“It's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout a rock and roll” – is there more than one rock and roll to tell the stranger about, or does the enormity of the task of telling someone about rock and roll for the first time elicit a pause (“about, uh, rock and roll”)? –Do ...
Singing high and free, even a runaway train can't take his gal away. Scotty Moore and Bill Black never played better, but Elvis's whoop of delight at the end takes the cake. 4. HEARTBREAK HOTEL A freaky but inspired choice of first 45 for a major label. To enhance the atmosphere of...
As Elvis Costello turns 70, Variety offers a list of the singer-songwriter's 70 best, most powerful songs, from 'Alison' up through his latest album.
“Rock journalist David Browne wrote that ‘[d]uring the Flying Machine days in the Village, Taylor had heard one too many pretentious white blues bands and wrote ‘Steamroller’ to mock them.” The song was also included on Taylor’s diamond-sellingGreatest Hits 1976compilation, using a live...
Best line: “I founded the club she’s heard great things about.” 67 “Ronan” (2012) Dave J Hogan/Getty Images A little-known charity single for cancer research, unlike anything else in her songbook. She wrote this about Ronan Thompson, a four-year-old Arizona boy who died of neurobl...
Once you dive into the world of prog rock and metal, you’ll find classical music at pretty much every turn. Take a listen to the nifty guitar riff for Muse’s ‘Plug in Baby’ – heard that somewhere before?Bachexercised a profound influence over hisClassicalandRomanticsuccessors, but list...
which would go on to influence the next decade of pop. Even as the weakest single off the album, “Dark Paradise” became a Tumblr-era earworm with its dissonant combination of pulsating drums and cinematic violins. As soon as depressed teens on the Dark Paradise blogging site heard the New...
You’ve heard of landing in the doghouse. That’s literally what this tune is about; the singer comes home after a night of carousing and winds up sleeping with the mutt. The song was a big hit twice:Hank Williamsdid the country-swing original in 1947, while Thorogood rocked it up thr...
“Endless Love” Diana Ross & Lionel Richie | Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for nine weeks (1981) Producer Jon Peters and director Franco Zeffirelli asked Lionel Richie to compose an instrumental along the lines of the theme fromLove Storyfor the movieEndless Lovestarring Brooke Shields. When Zeffirelli...
Stevie Wonder is an American musician and a former child prodigy who became one of the most creative musical figures of the 20th century with hits like "My Cherie Amour," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Superstition."