TOP TEN SONGS: WEEK ENDING JANUARY 18
I'm writing a post about Billboard's top ten songs for every week in 2020. And in order to give it a historical perspective, also the top ten from the same week in 1970, 80, 90, 2000, and 2010.
One may ask "why not include 1960?" and my reasoning is that it sounds too far out of context, from a wholly different time, almost another planet.
What do you think about what I think? What do you think about what I DON'T think? What do you think about what you think when you leave what I think out of the equation? Leave a comment, dummy!
(this playlist has every song in the top ten for the first three weeks in January 1970, 80, 90, 2000, 10, and 20. It is organized thusly: First by year, so starting with 1970, then 1980, and so on, and then in alphabetical order by artist name.)
(this one is my personal top ten from the all the January top tens. Much consideration is given to variety. If you don't like it make your own and share it with me you selfish bastard!)
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 2020
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 1970
One may ask "why not include 1960?" and my reasoning is that it sounds too far out of context, from a wholly different time, almost another planet.
What do you think about what I think? What do you think about what I DON'T think? What do you think about what you think when you leave what I think out of the equation? Leave a comment, dummy!
(this playlist has every song in the top ten for the first three weeks in January 1970, 80, 90, 2000, 10, and 20. It is organized thusly: First by year, so starting with 1970, then 1980, and so on, and then in alphabetical order by artist name.)
(this one is my personal top ten from the all the January top tens. Much consideration is given to variety. If you don't like it make your own and share it with me you selfish bastard!)
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 2020
1. THE BOX by Roddy Rich
2. YUMMY by Justin Bieber
3. CIRCLES by Post Malone
4. MEMORIES by Maroon 5
5. 10,000 HOURS by Dan and Shay featuring Justin Bieber
6. SOMEONE YOU LOVED by Lewis Capaldi
7. DANCE MONKEY by Tones and I
8. GOOD AS HELL by Lizzo
9. ROXANNE by Arizona Zervas
10. LOSE YOU TO LOVE ME by Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez' LOSE YOU TO LOVE ME sounds like angels singing from on high. :: Apparently I made poor predictions last week, as I guessed ROXANNE would move up in the top ten and it has moved down four spots. And DANCE MONKEY stayed the same, I thought that would move up as well. This is surprising, since they both annoy the shit out of me, and that usually bodes well for the success of a song. :: I wish that I only had MEMORIES of Maroon 5, as in "who were they again?" :: The Biebs' new track YUMMY debuts at number 2. "I know you've been waiting but I've been off making babies/And like a chef making donuts and pastries/It's time to make you sweat". Woah, there's a lot to unpack there. Is it time to sweat like a chef does while making donuts? Or do his donuts make other people sweat? Or is the Biebs like the chef and sweat are his donuts? Either way, get ready to sweat because the Biebs is back from making babies. This song was written by Pharrell and Gwen Stefani, and it seems odd that three absurdly talented people would come up with something so lame but hey, you have to try things. If they'd only let me take them under my wing I could teach them how to be much less successful.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 2010
1. TIK TOK by Ke$ha
2. BAD ROMANCE by Lady Gaga
3. REPLAY by Iyaz
4. EMPIRE STATE OF MIND by Jay-Z + Alicia Keys
5. FIREFLIES by Owl City
6. SEXY BITCH/CHICK by David Guetta featuring Akon
7. DOWN by Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
8. WHATCHA SAY by Jason DeRulo
9. I GOTTA FEELING by the Black Eyed Peas
10. PARTY IN THE U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus
BAD ROMANCE: I could never get into this track because it sounds like two completely different songs to me. The verse has nothing to do with the chorus, although it is essentially the same cadence and there's a lyrical thread there, but despite that the chorus sounds jarringly out of place. But that's obviously just a "me" problem. I do think the chorus is glorious. She could sing the phone book and it would still be interesting. :: FIREFLIES: I've never heard of Owl City before, I don't remember this song, and I had to check to make sure that it wasn't a Ben Gibbard side project, or maybe Postal Service under a different name. It's kind of cool though, I like it. :: This is a pretty good top ten in terms of ephemeral pop. And despite my feeling about it, the Gaga song has stood the test of time, and EMPIRE STATE OF MIND has arguably become a classic.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 2000
