This
is a list of the what I consider to be the best songs ever created.
That single handed change the shape of music for generations to come. In
the next posts you will start to see what I consider the greatest songs
ever wrote and recorded. These songs are in no particular order. These
songs are from the turn of the 20th century until today. This will be in
parts so look back often for future updates. This post is meant to
stimulate and evoke comment. Maybe you will remember some of your
favorite songs and listen to them again. Maybe you will see new songs
that become your favorite new songs. However, I hope you enjoy this blog
posting and thanks for looking. Long live music!
In
no particular order. Each song is accompanied by it's album cover or if
no album is available single, sheet music or record label picture.
Thanks and enjoy the posts. Feedback is welcomed. However, disagreements
are allowed but please be nice and no foul or lewd language.
1. Gene Austin - Bye Bye Blackbird
1926
3.4.1974
(I Didn't Want To Do It)
6.14.1913
6.14.1913
This is the first recorded version from 1913 however, most people remember Judy Garland's Version.
Wikipedia:
Roger
Edens wrote additional lyrics to the song for Judy Garland. The new
lyrics cast Garland in the role of a teenage fan of Clark Gable. Garland
sang the song to Gable at a birthday party thrown for him by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. MGM executives were so charmed by her rendition
that she and the song were added to the film Broadway Melody of 1938.
Garland recorded the "Gable" version on September 24, 1937. It was
released on Decca 1463. MGM released the song as a b-side in 1939,
opposite Garland's recording of "Over the Rainbow" for The Wizard of Oz.
4. Anne Murray - Snowbird
6.1970
6.1970
(Original Version as made more famous later by versions from The Byrds and The Doobie Brothers)
1966
6. Billy Stewart - Summertime
1966
1966
1966
1970
Wikipedia:
Singing
in the Rain was first performed by Doris Eaton Travis in the 1929 revue
The Hollywood Music Box Revue. The song became a hit and was recorded
by a number of artists, notably Cliff Edwards, who also performed the
number with the Brox Sisters in the early MGM musical The Hollywood
Revue of 1929. The song is probably best known today as the centerpiece
of the musical film Singin' in the Rain (1952), in which Gene Kelly
memorably danced to the song while splashing through puddles during a
rainstorm. The song is also performed during the opening credits of the
film.
1929
1929
Wikipedia:
The
biggest hit version in the United States was a recording by the Cowboy
Church Sunday School (peaking at #8 on the Billboard charts).
When
the Cowboy Church Sunday School version is played at normal speed, 45
rpm, the vocal sounds unnaturally high. When played at 33⅓ rpm the vocal
sounds more natural. In fact the song was recorded at that speed by
Stuart Hamblen's wife and adult daughters, so that when played at 45rpm
it sounds as if it is being sung by children.
1954
1954
Wikipedia:
The
most famous recording of this song for baby-boomers featured Pebbles
and Bamm-Bamm on The Flintstones "No Biz Like Show Biz" episode (which
originally aired September 17, 1965). The clip of the them performing
this song was sometimes played during the closing credits in the show's
final season (1965-1966), this episode being the opener of that season.
Although Pebbles and Bamm Bamm went on to form a rock band as teenagers
in the 1970s, they never approached the classic heights of their infant
tune[1]. The Flintstones version of the song was stripped of some its
religious lyrics for inclusion in the show. Original vocals were
provided by Rebecca Page (as Pebbles) and her mother Ricky Page (as Bamm
Bamm), who later became "The Bermudas" and then "The Majorettes". They
were managed by George Motola, who was Ricky's husband.
10. Deniece Williams - Free
3.1976
3.1976
11. Adiemus - Adiemus
Lyrics:
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.......
Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da
ari a natus ave adua
A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te
a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te
a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te la-te-a
A-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la
(ah_______________)
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la________
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_____
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_____
a-ya doo a-ye
a-ya doo a-ye
(go back to begnining)
a-ri-a-di-a-mus la-te
a-ri-a-di-a-mus da
a-i-a na-tus la-te a-du-a.
A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te
a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te
a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te la-te-a.
