horne became the lucky recipient of this track. In total Casey and Finch co-wrote six Billboard Number 1 singles between 1974-1979, five of which are credited to ‘KC and the Sunshine Band,’ and the other was ‘Rock Your Baby,’ recorded by George McCrae (see also best songs 64.) When Jimmy ”Bo” Horne’s music career came to an end he worked in event management, running his own company ‘Joy Productions,’ which he had founded in 1976.

The discography of Jimmy ”Bo” Horne includes three studio Albums released between 1978-1991, and 25 singles released between 1967-1995, there is also one official compilation, ‘The Best of the T.K. Years 1975-1985’ available. In America on the ‘Billboard Hot 100,’ his only charting single is ‘Dance Across the Floor,’ which peaked at Number 38, while on the ‘Billboard Hot Soul Singles,’ which is currently now known as the ‘Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs’ chart, he has charted twice with ‘Dance Across the Floor,’ (1978) making Number 8, and ‘You Get Me Hot, (1979) reaching Number 18. He has also charted on the ‘Billboard Dance Club Songs’ chart on three occasions, with ‘Gimme Some (Part One,’) peaking the highest at Number 8. Jimmy ”Bo” Horne has never had a top 100 chart entry in the UK.

Jimmy ”Bo” Horne’s songs have been sampled by other artists over the years. Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch wrote ‘Gimme Some,’ which was originally recorded by Horne in 1975, and when covered by the British singer Brendon Dunning, reached Number 14 in the UK in 1977, the Brendon version has gone on to become a staple of party music played at celebrations in the UK, with the song having it’s own ‘dance moves’ which have been passed down from one generation to the next. Another Casey and Finch composition ‘Let Me (Let Me Be Your Lover,’) was sampled by the English ‘Hip-Hop,’ and ‘Electronic Dance’group the Stereo MC’s for their 1992 UK Number 18, and Billboard Number 20 hit ‘Connected.’ ‘Dance Across the Floor’ has been sampled by the ‘Hip-Hop’ community, notably by the American group Da Lench Mob for their 1993 single ‘Freedom Got an AK,’ and also by DJ Cash Money & Marvelous in their 1988 song ‘The Mighty Hard Rocker.’ In 2011 ‘Dance Across the Floor’ was sampled by CeeLo Green and Christina Aguilera under the title ‘Nasty,’ for the ‘Burlesque’ film soundtrack, but was never used because they couldn’t get sample clearance in time. In 2014 the English singer Pixie Lott released her version of ‘Nasty,’ which peaked at Number 9 in the UK.

‘Dance Across the Floor’ was also the title of the debut studio Album by Jimmy ”Bo” Horne, from 1978. It contained eight tracks, of which five had already been issued as singles between 1975-1978. ‘Dance Across the Floor’ was co-written, and co-produced by Harry Wayne Casey, and Richard Finch, who was born Richard Raymond Finch, on January 23rd, 1954, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. As a teenager Finch became interested in audio recording techniques while working in a electronics and record store in Florida. A friend introduced him to the singer-songwriter Clarence Reid (1939-2016) from TK Records, which was where he first met his future ‘ KC and the Sunshine Band’ partner Harry Wayne Casey. On March 23rd, 2010, Richard Finch was arrested in Newark, Ohio, accused of having inappropriate contact with a 17 year-old male. Police stated during an interview that Finch had admitted to having inappropriate contact with that teenager, and other teens aged between 13 to 17. In December 2010, Finch pleaded ‘no contest,’ and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. He served his sentence in the ‘Chillicothe Correctional Institution,’ a medium security state prison in Ohio, and was released on March 13th, 2017. Richard Finch has been nominated for nine ‘Grammy Awards,’ for which he has won three, he is also the recipient of an ‘American Music Award,’ and has a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame,’ for being a part of the KC and the Sunshine Band legacy.

‘With you baby all night long, doin’ the boogie to a Funky song. Havin’ a good time doin’ it all, gettin’ happy havin’ a ball, yall.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

376-Jack Jones-Wives and Lovers.

1963-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 1.44. This is probably the most controversial song in the world ever (especially if you are female.) There will be people out there who’s blood will be boiling at the very mention of it.

