61. Dream On (Aerosmith)
Aerosmith released “Dream On” as the second single from their debut album, Aerosmith (1973) . Written by heartthrob Steven Tyler, the bluesy power ballad became the band’s first smash hit and staple of classic rock radio stations. Although it initially only peaked at number 59 nationally, Dream On took Aerosmith’s hometown of Boston by storm, where it ranked within the top 10 among several local stations. When re-released in album-version in 1976, it debuted at No. 81 in January and progressed into the Top 40 on February 14th, eventually peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 10th, 1976.
The first live performance of “Dream On” occurred at the Shaboo Inn in Willimantic, Connecticut.
Meaning of the Song: In a recent interview with Tyler, he spoke about his Julliard-trained father (also a musician) and said that “Dream On” symbolized “lying beneath his dad’s piano as a three-year-old, listening to him play classical music,” proceeding to claim that “that’s where I got that Dream On chordage [SIC].”
Accolades: Peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1976 re-release); No. 1 single of the year on the top 40 station, WBZ-FM; No. 5 for WRKO-AM’s yearly Top 40; No. 16 on Heritage Top 40, WMEX-AM.
62. The Dance (Garth Brooks)
“The Dance”, written by Tony Arata and Henry Drysdale-Wood and recorded by country singer Garth Brooks early in his music career, marked the fourth and last single of his self-titled album. Arata, a relatively obscure songwriter at the time, says that the inspiration for “The Dance” came from a scene in the movie Peggy Sue Got Married, writing “Kathleen Turner discovers she can’t alter one aspect of her past without affecting the rest. No one gets to pick their memories, thankfully.” Regardless, though, it is widely (although arguably) accepted as Brooks’ most defining, signature song.
Meaning of the Song: As Brooks explains at the beginning of the music video for “The Dance”, it has a dual meaning–that describing the ending of a loving, passionate relationship, and of a narrative of someone dying–following an epiphany of sorts–due to something that he believes in.
Accolades: Chart-topping single around the globe, including in the U.S. and Europe; made the British pop Top 40; made the Song of the Year and Video of the Year by the Academy of Country Music (1990); made the No. 14 position on CMT‘s 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music broadcast, as well as the No. 5 position on its The Greatest: 100 Greatest Music Videos show; in 2001, after the death of Death Earnhardt, Brooks was invited to perform “The Dance” at the 2001 NASCAR Awards Ceremony as a memorial to the legendary NASCAR driver.
63. Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
Written as the second single by the members of the British band Coldplay for their fourth album, “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” (2008), “Viva La Vida” transitions directly into the next track entitled “Violet Hill”. Atypical of most other Coldplay songs in which the piano and/or guitar tend to be the go-to instruments, “La Vida” entails a string section on the upbeat riff, supported by a steady bass drum beat, timpani and church bell, bass guitar, and Chris Martin’s vocals, with a conservative electric guitar presence in tow. It was first performed live at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards.
Meaning of the Song: “Viva la Vida” (Spanish) means either “long live life” or “live life”. The song’s lyrics exhibit historical and religious references, constructed around a repeating string section married to a digitally-processed piano with a percussion background.
Accolades: Topped the UK Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts, marking the Coldplay’s first No. 1 single in the U.S. and U.K.; Grammy for Song of the Year (2009); has sold 5.2 million copies in the United States, 6.4-million worldwide as of 2012; sixth song in history to reach 4-million in commercial downloads.
64. Piano Man (Billy Joel)
“Piano Man” was Billy Joel’s first major hit and (what would become) his defining song. “Piano Man” was released as a single in November 1, 1973, and has been featured on several albums. Although it initially failed to make the U.S. Top 10 (Billboard, No. 25), after the release of the album The Stranger (1977)–which propelled Billy Joel from relatively little-known artist to A-List celebrity–it soon became one of his most signature (thanks, in no small part, to the title itself), loved songs and a huge radio hit. Subsequently, the Face to Face tour with Elton John and Mr. Piano Man was promoted as “Rocket Man meets Piano Man.”
Meaning of the Song: Joel’s proclaims that “Piano Man” is a ‘fictional experience’ as a piano-lounge singer in L.A., with all of the characters in his song being based on real people.
Accolades: RS/500, No. 421; Joel’s No. 1 song on the iTunes Store (as of July 2011); peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.
65. Before He Cheats (Carrie Underwood)
“Before He Cheats” is the third single (and fifth overall) from Carrie Underwood’s debut album, Some Hearts. It–in addition to being the fourth best-selling country song of all time, only beat by Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now”, Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”, and Swift’s “You Belong with Me”–and her other signature hit, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, in tow, helped solidify Underwood’s bonafide status as a modern country superstar.
Meaning of the Song: “Before He Cheats” illustrates the story of a woman exacting revenge on her possibly unfaithful boyfriend. She speculates he’s been hanging out and socializing with this “bleach blonde” girl, hoping to score with her. In retaliation, she keys her name into the side of his truck, smashing its headlights with a bat and slashing its tires–preempting him to “think before he cheats” again.
Accolades: The fourth longest-charting single in the Hot 100’s history; CMT‘s No. 25 of its 40 Greatest Songs of the Decade chart; Single of the Year by the Country Music Association (2007); Underwood’s most successful single, with sales of over 3.3-million digital downloads; the second best-selling song by a U.S. American Idol contestant–trumped only by Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).”