A-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la
(ah_______________)
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la________
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_____
a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_____
a-ya doo a-ye
a-ya doo a-ya_________
ya-ka-ma ya-ma-ya-ka-ya me-ma
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_______
ya-ka-ma ya-ma-ya-ka-ya me-ma
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_______
ya----ka--ma me--ah_________
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_______
a-ya-coo-ah-eh_______
ya----ka--ma me--ah
a-ya-coo-ah-eh
9.9.1995
9.9.1995
6.27.1973
13. Artists For Haiti -
We Are The World 25 For Haiti
Feat. Soloists (in order of appearance):
Justin Bieber
Nicole Scherzinger
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Nettles
Josh Groban
Tony Bennett
Mary J. Blige
Michael Jackson (stock footage)
Janet Jackson
Barbra Streisand
Miley Cyrus
Enrique Iglesias
Jamie Foxx
Wyclef Jean
Adam Levine
Pink
BeBe Winans
Usher
Celine Dion
Orianthi (on guitar)
Fergie
Nick Jonas
Toni Braxton
Mary Mary
Isaac Slade
Carlos Santana (on guitar)
Lil Wayne
Akon
T-Pain
Jamie Foxx (Impersonation of Ray Charles)
LL Cool J (rap)
Will.i.am (rap)
Snoop Dogg (rap)
Nipsey Hussle (rap)
Busta Rhymes (rap)
Swizz Beatz (rap)
Kid Cudi (rap)
Mann (rap)
Kanye West (rap)
2.12.2010
2.12.2010
14. Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction
1965
1965
Wikipedia:
The
song is a recounting of "The Day the Music Died" — the 1959 plane crash
that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper (Jiles
Perry Richardson, Jr.)—and the aftermath.
11.1971
11.1971
1969
17. Freda Payne - Band Of Gold
1970
18. Jimmy Cliff - Wild World
1970
1974
10.31.1975
8.22.1939
22. Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away
4.1980
4.1980
1972
6.1993
9.16.1979
Wikipedia:
This
song was one of the earliest to deal with child abuse and domestic
violence. One critic said, "the 'happy' music is a metaphorical denial,
making this seem beautiful and serene while discussing something
terrible and devastating. It is a wonderful use of tune as a metaphor
for how many abuse victims also deny their abuse, and is a profound
classic".
1987
1987
5.29.1995
Feat.
Soloists (in order of appearance)
Lionel Richie
Stevie Wonder
Paul Simon
Kenny Rogers
James Ingram
Tina Turner
Billy Joel
Michael Jackson
Diana Ross
Dionne Warwick
Willie Nelson
Al Jarreau
Bruce Springsteen
Kenny Loggins
Steve Perry
Daryl Hall
Huey Lewis
Cyndi Lauper
Kim Carnes
Bob Dylan
Ray Charles
Chorus/Choir
Dan Aykroyd
Harry Belafonte
Lindsey Buckingham
Mario Cipollina
Johnny Colla
Sheila E.
Bob Geldof
Bill Gibson
Chris Hayes
Sean Hopper
Jackie Jackson
La Toya Jackson
Marlon Jackson
Randy Jackson
Tito Jackson
Waylon Jennings
Bette Midler
John Oates
Jeffrey Osborne
Anita Pointer
June Pointer
Ruth Pointer
Smokey Robinson
3.7.1985
3.7.1985
Feat. Soloists (in order of appearance)
Ralph Tresvant
Randy Travis
Celine Dion
Peter Cetera
Bobby Brown
Brenda Russell
Jani Lane (Warrant)
Luther Vandross
Garth Brooks
Kathy Mattea
Gunnar & Matthew Nelson
Michael Bolton
Pointer Sisters
Little Richard
Will Smith (The Fresh Prince)
Mark Knopfler — Guitar solo
Kenny G — Saxophone solo
Warren Wiebe
Chorus/Choir
Alyssa Milano
Marcus Allen
Paul Anka
Catherine Bach
Brian Bosworth
Downtown Julie Brown
Jimmy Buffett
Gary Busey
Nell Carter
David Cassidy
Peter Cetera
Chevy Chase
Candy Clark
Clarence Clemons
Kevin Costner
Cindy Crawford
Billy Crystal
Ted Danson
Rick Dees
Micky Dolenz
Clyde Drexler
Sheena Easton
Sally Field
Richard Gere
Deborah Gibson
Whoopi Goldberg
Wayne Gretzky
Harry Hamlin
Mariel Hemingway
Marilu Henner
