884. The Golden Slumbers Medley by The Beatles (1969)

Although Let It Be was technically The Beatles final album, it was recorded before Abbey Road.  The Golden Slumbers Medley caps the Beatles career and is their real sendoff.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qP4Ye15J0Y

885. American Idiot by Green Day (2004)

Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong heard Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That's How I Like It" on the radio and was horrified. How could anyone be proud of being a redneck? So, Armstrong weaved a story about "Jesus of Suburbia" into an entire album. "American Idiot" attacks the American government and propaganda. The song accuses citizens of being mind-numbed robots doing as they're told and consuming all they are spoon-fed by the government and media. Of course, a comparable and perhaps more compelling argument could be made about those that share Armstrong's point of view!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkmEZs_Kcms

Only Girl (In The World) by Rihanna

#1 this week. What is with her hair?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa14VNsdSYM

886. Dumb by Nirvana (1993)

"Dumb" appears on Nirvana's 1993 In Utero album. It gained prominence from the band's Unplugged in New York performance released after Kurt Cobain's suicide. The song differs from most Nirvana songs as it features strings and is significantly more subdued.

Studio Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThwQPo8cUy0

Unplugged:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilivWcTCWMc&feature=related

887. Think by Aretha Franklin (1968)

"Think" is a feminist and civil rights anthem. It could have only come out of the sixties and Aretha is the only one who could have recorded it! The song received a second life with its appearance in The Blues Brothers. It has since been featured in a Bridget Jones movie and American Idol.


Blues Brothers version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE41YPdPuis

Studio version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc0bmBRyxK4

888. Top of the World by Van Halen (1991)

"Top of the World" percolated for years before appearing on a Van Halen album. The song's riff was the outro from 1984's "Jump." It was one of six singles from the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Album. It hit #1 on the rock charts in 1991.


Live from Dallas (1991):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6U7OOFvRmc

Studio Version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRReUDOoUEM

889. God's Gonna Cut You Down by Johnny Cash (2006)

The theme of Johnny Cash's final album was death. He knew the end was near and the album reflected his feelings. The album and song were released three years after Cash's passing. The video featured several celebrities influenced by the Man in Black. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" is a traditional folk song that warns sinners against God's judgement.

See who you recognize in the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxh-FfElY0M

890. Bus Stop by The Hollies (1966)

The Hollies finally made the Hall of Fame in 2010. They were part of the original British Invasion, but for some reason, the Hall ignored them for 20 years. "Bus Stop" is perhaps their most popular song. They decided to call themselves the Hollies to honor Buddy Holly. On a side note, singer Graham Nash was also inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

Studio Version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It75wQ0JypA

Live (1966):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxMUiZzWy78&feature=related

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame (2010):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OWrTET7aIA

891. Sober by Tool (1993)

"Sober" is a good representation of the early nineties musical zeitgeist. In other words, the song is rather depressing. Its genesis came from a friend of the band who apparently could only express himself while inebriated. The camera shy band's clever video utilizes stop motion animation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hglVqACd1C8

Like A G6 by Far East Movement

#1 this week...I thought Kesha was bad!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvgJEznqtms

892. Beck's Bolero by Jeff Beck (1967)

Jeff Beck gathered his friends Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Nicky Hopkins, and Keith Moon together to record his own bolero. The group considered recording an entire album, but never got around to it.  The song is presented in three parts and contains perhaps the first heavy metal riff. Listen for a scream about halfway through. Moon kicked over his microphone...

The original:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmO0OZC6Ifk

Live (2006):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1hijzkOrnk&feature=related

893. Without Me by Eminem (2002)

Eminem announced his return to the music scene with the release of "Without Me." The song mocks Dick Cheney, the FCC, MTV, Moby, Limp Bizkit and even himself. The video is brilliant portraying Em as Robin to Dr. Dre's Batman and takes the mocking further as it includes reality tv and Osama Bin Laden. For a brief time, rumors swirled that El Queda put a hit on Eminem for the video, but this proved false.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVkUvmDQ3HY

Maneater by Hall & Oates (1982)

I watched the VH-1 Behind the Music on Hall & Oates last night and completely forgot how big these guys were at one point. Anyway, here's a song I liked from them with a killer bass line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap-OO0xqTe4

Daryl Hall does a free monthly performance live from his own house that fans can watch online at:

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/

894. Crying by Roy Orbison (1961)

Originally titled "I Am Crying" and written for Don Gibson, Roy Orbison decided to record the song himself.  "I Am Crying" was shortened to "Crying" to make it sound less country. Supposedly, Orbison wrote the song about an old girlfriend. Orbison's voice was perfect for "Crying" adding a layer of credibility to a great song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07NMA51D46c

with KD Lang:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-EiKPrAOHA

895. Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac (1982)

Stevie Nicks wrote "Gypsy" at a time when Fleetwood Mac exploded in popularity and she longed for a simpler time. She explains in a March 31, 2009 interview with Entertainment Weekly:

"Oh boy, I've never really spoken about this, so I get verklempt, and then I've got the story and I start to screw it up. Okay: In the old days, before Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey [Buckingham] and I had no money, so we had a king-size mattress, but we just had it on the floor. I had old vintage coverlets on it, and even though we had no money it was still really pretty... Just that and a lamp on the floor, and that was it—there was a certain calmness about it. To this day, when I'm feeling cluttered, I will take my mattress off of my beautiful bed, wherever that may be, and put it outside my bedroom, with a table and a little lamp. That's the words: 'So I'm back to the velvet underground'—which is a clothing store in downtown San Francisco, where Janis Joplin got her clothes, and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, it was this little hole in the wall, amazing, beautiful stuff—'back to the floor that I love, to a room with some lace and paper flowers, back to the gypsy that I was.' So that's what 'Gypsy' means: it's just a search for before this all happened. And later, I tacked on a line for my friend Robin, my best friend, who died of leukemia: 'I still see your bright eyes.' But then, Robin wasn't sick yet. She got cancer, and died within a year."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soioqrYorq4

