THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES....
We have reached the Top 20!
By process of elimination, a not very scientific method of determination, these ten songs have remained in the Top 20. What remains in the Top 10 are ten songs that I consistently feel I love more than the rest. But looking at what's here today, 11-20, I see songs that on any given day could be swapped out and placed in the Top 10.
If you don't have a headache from that last paragraph, read on.
(These songs are sequenced in optimum playing order, not by rank.)
The Kids Are Alright- The Who
The topic of "first power pop song" comes up often, and I think this should be a contender. But it's not just the mellifluous melody, or that opening chord, or those harmonies on "I don't mind" which kick the song into gear. It's all of that and the fact that Pete Townshend wrote this when he was 21 years old. He's already thinking about getting away, and trusting his friends to watch after his girl. He has plans. I still don't have plans and I'll be dead soon. This song has layers of brilliance.
And Your Bird Can Sing- The Beatles
Speaking of "first power pop songs," this jangling masterpiece from "Revolver" does not waste a second. It's 2:01 of musical bliss.
Don't Worry Baby- The Beach Boys
Speaking of "not wasting a second"...
"Well it's been building up inside of me for oh, I don't know how long"
What an opening line!
Check out Brian Wilson's solo piano version if you have any doubts about how perfect this melody is.
What's Going On- Marvin Gaye
What more can be said about this song that hasn't already been said thousands of times? It's beloved for a reason.
Groovin'- The Young Rascals
Did they know they were writing a song that would end up exemplifying summer? Like Sly's "Hot Fun In The Summertime," "Groovin'," within seconds, takes me to 100 places I've loved in my summertime life.
Darlin'- The Beach Boys
People question my memory. How can you remember something from 50 years ago, something so minor? Well, my long term memory is pretty damn good. Short term, not so much. Yesterday, I walked to my corner grocery store for a bottle of white vinegar to clean my Keurig, and I came back with a box of Cheerios. Yet, I can tell you, in detail, all about the day I bought this 45. I was with my father and I wanted "Come A Little Bit Closer" by the Jay & The Americans. House Of Oldies on Bleecker Street was out of it and my father said, "Get 'Darlin' by The Beach Boys. It's better." He was right, like 1000 times better. 2:14 of pop perfection.
For No One- The Beatles
A 23 year old Paul McCartney somehow finds this song inside of him.
"In her eyes, you see nothing. No sign of love behind the tears, cried for no one. A love that should have lasted years." Conversely, these lyrics are from the Top 5 smash, "Kill Bill" by SZA.
"I might kill my ex, not the best idea
His new girlfriend's next, how'd I get here?
I might kill my ex, I still love him though
Rather be in jail than alone"
Reach Out, I'll Be There- The Four Tops
The Beatles are not overrated. They are UNDERrated. And Motown, too! UNDERrated.
I could have easily filled my Top 40 with nothing but Motown songs. The sound is miraculous. It's hard to reconcile that people are making the sounds you hear on these singles. It's like they were born already created; miracles of pop music. This Four Tops track is one of the very greatest.
Elenore- The Turtles
Again, it's all about the melody and the harmony. That chorus! This is another gem that evokes nothing but good times. "You're my pride and joy, etcetera." ~sigh~
Paris 1919- John Cale
This might look like the outlier, but it's just as brilliant and beautiful and unique as the other nine listed here. This wasn't the first John Cale record I owned. I had "Fear" and "Slow Dazzle" before "Paris 1919." I was already a fan of those records, but this album was something else. It still knocks me out. Like the first Left Banke album, or "Pet Sounds," "Paris 1919" is its own island.
26 comments:
What a beautiful mix - thanks so much!
"I could have easily filled my Top 40 with nothing but Motown songs." I can relate to that sentiment. Recently I needed to do a long drive to take care of a few things in another city, so I loaded up on Stevie Wonder via Spotify; I listened to Music of my Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness's First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life. That was a blissful drive. I could easily fill my top 40 from those albums.
Nice bottom half of the top 20. Really curious as to the last 10.
10 more brilliant songs.
Yeah, when I got to #10, I was a bit surprised, though not surprised. Absolutely, one of my favorite (if not the favorite) John Cale songs, and not at all surprised to see it on your list.
Speaking of that first Left Banke album, where is Walk Away Renee...
Randy
Randy,
"Walk Away Renee" is between 51-60. How it is not Top 20, I don't know. That's how tough this is.
Oh man ...! :-)
What a great mix AND you are a brave man to undertake this project.
Can't wait for the ten.
Wow, so many of these songs would be in my top 10. I can’t even begin to imagine which songs made the final cut. I can’t wait for the big reveal.
Hi Sal,
What a great list. It's impossible for me t try to come up with a list - I'd keep shuffling songs around until I went mental. Hope your sanity wasn't too tried by this.
I agree with you on Paris 1919. I first heard the title song on the Appetizers Loss Leader album from Warners ($2 through the mail) and was blown away by it, which led to me getting the album as soon as possible, which blew me away as well.