Orel Hershiser
Al Jarreau
Magic Johnson
Tommy Lee Jones
Michael Jordan
Carol Kane
Joanna Kerns
Don King
Mark Knopfler
Martin Kove
Jon Lovitz
Ali MacGraw
Melissa Manchester
Peter Max
Dudley Moore
Jeffrey Osborne
Donny Osmond
Michelle Pfeiffer
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Louis Cordero
Ahmad Rashad
Helen Reddy
David Robinson
Paul Rodriguez
Kenny Rogers
Kurt Russell
Katey Sagal
Fred Savage
Jane Seymour
William Shatner
Nicollette Sheridan
Brooke Shields
Sissy Spacek
Stephen Stills
Meryl Streep
Alan Thicke
Linda Thompson
Tiffany
Michael Tucker
Mike Tyson
Blair Underwood
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Lindsay Wagner
Dominique Wilkins
Billy Dee Williams
Warrant
Paul Williams
Henry Winkler
James Woods
Gary Wright
2.28.1991
2.28.1991
30. West Coast Rap All-Stars -
Were All In The Same Gang
Produced by Dr. Dre
Featuring rapped verses from:
King Tee
Body & Soul (including Dee Barnes)
Def Jef
Michel'le
Tone-Loc
Above the Law
Ice-T
Dr. Dre, MC Ren and Eazy-E of N.W.A
J.J. Fad
Young MC
Digital Underground (Money-B and Shock G/Humpty Hump)
Oaktown's 3.5.7
MC Hammer
5.16.1990
5.16.1990
31. Stop The Violence Movement - Self Destruction
Self-Destruction was produced by KRS-One and D-Nice of Boogie Down Productions (Hank Shocklee of the Bomb Squad is credited as an associate producer),
Feat. rapped verses from:
Boogie Down Productions (KRS-One, D-Nice & Ms. Melodie)
Stetsasonic (Delite, Daddy-O, Wise & Frukwan)
Kool Moe Dee
MC Lyte
Doug E. Fresh
Just-Ice
Heavy D
Public Enemy (Chuck D & Flavor Flav)
1989
1989
32. Temptations -
Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)
5.7.1970
Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)
5.7.1970
_(album_cover).jpg)
1988
2.1977
Puff (a.k.a. Puff The Magic Dragon)
1.1963
36. Deep Forest - Sweet Lullaby
1992
O angi si nau boroi amu
Ni ma oe e fasi korona
Dolali dasa na, lao dai afuimae
Afuta guau mauri, Afuta wela inomae
Sasi sasi ae o angisi nau
Boroi nima oe e fasi koro na
Dolali dasa na, lao dai afuimae
Afuta guau mauri, Afuta wela inomae
Young brother, young brother you be quiet
Although you are crying to me
Your father has left us
He has gone to the place of the dead
Protect the head of the living, Protect the orphan child
Young brother, young brother hey? although you are crying to me
Your father has left us
He has gone to the place of the dead
Protect the head of the living, protect the orphan child
37. Diana Ross & The Supremes - Love Child
9.30.1968
9.30.1968
38. Dion - Abraham, Martin & John
This
song is about , Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F.
Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written as a response to the
assassinations of Martin Luther King and the younger John F. Kennedy in
April and June 1968.1968
4.1981
That's What Friends Are For
This
song is sung with Elton John, Stevie Wonder & Gladys Knight. It was
recorded as a benefit for American Foundation for AIDS Research.
Billboard's number one single of 1986.
1985
1985
10.1967
1944
43. The New Seekers - I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)
1971
1971
11.8.1971
Feat.
Amina,
Adam Ant,
Sebastian Bach,
Bros,
Felix Cavaliere,
Terence Trent D'Arby,
Flea,
John Frusciante,
Peter Gabriel,
Kadeem Hardison,
Ofra Haza,
Joe Higgs,
Bruce Hornsby,
Lee Jaffe,
Al Jarreau,
Jazzie B,
Davey Johnstone,
Lenny Kravitz,
Cyndi Lauper,
Sean Ono Lennon,
Little Richard,
LL Cool J,
MC Hammer,
Michael McDonald,
Duff McKagan,
Alannah Myles,
New Voices of Freedom,
Randy Newman,
Tom Petty,
Iggy Pop,
Q-Tip,
Bonnie Raitt,
Run (of Run DMC),
Dave Stewart,
Teena Marie,
Little Steven Van Zandt,
Don Was,
Wendy & Lisa,
Ahmet Zappa,
Dweezil Zappa, and
Moon Unit Zappa.