Selena Gomez' LOSE YOU TO LOVE ME sounds like angels singing from on high. :: Apparently I made poor predictions last week, as I guessed ROXANNE would move up in the top ten and it has moved down four spots. And DANCE MONKEY stayed the same, I thought that would move up as well. This is surprising, since they both annoy the shit out of me, and that usually bodes well for the success of a song. :: I wish that I only had MEMORIES of Maroon 5, as in "who were they again?" :: The Biebs' new track YUMMY debuts at number 2. "I know you've been waiting but I've been off making babies/And like a chef making donuts and pastries/It's time to make you sweat". Woah, there's a lot to unpack there. Is it time to sweat like a chef does while making donuts? Or do his donuts make other people sweat? Or is the Biebs like the chef and sweat are his donuts? Either way, get ready to sweat because the Biebs is back from making babies. This song was written by Pharrell and Gwen Stefani, and it seems odd that three absurdly talented people would come up with something so lame but hey, you have to try things. If they'd only let me take them under my wing I could teach them how to be much less successful.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 2010
1. TIK TOK by Ke$ha
2. BAD ROMANCE by Lady Gaga
3. REPLAY by Iyaz
4. EMPIRE STATE OF MIND by Jay-Z + Alicia Keys
5. FIREFLIES by Owl City
6. SEXY BITCH/CHICK by David Guetta featuring Akon
7. DOWN by Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
8. WHATCHA SAY by Jason DeRulo
9. I GOTTA FEELING by the Black Eyed Peas
10. PARTY IN THE U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus
BAD ROMANCE: I could never get into this track because it sounds like two completely different songs to me. The verse has nothing to do with the chorus, although it is essentially the same cadence and there's a lyrical thread there, but despite that the chorus sounds jarringly out of place. But that's obviously just a "me" problem. I do think the chorus is glorious. She could sing the phone book and it would still be interesting. :: FIREFLIES: I've never heard of Owl City before, I don't remember this song, and I had to check to make sure that it wasn't a Ben Gibbard side project, or maybe Postal Service under a different name. It's kind of cool though, I like it. :: This is a pretty good top ten in terms of ephemeral pop. And despite my feeling about it, the Gaga song has stood the test of time, and EMPIRE STATE OF MIND has arguably become a classic.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 2000
1. WHAT A GIRL WANTS by Christina Aguilera
2. SMOOTH by Santana featuring Rob Thomas
3. BACK AT ONE by Brian McKnight
4. I KNEW I LOVED YOU by Savage Garden
5. I WANNA LOVE YOU FOREVER by Jessica Simpson
6. MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE by Whitney Houston
7. HOT BOYZ by Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott Featuring NAS, EVE & Q-Tip
8. AULD LANG SYNE by Kenny G
9. I NEED TO KNOW by Marc Anthony
10. BRING IT ALL TO ME by Blaque featuring NSYNC
There isn't one song that I like very much in this list; I love Missy Elliot but I don't like HOT BOYZ; BRING IT ALL TO ME has a great hook but the whole thing sounds out of tune. I can't fucking stand SMOOTH.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 1990
2. SMOOTH by Santana featuring Rob Thomas
3. BACK AT ONE by Brian McKnight
4. I KNEW I LOVED YOU by Savage Garden
5. I WANNA LOVE YOU FOREVER by Jessica Simpson
6. MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE by Whitney Houston
7. HOT BOYZ by Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott Featuring NAS, EVE & Q-Tip
8. AULD LANG SYNE by Kenny G
9. I NEED TO KNOW by Marc Anthony
10. BRING IT ALL TO ME by Blaque featuring NSYNC
There isn't one song that I like very much in this list; I love Missy Elliot but I don't like HOT BOYZ; BRING IT ALL TO ME has a great hook but the whole thing sounds out of tune. I can't fucking stand SMOOTH.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 1990
1. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU by Michael Bolton
2. PUMP UP THE JAM by Technotronic Featuring Felly
3. ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE by Phil Collins
4. EVERYTHING by Jody Watley
5. DOWNTOWN TRAIN by Rod Stewart
6. RHYTHM NATION by Janet Jackson
7. JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME by Lou Gramm
8. FREE FALLIN’ by Tom Petty
9. TWO TO MAKE IT RIGHT by Seduction
10. LOVE SONG by Tesla
4 new entries since the previous week: Rod Stewart's version of DOWNTOWN TRAIN: this is a cover of a Tom Waits song, and it bears very little resemblance to the original; Tom Waits' version has him sounding remarkably like Rowlf the dog, more so than normal, and normal is still a lot like Rowlf the dog. In any case the disparity shows how versatile the song is. :: FREE FALLIN' is one of the best songs to ever make the top ten, especially in the late 80's/early 90's. Simple, evocative, beautiful. :: TWO TO MAKE IT RIGHT this isn't the dance floor classic I assumed it was, and I don't care for it. :: I saw Tesla live a few years after LOVE SONG came out. It was obviously a very long time ago and I was super young but I remember they were surprisingly fun and hilarious. Their days were numbered because by that point Grunge had come along and wiped most of those hair metal guys out. But Tesla wasn't really a typical hair metal band. I don't remember this song, and it's not very good.
