Showing posts with label Greatest Songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greatest Songs. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

The 20 Greatest Charity Supergroups of All Time


In honor of one of the most charitable Super Bowls ever where the referees gave the championship to the Baltimore Ravens in the second most lopsidedly officiated Championship Game in my lifetime (the first being the Steelers over the Seahawks which gives me a little satisfactions that the refs love the AFC North so much if the Browns miraculously ever make a Super Bowl appearance in my lifetime). More on the game in my Best of the Week roundup on Saturday. As for the Greatest Charity Supergroups of All-Time, unfortunately there are not a lot of them; I found a little fewer than thirty. Seriously, why there are not more of them, there should be one after every tragedy in addition. And I am sure there is still plenty of famine still left in Africa, where half of these charities went to, a favorite cause in the eighties which kicked of the charity supergroup trend. Oh well, here is my list.

1. We Are the World – USA For Africa (1985)
Raised Money For: Famine relief in Ethiopia
Best Line: Bruce Springsteen singing the chorus
Weirdest Transition: Dionne Warwick to Willie Nelson
Who Invited: Dan Aykroyd


2. Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid
Raised Money For: Famine relief in Ethiopia
Best Line: Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you - Bono
Weirdest Transition: Sting and Simon LeBon
Who Invited: Spandau Ballet


3. Just Stand Up – Stand Up 2 Cancer
Raised Money For: Stand Up 2 Cancer (2008)
Best Line: You don’t gotta be a prisoner in your mind, you can live your life (yeah) let your heart be your guide – Mary J. Blige
Weirdest Transition: Beyonce to Carrie Underwood
Who Invited: Miley Cyrus


4. We’re All in the Same Gang – West Coast Rap All Stars
Raised Money For: Promoted an anti-violence message
Best Line: Don’t you know we got to put our heads together – Michel’le
Weirdest Transition: N.W.A. to Young MC
Who Invited: Humpty Hump


5. What’s Going On – Artists Against Aides Worldwide (2002)
Raised Money For: AIDS programs in Africa and other impoverished regions, 9/11 Relief
Best Line: Oh my father, father, we don’t need to escalate – Nora Gaye
Weirdest Transition: Gwen Stefani to Aaron Lewis
Who Invited: Fred Durst… rapping

6. Voices That Care – Voices That Care (1991)
Raised Money For: U.S. troops involved in Operation Desert Storm
Best Line: You are the voice and the guiding light. Feel in your heart how our love burns bright – Warren Wiebe
Weirdest Transition: Ralph Tresvant to Randy Travis
Who Invited: Mike Tyson (seriously, who put him next to Debbie Gibson)

7. Stars – Hear n Aid
Raised Money For: famine relief in Africa
Best Line: The epic guitar solos as a whole
Weirdest Transition: None, a very homogeneous group
Who Invited: Spinal Tap

8. Wavin’ Flag – Young Artists for Haiti (2010)
Raised Money For: People of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake
Best Line: If you weren't involved before it's never too late to start - Drake
Weirdest Transition: Drake to Nicki Yanofsky
Who Invited: Tom Cohrane

9. Self Destruction – The Stop the Violence Moment (1989)
Raised Money For: National Urban League
Best Line: I never ever ran from the Klu Klux Klan and I shouldn’t have to run from a black man – Kool Moe Dee
Weirdest Transition: Ms. Melodie to Doug E Fresh
Who Invited: Tone Loc

10. Give Peace a Chance – The Peace Choir (1991)
Raised Money For: In response to the imminent Gulf War
Best Line: Liberation ahhhhhhhhhh – Rev Run
Weirdest Transition: LL Cool J to Iggy Pop
Who Invited: Dweezil Zappa

11. Sun City – Artists United Against Apartheid (1985)
Raised Money For: protest apartheid in South Africa
Best Line: We’re stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back – Bruce Springsteen. Bono
Weirdest Transition: George Clinton to Joey Ramone
Who Invited: The Fat Boys (did one of them seriously get kissed by Bono?)

