Wiseman's Top 100 Songs of All Time: (cinema, scene, animation, history)

[WiseManOnceSaid]

I've been working on my Top 100 list my whole life I suppose. I am a serious music lover, to the point it drives most people crazy, I listen to music just about any chance I get to, and music taps into my soul, powers my emotions, and keeps me happy.

So, although this is a personal list, I thought I'd share my perspective of what good music is. There's a wide variety of music on my list. But for the most part, my music has to draw out emotions and have a good quality of musical talent on it.

Hope you enjoy, this is a list that certainly open for discussion, because it doesn't necessarily follow the "Billboards" way of rating music.

Here we go!

#100 Gigantic- The Pixies - Co-written by basist Kim Deal and Lead Vocalist/Guitarist Black Francis, this song appeared on the album Surfer Rosa in 1988. This song never reached any significant charts, but was a crowd favorite as it featured Kim singing sweetly before hammering guitar chords pounded you into a frenzy.

#99 The Tide is High - Blondie - Written by John Holt in 1967, this song was performed by several groups, but most famously done in 1980 when it became a huge hit sung by Deborah Harry a.k.a. Blondie. Atomic Kitten also had some success with their version of the song in Britain in 2002.

#98 When Doves Cry - Prince - #1 single in 1984 off of the Purple Rain album, this was by far the top selling single of 1984. Prince wrote and also played every instrument on the track. This song showcases how talented Prince certainly was.

#97 Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups - Made famous by the group The Dixie Cups in 1965, this New Orleans song was originally titled "Jock-A-Mo" and was written in 1953 by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford. The story tells of a "spy boy" (of an indian tribe) encountering the "flag boy" (guidon carrier) of another tribe. He threatens to "set the flag on fire".

#96 Izzo (H.O.V.A.) -Jay Z- Released in 2001 off of Jay Z's 6th album The Blueprint. This song reached #8 on Billboards Top 100 in that year. The song's lyrics "H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A" use the izzle language code to spell out HOVA, which refers to a pseudonym given to himself (Jayhova) for his self-proclaimed status as the god of MC's, a reference to Jehova.

#95 All These Things That I've Done - The Killers - Released in 2004 on the album Hot Fuss, it was written by frontman Brandon Flowers, and features the gospel choir The Sweet Inspirations. It peaked at #74 on Billboards Top 100. "I got soul but I'm not a soldier" is a line that will never escape your mind once it's in there.

#94 Miss You So Badly - Jimmy Buffett - This was not one of Jimmy's most famous songs, although it was on his greatest hits album. This song was co-written by Jimmy Buffett and Greg Taylor and it has all of Jimmy's story telling genius throughout the song.

#93 Handlebars - Flobots - Written in 2005 this catchy rap song raced up the charts topping out at #3 on Billboards Modern Tracks that year. This song will and should scare the hell out of you. It studies the idea of the potential of an innocent child to pursue any dream he wants, even becoming the next Hitler. But despite the dark lyrics, this song is very inspiring if you truly listen and study what Jamie Laurie was thinking when he wrote it.

#92 Ray Of Light - Madonna - 1998 Song which bore the same name as the album is based on Curtiss Maldoon's "Sepheryn". This song debuted at #5 on Billboard Hot 100. The song was out of the norm for Madonna's work, this song was very electric rave with a great guitar riff and synthesizers. By far her best and most creative song to date.

#91 Cocaine Blues - Johnny Cash - Written by T.J. "Red" Arnall, which was a re-working of the original song "Little Sadie". The song was oniginally recorded by Arnall in 1947. Johnny made the song famous by perfoming it live at Folsom Prison. Townes Van Zant did another really good version of the song, but there have been at least 10 different artists to cover this song.

#90 Someone Like You - Adele - Written in 2011 by Adele and Dan Wilson this song exploded on the scene and went straight up to #1. Adele became the first British woman ever to have two #1 singles off of the same album. The emotion in which Adele sings the song, along with her raspy voice, should bring a tear to your eye every time you listen to this song.

