Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

It breaks one’s heart omitting so many songs from a tiny top ten list of all times. This list is a journey of sixty years from the nineteen fifties to the present. Each song perhaps has been the favourite of a decade. In the fifties it was Chubby Checker and in the sixties perhaps all the songs of the Beatles. Unfortunately we can take only take one from each artiste or we would be doing injustice to the other great singers and groups of all time.

1. Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock

The song was released on September 24, 1957. The song was written Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was released along with the movie of the same name. The song was a number one hit in both the USA and the UK. The song because of its sales equal to four million copies is ranked as double platinum. It is known as one of the songs that shaped Rock and Roll.

2. Chubby Checker – Twist

Chubby Checker introduced his version of the Twist on the Clay Cole Show. The recording of the song was a super hit for the singer. It started a new dance system called the Twist which became popular all over the world. The song was released in July 1960. The song topped the Billboard twice. It has been said that before the Twist was introduced by Chubby Checker adults refrained from dancing on the floor to music loved by teenagers. The song changed all that; everyone was dancing, all over the world to it.

3. Beatles — Yesterday

This song was recorded for the Beatles Album Help in 1965. The song has a record 1600 versions. The song has been credited to the team of Lennon and McCartney although it was only written by Paul McCartney.. It has been voted the best song of the twentieth century. It has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of fame. Actually the song had been finished in a preliminary version but it was never considered for the next two albums released Beatles for Sale and A Hard Day’s Night.

4. Rolling Stones — Satisfaction

This song was released in 1965 by the English band, The Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. This song gave the Rolling Stones their first hit in the Unites States of America in the form of a number one. It became a number one in the UK later in the year.

5.  Simon & Garfunkel — Bridge over troubled water

This was released on January 26, 1970 and was soon the Billboard number one hit. It won the Grammy for the Best Album and the song of the year in 1971. The album was a great testimony to the partnership of this singing duo. They produced many memorable songs together after this before branching off into solo careers.

Dance has changed so much over the years that it is impossible to recognise the origins of the modern in house DJ produced and mixed techno songs. It is a long way from Chubby Checker’s Twist to the modern dance lists arranged by GIORGIOSST. The people are not the same and the instruments used for producing; recording and playing the songs have changed drastically over the last sixty years. Today’s music can be produced entirely by one person sitting in a recording studio with the latest playback computer assisted instruments and mix them with drum beats to come up with a smash hit. Here are some of the numbers which have made people dance over the last six decades.

1. Chubby Checker – Twist

Chubby Checker introduced his version of the Twist on the Clay Cole Show. The recording of the song was a super hit for the singer. It started a new dance system called the Twist which became popular all over the world. The song was released in July 1960. The song topped the Billboard twice. It has been said that before the Twist was introduced by Chubby Checker adults refrained from dancing on the floor to music loved by teenagers. The song changed all that; everyone was dancing, all over the world to it.

2. Snap – Rhythm is a dancer

This song was released on April 20, 1992. It is regarded as the first single in the genre of Eurodance. It was sung by singer Thea Austin and Rapper Durron Butler. It topped the European charts and was in the

3. Lipps Inc – Funky Town

This song has moved many on the dance floor. It was released in 1980 on February 18. It was an immediate success on the Charts in Europe, USA and the UK. It was Lipps Inc’s single success on the US charts. The lyrics yearn for an atmosphere that will, ‘keep me movin’, keep me grooving.’ The writer producer was Steven Greenberg.

4. MARRS – Pump up the volume

This is a British contribution and the only song which hit the charts for MARRS. This was released on August 3, 1987. The song was written by Steve Young and Martyn Young. It was produced by John Fryer and Martyn Young. This is regarding as a stepping stone to the future British music industry of in house music. This was a purposeful attempt to create a dance song on the basis of the American sudden craze for in house created music. The song was involved in a long drawn plagiarism suit. The mastermind behind the song was AR Kane but he never made another song under the label MARRS.

5. Dr Albans – It’s My Life

This song was a world wide super seller for Dr Albans a Nigerian who had settled in Sweden. It was released in 1992 on Dr Albans own label dr records. This has been classified variously as a Eurodance song or as hip hop reggae. He was studying to be a dentist in Sweden and working as a DJ to supplement his income. He was noticed thus and made a hit single with Leila K a rap queen. The successful singles selling a million copies were NO Coke and Hello Africa. He followed it up with a hit album One Life which contained this ever popular number named It’s My Life. The song is still a favourite on the dance floors of the world.