12. Across the Universe – 2005 Grammy’s
Raised Money For: Tsunami Relief
Best Line: Something’s gonna change my world – the choir
Weirdest Transition: Alicia Keys to Scott Weiland
Who Invited: Steven Tyler’s maracas

13. Give a Kidney – Kidney Now (2009)
Raised Money For: National Kidney Foundation
Best Line: Listen, when someone starts talking in the middle of a song, you know it’s serious – Elvis Costello
Weirdest Transition: Wyclef Jean, Steve Earle, and Michael McDonald
Who Invited: Clay Aiken

14. Do They Know it’s Hallowe’en – The North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative
Raised Money For: UNICEF
Best Line: Don’t know
Weirdest Transition: Take your pick
Who Invited: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

15. Sing – Annie Lennox featuring Various Artists (2007)
Raised Money For: HIV/AIDS
Best Line: Sing my sister sing – Annie Lennox
Weirdest Transition: None because of only two lead vocals
Who Invited: Madonna

16. Tears Are Not Enough – Northern Lights (1985)
Raised Money For: famine relief in Ethiopia
Best Line: It’s the time to take our message everywhere, ya know! – Cory Hart
Weirdest Transition: Cory Hart and the French people
Who Invited: Eugene Levy

17. H.E.A.L. Yourself – Human Education Against Lies (1991)
Raised Money For: H.E.A.L. Project
Best Line: Before you’re a color, first you are a human – KRS-One
Weirdest Transition: None, a very homogeneous group
Who Invited: Freddie Foxxx

18. Perfect Day – BBC (1997)
Raised Money For: Children in Need
Best Line: Just a perfect day, drink sangria in the park – Lou Reed
Weirdest Transition: Tammy Wynette to Shane MacGowan
Who Invited: the dude from Fun Lovin’ Criminals

19. Beds Are Burning (TckTckTck) – Time for Climate Justice (2009)
Raised Money For: Climate Change
Best Line: Now this village lives and breathes in forty five degrees – the dude from the Scorpions
Weirdest Transition: pretty much everyone in the Hodge podge of world artists
Who Invited: Talia al Guil

20. What More Can I Give - Michael Jackson and Friends
Raised Money For: Victims of 9/11
Best Line: We should give over and over again - Michael Jackson
Weirdest Transition: Reba McEntire to Aaron Carter
Who Invited: Billy Gilman


Honorable Mention
Let It Be - Gylne Tider: This did not make the list on account that it is not an actual charity single, but some Norwegian television hosts that tricked a bunch of long forgotten stars into thinking they were recording a charity single. No “Who invited…” because I would just end up writing every name of everyone involved.


Dishonorable Mention
We Are the World 25 – Arists for Haiti: Just a complete abomination

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Breaking Down the 100 Greatest Songs from the Golden Age of Hip-Hop


Like many white suburban kids of the late eighties and early nineties, I love rap music. Whenever I did not have practice afterschool, Yo! MTV Raps acted as my babysitter for years. And like many people of my ilk, I find most rap music today unlistenable aside a select few. I look at some of the biggest names currently in the game like Rick Ross and Lil’ Wayne and shake my head at how they are painfully bad compared the greats from my childhood. Rap music seemed more important back then (Chuck D famously said that rap music was black people’s CNN and now it is their Home Shopping Network). It started out as party music based on dance samples. Then Def Jam came around and based most of its samples on rock licks and exploded from there with conscious rap from New York, gangsta rap out west. You had the Beastie Boys pushing the limits of sampling and then embraced the alternative movement of the early nineties. It was just a perfect storm of great rap music before getting bogged down by commercialization. So I thought I would make a list of my favorite songs from the Golden Age of Hip-Hip (click to see) to represent the best of the best era.

Please note I do consider the best hip-hop songs different from the best rap songs from the era which is why you did not see songs like U Can’t Touch This (which 3rd Bass would call Hip-Pop) on my list. And since I like to have eras bookended by significant events (much like the start of World War I did not just start in 1914 but really started with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria) so my list I consider the Golden Age of Hip Hop to start with Def Jam releasing their first records and ended with the death of 2Pac. And for those that want to listen to listen to the list instead of just reading it, I have created a Spotify playlist (please note because of Spotify’s availability, some songs may be missing; seriously, why has De La Soul not upgraded to the digital age yet?).