896. The Forest Battle by John Williams (1983)

"The Forest Battle" announces the beginning of the end for the Evil Galactic Empire in the Star Wars saga. The music coincides with Chewbacca's commandeering a scout walker and using it on imperial troops. The Battle of Endor turns in the favor of the rebels and their Ewok allies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q082xfzV1-g

897. Turbo Lover by Judas Priest (1986)

This song needs no interpretation. I saw a piece on the news about Megan Fox and this came to mind. Go figure! Listeners can hear the eighties influence on Priest in this song as it includes synthesizers. The video features the band on motorcycles in some post apocalyptic wasteland.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhY9GOhFwN4

898. Invincible by Pat Benatar (1985)

Pat Benatar ruled the pop rock scene in the early-to-mid eighties with hits like "Love is a Battlefield," "Promises in the Dark," and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." She provided "Invincible" for the film The Legend of Billie Jean. The song performed better than the film. It hit #10 on the charts while the film tanked. Benatar continued to rack up hits until the music scene changed in the nineties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A4xBp2rizQ

899. Dangerous Type by The Cars (1979)

Playboy artist Alberto Vargas designed the cover for the album Candy-0. It featured a woman spread out over a car. The Cars enjoyed success with their first album and continued to grow in popularity. By 1984, they were one of the bigger bands around.


"She's a lot like you...the dangerous type."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmALL-V74Po

900. Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner (1856)

"Ride of the Valkyries" opens Act III of Wagner's opera Die Walkure. The ride takes 8 minutes in the opera and has since taken a life of its own in pop culture. The most famous example is the helicopter attack in Apocalypse Now.

Wagner himself is a controversial figure. He soaked up 19th century German anti-Semitism and glorified German nationalist themes. Some have tried to find anti-Semitism in his operas, but this is nothing more than people looking for something that is not there. Despite his nationalism and anti-Semitism, socialists tried to expropriate Wagner for their own uses. He was also Adolf Hitler's favorite composer and played a leading role in Nazi propaganda fifty years after his death. One of my college professors refused to listen to Wagner because of his anti-Semitism and posthumous ties to Nazi Germany.



The opening of Act III:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKAH_t0aXA

Apocalypse Now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx7XNb3Q9Ek

901. Rocket Man by Elton John (1972)

In the early seventies, Apollo missions had become routine. "Rocket Man" recounts how space travel had gone from unique and exciting to as mundane as a 9-5 desk job. John's astronaut regrets leaving his home and family and explores the loneliness of his chosen occupation. Despite covering similar themes as David Bowie's "Space Oddity", the song may never have been written had Bernie Taupin not looked up in the sky one day and witnessed a plane flying off in the distance.

A video influenced by the space program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GAKOLOnfV4

With stills of Elton John:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LX7WrHCaUA

Live in 1976:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2hu2EwCm-k&feature=related

902. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You by Sting (1993)

The main character in "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" has lost his faith in politics, science, religion, and other aspects of modern life. However, he has not lost his faith in his girlfriend. It's a very human work covering themes of alienation and belief. The song reached #17 on the Hot 100 and scored much higher on the Adult Contemporary (#8), Rock (#5) and Top 40 Mainstream (#4) charts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U16BzBfJ6A

We R Who We R by Kesha (2010)

The dance song is inspired by recent incidents of bullying and suicides of young gays. Kesha hoped to write an anthem and rallying song for people. Despite sounding like everything else she does, it is #1 this week. Kesha might be the least talented successful artist to come around in a long long time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q97c5szTgIA

903. Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane (1967)

The Great Society originally recorded "Somebody to Love." The folk song got the psychadelic hippie treatment from the Jefferson Airplane. This version is the best known and has become iconic. It is hardly folk! It has since appeared in several movies including Cable Guy and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUbMWtUyIIE

Great Society:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzyDLwUgFdc

904. Magnum P.I. Theme (1980)

Here's some love for Tom Selleck and Magnum P.I.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CquMO3vJvo

Ivan, Did you see the sunrise this morning?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7vW1oEKP1k

and for Detroit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc_yETYratI

905. Aqualung by Jethro Tull (1971)

Jethro Tull took their name from an eighteenth century agricultural pioneer. The band's most famous song, "Aqualung" tells the story of a dirty, filthy, disgusting, homeless pedophile. Despite being their most popular song, it was never released as a single. That was not unusual for a time when audiences were more knowledgeable about music and the music scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xY7Heaqg8

906. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot (1970)

At the beginning of the seventies, folk and rock spawned a subgenre of singer songwriters. These artists tended to dwell on personal issues in a more intimate way than is capable in other genres. Gordon Lightfoot channeled his own confusion and emptiness over a divorce into "If You Could Read My Mind."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c8PieKE8rY

The song has been covered by many artists including Barbara Streisand, Johnny Cash, and Dwight Yoakim.

Streisand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8UJG-mmoOo

Johnny Cash:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lukJAutj4jo

Dwight Yoakam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYoF1i_NI_Y

907. Angry Again by Megadeth (1995)

Megadeth released "Angry Again" as a single in 1995. However, the song first appeared on the Last Action Hero soundtrack two years earlier. The film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and spoofed action films. Audiences did not get the film and it flopped. However, it did have a solid soundtrack which represented the period and included AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Cypress Hill, Fishbone, and Def Leppard. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QKGvV2vVKk