INFORMATION FOR SONGS IN THE TOP 7000 Part IX
Welcome to the Top 150.
This R&B vocal group from New Haven,Connecticut recorded the song at position #140
after lead singer Fred Paris wrote the song and then recorded it in the basement of
Saint Bernadette Catholic School in New Haven .Marty Kugell produced the song,with
Nate Schwartz assisting.It was originally released as a B-Side (to "The Jones Girl",
a play on the Mills Brothers' 1954 hit,"The Jones Boy") on Kugell's "Stanford Records"
label.
The song became a multimillion seller.Radio Station WINS from New York City ranked
this song as the #1 song for the entire year of 1956. Some claim it is the most requested
song of the 1950s.It is ranked #90 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500
Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004. (Clearly, one of the primary reasons why the song
became such a standard was its inclusion in the highly influential 1959 LP "Oldies But
Goodies" on Original Sound.)
The song at position #140 is one of two songs that may lay claim to being the origin
of the term doo-wop.The plaintive "doo wop, doo wah" refrain in the bridge has often been
suggested as the origin of the term doo-wop to describe that musical genre.(The other
contender for the honor is "When You Dance" by The "Turbans", in which the chant "doo-wop"
can be heard.)
The song in the #139 position,recorded by an artist who was born on November 27th,1942 in
Seattle,is off of Billboard Magazine's (US) biggest album for the entire year of 1968 titled
"Are You Experienced".According to Radio Station KICK from Casper,Wyoming the song at the #139
position ranked as the fourth (4th) best rocker on their list of the 1000 Best Rockers of
All-time (2000 edition).Further,two times according to Radio Station KISW from Seattle the song
at the #139 position ranked as the second (2nd) best rocker on their list of the 1000 Best Rockers
of All-time (1990 & 1996 edition).In March 2005,Q magazine (UK) ranked the song in the #139
position at number one in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks."Rolling Stone magazine"
placed the song at #17 in their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."Australian music TV channel
MAX placed the song in the #139 position at #17 on their 2008 countdown Rock Songs: Top 100.
Reportedly,the song came into being after the singer of the song in the #139 position's manager
Chas Chandler heard the singer of the song in the #139 position playing the riff backstage and
suggested that he write lyrics to go with it.There is some dispute about the lyrics:supposedly
written in the dressing room of the Upper Cut Club on Boxing Day 1966,Chandler claims that the
lyrics were never cut in any way (though he admits that this was doing on general principle with
the singer of the song in the #139 position's lyrics),while he stated that the original song
contained much more text.
The song in the #138 position spent thirteen (13) weeks in the #1 position on Billboard (US)
Magazine's Hot 100. From 1940 to the end of 1992 no song spent more time in the #1 position on
Billboard (US) Magazine's Singles Chart than the song at position #138.This song also spent
ten (10) weeks in the #1 position on Cash Box (US) Magazine's Singles Chart.From 1950 to the end
of 1992 no song spent more time in the #1 position on Cash Box (US) Magazine's Singles Chart than
the song at position #138.This song was also the #1 single for the entire year of 1992 on Cash
Box (US) Magazine,Billboard (US) Magazine and in Canada. Further the song at position #138 was
the third (3rd) biggest song for the entire year of 1992 in Australia and the fifth (5th) biggest
song for the entire year of 1992 in the UK.
The song in the #138 position was Written and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio
"L.A." Reid and Daryl Simmons.It replaced The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" as Motown's most successful
single.It was the last Motown single to reach #1 on the UK singles chart.The song in the #138 position
is listed at #55 on Billboard's All Time Top 100' in 2018.
Born on February 25,1943 in Liverpool,England (died November 29,2001 in LA) is this former "Beatle"
who has the song at position number 136.With this song he was the first former "Beatle" to have a #1
on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also the last (see position #1335).This song originally charted in
December of 1970 in the US,Canada, Australia,New Zealand and the UK;topping the US Billboard Hot 100
for five (5) weeks beginning the week ending December 26th,1970.However,upon his death this song was
re-released in the UK and Canada and went to number one in both countries,four weeks in Canada and
for a week in the UK. This is a primary reason for this song placing so high in the Top 7000.
The song at position #136 was Record World Magazine's (USA) #1 song for the entire year of 1971.Also
in 1971 it was the UK's biggest selling single and according to the UK (Oz Net) was the number one
single for the entire year of 1971.
The song also reached #1 in Australia,New Zealand,Austria,Belgium,Netherlands, France,Germany,
Ireland,Italy,Norway,Spain,Sweden and Switzerland.The song peaked at #3 in apartheid South Africa
and peaked at #4 in Japan.
This Beatle wrote this song in praise of the Hindu god Krishna,while at the same time intending
the lyrics to serve as a call to abandon religious sectarianism,through his deliberate blending of
Hebrew "hallelujah"s with chants of "Hare Krishna" and Vedic prayer.The recording features co-producer
Phil Spector's Wall of Sound treatment and heralded the arrival of the former Beatle's much-admired
slide guitar technique described by one biographer as being "musically as distinctive a signature as
the mark of Zorro".
A pop-rock group from Glasgow,Scotland performs the song at position #134. This song was a cover of
a song originally done by the British rock band the Troggs in 1968 (see position #4173).The song at
position #134 spent six (6) weeks at #1 in Australia (ARIA) and fifteen (15) weeks at #1 in the UK.
Since 1954 only the song at position #8 has spent more time in the #1 position on the UK singles charts
than the song at position #198. This song was the #7 song for the entire year of 1994 in Canada.This song
was the song that ARIA (Australia) ranked as the #1 song for the entire year of 1994. This song was
also the #1 song for the entire year of 1994 in the UK.The song at position #134's success was fuelled
by its appearance in the movie "Four Weddings And A Funeral"."We did everybody's head in in the summer
of 1994," commented the band's frontman,Marti Pellow exactly a decade later.This led to some radio
stations banning the song.The band themselves eventually took the decision to delete the record from
sale.Nevertheless,Pellow said,"I still think it's a brilliant record.Its strength is its sheer simplicity.
Any band would give their eye teeth to have a hit record like that.I'm very proud of it." Reg Presley
famously spent some of the proceeds,which he received for composing the song,on crop circle research.
He also bought a new home.
The song at position #132 is by a recording act who was born Marshall Mathers on October 17th,1972
in Kansas City. The song at position #132 spent 12 weeks in the #1 position on both the USA (Billboard
Magazine) and Australia's (ARIA) singles chart. Further,for the entire year of 2002 the song at position
#132 was the #1 song for the entire year of 2002 in the UK.
The song was written by Marshall Mathers during a break of the filming of "8 Mile".He recorded it in
a portable studio on the set,recording all three verses in one take.The sheet on which he wrote the song
appears in 8 Mile in a scene where his character is writing while riding the bus.This sheet was sold on
eBay for $10,000.
The song's lyrics explicitly sum up the background info about Marshall Mathers's character in 8 Mile,
B. Rabbit,with the first verse summing up much of the plot of the movie.
The song's general production style is similar in scope to the track "'Till I Collapse" from
The Eminem Show (released before 8 Mile).Both tracks begin with an interlude punctuated by a piano,followed
by a gradual introduction of the beat, accompanied by a spoken introduction by Eminem.Both tracks also
prominently feature a bass loop and some guitar elements.
The song at position #132 went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first time a
rap song ever won this award),upsetting the favored song "The Hands That Built America" by U2.It is rumored
that Marshall Mathers who was not present at the award ceremony believing he would not win for a rap song was
sleeping at the time the award was announced.This was the first time in 14 years the winner of the Best Original
Song category was not performed at the ceremony.Luis Resto,one of the song's co-writers had attended the ceremony
and accepted the award instead."He's creative,he has symphonies in his head," Resto said at the lectern about
Marshall Mathers.The American Film Institute later ranked the song at position #132 on their list of the 100
Greatest Songs from American Films.At the Grammy Awards of 2004,the song at position #132 became Eminem's second
career nomination for Record of the Year (following "Without Me"),and the first rap song ever to be nominated for
"Song of the Year". It won Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song, which was a brand new category at
the time.This was the most awards won by a single rap song in one year.At #166,the song at position #132 on this
list is the highest ranked of the three songs from the 21st century featured in the 2004 List of Rolling Stone's
500 Greatest Songs of All Time (joining "Stan" at #290).Outkast's "Hey Ya!" was the other, at #180.The magazine
later ranked the song the twelfth best of the decade.The song was the 51st best-selling single of the 2000 decade
in the UK.
Reaching #1 in a record 24 charts worldwide,the song at position #132 is the most successful rap song of all time.
Along with the USA,UK and Australia the song at position #132 reached #1 in Belgium,Canada,(MuchMusic),Denmark,Finland,
Greece,Hungary, Ireland,Italy,New Zealand,Norway,Romania,Sweden,Switzerland & the Netherlands.The song is ranked 4th
in the 100 greatest songs of the past 25 years by VH1.The song also ranked #93 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.The song
was named the fourth best song of the decade by the Complex Magazine.
In March 2009,the song at position #132 topped the 2 million mark in digital downloads in the United States,becoming
the second oldest song to hit that sales level.To date this song has been downloaded 2,702,000 times in the United States
alone.It also became Marshall Mathers' first song to reach 2 million digital downloads as a lead artist.In the same year
the single was named the 28th most successful song of the 2000s on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade and the
seventh most successful song of the decade in Australia.
The recording act at position #131 was born on Thursday,September 27th,1984 in Napanee, Ontario,Canada. The song at
position #131 was ranked by ARIA (Australia) as the #8 song for the entire year of 2002. The Canadian Airplay chart
ranked the song as the fourth (4th) biggest record for the entire year of 2002. According to Radio and Records (US)
Magazine this was the second (2nd) biggest song for all of 2002. But Rick Dee's (USA) survey ranked the song at
position #131 as the #1 song for the entire year of 2002.Like the song at position #37 the song at position #63 gets
to where it is mostly because of the chart performance of the album that the song is off of.The song is from the
album "Let Go" which was the #4 album for the entire year of 2003 in the UK,the #2 album for the entire year of 2003
in Australia.Further the album "Let Go" was the #1 album for the entire year of 2002 in the USA (Billboard & Rolling
Stone Magazines) and in Canada (Canoe).
The song at position #131 was written by the recording act at position #131 and The Matrix (Scott Spock,Lauren
Christy and Graham Edwards) and produced by The Matrix.
The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.It ranked
at number 197 in Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".Billboard Magazine ranked the song
at #83 of the 'Top 100 Singles of the Decade' and Rolling Stone Magazine readers voted it the 8th Top single of the
decade.
The recording act at position #131 performed the song at position #131 on a number of television shows including
TRL and "Good Morning America" as well as award shows such as the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards,Billboard Music Award
and the first annual Los Premios MTV Latinoamerica.In 2007 the recording act at position #131 performed her hit for
the fifth season of reality show "Dancing With The Stars" (U.S. TV series).
The song at position #131 also reached #1 in Mexico,New Zealand,Venezuela,Canada, Australia and Norway.It also
spent eleven (11) weeks at #1 on the Billboard (US) Contemporary hit radio Chart (which tracks air play on the radio)
and thirteen (13) weeks at #1 on the Billboard (US) Adult Contemporary chart.
The song at position #130 was written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney in the basement of a house owned by the
family of Jane Asher (actress girlfriend of Paul McCartney).The song was meant to have an American gospel sound.
Lennon & McCartney wanted to have a song that would break the American market.Brian Epstein felt it would too
and when Epstein flew to New York in November of 1963 he got Brown Meggs (director of eastern operations for
Capitol Records) to agree to an American release of this song at position #130. The song was released on
January 13th,1964 and on February 1st,1964 when the song at position #130 became the #1 single on the
Billboard (US) Singles chart it got labelled as "the song that changed the course of popular music".The song
at position #130 spent five (5) weeks in the #1 position in the UK and Australia,seven (7) weeks at #1 on
Billboard (US) Magazine and eight (8) weeks in the #1 position on Cash Box (US) Magazine & in Canada.In the
UK this song at position #130 was the #5 song for the entire year of 1963,it was the #2 song for all of 1963
in Australia,the #2 song for all of 1964 in Canada & the #1 song for the entire year of 1964 on both Cash Box
and Billboard Magazines in the USA.Radio station WKY from Oklahoma City and radio station WGY from Schenectady,New York
both ranked this song as the #1 song for all of 1964. Further WKY ranked the song as the #1 song for the
entire decade of the 1960s.In 1976 Billboard (US) Magazine ranked the song at position #130 as the sixth (6th)
biggest song for the period between 1955 & 1975. In the year of 2000 Rolling Stone Magazine (US edition)
ranked this song as the sixth (6th) best record of all-time rock & roll.The British website
www.hart87,freeserve.co.uk/top100.html which was ranking the 100 best songs in the UK between 1952-2002 ranked
this song as the fourteenth (14th) best song between 1952 and 2002. The album that the song at position #130
was on also had some success.The song at position #130 was from the album "Meet The Beatles". This album was
the #5 album for the entire year of 1964 on Billboard Magazine and was ranked by Cash Box (US) Magazine as the #1
album for the entire year of 1964.This album on February 15th,1964 began an eleven (11) week occupation of the #1
position on Billboard Magazine's album chart.
This female pop vocal trio that consists of three sisters from Cordoba,Spain holds down the #126 position.
The group got it's name from their father who was known as "The Tomato". Although this song peaked only at
position #54 on the Billboard (US) singles chart it managed to reach #1 on the Latin chart in the USA (Billboard).
This song however on the singles chart did reach #1 in the UK and spent three (3) weeks at #1 in both Canada and
Australia.The song at position #126 was the fourth biggest song for the entire year of 2003 in Canada,the #2 song
for the entire year of 2002 in the UK and the #1 song for all of 2002 in Australia.The song at position #126 was
also the Dutch best-selling single of the Decennium 2000-2010.
The song tells the story of a pimp-like "afro-gipsy, rastafari" character named Diego who walks into a crowded
nightclub at midnight,and the DJ, as he sees Diego walk in,plays the "twelve-o'clock anthem", "the song he desires
most", which happens to be the 1979 rap hit "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang.The first verse of Rapper's
Delight:"I say the hip hop, the hippie...",pronounced phonetically in Spanish the way it would sound to someone
who does not understand English,becomes the chorus of this song.Although technically meaningless and sometimes
referred to as gibberish,the chorus is a more-or-less phonetic pronunciation of the first verse almost in its entirety.
I said a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie
Asereje ja de je de jebe
do the hip hip hop, a you don't stop
tu de jebere sebiunouva
the rockin' to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie
majabi an de bugui
to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat
an de buididipi?
The song had a distinctive accompanying dance known as "The Ketchup Dance".The song is performed in 180 beats per
minute and in the key D# minor.
Along with reaching #1 in the UK,Australia,Canada and the Netherlands the song at position #126 went to #1 in Austria,Belgium,Finland,France,Germany,Greece,Hungary, Ireland,Italy,New Zealand,Norway,Romania,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland
and Denmark.It was also the #1 swing for all of 2002 in France,Belgium and Switzerland and the #2 song for the entire year
of 2002 in Austria.
Although one half of the recording act who sings the song at position #124 was born on September 26th,1948 in
Cambridge,England,Australians will swear up and down that she's an Australian. Giving the Aussies the benefit
of the doubt this is the second highest position in the Top 7000 to be occupied by an Australian. The other
half of the duo is a Yank who was born on February 18th,1954 in Englewood,New Jersey. The song at position #124
reached #1 on the Billboard (US) Singles Chart,went to #1 for two (2) weeks in Australia,for four (4) weeks on
Radio Station CHUM from Toronto,Canada and nine (9) weeks at #1 in the UK.Radio station WKBW from Buffalo,New York
ranked the song at position #124 as the #1 song for the entire year of 1978. Further,this song was the #1 song
for the entire year of 1978 in both Australia and the UK.The song at position #124 is from the album
"Grease" an album that on July 29th,1978 began a twelve (12) week run at the #1 position on the Billboard
(US) album chart.This album was the #2 album for the entire year of 1978 on both Cash Box (US) and Billboard
(US) Magazine and the #1 album for the entire year of 1978 in Australia.
The song written by John Farrar.The song at position #124 also reached #1 in Austria,Germany,Ireland,
New Zealand,Norway,Switzerland,Sweden and the Netherlands.
A duo from Columbus,Ohio,USA has the song at position #119.The song is their third of three songs in
the Top 7000,ff their fourth studio album.Written by Tyler Joseph and produced by Mike Elizondo,the lyrics
discuss the harsh end of adolescence and the transition to adulthood.The song was released as a promotional
single on April 28, 2015,on the Google Play Store and Amazon and was issued to top 40 radio stations as
the album's fourth official single on November 10,2015.The song reached number two on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 and number one on Hot Rock Songs and Mainstream Top 40.It is tied with "Heathens" as the duo's highest
ranking single to date.The song received two Grammy Awards nominations:Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group
Performance,winning the second award mentioned.
As of December 2016,it has sold over 2.4 million copies in the U.S.
The recording act who was born on December 28,1978 in Springfield,Ohio,U.S.A. at position #118 has the second
of two songs that the artist of the song places in the Top 7000.
The song by the recording act is from the singer's fourth studio album "Love In The Future" (2013).It is dedicated
to his wife Chrissy Teigen.The song first aired on American mainstream urban radio as the album's third single on
August 12,2013.
On the week ending May 16,2014,the song peaked and began a three week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot
100 becoming his first and only number-one single in the United States.It knocked off "Happy" by Pharrell Williams
which had spent 10 weeks at number one.The song peaked at number two in the United Kingdom,South Africa and New Zealand
and topped the charts in Australia,Canada,Ireland,Portugal,Sweden,Switzerland and the Netherlands.It became the second
best-selling song of 2014 in the United States with 4.67 million copies sold for the year,as well as the third best-selling
song in the United Kingdom.
The song was the third best-selling song of 2014 with 12.3 million equivalent-units worldwide (sales plus streaming),
according to the IFPI.
A Las Vegas,Nevada rock band has song at position #117 off their major-label debut EP "Continued Silence" and later
on their debut studio album,"Night Visions" (2012),as the opening track.It was first sent to modern rock radio on
October 29,2012, and then released to contemporary radio on April 9, 2013.Musically,the song is an electronic rock
and alternative rock song with elements of dubstep that contains cryptic lyrics of apocalyptic and revolutionist themes.
The song received positive reviews from critics,who praised the production,lyrics and vocals,calling it a highlight
on the album.Due to heavy rotation on various commercials and trailers,the song became a sleeper hit,peaking at
number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming the band's first top 10 single as well as being the
third best selling song in that country in 2013.It also broke the record for slowest ascension to the top 5 in
chart history and currently holds the record for most weeks spent on the Billboard Hot 100 at 87 weeks.The song
has also reached number one in Sweden and in the top 20 in several countries including Australia,Canada,New Zealand
and the United Kingdom,becoming the band's most successful single to date.It has since been certified Diamond in
the USA, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
The song received two Grammy Awards nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance,winning the
latter.This was the band's first time being nominated.During the broadcast,they presented a remix of the song with
their Interscope label-mate,rapper Kendrick Lamar.The remix was later released for purchase on iTunes.
On February 28th,2004 the song at position #116,recorded by this R&B singer who was born Usher Raymond on October 14th,1978
in Dallas, began a twelve (12) week occupation of the #1 position on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 and was both Billboard
Magazine and Canada's (Canoe) #1 single for the entire year of 2004.The song ranked #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs
of the Decade.The singer of the song at position #116 performed the song at position #116 at the Victoria's Secret Fashion
Show 2008 as runway soundtrack.The song won Best Rap/Song Collaboration at the 47th Grammy Awards.
The song at position #116 was written by American songwriters and producers Lil Jon,Sean Garrett,Patrick J. Que Smith,
Ludacris, Robert McDowell and James Elbert
"LRoc" Phillips.The song was remixed with Tego Calderon. It features a three-note beat that continues throughout the track.
Born on December 22,1993 in Nantucket,Massachusetts,U.S.A. is the recording act who sings the song at position #110.The song
is taken from her first EP,"Title" (2014) and 2015 major-label studio album of the same name. Epic Records digitally released
the song on June 30,2014.She co-wrote it with its producer Kevin Kadish;it is a bubblegum pop,doo-wop and retro-R&B song that
draws influence from various musical genres including hip hop,country,soul and rock and roll.Lyrically,the song discusses positive
body image.
Some publications praised the song at position #110 and included it among the best songs of 2014,while others were critical
and called it a novelty song.It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.The song
spent eight weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in 57 other countries,including Australia,Canada,New Zealand,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The song was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 10 million units
in the US.It was the third best-selling song of 2014 with sales of 11 million copies.
Fatima Robinson directed the accompanying music video for the song,which was released on June 10, 2014 and noted for its pink
pastel theme.It played an important role in the song's rise to prominence.The song inspired a variety of parodies and cover
versions,including covers from Canadian singer Justin Bieber and former Pentatonix member Avi Kaplan.Vogue recognized the song as
part of "the era of the big booty." The singer performed the song on various shows including "The X Factor UK" and the Jingle Ball
Tour 2014 and included it on the "That Bass,MTrain" and "The Untouchable Tour" set lists.
Born on September 30th,1935 is the artist who sings the song in the #105 position.The song in the #105 position is from
"West Side Story".This album spent 54 weeks in the #1 position on the album charts of Billboard Magazine. No other album has
ever spent a longer period of time in the #1 position on Billboard Magazine's Album Chart. The artist who sings the song at
position #105 won a Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
The name "Maria" is spoken or sung in the song approximately 29 times.It begins in B major and then modulates to E-flat
major.The song is widely known for its use of the melodic interval of a tritone.
Born Vito Farinola on June 12th,1928 in Brooklyn,New York (Died: February 11,2018) is the recording act that occupies
the #103 position. The song in the #103 position is from "My Fair Lady".This album spent 480 weeks on the album charts of
Billboard Magazine. Only two other albums have spent a longer period of time on Billboard Magazine's Album Chart.
The song at position #103 is sung in the musical by the character Freddy Eynsford-Hill,who was portrayed by John Michael
King in the original production.In the 1964 film version,it was sung by Bill Shirley,dubbing for actor Jeremy Brett.
The song at position #103 has been recorded by a variety of other performers,including Harry Connick, Jr.,Lawrence Welk,
Frank Chacksfield,Bobby Darin,Dean Martin,Nat King Cole, Holly Cole,Marvin Gaye,Perry Como,Ray Reach,Gene Pitney,Earl Grant,
Dennis DeYoung,Quincy Jones,David Whitfield,Nancy Wilson,Diane Marino,Ilse Huizinga,Matt Dusk,Richard Clayderman,
Chelsea Krombach,Masha Qrella,Ricki Lee Jones,Mr Hudson & The Library, and Vocal Spectrum.
The song at position #103 was featured in a series three episode of the BBC One sitcom "My Family",and in the first
episode of AMC's "Mad Men".In the movie Blast from the Past,Brendan Fraser's character,Adam,sings a verse to
Alicia Silverstone's character,Eve.It was also sung by the character Tony,played by Nicholas Hoult,in the first episode of
Channel 4 teen drama "Skins".
Welcome to the Top 100.
The song at position #100 is a song by American music duo LMFAO,featuring
British singer Lauren Bennett and American music producer GoonRock.It was released
as the first single from their second album "Sorry For Party Rocking" in 2011.
The single went to number one in 51 countries including Australia,Belgium,Brazil,Canada,Denmark,France,Germany,Iceland,Ireland,New Zealand,Switzerland,theUnited Kingdom and the United States.It also reached the top five in Finland,Italy,Norway,Poland and Sweden.It is the best-selling single of all time in Australia.Worldwide,it was the third best-selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 9.7 million copies.It is the third best-selling digital song in US history.The song is currently ranked Billboard's sixth most successful song of all time.It is currentlyone of the 60 most viewed videos on YouTube,with over 1.6 billion views.
The song at position #100 is a mostly electronic composition.After being featured in
the 2012 film "21 Jump Street", the film won the MTV Movie Award for Best Music.The song
also won the "Favorite Song" award at the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards.
The song at position #98 spent twelve (12) weeks at #1 beginning the week ending June 22,2013
on the US Billboard Hot 100.American Top 40 ranked this song by this trio as the #1 song for the
entire year of 2013.The song also reached #1 in the UK,Canada,Australia,New Zealand, Ireland,Spain,
Germany,the Netherlands and Poland,as well as the top ten in Belgium,Denmark,Lithuania,France,
Iceland,Italy,Portugal and Switzerland.
The song at position #98 sold over 5 million copies in just 22 weeks in the US and 6 million in
29 weeks,faster than any other song in digital history.Internationally,the single was the best-selling
digital single of 2013 and is currently the second best-selling digital single of all time,behind
The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". It was the second best-selling song of 2013 in the US and the
best-selling song of 2013 in the UK.As of March 2014,the song became one of the best-selling singles
of all time, with sales of 14.8 million.In April 2014,the song at position #84 was revealed as the most
downloaded song in UK chart history.
The music video for #98 was released on March 20,2013,and was made in two versions; the first video
features models Emily Ratajkowski,Jessi M'Bengue and Elle Evans being topless,the second features them
covered.On March 30, 2013 the topless version of the video was removed from YouTube for violating the
site's terms of service regarding nudity,though it was later restored,but flagged as inappropriate.The
song's lyrics and music video has also proved controversial with some groups,with claims that it is
misogynist and promotes date rape.This has led to the song being banned at universities and other
institutions in the United Kingdom and prompted a rebuttal from one member of the trio who sang the
song at position #98.
On July 28, 2013,the song at position #98 broke the record for radio audience previously held by
Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" in 2005.A press release from Interscope said as of the last week
in July 2013 the track reached more than 242.65 million listeners.The single was nominated for two
Grammys at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards,including Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
The song at position #95 by an LA based hip-hop group was released as the lead single from their
fifth studio album,"The E.N.D."The song at position #95 topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks,making
it the group's first U.S. number one single.
It is the second longest-running single to stay atop the Hot 100 in 2009,beaten only by the group's
second single from "The E.N.D","I Gotta Feeling", which held the top spot for 14 consecutive weeks.
It has also topped the Australian,Canadian and UK singles charts as well as reaching the top 10 in
more than 20 countries.The song was named 7th on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade and 56th
on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of All-time in 2018.
The single has since sold over 6,000,000 copies in the U.S. and was ranked as the number one song
and number two digital song at the Billboard Year End Chart of 2009.The song was nominated at the 52nd
Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording and won Best Short Form Music Video.Rolling Stone ranked the
song number 14 on their Best 25 Songs of 2009 list.As of July 2018,the music video has over 310 million
views on YouTube.
This Seattle grunge band holds down the #94 position with another phenomenal song. In 1999 Q-Magazine
in the UK ranked this song (from a poll) as the #1 song of all-time.Also radio station JJJ (Australia)
ranked this song as the #1 song for the entire year of 1991 and in the year 2000 JJJ ranked the song
as the #1 song of all-time. The song at position #94 is off the album titled "Nevermind" which was the
album that Billboard Magazine ranked as the #3 album for the entire year of 1992. In addition in 2002
Rolling Stone Magazine (US) ranked the album "Nevermind" as the second (2nd) biggest album of all-time.
The song in the #94 position was Written by Kurt Cobain,Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl and produced
by Butch Vig,the song uses a verse-chorus form where the main four-chord riff is used during the intro
and chorus to create an alternating loud and quiet dynamic.
In a January 1994 Rolling Stone interview, the group that sings the song at position #94's frontman
Kurt Cobain revealed that the song in the #94 position was an attempt to write a song in the style of
the "Pixies",a band he greatly admired. He explained:
"I was trying to write the ultimate pop song.I was basically trying to rip off the
Pixies.I have to admit it.When I heard the Pixies for the first time,I connected with that band so heavily
that I should have been in that band-for at least a Pixies cover band.We used their sense of dynamics,being soft
and quiet and then loud and hard."
Cobain did not begin to write The song in the #94 position until a few weeks before recording started on the
group's second album,"Nevermind",in 1991.When he first presented the song to his bandmates,it comprised just
the main riff and the chorus vocal melody,which bassist Krist Novoselic dismissed at the time as "ridiculous."
In response,Cobain made the band play the riff for "an hour and a half."In a 2001 interview,Novoselic recalled
that after playing the riff repeatedly, he thought,"'Wait a minute.Why don't we just kind of slow this down a bit'.
So I started playing the verse part.And Dave (started) playing a drum beat."As a result,it is the only song on
Nevermind to credit all three band members as authors.
Cobain came up with the song's title when his friend Kathleen Hanna,at the time the lead singer of the Riot
Grrrl punk band "Bikini Kill",spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his wall.Since they had been
discussing anarchism,punk rock,and similar topics,Cobain interpreted the slogan as having a revolutionary
meaning.What Hanna actually meant,however,was that Cobain smelled like the deodorant "Teen Spirit",which
his then-girlfriend Tobi Vail wore.Cobain later claimed that he was unaware that it was a brand of deodorant
until months after the single was released.
The song in the #94 position received many critical plaudits,including topping the "Village Voice
Pazz & Jop critics' poll and winning two MTV Video Music Awards for its music video,which was in heavy
rotation on music television.The song was dubbed an "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X,but the band
grew uncomfortable with the success and attention it received as a result.In the years since Cobain's death,
listeners and critics have continued to praise the song in the #94 position as one of the greatest rock songs
of all time.
The song at position #93 is not at that position for the song's performance on the singles chart but
for the album the song is off of performance on the album charts.
The recording act at position #93 was born Alanis Nadine Morissette on June 1st, 1974 in Ottawa,Ontario,
Canada.She is a Canadian and a naturalized US citizen.
The recording act at position #93 was born to a French-Canadian father named Alan and Hungarian mother
named Georgia.Alanis has a twin brother Wade,and an older brother, Chad.