Valentine’s Day is only comes once a year and while this means discount treats and gifts, it also means that we should be sharing our feelings with our loved ones or at least our lusts. Whether you have a significant other or are hoping to be significant to a certain someone, we’ve got your playlist ready for you to strike the mood. Check out our Top 10 Love Songs of the past year and use them whenever you want to.

1. Bryan Adams – Everything I do I do it for you

This song definitely leads the charts. It has the gentle rhythm to start with that gives a glimpse of the love being visualized by the singer. This song was on the sound track of the 1991 movie, ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.’ It is Bryan Adams’ most successful song. It won a Grammy for the lyricists, Adams, Kamen and Lange in the category of Best song written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. The song has been number one in the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium  and Austria.

2. Elvis – Love me tender

The song was recorded for the Elvis Presley movie of the same name released in 1956. This song has the rare distinction of having advance orders of a million even before the disc was released. This happened when Elvis performed the song before the release of the movie on the Ed Sullivan show. The individual style of Elvis and the passion with which he sings it makes it an all time super love song.

3. Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody

The song was written for an obscure prison movie called Unchained and thus the reason for the name of the song. The music was composed by Alex North and the lyrics were written by Hy Zaret. It is remarkable how many great singers and groups have sung this song. The Righteous Brothers are usually credited as the singers of this great song which perhaps holds the record in that it has at least 500 versions sung by different people in different languages. The famous stars who have resung the song are Cyndi Lauper, U2, Leo Sayer, Elvis Presley, the band Heart, The Supremes and Ricky Nelson.

4. Etta James – At last

Etta James got herself a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame because of this song. It was originally written for the musical Orchestra Wives. The romantic lyrics sing praises of the man in a woman’s life and how happy she is to be with him at last. The song was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren.

5. George Harrison – My Sweet Lord

It is a love song for God by George Harrison. Love for God has inspired the greatest music in the world from the Hallelujah chorus by Handel, to the poetry of Rumi, and one song in the best love songs should be considered in this category. This song sings the desire of an ordinary human being to know God and to love Him. It was released in 1970.

Selecting the top ten rock songs can be as tough as picking the best stones out of a heap of diamonds. All aspects of the song have to be taken into consideration, the lyrics, the music, the audio sound, the video presentation and the actual sales of the song. The category rock is also hard to define. Rock and Metal almost border on each other. The rhythms in rock have changed over the years. It is a mixture of rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country and traces of jazz. Two factors definitely distinguish this genre of music, the singers are white and the electric guitar is used to an overbearing extent, so much so that it can be bone jarring. There may be many other songs, personal favorites of selectors but these ten cannot be ever ignored. The modern version of Rock can be and has been classified under Alternative Rock. Taking all this into consideration these are the all time favorites in Rock:-

1. Pink Floyd – Money

This is a very popular song from the high selling Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon. The  released in 1973. The distinctive sound of the song depends on the clever splicing of several different sounds into one track. The different sounds are of coins clinking, cash registers ringing, currency notes being torn and the clear hard sounds of the guitar. This was one of the songs which made the album such a super hit.

2. Guns n Roses – November Rain

This song written by Axl Rose who is also the lead singer of the band Guns n Roses was released in 1992. It is a very long song with lengthy orchestral arrangements. The ending guitar solo by Slash is considered one of the best amongst guitar solos in a song. The popular video of the song shows Axl getting married to his girl friend before a storm ruins the wedding.

3. The Eagles – Hotel California

The authenticity of this ranking cannot be disputed by anyone in the world on a top ten chart. There might be demands of placing it at number one. The song was released in1977 and was written by Don Henley, Don Felder and Glenn Frey. The song sold a million copies within three months of its release. The Eagles also won the album of the year Grammy in 1978. The song’s solo is ranked number eight.

4. Credence Clearwater Revival – Have you ever Seen the Rain

Have you seen the rain was released in 1971 and was written by John Fogerty for the band Credence Clearwater Revival.  It records the end of personal idealism of the band a nostalgia for the good times that do not last too long. The song keeps getting revived and replayed in movies and televisions shows. It is from the album Pendulum.

5. Coldplay – Viva la Vida

This is an example of alternative rock and the British invasion of the American Rock scene. Viva la Vida is the collective writing effort of the entire band of Cold Play. The song was released in 2008 and won the Grammy for the Song of the year in 2009. It was a hit in both the UK and the USA. It is one of the few songs which have had 4 million paid downloads. Viva la Vida means ‘long live life’ in Spanish.