‘Wives and Lovers’ was written by the legendary song writing team of Burt Bacharach, (1928-2023) (music) and Hal David (1921-2012) (lyrics.) The song was written for the the 1963 comedy film ‘Wives and Lovers,’ the song doesn’t appear in the film but was written to promote it, this was known as an ‘exploitation song,’ Bacharach and David had done the same the previous year with the song ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.’ The best known version of the song is this one recorded by Jack Jones in 1963, and released as the first of two singles from his eighth Album release also called ‘Wives and Lovers,’ from 1963. The song was produced by Pete King, who arranged the track, and also directed the orchestra. Pete King was born C. Dudley King, on August 8th, 1914, in Ohio. United States, and studied music at the ‘Cincinnati Conservatory,’ and the ‘University of Michigan, in 1967 he was elected president of the ‘National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.’ Pete King conducted orchestras for a variety of Hollywood films, including adapting the works of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, (1843-1907) for ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin,’ (1957) and two comedies ‘The Family Jewels,’ (1965) and ‘The Last of the Secret Agents’ (1966.) His arrangements were heard often in the American television series ‘Happy Days,’ (1974-1984) and ‘The Brady Bunch’ (1969-1974.)

Jack Jones was born John Allan Jones, on January 14th, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, United States, he died on October 23rd, 2024, from leukaemia, at the age of 86. His father Allan Jones (1907-1992) was an actor, and tenor, and his mother Irene Hervey (1909-1998) was a film and television actress. As well as his recording career as a singer, Jack Jones has also made appearances as an actor, and singer in films, making his first appearance in 1959 in the American musical film ‘Juke Box Rhythm.’ In the 1960’s he became a regular on American television variety shows, including ‘The Ed Sullivan Show,’ and ‘The Dean Martin Show.’ In 1989, he received a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame,’ and in 2003, he received a ‘Golden Palm Star,’ on the Palm Springs, California, ‘Walk of Stars.’ You could say that Jack Jones was well qualified to sing ‘Wives and Lovers,’ as he was married six times.

The discography of Jack Jones who recorded in the musical genres of ‘Traditional Pop,’ ‘Jazz,’ and ‘Big Band,’ and is probably best remembered as an ‘Easy Listening’ singer, includes 61 Albums released between 1959-2002, and 41 singles released between 1962-1980. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, five of his singles have made the top 40, with ‘Wives and Lovers’ peaking the highest at Number 14, while in the UK, none of his singles have ever charted. Of all the songs recorded by Jack Jones, he will always be best remembered for his recording of the ‘Love Boat Theme’ in 1977, which was used as the theme song in the American television series ‘The Love Boat,’ when it was in its first nine season run on television from 1977 to 1986, on the ‘ABC’ network. In 1979 Jones recorded a ‘Disco’ version of ‘Wives and Lovers’ for his 47th Album release ‘Nobody Does It Better,’ which also includes his studio version of ‘The Love Boat.’

Like many other Burt Bacharach and Hal David compositions (see also best songs 902-832-815-740-644 and 224) ‘Wives and Lovers’ has been recorded over the years by dozens of other artists. Burt Bacharach recorded the song himself in 1965, and released it as the ‘B’ side to ‘Trains and Boats and Planes’ (UK-Number 4.) ‘Surprisingly’ (in my opinion) many female artists have recorded the song, including Dionne Warwick, (in 1963) Julie London, (1026-2000) (in 1964) and Nancy Wilson, (1937-2018) (in 1964.) ‘Wives and Lovers’ is a song of advice to married women, to stay attractive to their husband’s (‘wives should always be lovers too,’) to avoid their husband’s straying with girls at the office. In the first line, the wife is addressed as ‘Hey little girl,’ before a ‘warning’ to ‘fix your make up,’ and ‘run to your husbands arms arms the moment he comes home to you.’ But in my opinion, (once again) ‘Wives and Lovers’ should be be seen as a warning not to take each other for granted.

‘Hey, little girl comb your hair, fix your makeup, soon he will open the door. Don’t think because there’s a ring on your finger you needn’t try anymore.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

377-Arthur Conley-Sweet Soul Music.

1967-Number 7 single.

Best Bit-At 0.07. The song name checks Lou Rawls, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and James Brown. If all of these artists don’t appear in this countdown at some point, then I need to have a serious word with myself.