In 1986,Alanis had her first stint as an actress: five episodes of the children's television show
"You Can't Do That on Television". Using money she saved from that role, she released an independent
single "Fate Stay with Me" with a B-side, "Find the Right Man". She appeared onstage with the Orpheus
Musical Theatre Society in 1985 and 1988.During her high school years, Morissette attended Glebe
Collegiate Institute in Ottawa.
At a New York City audition,she landed a spot on Star Search, a popular American talent competition
on which she used her stage name, Alanis Nadine. Morissette flew to Los Angeles to appear on the show,
but lost after one round.
In 1990, Alanis signed with MCA Records Canada and was an opening act on the Canadian leg of rapper
Vanilla Ice's tour.Leslie Howe produced her full-length debut album, Alanis, which was released in 1991.
At the time, Morissette dropped her stage name and was credited simply as "Alanis". The dance-pop album,
which was only released in Canada, went double platinum, and its first single, "Too Hot", reached the
top twenty on the Canadian RPM singles chart. Subsequent singles "Walk Away" and "Feel Your Love" reached
the top forty and were played frequently on CHR radio stations.
During the ages fourteen to eighteen,Alanis suffered from anorexia and bulimia nervosa,catalyzed by
"hardcore" professional pressure and managerial demands from her work towards making her first album.
She recalled returning to the studio to re-record some vocals, only to be told "I actually wanted to
talk to you about your weight. You can't be successful if you're fat." She lived on a diet of carrots,
black coffee, and Melba toast, and her weight fluctuate by fifteen to twenty pounds. She subsequently
began therapy, which she called "a long process to un-program. I try to remember, whatever my body is,
it's perfect the way it is."
In 1992,Morissette was nominated for three (3) Juno Awards: "Single of the Year", "Best Dance Recording"
(for "Too Hot"), and "Most Promising Vocalist (Female)" (which she won). In the same year, she released her
second album named "Now Is the Time"; it featured the top forty single "An Emotion Away", and attempted to
move slightly away from her first album's dance-pop sound."Now Is the Time" sold less than half the number
of copies of her first album, and, with her two-album deal with MCA Canada complete, she was left without
a major label contract.
During this period, Morissette dated Dave Coulier of television's "Full House" fame.In 1993,she appeared
in the film "Just One of the Girls" starring Corey Haim.
In 1993, Alanis moved from Ottawa to Toronto. Living alone for the first time in her life, she met
with a bevy of songwriters, but the results frustrated her.A visit to Nashville a few months later also
proved fruitless. Morissette began making trips to Los Angeles and working with as many musicians as
possible,in the hopes of meeting a collaborator. During this time, she met producer and songwriter
Glen Ballard.
According to Ballard,the connection was "instant", and within thirty minutes of meeting each other
they had begun experimenting with different sounds in Ballard's home studio. Ballard and Morissette penned
their first song together, called "The Bottom Line". The turning point in their sessions was the song "Perfect",
written and recorded in twenty minutes. Morissette improvised the lyrics on the spot, while Ballard played
guitar. The version that appeared on "Jagged Little Pill",Morissette's next album, was the only take the
pair recorded.
Ballard and Morissette recorded the songs on "Jagged Little Pill" literally as they wrote the tunes.
According to Alanis, Ballard was the first collaborator who encouraged her to express her emotions.
By the spring of 1995, Alanis had signed a deal with Maverick Records.
As she later revealed,during her stay in L.A.,a thief confronted and robbed her on a deserted
street,although he did not take the writing and brainstorming notes in her purse;they were the
scribblings that soon made up "Jagged Little Pill".Alanis subsequently developed an intense and
general angst,which manifested in random daily panic attacks,including on planes. She checked
herself into a hospital and attended psychotherapy sessions,but with no improvement.She focused
all her inner problems on the soul-baring lyrics of the album for her own health. According to
Morissette,Ballard was the first collaborator who encouraged her to express her emotions.
Maverick Records released Morissette's first international album, "Jagged Little Pill",in 1995.
Scott Welsh, Morissette's manager and long-time friend, and executives at Maverick expected the
album to sell at very best around 250,000 copies.The album debuted at number 118 on the
U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, but the situation changed quickly when a Los Angeles DJ from an
influential radio station began playing "You Oughta Know", the album's first single.The song
instantly garnered attention and a subsequent music video went into heavy rotation on MTV and
Much Music (Canada). "Flea" of the Red Hot Chili Peppers plays bass on the track,along with
then-bandmate Dave Navarro on guitar.
"You Oughta Know" is a Grammy-winning song written by both Alanis and Glen Ballard, and was
produced by Ballard.The song,the lyrics of which describe Morissette's fouled relationship with
an unnamed lover,introduced her harsh,angst-ridden lyrics to the public.
The music video to "You Oughta Know" was directed by Nick Egan and features a dimly lit Morissette
hitchhiking across a desert.Morissette has reimagined the song numerous times,most recently on her
2005 album "Jagged Little Pill Acoustic", which featured mellowed vocals and chord progressions;
the lyrics, however, were not softened.This is widely considered Morissette's most recognizable song.
A common rumor about "You Oughta Know" is that it was written about Morissette's one-time boyfriend
Dave Coulier of the television sitcom "Full House". According to ABC (USA)News,"Alanis revealed that
her angst-ridden hit "You Oughta Know" was about her relationship with Coulier." The Urban Legends
Reference Pages have not endorsed this rumour as true,and in fact there are other celebrities who
have been rumoured to be the lover in the song,including:Bob Saget,Coulier's co-star on "Full House"
(appearing on the Opie & Anthony show on radio station WNEW from New York City on June 28,2006,
Saget denied ever having a relationship with Morissette and tended to agree with speculation that
the song was about Coulier).Hockey player Doug Gilmour of the Toronto Maple Leafs is another possibility.
When Keith Olbermann used to work for the ESPN program SportsCenter,he would say during Toronto
highlights relating to Gilmour, "Here's this for Alanis's pain." Another possibility is hockey player
Mike Peluso of the New Jersey Devils,actor Matt LeBlanc, who appeared in the video for Morissette's
single "Walk Away" (1991) and musician Leslie Howe, the producer of Morissette's first two albums in
the early 1990s.In 1997 the Boston Herald reported that Coulier "admitted the lines are very close to home".
Especially the one about "an older version of me" and bugging him in "the middle of dinner". He said she
used to do that all the time."
The topic of the song is discussed in an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Morissette told star
Larry David who the song is about (then David to a disappointed friend),but the audience never hears
who Morissette said the song was about.In one of the "Jay and Silent Bob" promos created for MTV,
Jay told Silent Bob that he was the boyfriend that inspired the song. Jay told the story of the break up,
and after he finished "Silent Bob" wiped a tear from his eye while Jay laughed at him confessing
to have been lying the whole time.Alanis appeared with the two as "God," in the 1999 film Dogma.
On an AL-TV special "Weird Al" Yankovic joked that he and Morissette "used to date. I especially
liked it when we went to the movies", a reference to the song's lyrics about Alanis performing oral
sex in a theater. Yankovic included the song in his polka medley "The Alternative Polka", on his
1996 album Bad Hair Day. A parody of the song by Lounge act Richard Cheese and Lounge Against
the Machine appeared on the 2005 album Aperitif for Destruction. The Killing Moon covered the
song for the Punk Goes... series on the album Punk Goes '90s.
The mystery surrounding the song brought comparison to Carly Simon's "You're So Vain". In
October of 2008, Morissette reiterated her refusal to identify the subject, commenting to a
CanWest News Service journalist,"Well, I've never talked about who my songs were about and
I won't,because when I write them they're written for the sake of personal expression.So with
all due respect to whoever may see themselves in my songs, and it happens all the time,I
never really comment on it because I write these songs for myself, not other people."
"You Oughta Know" has an aggressive tone and has piercing vocals.It reached number one
on the Billboard magazine's Modern Rock Tracks chart in the U.S. and charted at number four
in Australia and number twenty-two in the United Kingdom. Launching Morissette's career, and
the album, "Jagged Little Pill" to the top,the coarse language, violent revenge scenarios,
and piercing vocals were a jolt to mainstream pop music. "You Oughta Know" was not eligible
for the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1995 because a retail single was not released, but it reached
number thirteen on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top ten on the Top 40 Mainstream chart.
A live version of the song, recorded at the 1996 Grammy Awards ceremony on February 28,
was a B-side on the retail single for "You Learn", and Billboard credited the single's
Hot 100 number-six peak position to "You Learn"/"You Oughta Know".The song at position #93
was ranked #12 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's in December 2007.
Many people may argue with me that "Ironic" is the most successful track off of
"Jagged Little Pill". This is very important because position #93 actually belongs to
the album "Jagged Little Pill".So when this happens I can not put the whole album in
to position #93 so I just place the most successful track from the album in that position.
Although "Ironic" did rank higher on the Billboard singles chart it made only one appearance
as opposed to two (2) appearances by "You Oughta Know". The song also got higher rankings
on the all-time charts of various rock stations.Also "You Oughta Know" accumulated more points
from my calculations which is the determining factor.So "You Oughta Know" is the song that will
represent the album "Jagged Little Pill" at position #93.
After the success of "You Oughta Know", the album's other hit singles helped send
"Jagged Little Pill" to the top of the charts. "All I Really Want" and "Hand in My Pocket"
followed by "Ironic". "You Learn" and "Head over Feet",the fifth and sixth singles,respectively,
kept "Jagged Little Pill" in the top twenty on the Billboard (US) 200 for over a year.
According to the RIAA, Jagged Little Pill is the best-selling debut album of all time by a
female artist, with over fourteen million copies sold in the U.S. By 2009, the album had sold
33 million units worldwide making it one of the best-selling albums of all time .In 1998,Q magazine
(UK) readers voted Jagged Little Pill the nineteenth greatest album of all time.In Ireland, when the
album "Under Rug Swept" was released in 2002, Jagged Little Pill re-entered the album chart on February 21
at number seventy-two and reached number #19 on March 7th.It took nine (9) weeks for it to be dropped
from the chart again.
Morissette was attacked for collaborating with producer and supposed image-maker Ballard,although
she was responsible for all of "Jagged Little Pill" lyrics and much of the album's music.The album was
nominated for six Grammy Awards in 1996 and Morissette won "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" and
"Best Rock Song" for "You Oughta Know", and "Best Rock Album" and "Album of the Year" for "Jagged Little Pill".
Later in 1996, Morissette embarked on an (18) eighteen month world tour in support of "Jagged Little Pill",
beginning in small clubs and ending in large venues. Taylor Hawkins, currently with the Foo Fighters, was the
tour's drummer. The video "Jagged Little Pill, Live", which chronicled the bulk of the tour, won a 1998 Grammy
Award for "Best Music Video, Long Form".
In the USA,UK,Canada and Australia "Jagged Little Pill" ranked as the #1 album for the entire year of 1996.
The album spent twelve (12) non-consecutive weeks at #1 in the USA (on both Billboardand Cash Box Magazine's
album charts) and 23 weeks at #1 on the Canadian album charts.Along with reaching #1 in the US & Canada the
album "Jagged Little Pill" reached #1 in the UK,Belgium,Netherlands,Finland,New Zealand,Sweden and Australia.
In Australia it was the #3 album for the entire decade of the 1990s.In the USA (according to chart action)
it was the most successful album for the entire decades of the 60s,70s, 80s & 90s.Further,in Canada it is
the most successful album of all-time according to chart performance.
Alanis has influenced female singers and singer-songwriters in the 2000s such as Kelly Clarkson,
Michelle Branch,P!nk and Avril Lavigne.
Welcome to the Top 90.
Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. on August 1,1963 in Compton,California is the singer of
the song at position #90.The song is from the movie 'Dangerous Minds' starring
Michelle Pfeiffer.This song spent three (3) weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot
100 beginning the week ending September 9th,1995.The song also went to #1 on Cash Box
(USA) Magazine's single chart for three (3) weeks beginning the week of September 16,1995.
Further,the song spent thirteen (13) weeks at #1 on the Australian (ARIA) charts beginning
October 16th,1995. On Billboard,Cash Box and Australia's ARIA chart it was the #1 single
for the entire year of 1995. In the United States,the single spent twelve weeks in the top
two of the US Billboard Hot 100,of which three were spent at #1 and nine at #2,putting this
song at position #90 in joint fourth place for the most weeks spent at #2 by a single in the
chart's history. In Australia since 1977 the song at position #90 has spent more time at #1
than any other song.
The singer of the song at position #90 was awarded a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance,
two MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and for Best Video from a Film and a Billboard
Music Award for the song/album.The song was voted as the best single of the year in The Village
Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.
It sampled the chorus and music of the song "Pastime Paradise" by Stevie Wonder (1976).The
song was also listed at number 89 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All-Time in 2018.In 2008,it
was ranked number 38 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
This song has sold over 5 million copies in the U.S.,UK, and Germany alone,and at least 5.7
million worldwide,making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Artis Leon has performed this song live at the Billboard Music Awards with L.V. and Stevie
Wonder,at the Grammy Awards with L.V., and also with Dutch singer
Trijntje Oosterhuis.
Along with the USA and Australia this song peaked at #1 in Austria,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,Finland,
France,Germany,Ireland,Italy,Netherlands,New Zealand,the UK,Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
The recording act at position #89 is one of the superstars of pop music.He is known as the "king of pop".
The recording act at position #89 was born on August pop". The recording act at position #89 was born on
August 29th,1958 in Gary, Indiana and died at fifty (50) years of age in Los Angeles on June 25th,2009.Him
& his brother formed the quintet known as the "Jackson Five". When the singer at position #89 was five years
old the "Jackson Five" played their first professional gig at a Gary,Indiana night club. They were only paid
eight (8) US dollars but the coins and bills tossed on the stage totaled over $100 (US).They travelled in their
VW van to neighbouring cities, including Chicago.
In 1969 Gary Indiana's mayor Richard Hatcher,brought the Jackson Five to the attention of Diana Ross,who
was visiting the city to give a concert.She was so impressed with the group that she contacted Motown president
Berry Gordy Jr.,and arranged for them to be signed. The Jackson Five debuted with four (4) consecutive #1
singles on Billboard Magazine.
The singer of the #89 song began his solo career in 1971 with a song titled "Got To Be There" which peaked
at #4 on Billboard (US) Magazine in December of 1971,followed by a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin" which
went to #2 on Billboard Magazine's singles chart in April of 1972.In October of 1972 he became one of the
youngest solo male recording acts to have a #1 single on Billboard Magazine when the title track to the movie
titled "Ben" went to the top.
The song at position #89 went to #1 on the Billboard singles chart on April 30th,1983 chart just one week
after another song by the recording act at position #89 titled "Billie Jean" finished a seven (7) week run at
the #1 position.Since 1954 that one-week gap between number one records is the shortest any act has had other
than the Beatles in 1964 when they went one better and actually replaced themselves at the #1 position.Two weeks
earlier on April 16th,1983,the song at position #89 on the Top 7000,moved to position #5 on the Billboard singles
chart and "Billie Jean" was at #1 for it's seventh (7th) week,this was the first time in the 1980s that an artist
simultaneously had two hits in the top five. Only four recording acts accomplished this feat in the decade of the
70s:Donna Summer ("Hot Stuff" & "Bad Girls"),Linda Ronstadt ("It's So Easy" & "Blue Bayou"),Bee Gees ("Stayin' Alive"
& "Night Fever") and Olivia Newton-John("Hopelessly Devoted To You" & "Summer Nights").
The song at position #89 was written by the singer of the #89 song for his "Thriller" album.Co-producer
Quincy Jones had wanted to include a rock 'n' roll song, though the singer of the #89 song reportedly had never
previously shown an interest in the genre.The singer of the #89 song later said of the song at position #89,"I wanted
to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song... That is how I approached it and
I wanted the kids to really enjoy it-the school kids as well as the college kids."Upon hearing the first recorded
vocals,Jones stated that it was exactly what he was looking for.Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen, lead guitarist of
hard rock band Van Halen,was then requested to add a guitar solo.
Album oriented rock stations that couldn't find room on their playlists for most black artists felt comfortable
playing the song at position #89 even before it was released as a single,thanks to the searing solo guitar work of
hard rock's premier guitarist "Eddie Van Halen".
Eddie Van Halen almost missed the opportunity to work with the artist at position #89,because of a telephone that
wasn't working properly.Intermittent equipment problems resulted in two calls in a row where Eddie couldn't hear
the party on the other end.By the third call,Eddie was aggravated enough to utter a couple of expletives into
the mouthpiece. Eddie said he heard "This is Quincy Jones". Van Halen said "I'm sorry,I get so many prank calls
that I didn't know". Quincy Jones said "You know,there's this song we'd like you to do,are you up for it?"
Van Halen was definitely up for it.So much that he accepted no pay for his contribution to the song."I did it
as a favor", the musician later said. "I was a complete fool,according to the rest of the band,our manager and
everyone else.I was not used.I knew what I was doing-I don't do something unless I want to do it."Van Halen
recorded his contribution following Jones and the singer of the song at position #3 arriving at the guitarist's
house with a "skeleton "version" of the song.Fellow guitarist Steve Lukather recalled,"Initially, we rocked it
out as Eddie had played a good solo-but Quincy thought it was too tough.So I had to reduce the distorted guitar
sound and that is what was released."The song was among the last four completed for Thriller;the others were
"Human Nature", "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" and "The Lady in My Life".
On the record,right before Van Halen's guitar solo begins,a noise is heard that sounds like somebody knocking
at a door.It is reported that the knock was a person walking into Van Halen's recording studio.Another story has
claimed that the sound was simply the musician knocking on his own guitar.The lyrics of the song at position #89
are about defeat and courage,and have been described as a "sad commentary on human nature".The line "don't be a
macho man" is said to express the singer of the song at position #89's dislike of violence,whilst also referencing
the childhood abuse he faced at the hands of his father Joseph.The song is played in the key of E minor at a
moderately fast tempo of 132 beats per minute.In the song,the singer's vocal range is B3 to D5.
The artist at position #89 had vocals that matched Van Halen's guitar playing for intensity.During the making of
the album that this song is off of the recording act who does the performance went through very rigorous vocal training.
The uncredited guitarist who whipped out the fluttering,squealing solo on this ode to macho cowardice was Eddie
Van Halen.The aerodynamic metal flight pumped crossover fuel that would boost the success of "Thriller"-a gimmick the
singer of the song at position #89 would flog later with spots from Slash and Carlos Santana.Without the Van Halen
precedent,there might have been no collaboration of Run-DMC and Aerosmith on the 1986 rap/rock version of "Walk This Way".
Adding to the popularity of the song at position #89 was the $160,000. (US) video that the recording act of the song
created and vbank rolled after CBS refused to finance it.Bob Giraldi directed the video.The theme of the song is about
two gangs coming together to rumble and the singer's objective is to tell them to turn the other cheek. It's like the
singer was saying "Hey, man, don't fight! These guys are your brothers!"
The singer of the #89 song and "Dream Girls" assistant choreographer Michael Peters fashioned the dance sequences
in the video.The choreography won praise from Bob Fosse and Gene Kelly.Fred Astaire said "He is a wonderful mover.
He makes these moves up himself and it is just great to watch.I think he just feels that way when he is singing those songs..."
The video was the singer of the song at position #89's first treatment of black youth and the streets.Both
the song at position #89 and Thriller are notable for their "mass choreography" of synchronized dancers.The video
included around 80 genuine Los Angeles gang members" to add authenticity to the production "and 18 professional
dancers.Inspired by the Broadway musical "West Side Story",The video's featured choreography opened up many job
opportunities for dancers in the USA.
The music video opens with the news of a fight circulating at a diner.This scene repeats itself at a pool hall,
where gang members arrive via foot,forklift,and out of sewers.The camera cuts to a scene of the singer of the
song at position #89 lying on a bed,contemplating the senseless violence.The singer leaves the room upon hearing
the commotion caused by the rival gangs.Donning a red leather J.Parks brand jacket,The singer of the song at
position #89 dances his way through the diner and pool hall,towards the fight.Arriving at the scene,where a
knife fight is taking place between the two gang leaders,the singer breaks up the fight and launches into a dance
routine.The video ends with the gang members joining him in the dance,agreeing that violence is not the solution
to their problems.
In a "Rolling Stone Magazine" review, Christopher Connelly describes the song at position #89 as the best
song on "Thriller",adding that it "ain't no disco AOR track".He notes of the "nifty dance song","Jackson's voice
soars all over the melody,Eddie Van Halen checks in with a blistering guitar solo,you could build a convention
center on the backbeat".Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that the song is both "tough" and "scared".
Robert Christgau claimed that the song,in which Eddie Van Halen "wends his night in the service of anti macho",
is the "triumph and the thriller".Slant Magazine observed that the song was an "uncharacteristic dalliance with
the rock idiom".Stylus expressed amazement that Van Halen performed a rock guitar solo on a R&B record.The track
also won praise from Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli,who stated that the song was "rambunctious".
The song at position #89 has been cited as one of the most successful,recognized, awarded and celebrated songs
in the history of pop music;both the song and video had a large impact on pop culture.The song is said to be a
"pioneer" in black rock music,and is considered one of the cornerstones of the Thriller album.Eddie Van Halen has
been praised for adding "the greatest guitar solo",aiding the song at position #7 into becoming one of the biggest
selling singles of all time.
The song at position #89 spent three (3) weeks at #1 on the Billboard Singles chart and in Canada.The song also
claimed the top spot in Spain,New Zealand and The Netherlands.The song ranked as the #5 song for the entire year
of 1983 by Billboard (US) Magazine.Radio station WYNY from New York City ranked this song as the #3 song for
the entire year of 1983.In Canada this song was the #6 song for the entire year of 1983.In 1983 radio station
CKY from Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada ranked the song at position #89 on the Top 7000 as the 27th biggest song of
all-time.In the year 2000 Rolling Stone Magazine (US edition) ranked this song as the 22nd biggest song of
all-time.Further,the song at position #89 was ranked as the world's fourth (4th) favorite song in a 2005 poll
conducted by Sony Ericsson.Over 700,000 people in 60 different countries cast their votes.
The song at position #89 at the 1984 Grammy Awards earned The singer of the song at position #89 two of
a record eight awards; Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance.The Billboard Video Awards recognized
the video to the song with 7 awards; Best Overall Video Clip,Best Performance by a Male Artist,Best Use of Video
to Enhance a Song,Best Use of Video to Enhance an Artist's Image,Best Choreography,Best Overall Video and
Best Dance/Disco 12".The short film video was ranked by "Rolling Stone" as the number one video,in both
their critics and reader's poll.The video also won two American Music Awards and the song was inducted
into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame.The single was certified gold,a few months after its release,
for shipments of at least one million units.In 1989,the standard format single was re-certified platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America,based on the revised sales level of one million units
for platinum singles.The total number of digital sales in the US, as of March 2009, stands at 668,000.
Although the single fared well on the charts. The song at position #89 is not there because of the song's
performance on the singles charts but primarily because of the performance of the album that the song is off
of performance on the album chart. The album titled "Thriller" was the #2 album for the entire year of 1983
in Canada.The UK ranked the album as the #1 album for the entire year of 1982 and a British magazine in 1994
ranked the album as the #14 album of all-time.In Australia and the USA (both Billboard & Cash Box) the album
"Thriller" was the #1 album for the entire year of 1983. Further, Australia also ranked the album as the #3 album
for the entire year of 1984,also Cash Box (US) also ranked the album as the #2 album for the entire year of 1984
and Billboard (US) again ranked the album as the #1 album for the entire year of 1984. The album sold over
30 million copies worldwide and the album spent 37 weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts which is longer than
any album since 1963.
Only one single in US Billboard weekly single charts history has spent more time at #1 than the song at
position #88.It is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee
from Fonsi's 2019 studio album "Vida".On January 12,2017,Universal Music Latin released the song at
position #88 and its music video,which shows both artists performing the song in La Perla neighborhood
of Old San Juan,Puerto Rico and the local bar La Factor'a.The song was written by Fonsi,Erika Ender and
Daddy Yankee,and was produced by Mauricio Rengifo and Andres Torres.A remix version featuring
Canadian singer Justin Bieber was released on April 17,2017,which helped to improve the song's chart
performance in numerous countries,including various number-one positions.The song has been widely credited
by music journalists as being instrumental in popularizing Spanish-language pop music in the mainstream market
again.The worldwide increase of Latin pop music consumption throughout 2017 and 2018 has been referred to as
"the 'Despacito' effect."
The song is a reggaeton and Latin pop song composed in common time with lyrics about having a sexual
relationship,performed in a smooth and romantic way.Commercially, the song topped the charts of 47 countries
and reached the top 10 of six others,making it both Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's most successful single to date.
In the United States,it became the first song primarily in Spanish to top the Billboard Hot 100 since "Macarena"
(Bayside Boys Mix) in 1996,subsequently tying the longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with
16 weeks,as well as becoming the longest-running number-one on the Hot Latin Songs chart with 56 weeks.It
also became the first Latin song to receive a diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association
of America.Internationally, it broke the record for most weeks at number one in Switzerland and Germany
and became the longest-reigning foreign language number-one in the United Kingdom.In August 2017,the
official music video for the song became the most-viewed YouTube video of all-time after receiving its
three billionth view.It became the first video on the site to reach the milestones of three,four,five and
six billion views.
Upon its release,the song received generally favourable reviews from music critics,who praised the
fusion between Latin and urban rhythms,it's catchiness and its text painting.It has received Latin Grammy Awards
for Record of the Year,Song Of The Year,Best Urban Fusion/Performance and Best Short Form Music Video at
the 18th Latin Grammy Awards.The remix version has received three Grammy Awards nominations
for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards.
"Despacito" has been also ranked among the best Latin songs of all-time and the best songs of 2017 by
various publications,which referred to it as one of the most successful Spanish-language tracks in pop music history.
Born on December 2,1981 in McComb,Mississippi,USA is the iconic singer at position #86.This is her most
successful of 21 songs in the Top 7000.The song is the debut single by the singer from her debut studio album
of the same title.It was written by Max Martin and produced by Martin and Rami.After recording and sending a
demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton,she signed a multi-album deal with Jive.The song is a pop song
that refers to a girl's feelings after a break-up with her boyfriend.
The song was released on October 23,1998 through Jive Records.It reached number one in at least 18 countries,
including the United Kingdom,where it earned double-platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry
and became the country's best-selling song of 1999. The song spent nine (9) weeks at #1 in Australia (ARIA).
The song is one of the best-selling singles of all time,with over 10 million copies sold.An accompanying music
video,directed by Nigel Dick,portrays her as a student from a Catholic high school,who starts to daydream that
she is singing and dancing around the school,while watching her love interest from afar.The music video was
later referenced in the music video of "If U Seek Amy" (2009), where the singer's fictional daughter is dressed
with a similar schoolgirl outfit while wearing pink ribbons in her hair.In 2010, the music video for the song
was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music,in a poll held by "Jam!".In 2011,the
song was voted by Billboard to be the best music video of the 1990s.It has been featured on all of her greatest
hits and other compilation albums.
The song at position #83 never charted as a single. It got to where it was primarily because of the album
it was off of. Certain rock radio stations did rank this song in their all-time countdown.In 1986 rock radio
station KRQR from San Francisco ranked the song at position #83 as the third (3rd) biggest rocker of all-time.
In 2000 rock radio Station KICK from Casper,Wyoming ranked the song at position #83 as the third (3rd) biggest
rocker of all-time.In 1971 several musicologists gathered and declared this song as the best arranged song
of all-time. The song at position #83 is the last song on side 2 of the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
On July 1st,1967 this album began a fifteen (15) week run at the #1 position on Billboard Magazine's album chart.
Of all the Beatles albums this album has spent the most amount of time at #1 on the Billboard (US)album charts.
This album was both Cash Box (US) and Billboard (US) Magazine's #1 album for the entire year of 1967.In 1994
the BBC did a poll and ranked this album as the #1 album of all-time.Four (4) years later the BBC ranked the
album at #2.In 1991 Radio Station KXRX in Seattle ranked this album as the #1 album of all-time.In 2002
Rolling Stone Magazine ranked this album as the #3 album of all-time.
The final track on the group's album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,the song at position #83 is
credited to Lennon/McCartney,the song comprises distinct segments written independently by John Lennon
and Paul McCartney,with orchestral additions.While Lennon's lyrics were inspired by contemporary newspaper
articles,McCartney's were reminiscent of his youth.The decisions to link sections of the song with
orchestral crescendos and to end the song with a sustained piano chord were made only after the rest of the
song had been recorded.
The supposed drug reference in the line "I'd love to turn you on" resulted in the song initially being
banned from broadcast by the BBC.In 2004,Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the song at position #83 at number
26 on the magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
There is some dispute about the inspiration for the first verse.Many believe that it was written with regard
to the death of Tara Browne,the 21-year-old heir to the Guinness fortune and close friend of Lennon and McCartney,
who had crashed his Lotus Elan on December 18,1966 when a Volkswagen pulled out of a side street into his path
in Redcliffe Gardens,Earls Court,London.In numerous interviews,Lennon claimed this was the verse's prime
inspiration.However,George Martin believes that it is a drug reference (as is the line "I'd love to turn you
on" and other passages from the song) and while writing the lyrics Lennon and McCartney were imagining a stoned
politician who had stopped at a set of traffic lights.
The description of the accident in the song at position #83 was not a literal description of Browne's fatal
accident.Lennon said, "I didn't copy the accident.Tara didn't blow his mind out,but it was in my mind when
I was writing that verse.The details of the accident in the song "not noticing traffic lights and a crowd forming
at the scene were similarly part of the fiction."
The final verse was inspired by an article in the "Daily Mail" in January 1967 regarding a substantial number
of potholes in Blackburn,a town in Lancashire. However, Lennon had a problem with the words of the final verse,
not being able to think of how to connect "Now they know how many holes it takes to" and "the Albert Hall".
