THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

890-Faithless-Insomnia.

1995-Number 27 single, when re released in 1996, it peaked at Number 3,

Best Bit-At 7.00.’Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.’

Faithless (see also best songs 207,) are a Electronic Dance Music group who were formed in London, England, in 1995, by Maxwell Frazer (Maxi Jazz,) who is the lead vocalist, Ayalah Bentovim (Sister Bliss,) who plays keyboards, and produces, Rowland Armstrong (Rollo,) who is a producer, and also the brother of the singer Dido (see also best songs 936.) James Catto was also a founding member, but left to form ‘1 Giant Leap’ in 1999, Aubrey Nunn joined in late 1995, and stayed until 2006.

‘Insomnia’ was the second track released from the bands debut Album ‘Reverence,’ and was written by Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss, and Rollo. As the title suggests the song is about the medical condition of not being able to sleep.The subject is resonant with fans of Dance Music, as stimulant use is common in club, and rave culture, and insomnia is a common side effect.

‘And let me dream of making mad love to my girl on the heath, tearing off tights with my teeth.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

891-Thunderclap Newman-Something in the Air.

1969-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.55.Pete Townshend never knew the feeling of having a Number 1 single in the UK with The Who, but he got a taste of what it was like here.

Pete Townshend actually can boast two Number 1 songs. He produced the 1968 chart topper, ‘Fire,’ by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown,’ and also produced, and played bass guitar on this song.Townshend (see also best songs 926-306 and 265,) and Tho Who’s manager Kit Lambert (1935-1981,) brought together the musicians, John ‘Speedy’ Keen (1945-2002,) Jimmy McCullock (1953-1979,) and Jazz Pianist Andy ‘Thunderclap’ Newman (1943-2016,) for a side project, which also included the release of the bands 1970 Album ‘Hollywood Dream.’

The song was written by Speedy Keen, who had previously worked with The Who, writing the song ‘Armenia City in the Sky,’ which is the opening track on The Who’s 1967 Album’ The Who Sell Out.’ The song was going to be called revolution, but the Beatles had already released a song with that title.

Jimmy McCuuoch played lead guitar on the track, he was only 15 years old at the time. He would later go on to be a member of Paul McCartney and Wings, between 1974-1977 (see also best songs 646,) he died in 1979 of heart failure due to morphine, and alcohol poisoning, at the age of 26, he was not known as a user of hard drugs.The other performer on the track was the pianist Andy ‘Thunderclap’ Newman, whom Townshend had known since his art college days.In 2010 Newman reformed the band, with him as the only original member, they went on tour, and also released the Album,’Beyond Hollywood.

‘Hand out the arms and ammo, we’re going to blast our way through here.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

892-Mike Posner-I Took a Pill in Ibiza (SeeB remix.)

2015-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 0.32.You can’t please everyone.Ibiza’s tourism officials were annoyed as they felt the songs lyrics contributed to the islands reputation for drug related debauchery. As a result Mike Posner was invited to the island to discover how much more it had to offer as a destination, apart from it’s nightlife.

Mike Posner was in a Ibiza nightclub with his friend Avicii (1989-2018,) (see also best songs 123,) when he was recognised by a fan, who offered him a pill, Posner who was depressed at the time accepted it.Posner had great success with songs such as ‘Cooler Than Me,’ and ‘Please Don’t Go,’ back in 2010, but had realised that fame was not all it was cracked up to be, and although only in his mid 20’s, perhaps his career was already over.

Posner wrote this song as a Folk/Pop song, originally releasing it in April, 2015, on his EP ‘The Truth.’ The Norwegian music producers Simen Eriksrud, and Espen Berg,better known as ‘SeeB’ got to hear the track, and set about remixing it in the ‘Tropical House’ genre.Ironically a song about falling from a great height, and nearly hitting the bottom, put Mike Posner right back at the top of the tree.

‘I took a pill in Ibiza to show Avicii I was cool.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

893-KC and the Sunshine Band- (Shake, Shake, Shake,) Shake Your Booty.

1976-Number 22 single.

Best Bit-At 0.17.In the 21st Century they call it Twerking, but back in the 20th Century, it was called Shaking.