I will do the next ten in a re-post. Don't want this to be too long of a scroll down! Enjoy!

[WiseManOnceSaid]

#89 Cinema - Benny Benassi (remixed by Skrillex) - Released in March of 2011, this song is probably the best example of Dubstep. This version of the song was composed by Skrillex as a promo for the WWE wrestling network and aired on a Dec. 5th 2011 episode of WWE Raw. This song was given a Grammy for Best Remixed Recording as well.

#88 Rocket - Smashing Pumpkins - Written by Pumpkin's frontman Billy Corgan, this was the fourth single off their album Siamese Dream. This was never one of their most successful hits only reaching top 30 on the rock charts in 1994, but the grinding guitars, wonderful melody and message make this one of their best songs.

#87 Zungguzungguguzungguzeng - Yellowman - Winston Foster a.k.a. Yellowman was born in Jamaica in 1956 and is pretty much the father of "dance hall" reggae and the rub-a-dub style and Zunggunzung is one of the earliest (from 1983) and best examples of dance hall reggae. Yellowman remains one of the most sampled artists of all time. He received the name Yellowman because of his Albinism, which is socially not accepted in Jamaica, but he overcame this to become one of the fathers of reggae.

#86 Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Released in March of 1992, this hit peaked at #2 on Billboards Top 100. Frontman Anthony Kiedis wrote this song to express the loneliness and despondency, and to reflect on narcotics and the impact on his life. This song was certified Platinum and also won video of the year for 1992. This song was probably the reason the Chili Peppers went from underground college band to mainstream, and remains one of their best works.

#85 An Innocent Man - Billy Joel - Perfomed by Billy Joel in 1983 this was the third single from the same titled album "An Innocent Man". The song pays homage to The Drifters and the styles of Ben E. King. and reached #10 on Billboards Hot 100 chart.

#84 Rock and Roll Girls - John Fogerty - Off of Fogerty's most successful album since his Credence Clearwater Revival days, "Centerfield", this was probably the least popular of the three hits off this album. Centerfield and Old Man Down the Road were more popular. A little known fact to show what a magician/musician/genius John Fogerty was is this.... He played every instrument on every song on this entire album. This was accomplished by "over-dubbing" tracks.

#83 Perfect Day - Lou Reed - Writting by Velvet Underground's frontman Lou Reed in 1972, this song was the "B" side of his huge hit Walk on the Wild Side. This song really became famous when it was featured in the 1996 movie "Trainspotting", Duran Duran also did a successful cover in 1995 that went up the charts as well. You will find yourself singing along everytime you hear the song.

#82 Express Yourself - Labrinth - Written in 1971 by Charles Wright, this cover done by Labrinth is a mixture of the original song, along with James Brown's "Funky Drummer" sampled beat. Labrinth debuted the song on Britian's Got Talent in 2012. Express Yourself was also made mainstream by N.W.A. in 1988.

#81 Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead - Featured on the 1995 album "The Bends", this haunting song was written by frontman Thom Yorke and is about an area in East London called Canary Wharf, which is landscaped with a lot of artificial plants. Thom mentions that he wrote the song one night while he was drunk, and sort of in the middle of a breakdown. Probably why the song emits so much emotion.

#80 Luckenbach Texas - Waylon Jennings - Released in April of 1977, the song was written by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons. This song reached #1 on Billboards Country Singles Chart. The lyrics are pretty self explainatory, but there's references to other country artists and songs like Willy Nelson's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain".

[WiseManOnceSaid]

#79 Dammit (Growing Up) - Blink 182 - Released in Sept. 1997 on Blink 182's 2nd album Dude Ranch, the song was written by bassist Mark Hoppus. This was their first hit reaching #11 on Billboards' Hot Rock Tracks. This song remains one of my favorite break-up songs.

#78 Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners - Released in UK in June of 1982, this worldwide sensation hit #1 in 9 different countries including the US topping the Billboard at #1. Their name is quite unusual for it's drug reference. Dexys is short for Dexedrine, which was a popular recreational drug in the late 70's, and midnight runners was meant to say that while on Dexys, you were dancing all night. Quite unusal that such an open drug reference was allowed to succeed in the US at that time.