Arthur Lee Conley was born on January 4th, 1946, in McIntosh County, Georgia, United States, he died from intestinal cancer on November 17th, 2003, at the age of 57. Conley recorded his first song ‘Poor Girl’ in 1963, as ‘Arthur & the Corvets.’ In 1964 he came to the attention of Otis Redding who signed him to his recently set up record label ‘Jotis Records.’ Arthur Conley was gay, and many music critics have said that his homosexuality was a barrier to him achieving greater success in the United States. In 1975 he relocated to England, before moving to Belgium, and then Holland. In 1980 he legally changed his name to Lee Roberts, using his middle name, and his mothers maiden name, and he would perform as ‘Lee Roberts and the Sweaters.’ In 2014 the Rock and Roll historian Ed Ward (1948-2021) wrote, ‘Nobody knew Lee Roberts, and at last Conley was able to live in peace with a secret he had hidden, or thought he had, for his entire career he was gay, but nobody in The Netherlands cared.’

The discography of Arthur Conley includes four Albums released between 1967-1969, and 26 singles released between 1963-1974. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, three of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Sweet Soul Music’ peaking the highest at Number 2, while in the UK ‘Sweet Soul Music’ is his only top 40 charting single. It was in Canada where Arthur Conley had his greatest commercial success on the charts, with four of his singles making the Canadian ‘RPM’ top 40 singles chart, with ‘Sweet Soul Music’ peaking the highest at Number 5.

‘Sweet Soul Music’ which was the eighth overall single release by Arthur Conley, and also the title of his debut Album from 1967, was co-written by Sam Cooke, (1931-1964) (see also best songs 156) Otis Redding, (1941-1967) (see also best songs 712) and Arthur Conley, with the production being by Otis Redding, who was born Otis Ray Redding Jr. on September 9th, 1941, in Dawson, Georgia, United States, he died on December 10th, 1967, in a plane crash, at the age of 26. Otis Redding who has been called the ‘King of Soul,’ an honorific title which has also been given to James Brown, (1933-2006) (see also best songs 880-349-270 and 88) and Sam Cooke, didn’t start writing his own songs until around the mid 1960’s, having previously covered songs from popular contemporary artists such as his idol Little Richard, (1932-2020) (see also best songs 521) Sam Cooke, and Solomon Burke (1949-2010.) It was while recovering from a throat operation in the Autumn of 1967 that he began writing songs prolifically, it is said around 30 in two weeks, for which he was the sole copyright holder on all of his compositions. Bob Dylan (see also best songs 792-621-358-103-36 and 7) had suggested that Otis Redding record his song ‘Just Like a Woman,’ but Redding refused, saying that the song contained ‘too much text.’ and stating in an interview, ‘Basically, I like any music that remains simple, and I feel this is the formula that makes ‘Soul Music’ successful. When any music form becomes cluttered and/or complicated you lose the average listener’s ear. There is nothing more beautiful than a simple ‘Blues’ tune. There is beauty in simplicity whether you are talking about architecture, art or music.’ The best known and most successful cover version of an Otis Redding song is ‘Respect,’ recorded by Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) (see also best songs 644 and 366) (1967-Billboard Number 1 & UK Number 10.)

‘Sweet Soul Music’ which was co-written by Arthur Conley and Otis Redding, was heavily based on the Sam Cooke song ‘Yeah Man’ from his posthumous 1965 Album ‘Shake.’ Cooke’s business partner James Woodie Alexander (1916-1996) successfully sued Arthur Conley and Otis Redding, to which a settlement was reached where Sam Cooke had his name added to the songwriting credits, and Redding agreed to record some songs in the future for ‘Kags Music,’ which was a Cooke and Alexander enterprise.

‘Sweet Soul Music’ which has sold over one million copies, pays homage to some of the great ‘Soul’ singers, and songs of the day, including ‘Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing,’ by Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett’s ‘Mustang Sally,’ ‘Hold On, I’m Comin,’ by Sam & Dave, and Otis Redding’s own ‘Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa.’ Also mentioned is James Brown who is describes as ‘The king of them all.’ At the end of the song, Arthur Conley sings, ‘Otis Redding got the feeling.’

‘Do you like good music, that sweet soul music. Just as long as it’s swingin’ oh yeah, oh yeah. We are here on the floor now, we’re going to a go go, dancin’ to the music, oh yeah ,oh yeah.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

378-Pet Shop Boys-Suburbia.