KC and the Sunshine Band were formed in Hialeah, Florida, U.S. in 1973, they were active until 1985, but then reformed in 1993, and released their last new music to date in 2019. Harry Wayne Casey, and Richard Finch met while both were employed at ‘TK. Records,’ the bands name comes from Casey’s surname, and the ‘Sunshine State’ of Florida.

In the states they achieved a remarkable five Billboard Number one singles, including this track, while in the UK ,their only chart topper, ‘Give It Up,’ from 1983, credited to KC and the Sunshine Band, but with no input from Richard Finch, is probably the song they are best remembered for.

Casey, and Finch also achieved great success, writing and producing for other artists including Betty Wright (1953-2020,) and George McCrae, whose ‘Rock Your Baby’ topped the charts in 51 different countries (see also best songs 64.)

‘Everybody get on the floor, let’s dance, don’t fight the feeling, give yourself a chance.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

894-Nick Heywood-Whistle Down the Wind,

1983-Number 13 single.

Best Bit-At 3.12.To ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ means you abandon, send away, or leave something, or someone.

Nick Heywood was born on the 20th May, 1961, in Beckenham, Kent, England.He was one of the founding members of Haircut One Hundred in 1980, and he stayed with them for one Album, until his dismissal in 1982. Heywood was the bands songwriter,vocalist, and lead guitarist. With Haircut One Hundred he achieved four UK top 10 singles, with the most successful being the Number three hit ‘Love Plus One.’

As a solo artist he has achieved a further five top 40 singles, and released nine studio Albums, the latest being ‘Woodland Echoes’ in 2017.

‘Whistle Down the Wind’ had been touted as the fifth single for release by Haircut One Hundred, but after Heywood parted company, it became his first solo single, from his debut Album ‘North of a Miracle.’The song, and it’s parent Album were produced by Geoff Emerick (1945-2018,) who had worked as a sound engineer on classic Beatles Albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s, Revolver, and Abbey Road. and the Albums orchestral arrangement was by Andrew Powell (see also best songs 866-130-81 and 2.)

‘Hello, hello, hope you’re feeling fine, hello, hello, hope you’re feeling mine.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

895-Livin’ Joy-Dreamer.

1994-Number 18 single. When re-released in 1995 it reached Number 1,

Best Bit-At 3.28.This one really is a DJ’s dream, as it will mix easily in to anything.

Livin’ Joy were one of the musical projects of Italian producers Paolo Visnadi, and Gianni Visnadi, they co-write this song along with vocalist Janice Robinson. The Visnadi brothers had already tasted success with their previous project,’Alex Party,’ having charted three times, most notably when ‘Don’t Give Me Your Life’ peaked at Number 2 in 1995.They were even more successful with Livin’ Joy, achieving five top 20 hits, between 1995-1997.

‘Dreamer’ was also co-written by Janice Robinson, due to contractual disagreements, she only sang on this song for Livin’ Joy, with Tameka Starr, replacing her on all the 11 tracks recorded for their only Album release,’Don’t Stop Movin,’ released in 1996. Robinson’s version of ‘Dreamer’ does in fact feature on the Album as a bonus hidden track, at the end of the disc.

In 2018 after a break from performing Robinson returned to the stage on ‘The X Factor’ as a contestant, she surprised the judges with the revelation that she was the songwriter, and voice behind the song. She made it through to the live shows, as part of the ‘Over 28s’ category, eventually finishing in 14th place.

‘Love life and laughter is all I believe, my saviour is pure now, because my lonely heart would bleed.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

896-Billy Paul-Me and Mrs Jones.

1972-Number 12 single.

Best Bit-At 3.37.There is a very clever hint as to what this song is about at 0.17 seconds,when the saxophone is playing the 1953 song ‘Secret Love,’ by Doris Day.

Billy Paul was born Paul Williams on December 1st, 1934, he died on April 24th, 2016. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.,and is associated with the ‘Philadelphia Soul’ music that came out of that area, predominantly in the 1970’s.

‘Me and Mrs Jones’ was co-written by Kenny Gamble, and Leon Huff (see also best songs 1001-725-648-604 and 322,) with the lyrics provided by Cary ‘Hippy’ Gilbert (1942-1993.) Other songs Gilbert wrote the lyrics for include, ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way,'(see also best songs 725,) and ‘Let’s Clean Up the Ghetto,’ for the Philadelphia International All-Stars.