#77 Love Without End, Amen - George Strait - Written by Aaron Baker, this #1 hit was recorded by George in April 1990. The song spent 5 weeks at number one, making it one of George's most successful singles. This song tells a wonderful story of a father's love for his son, and it is easy to sing along to, making it perfectly catchy.

#76 I Will Remember You - Sarah McLachlan - Written in 1995 by Sarah McLachlan, Seamus Egan, and Dave Merenda, this beautiful song reached #14 on the Billboard's Top 100 charts. The song first appeared on the soundtrack for the movie The Brothers McMullen, and later a live version was release on the Album "Mirrorball". It was the live version that shot up the charts, eventually earning her a Grammy.

#75 Anything Could Happen - Ellie Goulding - Released as the lead song on Ellie's second album "Halcyon", the song was written by Goulding and Jim Elliott. It went to #1 in the UK but didn't have as much success in the US topping out at #47 on Billboard's Top 100. But it did have some success after being featured in a Beats By Dre commercial. It's one of the most watched videos ever on Youtube. Beautiful lyrics, and an electric drop that wells up emotions in everyone.... "I know it's gonna be... I know it's gonna be... I know it's gonna be" brings chills to you.

#74 Roxanne - The Police - Written by frontman Sting, this song was released in 1978 as a single and on their album Outlandos d'Amour. It was written from the point of a view of a man falling in love with a prostitute. The re-write of the song peaked at #12 in the UK, and is song #388 on Billboard's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

#73 Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band - Released in 1994 on their 2nd album "Under The Table and Dreaming", it reached #18 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks. Ants Marching is considered the definitive and most recognizable Dave Matthews song by most of their fans. What's magical about this song is the complex beats that seems to change constantly throughout the song. Pure genius by drummer Carter Beauford.

#72 You Know I'm No Good - Amy Jade Winehouse - Amy hit a homerun with this mixture of R&B, Soul, Jazz, and Hip Hop. The song was released in January 2007, peaking at #55 in the US on Billboard's Top 100, she also won a Grammy for this song. There's a very good version featuring rapper Ghost Face Killer which had quite a bit of success on the airwaves as well.

#71 Sixteen Saltines - Jack White - Released in 2012 on Jacks' solo album "Blunderbuss", this song was named by Rolling Stone magazine as the 8th best song of 2012. Jack said the inspiration for the song came when his daughter asked him for a snack, he asked her what she wanted, and she replied I want sixteen saltines. He wrote the song that day, then went to his daughter and told her that he had written a song for her.

#70 Sweet Jane - The Velvet Underground - Written by frontman Lou Reed in 1970 for their album "Loaded", this has to be one of the most covered songs of all time. Probably the most notable covers were by David Bowie and there's a beautiful version done in 1988 by the Cowboy Junkies. This is a sweet, tender, truly American song, about American life, and American hardships, and the song just makes you beleive that everything's going to be all right in your life.

[WiseManOnceSaid]

#69 King Of The Road - Roger Miller - Written by Roger Miller in 1964, the song tells the story of a vagabond hobo who despite being poor, revels in his freedom. This hit reached #4 on Billboard's Top 100, and #1 on their Country list.

#68 Two Pina Coladas - Garth Brooks - Released by Garth Brooks in March of 1998 it hit #1 on Billboard's Country Singles chart. The song was written by Shawn Camp, who provided acoustical guitar on the track. A favorite in just about every karoke bar in the world.

#67 Authority Song - John Cougar Mellancamp - This song was one of several huge hits off of his 7th album titled "Uh-Huh" which was released in 1983. Authority song topped at #15 on Billboard's Top 100. It was also ranked #32 by Rolling Stone magazine's list of the Greatest 100 Songs of the 1980's.

#66 Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend - Released in May of 2008 this was the third single of their first album "Vampire Weekend". It was a huge indie hit and super successful on college campus stations everywhere. It's one of the more simple songs on my list but still a beautiful song. Plus who can ignore the reference to Little Jon and the East Side Boys's song "Get Low". To the windoooow, to the wallll. lol.