His friend Terry Doran suggested that they would "fill" the Albert Hall.
McCartney provided the fourth verse of the song,a short piano piece he had been working on independently,with
lyrics about a commuter whose uneventful morning routine leads him to drift off into a dream.He had written the
piece as a wistful recollection of his younger years,which included riding the bus to school,smoking,and going
to class.The line "I'd love to turn you on",which concludes both verse sections,was according to Lennon,also
contributed by McCartney;Lennon said "I had the bulk of the song and the words,but he contributed this little
lick floating around in his head that he couldn't use for anything." Although one half of the recording act who sings the song at position #80 was born on September 26th,1948 in Cambridge,England,Australians will swear up and down that she's an Australian. Giving the Aussies the benefit of the doubt this is the second highest position in the Top 6500 to be occupied by an Australian. The other half of the duo is a Yank who was born on February 18th,1954 in Englewood,New Jersey. The song at position #80 reached #1 on the Billboard (US) Singles Chart,went to #1 for two (2) weeks in Australia,for four (4) weeks on Radio Station CHUM from Toronto,Canada and nine (9) weeks at #1 in the UK.Radio station WKBW from Buffalo,New York ranked the song at position #80 as the #1 song for the entire year of 1978. Further,this song was the #1 song for the entire year of 1978 in both Australia and the UK. The song at position #80 is from the album "Grease" an album that on July 29th,1978 began a twelve (12) week run at the #1 position on the Billboard (US) album chart. This album was the #2 album for the entire year of 1978 on both Cash Box (US) and Billboard (US) Magazine and the #1 album for the entire year of 1978 in Australia. The song written by John Farrar.The song at position #36 also reached #1 in Austria,Germany,Ireland,New Zealand,Norway,Switzerland,Sweden and the Netherlands. Welcome to the Top 80.
An American rock band founded in 1994 by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist
Ben Moody in Little Rock,Arkansas.USA hold down the song at position #80.It was their
debut single.Out of 5 singles this is the band's highest charting single in the Top 7000.
Lee wrote this song at age 19,after a then-acquaintance (who later became her husband)
asked her if she was happy;Lee was in an abusive relationship and in turmoil,and was shocked
the person saw through her facade as she felt she "was completely outwardly acting normal".
"I felt like he could just see straight into my soul.That inspired the whole song",
Amy explained.The song is about "open-mindedness" and "waking up to all the things you've
been missing for so long".After the moment that inspired her to write it,she "realized
that for months I'd been numb, just going through the motions of life."
This song peaked at #1 in Australia,Canada,Chile,Columbia,Italy,Scotland and the UK.
Born February 20,2003 in Murrieta,California, U.S.A is the female singer at position #78.
She has 6 singles in the Top 7000 with 2 of them in the Top 100.
Musically,this song has been described as an upbeat song blending rock,pop,punk and
alternative styles.It consists of a staccato bassline, energetic electric guitars,and
explosive drumming with lyrics addressing a former lover who moved on very quickly after a breakup.
The song peaked at #1 in Australia,Austria,Belgium,Canada,Czech Republic,Denmark,Germany,
Hungary,Ireland,Japan Hot Overseas,
Netherlands,New Zealand,Norway,Portugal,Singapore,Slovakia,South Africa,Switzerland,UK Singles
(OCC Chart) and US Billboard Hot 100.
Born Peter Gene Hernandez in Honolulu,Hawaii on Tuesday,October 8,1985 is the recording act who sings
the song at position #77.This song spent six (6) weeks at #1 on the US Billboard beginning the week
ending December 22nd,2012.This was the singer's third number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The singer of the song at position #77 is the son of Peter Hernandez and Bernadette "Bernie"
San Pedro Bayot (born August 14, 1957,in Manila,died June 1, 2013 in Honolulu).His father is of half
Puerto Rican and half Ashkenazi Jewish (from Ukraine and Hungary) descent,and is originally from
Brooklyn,New York.The singer's mother immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child,and
was of Filipino descent,with distant Spanish ancestry.His parents met while performing in a show,
where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.At the age of two,he was
nicknamed "Bruno" by his father,because of his resemblance to legendary professional wrestler
Bruno Sammartino.
The song at position #77 is from this singer's second studio album titled "Unorthodox Jukebox".
It was released as the lead single from the album on October 1, 2012. The song was written by the
singer of the song,Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons,and produced by Mark Ronson,
Jeff Bhasker,Emile Haynie and The "Smeezingtons".The song at position #77 contains influences of
new wave,funk and reggae rock.The song's lyrics are about the rapturous feelings brought about
by a relationship infused with positive emotion as well as euphoria from sex.
The song at position #77 was well received by most critics,some of whom complimented his different
musical direction,his vocals were praised,being called "smooth" and "sweet," while its sound was
lauded,with the song being called "interesting" and a "musical evolution". While some critics noted
influences from various bands,mainly The Police,the singer of the song at #77 stated that The Police
influenced him to write the song.The single charted inside the top ten in over twenty countries,
including Canada where it topped the Canadian Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. #77 was certified
quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The song's music video was shot by director Cameron Duddy and by the singer of the song at position #77,
in which he is seen amusing with his bandmates by doing things like smoking,drinking beer and playing games.
The singer performed this song on television shows such as Saturday Night Live and The X Factor and
included it on The Moonshine Jungle Tour and at his Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show set lists.The song
won several awards and received three Grammy nominations.The song has been covered by various recording
artists,including Leona Lewis and Bastille.
The song at position #77 also went to #1 in Hungary,Mexico (Airplay),Lebanon, Poland,Slovakia and
Venezuela.This song peaked at #2 in the UK,Denmark and Israel.
The recording act at position #74 originally formed in 1971 in Middlesex and London in the UK around
the nucleus of a band called "Smile" which had included Brian May & Roger Taylor.After the band dissolved
they began a new project,first recruiting vocalist Freddie Mercury (who suggested the name "Queen" for
the new group).After nearly (6) six months of auditions,they selected John Deacon as their bass player
and began actively to rehearse.So the original line-up of the recording act that sings the song at
position #16 was:Freddie Mercury born Frederick Bulsara on September 5th,1946 in Zanzibar,Tanzania
on lead vocals & keyboards,Brian May born on July 19th,1947 in Hampton,Middlesex,England on guitar,
Roger Meadows Taylor on July 26th,1949 in Kings Lynn,Norfolk,England on drums and John Deacon born
on August 19th,1951 in Leicester,England on bass guitar.
The song at position #74 is a song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the
band at position #74 for their 1975 album "A Night at the Opera".Freddie Mercury wrote most of
the song at position #74 at his home in Holland Road,Kensington,in West London.The song's producer,
Roy Thomas Baker,related how Mercury once played the opening ballad section on the piano for
him:"He played the beginning on the piano,then stopped and said,'And this is where the opera section
comes in!' Then we went out to eat dinner." Guitarist Brian May says the band thought that Mercury's
blueprint for the song was "intriguing and original,and worthy of work."Much of the group's material
was written in the studio according to May,but this song "was all in Freddie's mind" before they
started.Music scholar Sheila Whiteley suggests that "the title draws strongly on contemporary rock
ideology,the individualism of the bohemian artists' world,with rhapsody affirming the romantic
ideals of art rock."Commenting on bohemianism,Judith Peraino said that "Mercury intended... (this song)
to be a 'mock opera,'something outside the norm of rock songs,and it does follow a certain operatic
logic: choruses of multi-tracked voices alternate with arialike solos,the emotions are excessive,the
plot confusing."
Recording began at Rockfield Studio 1 near Monmouth on 24 August 1975,after a 3-week rehearsal in
Herefordshire.During the making of the track,an additional four studios:Roundhouse, SARM (East),Scorpion,
and Wessex were used.According to some band members,Mercury mentally prepared the song beforehand
and directed the band throughout. Mercury used a Bechstein "concert grand" piano, which he played
in the promotional video and the UK tour.Due to the elaborate nature of the song,it was recorded in
various different sections,held together merely by a drum click to keep it in time.May,Mercury,
and Taylor sang their vocal parts continually for ten to twelve hours a day.The entire piece took
three weeks to record,and in places featured 180 separate overdubs.Since the studios of the time
only offered 24-track analogue tape,it was necessary for the three to overdub themselves many times
and "bounce" these down to successive sub-mixes.In the end, eighth-generation tapes were used.The
various sections of tape containing the desired submixes had to be spliced (cut with razor blades
and assembled in the correct sequence using adhesive tape).May recalled placing a tape in front
of the light and being able to see through it,as they had been recording so intensely.
The song is in the style of a rock opera,and has a very unusual musical structure for a piece
of popular music. Its six different sections have no chorus but both a cappella and heavy metal
arrangements. Despite this, it was released as a single and became a huge commercial success.In
addition,the song is widely hailed as the quartet at the #74 position's magnum opus,and it marked
a decisive point in the band's career and setting the quartet on the way to become one of the
world's most popular music groups.The single was accompanied by what is generally cited as a
groundbreaking music video (in 1975 termed as a "promotional video") which helped establish the
visual language of the modern music video. The song was included in all of the group that sings
the song at position #74's subsequent live concert performances and still enjoys great popularity
around the world.
The song at position #74 was recorded over three (3) weeks by the band and producer Roy Thomas
Baker. Recording began at Rockfield Studio 1 near Monmouth in the UK on August 24,1975, after a
3-week rehearsal period in Herefordshire.During the making of the track, a further four
studios-Roundhouse, SARM (East),Scorpion and Wessex -were used.According to some band members,
Mercury had worked out the entire song in his head and directed the band through the song.
Brian May, Mercury and Roger Taylor sang their vocal parts continually for ten to twelve
hours a day,resulting in 200 separate overdubs.Since the studios of the time only offered
24-track analogue tape, it was necessary for May, Mercury and Taylor to overdub themselves
many times,and "bounce" these down to successive sub mixes. In the end, eighth generation tapes
were being used.The tapes had passed over the recording heads so many times the normally
opaque tapes could be seen through, as the oxide layer was beginning to wear off.The various
sections of tape containing the desired sub mixes would have to be cut with razor blades and
reassembled together in the correct sequence using adhesive tape, a process known as splicing.
A backing track of the grand piano (Mercury), bass guitar (John Deacon) and drums (Taylor)
was recorded first. The band used many instruments to produce the song, including a Fender
Precision Electric Bass, May's Red Special electric guitar, Ludwig Drums, timpani and a
Paiste Gong. Mercury used a Bechstein "Concert" Grand Piano, the same he'd later play in both
the promotional video and the UK Tour. When it was finished it was the most expensive single
ever made and remains one of the most elaborate recordings in music history.
When Mercury wanted to release the single in 1975, it had been suggested to him that,
at 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was far too long and would thus never be a hit. But Mercury
gave a copy of the single to friend and London DJ Kenny Everett, informing him (with a wink
and a nod) that it was for him personally, and that he
must never play it on air. Mercury's plan worked, as Everett did just the opposite,
teasing his listeners by playing bits and pieces of the song throughout his show.
Ultimately, Everett would go on to play the song as many as fourteen times in a
single day.From then on, every major radio station played the song in full.
The track proved popular and was released with "I'm in Love with My Car" as the B-side.
From the time the song at position #74 was released to the public, there has been
speculation regarding the meaning behind the song's lyrics. One common misconception
is that the song is a first-person account of an AIDS victim, even though it was written
more than a decade before Freddie Mercury contracted HIV,and seven years before HIV was
even recognized as a virus.Some believe the lyrics are about a suicidal murderer hunted
by demons,or depict the events just preceding an execution, pointing to Albert Camus's novel
"The Stranger" as a probable source of inspiration. Some even believe the lyrics were
only written to fit with the music, and have no meaning at all. As evidence, Kenny Everett
quoted Mercury as claiming the lyrics were simply "random rhyming nonsense."
Mercury was famously evasive when asked about the song's meaning. Unlike the other members
of the group at position #74, who often talked about the inspiration behind the songs they had
written,Mercury disliked analysing his own material,and preferred listeners to construct their
own personal interpretations.What is known is that the song had an especially personal connection
for Mercury,which was confirmed by the band's other members. Following the single's release,
Mercury was quoted as saying:" It's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it.
I think people should just listen to it,think about it, and then make up their own minds as
to what it says to them...'Bohemian Rhapsody' didn't just come out of thin air. I did a bit
of research although it was tongue-in-cheek and mock opera. Why not?"
The song is composed of six distinct sections - introduction, ballad, guitar solo, opera,
rock and an outro. This format, replete with abrupt changes in style, tone, and tempo, was
unusual to rock music at the time. An embryonic version of this style was done by the
quartet at #74 themselves in "My Fairy King".That song,along with "Liar" and "March of the
Black Queen" were also written by Mercury and are noted for their musical similarities to
"Bohemian Rhapsody."
In the introduction (0:00-0:48) the song begins with a close four-part harmony a cappella
introduction in "B-flat", which is entirely multi track recordings of Mercury.The lyrics
question whether life is "real" or "just fantasy" before concluding that there can be
"no escape from reality." After 15 seconds, the grand piano enters and Mercury's solo
voice alternates with the chorus. The narrator introduces himself as "just a poor boy"
but declares that he "need(s) no sympathy" because nothing matters: chromatic side-slipping
on "easy come, easy go" highlight the dream-like atmosphere. The end of this section is marked
by the bass entrance and the familiar cross-handed piano vamp in "B-flat".
In the ballad section(0:48-2:36) the grand piano continues the 2-bar vamp in B-flat.
Deacon's bass guitar enters playing the first note, and the vocals change from harmony
to an impassioned solo performance by Mercury. The narrator explains to his mother that
he has "just killed a man," and with that act thrown his life away.The chromatic bass
line brings about a modulation to E-flat. Here Taylor's drums enter (1:19), and the
narrator makes the second of several invocations to his "mama" in the new key, reusing
the original theme. The narrator explains his regret over "making you cry" and urging
mama to "carry on" "as if nothing really matters." A truncated phrase connects to a
repeat of the vamp in B-flat. As the ballad proceeds into its second verse,the narrator
shows how tired and beat down he is by his actions (as May enters on guitar and mimics
the upper range of the piano 1:50). May sends "shivers down my spine" by scratching the
strings on the other side of the bridge. The narrator bids the world goodbye and prepares
to "face the truth" admitting "I don't want to die / I sometimes wish I'd never been born
at all." Another chromatic bass descent brings a modulation to the key of "A", and the
"Opera" section. In the guitar solo section (2:36-3:02),as Mercury sings the rising line
"I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all," the band builds in intensity, leading up
to a guitar solo by May that serves as the bridge from ballad to opera. May's solo continues
to build intensity, but,once the bass line completes its descent establishing the new key,
the entire band cuts out abruptly at 3:02 except for quiet "A" Major quaver chords on the
piano: the "opera" has begun. In live performances,the stage would go dark and all the members
of the band would walk offstage and allow the entire opera section to play from the recording,
as it was impossible for them to perform it live,due to the extensive overdubbing.
According to Roy Thomas Baker in the opera section (3:02-4:07)" Every time Freddie came up
with another 'Galileo', I would add another piece of tape to the reel... That section alone
took about three weeks to record, which in 1975 was the average time spent on a whole album. "
A rapid series of rhythmic and harmonic changes (E-flat major to F minor to A major,
among others) introduces a pseudo-operatic midsection, which contains the bulk of the elaborate
vocal multi-tracking, depicting the narrator's "descent into hell". While the underlying
pulse of the song is maintained, the dynamics vary greatly from bar to bar, from only Mercury's
voice accompanied by a piano, to a multi-voice choir supported by drums, bass, piano and a timpani.
The choir effect was created by having May, Mercury, and Taylor sing their vocal parts
continually for ten to twelve hours a day, resulting in 180 separate overdubs. According to
Roger Taylor, the voices of May, Mercury and himself combined created a wide vocal range:
"Brian could get down quite low, Freddie had an incredibly powerful voice through the middle,
and I was good at the high stuff." This was useful as the band wanted to create "a wall of
sound that starts down and goes all the way up".
The band used the bell effect for lyrics "Magnifico" and "Let me go". Also, on
"Let him go",Taylor singing the top section carries his note on further after the rest
of the "choir" have stopped singing. Lyrical references in this passage include Scaramouche,
the fandango, Galileo,Figaro and "Bismillah," as rival factions fight over the narrator's soul.
The introduction is recalled with the chromatic inflection on "I'm just a poor boy, nobody
loves me." The section concludes with a full choral treatment of the lyric "Beelzebub has a
devil put aside for me!", on a block B-flat major chord.
Roger Taylor famously tops the last note with a Bb6, or B-flat in the sixth octave,
a note in the soprano range. Taylor used falsetto to reach the note, a common practice
for countertenors.
The operatic section leads into an aggressive heavy metal musical interlude with a
guitar riff that was written by Mercury. During group sing-alongs (including a famous
scene in the film Wayne's World),it is traditional to "headbang" during this passage.
At 4:14, a double-tracked Mercury sings angry lyrics addressed to an unspecified "you,"
accusing him/her of betrayal and abuse and insisting "can't do this to me, baby."
Three ascending guitar runs follow, which May described as something he had to
"battle with" when performing the song live. Mercury then plays a similar run on the piano.
In the outro section (4:55-5:55) after Mercury plays ascending octaves of notes from the
"B" flat mixolydian scale, the song then returns to the tempo and form of the introduction.
A guitar accompanies the chorus "ooh, oh yeah, oh yeah". The guitar is played through
an amplifier designed by John Deacon, affectionately nicknamed the "Deacy Amp".
Mercury's line "Nothing really matters..." appears again. The final line,
"Any way the wind blows," is followed by the quiet sound of a gong.
The promotional video for the song at position #74 is often cited as being the first music
video.Though some artists,including this group(for example, Killer Queen already had a
music video),had made video clips to accompany their songs,it wasn't until after the success
of the song at position #74 video that it became regular practice for record companies
to produce promo videos for their artists' single releases.These videos could then be
shown on television shows such as the BBC's Top of The Pops,without the need for the
artist to appear in person.A promo video also allowed the artist to have their music
broadcast and accompanied by their own choice of visuals,rather than dancers such as
Pan's People performing a routine to the song.This video has been widely hailed as the
first true pop promo,launching the MTV age.
The video for the single was directed by Bruce Gowers, using ideas from the band members.
It was created to allow the band to be on tour and appear "live" on the BBC's Top of the Pops.
The piano used by Freddie Mercury in the video was also used by Paul McCartney to record
"Hey Jude".Shot in just over four hours on the band's rehearsal stage, it cost $4500 to
produce,using an outside broadcast truck owned by one of the band's managers. All the special
effects were done during the recording. The effect of the face zooming away was accomplished
by simply pointing the camera at a monitor, thus giving visual feedback, a visual glare,
analogous to audio feedback. In the original version of the video an apparent editing
glitch led to the piano part being briefly double-tracked out of sync with itself, but this
was corrected in later releases.
The record at position #74 ranks this high primarily due to it's two (2)appearances on the
singles chart. In the USA this song was ranked by Billboard Magazine as the #18 song for the
entire year of 1976. Then in 1992 the song reached the #2 postion on the Billboard singles chart.
Up in the great white north (Canada) in 1976 the song went to #1 for two (2) weeks. The
eigth (8th) biggest song of all-time also went to #1 for two (2) weeks in Australia, then in 1992
it reached #2 in Australia.The song was the sixth (6th) biggest song for the entire year of 1976
in Australia.But this song had it's biggest success in the UK. Like "The Twist" at position #20
was the best song when it came to chart performance in the USA,well the song at position #74 is
the best song when it comes to chart action in the UK.
The record at position #74 is the only single to have been a UK Christmas Number 1 twice
(in a single recording),first in 1975/1976,and then in 1991/1992 (as a double-A single with
"These Are the Days of Our Lives") following the death of Mercury.On November 29th,1975 the song
at position #74 began a nine (9) week occupation of the #1 position.Then the song returned for
another five (5) week visit to the #1 position on December 21st,1991. Only three songs in the
rock era (the song at position #8,the song at position #108 and the song at position #164) have
spent more time in the #1 position in the UK.However,this song at position #74 was the #1 song
for the entire year of 1975 in the UK and the #6 song for the entire year of 1992 in the UK.
It is also the only UK single ever to sell a million copies on two separate occasions and is
placed third in the official list of the best-selling singles in the UK.In 1977, only two years
after its release,the record at position #74 was named 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years'
by BPI. The British website www.hart87,freeserve.co.uk/top100.html which was ranking the 100
best songs in the UK between 1952-2002 ranked this song as the 3rd best song between 1952 and 2002.
In November of 1999 I was in London and I was watching the BBC and an entertainment program declared
the song at position #2 as the #1 song for the entire millenium.The song at position #8 also
went to #1 in Belgium,Netherlands,New Zealand and Ireland.
The song consistently ranks highly in media reader polls of "the best singles of all-time".In 2002,
it came first in the Guinness Hit Singles poll of the greatest UK singles of all-time, as well as
10th in a BBC World Service poll to find the world's favorite song. In 2000 it came second to
"Imagine" by John Lennon in a Channel 4 television poll of The 100 Best Number 1s in the UK. It has
been in the top 5 of the Dutch annual "Top 100 Aller Tijden" ("All-Time Top 100 Singles") since 1977,
reaching #1 eight times.In the annual "Top 2000" (maintained since 1999) it has, until 2005, been
#1 every year. In 2005, it went down one place to #2,only to reclaim #1 in 2006 again.For popularity
comparison: the 2005 edition of the top 2000 was listened to by more than 60% of the total Dutch
populace.
The song enjoyed renewed popularity in 1992 as part of the soundtrack to the film Wayne's World.
In connection with this, a new video was released, inter-cut excerpts from the film with footage
from the original Queen video, along with some live footage of the band.
On the Made in Heaven video documentary "Champions of the World", Mike Myers talked about his
horror at finding out that the record company had mixed clips from Wayne's World with Queen's
original video, and his fear that this would upset the band. Myers himself said "they've just
whizzed on a Picasso". As a result, he asked the record company to tell Queen that the video
was not his idea, and that he apologised to them. He then said that, later, Queen sent a reply
simply saying "Thank you for using our song", which shocked Myers, who said it should be more
like him telling Queen "Thank you for even letting me touch the hem of your garments!"
The final scene of the video was notable, where a pose of the band from the video from the
original song at position #74's clip "morphs" into an identically-posed 1985 photo,first featured
in the "One Vision" video. This re-release (with The Show Must Go On as a double-A side) hit #2
in the US in 1992, sixteen years after the original 1976 US release.
In 2004 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
As of 2004,the song at position #74 is the second most played song on British radio, after
Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".In 2004 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
At first the quartet avoided the club circuit,preferring to play at colleges,often only for invited
guests at venues such as the College of Estate Management Hall.Eventually they moved into the Marquee
Club.They struggled for two years until producers Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony,who heard a demo tape,
decided they wanted to work with the quartet.Audition tapes were brought to many record companies,but it was
EMI that finally signed a contract with the band.Chosen "Melody Makers" band of the year in a 1974 poll,
the quartet hit big in the UK with their first single "Seven Seas of Rhye",but didn't chart in the USA until
the release of their second 45, "Killer Queen" which reached #12 in May of 1975.
The song at position #72 is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth album "The E.N.D.", produced
by French DJ David Guetta.The song was released on June 23,2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and
Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27,2009,behind the group's "Boom Boom Pow", making the group one of 11
artists who have occupied the top two positions of the US Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.The song spent
14 weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.Only two songs have spent more time at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
It later reached number one on the US charts and 20 charts worldwide. The song was nominated for Record
of the Year at the 52nd Grammy Awards and won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
The song at position #72 was 5th on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.The song was also nominated as
Song of the Year at the 2009 World Music Awards.In March 2011,it became the first song in digital history to
sell over 7 million digital copies in the United States.As of June 2019,the song has over 9 million downloads
in the country,and it currently holds the record as the most downloaded song on iTunes of all time.This also
makes it the highest selling digital as well as non-charity single in the US ever.
The song at position #72 spent 14 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100,the longest-running number-one
single of 2009.The song was the third most successful song of the decade in Australia,as announced on
January 7, 2010.Worldwide, it was the most successful song of the 21st century (with estimates putting combined
sales and streams between 13 and 15 million units) until surpassed by "Happy" by Pharrell Williams in 2014. Welcome to the Top 70.
The recording act at Position #70 was born Ernest Evans on October 3rd,1941
in Andrews,South Carolina but he was raised in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. One time
he was a chicken plucker.But Ernest got started with his entertainment career by doing
impersonations of famous singers.
The phenomenon of "The Twist" started in 1958 with a Detroit group known as "Hank Ballard
& The Midnighters".They were best known for an R&B hit that was banned by many radio stations
in the early 50s titled "Work With Me Annie". The group's first pop hit was "Teardrops On Your Letter".
The flipside of that single was a song Ballard had written after seeing some teenagers
do a new dance in Florida known as "The Twist".The melody to "The Twist" is the same melody as that
of the 1955 R&B hit by the Drifters titled "What'Cha Gonna Do.
The DJs played the "A" side and "The Twist went mostly unnoticed,until the dance spread across
the USA.When it became the hottest dance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand,Clark suggested that
Danny & The Juniors record a cover version.When they didn't come up with anything,Clark called some
friends at Philadelphia's most successful record company "Cameo-Parkway", and made a suggestion of who
should record the song.
It had been December of 1958 when Dick Clark and his then-wife Bobbie went to Cameo records to find
someone to record an audio "Christmas card" they would send to their friends.Cameo had a new artist
named Ernest Evans,who impressed Dick Clark with his ability to impersonate other singers,especially
Fats Domino.Ernest recorded a song called "The Class" which Dick used for his Christmas card.Evans
had been nicknamed "Chubby" by a friend who came into the produce market where he used to work,and
Bobbie Clark added the last name "Checker" as a take-off of "Fats Domino".
"The Class" was such a hit with Clark's friends,that Cameo-Parkway released it as a commercial
single in the spring of 1959.The novelty was the singer who has the song at position #70's first
Hot 100 entry,peaking at number 38.
So Ernest was recruited to record a new version of "The Twist".It took him 35 minutes to do
three (3) takes, backed by a vocal group known as the Dreamlovers.He then made several appearances
on "American Bandstand" giving "Twist" lessons and promoting his single.On August 1st,1960 "The Twist"
entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 49.
Hank Ballard was floating in a pool in Miami,Florida the first time he heard Ernest Evan's song on
the radio.It was so carefully copied note for note from the original version that Hank Ballard thought
he was listening to himself on the radio.While many people thought Ballard was cheated out of a hit
record by the cover version,he has since expressed his gratitude to the artist who sings the song at
position #70 and Dick Clark-as the writer of the song.Ballard's royalties over the years have amounted
to a nice sum.
Society columnist "Cholly Knickerbocker" mentioned that Prince Serge Obolensky was seen dancing the
twist at Manhattan's Peppermint Lounge and suddenly it was a worldwide sensation,drawing the elite to
discotheques to twist the night away.
Because of the dance's new found acceptance Ernest Evans was invited to sing "The Twist" on the
"Ed Sullivan Show" on October 22nd,1961,prompting a re-release of the single.A full page ad in Billboard
Magazine said it all:"The Twist" dance rage explodes into the adult world! This time around it was the
adults buying the single and they bought enough copies to return it to the Billboard Hot 100 on
November 13th,1961 and send it all the way to #1 on January 13th,1962.
The song at position #70 charted two times in the UK. It was the 87th biggest song for the entire
year of 1962 in the UK and the 24th biggest song for the entire year of 1975 in the UK.The song also
charted in both 1960 &1962 in Australia.
Along in 2018 with the song at position #70 being the most successful single of all-time on
Billboard Magazine (US) it was also the most successful single of all-time on Cash Box Magazine (USA).
Also according to radio station CHUM from Toronto,Canada the song at position #70 is the most successful
charting single in CHUM singles chart history.In Canada the song at position #70 was the #1 song for the
entire year of 1962.
In terms of chart performance on Billboard Magazine's singles Chart the song at position #70 in 2018
was the most successful single of all-time.It is the only record to go to #1 in two (2) separate chart
runs-first in September of 1960,for one week,and again in January of 1962 when it was number one for
two (2) weeks.It was on the Billboard singles chart for a cumulative total of 38 weeks.
The song at position #69 is another phenomenal song by this British super-rock group. In 1998
Radio Station KICK from Casper,Wyoming ranked this song as the #1 song of all-time. In 1999 the
song at position #69 ranked as the #2 song of all-time on Radio Station KICK.In 1980 Record World
Magazine (USA) ranked this song as the #1 song for the entire year of 1980.This song spent
four (4) weeks at the #1 position on Billboard (US) Singles Chart.The song at position #69 also
spent five (5) weeks at #1 in the UK and six (6) weeks at the #1 position in Canada. This song
is from the album "The Wall".This album spent 15 weeks at #1 on (US) Billboard Magazine and was
the album that both Billboard (US) and Cash Box (US) ranked as the #1 album for the entire year
of 1980.In 2002 Rolling Stone Magazine ranked this album as the 31st biggest album of all-time.
The song at position #69 is a protest song against rigid schooling in general and boarding
schools in particular,which has led to the song being banned in South Africa during the apartheid
regime.The single,as well as the album "The Wall",were banned in South Africa in 1980 after the
song was adopted by supporters of a nationwide school boycott protesting racial inequities in
education.
In the album version of The Wall,the song at position #69 segues from "The Happiest
Days of Our Lives", with a trademark Roger Waters scream.The song has strong drums,a well-known
bass line and distinctive guitar parts in the background with a smooth,yet edgy guitar solo.The
song also features a group of school children for lead vocals in the second verse:as the song ends,
the sounds of a school yard are heard,along with the teacher who continues to lord it over the
children's lives by shouting such things as "Wrong! Do it again!" which somehow sounds mocking,
and "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you
don't eat yer meat!", and "You! Yes! You behind the bikesheds! Stand still, laddie!", all of
it dissolving into the dull drone of a phone ringing and ending with a deep sigh.
