Category: Uncategorized
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“If You Wanna Be Happy” by Jimmy Soul: The 4th Worst Song of 1963
I need to begin this next entry with a promise. I will try, as much as possible, to avoid the obvious picks at number one. I’ve decided on my first years for pop and rock/alternative music, after which I will open up to requests. One of my first years for rock and alternative will be…
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“I Can’t Stay Mad At You” by Skeeter Davis: The 5th Worst Song of 1963
Skeeter Davis had a bad year. “I Can’t Stay Mad At You” – Skeeter Davis #7 peak#43 year-end Ok, so a bad year where she cried all the way to the bank, given the massive success of “The End Of The World,” and the smaller, but still respectable success of this song. But while “The…
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“I Wanna Be Around” by Tony Bennett: The 6th Worst Song of 1963
Well, I’ll give Skeeter Davis one thing… at least her type of breakup song is only hurting herself. Unlike this next one, which takes wallowing over a breakup to horrifying new heights. “I Wanna Be Around” – Tony Bennett #14 peak#64 year-end “I Wanna Be Around” began life as a song written by Sadie Vimmerstedt,…
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“The End Of The World” by Skeeter Davis: The 7th Worst Song of 1963
Alright, now it’s time for the main event. Singers whining and complaining about relationships. It’s been pretty commonplace throughout music history for singers to moan about how horrible their life was because that one pretty girl or that one handsome man walked out on them or rejected them. But 1963 was such a bad year…
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“Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer” by Nat King Cole: The 8th Worst Song of 1963
Every so often, a truly talented artist drops a truly bad song. My original favorite band, Weezer, once decided that “Can’t Stop Partying,” a club pop song where 39 year old Rivers Cuomo begged for Patron and pretty girls surrounding him, was a good idea. Lou Reed, the genius behind The Velvet Underground, and Metallica,…
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“You’re The Reason I’m Living” by Bobby Darin: The 9th Worst Song of 1963
I am coming to a sad conclusion. That Bobby Darin released his two biggest songs at the turn of the decade: “Mack The Knife” and “Beyond The Sea.” And then he fell off a cliff in terms of song quality. “You’re The Reason I’m Living” – Bobby Darin #3 peak#23 year-end Bobby Darin wasn’t a…
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“Deep Purple” by Nino Tempo & April Stevens: The 10th Worst Song of 1963
So… after this year’s lists are done, I plan on doing a 70’s year next for pop music. I can’t wait. Along with the 90’s for rock music, the 70’s is my favorite decade for pop music. It’s amazing to consider the sheer variety of what was offered on the pop charts: while Disco is…
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The Top Ten Worst Songs of 1963
Author’s Note: I wrote this summary in April 2021, as my second full-length project after my 2020 lists. It is my first pop year-end project, as well as my first retro year-end project. As I will mention below, I decided to do 1963 as a tribute to my parents, as well as the fact that…
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The Best Rock & Alternative Song of 2020
My favorite songs aren’t necessarily everyone else’s favorite songs. When I look for the best song, I’m not looking for the song that public opinion considers the best, or even the one that has the fewest flaws. I’m looking for the song that speaks to me the most. It could be the song where every element, from…
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“Might Be Right” by White Reaper: The 2nd Best Rock & Alternative Song of 2020
A big reason I haven’t been too fond of music in the last ten years is because of where the focus is placed. In a lot of songs, especially in pop music, all the emphasis has gone to the vocals, not the instrumentation. A lot of my favorite songs are the songs where almost everything involved has…
Dr. Nelson Winston 