Song Breakdown by Year
1985 – 2
1986 – 5
1987 – 6
1988 – 12
1989 – 11
1990 – 5
1991 – 14
1992 – 11
1993 – 18
1994 – 8
1995 – 5
1996 – 4


Artists with Multiple Songs (including being featured on other tracks)
Beastie Boys – 7
A Tribe Called Quest – 6
Run-DMC - 5
Ice Cube (N.W.A.) – 5
Wu-Tang Clan (Method Man) - 5
Dr. Dre (N.W.A.) – 4
Eric B. & Rakim - 4
2Pac – 3
Biz Markie – 3
De La Soul – 3
EPMD – 3
Gang Starr (Guru) – 3
LL Cool J - 3
Leaders of the New School (Busta Rhymes) – 3
Nice & Smooth - 3
Snoop Doggy Dogg – 3
Public Enemy – 3
The Pharcyde - 3
3rd Bass – 2
Big Daddy Kane - 2
Das EFX – 2
Digital Underground – 2
Doug E Fresh – 2
Domino – 2
Geto Boys – 2
Heavy D & The Boyz – 2
House of Pain – 2
pete rock & c.l smooth – 2
The Notorious B.I.G. - 2

Monday, August 27, 2012

The 100 Greatest Songs from the Golden Age of Hip-Hop


1. Fight the Power - Public Enemy

2. Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J

3. My Mind Playin Tricks On Me - Geto Boys

4. Award Tour - A Tribe Called Quest

5. Passin' Me By - The Pharcyde

6. Nuthin' but a G Thang - Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg

7. Mass Appeal - Gang Starr

8. Crossover - EPMD

9. The Choice Is Yours - Black Sheep

10. Sometimes I Rhyme Slow - Nice and Smooth

11. Regulate - Warren G and Nate Dogg

12. Children's Story - Slick Rick

13. Express Yourself - N.W.A.

14. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) - Nas featuring Lauryn Hill

15. Paul Revere - Beastie Boys

16. They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) - Pete Rock & CL Smooth

17. New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme) - Ice-T

18. Insane In the Brain - Cypress Hill

19. Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

20. It Takes Two - Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock

21. Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio featuring L.V.

22. Gin and Juice - Snoop Dogg

23. La Di Da Di (Live) - Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick

24. Scenario - A Tribe Called Quest featuring Leaders of the New School

25. Down With the King - Run-D.M.C. featuring Pete Rock and CL Smooth

26. Paid In Full - Eric B. and Rakim

27. Drop - The Pharcyde

28. Jump Around - House of Pain

29. Slam - Onyx

30. Peter Piper - Run-D.M.C.

31. C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan

32. Big Poppa - The Notorious B.I.G.

33. They Want EFX - Das EFX

34. Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit - Wu-Tang Clan

35. Around the Way Girl - LL Cool J

36. It Was a Good Day - Ice Cube

37. Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.

38. King of Rock - Run-D.M.C.

39. Follow the Leader - Eric B. & Rakim

40. Bring the Noise - Public Enemy

41. Getto Jam - Domino

42. California Love - 2Pac and Dr. Dre

43. No Sleep Till Brooklyn - Beastie Boys

44. Now That We Found Love - Heavy D and the Boyz

45. Bonita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest

46. Runnin' - The Pharcyde

47. I Know You Got Soul - Eric B. & Rakim

48. Hip Hop Hooray - Naughty By Nature

49. Hey Ladies - Beastie Boys

50. I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need to Get By - Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige

51. Pop Goes the Weasel - 3rd Bass

52. Shake Your Rump - Beastie Boys

53. Check Yo Self ('The Message' Remix) - Ice Cube featuring Das Efx

54. Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta - Geto Boys

55. Mistadobalina - Del tha Funkee Homosapien

56. Just a Friend - Biz Markie

57. Funky For You - Nice and Smooth

58. Loungin' - Guru Featuring Donald Byrd

59. Case Of The P.T.A. - Leaders of the New School

60. So What'cha Want - Beastie Boys

61. I Used to Love H.E.R. - Common Sense

62. Bring the Pain - Method Man

63. Eric B. Is President - Eric B. and Rakim

64. Let Me Clear My Throat (Old School Reunion Remix '96) - DJ Kool, Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh

65. It's Tricky - Run-D.M.C.

66. I Get Around - 2Pac featuring Digital Underground

67. I Left My Wallet In El Segundo - A Tribe Called Quest

68. Dwyck - Gang Starr Featuring Nice and Smooth

69. Fight for Your Right - Beastie Boys

70. The Symphony - Marley Marl Master Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane

71. The Gas Face - 3rd Bass

72. Wild Wild West - Kool Moe Dee

73. South Bronx - Boogie Down Productions

74. Electric Relaxation - A Tribe Called Quest

75. Me, Myself and I - De La Soul

76. Because I Got It Like That - Jungle Brothers

77. Wild Thing - Tone-Loc

78. Method Man - Wu-Tang Clan

79. Potholes in My Lawn - De La Soul

80. Check the Rhime - A Tribe Called Quest

81. You Had Too Much To Drink - EPMD

82. Same Song - Digital Underground and 2Pac

83. Vapors - Biz Markie

84. Juicy - The Notorious B.I.G.

85. Going Back to Cali - LL Cool J

86. Ain't No Half-Steppin' - Big Daddy Kane

87. 911 Is a Joke - Public Enemy

88. I Wish - Skee-Lo

89. FallĂ­n' - De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub

90. My Hooptie - Sir Mix-A-Lot

91. B Girls - Young and Restless

92. Sweet Potatoe Pie - Domino

93. Pass the Mic - Beastie Boys

94. Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check - Busta Rhymes and Rampage

95. How I Could Just Kill a Man - Cypress Hill

96. Shamrocks and Shenanigans - House of Pain

97. Nuttin' But Love - Heavy D and the Boyz

98. (Explative Deleted) Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') - Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg

99. Wicked - Ice Cube

100. Give the People - EPMD

Honorable Mention: Christmas In Hollis – Run-D.M.C.


For more on this list, check out Breaking Down the 100 Greatest Songs from the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Breaking Down the 100 Greatest Power Ballads of All Time


When you say “Power Ballad” most people conjure up hair bands from the eighties usually with black and white videos with slow motion synchronized guitar moves. But if you flip the words and think powerful ballads that can encompass many different genres and time periods. And that expanded definition was the basis of my list of The 100 Greatest Power Ballads of All Time which I am sure many of the younins have heard lately in the middle of prom season. Many may not think there is a connection between White Lion, Lauyrn Hill, and Kelly Clarkson, but they have all recorded soft ballads that build to a crescendo of guitars, pianos, choirs, or a combination of the three. Here is a look at the list by the numbers.

Songs by Genre
Alternative Rock - 25
Adult Contemporary – 24
Hard Rock – 22
Rock - 21
R&B - 6
Country – 2

Songs by Decade
60’s – 2
70’s – 5
80’s – 30
90’s – 37
00’s – 23
10’s – 3

Artists with Multiple Songs
U2 - 4
Coldplay – 3
Guns N' Roses – 3
Snow Patrol - 3
Aerosmith – 2
Bonnie Tyler – 2
Foreigner – 2
Green Day – 2
Hootie & The Blowfish – 2
INXS – 2
Journey – 2
Oasis – 2
Ozzy Osbourne - 2
Phil Collins – 2
Poison – 2
R.E.M. – 2
Radiohead - 2


Year with Most Songs – 1988 (8)
Songs with Rain in the Title – 3 (All in the top 10)
“Love Theme” from a Movie – 3