For the song at position #69,the group needed a school choir,and producer Bob Ezrin requested
that sound engineer Nick Griffiths find one.Griffiths approached music teacher Alun Renshaw of
Islington Green School,around the corner from their Britannia Row Studios.Though the school received
a lump sum payment of $1000, there was no contractual arrangement for royalties from record sales.
Under a 1996 UK copyright law,they became eligible for royalties from broadcasts,and after royalties
agent Peter Rowan traced choir members through the website Friends Reunited and other means,they
lodged a claim for royalties with the Performing Artists' Media Rights Association in 2004.Rowan
estimated that each student would be owed around $200.
Between 1962 and 1998 at least one British recording act each year reached the #1 position in
the USA on either Cash Box or Billboard Magazine. As a matter of fact in the year of 1965 thirteen
(13) of the 26 songs that reached the #1 position on Billboard Magazine's singles charts were British
recording acts. Then for over eight (8) years between January 17th,1998 and March 11th,2006 not one
British recording act occupied the #1 position on the singles chart of Billboard Magazine.On
March 11th,2006 a man who was born James Blunt on February 22nd,1977 in Tidworth,Hampshire,England
reached #1 on Billboard Magazine's singles chart with the song at position #67 on the Top 7000.
The song at position #67 spent five (5) weeks at #1 in both the UK & Canada. In the UK this song
was the #1 song for the entire year of 2005 and the #1 song for the entire year of 2006 in
Canada.Oz net ranked the song at position #67 as the #2 song for the entire year of 2005.And
Billboard Magazine ranked the song as the fourth (4th) best song for the entire year of 2006.
Not only was the single successful but the album this song came off of was very successful.
The album was titled "Back To Bedlam".In both Australia and the United Kingdom "Back To Bedlam"
was the #1 album for the entire year of 2005.For the entire year of 2006 this album was
the #1 album in Canada and the #5 album in the USA (Billboard Magazine). This album spent
eight (8) weeks in the #1 position in Canada.
Born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20th,1946 in El Centro,California is the recording act who
occupies the #66 position.This song spent seven (7) weeks in the #1 position on the UK singles
chart and was the #1 single for the entire year of 1998 in the UK.The song at position #66
is also the song that Billboard Magazine ranked as the #1 single for the entire year of 1999.
The song at position #66 won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording and was also
nominated for "Record of the Year".
The song at position #66 is noted for its use of the Auto-Tune pitch-correction software
on the singer's vocals to create a peculiar sound effect,sometimes referred to as the "Cher effect".
Former "Fifth Harmony" member born on March 3,1997 in Havana,Cuba has the song at position #64.
The singer features guest vocals from American rapper "Young Thug".The song was released on
August 3,2017, along with "OMG",from her solo debut album "Camila" (2018).In August 2017,she
confirmed the song as the album's second single.It was serviced to radio on September 8,2017.
Due to its rising success,the song at position #64 later became the official lead single of
the album,replacing "Crying in the Club".In November 2017,a remix version of the song with
Puerto Rican rapper "Daddy Yankee" was uploaded to the singer's YouTube page.The first verse
of the remix is sung in Spanish while "Daddy Yankee" replaces Young Thug's verse.
The song at position #64 reached number one in multiple countries including Australia,Brazil,
Canada, France,Mexico,Scotland the UK and the U.S,also reaching the top 10 of several other
countries.Its music video,directed by Dave Meyers,shows the singer playing herself as Karla,
as well as a telenovela actress and a film protagonist. It won the Video of the Year award at
the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards,receiving three other nominations.A vertical video,directed
by Sam Lecca,was released on November 10,2017,on her official Vevo account.The clip shows the
singer and several dancers in a New York City subway.The clip was previously a Spotify exclusive.
She performed the song at position #64 at several award shows,including the 2017 MTV Europe
Music Awards,2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards and 2018 Billboard Music Awards.In September 2018,
she released a live version of the song featuring her solo performance.The live version of
the song would later be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the
61st Annual Grammy Awards.On March 6, 2019,
recorded music industry organization IFPI is naming the song the globally best-selling digital
single of 2018.
The song at position #62 is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers
(the latter under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952.Myers offered the song to Sonny Dae
& His Knights,a novelty all-white musical group led by Italian-American Paschal Vennitti.The group's
subsequent recording, on the Arcade Records label (owned by the lead singer of this sextet at
position #62's manager,Jack Howard),was a regional success,although it sounded very different
from what The recording act of the song at position #62 would later record.In 1954 the song
was only mildly successful. It was the recording act at position #62's cover version of Joe Turner's
"Shake,Rattle & Roll" that hit the top 10 and made the recording act at position #62 stars.Two
more top 20 hits followed "Dim Dim The Lights" and "Mambo Rock".
In 1955 Jimmy Myers had not given up on the song at position #62. To promote the
song,he sent copies to everyone he could think of in Hollywood. In the Northern
Hemisphere spring of 1955 MGM released a movie titled "The Blackboard Jungle" which
starred Glenn Ford & Sidney Potier. In the movie Glenn Ford plays a high school
teacher who is confronted by violent students. The song heard during the opening
and closing credits was the song at position #62.Many versions of the story behind
how the song at position #62 was chosen for Blackboard Jungle circulated over the
years.Recent research,however,reveals that the song was chosen from the collection
of young Peter Ford,the son of "Blackboard Jungle" star Glenn Ford and dancer
Eleanor Powell.The producers were looking for a song to represent the type of music
the youth of 1955 was listening to,and the elder Ford borrowed several records from
his son's collection,one of which was the song at position #62 and this was the song
chosen.
This song created a sensation.There were riots in theaters.Clare Boothe Luce denounced
the film as degenerate,causing it to be pulled from the Venice Film festival.The song
was re-released and went straight to #1 and rock & roll had begun.
During the 1970s the lead singer of the recording act at position #62 shortened his
performances of the song at position #62,dropping one verse and the second instrumental break
from most performances.However,his last known recorded performance of the song,at a November
1979 command performance for Queen Elizabeth II was a complete version.Following the lead singer
of the recording act at position #62's death in February 1981,a number of major tributes
involving the song at position #62 occurred.That fall,a TV special marking the 30th anniversary
of American Bandstand saw an all-star "supergroup" perform the song (accompanied by 1950s-era
footage of the recording act at position #62).In 1982,the lead singer of the recording act
at position #62's original recording was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.An excerpt
from the recording was included in the lead singer of the recording act at position #62's
Golden Medley",a hastily-compiled single in the "Stars on 45" mould which made the UK record
charts in 1982,reaching number 50.In 1989,the lead singer of the recording act at position #62's
original Decca recording was incorporated into the "dance mix" single "Swing The Mood",credited
to Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, but legal considerations forced the album version to
substitute a patchwork of re-recordings from the 1950s and 1960s (in the lead singer of the
recording act at position #62's case,a 1968 version of the song at position #62 recorded
for Sonet Records). Since "Swing the Mood" was still on the sales charts going into 1990,
this means that the song at position #62, in one way or another,appeared on UK or US sales
charts in five consecutive decades.
The song at position #62 is often cited as the biggest-selling vinyl rock and roll single
of all time. The exact number of copies sold has never been audited;however, a figure of at
least 25 million was cited by the Guinness Book of World Records in its category "Phonograph
records: Biggest Sellers" from the early 1970s until the 1990s, when the advent of compact
discs led to Guinness discontinuing the category. Guinness consistently listed the song at
position #62 as having the highest claim of any pop music recording,coming second in sales
only to Bing Crosby's 1942 recording of "White Christmas",which was also listed as having
sold 5 million copies with a further estimated 100 million copies sold in other versions.
Sales figures as high as 35 to 40 million have been cited in various reference books and
by media,as have lower numbers in the 15-22 million range,whilst a "more than 30 million
copies" figure was quoted by Star, as early as 1983,on back cover page of Swenson's book.
A frequently used piece of promotion regarding the song is that
it is said to be playing somewhere in the world every minute of the day.
The United States House of Representatives also recognized the 40th anniversary of the
composing of the song at position #62 with a special statement by Rep. Robert A. Borski
of Pennsylvania,which was read into the Congressional Record on March 31,1993.
The song at position #62 spent eight (8) weeks in the #1 position on Billboard Magazine.
The record was also no.1 for seven weeks on the Cashbox pop singles chart in 1955.The song
made five (5) appearances on the singles chart in the UK.In the UK the song at position #62
reached number 17 on the pop charts in January 1955,four months before it first entered the
US pop charts.(Coincidentally,it reached the same position as was reached by the Beatles'
first single,"Love Me Do", in 1962).The song re-entered the UK charts to reach number one
to begin a three week run on November 25th,1955.Then after a three-week break returned
there for a further three weeks in January 1956.It re-entered the charts again in September
1956,reaching number 5. The song was re-issued in 1968,when it made number 20,and again
in 1974,when it reached number 12. According to Cash Box (US) Magazine the song at
position #62 was the #1 song for the entire year of 1955.
The British website www.hart87,freeserve.co.uk/top100.html which was ranking the 100
best songs in the UK between 1952-2002 ranked this song as the 31st best song between 1952 and 2002.
In another poll by another British periodical in 1994 ranked this song as the #1 song of all-time.
Radio station WCBS-FM from New York City ranked this song as the #4 song for the millennium.In 1981
radio station WKY from Oklahoma City,Oklahoma ranked the song at position #62 as the #1 song for all-time.
Welcome to the Top 60.
This native of Sankt Johann,Austria is the recording act at position #60
makes his one and only entree in the Top 7000 with a cover version of a
1962 Bruce Channel song.The official music video features large groups of
people singing along to the song in a taxi at different times, interspersed
with DJ Otzi singing on a TV screen.
This song peaked at #1 in Australia,Ireland,Scotland and the UK.
The song at position #58 is a song written,produced and performed by American
singer Pharrell Williams,from the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack album.It also served
as the lead single from Williams' second studio album, "Girl" (2014).It was
first released on November 21,2013, alongside a long-form music video.The song was
reissued on December 16,2013,by Back Lot Music under exclusive license to Columbia
Records, a division of Sony Music.The song at position #58 is an uptempo soul and
neo soul song on which Williams's falsetto voice has been compared to Curtis Mayfield
by critics.The song has been highly successful,peaking at No. 1 for ten weeks ago on
the US Billboard Hot 100,United Kingdom,Canada,Ireland,New Zealand
and 19 other countries.It was the best-selling song of 2014 in the United States with
6.45 million copies sold for the year,as well as in the United Kingdom with 1.5 million
copies sold for the year.It reached No. 1 in the UK on a record-setting three separate
occasions and became the most downloaded song of all time in the UK in September 2014;it
is the eighth highest-selling single of all time in the country.It was nominated for
an Academy Award for Best Original Song. A live rendition of the song won the Grammy
Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the
57th Annual Grammy Awards.
The music video for the song at position #58 was nominated for Best Male Video and
Video of the Year at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.It also won the Grammy Award for
Best Music Video at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.The song was Billboard's number-one
single for 2014.The song was the most successful song of 2014,with 13.9 million units
(sales plus equivalent streams) worldwide.
A beautiful woman who was born Eileen Regina Edwards on Saturday,August 28th,1965 in
Windsor,Ontario,Canada (raised in Timmins,Ontario) had the third (3rd) biggest album for
the entire decade of the 1990s according to Billboard Magazine (US).From that album titled
"Come On Over' comes the song at position #55.This song also spent seven (7) weeks in the
#2 position in Australia (ARIA).
The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and the singer of the song at position #55.
The song was named Foreign Hit of the Year at the 2000 Danish Grammy Awards.
The music video for the song at position #55 was shot in the Mojave Desert at El Mirage Dry Lake
and Barstow,California.It was directed by Paul Boyd and shot on November 3rd and 4th in 1998;
it was released on December 2,1998.It depicts the singer of the song at position #28 hitchhiking
in the middle of the desert,in a hooded leopard skin outfit (though in some scenes the hooded outfit
is open,showing a matching sports bra),and being approached by several men offering her a ride out
of the desert.These include a man in a 1957 Chevy Bel Air,on a motorcycle,in an army jeep,a tanker
truck,and on a Friesian horse.One of the men was played by male model John Devoe,who previously
appeared in her "You're Still the One" video.The video won the Video of the Year award at the
Canadian Country Music Awards and the MuchMoreMusic Award at the 1999 MuchMusic Video Awards.
The song at position #54 by this "blue-eyed soul" duo gets to where it is because of two
appearances of this song on the singles chart. The song first charted in the summer of 1965.
Then twenty-five years later in 1990 this song appeared in a movie titled "Ghosts" (which starred
Patrick Swayze,Demi Moore & Whoopi Goldberg) and the song was re-released. In the USA the song
peaked at #4 the first time in 1965 on the Billboard singles chart and then peaked at #13 in 1990.
In Canada the song spent two (2) weeks in the #1 position on radio station CHUM from Toronto in 1965
and then peaked at #5 on the Canadian singles charts in 1990.In Australia the song peaked at #3
on the Australian singles charts in 1965 and then spent six (6) weeks in the #1 position in 1990.
In the UK the song peaked at #14 on the UK singles chart in 1965 and then spent four (4) weeks in
the #1 position in 1990. In 1965 the song at position #54 was the fifth (5th) biggest song for
that entire year on radio station CHUM from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Further, this song was the
#1 song for the entire year of 1990 in both Australia (ARIA) and the UK.In 1999 Radio Station
MIX 94 from Perth,Australia ranked the song at position #12 as the second (2nd) biggest record
of all-time.
The song at position #54 originally became popular in 1955 with music by Alex North and lyrics
by Hy Zaret.In 1955,North used the music as a theme for the obscure prison film "Unchained",hence
the name.Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.
The song at position #52 by an American singer-songwriter,who was born on December 13,1989 in West
Reading,Pennsylvania.The song is from her seventh studio album,"Lover" (2019).Swift and Jack
Antonoff produced the song,and they wrote it with St. Vincent.The song is a synth-pop,industrial
pop and electropop song composed of synths,wobbling beats and vocoder-manipulated vocals.The lyrics
are about an intense romance during a painful summer.
When the song was first released as an album track on "Lover",music critics praised the song
for its melodic composition and catchy sound, specifically highlighting the hook and bridge.Many
deemed it a highlight on "Lover" and one of Swift's best songs."Cruel Summer" debuted in the top 30
of various singles charts in 2019 and became a fan favorite over time,prompting fans and publications
to question why Swift did not release the track as a single.After being included in the set list
of Swift's sixth concert tour,the Eras Tour,in 2023,"Cruel Summer" became viral on social media,
leading Republic Records to release it as a single on June 13,2023.
In the United States,the single peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and helped Swift become
the solo artist with the most number-one songs on the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay radio
charts.Elsewhere,it topped the Billboard Global 200 and the singles charts in Australia,Canada,
the Philippines and Singapore.It was the seventh-most-streamed song globally of 2023 and was
placed on the 2024 revision of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Welcome to the Top 50.
The song at position #50 is a song by American rapper-singers Post Malone and Swae Lee.
It was released on October 18,2018,as a single from the soundtrack to the 2018 animated film
"Spider-Man:Into the Spider-Verse",and was later included on Post Malone's third studio album
"Hollywood's Bleeding" (2019).An official remix features American singers Nicky Jam and Prince Royce.
The song at position #50 received acclaim from music critics.It became Malone's third and
Lee's first song as a soloist to peak the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.The song ranked in the
top ten of the chart for 33 weeks,at the time sharing the record for the most such weeks with
"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B and "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran (Post Malone
then broke this record with his 2019 single "Circles").The song at position #50 also reached
number one in Australia,Canada,Malaysia and New Zealand,as well as the top ten in 12 additional
countries.It has received double diamond (20-times platinum) certification by the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) in the US,as well as diamond in Canada, Australia and Mexico.
By December 2023,it was set to become the first song to receive the certification in the
United States-signifying 20 million units in sales; the certification was finalized in February 2024.
The song was the fourth-best-selling R&B song of the 2010s decade in the US.On the
Billboard Global 200 singles chart,the song peaked at number 20 upon the issue date of June 24,2023.
The song at position #50 was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
The song at position #48 is a song by American rapper 24kGoldn featuring fellow American rapper
Iann Dior.It was released on July 24,2020,through Records and Columbia Records,as the lead single
from 24kGoldn's debut studio album,"El Dorado" (2021).The pop rap and rap rock song is built around
a guitar riff inspired by indie rock and post grunge music and also features hi-hats and snare drums
in the style of trap music.On the song,24kGoldn and Dior sing-rap about their toxic relationships
in which their lovers are always in a "mood".
The song came about while the artists were playing Call of Duty together and producers
Omer Fedi and KBeaZy were working on a beat,
and 24kGoldn idly sang what would become the song's hook.After an early version of the song was
completed,Blake Slatkin was soon brought on as a producer to make the song more pop-oriented.
It became a commercial success after earning popularity on the video-sharing app TikTok
and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The song at position #48 peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100,where it spent eight non-consecutive
weeks and also topped the charts in the United Kingdom,Australia,Ireland,Austria,
Denmark,the Netherlands,Norway and Sweden.It also reached number two on the Global 200.
The song at position #48 was positively received by critics,who praised it as being catchy
and it was included on lists of the best songs of 2020 published by Slate,Billboard and
The New York Times.
24kGoldn and Dior performed this song live at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards pre
show,the American Music Awards of 2020,the season 19 finale of The Voice,Dick Clark's
New Year's Rockin' Eve,Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.A music video
for the song at position #48,in which 24kGoldn and Dior have disputes with two separate
girls,was released on August 5,2020, and directed by Sebastian Sdaigui.
A remix of the song with Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber and Colombian singer-songwriter
J Balvin was released on November 6,2020.
The recording act at position #46 was born on August 9th,1963 in Newark,New Jersey (died February
11th,2012 in LA). She is the daughter of Cissy Houston and a cousin of Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee
Warwick.This song at position #46 gets to where it is for its performance on both the singles and
albums chart. The song at position #46 spent ten (10) weeks in the #1 position in both Australia
& the UK and fourteen (14) weeks at #1 in the USA (Billboard Magazine).Further,the song also spent
thirteen (13) weeks at #1 on Cash Box (US) Magazine which is the longest that any song stayed at
the #1 position in the entire history of the Cash Box Magazine's single chart. The song at
position #46 according to Billboard Magazine (US) and ARIA (Australia) this was the #2 song for
the entire year of 1993 and it was the #1 song for the entire year of 1993 on Cash Box (US) Magazine
and in the UK.In addition the British website www.hart87,freeserve.co.uk/top100.html which was
ranking the 100 best songs in the UK between 1952-2002 ranked this song as the 36th best song
between 1952 and 2002.The song is off the album "THE BODYGUARD" which was the #2 album for
the entire year of 1993 in Australia (ARIA) and in the USA (Cash Box and Billboard Magazine)
it was the #1 album for the entire year of 1993. Further,Billboard Magazine ranked this album
as the #2 album for the entire decade of the 1990s.This album spent twenty (20) weeks in the
#1 position on Billboard Magazine.Only eight (8) albums have spent more time at #1 on
Billboard Magazine's Album chart.
The song at position #46 was written by singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973.In 1992,
the recording act who sings the song at position #46 recorded the song for the soundtrack
to The movie "The Bodyguard",her film debut.The singer of the song at position #46 originally
intended to record Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" as the lead single
for the film.However,when it was discovered the song was to be used for "Fried Green Tomatoes",
the singer of the song at position #46 then requested a different song and her co-star
Kevin Costner brought her Linda Ronstadt's 1975 version of the song at position #46
from her album "Prisoner in Disguise".The singer of the song and producer David Foster
re-arranged the song as a soul ballad.Her record company did not feel a song with an
a cappella introduction would be as successful;however,the singer of the song at
position #46 and Costner insisted on retaining the a cappella intro.The tenor saxophone
solo was played by Kirk Whalum.The singer of the song at position #46's recording is
not the only version of the song featured in the movie.In a scene where she dances with
Kevin Costner,a version by John Doe can be heard playing on a jukebox.
The song at position #44 is a song by Nigerian singer Rema,from his debut studio album
"Rave & Roses" (2022).It was released on 11 February 2022 through Jonzing World and Mavin
as the album's second single.The song charted across Europe,reaching number one on the
Belgian Ultratop 50,Dutch Top 40 and Dutch Single Top 100.In the United Kingdom,"Calm Down"
peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and spent 27 non-consecutive weeks in
the top ten of the chart.
A remix of The song at position #44 with American singer Selena Gomez was released
on 25 August 2022.The new version reached number one on both the Billboard US Afrobeats
Songs and the Billboard Global Excl.US charts and peaked at number three on the Global
200 chart.It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100,marking Rema's first
top-ten hit and Gomez's ninth.It also led the U.S. Afrobeats Songs for a record-setting
58 weeks.In the US,it topped the all-genre Radio Songs chart for ten weeks,becoming
both artists' first number-one song on the chart.It reached number one on the Canadian
Hot 100 chart dated 13 May 2023.According to the International Federation of the
Phonographic Industry (IFPI),the remix was the second best-selling global single
of 2023,earning 1.89 billion subscription streams equivalents globally.The song is
widely regarded as the biggest and most successful Afrobeats song of all time.
The recording act who sings the song in the #42 position was born on Thursday,
November 5th,1959 in Kingston,Ontario,Canada.His father worked for the British & Canadian
military and then the United Nations so between the ages of 6 and 12 the singer of the
song at the #42 position lived in many different countries including Israel,Portugal
and Austria.When he returned to Canada he was ready to rock & roll.In 1976 he joined
the band Sweeny Todd and became the lead singer.
In 1977 the artist who sings the song at position #42 met Jim Vallance
(formerly of the rock band named "Prism") by chance in a Vancouver, music store,unaware
that quickly they would form a writing partnership.Before long Bachman Turner Overdrive,
Prism and Ian Lloyd were recording Adams-Vallance songs.
At first the singer of the #42 song thought he and Vallance would form a duo but he soon
realized that his older more conservative partner was happier working behind the scenes.
They sent out many demo tapes before A&M records offered the recording act at position #42
one dollar to record four (4) songs.The artist couldn't find anyone else to give him a break
so he accepted the offer.His first single was "Let Me Take You Dancing" which was a hit
in the discos.Originally the song was written as a pop song.Then the song was remixed in
New York and jacked up to a million beats a minute.The singer of the #42 song said
"I remember getting the tape in the mail;I just about fell off my face".
The lack of attention the singer of the song in the #42 position received on his
self-titled debut album tempted him to title his second album "Bryan Adams Hasn't
Heard Of You Either",but ultimately it was titled "You Want It-You Got It".The album produced
his first hit "Lonely Nights". Then in 1983 he released his next album titled
"Cuts Like A Knife" which peaked at #7 in Canada and #8 in the USA (Billboard Magazine).
His following album that was released a year later in 1984 titled "Reckless" went to #1
in the USA for two (2) weeks & in Canada for four (4) weeks. In 1985 he was a superstar.
The singer of the #42 song in the Top 7000 won Juno awards in 1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,
1997 and 2000.
In 1991 the idea of a song to promote the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves came late
in the making of the film.Michael Kamen had originally wanted the song to be as if it were
Maid Marian singing to Robin Hood.He offered it to Kate Bush,Annie Lennox and Lisa Stansfield
but they all turned it down.David Kerschenbaum of Morgan Creek Records invited Bryan Adams
whom he had worked with in the early 1980s at A&M Records to write the song based on the
score from Michael Kamen.Initially,Adams was to write the lyrics for another artist to
perform,but it was decided that he should perform the song after writing it with Waking
Up The Neighbours producer Mutt Lange.The pair recorded the song in Mayfair Studios in London.
Oddly, neither Kamen nor the film company were happy with the song and tried at length to
have Adams change it due to Adams and Lange writing an entirely different melody to the theme,
but Adams refused. As a result, the song ended up buried at the very end of the film credits.
The last laugh was had when the song entered most of the charts in the world at number 1 and
stayed there for an unprecedented amount of time.
The song is credited to Adams,Lange and Kamen and is played over the film's credits. A&M
Records were at first reluctant to have the song appear on the film soundtrack,which was
released through Morgan Creek, but the success of the record benefited both companies.
The song at position #42 was the last of three songs added to "Waking up the Neighbours",
the album obviously benefited from the success of the lead single-the song proved to be a hit
throughout the world. The song at position #42 was the #1 song for the entire year of 1991
in the USA (both Cash Box and Billboard Magazines).In the U.S. it sold three million singles,
making it the second-best-selling song after "We Are the World" by "USA for Africa",
and it also broke the record for longest run at number one on the Hot 100 Single Sales Chart,
becoming the best-selling single in the USA for 17 weeks.The song won a Grammy Award Written
Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in the Grammy Awards of 1992, and was nominated
for an Academy Award for Best Song .The song at position #42 was the #1 song for the entire year
of 1991 in Canada,in Australia and the UK.
In the UK, the song at position #42 sold over 1.2 million copies, making it the best selling
single in the UK since Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984.The success of the single
led to "Waking up the Neighbours" enjoying pre-order sales of 200,000.The British website
www.hart87,freeserve.co.uk/top100.html which was ranking the 100 best songs in the UK between 1952-2002
ranked this song as the 18th best song.The song in the #42 position spent seven (7) weeks in the
#1 position in the USA (Billboard),ten (10) weeks at #1 in Australia (ARIA),twelve (12) weeks at
#1 in Canada and sixteen (16) weeks at #1 in the UK from July 7th,1991 (holding Right Said Fred's
"I'm Too Sexy" at number two for six consecutive weeks).No song in the entire history of the
UK singles chart since 1954 has spent as much time in the #1 position as the song at position
#42 in the Top 7000.The song ranked at #21 on Billboard's All Time Top 600 in 2018. Subsequently,
the song has been covered by countless singers around the world.
Elsewhere the song reached number one in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria,Switzerland,
Finland,Norway,Sweden,France,Ireland,Italy,Poland and Denmark.The success of the single led
to pre-order sales of a million for the album "Waking up the Neighbours" throughout Europe.
The album went on to sell 15 million copies around the world due in part to the song but also
due to other singles.
Welcome to the Top 40.
The song at position #40 is a song by British record producer Mark Ronson
featuring American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars,from Ronson's fourth studio
album,Uptown Special (2015). The song was released as the album's lead single on
November 10,2014 via digital download in several countries.The song at position #40
was written by Ronson,Mars,Philip Lawrence and Jeff Bhasker.Since the track
interpolates "All Gold Everything" (2012),songwriting credits were added for a
total of six.Produced by Ronson,Mars and Bhasker,its composition began during a
freestyle studio session between the former three by deciding to work on the jam
that Mars and his band would play on tour.The song went through several
incarnations,worked on for months during stressful sessions,recorded at multiple
locations,and at one point it was nearly scrapped. Copyright controversies arose
after the song's release,with multiple lawsuits and amendments to its songwriting
credits,due to similarities with "Oops Up Side Your Head" (1979) by The Gap Band,
keyboardist Rudolph Taylor and producer Lonnie Simmons.
The song at position #40 is a Funk-pop,soul,boogie,disco-pop and Minneapolis
sound track.It has a spirit akin to the 1980s-era funk music as well as the works
by Morris Day & The Time,ultimate being a "joyous, energetic and feel-good" song.
Its lyrics address fashion,self-love and "traditional masculine bravado",performed
in a sing-rapping style filled with metaphors,arrogance,charisma and fun.Upon its
release,the single received generally positive reviews from music critics,who
praised the instrumental,style and influences of the track.Others criticized it
for not being innovative as it tried to emulate the 80's funk music.
The single debuted at number 65 on Billboard Hot 100 chart on November 21,2014
due to digital sales,making it Ronson's first entry on the Hot 100 as an artist.It
subsequently,due to the release of the official video and performance during
Saturday Night Live,sold 110,000 digital copies.The song became the Hot 100's top
Digital Gainer of the week and peaked at number 18 on November 28,2014.On its
third week,the track rose to number eight one the Billboard Hot 100, after the
video's first full tracking week.It became Ronson's first top 10 as an artist.It
debuted on the component charts of Streaming Songs and Radio Songs at number 26
and 46,respectively.On the week of December 10,2014, the song at position #40
ascended to number five,with sales of 152,000 copies.It marked Mars' eleventh top
five on the Billboard Hot 100.On its fourth week, the single peaked at number
three on the Billboard Hot 100,selling 170,000 copies and 49 million audience,thus
receiving Airplay Gainer honors.On the following week, after "The Voice"
performance,the recording stayed at number three for the second consecutive week.
It was the biggest gainer in Digital Songs (244,000),Streaming (7.9 million),
Airplay audience (63 million),becoming the fifth song to top the three "categories"
since their existence along with each other.Ronson became the second lead male artist
to top Digital Songs with a debut single,since Sam Smith's "Stay with Me" (2014).
On December 31,2014,the track rose to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 with
432,000 copies sold,8.8 million streams and reached the top ten on Radio Songs with
68 million audience.On its seventh week,the song topped the Billboard Hot 100,with
382,000 downloads sold, 10 million U.S. streams and 76 million audience in airplay.
It became Ronson's first and only number-one single in the country and Mars' sixth.
It became one of the longest running number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100
and the second longest-running number-one single of the 2010s decade since it
topped the chart for 14 consecutive weeks,as well as Ronson and Mars' longest
command at the top position. It was replaced by Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again"
(2015) featuring Charlie Puth.It topped the year-end chart of the Billboard
Hot 100.
On its thirteenth week at number one,the song became the first song to top the
Billboard Hot 100 and its three main component charts for nine non-consecutive
weeks. The recording spent 31 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and 21
weeks on the top three of the Hot 100,a record previously owned by Santana
featuring Rob Thomas's "Smooth" (1999),with 19 weeks.By spending 25 weeks on the
Hot 100's top five,it matched the record set by LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" (1997).