Anyway, the list is great, and no doubt many of these would also be somewhere on my top 20 unless, no, I can't do it. Too many songs - I'm getting dizzy. Thanks, Sal.
I've failed as a father. My daughter has thought (For a couple of decades!) that "Groovin" was a song about about a threesome. In her words, "You know, 'You and me and Leslie grooving.'"
Over the past few years, I have been spending more and more time with my dad, who has dementia and is likely entering his final days. There's not a lot of conversation anymore, but there is music, and lots of it. The Four Tops are one of his all-time favorites, so there is an abundance of 4T songs on my custom Spotify playlist. I'm pretty sure we hear Reach Out every day now. To be clear, that's a good thing.
So glad to see "Darlin" on this list - I feel like it is underappreciated when it comes to top Beach Boys songs. I love that slightly shaggy feel it has compared to their earlier great songs...
Hey, for once, Sal and I have the same song in the same set of 10! Unlike Sal — Instead of a top 10, I made a Top 15 and ranked them. So the first 5 are definitely 11-15. The others are in my group of 16-25. As I look at this set of 10, they feel indispensable to me and I second-guessed about moving some of these higher.
Elenore -- The Turtles Sure, “Happy Together” is amazing — one of the greatest pop songs of all time — but it didn’t make my list. Why? Because it doesn’t have the line “You’re my pride and joy, etc.” in it. The Turtles (and those great Flo & Eddie albums) don’t get *near* as much respect as they should. One more time!
Hot Fun In The Summertime -- Sly & The Family Stone I wasn’t a youth in the 60s, but every time I hear this, I can’t help to think what it would have been like to hear this amazing track when it came out and the vibe that it would have brought at that time. I love songs where all the band members take a vocal. It still gives me chills and is the perfect “Summer Song” with the only thing I could wish for is that it was longer! Genesis sure ripped this off for “Misunderstanding” didn’t they? Almost in my top 10, but I can live with it at 12.
Solar Sister -- The Posies Another song I can’t remember exactly when I first heard it and I wish I could hear it again for the first time to get that feeling again. But what (to me) felt like a bunch of stream-of-conciousness lyrics with simple rhymes revealed itself to me in repeated listenings where I picked up on the band’s harmonies and what seems like an amazingly spontaneous guitar solo in the middle. I know Ken Stringfellow has issues, but I can’t deny how great this song is. I have one song that I consider PowerPop left in my top 10, but this could have easily been swapped for that one.
Twist And Shout -- The Beatles OK — I have *one* Beatles song on the my list. ONE! (“Something” was a very very hard cut and one I keep thinking I made a mistake cutting that one after the McCartney/Clapton cover from the Concert for George came up the other day…) And “Twist and Shout” is not even a song that they wrote, FFS! I feel (somewhat) bad about this because I love The Beatles, but maybe the decades of familiarity have put all their music in the “they’ve always been there and/or how can you not just pick everything from their catalog?” And then as I was going through songs by titles/albums and “Twist and Shout” comes along and all I can think of is that amazing Lennon vocal. And I put it on and start bopping along and singing along and Wooooo-ing and Aaaaaaahhhh-ing along and damn it — it’s a top 15 song for me. Shake it up, baby!
Melt -- The Someloves. My last “deep cut” that probably isn’t very familiar and the highest one on my list. I’m 90% sure I heard this when I was perusing albums in Borack’s PowerPop 200 book and found the amazing Someloves collection. And this opening track with it’s chiming guitars was like nothing I was listening to at the time. Dom Mariani is to me what I think Jason Falkner (who I also love) is to Sal — somebody that should have been *huge* but unfortunately wasn’t. This song is all about the sound of the guitars for me.
Dancing Queen -- ABBA Of my list of 150 songs — one band has 4 songs — and…it’s ABBA. I did not expect that going in, but how can you deny the majesty of this song? From the opening, it’s just joyful and never lets go of that upbeat feeling. When ABBA came on the scene, I dismissed them as just another pop vocal band with some catchy songs. As I got older, I came to appreciate everything about ABBA records — from the lyrics, to the song structure, to the production. They were (and are) the real deal and having 4 songs from them - and nobody else — on my list? Those 4 songs deserve it.
No Matter What -- Badfinger The first PowerPop song I remember hearing on the radio that jumped out and never let go. It’s a crowd favorite to play in a band and one of those songs that’s just fun to play on guitar. That false stop! (Another album that was near impossible to find for the longest time, too!)
The Real World -- The Bangles My introduction to the Bangles was this song. Back when I still listened to the radio regularly, it came on once in college (1982) and I was all “holy shit who is this — it sounds like nothing else on the radio!” BUT… the DJ didn’t say who the band was. So I sat and listened to the station for *the entire day* again hoping they’d play it again — and they did — one more time — about 8 hours later — and they said who the band was and I ran out and bought the EP immediately. Susanna Hoffs is ageless and has a unique voice like Chrissie Hynde’s that keeps getting better. The Bangles was the kind of band I wanted to be in as all their influences were the same bands I loved (or discovered later) growing up.
