Saturday, September 24, 2022

Top 500 Songs - Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick

Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest performers in American history. His musical library is tremendous, and has tunes that appeal to all sorts of audiences. I think this list is one that has probably fluctuated the most for me over the years, with Part-Time Lover, Superstition, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours all spending time in the #1 spot. After seeing High Fidelity twenty or thirty times though, there hasn't really been another contender for the top of the list.

I added USA for Africa and Dionne Warwick to this post because they were short list, and both of their lists were topped by songs featuring Stevie Wonder.

Stevie Wonder

  1. I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)
  2. Uptight (Everything's Alright)
  3. Living for the City
  4. Superstition
  5. Part-Time Lover
  6. I Wish
  7. Sir Duke
  8. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
  9. Higher Ground
  10. For Once in My Life
  11. You Are the Sunshine of My Life
  12. Isn't She Lovely
  13. My Cherie Amour

USA for Africa

  1. We Are the World

Dionne Warwick

  1. That's What Friends Are For
  2. Then Came You


Friday, September 9, 2022

Top 500 Songs - Allman Brothers Band, Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald

Long before I knew who the Allman Brothers Band was, one of their songs resonated deeply with me. Field of Dreams was one of a few movies that I remember distinctly from my childhood, and the song Jessica features prominently during a traveling period in the film. Then at some point in high school, I began to become more familiar with music in general, and learned about the band as a whole. Though none of their music ever surpassed Jessica, it turns out the Allman Brothers had put together quite the library of great tunes.

Let's ride!

Allman Brothers Band

  1. Jessica
  2. Midnight Rider
  3. Melissa
  4. Ramblin' Man
  5. Whipping Post
  6. Little Martha

Sometime in my early adulthood, I discovered a series of online videos called Yacht Rock (full series visible here on YouTube). That reignited my appreciation for the Doobie Brothers, a band I was aware of as a kid, but didn't really listen to.

A cool thing about the Doobie Brothers is that they had two distinct eras: one before Michael McDonald joined, and one after. The songs will be combined into a single list for our purposes, though. Combining all songs into one list is the whole point, after all. And we'll throw Michael McDonald's tunes in at the end of the list as well.

Doobie Brothers

  1. What a Fool Believes
  2. Minute by Minute
  3. Long Train Runnin'
  4. China Grove
  5. It Keeps You Runnin'
  6. Jesus Is Just Alright
  7. Listen to the Music
  8. Black Water
  9. Takin' It to the Streets

Michael McDonald

  1. Living for the City
  2. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)
  3. Into the Mystic


Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Top 500 Songs - Aerosmith

Aerosmith is a band that I've liked for roughly a million years. There was a period in high school and college when liking them became uncool, coinciding with their Nine Lives album and their prominence on the Armageddon soundtrack, but the joke was on high school cool kids; Aerosmith found themselves redeemed with Dream On's featured spot in Miracle.

The reality, of course, is that Aerosmith just rocked the whole time.

Aerosmith

  1. Dream On
  2. Rag Doll
  3. Last Child
  4. Sweet Emotion
  5. Draw the Line
  6. Come Together
  7. Dude (Looks Like a Lady)
  8. Love in an Elevator
  9. Train Kept A Rollin
  10. Janie's Got a Gun
  11. The Other Side
  12. Livin' on the Edge
  13. Eat the Rich
  14. Cryin'
  15. Amazing
  16. Crazy
  17. Pink
  18. Full Circle
  19. Taste of India
  20. What It Takes
  21. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
  22. Fallen Angels
  23. Same Old Song And Dance

2023 In Review - Movies

Along with TV shows, this year was a pretty good year for me with movies. I have a lifetime of all-time classics that I've never seen, a...