Category: Uncategorized
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“Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart: The 9th Worst Song of 1977
For those of you who’ve met me, you’ve probably gotten the impression that I love 70s and 90s music a lot more than music of the past decade, the 2010’s. In my opinion, the 70s had a lot more variety in music, with pop, soft rock, true rock music, R&B, Disco, and Country all getting…
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“Ariel” by Dean Friedman: The 10th Worst Song of 1977
My parents embarrass me in several ways. Particularly my father. My dad has made me ashamed to be his son on several topics involving the seventies. He loves Colombo. He loves “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” (yes, that song sucks, don’t @ me). He loves Barry Manilow. And most of all, he loves “Thunder Island”…
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The Top Ten Worst Songs of 1977
Author’s Note: The following was written in June and July 2021, shortly after I moved to Toledo from Upstate New York. After doing much of my preliminary listening in my final days in New York, I wrote the intro and dishonorable mentions in an Airbnb in Sylvania, and wrote the rest of the list in…
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The Best Song of 1963
RECAP #10: Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” was a blazing success. #9: Del Shannon’s “Little Town Flirt” is so good, you could get hurt. #8: Bill Pursell presented us with “Our Winter Love.” #7: The Impressions’ first hit? “It’s All Right.” #6: The answer to Peter, Paul, & Mary’s success is “Blowin’ In The Wind.”…
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1963 Honorable Mentions
Before we take a look at the best song 1963 had to offer, here are ten songs that were also very good, but failed to make the cut. “Surfer Girl” – The Beach Boys #7 peak#35 year-end It’s been said that before The Beach Boys broke their careers wide open on the seminal record Pet…
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“So Much In Love” by The Tymes: The 2nd Best Song of 1963
The song with barely any instrumentation. Whether it’s a cappella or whatever you want to call it, it’s a gimmick. I know I’m meeting my critical kryptonite here as a non-singer, but I’m certain we’ve gotten a mixed bag here. I’m one of the few people who likes “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin,…
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“Pipeline” by The Chantays: The 3rd Best Song of 1963
There were a lot of instrumentals in 1963. Oh yeah, I mentioned this earlier. But you know what there was also a lot of? Surf rock instrumentals. This was the year of “Wipe Out” by the Surfaris, an early surf rock jam that has probably stood as the most famous guitar riff of the year…
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“You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” by The Miracles: The 5th Best Song of 1963
1963 was the year Motown really began to find its footing. After only having hits sporadically over the previous two years, Motown scored no less than six hit songs this year. Martha and the Vandellas, the group that brought us probably the ultimate Motown song “Dancing In The Street,” broke through in 1963 with “Come…
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“In Dreams” by Roy Orbison: The 4th Best Song of 1963
I wanted to open this section up with a big lecture about vocals, but then I remembered I don’t know how to sing. When I review songs as a result, I always put music, instrumentation, and lyrical content first before moving on to the vocals. But I do have an idea of how I want…
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The Top Ten Best Songs of 1963
Author’s Note: I wrote the bulk of this summary in June 2021, as my second full-length project after my 2020 lists. I wrote the honorable mentions while still living in New York, then wrote the top ten while living at an Airbnb in Sylvania while waiting for my current apartment to be ready to live…
Dr. Nelson Winston 