1986-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 0.15. For a period in the 1980’s Neil Tennant was the assistant editor at ‘Smash Hits’ magazine, artists would complain about their song revues if they were not favourable, some saying, ‘Let’s see if you can do better,’ so he did.

The Pet Shop Boys (see also best songs 871) met by chance in 1981 on King’s Road, Chelsea, London, where Neil Tennant had just purchased a synthesizer, this sparked a conversation with Chris Lowe. They discovered a mutual interest in ‘Electronic Music,’ and soon began working together.They eventually settled on the name Pet Shop Boys, as they had friends who owned a pet shop. The Pet Shop Boys are one of the world’s best selling artists with sales in excess of 100 million, and are the UK’s best ever selling duo.

The discography of the Pet Shop Boys includes 15 studio Albums released between 1986-2024, and 79 singles released between 1984-2024, there are also four extended plays, (EP’s) five soundtrack Albums, four remix Albums, nine official compilation Albums, and five live Albums available. In the UK, all 15 of their studio Albums have reached the top 10, with their fifth release ‘Very,’ peaking the highest at Number 1 in 1993, while 42 of their singles have made the UK top 40, with four of those tracks reaching the Number 1 position, they have also had two top 40 UK hits as the featured artist. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, six of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘West End Girls’ peaking the highest at Number 1 in 1986, while ‘Suburbia’ stalled at Number 70.

‘Suburbia’ was the fourth and final single released from ‘Please,’ the debut studio Album by the Pet Shop Boys, from March 1986, the song was co-written by Neil Tennant, and Chris Lowe, with the production being by Julian Mendelsohn. All 15 of the Pet Shop Boys studio Albums have one word titles. They chose the title ‘Please,’ so that when customers went in to a record shop they would have to ask for the ‘Pet Shop Boys album please’. The single version of ‘Suburbia’ is different to the one which appears on the ‘Please’ Album, which was produced by Stephen Hague, who also produced all 11 tracks on the Album, as well as co-writing ‘Love Comes Quickly,’ (1986-UK Number 19.) This remixed single version includes sound effects such as dogs barking, audio of riots obtained from the ‘BBC,’ and glass smashing. The remixed single version is an edit of a longer piece called ‘Suburbia (The Full Horror.’) which includes a spoken word segment with the refrain, ‘Suburbia, where the suburbs met utopia,’ and ends in a series of explosions, this can be found on the 12 inch version, and also on ‘Disco,’ the Pet Shop Boys first remix Album, (1986) and the reissue ‘Please: Further Listening 1984–1986.’ Julian Mendelsohn who produced this remix was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1954, he is a record producer, audio engineer, and mixer, and started working in England in 1974. His other notable Album productions include the Pets Shop Boys ‘Actually,’ (1987) Level 42 ‘Running in the Family,’ (1987) and Paul McCartney ‘Off the Ground’ (1993.)

The lesser recognisable member of the Pet Shop Boys is Chris Lowe, who was born Christopher Sean Lowe on October 4th, 1959, in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. He performs as the Pet Shop Boys’ keyboardist, and occasionally provides spoken word or sung vocals, and has taken the lead on a few songs, including ‘Paninaro,’ the ‘B’ side to ‘Suburbia.’ In 1993 he wrote and produced the track ‘Do the Right Thing,’ (UK-Number 43) for Arsenal footballer Ian Wright. Chris Lowe has always adopted an understated public presence, often wearing sportswear and with his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, and usually wearing head wear of some sort. In 1995 the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’ wrote that he was, ‘Possibly more famous for not doing anything than almost anyone else in the history of popular entertainment.’ It was the English music video director Eric Watson (1955-2012) who suggested the image portrayed by Chris Lowe, ‘Chris didn’t want to be seen playing keyboards or anything. We realised there was something about somebody singing and somebody else doing nothing, just looking, then looking away, that adds a hideous tension.’

‘Suburbia’ was co-written by Neil Tennant, and Chris Lowe, and was inspired by the 1984 American film ‘Suburbia,’ which was written and directed by Penelope Spheeris. Another inspiration was the Brixton riots of 1981, and 1985, which got Tennant and Lowe thinking about the boredom of suburbia, and the struggles of working class youths. The lyrics tell of the boredom of suburbia (‘I only wanted something else to do but hang around’) and the underlying tension among disaffected youth.

