21. Stand by Me (Ben E. King)
Initially written (by King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) for The Drifters to perform in 1960, “Stand by Me” was turned down by the latter and taken up by Ben E. King himself. Inspired by the spiritual “Lord Stand by Me” and based on lines from Psalms 46:2–3, it was released as a single and, in 1962, was placed on King’s album, Don’t Play That Song! As a testament to the song’s indisputable timelessness, it’s been performed over a whopping seven million times by over 400 artists and bands.
Meaning of the Song: Inspired by the spiritual “Lord Stand by Me”, Stand by Me also closely ties to Psalms 46:2–3 in the Bible.
Accolades: RS/500, No. 122; Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2012 Towering Song Award; BMI’s “Fourth Most Performed Song of the twentieth-century (with a virtually staggering seven million performances of the tune); Billboard Hot R&B Singles, No. 1 and Hot 100, No. 4 (1961).
22. My Girl (Temptations)
One of the greatest ever Motown (Gordy) hits, “My Girl” was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White (of The Miracles) and most famously sung by David Ruffin at the legendary Stax Studios in Memphis, TN; it was featured on the Temptations’ album, The Temptations Sing Smokey. Significant other covers of the song have been made by artists like Robinson himself, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Al Green, and The Mamas and the Papas. “My Girl” is also famous for its appearance in and to the soundtrack of the 1991 movie of the same name.
Meaning of the Song: “My Girl” was written by Smokey Robinson for his wife Claudette Rogers Robinson, who was also a member of The Miracles band.
Accolades: No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles (1965); the Temptations’ first singles hit and signature song; RS/500, No. 88.
23. Remember When (Alan Jackson)
For a song that Billboard claimed as “the most poignant, well written country song to hit the format in a long time”, Jackson may have made have well produced one of his signature career pieces. “Remember When”, one of two singles from Jackson’s Greatest Hits, Volume II album, evokes part sadness, part joyfulness, and all reminiscence of memories past. Additionally, the thing about this one is how the poignant lyrics resonate with millions of people on so many levels.
Meaning of the Song: “Remember When” is based on flashbacks of Jackson’s life; it portrays sort of a retrospection of his life with his wife and children. In the song, Jackson poignantly details their, essentially, love at first sight experience, the birth and raising of their children, and how he and his wife will reminisce (hence, ‘remember when’) about the kids once they’re grown.
Accolades: U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs, No. 1 (2004, two consecutive weeks); Billboard Hot 100, No. 29; Billboard‘s 2004 Year-End roundup of US Country Songs, No. 2; RIAA-certified gold.
24. Gold Digger (Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx)
Rocking West’s album, Late Registration, Kanye West and Jamie Foxx’s “Gold Digger” seems perhaps more of a blunt (and quite catchy) version of the late Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman”. Kanye West originally developed the lyrics and beat for Shawnna’s in 2004, however, she turned down the offer. So, rewriting the lyrics and beat from a male perspective this time, Kanye took to the mic with it, bringing in Jamie Foxx to render the Ray Charles-based “I Got a Woman” chorus. “Gold Digger” broke record the for the most digital downloads in a one week, netting over 80,000 digital downloads—making it the fastest-selling download ever at the time.
Meaning of the Song: “Gold Digger” was an intended take on Ray Charles’ 1954 hit “I Got a Woman”.
Accolades: Marked second-longest running number one (10 weeks) on the 2005 Billboard Hot 100; Grammy award for Best Rap Solo Performance; Billboard magazine’s All Time Top 100, No. 49; Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade, No. 9; Gold Digger marks the ninth-most successful U.S. single of the last twelve years.
25. Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
John Fogerty’s “Proud Mary”, most famously performed by CCR for their album Bayou Country, debuted in March, 1968 and was the first of five straight singles by CCR to reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Interestingly, John wrote Proud Mary’s lyrics based on three concept words that were also initially considered as titles: ‘Proud Mary,’ ‘Riverboat,’ and ‘Rolling On A River.’
Meaning of the Song: “Proud Mary”–along with “Born on the Bayou” and “Keep on Chooglin” from the same album–took root when John Fogerty started National Guard service. As he explained it, the lyrics were a conglomeration from other songs , particularly one dubbed “Washerwoman Named Mary”. The ‘rolling’ on the river’ line was inspired by a Will Rogers film, and the line ‘left a good job in the city’ is a reference to Fogerty’s military discharge.
Accolades: Billboard Hot 100, No. 2; RS/500, No. 155; Grammy Hall of Fame (also includes the Ike and Tina Turner version of Proud Mary from the album Workin’ Together) induction; Ö3 Austria Top 40, No. 1; RIAA-certified platinum.
26. One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey ft. Boyz II Men)
Composed by Carey, Walter Afanasieff, and the members of Boyz II Men, “One Sweet Day” was released as the second and (what would become the) most prominent single from the album Daydream in November of 1995. “One Sweet Day” was most notably performed at Princess Diana’s somber memorial service in 1997.