One More Time -- Joe Jackson The incendiary angry break-up song that leads off the brilliant Look Sharp! is one of my favorite opening-tracks on an album ever. A favorite to play on guitar! And bass! The band Joe had behind him for those first few albums (and “4”) was incredible. Graham Maby is one of my unsung bass heroes.
Go Where You Wanna Go -- The Mamas And The Papas. I raved about “Twelve Thirty” in the last round. This (much shorter!) song is better. And that’s saying a lot. It was many years later that I read that John wrote this about Michelle’s infidelity — and she had to sing on it! Man, that’s brutal. The “You don’t understaaaaand…” break is magical. And then to follow it up with the “3000 miles…” verse? Another song I wish was longer so I could hear more of it! While ABBA has 4 songs in my top 150, the Mamas and the Papas is the only band with three songs. Something about vocal groups with two men and two women must be my thing and I didn’t realize it. :-)
Fabulous list. And a special Tip of the Hatlo Hat for including Paris1919.
Paris 1919 most definitely belongs here--that song should be loved and revered by all mankind.
Bill
Of course, the mix is awesome. Your insights, however, are priceless. Thanks so much for all you share.
Darlin' is a great choice from the BB catalog. This list is a noble effort indeed.
Agree 100% The Beatles, but ESPECIALLY Motown, are both underrated.
Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee - I mean, nobody doesn't like the songs from 11-20 (showing my age here)! My co-worker hates you though, because he has to listen to me sing all day.
Seriously - these are fabulous, and for some reason I feel even better about loving them so much since you've given them the thumbs up!
Murderers' Row of songs, Sal! What a lineup. Thanks for putting together this special, personal list. I've tried to do one for me like this, but I get too overwhelmed, so I'll live vicariously through yours. ;)
Whew! And woohoo! Awesome songs, one and all. I felt a little surge of pride once when I raved about "For No One" and you said it was one of YOUR favorite Beatles songs too. The Beatles can never be anything BUT underrated. Ditto Motown. But, your dad. Did I miss this in all your memoir excerpts? My mom watched movie musicals, though mostly just The Sound Of Music, liking Julie Andrews. And my dad constantly sang bits of old songs and made jokes about old songs and pretended to "make up" a song on the spot and then perform "Singin' In The Rain." But they never bought any albums or played albums or the radio in the home or really did much of anything about music other than make ALL five of my older brothers and sisters take music lessons but run out of money and interest by the time they got to me and South Florida and I -- the most musical of the lot -- never so much as banged on a piano. So the idea of my dad or any dad having an opinion on music or what to buy is hard t grasp. And your dad knowing enough to make such a savvy recommendation is pretty awesome. What the hell is in the top 10?
Haven't written about any of your choices yet, because even discussing them is too overwhelming, much less formally coming up with my personal 100. But then, back in the cassette days, I did make a handful of cassettes with my "favorite", and if I put them all together, there might be 100 songs in there (I haven't looked at them for years, since I lost the use of my tape player).
Anyway, I write now because I do remember that the very first one of these comps I made had two songs off What's Going On, the title track and Mercy Mercy Me. While I have probably 90% or above of what's been in your entire list, I do believe What's Going On is so far the only one in your top 100 that's also in mine.
The other comment I have is the pleasure in seeing the love for And Your Bird Can Sing. This has always been in my Beatles top 5, but I've never seen it get the attention it deserves, so I was delighted to see your acknowledgement of it. It is such a little powerhouse; like Zep's Immigrant Song, it just kicks in and unrelentingly punches through its roughly two minutes, an air raid signal on a monster truck.
C in California
Ahhhhh yes! I made a mix for my son when he was 3 and it has a lot of Motown and Beatles on it, and I was listening to it the other day thinking, "each one of these songs is my favorite song ever."
And so it goes with this penultimate denary list. It's perfect!
You might need to split the Top Ten into, like 2 posts ... not sure if'n I want to see it all at one time! Curious about #1 ...
Music is a powerful trigger. Put on any Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and I transport back to doing my paper route in Burbank, a dog giving futile chase, and then being so pissed that I flung a paper over the house to which a near-porch delivery was intended. I can still see it in flight, while "Devil With A Blue Dress On" was wailin' from my mighty 8-transistor taped to my Royce Union "Sting Ray" knockoff's handlebars. The bike was later stolen from the
back of church while I was serving Mass. Dang!
Glad you included Brian and Paul on their birthdays again. Was that why Todd had his own post? No need to post this if it is a dumb question! Great list as usual. I know what your number 1 is going to be, but can't figger out the rest yet.
All great picks to click! I always loved that line in "Elenore", too.
Fantastic list. Love your comment: "The Beatles are not overrated. They are UNDERrated. And Motown, too! UNDERrated"- say no more.
Post a Comment