‘Lost in the high street, where the dogs run, roaming suburban boys. Mother’s got a hairdo to be done, she say’s they’re too old for toys.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

379-Slipknot-Psychosocial.

2008-Number 67 single.

Best Bit-At 0.23. It was Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) (see also best songs 877-567-469-120 and 73) who once said, ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ is the most brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious form of expression it has been my misfortune to hear.’ I wonder what he would have made of this lot.

Slipknot are an ‘Alternative Heavy Metal’ group, who were formed in 1995, in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, by Shawn Crahan, (percussionist) Anders Colsefni, (vocals) and Paul Grey (1972-2010) (bass.) In the early 1990’s there were several Rock bands performing in the surrounding areas of Des Moines, and it was an eventual coming together of like minded musicians that led to the formation of Slipknot, as they settled on nine members who stayed together throughout their first decade. In total 17 members have come and gone for various reasons, with the only constant being founding member Shawn Crahan. Slipknot are known for their energetic, and chaotic live performances, which have included headbanging, stage diving, and fighting each other. They also always perform wearing unique individual face masks, and matching uniforms, normally jumpsuits. Slipknot have cited fellow contemporary bands Korn, and Limp Bizkit (see also best songs 583) as influences, as well as the American Rock band ‘Kiss,’ who were a major influence on the bands stage act, and look. However the band state they are most indebted to Mike Patton (see also best songs 335) the lead singer of ‘Faith No More’ for their image and music.

The discography of Slipknot who have sold in excess of 30 million records worldwide, and who took their name from one of their early recordings, have released seven studio Albums between 1999-2022, and 28 singles between 1999-2023, there is also one extended play, (EP) two official compilation Albums, and three live Albums available. In America three of their studio Albums have reached the Number 1 position on the Billboard ‘Hot 200 Albums’ chart, although none of their singles have made the Billboard ‘Hot 100 singles’ chart. In the UK, Slipknot have achieved three Number 1 Albums, and six top 40 singles, with ‘Duality’ from 2004, peaking the highest at Number 15.

‘Psychosocial’ was the second of five singles released from ‘All Hope Is Gone,’ the fourth studio Album from Slipknot, from August 2008, the song was co-written by the band members Corey Taylor, Joey Jordison, (1975-2021) and Paul Gray, (1972-2010) with the production being by Dave Fortman, who was born on July 11th, 1967, in Orlando, Florida, United States. Dave Fortman is also a musician and songwriter, he joined the American Rock band ‘Ugly Kid Joe’ in 1992 and played guitar on their multi-platinum selling Album ‘America’s Least Wanted,’ he has multiple songwriting credits on all five of that groups studio Albums. Dave Fortman’s greatest success in music has been producing two of the studio Albums by the American Rock group Evanescence, their debut studio Album ‘Fallen,’ (2003) which has sold in excess of 17 million copies worldwide, and ‘The Open Door,’ (2006) which has sold in excess of seven million copies worldwide.

Shawn Crahan, who was born Michael Shawn Crahan on September 24th, 1969, was the co-founder of Slipknot, and is the bands one constant. As well as Slipknot, he has recorded with three side projects, ‘To My Surprise,’ ‘Dirty Little Rabbits,’ and ‘Black Dots of Death.’ Away from music, he has directed three films, including the 2016 American action thriller movie ‘Officer Downe.’ Shawn Crahan has been credited with several things that Slipknot is known for, such as their large percussion section and their masks. Crahan began wearing a clown mask to rehearsals when the band was still fairly unknown, spawning the mask theme that the band is known for today. As well as the mask gimmick, several Slipknot band members are also known by a designated number, for example Shawn Crahan is officially known to fans as ‘(#6) Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan.

The meaning to the song ‘Psychosocial’ is open to interpretation, but it is probably an anti war song. It warns us not to be materialistic, and if we don’t look after each other, one day we will face terrible consequences. Shawn Crahan has said of the recording, ‘That song has got a lot of, I would say, social anxiety. It hits different. It’s really fun and it’s different. Most of the stuff that we have is different.’

‘Go drill your deserts, go dig your graves. Then fill your mouth with all the money you will save. Sinking in, getting smaller again, I’m done, it has begun, I’m not the only one.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

380-Tina Charles-I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance.)