#65 Paid In Full - Eric B. and Rakim - Probably the most influential early DJ/MC combo. They were ranked #3 by about.com as the top rap duos of all time. Although this is one of their shorter songs, it tells a simple story about a man using his skills to get paid on the streets of Long Island, NY. But although short, it shows the poetic genius of Rakim.

#64 Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meatloaf - Written by Jim Steinmam and recorded by Meatloaf in 1977 on the "Bat Out Of Hell" album, it also features vocals by Ellen Foley. If you haven't heard the song, it's a story about teenage sex and the complications that come along with "getting to third base". By the end of the song, you will be recalling your High School years and laughing at the plight of the young boy in the song.

#63 What's The Frequency Kenneth? - R.E.M. - Written in the height of their success in 1994 on the album "Monster", it peaked at #21 on Billboard's Hot Singles Chart, and #9 in the UK. The song refers to an incedent that occured in 1986 in New York City when two unknown assailants attacked news anchor Dan Rather, while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"

#62 Anarchy In The U.K. - The Sex Pistols - Released in the UK in 1976 as a single and then later on the album "Never Mind The Bullocks, Here's The Sex Pistols", this song basically kick started the Euro Punk scence and is ranked 56th on Rolling Stone magazines list of the 500 Best Songs of All Time.

#61 Drift Away - Dobie Gray - The song was written by Mentor Williams and first performed by John Henry Kurtz in 1972. In 1973 it became Dobie's biggest hit. His version peaked at #5 on Billboard's Top 100. Uncle Cracker also had a major hit with their cover in 2003. This song continues to be a main stay on almost all classic rock stations.

#60 I Want You Back - The Jackson 5 - Written in 1969, and a debut major single for the Jackson 5, it became a #1 hit in 1970. It was also ranked #121 on Rolling Stone's list of The Top 500 Greatest Songs. It shows that even at a very young age, Michael Jackson had an unusual voice, with range and passion.

[WiseManOnceSaid]

#59 Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones - This is one of the earliest successful attempts at punk music here in the U.S. This song debuted in April of 1976. Written by drummer Tommy Ramone and bassist Dee Dee Ramone, it is a very simplistic song, using only three chords. But the chant of "Hey Ho, Let's Go", will remain in our memories forever. Blitzkrieg bop is #92 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 greatest songs of all time.

#58 Come Dancing - The Kinks - This 1982 recording is a wonderful story that lead singer Ray Davies is reflecting on his past when he and his sister used to go to the local Palais hall and go dancing. Ray has always been a great story teller with his writings, as we will see later on in his masterpiece, Lola.

#57 Day O (The Banana Boat Song) - Harry Belafonte - Day O is a traditional Jamaican mento folk song, the best version was perfomed by Harry Belafonte in 1956. This song was featured in a very memorable scene of the 1988 movie Beetlejuice and has been covered by many artists over the years, including Lil Wayne with his hit "Six Foot, Seven Foot"

#56 Read My Mind - The Killers - Las Vegas based rock band, The Killers, released this on their 6th album in Oct. of 2006. It was a huge success, topping #15 in the UK and #62 on Billboard's Top 100. It's a beautiful melody, wonderful guitar chords, and a complete song. This is the 2nd Killers song on my list, and they still get one more spot, even higher than this one!

#55 Southern Cross - Crosby, Stills, and Nash - Written by Stephen Stills, Rick Curtis and Michael Curtis, this folk song was released in 1982 and was a huge success. It peaked at #18 on Billboard's Top 100. It's a wonderful story about a man who sails the world for a love affair. Plus, for all of you Parrotheads out there, check out Jimmy Buffet's version. It's just as good as the original.

#54 Love And Happiness - Al Green - Written in 1972 by Al Green and debuted on his album "I'm Still In Love With You", Mr. Silky Smooth Voice, hit this one out of the park. The song is rated #98 on Rolling Stone's Greatest 500 Songs, and has been covered by notable artists such as Etta James. By far one of the greatest soul songs of all time.