Said record was broken by "Closer" (2016) by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey,as it
spent 26 weeks on the Hot 100's top five.The song sold at least 300,000 copies for
eight consecutive weeks,only "Blurred Lines" (2013) by Robin Thicke featuring
Pharrell Williams and T.I. suppressed it by selling the same amount for ten weeks in
a row.The song,at the time, tied the record for most weeks spent at the top of the
Digital Song Sales chart (13 weeks) with Flo Rida's "Low" featuring T-Pain.The
recording reached its highest peak on Streaming Songs with 24.5 million streams and
5.7 million subscription-services-based On-Demand Songs in one week.The song spent
12 weeks on the top position of Streaming Songs,it was the second best run at the
time,only surpassed by the thirteen weeks of Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX's
"Fancy" (2014).It spent 12 weeks at number one on the Radio Songs chart, reaching a
peak of 181 million in all-format audience.It was Ronson's first single to reach
number one in the radio songs charts and it was Mars' sixth.The song topped
several component charts in the United States,such as Adult Pop Songs, Dance Club
Songs,Dance/Mix Show Airplay,Pop Songs and Rhythmic Songs.It topped the year-end
chart Mainstream Top 40.In the United States, the single sold 7.8 million downloads
as of 28 September 2017.It was certified eleven times platinum by the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 18 October 2016, for units of over 11
million sales plus track-equivalent streams.
On November 29,2014,the song debuted at number 63 on the Canadian Hot 100.On the
following week it reached the top ten and on its third week on the chart it entered
the top five.On its fourth week peaked at number two on the Canadian Hot 100.On the
issue date of January 10,2015,the song reached number one,a position it has held
for fifteen consecutive weeks,becoming the second longest-running number-one single
on the Canadian Hot 100,only behind The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" (2009),
which spent sixteen weeks at number one.On the issue date of April 25,2015 the song
was replaced by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's "See You Again" (2015).It was
certified diamond by Music Canada (MC) for shipments over 800,000 copies.It finished
at number one in the Canada Hot 100.In the United Kingdom,the song was covered
by Fleur East on The X Factor before its official release date, the cover reached
number one on iTunes.It led the original song to have its release date brought
forwards by five weeks. Nevertheless,it debuted at number one on the UK Singles
Chart on December 14,2014, giving Ronson his first UK number one as a producer
and artist.On the following week,the song was replaced in the top spot by the
X Factor winner Ben Haenow's single, "Something I Need" (2014),making it the
Christmas number one.It spent seven non-consecutive weeks at number one,before
finally being knocked off from the top on February 8.2015 by Ellie Goulding's
"Love Me Like You Do" (2015).The track was certified five times platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry (BPI),for combining units equivalent to 3,000,000.
The song was the best-selling song of 2015 in the UK,with combined sales of 1.76
million during the year (total 2.25 million).As of September 2017,
the song had 2,723,470 combining units, making the list of best-selling singles of
the 21st century in the United Kingdom as the fourth best-selling single based on
paid-for sales and the second best-selling song based on combined sales.It also
made the year-end chart of 2014 and 2015, topping the latter.The song debuted at
number two on December 12,2014,and the following week peaked at the top of the
Irish Singles Chart,taking the Christmas number one spot.It became the first song
not released by The X Factor winner to reach this position in nine years.It spent
seven weeks at number one in the Irish Charts, before being knocked off the top by
Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" (2015).
It also reached the top spot on France's Syndicat National de l'edition
Phonographique (SNEP) its sixth week,December 27,2014, spending 11 weeks on the
number one position.It charted for a total of 117 weeks on the chart,never leaving
it from 2014 to 2017.It was certified diamond by the SNEP.It was certified diamond
by the SNEP for sales of 250,000 copies.The song reached number one on both Belgium
charts,Ultratop 50 Wallonia and Flanders,spending six and three weeks on the top of
the respective charts.The song was certified three times platinum by the Belgian
Entertainment Association (BEA), for sales of 90,000 copies.In Italy,the song was
certified five times platinum,for combining units equivalent to 250,000,despite
only peaking at number three on the FIMI Singles Chart.The single debuted at
number 11 in Australia on November 30.2014,jumping to number two on the following
week.On its third week,it topped the charts,where it stayed for a total of six
weeks.It is the best-selling single in Australia of all time,it has been certified
17 times platinum for shipments over 1,190,000.The single made the year-end charts
of Australia in 2014,2015 and 2016,peaking at number one on the aforementioned
chart in 2015.In New Zealand,the song debuted in the top ten on December 1,2014,
at number seven.On its fourth week on the chart it peaked at number one,staying
there for nine consecutive weeks.The track not only topped the year-end chart of
the country,but it also was certified five times platinum by the Recorded Music NZ
(RMNZ) for 75,000 copies sold.The song set a record, also achieved by four other
songs,as it topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the Official UK Singles chart for at
least seven weeks each.The song is reported to earn $100,000 for the label and
composers per week for streaming on Spotify alone.[157] It had sold over twenty
million equivalent units as of 2015.
The success of the song led it to become a worldwide phenomenon with its major
impact on pop culture.At one point,the song broke its own streaming record three
times in the United Kingdom,with 2.34, 2.49 and 2.56 million streams,each time.It
also broke the record for most streamed track in the United States and worldwide
in one week,with 4.8 and 15 million streams,respectively.Tom Breihan writing for
Stereogum found the recording to have "transcend hit status and becomes some sort
of cultural event",that will be heard at weddings in the next couple of years.
Breihan stated it became "omnipresent".Danielle Janota of Consequence of Sound
affirmed the single made a cultural impact, it is "more than infectious:It's
instinctual", as everyone "stampedes furiously to the closest dance floor the
second it comes on". Matt James from PopMatters said the recording "incite
mass euphoric dancing wherever it is unleashed".It also presents its "global
domination", seeming like "the only song on planet earth right now".In an
interview with Time Mark Ronson said the recording was being played in Morocco,
Puerto Rico and Nigeria,countries his previous music never reached.He also
confessed the track led to people starting to recognize him.Newsweek's
Jed GottLieb explained the reason why "Uptown Funk" is an immortal track as "the
song is an increasingly rare phenomenon",since dancing allows us to connect
"divergent demographics". GottLieb continued, "the song creates an ephemeral
flash where disparate groups get along because they've been spiked with the same
euphoria". He affirmed,"for the next quarter-century,it will persist as a choice
wedding spin."NME's Barry Nicolson dubbed the single "an insta-phenomenon".Jeremy
Allen of BBC stated that "the biggest hits of the past few years", such as Ronson's
"Uptown Funk" and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" (2013) drew inspiration from the 80s
funk/soul works by Prince,Michael Jackson,Nile Rodgers and others,leading the "80s
to dominates modern culture".Nevertheless,when Angus Harrison from Vice asked
musicologist Dr John Burgoyne if it would be remembered "in 20 Years Time".
Burgoyne explained that despite "the melody being sung, the hook is not" and he is
unsure if it will be remembered as "the hook is that trumpet rop,whereas the words
"Uptown Funk" just sort of disappear."During The Graham Norton Show,American
actress and producer Michelle Pfeiffer said she had no idea of the inclusion of her
name on the song. Pfeiffer added that it was embarrassing in certain moments, but she
was "flattered".
The song's official music video was filmed at 20th Century Fox Studios'
"New York Street" backlot in Los Angeles.Mars and his frequent collaborator Cameron
Duddy directed the video released on November 17,2014.In the video,Ronson and Mars
are wearing clothes from the late 70's and 80's "attire".Mars wears a
"salmon-colored blazer" and both put on sun glasses.Throughout most of the "retro"
video,Ronson,Mars and The Hooligans are singing,walking and dancing in the middle
of the streets.Ronson is seen mostly lingering in the background,while Mars takes
the spotlight.At one point, during the video,Ronson and Mars get their hair in
perm curlers at a salon and their shoes shined.As Mars sings "Fill my cup, put some
liquor in it", one of his bandmates does so.The singer also yells at his chauffeur
to get the limousine as he,Ronson and the band "jive" next to it.Towards the end of
the video,Ronson,Mars,The Hooligans and Jeff Bhasker perform the song in a close
set to several people.
Joe Lynch of Billboard praised the video,founding it to be as "ebullient" as the
song,calling Ronson and Mars "impossibly cool".Rap-Up praised Mars and The
Hooligans' dance moves.Tom Breihan of Stereogum said, "I had no idea [Mars] had
"ersatz Morris Day" in his arsenal."Ryan Reed from Rolling Stone dubbed the video
as "goofy".The clip made the cut on several lists of best music videos of the year.
Lyndsey Parker,writing for the previous publication, found Ronson and Mars to
complement Morris Day and The Time "funky-fresh-to-death tradition well",ranking
it number six on the list of 20 videos.On the list of the 20 Best Music Videos of
2014 compiled by Paste,Dacey Orr ranked the video at number 11 saying the video
"has all of the fun and embellishment and color and choreography to be a real
classic".On the Stereogum 40 Best Music Videos of 2014,Tom Breihan placed the
video at number 25.He wrote,"imagine a world in which circa-1986 Jonathan Demme
had directed a movie about Morris Day & The Time".Harriet Gibsone, writing for The
Guardian, found the video to have a "super-slick, Jackson-like group choreography,
glossy production and retro styling".
The video received multiple awards and nominations.In 2015,it was nominated for
British Video of the Year at the BRIT Awards.At the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards,it
received nominations for Video of the Year,Best Pop Video,Best Collaboration and
Best Direction and an award for Best Male Video.In the same year, the UK Music
Video Awards awarded the music video in the category of "Best Pop Video-UK" and it
was nominated for Best Male Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.It
received an award for Video of the Year and a nomination for Best Dance Performance
at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards.The video has over 3.5 billion views on video
sharing website YouTube as of March 2019, making it the fifth most viewed YouTube
video of all time.
The song at position #38 is the debut mainstream single by American rapper
Lil Nas X,first released independently in December 2018.After gaining popularity,
the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019.The rapper also recorded
a remix with American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus,which was released on April 5,2019.
Both were included on Lil Nas X's second EP,7 (2019).
The song has been widely viewed as "country rap",a somewhat rare musical style not
often heard in the mainstream prior to this song's release.Dutch record producer YoungKyo
composed the instrumental and made it available for purchase online in 2018.It features a
sample of "34 Ghosts IV" by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails.The sample
was placed behind trap-style Roland TR-808 drums and bass.Lil Nas X purchased the instrumental
for US$30 and recorded the song at position #38 in one day.At the time,he had been living
with his sister after dropping out of college;his real-world struggles were an influence
on some of the lyrics.
The song initially gained popularity on the social video sharing app TikTok and
eventually entered the Billboard charts in March 2019.The song also reached number 19 on
the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart before the magazine disqualified it from the chart
on the grounds that it did not "fit" the genre,sparking a debate on what constitutes
the "definition" of country music.Though "Old Town Road" did not re-enter any country charts,
both versions of the song collectively peaked at no. 1 on the main Billboard Hot 100,remaining
at the top for a record-breaking nineteen consecutive weeks (longer than any song in US Billboard
chart history);the remix peaked at no. 50 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.One or more versions
of the song at position #38 have topped the national singles charts in Australia and Canada
(where like their US counterpart spent 19 weeks at #1 longer than any song in Canadian chart history).
The song also peaked at #1 in,France,Germany,Ireland,the Netherlands,New Zealand, Norway,Switzerland
and the United Kingdom have charted in the top 10 in various other international markets.
The song was certified diamond by the RIAA in October 2019 for selling 10 million total units
in the United States,the fastest song to be certified diamond.At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards,the
remix (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus) was nominated for Record of the Year and won Best Pop Duo/Group
Performance and Best Music Video.In October 2019,Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment
won the Music & Sound Recordings Award from SAG-AFTRA for "work that exemplifies equal access"
to LGBTQ individuals and "other misrepresented or underrepresented groups."In September 2021,the
song set the record for the second-highest certified song in history by the RIAA,at 16x platinum
in the United States-meaning it accumulated 16 million equivalent song units.The single has sold
over 18 million copies worldwide,making it one of the best-selling singles of
all time.Rolling Stone named it the 490th greatest song of all time in its 2021 list.
The song at position #37 received much critical acclaim,including an Academy Award win for Best
Original Song and a Critics' Choice Award for Best Song,as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination
for Best Original Song.
The song at position #37 in April of 2014 only peaked at #5 (spending 5 weeks there) on the US
Billboard Hot 100.However,this song is not at position #37 for it's performance on the single
charts;it is at #37 for the chart performance of the album the song is on.It's from an album that
spent 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200..This album, a soundtrack to a Disney movie has
sold over 3 million copies.This album also went to #1 in Canada,UK,Australia,Argentina,China,
Ireland,Japan and New Zealand.It peaked at #2 in Italy and South Korea.
The song at position #37 received much critical acclaim,including an Academy Award win for
Best Original Song and a Critics' Choice Award for Best Song,as well as a Golden Globe Award
nomination for Best Original Song.
The song at position #34 is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.It was released
on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album (2017),along
with "Castle on the Hill".The Dance Hall & R&B infused song was written by Sheeran,Steve Mac
and Johnny McDaid. Due to its interpolation of "No Scrubs" by TLC, Kandi Burruss,Tameka "Tiny"
Cottle and Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs are also credited as writers.
The song was produced by Sheeran and Steve Mac.
The song at position #34 peaked at number one on the singles charts of 34 countries,including
the US Billboard Hot 100:later becoming the best performing song of 2017-as well as in the British,
Australian,Canadian and Irish singles charts.It stayed at number one for a record-tying 16 consecutive
weeks on the Canadian Hot 100,as well as 14 non consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart and 12
non-consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100.It was also highly successful elsewhere,reaching
number one in many European charts and throughout Latin America,as well as in Malaysia where it
spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at the top.
On 10 December 2018,the song became the first song to hit 2 billion streams on Spotify and is
currently the 2nd most streamed song on the platform with 3.6 billion streams,behind "Blinding Lights"
by the Weeknd.It was also the most-streamed song of the decade on Spotify with 2.4 billion streams
by December 2019 and the most streamed song on Apple Music with 930 million streams,as of May 2023.
It was the best-selling song of 2017 and the decade in the UK.The song at position #34 was the
best-selling song of 2017 and the second best-selling digital song worldwide,with combined sales
and track-equivalent streams of 26.6 million units according to IFPI.
In 2018,it sold an additional 14.9 million copies,combining a total of 41.5 million copies
worldwide with the previous total sales figure,making it one of the best selling digital singles
of all time.Additionally,it made a second appearance in the Billboard year-end chart in 2018,at
No. 71.In 2019, it was named the number-one song on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart of the
2010s decade.The song at position #34 was nominated for British Single of the Year and British Video
of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards.The song won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance
at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.In 2021, Billboard ranked The song at position #34 as the tenth
most successful song of all-time.
The song at position #31 is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the lead
single from her tenth studio album,"Midnights" (2022).Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff.
It is a pop rock and synth-pop song driven by a 1980s-inspired drum loop generated with a LinnDrum
and retro synthesizers such as the Juno 6 and the Prophet 5.Inspired by Swift's insecurities,the lyrics
focus on self-loathing and the impact of fame on her wellbeing;the bridge narrates a nightmare where
her daughter-in-law murders her for her last will.Republic Records released the song for download and
streaming on October 21, 2022.
Music critics generally praised the catchy production and strong vocals of the song at position #31;
they deemed its lyricism candid and honest that showcased Swift at her most self-critical.Many publications
ranked the song among the best releases of 2022.The single peaked a top the Billboard Global 200 and charted
in the top 10 in many territories across the Americas,Europe and Asia-Pacific.In the United States,it was
Swift's ninth chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100,where it spent eight weeks at number one and made her
the first artist to have a number-one single on Radio Songs in the 2000s,2010s and 2020s decades.According
to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry,it was the ninth-most-streamed song of 2023 worldwide.
Swift wrote and directed the song's music video,which depicts her fears,insecurities and eating disorder,using three different incarnations of her.The video also reenacts the nightmare mentioned in the lyrics,starring Mike Birbiglia,John Early and Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Swift's fictional sons and daughter-in-law.The song at position #31 won many awards including a People's Choice Award,twoiHeartRadio Music Awards,and six MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year,making Swift the first artist to win the award two years in a row.It
was nominated for Record of the Year,Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Welcome to the Top 20.
The song at position #20 is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album,"Future Nostalgia" (2020). The song was written by Lipa,Clarence Coffee Jr.,Sarah Hudson and Koz,who produced the song with Stuart Price and stemmed from a Roland VP-330 synthesizer sample played by Koz.The song is an electro-disco and nu-disco song with several disco tropes.It incorporates elements of dance-pop,pop-funk,power pop and space rock,as well as 1970s,1980s and 1990s pop and R&B styles.The lyrics describe the idea of "levitating" when falling in love,with several outer space references. A remix of "Levitating" by American DJ the Blessed Madonna featuring Madonna and Missy Elliott was released for digital download and streaming on 13 August 2020 as the lead single from Lipa and the Blessed Madonna's remix album "Club Future Nostalgia" (2020).It was categorized as an EDM,electro-disco,electro house,future bass and techno track,with a throwback disco and trance vibe and an increased tempo from the original.A second remix featuring American rapper DaBaby was released for the same formats on 1 October 2020 as the fifth single of "Future Nostalgia",appearing on the bonus edition of the album.The remix impacted contemporary hit radio formats in the United States on 6 October 2020,serving as the album's third single in the country.The remix has the same production used in the original, with DaBaby adding a pop rap verse and intro. The song at position #20 reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100,becoming Lipa's seventh top-five single in the UK and second in the US.It also achieved top-five charting in many countries including Australia,Canada,India,Ireland and New Zealand.Despite not reaching number one in the United States, "Levitating" was named the number-one song on the 2021 year-end chart, becoming the fourth single to accomplish this feat and the first single to do so since Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" in 2001.It set new records as the song by a female artist with the most weeks spent in the top ten and the longest-charting song by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100,spending 41 weeks in the top ten and 77 weeks on the chart overall.It currently ranks within the top 40 on the list of the greatest Hot 100 hits of all time.In 2023,the song was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).On the Billboard Global 200,it peaked at number two and was named the number-one song on the 2021 year-end chart.The song was awarded a triple Platinum certification in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The song at position #20 was promoted with the release of two music videos,one for each of its respective remixes.The Will Hooper-directed music video for the Blessed Madonna's remix was filmed in London and Atlanta and has a theme of "love conquers all".It sees many people under the influence of a mysterious planet and being obsessed with a maze-like symbol.The DaBaby remix received a music video that was directed by Warren Fu and created in partnership with social media platform TikTok.The video is centered around Lipa and DaBaby dancing in an art deco-styled elevator, with many TikTok users in the cast.Lipa promoted the single with live performances on The Graham Norton Show,at the American Music Awards of 2020, and on Saturday Night Live.
The song at position #11 is there not for the song's performance on the single's chart but for the chart performance of the album "X" (pronounced "multiply") which the song is off of by English singer Ed Sheeran (Born:February 17,1991 in Halifax, United Kingdom).Ed Sheeran places 26 songs in the Top 7000 with nine of them in the Top 100.This his second highest ranking song in the Top 7000 from the album "X". The album "X" is the second studio album by Ed Sheeran.It was released on June 20,2014 in Australia and New Zealand,and worldwide on June 23 through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records.The album received positive reviews from music critics. It was an international commercial success,peaking at No. 1 in fifteen countries, while topping both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200."X" also reached the top 5 in seven other countries and was the best selling album of 2014 in Australia, New Zealand,Ireland and the United Kingdom. In December 2014,Spotify named "X" the most-streamed album in the world for 2014, racking up more than 430 million streams for the year."X" has been certified 10x Platinum in the UK with sales of over 3 million copies,making it the third best-selling album of the 2010s and the 20th best selling album in the history of the UK.The album has been certified 3x Platinum in Canada,6x Platinum in New Zealand,and 4x Platinum in the US,with sales of over 4 million copies.It also became the first album ever to be certified Diamond in Australia.Also,"X" broke Adele's record for the longest charting Top 10 album in the history of the United Kingdom.In 2015,"X" won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year,and at the 57th Grammy Awards it was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year. Five singles were released from the album: "Sing","Don't","Photograph","Bloodstream" (a collaboration with Rudimental) and "Thinking Out Loud"."Thinking Out\ Loud" was the most successful track from the album and that is why the song is at #11 on the Top 7000. The song at position #11 was written by Rd Sheeran and Amy Wadge, and produced by frequent collaborator Jake Gosling.It was released in the US on September 24,2014 as the album "X's" third single. In the UK,the song spent 19 weeks within the top 40 before peaking at number one in early November 2014;it became Sheeran's second number one single there.The single has also reached the top spot in Australia,Ireland,New Zealand,Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia and South Africa and peaked at number two on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100.It was Sheeran's highest-charting single in North America until "Shape of You" (#34 on the Top 7000)topped the charts in both countries in 2017. In June 2015,"Thinking Out Loud" became the first single to spend a full year in the UK top 40.In September 2015,it also became the seventh single to have achieved triple platinum certification in the UK during the 21st century.In October 2015,the song became the first to be streamed over 500 million times on Spotify,is also one of the most streamed songs in the UK and has been viewed more than 2.7 billion times on YouTube as of May 2019. "Thinking Out Loud" received nominations for Grammy Award for Record of the Year,Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards, winning the latter two. "Thinking Out Loud" topped several charts in Europe,Oceania and South Africa and reached the top ten in several other countries in the Northern America.Upon the album's release,the single debuted at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.On November 2,2014, "Thinking Out Loud" topped the UK Singles Chart in its 19th week in the Top 40,breaking the record for the longest ascent to number one.In the week ending June 27.2015,it had spent a record consecutive 52 weeks (or a full year) inside the top 40. Around the same time,the single had accumulated 1.65 million combined sales and streams;it became one of the 161 million-selling singles and the 26th best-selling of the 2010s in the UK.On September 18,2015,the British Phonographic Industry certified the single triple platinum for combined sales (including streaming points) of 1,800,000 units.As of September 2017,the song has sold 1,219,000 copies with 130 million streams,making a total of 2,521,000 units sold in the United Kingdom. In the US,"Thinking Out Loud" peaked at number two on the all-encompassing chart Billboard Hot 100;the single became Sheeran's highest charting single until the release of "Shape of You" in 2017. It remained the runner-up spot for eight consecutive weeks, a chart feat last held in 2004."Thinking Out Loud" was kept off the top spot by "Uptown Funk" (#40 on the Top 7000), although it outperformed the latter song for a week in February 2015 on the Billboard Digital Songs.On other specific US charts, "Thinking Out Loud" reached number one on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs for the week ending February 21,2015, marking Sheeran's first.For the week ending March 21,2015, "Thinking Out Loud" held the top position on the Billboard Pop Songs,Adult Pop Songs and Adult Contemporary charts,becoming the fourth song in history to lead all three adult charts simultaneously.In celebration of Google Play's fifth anniversary,Google announced "Thinking Out Loud" as the top selling song on the platform."Thinking Out Loud" is Sheeran's best-selling song in the United States,with 5,622,000 copies sold as of September 2017. Radio station CHUM from Toronto ranked "Thinking Out Loud" as the number one song for the entire year of 2015. On August 10,2016, it was announced that Sheeran was getting sued by the family of Ed Townsend for copyright infringement,who claim that "Thinking Out Loud" plagiarises elements of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On".The claim was voluntarily withdrawn,with the court later saying there was no grounds or evidence of plagiarism even if the claim should have been submitted further in the courts.
The song at position #9 is a song by the American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the fifth single from her first studio album, "When We All Fall Asleep,Where Do We Go?"(2019).It was released on March 29,2019 by Darkroom and Interscope Records.The song was described by media as electropop,dance-pop and trap-pop with minimalist instrumentation.In the lyrics,Eilish taunts someone for being tough while suggesting that she is a more resilient bad guy than he is.Eilish wrote the song at position #19 with its producer Finneas O'Connell.Another version of the song,a collaboration with the Canadian singer Justin Bieber,was released on July 11, 2019. Upon release,the song at position #19 received mostly positive reviews.It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and 16 other international charts including Australia,Canada and New Zealand and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart.In the US,it ended the record-breaking 19-week run of "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.The song at position #19 has received several certifications,including a tenfold platinum award from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song received several awards,including Record and Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Dave Meyers directed the music video,which depicts Eilish involved in several activities such as wild dancing,suffering a nosebleed and sitting on the back of a man doing push-ups.Reviewers noted the video for its camp elements and eccentric imagery.
The song at position #13 is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele,released on 23 October 2015 by XL Recordings as the lead singlefrom her third studio album,"25" (2015).Written by Adele and the album's producer,Greg Kurstin,the song at position #13 is a piano ballad with soul influences (including guitar) and lyrics that discuss themes of nostalgia and regret.Upon release,the song garnered critical acclaim,with reviewers comparing it favorably to Adele's previous works and praised its lyrics,production and Adele's vocal performance.It was recorded in Metropolis Studios,London. The song at position #13 was a massive global success,topping the records charts in a record-setting 36 countries,including in the United Kingdom where it became Adele's second chart topper,following "Someone Like You",and had the largest opening week sales in three years. In the United States,the song at position #13 debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100,reigning for ten consecutive weeks while becoming Adele's fourth number-one single on the chart and breaking several records,including becoming the first song to sell over a million digital copies in a week.By the end of 2015,it had sold 12.3 million units globally (combined sales and track-equivalent streams) and was the year's 7th best-selling single while it stands as one of the best-selling digital singles of all-time. The accompanying music video was directed by Xavier Dolan and co-stars Adele and Tristan Wilds.It broke the Vevo and YouTube records for achieving over 27.7 million views within a 24-hour span and the record for the shortest time to reach one billion views (87 days) respectively. he song at position #13 broke the iTunes records for being number 1 in most countries (102 countries).The music video for the song received seven nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards,including Video of the Year and Best Female Video.At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards,the song at position #13 won three awards:Record of the Year,Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.The song also won the Brit Award for British Single, and APRA Award for International Work of the Year.
The song at position #12 is a song by English singer-songwriter Harry Styles,released through Erskine and Columbia on 1 April 2022 as the lead single from his third studio album,"Harry's House" (2022). The song was written by Styles alongside his producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson. Harry Styles announced the title of his third studio album as "Harry's House" on 23 March 2022,unveiling its artwork,a 40-second trailer and the album's release date as 20 May 2022.Five days later,he announced the title of its lead single as "As It Was",alongside 3 pictures of Styles facing away from the camera in a sequinned,sleeveless red outfit and set its release date as 1 April 2022.Simultaneously,posters bearing the lyrics "It's not the same As It Was" and a picture of Styles sitting on a big ball appeared in various cities.He released a teaser of the music video on 30 March,which included an "energetic drum beat" and a "sunny electric guitar riff" and depicted him in a red jumpsuit spinning in circles atop a motorised turntable. In an interview with Billboard, Kid Harpoon revealed Styles pushed for the track to become the lead single for the album campaign,stating: "It was Harry that pushed that through.He was like,"This is the one.I'm telling you."But everyone was like," It should be this other one."" The song at position #12 was widely acclaimed by music critics and entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart,becoming Styles' second solo number-one single,his first being "Sign of the Times" in April 2017.The song at position #12 spent ten weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart,becoming the longest-running number-one and best-selling single of 2022 in his home country.In the United States,it was his second chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100,where it spent 15 non-consecutive weeks at number one,becoming the longest-running US number one by a UK act and the fourth-longest-running number one in the chart's history. The song at position #12 was the best-selling global single of 2022,earning 2.28 billion subscription streams equivalents globally according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).Outside the UK and US,the song was a commercial success and topped the charts in 45 countries,including Australia,Austria,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,France,Germany,Ireland,Lithuania,the Netherlands,New Zealand,Singapore,Sweden and Norway.