Kenny Gamble has explained where he and Leon Huff got the idea for the song from.Gamble and Huff would frequent a little bar most days,’This guy used to come in to the bar everyday, a little guy who looked like a judge. We’re songwriters, so we’re always thinking about a song.The next day he came in again, and everyday after he’d come in, this girl would come in 10-15 minutes after he’d get there, and they’d sit in the same booth, then go to the jukebox, and play the same songs. We said, ‘That’s me and Mrs Jones.”

‘We meet everyday at the same cafe, six-thirty, and no one knows she’ll be there.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

897-Simple Minds-Don’t You (Forget About Me.)

1985-Number 7 single.Bet Bit-At 3.43 The moment you have said everything that needs saying, but you still can’t shut up.

This is the gem that so many passed up on.’Don’t You (Forget About Me’) was written by Keith Forsey, and Steve Schiff, pacifically for the 1985 film ‘The Breakfast Club.’ Both Forsey, and Schiff were big fans of Simple Minds, and wrote the song with them in mind, but initially the band declined the offer, with Jim Kerr saying,’We are Simple Minds, we don’t do songs that sound like Simple Minds. We are Simple Minds, we do our own songs.’ The song was next offered to Bryan Ferry, and then to Billy Idol, but both were not interested.Eventually after a lot of persuasion from their record label, and Kerr’s wife Chrissie Hynde, they recorded it,believing it would be a throwaway song, on a soundtrack, to a forgettable movie.

The rest of course is history, as The Breakfast Club would go on to become one of the most popular, and critically acclaimed films of the 1980’s. The song played out over the film’s end credits, and broke Simple Minds in America, topping the Billboard singles chart, and as of 2018, is the 485th biggest selling song ever in the United States.

‘Will you stand above me, look my way, never love me. Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling down.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

898-Buddy Holly-Peggy Sue.

1957-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 1.24.Air guitar for the 1950’s teenager.

‘Peggy Sue’ was written by Jerry Allison, Norman Petty (1927-1984,) and Buddy Holly (1936-1959.)The song was originally going to be called ‘Cindy Lou,’ in honour of Holly’s niece, the daughter of his sister, Pat Kaiter, but the title was changed to ‘Peggy Sue,’ in reference to Peggy Sue Gerron, the then girlfriend of Jerry Allison, who was to become his future wife.Holly’s name was only added to the list of writing credits after his death, at the insistence of Jerry Allison.

Buddy Holly(see also best songs 264,) and his fellow musicians in The Crickets, are looked upon as forerunners of what would become Rock Music, with several of the worlds greatest artists, citing Holly as an inspiration, including John Lennon, and Paul McCartney, who said they studied Holly’s records, learned his performance style, and lyricism, and based their act around his persona.Other artists who have said they owe Holly a debt, include Bob Dylan, who saw Holly perform live, and Keith Richards who has said that he modelled his early guitar playing on the song ‘Not Fade Away,’ Richards also said that Holly passed on his guitar playing, via the Beatles, and via The Rolling Stones,’He’s in everybody.

‘If you knew Peggy Sue, then you’d know why I feel blue.’

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

899-The Black Eyed Peas-Boom Boom Pow.

2009-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.58.Will. i. am’s dislike of fairies who mend shoes, surfaces again, or is he just talking a load of old cobblers.

The Black Eyed Peas (see also best songs 234) have been active since 1995, but Will. i. am (Wiiliam Adams,) Taboo (Jaime Gomez,) and apl. de. ap (Alan Lindo,) had been working together since 1988. The bands forth member, Fergie (Stacy Ferguson,) joined them for the recording of their third Album,’Elephunk’ in 2003, she remained a member until 2017 (see also best songs 909.)

‘Boom Boom Pow’ was the lead single from The Black Eyed Peas fifth studio Album ‘The E.N.D.,’ and gave them their first Billboard Number 1 single in 2009. Will i am had been in Australia filming for his role as John Wraith, for the film ‘X-Men Origins. Wolverine,’ and had been spending evenings in nightclubs in Sydney where he was influenced by the ‘Electro Music’ that he heard. He has also stated that the song ‘Planet Rock’ by Afrika Bambaataa from 1982 (see also best songs 716,) was also a major influence, which is ironic considering that this song is about what music will sound like in the future.

‘Here we go, here we go, satellite radio. Y’all getting hit with the boom boom.’