Meaning of the Song: “One Sweet Day” describes losing a loved one and becoming reunited with them, once again, in Heaven. Being that AIDS was near pandemic levels in the 1990s, both Carey and Boyz II Men composed the song for those around the world suffering from HIV/AIDS, as well as for personal friends of the musicians that were afflicted with it.
Accolades: The longest-running number one song in US chart history; topped charts in New Zealand and Canada, and peaked within the top-ten in countries such as Australia, France, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom; Rolling Stone‘s reader’s poll for the Best Collaboration of All Time, No. 1 ranking; Number 1’s (1998); RIAA-certified double platinum; the third best-selling single of 1995 (US), with sales of over 1,300,000; No. 1 on Billboard‘s “Decade-End Charts”.
27. Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix)
The sex symbol, hippie extraordinaire and iconic rocker, Jimi Hendrix, never even fathomed that his hit single, “Purple Haze”, would one day become one of the most celebrated, treasured songs in the history of Rock & Roll. The song that famously exclaims “excuse me while I kiss the sky!”, ‘purple haze’, taken in another context (but not an entirely mutually exclusive one), describes the disorienting effect of sunspot activity on the residents of a planet dubbed Dante’s Joy.
Meaning of the Song: Many speculate that “Purple Haze” was at least partially about the psychedelic drug LSD. Hendrix himself claimed that the line “Whatever it is, that girl put a spell on me” was “the key line to the lyrics”, while he also maintained that the song was partially in reference to a sci-fi story entitled “Night of Light” by Philip José Farmer.
Accolades: Spent 14 weeks on the charts in the U.K, peaking at No. 3; eight weeks on the American charts, peaking at No. 65; No. 1 on Q magazine’s ‘100 Greatest Guitar Tracks’; RS/500, No. 17; No. 2 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the ‘100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time’.
28. Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys)
Released as a single on October 10, 1966 (backed with the Pet Sounds instrumental “Let’s Go Away For Awhile”), “Good Vibrations” was The Beach Boys’ third U.S. number-one hit after “I Get Around” and “Help Me, Rhonda”, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1966, as well as being their first British chart-topper. Initiated during the sessions for the Pet Sounds album, it was not taken from or issued as a lead single for an album, but as a stand-alone single, although it would be later considered for the ill-fated SMiLE project. It would ultimately be placed on the album Smiley Smile eleven months after its release.
Meaning of the Song: Publicist Derek Taylor described “Good Vibrations” as a “pocket symphony”, featuring somewhat strange instruments for a psychedelic rock-pop song.
Accolades: RR/HoF induction; RS/500, No. 6; Billboard Hot 100, No. 1; the group’s first British charts topper; the group’s third No. 1 hit in the U.S; their first million-selling single, topping the charts in 1966; Grammy-nominated for Best Vocal Group performance (1966); Grammy Hall of Fame induction (1994); No. 24 in the RIAA and NEA’s listing of Songs of the Century; ranked the No. 3 song of all time in a collaboration of critics’ lists at Acclaimed Music.
29. Rolling in the Deep (Adele)
British singer and songwriter Adele recorded “Rolling in the Deep” as the lead single for her second album entitled 21. The largest crossover hit in the United States from the past 25 years, it debuted in November of 2010. Adele expressed her original reservations prior to meeting with co-collaborator Paul Epworth due to a difference in styles, but later described the collaboration as a “match made in heaven”. She also credited Epworth for her increased vocal confidence, claiming that “there’s notes that I hit in that song that I never even knew I could hit.”
Meaning of the Song: Composed by Paul Epworth and Adele in just one afternoon (proceeding her breakup with her boyfriend) and reportedly inspired by a US tour bus driver from Nashville, TN, “Rolling” is described as a “dark, bluesy, gospel disco tune that paints a picture of the emotions of a scorned lover.”
Accolades: Three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video; reached No. 1 in 11 countries; Adele’s first number-one song in the United States; Billboard Hot 100 No.1 for seven weeks; sold over 7,000,000 copies in the United States (later hit 9.3m), making it the highest selling digital song by a female artist in the US; was Billboard’s 2010 Year-End Hot 100 No. 1 single.
30. Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)
Debuting in 1958 and first made a huge hit by Cochran, Summertime Blues has literally been covered by dozen of artists, including Alan Jackson, who also made a No. 1 out of it. Other noteworthy covers of the song include The Who and Blue Cheer, the Beach Boys (Surfin’ Safari album), The Who, Rush (Feedback, 2004) and others. On a side note, the Blue Cheer rock version (1968) is largely considered one of first heavy metal songs.
Meaning of the Song: Cochran, only 19 when he recorded Summertime Blues, proved to be a hit with his teenage fans, who identified with the lyrics relating to being held back by society, parents, and others. With it, he created an image for himself as something of a guitar-strapped rebel with a guitar; Cochran died just two years later and is often compared to the likes of James Dean (also killed at a young age).
Accolades: No. 77 on Q magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks (March, 2005); peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September of 1958; No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart.