Here is Number Ten
The recording act at position #10 formed in July of 1968 after the rock
group "The Yardbirds" disbanded.Left with the ownership of the
group's name and several concert obligations to fulfill,Jimmy Page assembled a
new group known at first as "The New Yardbirds".Beginning at first
with John Paul Jones,a good friend and a leading British session musician.Page
rounded out the line-up by recruiting Robert Plant and John Bonham from the
"Band Of Joy". So the new group consisted of Jimmy Page born on
January 9th,1945 in Heston,Midlands,England at lead guitar,Robert Plant born on
August 20th,1947 in Birmingham,Englland at lead vocals and harmonica,John Paul
Jones (a.k.a. John Baldwin) born on January 3rd,1946 in London on bass and
keyboards and John "Bonzo" Bonham born on May 31st,1947 in
Birmingham,England on drums. Once assembled the quartet changed it's name to
Led Zeppelin at the suggestion of Page's friend Keith Moon of "The
Who". Almost immediately the group traveled to the USA,touring the
country,singing with Atlantic records,and recording their first album Led
Zeppelin I.During the next three years they followed with Led Zeppelin II,III and
IV,and placed a number of singles on the charts.By this time their albums were
selling in the millions within days of release. In December 1970 the group at position #10 began recording the song at
position #10 at Island Records' new Basing Street Studios in London. The song
was completed by the addition of lyrics by Plant during the sessions for Led
Zeppelin IV at Headley Grange, Hampshire,England in 1971.The complete studio
recording was released on Led Zeppelin IV in November 1971. The song's instrumentals were written by Jimmy Page "over a long
period, the first part coming at Bron-Yr-Aur one night".Page always kept a
cassette recorder around, and the idea for the song at position #10 came
together from bits of taped music. The first attempts at lyrics,written by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert
Plant next to an evening log fire at Headley Grange, were partly spontaneously
improvised and Page claimed, "a huge percentage of the lyrics were written
there and then".Jimmy Page was strumming the chords and Robert Plant had a
pencil and paper. Plant later said that suddenly, "my hand was writing out
the words, "There's a lady who's sure, all that glitters is gold, and she's
buying a stairway to heaven.I just sat there and looked at them and almost
leapt out of my seat." Plant's own explanation of the lyrics was that it
"was some cynical aside about a woman getting everything she wanted all
the time without giving back any thought or consideration. The first line
begins with that cynical sweep of the hand ... and it softened up after
that." The song is a multi-movement suite. A quiet introduction featuring
acoustic guitar and three recorders (ending at-2:15) gradually moves into to a
slow electric middle section (2:16-5:37),before the faster hard rock final
section (5:49-end). Page stated that the song "speeds up like an adrenalin
flow". Written in the key of "A" minor and mainly in common time the
song opens with an arpeggiated,hybrid-picked guitar chord progression with a
chromatic descending bassline A-G#-G-F#-F. John Paul Jones contributed
overdubbed wooden bass recorders in the opening section (he used a Mellotron,
and later, a Yamaha CP70B Grand Piano and Yamaha GX1 to synthesize this
arrangement in live performances)and a Hohner Electra-Piano electric piano in
the middle section. The sections build with more guitar layers, each complementary to the
intro with the drums entering at 4:18. The bridge to the solo consists of
shifting time signatures (3/4 to 4/4 to 5/4 to 4/4 to 7/8) before dropping back
into common time for the solo and ending. The extended Jimmy Page guitar solo
in the song's final section was played for the recording on a 1958 Fender
Telecaster (an instrument he used extensively with the Yardbirds) plugged into
a Supro amplifier although in a "Guitar World" interview Page also
claims, "It could have been a Marshall, but I can't remember".Three
different solos were recorded with Page agonizing about deciding which to
keep.The other guitar parts were played using a Harmony acoustic guitar and
Fender Electric XII (12-string); bothcan be heard on the left and right recording channels respectively. For live versions, Page switched to using a
Heritage Cherry Gibson EDS-1275 6/12 Doubleneck guitar. The final progression
is a i-VII-VI (natural minor) progression (Am G F), a mainstay of rock music. The opening guitar cadence took influence from a song called
"Taurus" by the band called "Spirit" with whom the
recording act position #10 were acquainted in their opening days.Further,the
opening chord progression and verse in "Stairway to Heaven" are
nearly identical to the 1968 instrumental "Taurus".In the liner notes
to the reissue of Spirit's 1968 eponymous debut,songwriter Randy California
mentions the fact that Jimmy Page took special interest in
"Taurus".Prior to his death in 1997, Randy California was often asked
about it in interviews, to which he typically responded that he did not
consider the "Stairway" intro to be a rip-off, but simply a
"reworking" of his song". The recording act position #10 was the opening act for Spirit's 1968
tour.While nobody in Led Zeppelin has ever cited influence from the track, the
band was known to incorporate bits of the "Spirit" song "Fresh
Garbage" into their early concert medleys, and Jimmy Page has said that
his use of a theremin was inspired by seeing Randy California use one.
The inaugural public performance of the song at position #10 took place
at Belfast's Ulster Hall on March 5th,1971.Bassist John Paul Jones recalls that
the crowd was unimpressed: ""They were all bored to tears waiting to
hear something they knew". Following the first performance,the song at position #10 was performed
at every Led Zeppelin concert until the band's breakup after drummer John
Bonham's death in 1980.The song was played again by the surviving members of
Led Zeppelin at the Live Aid concert in 1985; at the Atlantic Records 40th
anniversary party in 1988, with Jason Bonham on drums;and by Jimmy Page as an
instrumental version on his solo tours. Teasingly, the first few bars were
played alone during Page and Plant tours,only to be morphed into other songs.
Plant cites the Live Aid performance as the most unusual performance of the
song ever, "with two drummers while "Duran Duran" cried at the
side of the stage - there was something quite surreal about that." Critics of rock and roll songs(and of Led Zeppelin in particular)have
alleged that a backmasked message is recorded into "Stairway to
Heaven." The message, which allegedly occurs during the middle section of
the song ("If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed
now..."), is purported to contain Satanic references: Oh here's to my sweet Satan.The
one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan.He will give
those with him 666.There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad
Satan. The controversy originated from a
prominent Baptist, who, in 1982, preached on the radio that "Stairway to
Heaven" contained subliminal backward messages.This theory was later
primarily advanced by Michael Mills, Jacob Aranza, and Jeff Godwin, who offered
detailed analyses of the hidden meanings of both the "backwards" and
actual lyrics. In 1982, the Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee
of the California State Assembly held a hearing on backmasking in popular
music, during which "Stairway to Heaven" was played backwards.William
Yarroll,a self-identified neuroscientist,claimed that "Stairway to
Heaven," when played backward, contains a similar message:"I sing
because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off there's no escaping it. Here's to my sweet
Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan.Other
versions of the alleged message include "Here's to my sweet Satan, no
other made a path. For it makes me sad. Whose power is Satan? Oh, my number,
666", and "Oh, here's to my sweet Satan. The One whose little path
has made me sad. Whose power is Satan? Oh, my number, 666". The recording act at position #10 has for the most part ignored such
claims; for years the only comment came from Swan Song Records which issued the
statement:"Our turntables only play in one direction forwards".
Zeppelin producer Eddie Kramer confirmed this, calling the allegations
"totally and utterly ridiculous. Why would they want to spend so much
studio time doing something so dumb?"Robert Plant expressed frustration
with the accusations in an interview: "To me it's very sad, because
"Stairway to Heaven' was written with every best intention, and as far as
reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, that's not my idea of making
music."
The song's length precluded its release in full form as a single.
Despite pressure from Atlantic Records the band would not authorize the editing
of the song for single release, making "Stairway to Heaven" one of
the most well-known and popular rock songs never to have been released as a
single. It did, however, appear as a promotional disc in the United States, on
an Australian acoustic EP, and in the 1990s as a 20th anniversary promo book. Jimmy Page has himself commented
on the song's legacy:
The recording act at position #9 was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in New York City.She was the eldest child of Italian American parents Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta (ne Bissett).She learned to play piano from the age of four,went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mike nights by age 14.At the age of 11,Germanotta attended Convent of the Sacred Heart,a private Roman Catholic school.An avid thespian in high school musicals,Germanotta portrayed lead roles as "Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls" and "Philia" in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum".She described her academic life in high school as "very dedicated,very studious,very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure" as she told in an interview,"I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric,so I started to toneit down.I didn't fit in, and I felt like a freak".Acquaintances dispute that she did not fit in school."She had a core group of friends;she was a good student.She liked boys a lot,but singing was No. 1",recalled a former high school classmate.Referring to her "expressive,free spirit",the singer at position #9 told "Elle"magazine she is left-handed!" At age 17,Germanotta gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.There she studied music,and improved her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art,religion,social issues and politics.Germanotta lived in a NYU dorm on 11th Street but felt that she was more creative than some of her classmates."Once you learn how to thinkabout art,you can teach yourself," she said. By the second semester of her sophomore year,she withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career.Her father agreed to pay her rent for a year,on the condition that she re-enroll forTisch,if she was unsuccessful."I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find,and ate shit until somebody would listen," she said. Germanotta had initially signed with Def Jam Recordings at the age of 19,after Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman and CEO L. A. Reid heard her singing down the hallway from his office.After three months,she was dropped from Def Jam,although they introduced her to songwriter and producer RedOne,whom they also managed.The first song she produced together with Redone was "Boys Boys Boys",a mash-up inspiredby Motley Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls" and AC/DC's "T.N.T.".She moved into anapartment on the Lower East Side,and from there she started the Stefani Germanotta Band with some friends from NYU.They recorded an EP of their Fiona Apple-esque ballads,at a studio underneath a liquor store in New Jersey,becoming a local fixture at the downtown LES club scene.She began taking drugs soon after,while performing at burlesque shows.Her father did not understand the reason behind her drug addiction and could not look at her for several months. Music producer Rob Fusari,who helped her write some of her earlier songs,compared her vocal style tothat of Freddie Mercury.Fusari helped create the moniker Gaga,after the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga".One day, Germanotta was in the process of trying to come up with a stage name, when she received a text message from Fusari that read "Lady Gaga".He explained, "Every day,when Stef came to the studio,instead of saying hello,I would start singing 'Radio Ga Ga'.That was her entrance song. Lady Gaga was actually a glitch when Fusari typed 'Radio Ga Ga'in a text and it did an autocorrect so somehow 'Radio' got changed to 'Lady'.Germanotta texted me back,"That's it."After that day,she was Lady Gaga.She's like, "Don't ever call me Stefani again".Throughout 2007,Gaga collaborated with performance artist Lady Starlight,who helped create her onstage fashions.The pair began playing gigs at downtown club venues like the "Mercury Lounge","The Bitter End", and the "Rockwood Music Hall",with their live performance art piece known as "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue".Billed as "The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow",their act was a low-fi tribute to 1970s variety acts.In August 2007, Gaga and Starlight were invited to play at the American Lollapalooza music festival.The show was critically acclaimed,and theirperformance received positive reviews.Having initially focused on avant-garde, and electronic dance music, Gaga found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the vintage glam rock of David Bowie and Queen into her music. Gaga while performing at a bar,Fusari sent the songs he produced with Gaga tohis friend,producer and record executive Vincent Herbert.Herbert was quick to sign her to his label Streamline Records,an imprint of Interscope Records.She credited Herbert as the man who discovered her,adding "I really feel like we made pop history,and we're gonna keep going". Having already served as an apprentice songwriter under an internship at Famous Music Publishing,which was later acquired by Sony/ATVMusic Publishing,Gaga subsequently struck a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV.As a result,she was hired to write songs for Britney Spears,and labelmates New Kids On The Block,Fergie,and the Pussycat Dolls.While Gaga was writing at Interscope,singer-songwriter Akon recognized her vocal abilities,when she sang a reference vocal for one of his tracks in studio.He then convinced Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman and CEO Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal,by having her also sign with his own label Kon Live Distribution,and later called her his "franchise player". Gaga continued her collaboration with Redone,by working with him in the studio for a week on her debut album,spawning the future singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face".She also joined the roster of Cherrytree Records,an Interscope imprint establishedby producer and songwriter Martin Kierszenbaum,after co-writing four songs with Kierszenbaum including the single "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)". The song at position #9 although rather succesful is at position #9 primarily for both the success of the album titled "The Fame" and the song "Poker Face". In 2008, Lady Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles,working closely with her record label to finalize her debut album "The Fame".It was released on August 19,2008 by Interscope Records.She combined a lot of different genres on the album,from Def Leppard drums and hand claps to metal drums on "urban tracks.The main theme of the songs is about how anyone can feel famous like a celebrity.Gaga worked with severalproducers on the album;mainly RedOne,Martin Kierszenbaum and Rob Fusari.The songs are mostly inspired by Gaga's love of fame in general,and deals with the intricacies of a rich and famous lifestyle,visualized by her.Musically,the album drew inspiration from '80s electropop and synthpop while incorporating dance music and clear hooks.The album received mostly positive reviews, with critics commending Gaga's ability to discover a melodious hook and comparing her vocal abilities to those of Gwen Stefani.In the United States the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart. On December 2,2009,"The Fame" was nominated for six Grammy Awards and won Best Dance Recording for "Poker Face".The album was nominated for Album of the Year,and won the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards.On February 16,2010, it won Best International Album at the 2010 BRIT Awards. In Canada,the album reached number-one,and has been certified triple platinum bythe Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for shipment of 240,000 copies, and sold 390,000 copies.The album debuted at number six,and peaked at number two in New Zealand as well as being certified double platinum.In Australia,the album debuted at twelve and peaked at three.The album has been certified three times platinum in Australia,by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) forshipments of 210,000 copies."The Fame" debuted in the United Kingdom at number three.After spending ten weeks in the top ten,it replaced Ronan Keating's "Songs for My Mother" at the top position.Since then,the album spent four consecutive weeks atthe number-one spot.It has been certified four-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipment of 1.2 million copies.Including sales of the Deluxe The Fame Monster Edition,the album has sold approximately 1,647,000copies in the UK as of March 5,2010.In Ireland,the album entered the charts at number eight,and in its fifth week climbed to number-one for two consecutive weeks.In mainland Europe,the album peaked at number one on the European Top 100 Albums,theAustrian Albums Chart and the German Album Chart.It also reached the top twenty inBelgium,the Czech Republic,Denmark,Finland,Greece,Hungary,Italy,the Netherlands,Norway,Poland,Russia and Switzerland.Worldwide,the album has sold eight million copies. Off "The Fame" album "Poker Face" was inspired by Gaga's boyfriends who enjoyed gambling,and also dealt with her personal experience of bisexuality;her fantasies about women while having sex with men,thus representing her "Poker face". "Poker Face" was released as the album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in early 2009 for the rest of the world.The song is an uptempo dance song following in the footsteps of her previous single "Just Dance" but has a darker musical tone.The main idea behind the song is bisexuality and was a tributeby Gaga to her past boyfriends."Poker Face" has been well-received by the critics most of whom have praised the robotic hook and the chorus.The song has attained worldwide success,topping the charts in more than seventeen countries including the United States,United Kingdom, Australia,New Zealand,Canada and many European countries."Poker Face" is also the most downloaded song in the British chart history;and one of the most successful songs of the 21st century to date.The accompanying music video for the song portrays Gaga singing it in various costumes and playing strip poker in a mansion.Gaga performed the song for the eighth season of the television show American Idol as well as the Fame Ball and Monster Ball tours.The live performances included an electronic version and an acoustic version,which she played on the piano.It was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 52nd Grammy Awards and won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording.Rolling Stone ranked it number ninety-six (96) on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade. "Poker Face" was written by Lady Gaga and RedOne,Lady Gaga stated that the main idea behind the song was sex and gambling.In an interview with UK's Daily Star, Gaganoted of the song,"It's about a lot of different things.I gamble but I'e also dateda lot of guys who are really into sex and booze and gambling,so I wanted to write arecord my boyfriends would like too."In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine,when asked about the meaning of the line "bluffin' with my muffin",Gaga explained that it really was a metaphor for her vulva.She explained,"Obviously,it's my pussy'spoker face!I took that line from another song I wrote but never released,called 'Blueberry Kisses.'It was about a girl singing to her boyfriend about how she wantshim to go down on her,and I used the lyric.Then Gaga sings "Blueberry kisses,the muffin man misses them kisses". During her Fame Ball Tour performance at Palm Springs,California,on April 11,2009,Gaga explained to the crowd the true meaning behind the term "Poker Face" used in the song.She suggested that the song dealt with her personal experience with bisexuality.The idea behind the song was to be with a man but fantasizing about a woman,hence the man in the song needs to read her "Poker Face" to understand what is going through her mind. The song has sold five million paid digital downloads in the United States according to Nielsen Soundscan,making Gaga the first artist in digital history to top the five million mark in paid downloads with two songs,the first being "Just Dance".In Canada,the song debuted at number forty-one on the Canadian Hot 100.On the chart dated December 13,2008, "Poker Face" ascended to the number one spot andthen spent nine non-consecutive weeks at the top.The song was certified six times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for paid digital downloads of 240,000."Poker Face" entered the Australian charts at number twenty-six,and in its seventh week peaked at number one. "Poker Face" has shipped over 420,000 copies in Australia,earning six-times platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).In New Zealand,the song debuted on the Official Chart at number twenty-one.In its sixth week,it peaked the chart spending ten consecutive weeks at number one."Poker Face" was certified two times platinum after twenty-seven weeks on the chart,selling over 30,000 copies,according to the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). "Poker Face" debuted at number thirty on the UK Singles Chart.On the chart issue dated March 22, 2009,"Poker Face" climbed to number one,thus giving Gaga her secondconsecutive UK number one single.According to The Official Charts Company,"Poker Face" is the most downloaded song in Britain,since the download chart was introducedin 2004.As of December 2009 the song has sold 900,000 downloads there.It became thebiggest selling digital single in the UK,followed by Gaga's debut single "Just Dance".The song was awarded The Record of the Year in the UK in 2009.In Italy the song debuted at number ninet) and peaked at number two.The song has also reached that peak in a number of European countries including Austria,Belgium Flanders and Wallonia),Denmark,Finland,rance,Germany,Ireland, Netherlands,Norway,Swedenand Switzerland.Thesingle also peaked on the Billboard European Hot 100 Singles Chart and was on the top for sixteen weeks making it the longest running single in the chart.Worldwide the song has sold 9.8 million digital copies. Madonna told Rolling Stone that she sees "(her)self in Lady Gaga".In response to the comparisons between herself and Madonna,Gaga stated:"I don't want to soundpresumptuous, but I've made it my goal to revolutionise pop music.The last revolution was launched by Madonna 25 years ago".Gaga was nominated for a total of nine awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards,winning the award for "Best New Artist",while her single "Paparazzi" won two awards for "Best Art Direction" and"Best Special Effects."In October 2009,Gaga received Billboard magazine's RisingStar of 2009 award.She attended the Human Rights Campaign's "National Dinner" on October 10,2009,before marching in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. In 2009 she performed at The 2009 Royal Variety Performance where Gaga met and sangfor Queen Elizabeth II. Gaga was chosen as of one the '10 Most Fascinating Peopleof 2009' by Barbara Walters during Walters' annual ABC News special.In May 2010,Time magazine included Gaga in its annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Gaga performed the song for the eighth season of the television show American Idol as well as the Fame Ball and Monster Ball tours.The live performancesincluded an electronic version and an acoustic version,which she played on the piano.The song at position #9 was nominated for both "Song of the Year" and "Record of the Year" at the 52nd Grammy Awards and won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.Rolling Stone ranked it number ninety-six (96) on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade.In October 2011,NME placed it at number 103 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years.
Here is Number Eight(8) songwriting),Drew MacFarlane (guitar,keyboards,backing vocals),Edmund Irwin-Singer (bass,keyboards,backing vocals) and Joe Seaward (drums).
Their first album,"Zaba" (2014),spawned the single "Gooey", which was eventually certified platinum in the U.S.Their second full album,Being", received positive reviews and won in two categories at the 2018 MPG Awards for UK Album of the Year and Self Producing Artist of the Year,as well as a spot on the Mercury Prize shortlist.The third, Dreamland,peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the US Billboard 200.
The band is best known for their biggest hit single the song at position #4, which went viral on TikTok.It is a sleeper hit.In addition to reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart and being a top-five hit in several other European countries,it reached number one in Australia,Canada, Lithuania,Switzerland and the United States,where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in early 2022 after a record-breaking 59-week
it is the longest charting song on the Hot 100 of all time, surpassing "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd.By June 2024, the song had accumulated more than three billion streams on Spotify.At the 2022 Brit Awards,the song at position #4 was nominated for Best British Single.
Dave Bayley stated that the song at position #4 "is about loss and longing,and ultimately realizing you are unable to save something".He said that "Also,this song is about memories and it's very nostalgic and sometimes people feel more of that in the winter.Maybe that's part of the reason this song's hung around for so bloody long???everyone's locked inside and trapped in their own thoughts."
The song at position #4 starts on a high and then drops into despair before rising again for a cheerful,optimistic finale,much like the crests and troughs of a real wave.Bayley came up with the chords one day while playing around on the guitar.He wrote the lyrics in just an hour,prompted
whose birthday was in June.
In March 2021,the podcast Song Exploder featured an interview with Dave Bayley that specifically discussed the creation of the song at position #4.He says "weirdly,Johnny Depp was the first person to hear this song." In it,he says that after writing/performing the song late at night alone
home when he realized a stranger was sitting behind him.It was Depp who had been working in another studio.
Dreamland's incorporation of hip hop and electropop elements into Glass Animals' sound.It and "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" rejects the band's acoustic percussion and marimbas in favor of 808 sounds and skittering hi-hats.NME's Hannah Mylrea categorized the song as "earnest R&B run through the Glass Animals filter",and Pitchfork's Ian Cohen argued its guitars "could be plucked from any number of 'wavy hip-hop' sample packs meant to emulate Frank Ocean's 'Ivy' on a bedroom producer's budget".A major theme on "Dreamland" is the pursuit of brief pleasures to cope with the hardships of life,such as lust for others.On the song at position #4,Bayley sings repeatedly,
is you/Late nights in the middle of June."
The band ran a remix competition for the track,with 19-year-old British producer Shakur Ahmad winning and having his remix issued by the band, alongside a remix by American DJ Diplo in August 2020.Another remix is a collaboration with American rapper Iann Dior.A piano Simlish version was recorded by Bayley for The Sims 4 and was featured in a limited-time "Sims Sessions" in-game music event in 2021.
Sheet music for this song shows the key of B major (in the C-sharp Dorian mode).
8 HEY JUDE-BEATLES-"NOVEMBER,1968" ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_MjCqQoLLA
Here is Number Seven (7)
The #7 song is by a band that got their name taken from Georgia
(US) bluesmen "Pink Anderson & "Floyd Council". The group at #7 formed as
an R&B band in London in 1965.The members of the band consisted of Syd Barret on lead guitar to be replaced by David Gilmour who was born on March 6th,1947 in Cambridge,England
on vocals & lead guitar,Roger Waters born on September 6th,1947 in
Surrey,England on vocals & bass,Rick Wright born on July 28th,1945 in London on keyboards and
Nick Mason born on January 27th,1945 in Birmingham,England on drums.The band evolved
into a highly innovative "underground" group in the vein of the
mid-1960s "San Francisco sound."In 1967 they became the first British rock band
to use a light show as part of their act and achieved wide acclaim in Britain with their
album releases of "Piper at The Gates of Dawn" and "A Saucerful
Of Secrets". During this time they also came to the attention of US audiences with their
releaseof their Pink Floyd albums on Capitol's Records subsidiary Tower label.
In 1969 the recording act at #7's albums began appearing on Capitol's
affiliateHarvest,including "Ummagumma,"Atom Heart Mother","Relics" and "Meddle".Although these records were best sellers,Pink Floyd became widely known for the many
filmsthat utilize the group's music,including "Let's Make Love In
London","TheCommittee","The Valley", "Zabriskie Point" and
"Pink Floyd". This group is one of the most visual acts in all of rock,continually presenting new special effects. With supreme craftsmanship and imagination they fit together drome effects, intricate rhythmic patterns,sound collages and ultra-progressive rock.Their
touring equipment includes approximately eleven tons of sound and light devices.
On March 17th,1973 the album that the #7 song of all-time is off of
entered the Billboard (US) Magazine's album chart at #95.This album is a concept album by
this British progressive rock band. It is notable for its use of Musique concrete
and philosophical lyrics, something that would eventually become a trademark of
Pink Floyd's music.The album was a landmark in rock music,as it featured
radio-friendly songs such as "Money", "Time", "Us and Them", and
"Brain Damage/Eclipse".Some music critics use the album as a point of reference in determining between
"classic" blues rock and the then-new genre of electronic music.
"The Dark Side of the Moon" explores the nature of the
human experience. For example, "Time" deals with aging and the overwhelmingly fast approach
of death. "Money" deals with materialism with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and
wealth-related sound effects. "Us and Them" deals with conflict,ethnocentrism, and the
belief that a person's self is "always in the right."
The decision to tackle individual parts of life in an
album-length concept work is said to have been conceived during a band meeting in Nick Mason's kitchen
around late 1971. This album was recorded by the band and engineer Alan Parsons at
Abbey Road Studios between June 1972 and January 1973, the album sessions made use of
the most advanced techniques available for recording instruments and sound effects
in rock music at that time.
long with the conventional rock band instrumentation,Pink
Floyd added prominent synthesisers to their sound as well as some unconventional noises: an
assistant engineer running around the studio's echo chamber (during "On
The Run"),myriad antique clocks chiming simultaneously (as the intro to
"Time"),and a specially-treated bass drum made to sound like a human heartbeat. The heartbeat
is most audible as the intro and the outro to the album, but it can also be heard
underneath most of the album.The song "Time" and "On The
Run" has the low thudding underneath the rest. Roger Waters wrote all of the lyrics in the album and
created the early demo tracks in a small garden shed-turned-recording studio at his
home. It was in there he also created the intro to "Money" by experimenting
with droppinga range of monetary objects.
Another novelty found on "The Dark Side of the
Moon" is the metronomic sequence of sound effects played during "Speak to Me" and
"Money." This was achieved by labouriously splicing together recordings of ringing cash
registers,clinking coins, tearing paper, and buzzing counting machines onto a two-track
tape loop (later adapted to four tracks in order to create a unique "walk
around the room" effect in quadrophonic presentations of the album). Due to the sonic
experimentation on the album, many songs on "The Dark Side of the
Moon" (particularly "On the Run") required every member of the band to
operate the faders simultaneously in order to mix down the intricately assembled multitrack
recording.
Pink Floyd also perfected the use of other studio
techniques such as the doubletracking of vocals and guitars (allowing David Gilmour to harmonise
flawlessly with himself),flanging effects, odd trickery with reverb and the panning of
sounds
between channels. To this day,audiophiles use "The Dark Side of the
Moon" as a reference standard to test the fidelity of audio equipment despite the fact
that it was originally mixed from third-generation tape with Dolby noise reduction.
All four members of Pink Floyd, which included David Gilmour,Nick
Mason,Roger Waters, and Richard Wright, had some form of participation in the writing and production of the album, which is a rarity among later Pink Floyd albums.
However, it is the first of five consecutive Pink Floyd albums with lyrics completely credited to Roger Waters.
Waters created the early demo tracks at his Islington home in a
small recording studio he had built in his garden shed.Parts of the new album were taken from previously unused material;the opening line of "Breathe" came from an
earlier work by Waters and Ron Geesin, written for the soundtrack ofBody, and the basic
structure of "Us and Them" was taken from a piece originally
composed by Wright for the film Zabriskie Point.The band rehearsed at a warehouse in London owned
by The Rolling Stones, and then at the Rainbow Theatre. They also purchased extra equipment, which included new speakers, a PA system, a 28-track mixing desk
with four quadraphonic outputs, and a custom-built lighting rig. Nine tonnes of kit
was transported in three lorries; this would be the first time the band had taken
an entire album on tour, but it would allow them to refine and improve the new material,which by then had been given the provisional title of The Dark Side of
the Moon (an allusion to lunacy, rather than astronomy).
Although "The Dark Side of the Moon" was the plannedt itle of the album, upon the discovery that the band "Medicine Head" was to release an album of
the same name in 1972, the year prior to The Dark Side of the Moon's release, the band changed
the album's title to "Eclipse: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics". However,
the "Medicine Head" album flopped, so Pink Floyd was able to revert to the original
title without trouble.
On February 17,1972,more than a year before its release,at the
Rainbow Theatre in London "Dark Side of the Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics,as it was
then known,was performed in the presence of an assembled press ,and was critically
acclaimed.Michael Wale of The Times described the piece as "... bringing
tears to the eyes.It was so completely understanding and musically questioning."
Derek Jewell of The Sunday Times wrote "The ambition of the Floyd's artistic
intention isnow vast." Melody Maker was, however, less enthusiastic: "Musically,
there were somegreat ideas, but the sound effects often left me wondering if I was in a
bird-cage at London zoo."The following tour was praised by the public. The new
material was performed live, in the same order in which it would eventually be recorded,but obvious differences between the live version, and the recorded version released
a year later, included the lack of synthesisers in tracks such as "On the
Run", and Bible readings that were later replaced by Clare Torry's non-lexical vocables
on "The Great Gig in the Sky".
On most CD pressings, a barely-audible orchestral version of The
Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" is audible after "Eclipse", playing very
faintly over the heartbeats that close the album. It is unknown why this was included, but it
may have been the consequence of a mastering error. The bootleg recording "A
Tree Full of Secrets" includes an amplified, re-processed version of this oddity,
which allows it to be heard clearly. This is not found on the original vinyls. Clare Torry in the 1970s during the recording of "The
Dark Side of the Moon" did the vocals for "The Great Gig in the Sky", which are intended to
make the listener think of death. However,in 2004 she sued EMI and Pink Floyd for
songwriting royalties, claiming that she co-wrote "The Great Gig in the Sky" with
keyboardist Richard Wright. She was originally paid 30 pounds for Sunday studio work. The
High Court concluded that Torry was correct but the terms of the lawsuit have yet to
be decided.On Pink Floyd's 2006 live DVD P*U*L*S*E, Torry is credited with the
vocal composition for "The Great Gig in the Sky" segment.
Snippets of dialogue between and over the top of the songs
are also featured on the recording. Roger Waters devised a method of interviewing people, whereby
questions were printed on flashcards in sequential order and the subject's
responses were recorded uninterrupted. The questions related to central themes of the
album such as madness, violence, and death.Participants were commandeered from around
Abbey Road, placed in the darkened studio in front of a microphone, and told to
answer the questions in the order in which they were presented. This provoked
some surprising responses to subsequent questions. For example, the question
"When was the last time you were violent?" was immediately followed by "Were
you in the right?"
Recordings of road manager Roger "The Hat" Manifold
were the only ones obtained through a conventional sit-down interview because the band members could not
find him at the time and his responses (including "give 'em a quick, short,
sharp shock..." and "live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me...") had
to be taped later when the flashcards had been lost. Another roadie, Chris Adamson, was on tour
with Pink Floyd at the time and recorded his explicit diatribe that opens the album ("I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years, over the edge for
yonks...").
Pink Floyd's executive road manager Peter Watts (father of
actress Naomi Watts) contributed the repeated laughter during "Brain Damage" and
"Speak to Me." The monologue about "geezers" who were "cruisin' for a
bruisin'" and the often-misheard "I never said I was frightened of dying" (during the middle of
"The Great Gig in the Sky") came from Peter's wife, Myfanwy Watts.
The responses "And I am not frightened of dying, any time
will do I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying, there's no reason for it you've got to go
some time" (during "The Great Gig in the Sky") and closing words
"there is no dark side of the Moon really...as a matter of fact it's all dark"(over the
"Eclipse" heartbeats) came from the Abbey Road Studios' Irish doorman at the time, Gerry Driscoll.