1976-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.29. The dilemma is, she loves to love, but he just loves to dance. If only they could multitask.

Tina Charles was born Tina Hoskins on March 10th, 1954, in Whitechapel, London, England. Prior to her international success with this song she had released seven singles, none of which had made the UK chart. Her 1969 debut single ‘Nothing in the World’ featured a then unknown Elton John (see also best songs 946-481-237 and 62) on the piano. During the early 1970’s she supplied vocals for the ‘Top of the Pops’ series of Albums which featured cover versions of contemporary hits. In 1975 she was the unaccredited lead vocalist on the UK Number 4 hit ‘I’m on Fire,’ by the British Disco act ‘5000 Volts,’ of which she was an official member, and also in that year she provided backing vocals on the UK Number 1 single ‘Make Me Smile’ (Come Up and See Me’) for Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (see best songs 410 and 2.) The discography of Tina Charles who chose her stage ‘Charles’ as it was her fathers name, and because ‘Hoskins’ sounded too similar to ‘Hopkin,’ (Mary Hopkin see also best songs 692) includes six studio Albums released between 1976-1977, and 44 singles released between 1969-2016, there are also eight official compilation Albums available. In the UK, seven of her singles have reached the top 40, with I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance) peaking the highest at Number 1.

‘I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance’) was the eighth single release from Tina Charles as a solo artist, it was her breakthrough hit as all of her previous seven releases had failed to chart. The song was the second of two singles issued from her debut studio Album ‘I Love to Love,’ from 1976, and was co-written by Jack Robinson, (lyrics) and James Bolden, (1948-1997) (music) and was produced by Biddu Appaiah. Jack Robinson was born on January 17th, 1938, in Seattle, Washington, United States, he is a music producer as well as a songwriter. Among his best known productions is the original version of ‘Dancing in the Moonlight,’ by the French/American Rock band King Harvest, which reached Number 13 on Billboard in 1972, he was also involved with other hits recorded by Tina Charles, including ‘Love Me Like a Lover,’ (UK-Number 31-1976) and ‘Rendezvous’ (UK-Number 27-1977.) ‘I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance’) was also co-written by James Bolden, who was born Jacques Pepino, in Tarare, France, on January 1st, 1948, he committed suicide on May 11th, 1997, at the age of 49, following the accidental death of his 11-year-old daughter Julia. As well as being a songwriter he was also a performer, using the stage name ‘David Christie,’ releasing seven studio Albums, and 21 singles, his biggest success as a recording artist came in 1982 when his song ‘Saddle Up’ co-written with Robinson reached Number 9 in the UK. Another notable co-write by the duo was ‘Strut Your Funky Stuff,’ for the American Philadelphia International Records, ‘Disco’ female trio Frantique (UK-Number 10-1979.)

‘I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance’) was produced by Biddu Appaiah, who is considered to be one of the pioneers of Disco Music. Biddu was born on February 8th, 1945, in Bangalore, Madras Presidency, British India, (now Karnataka, India) he first arrived in England in the early 1960’s. His major international breakthrough came in 1974 when producing the Carl Douglas hit ‘Kung Fu Fighting,’ which went to Number 1 in the UK, and also in America on Billboard, and has sold in excess of 11 million copies worldwide, making it at the time of writing the 34th best selling single of all time. Biddu has always embraced the latest technology, moving in to ‘Electronic’ music after the decline of Disco. In the 1980’s he became heavily involved in ‘Bollywood,’ producing soundtracks, and in the 1990’s he was very influential in popularising ‘Indian Pop’ music. As well as shaping the careers of many other artists worldwide, Biddu Appaiah has released 12 studio Albums as the ‘Biddu Orchestra,’ between 1975-2004. In the UK two of his singles as the Biddu Orchestra have reached the top 40, ‘Summer of 42,’ (1975-Number 14) and ‘Rain Forrest,’ (1976-Number 39.) He has also scored the music for 11 movie soundtracks, including the British drama film ‘The Stud,’ in 1978, and the Indian Bollywood movie ‘Star,’ in 1982.

‘The minute the band begins to swing it, he’s on his feet to dig it, and dance the night away. Stop, I’m spinnin’ like a top, we’ll dance until we drop, but if I have my way.’