Yesterday (12/5/2024) WXPN started counting down “The
885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century,” as voted by its listeners. My
picks are below. I voted somewhat strategically, with the idea that songs that
never got played on the station would have little chance of making the list.
(The exception is #10, which was so huge that I thought it might have a shot anyway.)
1.
From A Windowseat (made the countdown at #745) –
Dawes
2.
Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae (#142)
3.
Satellite – Guster (#802)
4.
My City Of Ruins – Bruce Springsteen (#357)
5.
Help Me – Low Cut Connie (NA)
6.
Sailing To Philadelphia – Mark Knopfler (#301)
7.
Silver Lining – Rilo Kiley (#520)
8.
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson w/Bruno Mars (#19)
9.
Dark Necessities – Red Hot Chili Peppers (NA)
10.
Blinding Lights – The Weeknd (#419)
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ReplyDeleteThis writer was a student at Warren Hills Regional High School, where I worked for 13 years. He is a political pundit, but enjoys music.
This week Dave Hoeffel of SiriusXM played the top 5 songs on Christmas morning from 1960-69. My favorite happened to be 1968.
ReplyDeleteHowever, he offered a good trivia question.
What was the first British group to hit #1 on Billboard during the 1960s?
Answer: The Tornadoes, 1962 (Telstar, of course).
I would not have guessed that -- wasn't even aware they were British.
DeleteIt's also interesting that in 1963, before the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion took over, there was one #1 by a Belgian act (Dominque, by "The Singing Nun") and another by a Japanese singer (Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki").
Hoeffel notes the sad ending to "the Singing Nun's" life. From wikipedia:
Delete"Owing partially to confusion over the terms of the recording contract, she was eventually reduced to poverty and also experienced a crisis of faith, leaving the order, though still remaining a Catholic. She died by suicide in 1985 with her life partner, Annie Pécher."
Kyu also met an untimely demise:
"Sakamoto died on 12 August 1985 in the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123, along with 519 others on board the flight, making him a casualty of the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history."
Del Shannon was another early 60s act who died by suicide. While best known for his 1961 #1 single "Runaway", he was also the first act to hit the Hot 100 with a Lennon-McCartney song ("From Me to You" in 1963).
DeleteToday listening to the top 40 from this week in 1967, I realized that I was enjoying (almost) every song played. I was tapping, singing along, and smiling (I kept the dancing to a minimum.). Ironically, the top 5 are rather awful (though that didn't keep me from singing along).
ReplyDelete