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

The 100 Greatest Power Ballads of All Time


1. Love Song - Tesla

2. Purple Rain - Prince and The Revolution

3. Heaven - Warrant

4. Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison

5. I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins

6. All I Want Is You - U2

7. I'll Be There for You - Bon Jovi

8. Home Sweet Home - Mötley CrĂ¼e

9. November Rain - Guns N' Roses

10. Without You - Harry Nilsson

11. Silver Springs (Live) - Fleetwood Mac

12. No More Drama - Mary J. Blige

13. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead

14. The Scientist - Coldplay

15. I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner

16. What It Takes - Aerosmith

17. Bright Lights - Matchbox Twenty

18. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers

19. Faithfully - Journey

20. I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meat Loaf

21. Against All Odds - Phil Collins

22. How to Save a Life - The Fray

23. Never Tear Us Apart - INXS

24. Wind of Change - Scorpions

25. Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.

26. Set the Fire to the Third Bar - Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright

27. Will You Be There - Michael Jackson

28. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - U2

29. My Immortal (Band Version) - Evanescence

30. You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones

31. Why - Annie Lennox

32. She Talks to Angels - The Black Crowes

33. Patience - Guns N' Roses

34. Ex-Factor - Lauryn Hill

35. Alone - Heart

36. Dreaming With a Broken Heart - John Mayer

37. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

38. Boston - Augustana

39. My Heart Will Go On - CĂ©line Dion

40. Far Behind - Candlebox

41. Don't Cry - Guns N' Roses

42. Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis

43. Fix You - Coldplay

44. Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) - Cinderella

45. Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner

46. With or Without You - U2

47. Tuckers Town - Hootie & the Blowfish

48. The Stairs - INXS

49. Better Man - Pearl Jam

50. Close My Eyes Forever - Lita Ford and Ozzy Osborne

51. Hey Jude - The Beatles

52. Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler

53. Poison and Wine - The Civil Wars

54. Don't Look Back In Anger - Oasis

55. Sister Christian - Night Ranger

56. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel

57. We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) - Tina Turner

58. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You - Bryan Adams

59. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

60. Let Her Cry - Hootie and the Blowfish

61. Angel Eyes - The Jeff Healey Band

62. Hero - Enrique Iglesias

63. Creep - Radiohead

64. Run - Snow Patrol

65. Linger - The Cranberries

66. Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

67. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

68. Listen to Your Heart - Roxette

69. Don't Follow - Alice in Chains

70. One - U2

71. She's Gone - Hall and Oates

72. Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon

73. Take My Breath Away - Berlin

74. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day

75. Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

76. Silent Lucidity - QueensrĂ¿che

77. When the Night Comes - Joe Cocker

78. Somebody to Love - Queen

79. The Cave - Mumford and Sons

80. I Remember You - Skid Row

81. Open Arms - Journey

82. Angel - Aerosmith

83. Mama, I'm Coming Home - Ozzy Osborne

84. It's All Coming Back to Me Now - CĂ©line Dion

85. Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me - George Michael and Elton John

86. A Long December - Counting Crows

87. When the Children Cry - White Lion

88. Glycerine - Bush

89. Big Empty - Stone Temple Pilots

90. Existentialism On Prom Night - Straylight Run

91. Lonely Road of Faith - Kid Rock

92. Strange Currencies - R.E.M.

93. Holding Out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler

94. Colder Weather - Zac Brown Band

95. Trouble - Coldplay

96. Is This Love - Whitesnake

97. The Mountains Win Again - Blues Traveler

98. Sober - Kelly Clarkson

99. A Dustland Fairytale - The Killers

100. Something to Believe In - Poison



Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Breaking Down the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 90's


In a story I broke yesterday (see The 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 90’s or just listen to it on Spotify) VH1 release their list 40 One Hit Wonders of the 90’s and it sucked massively mostly because a bunch of the artists do not fit the label including: (other artists’ hits in parentheses)