This single was in response to the Gulf War.
1991
1991
46. Ocean - Put Your Hand In The Hand
Anne Murray recorded it first however, this version is more widely known reaching number 2 on the billboard charts in 1971.
1970
1970
Wikipedia:
Written
by Joe Raposo in 1970 for the first season of the children's television
program Sesame Street. It was originally performed by Kermit the Frog.
On Charles'1975 album Renaissance did this version gained popularity
thanks to an episode of The Cosby Show. Charles then sang a duet with
Kermit on Sesame Street and The Cher Show and also sang the song on the
1989 special Sesame Street… 20 Years & Still Counting.
1975
1975
48. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
7.1.1982
7.1.1982
1962
8.26.1968
9.1939
4.15.1965
1.23.1970
2.13.1967
1.1982
1985
(Photo From Original 1908 Wax Cylinder Recording)
58. Terry Cashman - Willie, Mickey & "The Duke" (Talkin' Baseball)
1981
1981
10.10.1966
4.1988
We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter
Originally
recorded by Gravy but made popular by being included in an episode of
the Brady Bunch and on the album Meet The Brady Bunch.
62. Cyndi Grecco Feat. The Ron Hicklin Singers -
Making Our Dreams Come True
(Theme From The TV Sitcom Series: Laverne & Shirley)
1976
1976
8.24.1970
3.29.1982
1.9.1988
6.10.1970
The Fish Cheer &I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag
11.1967
11.1967
1959
1964
(Original Version made popular later by The Mama's & The Papa's)
1957
1957
11.2.1973
1963
(John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Ron Hicklin & Ian Freebairn-Smith) -
Suicide Is Painless (Theme from the film M*A*S*H)
1970
1970
75. Al Hibbler - Unchained Melody
(Original Version for the film Unchained. Later made popular by The Righteous Brothers)
1955
1955
76. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
10.2.1978
10.2.1978
Wikipedia:
Respect
is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis
Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for
R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is
significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics,
the stories told by the songs have a different flavor. Redding's version
is a plea from a desperate man who will give his woman anything she
wants. He won't care if she does him wrong, as long as he gets his due
respect when he comes home ("respect" being a euphemism). However,
Franklin's version is a declaration from a strong, confident woman who
knows that she has everything her man wants. She never does him wrong,
and demands his "respect". Franklin's version adds the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T"
chorus and the backup singers' refrain of "Sock it to me, sock it to me,
sock it to me..." Franklin's cover was a landmark for the feminist
movement, and is often considered as one of the best songs of the
R&B era, earning her two Grammy Awards in 1968 for "Best Rhythm
& Blues Recording" and "Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal
Performance, Female", and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in
1987. In 2002, the Library of Congress honored Franklin's version by
adding it to the National Recording Registry. It is number five on
Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] It was
also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording
Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
4.1967
4.1967
Wikipedia:
Swinging
on a Star is an American pop standard with music composed by Jimmy Van
Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was sung by Bing Crosby in the
1944 film Going My Way, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song
that year. The first recording of Swinging on a Star took place in Los
Angeles on February 7, 1944, released by Decca Records. The Williams
Brothers quartet, including Andy Williams, sang backup vocals to Crosby.
1944
79. Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers with Paul Weston's Orchestra -
1944
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
Wikipedia: Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive is a popular song with the music written by Harold Arlen and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This song was published in 1944. It is sung in the style of a sermon, and explains that accentuating the positive as the key to happiness. In describing his inspirations for the lyric, Mercer told the Pop Chronicles radio documentary "I went to hear Father Divine and he had a sermon and his subject was 'you got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.' And I said 'Wow, that's a colorful phrase!'
Mercer
recorded the song, with The Pied Pipers and Paul Weston's orchestra, on
October 4, 1944, and it was released by Capitol Records as catalog
number 180. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on
January 4, 1945 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 2.
Within a matter of weeks, several other recordings of the song were
released by other well-known artists: Bing Crosby's being the most
popular as sung in his film Here Come The Waves (1944)
10.4.1944
10.4.1944
80. Bob Dylan - Blowin In The Wind
8.1963
8.1963
81. Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
9.1988
9.1988
10.31.1986
9.30.1985
6.2.1992
1982
Wikipedia:
Originally recorded as a soundtrack song for the Eddie Murphy motion picture Boomerang, the song (themed about a breakup where the man really doesn't want the woman to go) topped the charts from August 15 through November 7, 1992, setting a record for most weeks at number one with 13 weeks, beating Elvis Presley's 11-week hold with "Hound Dog" / "Don't Be Cruel". Presley's record had stood 36 years.