66. I Won’t Give Up (Jason Mraz)
The first single from Mraz’s seventh studio album, Love Is a Four Letter Word–and following his massively successful “I’m Yours” from the album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things—“I Won’t Give Up” made its debut in early 2012 via iTunes and was generally heralded by critics and fans alike. Maria Skullova (Chemical Magazine) said of “I Won’t Give Up” that “it’s the kind of song that would make you open up about your feelings or comfort you when you’re in a pretty bad phase in a relationship and it will probably be used a lot in weddings and romance flicks.”
Meaning of the Song: An emotional and inspiring acoustic ‘folk ballad’, it was written during one of singer and activist’s charitable adventures and describes not giving up on loving someone or even yourself, or giving up on your dreams and passions.
Accolades: Debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100; immediate No.1 hit on the Hot Digital Songs chart selling 229,000 downloads the first week; started the Adult Pop Songs chart at No. 36.
67. My Sharona (The Knack)
Released in 1979 on the group’s album Get the Knack, “My Sharona” took its name from Doug Fieger’s (lead singer) then-girlfriend, Sharona Alperin. Averre was originally averse to using Sharona’s name in the song, but Fieger wanted it to be a direct expression of his feelings; Averre ultimately relented.Fieger has claimed that “My Sharona” was written in 15 minutes. Sharona, who appears on the picture sleeve for the single, became a major booster for the band bringing many girls to their early shows.
Meaning of the Song: The riff of “My Sharona” was written by the band’s guitarist, Berton Averre, years before he joined The Knack. He had played the riff as well as a drum groove for Doug Fieger, the group’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist, who loved it and promised to make it a song.When Fieger, who was 25, met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin, she inspired a two-month-long run of songwriting, as well as becoming Fieger’s girlfriend for the next four years. “It was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat; I fell in love with her instantly. And when that happened, it sparked something and I started writing a lot of songs feverishly in a short amount of time.” Whenever Fieger thought about Alperin, he would think of Berton Averre’s guitar riff, and the two worked out the structure and melody from thereFieger wanted it to be a direct expression of his feelingsFieger has claimed that “My Sharona” was written in 15 minutes.
Accolades: No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for six weeks; No. 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Singles of 1979; certified gold (one million units sold) by the RIAA; reached gold status faster than any debut single since The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964; “My Sharona” re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994 (released on the Reality Bites soundtrack), where it peaked at No. 91.
68. Always On My Mind (Willie Nelson)
Although the country hit “Always” was originally a production by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson and sung by Brenda Lee in 1972, it’s without doubt that Willie Nelson turned it into a national sensation in 1982. Nelson also famously performed “Always On My Mind” with Johnny Cash for VH1’s 1998 “Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson” show.
Meaning of the Song: “Always On My Mind” is a story about a man that confesses that while he didn’t always show and do things for the woman he loved, he still wants her to know that he was ‘always on his mind’.
Accolades: Certified platinum by RIAA; Grammy Hall of Fame induction; three Grammys; the Country Music Award‘s 1982 and 1983 Song of the Year; CMA‘s 1982 Album of the Year; reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, continued for 2 weeks; Billboard‘s No. 1 country song for 1982; also made charts in several other countries.
69. The Weight (The Band)
Although the “The Weight”, written by Robbie Robertson and first made popular by The Band in 1968, never charted very in the U.S., it was the song that forever sealed the group’s iconic status in the Rock world. It was soon after placed on the album Music from Big Pink, and became one of the hottest (and most symbolic) acts at the 1969 Woodstock in Bethel, New York.
Meaning of the Song: The Weight” combines harmonies (folk parlour song-esque) in the chorus, where the singers’ voices sort of echo each others–i.e.”and (and, and) you put the load right on me (you put the load right on me)”. Levon Helm explained that the characters in the song were based on real people that he and the group knew. The “Miss Anna Lee” in the lyrics and in the refrain, “Take a load off Annie, …”, refers to Helm’s friend Anna Lee Amsden.
Accolades: RR/HoF induction; RS/500, No. 41; Pitchfork Media‘s thirteenth-best song of the ’60s.
70. Twist and Shout (The Beatles)
Originally composed by Phil Medley and Bert Russell and titled “Shake It Up, Baby”, “Twist and Shout” was first performed by the greats R&B group The Top Notes, a three years later by The Isley Brothers. It was with the The Beatles version (1963 via the album Please Please Me), though,–with Lennon on the lead vocals–that the song really took off, adding a more British flavor. And one of the most memorable things about the song is, incredibly, coughing, as the cold-prone Lennon had a noticeable cough on the original recording–but still made it a legend.
Meaning of the Song: As if it’s not blatantly obvious, “Twist and Shout” is all about dancing. Its fun, catchy rhythm and lyrics (i.e. “shake it up baby now!”) compel listeners to, accordingly,’twist and shout’.
Accolades: The only million-selling cover record single by the Beatles; No. 1 on the Cashbox singles for one week in 1964; the only cover by the Beatles to reach the Top 10 on a national record chart; longest-running Top 40 hit (23 weeks) from the Beatles in the U.S.; overall, represents the Beatles’ second most successful single in the United States next to their mega-hit, “Hey Jude.”