#1 Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-A-Lot (Posse on Broadway, Beepers, My Hooptie, Put ‘em on the Glass, Jump on It)
#2 Rico Suave – Gerardo (We Want the Funk, Here Kitty Kitty)
#7 Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice (Play that Funky Music, Ninja Rap)
#9 Jump Around – House of Pain (Shamrocks and Shenanigans, Who’s the Man, On Point)
#11 You Get What You Give - New Radicals (Someday We’ll Know)
#12 Humpty Dance – Digital Underground (Doowutchyalike, Same Song, Kiss You Back)
#16 Jump – kriss kross (Warm it Up, Alright, Tonite’s tha Night)
#18 Unbelievable – EMF (Lies, I Believe, Children, They’re Here)
#20 Good Vibrations – Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch (Wildside)
#25 The Impression That I Get – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (The Rascal King, Royal Oil, So Sad to Say)
#28 Flava in Ya Ear – Craig Mack (Get Down)
#30 Bitter Sweat Symphony – The Verve (Lucky Man, Love Is Noise)
#36 Bad Boys – Inner Circle (Sweat (A La La La La Long))


Here are some stats from my list:

Songs by Year
1990 – 9
1991 – 6
1992 – 7
1993 – 17
1994 – 9
1995 – 9
1996 – 16
1997 – 9
1998 – 13
1999 – 5

Songs by Genre
Rap - 19
Adult Contemporary – 16
Alternative – 14
Pop - 12
Alt-Rock – 11
Rock - 8
RnB - 8
Comedy – 4
Swing - 4
Electronica – 2
Reggae - 2
Gospel – 1

Artists of whom I have multiple songs on my iPod
Blind Melon
Duncan Sheik
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Onyx
Local H
Helmet
Nada Surf
K's Choice
Denis Leary
Robbie Williams
Shawn Mullins
Son Volt
Chris Rock
as well as Beavis and Butt-Head and Positive K on the same track

Artists Who’s Albums I Actual Bought
Wreckx-N-Effect
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Temple of the Dog
The Tony Rich Project
Toadies
Denis Leary
Los del RĂ­o
Beavis and Butt-Head (if you count their soundtrack)
Son Volt
Chris Rock
Natural Selection
Bart Simpson (if you count that Simpson’s album)

Artist on the List that had multiple hits
- Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz appeared on the Tatyana Ali song on the list as well as Mariah Carey’s My All
- Teddy Riley of Wreckx-n-Effect was also in Blackstreet
- Dan Wilson from Semisonic recently wrote Adele’s Someone Like You and took home the Song of the Year Grammy for writing Dixie Chick’s Not Ready to Make Nice
- The namesake of The Brian Setzer Orchestra was also in The Stray Cats
- Temple of the Dog featured members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden
- Chris Gaines aka Garth Brooks the highest selling act of the decade
- Big Pun was featured on a Jennifer Lopez song
- C.C. Lemonhead and Jay Ski were in not one, not two, but three one hit wonders: Quad City DJ’s, 95 South and 69 Boyz
- And do not forget the artists who had or are still having massive careers in their native lands like Take That of which Robbie Williams is a member of, Los Del Rio, Snow, and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.


Song about the Female Posterior: 5 (6 if “Lick your boom-boom down” counts though I am not entirely sure what Informer is about or if that is actually what Snow is singing)

Monday, February 06, 2012

The 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 90's


A couple months ago VH1 aired a special of the 40 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 90’s and it sucked massively. It seemed like all of their selections either were horrible songs (Rednex), artists even I have never heard of (Imani Coppola) and most erroneous were not even legitimate one wonders (almost forty percent of their list by my account). More on VH1’s list tomorrow. I was so irate at their list I started out on making my list. As it turns out of their top forty, only fifteen made my top 100. Even though some guy coined the phrase “One Hit Wonder” as landing one and only one song in Billboard’s top 40, but one hit Wonders are much more subjective and let’s face it, in the nineties, MTV had much more influence on what was a hit that Billboard. And since I watch a lot of the former music television and listened to a lot of alternative radio and rap music, my list is skewed to that. And I am sure my list will probably make people as irate as I was at the one VH1 release. If that is the case, that is what the comment section is for. Without further ado, here is my list of the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 90’s (head over to Spotify to listen to the list).

1. Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand - Primitive Radio Gods

2. No Rain - Blind Melon

3. Bad Reputaion - Freedy Johnston

4. I Wish – Skee-Lo

5. Everything Falls Apart – Dog’s Eye View

6. Barely Breathing - Duncan Sheik

7. Deja Vu (Uptown Baby) - Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz

8. No Myth - Michael Penn

9. Rump Shaker - Wreckx-N-Effect

10. Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) - Us3

11. I Got a Man - Positive K

12. Closing Time - Semisonic

13. Jump, Jive an' Wail - The Brian Setzer Orchestra

14. Slam - Onyx

15. Let Me Clear My Throat (Live) - DJ Kool

16. Hooch - Everything

17. Walking In Memphis - Marc Cohan

18. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

19. Hunger Strike - Temple of the Dog

20. Life Is a Highway - Tom Cochrane

21. Bound for the Floor - Local H

22. Mockingbirds - Grant Lee Buffalo

23. Here and Now - Letters to Cleo

24. Low - Cracker

25. Nobody Knows - The Tony Rich Project

26. Feed the Tree - Belly

27. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

28. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something

29. Silent Lucidity - QueensrĂ¿che

30. Unsung - Helmet

31. Back for Good - Take That

32. C'mon N' Ride It (The Train) - Quad City DJ’s

33. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

34. Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison

35. Popular - Nada Surf

36. Not an Addict – K’s Choice

37. Tequila - A.L.T. and the Lost Civilization

38. Walk This World - Heather Nova

39. Push - Moist

40. Ditty - Paperboy

41. Stomp (Remix) - God’s Property from Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation featuring Salt

42. Naked Eye - Luscious Jackson

43. Possum Kingdom - Toadies

44. A*****e - Denis Leary

45. Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin

46. Cannonball - The Breeders

47. Angels - Robbie Williams

48. Knockin’ Boots - Candyman

49. Lullaby - Shawn Mullins

50. Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix) - Los del Rio

51. Insensitive - Jann Arden

52. I Got You Babe - Beavis and Butt-Head featuring Cher

53. Tic Tac Toe - Kyper

54. Informer - Snow

55. Connection - Elastica

56. Lost in You - Chris Gaines

57. Drown - Son Volt

58. Hell - Squirrel Nut Zippers

59. Crush - Jennifer Paige

60. Whoomp! (There It Is) - Tag Team

61. Hard to Say I'm Sorry - Az Yet featuring Peter Cetera

62. Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...) - Lou Bega

63. No Sex - Chris Rock featuring Gerald Levert

64. All Cried Out - Allure featuring 112

65. Flood - Jars of Clay

66. I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis

67. Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B

68. Live and Learn - Joe Public

69. Pepper - Butthole Surfers

70. Steal My Sunshine - Len

71. Zoot Suit Riot - Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

72. Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

73. One More Try - Timmy T

74. Do Anything - Natural Selection

75. Battle Flag - Lo-Fidelity Allstars featuring Pigeonhead

76. Back In The Day - Ahmad

77. Ready to Go - Republica

78. Freak Me - Silk

79. Here In Your Bedroom - Goldfinger

80. Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger

81. Here Comes the Hotstepper - Ini Kamoze

82. Joey - Concrete Blonde

83. Whoot, There It Is - 95 South

84. Daydreamin' - Tatyala Ali

85. Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root

86. Circles - Soul Coughing

87. Mother 93 - Danzig

88. Still Not a Player - Big Punisher featuring Joe

89. Groove Is In the Heart - Deee-Lite featuring Q-Tip

90. Laid - James

91. Do the Bartman - Bart Simpson

92. 6 Underground - Sneaker Pimps

93. California - Wax

94. Da' Dip - Freak Nasty

95. Three Little Pigs - Green Jellö

96. C'est La Vie - B*Witched

97. Deeper Shade of Soul - Urban Dance Squad

98. Dazzey Duks - Duice

99. Nothing Compares 2 U - SinĂ©ad O’Connor

100. Wanna Be a Baller – Lil’ Troy featuring Fat Pat, Yungstar, Lil' Will, and H.A.W.K.