6.30.1992
Originally recorded as a soundtrack song for the Eddie Murphy motion picture Boomerang, the song (themed about a breakup where the man really doesn't want the woman to go) topped the charts from August 15 through November 7, 1992, setting a record for most weeks at number one with 13 weeks, beating Elvis Presley's 11-week hold with "Hound Dog" / "Don't Be Cruel". Presley's record had stood 36 years.
6.30.1992
87. G.C. Cameron -
It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
(Original
version form the film Cooley High which was the basis for the TV series
What's Happening.) This song later became famous as Boyz II Men
recorded it for their manager that had passed away and included it in
their album Cooleyhighharmony.
9.1.1975
88. Garth Brooks - The Thunder Rolls
I
am not a country fan and even less a Garth Brooks fan but this song is
just so well done. Real music will transcend boundaries placed on them
by musicians or record companies.
4.30.1991
4.30.1991
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
5.7.1973
90. John Lennon - Imagine
10.11.1971
10.11.1971
91. Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
2.3.1978
2.3.1978
What Did You Learn In School Today?
Originally by Tom Paxton but the most recognized version is the highly popular version here
6.8.1963
93. Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome (The best version)
6.8.1963
Wikipedia:
We
Shall Overcome is a protest song that became a key anthem of the
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968). The title and
structure of the song are derived from an early gospel song, "I'll
Overcome Someday", by African-American composer Charles Albert Tindley.
The song was published in 1947 as "We Will Overcome" in the People's
Songs Bulletin (a publication of People's Songs, an organization of
which Pete Seeger was the director and guiding spirit). It appeared in
the bulletin as a contribution of and with an introduction by Zilphia
Horton, then music director of the Highlander Folk School of Monteagle,
Tennessee, an adult education school that trained union organizers. It
was her favorite song and she taught to countless others, including Pete
Seeger, who included it in his repertoire. 6.8.1963
Wikipedia:
The American folk quintet The Highwaymen had a number-one hit on both the pop and easy listening" charts in the U.S. with it (under the simpler title of "Michael") in 1961; this version also went to #1 in the United Kingdom.
Michael, Row the Boat Ashore (or Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore or Michael Row That Gospel Boat) is an African-American spiritual. It was first noted during the American Civil War at St. Helena Island, one of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. It was sung by former slaves whose owners had abandoned the island before the Union navy would arrive to enforce a blockade. Charles Pickard Ware, an abolitionist and Harvard graduate who had come to supervise the plantations on St. Helena Island from 1862 to 1865, wrote the song down in music notation as he heard the freedmen sing it. Ware's cousin, William Francis Allen reported in 1863 that while he rode in a boat across Station Creek, the former slaves sang the song as they rowed. The song was first published in Slave Songs of the United States, by Allen, Ware, and Lucy McKim Garrison, in 1867.
1961
The American folk quintet The Highwaymen had a number-one hit on both the pop and easy listening" charts in the U.S. with it (under the simpler title of "Michael") in 1961; this version also went to #1 in the United Kingdom.
Michael, Row the Boat Ashore (or Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore or Michael Row That Gospel Boat) is an African-American spiritual. It was first noted during the American Civil War at St. Helena Island, one of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. It was sung by former slaves whose owners had abandoned the island before the Union navy would arrive to enforce a blockade. Charles Pickard Ware, an abolitionist and Harvard graduate who had come to supervise the plantations on St. Helena Island from 1862 to 1865, wrote the song down in music notation as he heard the freedmen sing it. Ware's cousin, William Francis Allen reported in 1863 that while he rode in a boat across Station Creek, the former slaves sang the song as they rowed. The song was first published in Slave Songs of the United States, by Allen, Ware, and Lucy McKim Garrison, in 1867.
1961
95. Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
9.26.1969
9.26.1969
96. Inkspots - If I Didn't Care
Became the signature tune for Redd Foxx to sing as Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son.
2.1939
2.1939
97. Irene Cara - Fame
6.1980
6.1980
8.28.1970
5.25.2004
100. Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle
11.1973
11.1973
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