#53 Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & The Wailers - This song was the fourth track on their 1977 album "Exodus" but it wasn't until 1980 that Three Little Birds was released as a single. By far one of Bob Marley's most popular songs, it peaked out at #17 on the UK charts. If you don't know the words by now, probably it's because you've lived in a cave for the past 40 years! This song is played everywhere. From T.V. commercials, to cruise ships, to steady rotation on radio stations.

#52 As Good As I Once Was - Toby Keith - Before you get all upset that I put Toby Keith in front of Bob Marley, RELAX, there's more Marley to come! Besides, it's my list, and my favorites, so yes I'm putting Toby in front of Bob. This 2005 song is impossible to not sing along to, and it has one of the best country videos ever done. This is one of Toby's longest running number ones, spending 6 weeks in the top spot.

#51 Creep - Radiohead - Radiohead's debut single in 1992, this song was originally not a chart success, but after it's re-release in 1993 on the album "Pablo Honey", it became a world-wide hit. Frontman Thom Yorke wrote this song in college, while in agony of a lost love.

#50 Seven Spanish Angels - Willie Nelson & Ray Charles - Written by Troy Seals and Eddie Setser, this song was recorded in Nov. 1984 by Nelson and Charles, and was Ray Charles's most successful country hit spending a week at #1, and 12 weeks on the country charts. My personal opinion is that Willie Nelson should have been left off the song, Ray Charles just stands heads and shoulders above Willie in the song.

[WiseManOnceSaid]

HALFWAY DONE!!!

#49 Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes - This is the first track off of their album "Elephant", released in 2003, it is by far their most recognizable song. This song reached #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and had lots of radio coverage. Seven Nation Army is what frontman Jack White used to call the Salvation Army when he was little, and that's where he got the inspiration to the song from.

#48 Through The Wire - Kanye West - Written in his hospital bed in 2004, and recorded two weeks after his near fatal car accident, this song changed Kanye's career in so many ways, but the main point of putting this song so high on the list is the inspirational message that the song seeps. He recorded the song while his jaw was wired shut, hence the "throught the wire" title, and Kanye himself admits, that at the time, he couldn't even recognize his own face. Yet, despite the despair in his life at that time, he triumphed to become one of the best selling rappers of all time.

#47 Let's Stay Together - Al Green - Written by Al Green and released on the album with the same title in 1972, the song reached #1 on Billboard's Top 100 and stayed on the charts for 16 weeks. It also topped the R&B charts for 9 weeks, making this Al Greens greatest song. Rolling Stone ranks it #90 on their list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Silky smooth love song that is sung with soul, emotion, and love.

#46 Angel - Sarah McLachlan - written and released by Sarah in 1997 on her album "Surfacing", this emotional tribute is a song she wrote in tribute to Smashing Pumpkin's touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996. The song debuted on Billboard's Top 100 at #12 and peaked at #4. It remained in the top ten for 19 weeks straight, making it one of the most successful songs of that year.

#45 I'm Yours - Jason Mraz - Jason used to perform this song live in 2004-2005 at his concerts, and so it was pretty much a hit before it was ever released in 2007. That year is was nominated at the Grammy's for "Song of The Year", as well as spending 76 weeks (more than a year) on the top 100. There are several versions of the song, my favorite being the acoustical version.

#44 A Pirate Looks At Forty - Jimmy Buffett - Written and sung by Jimmy Buffet in 1974, the song was written about a man by the name of Phillip Clark, who Jimmy met in a bar called the Chart Room, down in the Florida Keys. The song is a look-back on the life of a washed up drug smuggler reflecting on the first 40 years of his life. The song reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Tracks charts in 1974.

#43 Miss Atomic Bomb - The Killers - This song hit the radio waves in October 2012 and in three short months was voted the best song of 2012. It has an amazing video as well, a mixture of animation and real actors that will absolutely make you cry everytime you watch it. The song is about lost love, and reflecting on your life. Absolutely beautiful song.