Paul and Linda McCartney were also interviewed, but their answers were considered
too cautious for inclusion. McCartney's bandmate Henry McCullough contributed the famous line "I don't know, I was really drunk at the time."
(Apparently in answer to the question "Why does anyone do anything?", which immediately
preceded it.)
Alan Parsons engineered the album while on staff at Abbey
Road. He once said in an interview that he swapped shifts with colleagues in order to work on the
whole project.
The gatefold sleeve of the original LP version.The
"Great Pyramids of Giza" Poster.The "concert" poster that came with the original LP
version.The album was originally released in a gatefold LP sleeve bearing George Hardie's iconic refracting prism on the cover. Inside were two posters, one bearing pictures of
the band in concert with the words PINK FLOYD broken up and scattered about and the
other being a slightly psychedelic image of the Great Pyramids of Giza taken on
infrared film. Also included was a sheet of stickers of the pyramids. In 1991,
the refracting prism album cover was #35 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest album
coversof all time list.In 2003 VH1 declared that The Dark Side of the Moon had the fourth-greatest album cover of all time,and in 2009 listeners of the UK radio station Planet Rock voted the packaging the greatest album cover of all time..
"The Dark Side of the Moon" deals conceptually with the
pressures of modern life that can drive normal human beings to insanity: materialism, the increased pace
of life and travel, the encroachment of old age and death, and the inhumanities of
society and armed conflict.Each side of the album is a continuous piece of
music.The five tracks on each side reflect various stages of human life,beginning and
ending with a heartbeat, exploring the nature of the human experience,and (according to Waters) "empathy". "Speak to Me" and
"Breathe" together stress the mundane and futile elements of life that accompany the ever-present threat of madness,and the importance of living one's own life..."Don't be afraid to
care".
These themes are not just delivered by words but are suggested
with the sounds of the album.For example, the sound of an aeroplane crash in the track "On
The Run" can represent a fear of flight (Wright suggested this could bring fear of death
for some). "Time" discusses how quickly life can and will slip by those
who are unaware of it and uses actual alarm bells to wake the listener at the beginning of the track. "The Great Gig in the Sky," which had a working title of
"The MortalitySequence," comments on the nature of death as a sad state of being,
evidenced by the sounds of the screaming woman throughout this generally instrumental track. The
lyrics and sound effects of "Money" flippantly endorse greed for
ironic effect, and states that it is "the root of all evil today." "Us and Them" deals with interpersonal conflict, the insanity of warfare and xenophobia.It also addresses the isolation of the depressed with the symbology of conflict and the use of simpledichotomies to describe personal relationships.The meaning of "Any Colour
You Like"is not as clear as the other songs,but it is thought to represent the fear of
taking risks when making choices.The song title came from an answer frequently given
by a studio technician to questions put to him: "You can have it any colour you
like,"which was a reference to Henry Ford's (apocryphal) description of the Model T:
"You can have it any color you like, as long as it's black."
"Brain Damage" reaches out to the outsiders ("lunatics")who may be the only people that
recogniZe society's faults. It is also about their former member Syd Barrett, who was forced to
leave the band due to mental illness. Finally,"Eclipse" describes the true
essence of a person through the impact they have left on others.
Precursors to the The Dark Side of the Moon concept can be found in many
of Pink Floyd's earlier works. The band had previously performed a conceptual piece,
The Man and the Journey,based on the everyday life of a man during their 1969
European tour. Roger Waters' lyrical obsession with insanity was in part precipitated by
the departure of Syd Barrett (a founding member of Pink Floyd) following his mental
collapse. Perhaps most important to the gestation of The Dark Side of the Moon
is the song "Echoes" from "Meddle," which also deals with
interpersonal relationships using progressive ambient music.
When the album is played simultaneously with the 1939 film The Wizard of
Oz,numerous images from the film appear to synchronise with the music and lyrics.
All band members (save one) have firmly stated that the phenomenon is a
coincidence.This effect has often been called Dark Side of the Rainbow.
Some of the profits from "The Dark Side of the Moon"
were invested in the making of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The members of Pink Floyd were reportedly
huge Monty Python fans, to the point of interrupting recording sessions to watch the
Flying Circus.
The Dark Side of the Moon is widely hailed by many critics and fans as
Pink Floyd's magnum opus, and is generally considered their definitive album. On
Cash Box Magazine (US),in Canada & the UK this was the #1 album for the entire year
of 1973.In Australia it was the #3 album for the entire year of 1973 and the # nine (9)
album for the entire year of 1974.In 1990 Radio station KZOK from Seattle
ranked "The Dark Side Of The Moon"as the second biggest album of all-time
only to be surpassed by "Led Zeppelin IV". In 1991 Radio Station KXRX from
Seattle ranked "The Dark Side Of The Moon" to also be the #2 album of all-time only
to be surpassed by the Beatles' "Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". In
1994 a marketing company in the UK ranked "Dark Side Of The Moon" as the #6
album of all-time in a list comprising all genres of music which included heavy metal,
live albums,greatest hits,compilations,indie,soul,rap,folk,country,latin, world
& grunge.In 2006 it was voted "My Favourite Album" by viewers and listeners to
the Australian ABC.NME (UK) readers voted the album eighth in their 2006 "Best album of
all time" online poll,and in 2009 Planet Rock listeners voted the album the
"greatest of all time".The album is also number two on the Definitive 200 Albums of All
Time,a list made by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers "in
celebration of the art form of the record album".It came 29th in The Observer's (UK) 2006
list of "The 50 albums that changed music",and 37th in The Guardian's (UK)
1997 list of the "100 best albums ever",as voted for by a panel of artists and music
critics.In 1990,Australian radio listeners voted it the best album to make love to,and in 2002, Rolling Stone Magazine (US) heralded "The Dark Side of the Moon" as
the 11th greatest album of all time."The Dark Side of the Moon" spent 741
weeks on the USA-based Billboard 200 album chart,the longest duration in history.The second longest running album "Johnny's Greatest Hits" by Johnny Mathis only spent
490 weeks on the chart.Not even close.The album also peaked at #1 in New Zealand.
"The Dark Side of the Moon" is one of the best-selling albums of all time worldwide, and the 20th-best-selling album in the United States. Though it heldthe #1 spot in the USA (Billboard) for only one week, it spent a total of 741 consecutive weeks, approximately fifteen years, on the list until April 23,
1988 only to be removed by a rule change. The album re-appeared on the Billboard
charts with the introduction of the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart in May 1991, and has
been perennial feature since then.[91] In the UK, it is the seventh-best-selling
album of all time and the highest selling album never to reach number one.
In the US the LP was released before the introduction of platinum
awards in 1976.It therefore held only a gold disc until February 16,1990,when it was certified 11 x platinum. On June 4.1998 the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album 15 x platinum,denoting sales of fifteen
million in the United States-making it their biggest-selling work there (The Wall is 23... platinum, but as a double album this signifies sales of 11.5 million). Industry sources suggest that worldwide sales of the album total about 45
million. "On a slow week" between 8,000 and 9,000 copies are sold, and a total
of 400,000 were sold in 2002, making it the 200th-best-selling album of that year
"nearly three decades after its initial release.The album has sold 9,502,000 copies in
the US since 1991 when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard.To this
day,it occupies a prominent spot on Billboard's Pop Catalog Chart. It reached
number one when the 2003 hybrid CD/SACD edition was released and sold 800,000 copies
in the US.On the week of May 5,2006 The Dark Side of the Moon achieved a combined
total of 1,716 weeks on the Billboard 200 and Pop Catalog charts.One in every fourteen people in the US under the age of 50 are estimated to own,or to have owned, a
copy.Upon a change in methodology in 2009 allowing catalogue titles to be included
in the Billboard 200,The Dark Side of the Moon returned to the chart at number 189
on 12 December of that year for its 742nd charting week.It has continued to sporadically appear on the Billboard 200 since then, with the total at 942
weeks on the chart as of January 2019.
The LP was released before platinum awards were introduced by the
RIAA on January 1, 1976,and it initially only received a gold disc. However,
after the introduction of the album on CD, "The Dark Side of the Moon" would
eventually be certified platinum on February 16,1990. On April 6, 1998,the RIAA certified the
album at 15x platinum, denoting sales of fifteen million in the United States alone-making it their second biggest-selling album there."Time","Money" and "Us and Them" remain radio call-in request favorites, with "Money"
having sold well as a
single in its own right.
In 1979 "The Dark Side of the Moon" was released as a
remastered LP by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL). It has since been re-released several times on CD.
MFSL remastered and re-released the album again in CD form, and the album was again re-released later as a remastered CD as part of the 1992 box set "Shine
On." The 1992 remaster was then re-released by itself as a 20th Anniversary box set
edition with postcards.
"The Dark Side of the Moon" was re-released as a 30th anniversary hybrid Super Audio CD with a 5.1 channel DSD surround sound version remixed from the original 16-track studio tapes. Some surprise was expressed when longtime producer James Guthrie was called in to mix the new surround mix rather than the original LP engineer, Alan Parsons who had already produced a definitive Quadraphonic mix shortly after the original album was released.This 30th anniversary edition won
four Surround Music Awards in 2003. The Dark Side of the Moon was also
re-released in 2003 on 180-gram virgin vinyl and included reprints of the original posters
and stickers that came with the original vinyl release, along with a new 30th
anniversary poster.
However,being Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon is not at #1 on
the top 7000 that means the #7 entry will be the most successful track from the album which
is "Money".
Roger Waters and David Gilmour stated that the song
titled "Money" had beencomp osed primarily in 7/8 time;[2] it was composed in 7/4,[3] according to
Gilmourin an interview with Guitar World magazine in 1993.
The song changes to 4/4 time for an extended guitar solo.The first
of three choruses which comprise the solo were recorded using real-time double tracking. Gilmour played the chorus nearly identically in two passes recorded to two different tracks of a multi-track tape machine.The second chorus is a single guitar.The doubled effect for the third chorus was created using automatic (or "artificial") double-tracking (ADT).
One of Gilmour's ideas for the solo section was that,for the second
chorus of the solo,all reverb and echo effects would be completely off (referred to as
"dry"),creating the sense of just four musicians playing in a small room. For this
"dry" chorus, all musicians played softly and subtly, with Gilmour's solo, now one
single guitar, playing very sparsely.Then, for the third chorus, the dynamics would suddenly rise, with heavy use of reverb and echo (a "wet" sound),
additional rhythm-guitar parts in the background, and the drums becoming heavy and almost chaotic.The form and chord progression are based on the standard twelve-bar
blues in the key of B minor, with the vocal melody and nearly all of Gilmour's
soloing based on the pentatonic and blues scales.Two twelve-bar verses are followed by
a twenty-bar instrumental section that features a blues-style tenor saxophone
solo (played by Dick Parry) along with keyboard, bass and drums and a further
two-bar intro in 4/4 leading to the guitar solo, which is structured like a twelve-bar blues,but doubled to a twenty-four-bar length.
The lyrics are briefly referenced in the film Pink Floyd-The Wall,when
the protagonist,Pink is caught writing poems in class by his teacher.The teacher snatches the poem from him and reads it in a very sarcastic,demeaning manner, practically encouraging Pink's classmates to laugh.The poem is a verse of
lyrics to "Money".
The demo tracks for the song,including some of the sound
effects,were recorded in a makeshift recording studio Roger Waters had in his garden shed.As
recorded by the band, the song has a "bluesy, transatlantic feel",
unlike Waters' original demo version, which he later described as "prissy and very
English". As heard on Classic Albums: Pink Floyd-The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon, the demo is in G-sharp minor, as opposed to the B minor of the final version.
The instrumental jam was a collaborative effort,with
Gilmour overseeing the time changed as well as his own guitar and vocal work, and Richard Wright and
Nick Mason improvising their own parts. Dick Parry contributed the tenor saxophone
solo that precedes the guitar solo. Gilmour's input is also discernible in the final
mix,which features contrasting "wet" sections, with thick reverb and
delay effects, and"dry" sections.In particular,during the second chorus of the guitar
solo,all the reverb and delay effects are suddenly pulled out,creating a much smaller and
more intimate virtual space.To produce the distinctive piercing high notes that
distinguish the final chorus of his solo, Gilmour played a customized Lewis
guitar with twenty-four frets, allowing a full four-octave range.
One of the most distinctive elements of "Money" is the
rhythmic sequence of sound effects that begins the track and is heard throughout the first several
bars.This was created by splicing together recordings Waters had made of clinking
coins,a ringing cash register,tearing paper,a clicking counting machine and other
items to construct a seven-beat effects loop.It was later adapted to four tracks in
order to create a "walk around the room" effect in the quadraphonic mix of
"The Dark Side of the Moon".
In the video Classic Albums:Pink Floyd-The Making of The Dark Side
of the Moon, engineer Alan Parsons described the recording of the band's initial backing
track for the song:They used the sound-effect tape loop as a sort of metronome,but Parsons gradually faded out the loop before the vocals started. As the song progressed,the band gradually sped up, yet later, between the second verse and
the saxophone solo, Parsons briefly raised up the volume of the effects loop, and
just by coincidence,it turned out to fit the beat.After this point,the loop is not
heard again.
In 2008, Guitar World magazine listed Gilmour's solo on
"Money" as #62 among readers' votes for "The Greatest 100 Guitar Solos".The song also was
ranked #69 on the list of "The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" of Rolling
Stone.
Before I close on a more personal note.I have been to many
rock concerts. I have seen some of the heavyweights of Rock & Roll in concert like "Led
Zeppelin",
"Rolling Stones","The Who","Queen","Van
Halen","Bryan Adams,"AC/DC,"U2","Ozzy Osbourne", "Grateful Dead","Bob
Dylan","Red Hot Chili Peppers","Def Leppard" and some mediocre rock recording acts like "Motley
Crue","Righteous Brothers", "Proclaimers","Living Colour", "Joan Jett &
Blackhearts","Robert Plant","Bachman Turner Overdrive","REO Speedwagon","ZZ
Top","Jefferson Starship","Sting","Crests", "Drifters","Silverchair", "Peter Gabriel and many
others. And I hate to admit this as a US citizen but I must tip my hat off to the Canadians (even though they implicitly insult Americans every time they slap that flag on their backpacks).
I must tip my hat to the Canadians because of all the rock concerts I've been
to the best one I saw was on Canada Day (July 1st) in 1994 in Winnipeg,Canada when
I saw "Pink Floyd" perform on their "Division Bell" tour. The
lights and the effects were just awesome.Good reason why "Pink Floyd is at #7".
Further,anybody who's beento a "Pink Floyd" concert would agree with me.Especially if like me
you had the opportunity to enjoy a good smoke while watching the concert.
Here is Number Six (6)
The recording act at position #6 is the second most successful solo recording act
of all-time next to Elvis Presley.He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on
March 25, 1947 in the northwest London suburb of Pinner, Middlesex, near Watford in
England. He was born at home in the modest council house at 55 Pinner Hill Road
that was the home of his maternal grandparents, with whom his newlywed parents,
Stanley and Sheila Dwight, were living at the time.When the young family was better
established, they purchased a nicer, semi-detached house around the corner at 111
Potter Street.Reginald was educated at nearby Pinner County Grammar School until he
dropped out at the age of 15 to pursue a career in the music industry.
The two defining issues of the recording act at position #6's early childhood
were music and the lack of love he received from his father.Years later, when
Stanley Dwight was on his deathbed and requested a final visit from his rock star
son,Reginald refused to meet with him.
Reginald has stated that his wild stage costumes and performances were his way
of letting go after such a restrictive childhood. Extending this idea,it is likely
that the excesses and addictions of his personal life had some basis in these
childhood issues. Additionally,Reginald's ceaseless ambition to succeed, manifested
even today by a nearly endless touring schedule, may well be grounded in the
desire of every child to "prove" himself in the eyes of an unapproving parent.
Both of Reginald's parents were musically inclined, his father having been a
trumpet player with a semi-professional big band that played military dances. The
Dwights were avid record buyers,exposing the boy to all the popular singers and
musicians of the day.Reginald remembers being immediately hooked on rock and roll
when his mother brought home records by Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and his Comets in 1956.
With the help of mother Sheila and stepfather Fred "Derf" (Fred spelled
backwards) Farebrother,Reginald Dwight became a weekend pianist at the nearby
Northwood Hills pub, playing on Friday,Saturday and Sunday nights. The crowd was
often rough sometimes an unruly patron would dump a pint of beer into Reginald's
piano and the youngster had to work hard to please them. He played everything from
Jim Reeves country songs ("He'll Have to Go") to Irish folk numbers ("When Irish
Eyes Are Smiling"),decades-old ditties ("Beer Barrel Polka"), hits of the day
("King of the Road"), and songs he had written himself. He received a modest,
steady income and substantial tips. "During that whole period, I don't think I
ever missed a gig", he said later. He also did a stint with a short-lived group
called the Corvettes rounded out his time.
In 1964, Dwight and his friends formed a band called "Bluesology". By day,
he ran errands for a music publishing company; he divided his nights between solo
gigs at a London hotel bar and working with "Bluesology". By the mid-1960s,
"Bluesology" was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like The "Isley
Brothers","Major Lance", "Doris Troy" and "Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles".
In 1966, the band became musician Long John Baldry's supporting band and began
touring cabarets in
England.
After failing lead vocalist auditions for "King Crimson" and "Gentle Giant",
Dwight answered an advertisement in the "New Musical Express" placed by
Ray Williams,then the A&R manager for Liberty Records. At their first meeting,
Williams gave Dwight a stack of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had answered
the same ad.Dwight wrote music for the lyrics, and then mailed it to Taupin, and
thus began a partnership that continues to this day. In 1967,what would become the
first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song, "Scarecrow", was recorded; when the two first
met, six months later, Reginald Dwight had changed his name to Elton John, by deed
poll,in homage to "Bluesology" saxophonist "Elton Dean" and "Long John Baldry".
Empty Sky, Elton John's 1969 debut album, went largely unnoticed.The team of
John and Taupin joined Dick James's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968, and
over the next two years wrote material for various artists, like Roger Cook and
Lulu. Taupin would write a batch of lyrics in under an hour and give it to John,
who would write music for them in half an hour, disposing of the lyrics if he
couldn't come up with anything quickly. For two years, they wrote easy-listening
tunes for James to peddle to singers.
Their early output included an entry for British song for the Eurovision Song
Contest in 1969,called "Can't Go On (Living Without You)" It came sixth of six
songs.
During this period Elton also played on sessions for other artists including
playing piano on The Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and singing backing
vocals for "The Scaffold".
On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin started writing
more complex songs for John to record for DJM. The first was the single "I've Been
Loving You" (1968), produced by Caleb Quaye, former "Bluesology" guitarist. In 1969,
with Quaye, drummer Roger Pope, and bassist Tony Murray, John recorded another
single, "Lady Samantha," and an album, "Empty Sky". Despite good reviews, none of
the records sold well.
Elton and Taupin now enlisted Gus Dudgeon to produce a follow-up with Paul
Buckmaster as arranger. "Elton John" was released in the spring of 1970 on DJM
Records/Pye Records in the UK and Uni Records in the USA, and established the
formula for subsequent albums; gospel-chorded rockers and poignant ballads. The
first single from the album, "Border Song," only made the US Top 100 peaking at #92.
After the second single "Your Song" made the US Top Ten, the album followed suit.
Elton's first American concert took place at The Troubadour in Los Angeles (his
introduction was provided by Neil Diamond), in August, backed by ex-Spencer
Davis Group drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray. Kicking over his piano
bench Jerry Lee Lewis-style and performing handstands on the keyboards, Elton left
the critics raving, and drew praise from fellow artists such as Quincy Jones and
Bob Dylan.
In the spring of 1970,Elton was recruited to provide piano and backing vocals
on "Back Home",the song recorded by the England football squad which was about to
depart to Mexico for the World Cup finals.
"Elton John" was followed quickly with the concept album Tumbleweed Connection
in October 1970,which reached the Top Ten on the Billboard 200. A frenetic pace of
releasing two albums a year was now established.
The live album 17-11-70 (11-17-70 in the US) showcased Elton's talent as a rock
pianist and father of piano rock. Taped at a live show aired from A&R Studios on
WPLJ-FM in New York City, and introduced by disc jockey Dave Herman, it featured
extended versions of John/Taupin's early compositions that illustrate the gospel and
boogie-woogie influences on John's piano playing.It also featured much interaction
between John,bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson. During the magnum
opus 18:20 version of "Burn Down the Mission", the band interpolates Arthur "Big
Boy" Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" and a full rendition of The Beatles' "Get Back"
before a rampaging conclusion.
Elton and Taupin then wrote the soundtrack to the obscure film "Friends" and
then the album "Madman Across the Water", the latter reaching the Top Ten and
producing the hit "Levon", while the soundtrack album produced the hit "Friends".
Elton John's sixth album, "Madman Across the Water" in 1972, marked the final
piece of what would become known as the Elton John Band fell into place, with the
addition of Davey Johnstone (on guitar and backing vocals). Murray, Olsson, and
Johnstone came together with Elton and Taupin's writing,Elton's flamboyant
performance style, and producer Gus Dudgeon to create a hit-making chemistry for
the next five Elton John albums. Known for their instrumental playing, the members
of the band were also strong backing vocalists who worked out and recorded many of
their vocal harmonies themselves, usually in Elton's absence.
The band released Honky Chateau, which became Elton's first American number 1
album, spending five (5)weeks at the top of the charts and spawning the hit singles
"Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long,Long Time)" and "Honky Cat".
The 1973 pop album "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" came out at the
start of 1973,and produced the hits "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel"; the former
became his first U.S. number one hit. (Ironically this, like his other famous 1970s
solo hits, would be popular in his native land but never top the UK Singles Chart;
this achievement would have to wait two decades.) Both the album and "Crocodile
Rock" were the first album and single, respectively on the consolidated MCA Records
label in the USA, replacing MCA's other labels including Uni.
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", a double album considered by many to be Elton John's
best album,followed later in 1973. It gained instant critical acclaim and topped the
chart on both sides of the Atlantic. It also temporarily established Elton John as
a glam rock star. It contained the US Number 1 hit "Bennie and the Jets",along with
the popular and praised "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road","Saturday Night's Alright for
Fighting", "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding", "Grey Seal" (originally
recorded and released in 1970 as the B-side to the UK-only single, "Rock and Roll
Madonna")and "Candle in the Wind".
For the next two decades Elton John's success continued.But twenty four (24) years
later in 1997 one song from the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album titled "Candle In
The Wind",a song with music by Elton and the lyrics by Bernie Taupin,was suddenly
resurrected.The lyrics of the song are a sympathetic portrayal of the life of
Marilyn Monroe (the song's opening line "Goodbye Norma Jean" refers to Monroe's
real name) and condemn exploitation by those around her,using the metaphor of a
candle extinguished prematurely after the loneliness of her final years.The single
release of the original song reached number eleven (11) on the UK charts and #6 on
the Australian singles chart in early 1974, and a live recording with the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra in 1986 reached number (5) five in 1988 in the UK and it
reached #6 in the USA (Billboard).
On August 31,1997 Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in
Paris,France.The news immediately shocked Elton John,as he and the Princess had
been very good friends:he had also lost another good friend,the fashion designer
Gianni Versace, earlier in the summer,and had attended his funeral with Diana.As a
result of these deaths, John sank into a deep depression, and considered not going
to the funeral due to the emotional trauma.In the end, he decided to attend after
receiving support from other friends. Following the recovery,John decided he wanted
to pay a tribute to Diana: with that in mind, he contacted his veteran writing
partner,Bernie Taupin.Due to the confusion created by a message John left on
Taupin's answering machine in which he asked Taupin to write a lyric similar to
"Candle in the Wind", Taupin rewrote that song.George Martin was contacted to help
produce the song,and added a string quartet,(Peter Manning,Keith Pascoe,Levine
Andrade and Andrew Shulman) and woodwind(Pippa Davies,flute) to help balance the
recording.
On September 6,1997, John sang the song at the funeral of his friend Diana,
Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey, London having rewritten the lyrics with
Taupin to try to reflect the grief that many felt at the loss of the Princess.
He changed the opening lyrics from "Goodbye Norma Jean,though I never knew you at
all," were adapted to "Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts."
In fact, most of the lyrics were adapted to suit the circumstances of Diana's life
and death,
but a notable and poignantly ironic omission was the line, "Even when you died,
the press still hounded you..." which was replaced with the lyric, "Even though we
try,the truth brings us to tears..."
"Candle In The Wind 1997", produced by George Martin, was released on September
13,1997 as a double A-side with "Something about the Way You Look Tonight",
entering at #1 in the UK (4th UK #1) and instantly became the fastest-selling single
in the UK, selling 658,000 copies in the UK on that day alone, over 1.5 million
copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling record of all time in the
UK charts.It also remained at number one for five (5) weeks in the UK. In October
it became John's ninth U.S. number one single,where it topped the Billboard
Hot 100 for 14 weeks,and is the best-selling single in Billboard history and the
only single ever certified Diamond in the U.S."Candle In The Wind 1997" topped the
German Singles Chart for seven weeks,the Australian ARIA Charts for six weeks
reached number one in Japan,Canada,France and music charts around the world.
The 1997 version won John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
at the 40th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1998.The lyrics of the earlier version of
"Candle in the Wind", written by Bernie Taupin.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America,with certified sales,
this song is "the best-selling single of all time."The Guinness World Records 2009
states that the song is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts
began in the 1950s,having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies".
This song spent six (6) weeks at #1 in Australia.It also becoming the first song
in history to reach the top in each of the four major countries in the music
industry: USA,Japan,United Kingdom and Germany.The song also went to #1 in Austria,
Belgium,the Netherlands,Finland,New Zealand,Denmark, Spain,Austria,France,Ireland,
Italy,Norway,Sweden, Switzerland and Canada. It is estimated that at the peak of sales,
almost six copies of the single were sold per second.
In the USA,UK,Canada and Australia "Candle In The Wind (97) was the #1 single
for the entire year of 1997.In the USA "Candle In The Wind (97) spent 14 weeks
at #1 on the Billboard Singles Chart a record for a male solo artist.Only two other
song has spent more time at #1 on the Billboard Singles Chart.The song eventually
sold 4.86 million copies in the UK, overtaking "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by
"Band Aid" to be certified as the best-selling single of all time in the UK.It also
sold over 11 million copies in the U.S. (again the all-time best-selling single)
after receiving advance orders of nearly 9 million,and was number one in most
countries around the world (In Canada,it spent three years in the top 20 with 45
non-consecutive weeks at the top spot).No song has spent more time at #1 on the
singles chart in Canada. However, the song's unusual chart performance in Canada has
also been explained as a structural factor;due to the relative lack of CD singles
available for sale in Canadian stores,in some weeks the song was able to chart on
sales of less than 100 copies across the entire country.
As a testament to the song at position #6's success,it is estimated that at the
peak of sales,almost six copies of the single were sold across the world per second.
In total,over 37 million copies were sold around the world,making it the
best-selling single of all-time worldwide,although it should be noted that this
sales figure takes into account only CD-singles and was released after the era of
the traditional single had effectively ended;Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" remains
the biggest-selling traditional vinyl single. All artist and composer royalties and
record company profits were donated to the Diana,Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
John publicly performed "Candle in the Wind 1997" only once, at the funeral of
Diana,Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey on September 6,1997.Though he continues
to sing the original 1973 version of the song at his concerts,John has repeatedly
turned down requests to perform the 1997 version.He refused even when asked to do
so for the memorial Concert for Diana in July 2007,having vowed never to perform it
again unless asked by Diana's sons.The song has never been released (or re-released)
on any of his other albums or compilations,not even on the 1997 Diana Princess of
Wales: Tribute album (an official 2-CD release sanctioned by Diana's family that
included other artists such as Celine Dion and Rod Stewart).
Candle In The Wind is also the name of a 1941 play by Maxwell Anderson.
6 CANDLE IN THE WIND (97)-ELTON
JOHN-"NOVEMBER,1997"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o9rLDCfO6o
Here is Number Five (5)
The song at position #5 is at #5 primarily for the chart performance of the album "1989" which the song is off of.
The song at position #5 is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth album, 1989 (2014).
The song at position #5 is the sixth track on the album and serves as the lead single.The song premiered during a Yahoo!
live stream session on August 18,2014 (also streaming internationally online);its music video was also released the same day.
Several hours later, the song was made available for digital download.
Musically,the song is an uptempo dance-pop song written in the key of G major at tempo of 160 beats per minute,and exists outside
of the traditional country pop musical style of Swift's previous releases.Her vocal range spans two octaves from G3 to G5.She raps
in the song.The song's arrangement features a saxophone.
Jason Lipshutz from Billboard compared the song's melody to that of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' song "Thrift Shop" (2013).A writer
from Music Times likened the song to Pharrell Williams' "Happy" (2013).Writing for The Hollywood Reporter,Shirley Halperin labelled
the song "an uptempo version" of Idina Menzel's
"Let It Go" (2013).
Lyrically, the song is dedicated to Swift's detractors.She has discussed this, saying, "I???ve learned a pretty tough lesson that people
can say whatever they want about us at any time, and we cannot control that.The only thing we can control is our reaction to that."
A day following its impact on US radio stations,the song at position #5 gained an audience of nine million.The song debuted at 45
on the Billboard Radio Songs chart with 29 million in all-format audience.It debuted on the Mainstream Top 40 chart at number 12,tying
it with Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover" (1993) as the highest chart debut.The song at position #5 became her third number-one song there,
following her 2008 country crossover hit single "Love Story" and her 2013 hit "I Knew You Were Trouble", which remained No. 1 for seven
consecutive weeks.The single debuted at number nine on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, becoming the highest debut single on the chart.