4 new entries since the previous week: Rod Stewart's version of DOWNTOWN TRAIN: this is a cover of a Tom Waits song, and it bears very little resemblance to the original; Tom Waits' version has him sounding remarkably like Rowlf the dog, more so than normal, and normal is still a lot like Rowlf the dog. In any case the disparity shows how versatile the song is. :: FREE FALLIN' is one of the best songs to ever make the top ten, especially in the late 80's/early 90's. Simple, evocative, beautiful. :: TWO TO MAKE IT RIGHT this isn't the dance floor classic I assumed it was, and I don't care for it. :: I saw Tesla live a few years after LOVE SONG came out. It was obviously a very long time ago and I was super young but I remember they were surprisingly fun and hilarious. Their days were numbered because by that point Grunge had come along and wiped most of those hair metal guys out. But Tesla wasn't really a typical hair metal band. I don't remember this song, and it's not very good.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 1980
1. ROCK WITH YOU by Michael Jackson
2. DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME by The Captain and Tennille
3. ESCAPE (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes
4. COWARD OF THE COUNTY by Kenny Rogers
5. SEND ONE YOUR LOVE by Stevie Wonder
6. CRUISIN’ by Smokey Robinson
7. WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE by Cliff Richard
8. LADIES NIGHT by Kool and the Gang
9. PLEASE DON’T GO by K.C. and the Sunshine Band
10. COOL CHANGE by Little River Band
Only 2 new entries here, Little River Band's COOL CHANGE, which is 70's white guy soft rock encapsulated in one song: "the albatross and the whales, they are my brothers" (amazing) and Smokey's CRUISIN' which is great although certainly not even in the top 20 songs of the Smokey Robinson canon. I prefer D'Angelo's version, which changes the underlying progression in a way that I prefer. :: ROCK WITH YOU certainly belongs at the top of this chart.
Only 2 new entries here, Little River Band's COOL CHANGE, which is 70's white guy soft rock encapsulated in one song: "the albatross and the whales, they are my brothers" (amazing) and Smokey's CRUISIN' which is great although certainly not even in the top 20 songs of the Smokey Robinson canon. I prefer D'Angelo's version, which changes the underlying progression in a way that I prefer. :: ROCK WITH YOU certainly belongs at the top of this chart.
TOP TEN SONGS FROM THIS WEEK IN 1970
1. RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON MY HEAD by B.J. Thomas
2. VENUS by The Shocking Blue
3. I WANT YOU BACK by Jackson 5
4. SOMEDAY WE’LL BE TOGETHER by Diana Ross and the Supremes
5. WHOLE LOTTA LOVE / LIVING LOVING MAID
6. LEAVING ON A JET PLANE by Peter, Paul and Mary
7. DON’T CRY DADDY / RUBBERNECKIN’ by Elvis Presley
8. JAM UP AND JELLY TIGHT by Tommy Roe
9. DOWN ON THE CORNER / FORTUNATE SON by Creedence Clearwater Revival
10. MIDNIGHT COWBOY by Ferrante and Teicher
I don't think even the most ardent Elvis fan would put RUBBERNECKIN' up there with his best. He sounds like he's trying to sing a super energetic song while on quaaludes. Exactly the opposite is true of DON'T CRY DADDY; here he wrings out every drop of pain from his sad soul. It's odd that RCA issued those two songs as a double a-side since they're from two different albums. They also sound like they're from two different eras. :: Just cracking the top ten this week is Ferrante and Teicher's MIDNIGHT COWBOY, written by the incomparable John Barry, probably best known as the composer of the scores of all the Bond films up until 1987.
Again, let me know what you think. Is pop music dead? Has it always been bad? Has it always been good? Leave a comment!
___________________
Follow my band the Dream Eaters so you can write your own blog about how stupid my songs are.
Twitter: @dreameatersband
Facebook: @dreameatersband
Instagram: @dreameatersband
Web: thedreameaters.com
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime; just pick an evil corporation and you'll find us there.
I don't think even the most ardent Elvis fan would put RUBBERNECKIN' up there with his best. He sounds like he's trying to sing a super energetic song while on quaaludes. Exactly the opposite is true of DON'T CRY DADDY; here he wrings out every drop of pain from his sad soul. It's odd that RCA issued those two songs as a double a-side since they're from two different albums. They also sound like they're from two different eras. :: Just cracking the top ten this week is Ferrante and Teicher's MIDNIGHT COWBOY, written by the incomparable John Barry, probably best known as the composer of the scores of all the Bond films up until 1987.
Again, let me know what you think. Is pop music dead? Has it always been bad? Has it always been good? Leave a comment!
___________________
Follow my band the Dream Eaters so you can write your own blog about how stupid my songs are.
Twitter: @dreameatersband
Facebook: @dreameatersband
Instagram: @dreameatersband
Web: thedreameaters.com
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime; just pick an evil corporation and you'll find us there.