#42 Sympathy For The Devil - The Rolling Stones - Co-written in 1968 by frontman Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, according to Jagger, "Sympathy" was the type of song they were always trying to accomplish with all their works, this one just hit the jackpot. Rolling Stones Magazine has it ranked at #32 on the Greatest Songs of All Time List.

#41 Cracklin Rosie - Neil Diamond - Written and performed by Neil in 1970, this was his first #1 hit, and his third song to go platinum. Catchy chords, and a chorus like none other, this remains a staple on every Classic Rock station. You can picture yourself travelling with Rosie, living a carefree life.

#40 1979 - Smashing Pumpkins - Released in 1996 and written by frontman Billy Corgin. The song was written as a coming of age story of Billy. In 1979, Billy was 12 and in his transition into adolescence. It was nominated for several Grammys and won MTV's video of the year for 1996. Although, it remained mostly an underground success, never really doing that well with the pop charts.

[WiseManOnceSaid]

#39 Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Written by Graham Nash while he was a member of the group The Hollies, they never recorded the song, it wasn't until 1970 while with Crosby, Stills and Young that they produced the song. A little known fact is that Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia played steel guitar on the track. The song was a huge success and topped at #16 on Billboard's Top 100.

# 38 The Chain Of Love - Clay Walker - Written by Roy Lee Feek and Jonnie Barnett, Clay recorded this song in Jan. 2000. It was one of his biggest hits reaching #3 on Billboard's Hot Country Tracks chart. It also hit top 40 on Billboards Top 100. It's just a beautiful story about American life, and our desires to help one another, and how by helping, it comes back around to us. It makes me cry every time I listen to it.

# 37 Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd - Suprisingly this is only Skynyrd's third best selling song after Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird. This song has much more meaning to me. It was written by Johnny Van Zant and it's story is of a mother teaching her son about life. The song is certified platinum and has had two other really successful covers done, one by the Def Tones and a really powerful version sung by Shinedown. Another deeply emotional song for me.

# 36 Man Smart (Woman Smarter) - Harry Belafonte - This song is credited to King Radio (Norman Span) but has been performed by many artists such as Belafonte, Chubby Checker, Rosanne Cash, and Robert Palmer. The best version is the live version Harry Belafonte perfomed at Carnegie Hall, which was recorded live on April 19th, 1959. Still sounds relevant and will make you laugh even after almost 60 years.

# 35 Jack And Diane - John Cougar (Mellancamp) - This 1982 hit song is considered by many to be one of the best songs of the century. It spent four weeks at #1 on Billboard's Top 100. It is by far the biggest hit for Mellancamp, and tells a beautiful story of American life.

# 34 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana - Well what can be said about this song... Released in 1991, this song was resposible for creating an entire American culture. Written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl (Later frontman for the Foo Fighters), this is the song that propelled "Alternative Rock" into mainstream. It reached #6 on Billboard's Top 100, but it's impact is much more than it's chart's success. This song paved the way for many bands, like Green Day, Smashing Pumkins and many many more. A little know fact is that Kurt Cobain loved the group The Pixies (Also on my list at #100) and that he was trying to write a song in their style. Luckily for us, it became Nirvana's style that was recorded, and the rest is history.

# 33 Here I Am (Come And Take Me)- Al Green - Released in 1973 by Al Green, this was the second single off his album "Call Me". This song peaked at #10 on Billboard's Top 100 and #2 on their Soul Chart. This song has been covered by the greats of the industry, people like Etta James, Michael Jackson, and there's a great cover by UB40 that reached #7 on the charts in 1991.

# 32 Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis) - Cowboy Junkies - Released on their album "The Trinity Session" in 1988, this is a little know song outside of folk circles. It never really had much airtime, and didn't do well on the charts, but it's such a beautiful song, it ranks very highly my top 100 because of the bluesy, haunting way the song was sung. They took a pop song and turned it into a blues masterpiece.

# 31 Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flak - The song was written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, with collaboration with Lori Leiberman, who was the first to record the song in late 1971. Roberta's version was released in 1973 and it went straight to #1 on Billboard's Top 100. Amazingly, this song was written about song writer Don McClean, who was dumbfounded to find out the song was written about him. The Fugees had a hit with this song in 1996, sung by Lauren Hill, and their cover also went Platinum.