On its sixth week,the song became her second No. 1 on the Adult Top 40 chart since her 2013 hit "I Knew You Were Trouble", tying it with
Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" (1996) as the fastest song to reach number 1 in just six weeks.The song debuted at number 58 on the
Country Airplay chart,though only two country stations played the song more than four times.It spent only one week on the chart.Billboard
noted that its presence on the chart was unusual due to its sound and Swift's acknowledged transition from country to pop music.On the Radio
Songs chart, the song became Swift's third number-one song there, following her 2013 hit "I Knew You Were Trouble".The song at position #5
has spent four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart.
The song at position #5 debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart,becoming the 22nd song to do so.It produced first-week
digital sales of 544,000 units for the chart issue dated September 6,2014, the largest debut sales week for a single of 2014 and the fourth overall,
following Flo Rida's "Right Round", Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and Katy Perry's "Roar".During that week,the song at
position #5 additionally garnered 18.4 million streams and 71 million airplay audiences.The song remained at number one for the second
week selling 355,000 copies.The song at position #5 then dropped down to number two,beneath Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass",where it
stayed for eight consecutive weeks,before returning to number one on November 15,2014,when the album "1989" was released and debuted at number
one the same week.The song's eight weeks gap in reclaiming number one was the third longest in the chart's history,after Chubby Checker's "The Twist"
(roughly two years in between) and Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" (nine weeks). In total,the song at position #5 spent four non-consecutive
weeks at number one and 24 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming the artist's longest-running single
in the top 10;overall,the song at position #5 spent 50 weeks on the chart,leaving on the issue dated August 15, 2015.The song was replaced
at number one by "Blank Space",the second single from "1989", thus making her the first female artist to replace herself at the top spot in
the 56-year history of the Hot 100.The song became the No. 13 song of 2014 on Billboard Year End Chart.The song became the eighth best-selling
song of 2014 in the United States with 3.43 million copies sold in that year,and reached over 4 million in sales by August 2015.It has sold 5.3
million copies in the United States as of November 2017.The song was certified 9?? platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
on June 8, 2017. Elsewhere in North America,the song at position #5 became Swift's third number one in Canada selling 48,000 copies in its first week,
following "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", after debuting at number one;it is her third song to do so, tying her with Eminem and Katy Perry
for the most songs to debut at number one on the chart.By the year's end, it had sold 341,000 copies in Canada.
The song had also seen success in Europe.In the United Kingdom,the song at position #5 became Swift's sixth top 10 when the song debuted at number
four on August 30, 2014.After nine weeks on the chart,the song at position #5 reached number two,tying with "Love Story" and "I Knew You Were Trouble"
as her highest-charting single in the country at the time;it is also the highest-charting single from "1989".It sold 570,000 copies in the UK by
November 20, 2014,and it became the eleventh best-selling song of 2014 in the UK.As of September 2017,it has sold 962,000 copies in the country.
In Ireland, the song jumped at number three on its second week after debuting at number 14,became Swift's fifth top ten.In France,the song at
position #5 peaked at number six,her highest-charting single in the country to date (as well as her first top-10).
In Australia,the song at position #5 debuted at number five on the Australian Singles Chart,the highest debut of the week and on its second week
it rose to the number-one spot,making it Swift's second single to top the chart after her 2009 hit "Love Story".The song at position #5 spent a
third week at No. 1 on the Australian Singles Chart making Swift's longest run on Australia since "Love Story".The single has been certified
5?? Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of over 350,000 copies.In New Zealand,it debuted at number two,
the highest debut of the week and on its second week it rose to the number-one spot,making it her second single to top the chart after her 2012 hit
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".On its fifth week the song at position #5 spent two non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the New Zealand Singles
Chart making Swift's longest run on New Zealand since "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".
5 SHAKE IT OFF-TAYLOR SWIFT-"SEPTEMBER,2014"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM Here is Number Four (4)
The recording act who sings the song at position #4 is an English indie rock band formed in Oxford in 2010.The band's line-up consists of Dave Bayley (vocals,guitar,keyboards,drums,songwriting),Drew MacFarlane (guitar,keyboards,backing vocals),Edmund Irwin-Singer (bass,keyboards,backing vocals) and Joe Seaward (drums).
Their first album,"Zaba" (2014),spawned the single "Gooey", which was eventually certified platinum in the U.S.Their second full album,
"How To Be A Human Being", received positive reviews and won in two categories at the 2018 MPG Awards for UK Album of the Year and Self Producing Artist of the Year,as well as a spot on the Mercury Prize shortlist.The third, Dreamland,peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the US Billboard 200.
The band is best known for their biggest hit single the song at position #4, which went viral on TikTok.It is a sleeper hit.In addition to reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart and being a top-five hit in several other European countries,it reached number one in Australia,Canada, Lithuania,Switzerland and the United States,where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in early 2022 after a record-breaking 59-week
climb to number one.At 91 weeks, it is the longest charting song on the Hot 100 of all time, surpassing "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd.By June 2024, the song had accumulated more than three billion streams on Spotify.At the 2022 Brit Awards,the song at position #4 was nominated for Best British Single.
Dave Bayley stated that the song at position #4 "is about loss and longing,and ultimately realizing you are unable to save something".He said that "Also,this song is about memories and it's very nostalgic and sometimes people feel more of that in the winter.Maybe that's part of the reason this song's hung around for so bloody long???everyone's locked inside and trapped in their own thoughts."
The song at position #4 starts on a high and then drops into despair before rising again for a cheerful,optimistic finale,much like the crests and troughs of a real wave.Bayley came up with the chords one day while playing around on the guitar.He wrote the lyrics in just an hour,prompted
by the death of a close friend whose birthday was in June.
In March 2021,the podcast Song Exploder featured an interview with Dave Bayley that specifically discussed the creation of the song at position #4.He says "weirdly,Johnny Depp was the first person to hear this song." In it,he says that after writing/performing the song late at night alone
in the studio,he decided to go home when he realized a stranger was sitting behind him.It was Depp who had been working in another studio.
The song at position #4 is an example of Dreamland's incorporation of hip hop and electropop elements into Glass Animals' sound.It and "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" rejects the band's acoustic percussion and marimbas in favor of 808 sounds and skittering hi-hats.NME's Hannah Mylrea categorized the song as "earnest R&B run through the Glass Animals filter",and Pitchfork's Ian Cohen argued its guitars "could be plucked from any number of 'wavy hip-hop' sample packs meant to emulate Frank Ocean's 'Ivy' on a bedroom producer's budget".A major theme on "Dreamland" is the pursuit of brief pleasures to cope with the hardships of life,such as lust for others.On the song at position #4,Bayley sings repeatedly,
"Sometimes all I think about is you/Late nights in the middle of June."
The band ran a remix competition for the track,with 19-year-old British producer Shakur Ahmad winning and having his remix issued by the band, alongside a remix by American DJ Diplo in August 2020.Another remix is a collaboration with American rapper Iann Dior.A piano Simlish version was recorded by Bayley for The Sims 4 and was featured in a limited-time "Sims Sessions" in-game music event in 2021.
Sheet music for this song shows the key of B major (in the C-sharp Dorian mode).
4 HEAT WAVES-GLASS ANIMALS-"MARCH,2022"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRD0-GxqHVo
The song at a position #3 has a good reason for being where it is.It is by a
singer who born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins on May 5,1988 in Tottenham,Greater London,
England This song at position #3 received some success going to #1 in the US,UK,
Ausralia,New Zealand and Canada.As a matter of fact US Billboard Magazine ranked
this song as the #1 single for the entire year of 2011.In 2013 this song ranked at
#35 of all-time (1958-2018) on Billboard's Magazine.In Canada this song was #3 for
the entire year of 2011 and in Australia (ARIA) it was number five (5) for the
year 2011.However,in her native UK (OCC) this song was only #9 for the entire year
of 2011.
Although this song is not where it is for it's performance on the
single charts.It is where it is because of the performance of the album this song
is off of.The album the song in position #3 is off of spent 23 weeks at #1 in the
UK,24 weeks at #1 in the USA (since 1963 only "Rumors" and "Thriller" spent more
time at #1),32 weeks at #1 in Australia and 35 weeks at #1 in Canada
(Canoe/Billboard).The album (hands down) was the #1 album of 2011 in the the US
(Billboard),UK,Canada and Australia.Further that in Canada and the USA it not only
was the #1 album for 2011 but also the #1 album for all of 2012.In the UK it was the
#2 album for 2012 and in Australia in 2012 it was the #3 album of the year.Still
further on Billboard (US) the album ranked at #21 on the 2013 year-end countdown.
The album.the song at #3 is off of is the second studio album by this English
recording artist.It was released on January 24th,2011 in most of Europe,and on
February 22,2011 in North America,it was named after the age of the singer during
its production.The album shares the folk and Motown soul influences of her 2008
debut album 19,but was further inspired by the American country and Southern blues
music to which she had been exposed during her 2008-2009 North American tour.
Composed in the aftermath of the singer's separation from her partner,the album
typifies the near dormant tradition of the confessional singer-songwriter in its
exploration of heartbreak,self-examination and forgiveness.
The singer of the song at position #3 began writing the album in April of 2009,
when still involved in the relationship that subsequently inspired the record.
Dissatisfied with once again portraying herself as the musical tragedian of her
debut,she had intended to compose a more upbeat and contemporary follow-up.However,
studio sessions ended prematurely due to a lack of inspiration.She resumed
production immediately after the breakdown of her relationship,channelling her
heartbreak and depression into her songs.The singer collaborated with various
songwriters and producers,including Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin,
Paul Epworth,Ryan Tedder,Jim Abbiss, and Dan Wilson.
Praised by critics for its understated production,vintage authenticity and the
singer's vocal performance,the album defied the modest commercial expectations of
her indie record label XL Recordings and became a sleeper hit in 2011.The album
topped the charts in more than 30 countries including New Zealand,Argentina,Belgium,
Brazil, Croatia,Czech Republic,Denmark,the Netherlands,Finland,France,Germany,
Hungary,Ireland, Italy,Mexico,Norway,Poland,Scotland,Slovenia,South Africa,Sweden
and Switzerland.The album went to #2 in Spain and Russia. Along with this album
being the number one album of 2011 in the US,UK,Australia and Canada.It was also the
#1 album for the entire year of 2011 in New Zealand,Belgium,Netherlands,France,
Germany,Ireland,Poland,South Africa and Switzeland.Also along with the album being
the number one album of the year for all of 2012 in the USA and Canada.It was the
number one album for all of 2012 in Argentina, Austria,Belgium,Denmark,Netherlands,
France,New Zealand and Switzerland.In Belgium it was the #8 album for 2013.This
album appeared in the 2012 edition of the Guinness World Records;The
United Kingdom's best-selling album of the 21st century,its 23-week tenure atop the
UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist.In the United States,the
album was certified Diamond. Singles "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You" and
"Set Fire to the Rain" became worldwide number-one hits,while "Rumour Has It" and
"Turning Tables" charted in the top 20 across Europe and North America.
Globally,this was the biggest selling musical release for both 2011 and 2012,and
helped revitalise lagging sales of the United States and UK music industry.By
July 2014 the album had sold 30 million copies worldwide.Critics hailed the album as
a shift from the overtly sexual and musically bombastic status quo,and attributed
its success to its deeply autobiographical yet universal songs.Shortlisted for the
2011 Mercury Prize,this album won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and
the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year.
The song at position #3 is the most successful track from this album.The song was
written by the singer of the song at position #3 and Paul Epworth.The singer
herself describes it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune".The largest crossover
hit in the United States from the past 25 years,the song gained radio airplay from
many different radio formats.It was first released on November 29th,2010 as the
lead single from her second studio album in digital download format.The lyrics
describe the emotions of a scorned lover.
In an interview with the singer of the song at position #3 she expressed her
initial reservations prior to meeting with Paul Epworth due to their divergent
musical styles,but characterised their collaboration as "a match made in heaven.
"She also credited Epworth for her increased vocal confidence,stating, "He brought
a lot out of me.He brought my voice out as well-there's notes that I hit in that
song at #1 that I never even knew I could hit." According to reviewer Bill Lamb,
the song at position #1 features "martial beats,pounding piano keys and chanting
backing singers".The singer's vocals have been described as having a "hint of Wanda
Jackson's dirty-blues growl".According to Nadine Cheung from AOL Radio Blog the song
is "sung from the perspective of a scorned lover, who is finally able to see the
light,but despite regretful sentiments,reconciliation is not an option here.The song
at position #3 is written in the key of C minor,in common time with a tempo of 105
beats per minute.The accompaniment uses open fifths,in a progression of
C5-G5-B-5-G5-B-5. The singer's voice spans from B-3 to D5,the highest
note sung using the head voice.The song was reportedly inspired by a Nashville-schooled
US tour bus driver,and composed by Epworth and the singer of the song at position
#1 in a single afternoon following her breakup with her boyfriend.
The song at position #3 was acclaimed by music critics and represented a
commercial breakthrough for this singer,propelling her to international success.
The song reached number one in 11 countries and the top five in many more regions.
It was Adele's first number-one song in the United States,reaching the top spot on
many Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 where it was number one for
seven weeks.By February 2012,this song had sold over 7,600,000 copies in the United
States,making it the highest selling digital song by a female artist in the US,the
second best-selling digital song in the US and her best-selling single outside her
native country,topping her previous best-selling "Chasing Pavements".Worldwide,it
was the fifth best selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 8.2 million copies,
later going on to sell over 14 million copies.The song spent 65 weeks on the
US Billboard chart,making the song at that time the fourth most weeks spent on the
chart,tying the place with Jewel with her double single
"Foolish Games"/"You Were Meant for Me".
In July 2011,the video was nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards
nominations,making it the most nominated music video of the year. The video won
three awards:Best Editing,Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.On
February 12,2012,the song at position #1 received three Grammy Awards for Record of
The Year,Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video.Critics and music
publications ranked the song highly on their end-of-year lists.
The song at position #3 is the fourth song to top the Billboard Year-End
Hot 100 singles chart and to win both Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song
of the Year in the same year, after "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by
Simon & Garfunkel in 1970/1971, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by
Roberta Flack in 1972/1973, and "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes in 1981/1982. !
ROLLING IN THE DEEP aDELE
Here is Number Two (2)
The song at position #2 is not at position #2 for the song's performance
on the weekly single charts but for the performance for the album the song was
off of.The song at position #2 is off of the album ?? ("Divide").??
("Divide") is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Ed
Sheeran.It was released on 3 March 2017 through Asylum Records and Atlantic
Records."Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You" were
released as the album's lead singles on 6 January 2017.The album won the Grammy
Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.As of March
2024, the deluxe version of the album is the most streamed album of all time on
Spotify. The album was number one in the United Kingdom,selling 672,000 copies in
its first week,making it the fastest-selling album by a male solo artist there
and the highest opening behind Adele's 25 and Oasis' Be Here Now.
"Divide" topped the charts in over 25 territories across the globe,
including the United States,Canada and Australia.In April 2018, the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry named ??
("Divide") the best-selling album worldwide of the year.In October
2019,it was ranked the fifth best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK. All the tracks on the album reached the
top 20 of the UK Singles Chart in the week of the album's release.The dominance
of its tracks on the UK chart led to calls for change on how the single chart
is compiled and the Official Charts Company then introduced new rules limiting
tracks eligible for entry in the top 100 to three per the main artist,as well
as adjusting the streams-to-sales ratio for older songs.His fourth single from
?? ("Divide"), "Perfect",reached number one in the US,
Australia and the UK,where it became the Christmas number one of 2017. To promote the album, Sheeran embarked on
a worldwide concert tour,entitled the ?? ("Divide") Tour.Comprising
260 shows,it started on 16 March 2017 and ended on 26 August 2019 with the last
of four homecoming gigs in Ipswich,Suffolk.By August 2019,it had become the
biggest,most attended, and highest-grossing tour of all time. The most successful track from the album is a duet he does with American
singer titled "Perfect".After the album's release, thesong charted at number four on the UK Singles Chart.On 21 August 2017,Billboard announced that "Perfect"
would be the fourth single from the album.The song was serviced to pop radio on
26 September 2017 as the third single from the album in the United States
(fourth overall).The second version of the single, titled "Perfect
Duet", with American singer Beyonc??,was released on 1 December
2017.Another duet with Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, titled "Perfect
Symphony", was released on 15 December 2017.
Originally peaking at number four in March 2017,the song re-entered the
UK Singles Chart later that year.After the publication of "Duet"
version the song reached number one on the UK Chart in December 2017.For the
high sales of its version compared to the original one,Beyonc?? was credited on
several official sales charts,becoming her sixth Billboard Hot 100 number one
song and Sheeran's second. The original version peaked at number one
in
Austria,Belgium,France,Luxembourg,Malaysia,Netherlands,Philippines,Poland,Scotland,Slovakia,
Slovenia,Switzerland and the United Kingdom.After the Beyonc?? duet release,
"Perfect" also reached number one in Australia,Denmark,Germany,Italy,
New Zealand,Sweden and the United States.Sales of the original version along
with sales of the duet version with Beyonc?? and Andrea Bocelli also attributed
to the song reaching #1 in the UK in late 2017.The song is Sheeran's fourth to
reach number one in Australia,and held the country's top spot for eight
consecutive weeks before "God's Plan" by Drake displaced it.In April
2023, it which clocks up its 312th week within The Australian top 100,the
longest ever chart song in Australian Chart history.It went to number one as
well in Canada,becoming Sheeran's second number one there and Beyonc??'s
first.As of 3 January 2019,the song has sold 207,000 digital copies in Canada.
The original song???s official music video received three nominations at
the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
Hello everybody, HERE IS THE 2024 #1 SONG OF ALL-TIME ON THE TOP 7000...THE OFFICIAL VIDEO TO THE SONG OPENS ON FREMONT STREET IN LAS VEGAS The singer of the song in the #1 position of all-time was born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye on Friday,February 16,1990 in Toronto,Ontario,Canada.He is knownprofessionally as "The Weeknd",is a Canadian singer-songwriter.He is known for his unconventional music production,artistic reinventions and use of falsetto. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye is The only child of Ethiopian Amhara immigrants Makkonen Tesfaye and Samrawit Hailu,who separated shortly after his birth,he was raised in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough by his mother and grandmother.Tesfaye's patronymic is spelled "Makkonen" instead of the traditional Ethiopian name "Makonnen".The similarity with the Finnish surname Makkonen is pure coincidence.The spelling of Tesfaye's patronymic might be the result of a typographic error ora new form of the traditional name.Tesfaye is proficient in Amharic,his native language acquired from his grandmother,and is also fluent in French,as he attendeda French immersion school.He was further educated at West Hill Collegiate Institute and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute. Tesfaye began releasing music anonymously in 2009.After co-founding the record label XO,he released three mixtapes???House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes ofSilence???in 2011 and gained recognition for his blend of contemporary and alternativeR&B,as well as the mystery surrounding his identity.He signed with Republic Recordsin 2012 and reissued the mixtapes as part of the compilation album Trilogy (2012)and released his debut studio album,Kiss Land (2013) the following year.After a string of collaborations and film soundtrack contributions between 2013 and 2014,Tesfaye transitioned from alternative R&B in favor of a pop sound with his second and third studio albums,Beauty Behind the Madness (2015) and Starboy (2016), both of which debuted atop the US Billboard 200.The former yielded his first two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles,"Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", while Starboy spawned two more:its title track (featuring Daft Punk), and after a 2023 remix withAriana Grande,"Die for You". He returned to alternative R&B for his debut extended play,My Dear Melancholy(2018), which included the US top-ten single "Call Out My Name".He explored the dream-pop and new wave genres with his fourth studio album,"After Hours" (2020),which spawned the record-setting single,"Blinding Lights" and two other US number-one singles???"Heartless" and "Save Your Tears".Tesfaye began exploring dance-pop,leading to his fifth album,Dawn FM (2022),which included the US top-ten single,"Take My Breath".In 2023,he co-created and starred in the HBO drama series The Idol,which was critically panned,although saw success in its accompanying soundtrack. "Blinding Lights" was performed on television shows such as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,Jimmy Kimmel Live!,Saturday Night Live,his headlining set atthe Super Bowl LV halftime show and was included on the set list for his After Hours til Dawn Tour (2022???2023). It received several awards and nominations,winningSong of the Year at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards and Juno Awards of 2021. Tesfaye has sold over 75 million records,making him one of the world's best-selling artists.He has earned seven diamond-certified singles from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and is the first artist tosimultaneously hold the top three spots on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.Tesfaye was listed by Time as one of the world's most influential people in 2020and was dubbed the "world's most popular artist" by Guinness World Records in 2023.An advocate for racial equality and food security, he was appointed a World FoodProgramme Goodwill Ambassador in 2021. His accolades include four Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 22 Juno Awards,six American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, a Latin Grammy Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. "Blinding Lights" the #1 song of all-time is from "The Weeknd;s",fourth studioalbum,"After Hours" (2020). The song was released through XO and Republic Recordson November 29,2019,as the album's second single.The Weeknd wrote the song with Max Martin,Oscar Holter,Belly and DaHeala;the former three producing the song.It is a synth-pop,electropop,new wave and synthwave track,which lyrically addresses theimportance of a partner, and the desire to see them at night. "Blinding Lights" was praised by music journalists upon release,many noting itscallback to the music of the 1980s and its aesthetic.The song was a commercial success,topping the record charts in over 40 countries,including his native Canada,making it his most successful single to date.In the United States,"Blinding Lights"topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four non-consecutive weeks,becoming his fifthnumber one in the country and became the song with the most weeks spent in the topfive and top ten, becoming the first song to hold a spot in the top ten for anentire year. It became the chart's longest-charting song for a short period of time,remaining on it for a total of 90 weeks,and was named as the chart's best-performing song of all time on November 23,2021. It was certified diamond bythe Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and seven times platinum bythe British Phonographic Industry (BPI).It was also the best-selling global single of 2020 and became Spotify's most streamed song, and the first song to surpass four billion streams. "Blinding Lights" debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the issuedated December 14,2019,but fell 41 places to number 52 in its second week.In its 12th week on the chart,the song became the Weeknd's tenth top ten hit by rising to a new peak at number ten.On the issue dated March 28, 2020,the song rose two places to reach number two.The song reached number one on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on April 4,2020,leading for 11 non-consecutive weeks.The song also reached number oneon R&B Songs chart on March 7,2020, where it became his seventh number one on thechart,making him the artist with the most number ones on the chart's history andalso attaining a record-breaking reign of 48 weeks.On March 30,2020 the song rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100,dethroning Roddy Ricch's "The Box" onthe issue dated April 4, 2020.The single kept at its peak position the following week,becoming the Weeknd's third multi-week leader after "The Hills", which toppedthe chart five years earlier."Blinding Lights" spent four weeks atop the Hot 100 and finished 2020 as the year's top Billboard Hot 100 song.The following year, itranked at number three on the year-end chart, becoming the first single to finish in the top three on two occasions. "Blinding Lights" spent 57 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and43 weeks in the top five,breaking the record for the most time logged in the region over the chart's 62-year history.On the Digital Song Sales chart,the song peaked at number one for the week of March 23,2020, and became the Weeknd's fifthDigital Songs number one.The single reached a peak of number one on the Streaming Songs chart on March 30,becoming his first topper on the listing since "The Hills"led five years earlier.On April 13,the song reached number one on Pop Songs chart,where it led for 6 non-consecutive weeks,as it slid to number two on the Hot 100.It later rose back up to number one for the two following weeks.On May 18,the song became his first number one on the Adult Pop Songs chart,leading for 20 non-consecutive weeks.On November 7, "Blinding Lights" became his first number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it led for 35 non-consecutive weeks.[96][97] "Blinding Lights" topped Radio Songs for a record-breaking 26 weeks,passing Goo Goo olls' "Iris",which held the record as the longest-running chart-topper for almost 22 years."Blinding Lights" fell out of the Hot 100 for the week dated January 2,2021 but it re-entered at number 3 the next week,breaking the three-way tie for the highest song to re-enter the Hot 100.Meanwhile, "Blinding Lights" tied for the most time totaled in the Hot 100's top three,21 weeks, equaling the sums of TheChainsmokers' "Closer" and Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk!". For a short time during 2022, "Blinding Lights" was the longest running single in the history of the Hot 100 chart with a total of 90 weeks, surpassing ImagineDragons' "Radioactive", which spent 87 weeks.In the process,the song also attainedthe longest chart run of any Hot 100 chart-topper in Billboard history,surpassingthe 68-week run by LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" (2011???12).On November 23,2021, thesong surpassed "The Twist" (1960) as the number-one song of all time in BillboardHot 100 history.On April 5, 2022, "Blinding Lights" was awarded a Diamond certificationfrom the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling ten millionunits in the United States. "Blinding Lights" also became producer Max Martin's 23rd Hot 100 number one single as a writer, 21st as producer, and his first in both credits since Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!" (2016).Martin has the third-most as writerbehind Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26),and the second-most as producer,behind George Martin (23).The Weeknd became the first artist to simultaneously lead Billboard's five primary charts on March 30,topping the Hot 100,Billboard 200, Artist 100,Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers.The next week, he topped the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and Artist 100 once more,achieving the feat for a fourth time. On the Rolling Stone Top 100 Songs chart,the song debuted at number two,where it was blocked from the top spot by the Weeknd's own "Heartless". The song also became the Weeknd's second entry on the chart.It later rose to number one on the chart following the release of After Hours. In the singer's native Canada,"Blinding Lights" debuted at number two on the Canadian Hot 100,one place higher than "Heartless". It later managed to reach number one after the release of its parent album on the issue dated April 4, 2020,becoming the Weeknd's fifth number-one single in the country.It spent seven weeks atop the chart,tying "Starboy" as his longest-running chart-topper.In May 2021,"Blinding Lights" dropped off the Canadian Hot 100 after 75 weeks on the chart,leaving it one week short of the all-time record set by "I Gotta Feeling" by theBlack Eyed Peas in 2010.For the first half of 2020, "Blinding Lights" was the topCanadian song overall, with 484,000 units.It has been certified Diamond by MusicCanada for selling 800,000 units. "Blinding Lights" also went to #1 in Australia,Austria,Belgium,Bolivia,Croatia,Czech Republic,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,France,Germany,Greece,Hungary,Iceland,Ireland,Israel,Italy,Latvia,Lithuania,Mexico Airplay,Netherlands,New Zealand,Norway,Poland,Portugal,Scotland,Singapore,SlovakiaS lovenia,Sweden,Switzerland,the UK Singles chart (OCC) and Venezuela Anglo.Also on several other national charts\ the song peaked within the Top 10. As far as the year-end charts go "Blinding Lights" was the #1 song for the entire year of 2020 in the following countries-Australia,Austria,Belgium,CIS (TopHit-Russia),Denmark,Germany,Global Singles Chart,Hungary,Iceland,Ireland,Mexico Airplay,Mexico Streaming,Netherlands,Portugal, Poland,Russia Airplay,Slovenia,Switzerland,UK Singles (OCC) and of course on the US Billboard Hot 100.Again on the US Billboard Hot 100 it is ranked as the #1 song of all-time in the chart's 66 year history. THE VIDEO The music video for "Blinding Lights" was directed by Anton Tammi,assisted by Kenneth Taylor and filmed in Fremont Street,Las Vegas and Downtown Los Angeles,during a four-day shooting that took place until 6 AM every day.It was produced by Sarah Parker and executive produced by Saskia Whinney for Somesuch,with production design by Adam William Wilson.Olliver Millar served as the director ofphotography,assisted by Devin "Daddy" Karringten on the second unit,Niels Lindelien on the steadicam operation,Nizzar Najm on the gaffer and Marlow Nunez on the key grip.The video was edited by Janne Vartia and Tim Montana, and included VFX byMathematic, post production surpervision by Alec Ernest, color by Nicke Jacobsson,sound design by Akseli Soini,title design by Aleksi Tammi and 3D effects by OscarB??ckerman. During the filming for the street scenes,the roads were not completely shutdown,so random cars and pedestrians were passing by while the Weeknd danced in thestreet.Production was held up temporarily when somebody was arrested in the tunnel.The shooting required at least three vehicles driving through the nighttime streets.The Mercedes-AMG GT roadster was a specially equipped towed vehicle that allowed the Weeknd to act and lip-sync inside the moving convertible without needing to drive and a chase SUV with a crane camera strapped to the top.Director of photography Oliver Millar said that he loves the music video format and talked about how intense it is to try and create iconic images during high-pressure shoots that don't last very long.He said that since the Weeknd's previous videos had a darkand gritty vibe,he used generators powering banks of LED lights and a Sony Venice full-frame digital motion picture camera system to try to re-create the look,\ending up with the video's vintage,1980s style.Release and synopsis On December 2,2019, a commercial video containing footage from the Weeknd andMercedes-Benz commercial, and the song's audio video,was released. The lyric videofor "Blinding Lights" was released on December 6, 2019.Its official music video was released on January 21,2020.A behind-the-scenes music video for the song was released on February 28,2020.On May 5,2020,a music video for the Chromatics remix of the song was released. The video follows the After Hours videos sequence,starting where the "Heartless" premise ended,and presents the Weeknd as a lonely and psychotic guy walking and driving with no destination around the streets in Las Vegas and a passing resemblance to jazz musician Herbie Hancock, circa 1978's Sunlight.The singer sports the same garb as the previous video,adopted for the album promotion,with a red suit,specific hairstyle, mustache and sunglasses.The visual opens with the Weeknd laughing as blood drips down his face,then jumps back in time to show the mayhem that led to his gruesome end???the pop star speeding around a deserted city,dancing gleefully in the streets.The visual follows the events of the music video for "Heartless" and sees the Weeknd go on a hallucinated joyride after waking from a trance.It concludes with the Weeknd having flashbacks to a club he attended earlier in the night,where he was serenaded by a mysterious woman,played by Japanese actress Miki Hamano and beat up by a duo of bouncers,uncredited,who had forced him to go on the run.The video depicts the singer amid a story inspired by the films Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,Joker and Casino.
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