The penultimate list from the Songs of the Century as compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
1. Reach Out, I’ll Be There – The Four Tops (#266)
2. Walk This Way – Aerosmith (#267)
3. Strange Fruit – Billie Holliday (#273)
4. Strangers In The Night – CAKE (#275, Frank Sinatra)
5. War – Bruce Springsteen (#276, Edwin Starr)
6. Behind Closed Doors – Modern Barbershop Quartet (#277, Charlie Rich)
7. Old Time Rock and Roll – Procession (#278, Bob Seger)
8. Heart of Gold – Neil Young (#286)
9. For What It’s Worth – Black 47 (#291, Buffalo Springfield)
10. Don’t Worry, Be Happy – The Blenders (#301, Bobby McFerrin)
Ah, “Old Time Rock and Roll”. That scene from “Risky Business”. Has any movie sequence been more widely parodied than that? Maybe something from “Casablanca”, I don’t know. But I do know that this, which I sadly can’t embed, is my new favorite among them. The German dubbing at the end really puts it over the top.
Round 2 report: Started with “Standing On Higher Ground”, by the Alan Parsons Project. Finished with “The Unforgettable Fire”, by U2. That was song #984, for a total of 88 this week, with 84 to go till the end. The last S song was “Synchronicity II”, by The Police. The first T song was “Take a Step Back”, by Simple Minds. The last T song was “Two Tribes”, the Annihilation extended mix, by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. The first U song was “The Underdog”, by Spoon. One more week!