# 30 That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker - O.A.R. - Recorded in 1997 on Oar's debut album "The Wanderer", this song is a staple of theirs while on tour, and is by far the best work they ever recorded. It never got any airtime, never reaching any success on any charts, but it's one of the best songs ever written. The live version is incredible. The song incorporates country, reggae, rock, a great percussionist, and a story for the ages.

[WiseManOnceSaid]

#29 American Pie - Don McClean - Released in 1971 on the same titled album, this song spent four weeks at #1 in the US and peaked at #4 in the UK. "The day the music died" refers to the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper (Jiles Richardson Jr.). The RIAA project puts this as the #5 song of the century.

#28 Lola - The Kinks - Written by frontman Ray Davies, this song details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite. Released in 1970, this song was a huge success peaking at #2 on the UK charts and #9 in the US. Rolling Stones magazine has it at #422 on their top 500. I find it one of the best "story songs" of all time. Ray Davies was known as a beautiful story teller, and this is his opus.

#27 I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash - Released in 1972 on the same titled album, it reached #1 on Billboard's Top 100 that same year. It still is played world over, and one of the most recognizable songs anywhere. Reggae artist Jimmy Cliff had huge success with his cover of the song in 1993 that went all the way to #20 on the charts. RIAA ranks this song #183 on the Top 365 songs of the century.

#26 The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash - One of the last songs Johnny recorded in 2002 just before his death, this song make many biblical references, especially to the book of Revelations. The music is classical Johnny, the lyrics are hauntingly prophetic, and sung with a passion only Johnny could manage to pull off. Another excellent song from this album (American IV) was a cover of Nine Inch Nails's song "Hurt".

#25 The Load Out - Jackson Browne - Recorded for the 1977 album "Running on Empty", this beautiful song is a tribute to his "Roadies", or road crew that helps him. Towards the end of the song he also adds a cover of Maurice William's hit "Stay", which was sung by Rosemary Butler in Jackson's version. This song wasn't his most popular or his greatest hit, only peaking at #20 on Billboard's Top 100, but it's just such a beautiful song, I had to put it on my list.

#24 At Last - Etta James - A 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren, the first recording was done in big band style by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, and his version reached #9 in 1941. Blues singer Etta James recorded the song in 1960 and it was by far one of her best recordings, reaching #1 on Billboard's R&B singles. This song helped propel Etta into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

#23 Alice's Restaurant Massacree - Arlo Guthrie - Written and recorded in 1967 on the album "Alice's Restaurant", this is Arlo's folk masterpiece. The song is perfomed in spoken monologue, and be fair warned, it's almost 19 minutes long! But, by the end you will see why it's so highly ranked on my list. This is a story that actually happened to Arlo and although this song never did well on any chart, it remains the Gold standard for folk writing songs.

#22 Stairway To Heaven - Led Zepplin - Composed in 1971 by vocalist Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page, this 8 minute masterpeice is one of Led Zepplin's greatest acheivements. VH1 voted this song #3 of all time rock songs, Rolling Stone mag has it rated #31 on the top 500 list, RIAA has it at #53 on their all time list. The song starts off as a folk song, crashes into a hard rock masterpeice in the middle, and finishes off with Plant singing a cappella on the final verse.

#21 Think (Freedom) - Aretha Franklin - Think was released as a single in 1968, and later on her "Aretha Now" album. This was Aretha's 6th hit, this one reaching #7 on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart. Although many would put Respect as her crowning acheivment, I personally like the flow of this song much better, and it just oozes Mowtown, soul, and R&B.

#20 Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed - Velvet Underground's frontman went solo in 1972 and produced this song as part of his "Transformer" album. The song was produced by David Bowie, and this song, still today is considered taboo because it covers topics like oral sex, transsexuality, drugs, and male prostitution, but despite all of this, the song still gets radio airtime. It was one of the first underground songs to break the stereo-typical pop music that was on the radio and in the charts at the time. The song peaked at #16 on Billboard's Top Singles, but it's social impact, and staying ability has it rated so highly on my list.

