For its 40th anniversary issue, Rolling Stone magazine has published its
40 Songs That Changed the World. The list (in a special foldout) is chronological, starting with Elvis'
That's Alright and ending with the White Stripes'
Fell in Love With a Girl, and gives
why the world needed it, why it matters, and without this song, no......
For example, #5
Louie, Louie by the
Kingsmen (May, 1963)-
Why the world needed it: The crucial distinction between being great musicians and being able to make a great record had not yet been made.
Why it matters: This Portland, Oregon garage band is terribly recorded, can barely keep the beat and gets lost midway through the song, and singer Jack Ely sounds like he's got a mouth full of whiskey-flavored marbles - and it doesn't matter, because any band with that riff on its side would win anyway.
Without this song, no: White Stripes, AC/DC, Hives, frat parties
Well, RS editors CHALLENGE you, the readers, to send comments about what songs YOU think have "shaken and shifted our planet" and will publish the readers choices in the June 29 edition. Some quick johnnykmusic suggestions:
Neil Young's Four Dead in Ohio- written in the aftermath of the Kent State killings
The Beach Boys' Surfin' USA- Harmonies of the Four Freshman meet twangy guitars...where would all the suburban, mid-America surfers be without the Beach Boys .....begot skateboards, urban skaters and the x-treme games....if everybody had an ocean, across the USA...
Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth- THE premier protest song of the post-folk period...
Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side- Hey babe, hip NYC drag hits mainstream pop and most listeners have no clue what the theme is...."in the bathroom she was everybody's darlin'"....made it cool (if only while groovin') to know gay people (one of my BEST friends knows someone who's gay)...and the colored girls sing....
Rick James' Superfreak- Superfunk'd, but catchy enough for everyone...and how many more times will this riff be stolen by other artists?....It's Rick James, bitch!
Gimme some more...
For its 40th anniversary issue, Rolling Stone magazine has published its 40 Songs That Changed the World. The list (in a special foldout) is chronological, starting with Elvis' That's Alright and ending with the White Stripes' Fell in Love With a Girl, and gives why the world needed it, why it matters, and without this song, no...... 
For example, #5 Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen (May, 1963)-
2 comments:
West Side Story's Somewhere. Yes, it's Broadway, but the theme hit home with the alienated teens of the day
I had a nice easy day in the Florida sunshine planned - now you're going to put me to work. My list will be tilted toward the start of rock n roll, but my list will include songs which are still played today by all forms of media.
1. Rocket 88 - Ike Turner
2. Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley's Comets
3. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
4. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
5. Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
6. Little Darlin - The Diamonds
7. In The Still Of The Night - The Five Satins
8. At The Hop - Danny & The Juniors
9. The Twist - Chubby Checker
10. Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton
11. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys
12. I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
13. Dancing In The Street - Martha & The Vandallas
14. Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
15. Under The Boardwalk - The Drifters
16. Stop In The Name of Love - The Supremes
17. Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
18. Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
19. Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny
20. The Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler
21. The House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
22. My Girl - The Temptations
23. Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
24. Strangers on the Shore - Aker Bilk
25. The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
26. Heard it through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
27. When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge
28. One Fine Day - The Chiffons
29. Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers
30. California Dreaming - The Mamas & Papas
31. Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam
32. Aquarius - The Fifth Dimendion
33. ABC - The Jackson 5
34. Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
35. American Pie - Don McClean
36. Last Dance - Donna Summer
37. Maggie May - Rod Stewart
38. Turn the Beat Around - Vickie Sue Robinson
39. YMCA - The Village People
40. Old Time Rock N Roll - Bob Seger
Every one of these songs have stood the test of time! Many are songs in movies (many years after the songs release). Many of the songs have been in radio & television commercials (Even today). Many of these songs have been recorded by other artists. All of these songs charted high in sales. The most important factor is that these songs are still selling today, in various collections and on line. Now I'm heading to the beach !!!!!
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