[apexgds]

Shouldn't this go in Music?

[WiseManOnceSaid]

#19 The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens - Also known as "Wimba Way", this song was originally written by Solomon Linda for the South African Gallow Recording Company with his group the Evening Birds. It's original title was "Mbube", and it was perfomed by many US artists, such as the Kingston Trio (Sloop John B). The Tokens took it to #1 in 1961 with their doo-wop version.

#18 Material Girl - Madonna -Written by Robert Rans and Peter Brown and performed in 1984 by Madonna. This was her 2nd single from the album Like a Virgin. As popular as this song was it never reached number one status only able to reach #2 on Billboard's Top 100. Her other hit Like a Virgin was busy topping the charts. This to me, is a much more complete song that her other works.

#17 I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown - Out of James Brown's 99 chart toppers, this 1965 masterpiece is one of the standard go to's for 60's funk/soul. This is his most successful hit reaching #3 on Billboards's Top 100, and remains in steady rotation even today.

#16 Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution - What's there to say about this 1984 song? It's a blend of rock, gospel, orchestral, and pop music. The song was recorded during a benefit concert for the Minnesota Dance Theatre at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis on August 3, 1983. The performance was guitarist Wendy Melvoin's live debut with The Revolution, at age nineteen. City Pages described the 70-minute performance as Prince's "sweatiest and most soulful hometown concert yet", and drummer Bobby Z stated, "it certainly was one of the best concerts we ever did".

#15 My Way - Frank Sinatra- Written by Paul Anka and performed by Sinatra it was recorded in 1968 in LA. The lyrics of "My Way" tell the story of a man who, having grown old, reflects on his life as death approaches. He is comfortable with his mortality and takes responsibility for how he dealt with all the challenges of life while maintaining a respectable degree of integrity.

#14 Fast Car - Tracy Chapman Released in April of 1988, this song peaked at #6 and remains her staple song. The song is sung about the hardships and cycling factors of poverty that are passed on from generation to generation. One of the best story songs ever written. Rolling Stone has Fast Car at number 167 on their Top 500 songs of all time.

#13 The Gambler - Kenny Rogers - Written by Don Schlitz and performed by Kenny it was released in 1978. Although this was touted as a country song, it's message has an appeal that crosses over into many other musical genres. Little known fact is that Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, provided the percussion for the Gambler Album. Who knew potheads and Country Singers could get along?

#12 I Love Rock n Roll - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Truly the Queen of Rock, the song was written years before Joan recorded it in 1982, back in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of the band Arrows. Because Joan was a total badass, the original version of this song was recorded with two members of the Sex Pistols, Steve Jones and Paul Cook. Double Gold, number one single for 7 weeks... Can't ask much more out of a rock song.

#11 You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder - Wonder's third #1 single, the success of this song commercially was not as high as many of the other top hits here, but in my opinion, this is his most complete song, his masterpiece as you will.

#10 Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen -Written at 7½ West End Court in Long Branch, New Jersey in early 1974, the song was Bruce Springsteen's final attempt to become successful. The prior year, Springsteen had released two albums to critical acclaim but with little commercial success.
Written in the first person, the song is a love letter to a girl named Wendy, for whom the hot-rod-riding protagonist seems to possess the passion to love, just not the patience. However, Springsteen has noted that it has a much simpler core: getting out of Freehold. U.S. Route 9 is mentioned from the lyric "sprung from cages out on Highway 9".
In his 1996 book Songs, Springsteen relates that while the beginning of the song was written on guitar around the opening riff, the song's writing was finished on piano, the instrument that most of the Born to Run album was composed on.
In the period prior to the release of Born to Run Springsteen was becoming well-known (especially in his native northeast) for his epic live shows. "Born to Run" joined his concert repertoire well before the release of the album, being performed in concert by May 1974, if not earlier.
The first recording of the song was made by Allan Clarke of the British group The Hollies, although its release was delayed, only appearing after Springsteen's own now-famous version.