Plus, it helped those boys in Remember The Titans work out their differences.Do you remember Jenny's phone number, or what color those 99 balloons were? With shat exactly did a girl blind Thomas Dolby, and who was that guy that Toni Basil thought was so fine? If you've boogied along to "Pac-Man Fever" and "The Safety Dance," you might have what it takes to ace this quiz on '80s one-hit wonders! It’s inspired countless “singing into a hairbrush” moments, in film and real life alike. This legendary duet ranks among the best of all time-Motown or otherwise-and it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of songwriter Nick Ashford. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” Aretha demanded her propers, and nearly half a century later, she still reigns as the Queen of Soul, thanks in no small part to this undeniable track. From that very first “WHAT you want…” it’s clear this is an anthem, one that timed out perfectly with the civil rights era and the feminist movement, but it can be applied to pretty much anyone who’s looking for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
This classic Otis Redding cover is not only one of the best Aretha tracks, but also one of the best songs of all time. Nearly 50 years after its release, “Respect” is still ubiquitous. “At first I was afraid, I was petrified,” they think to themselves…but now they will survive even the worst embarrassment on the dance floor. The song combines Gloria Gaynor’s soaring vocals with one of the more singable melodies ever concocted, lays the mixture over a classic hi-hat-heavy beat and tasteful orchestral flourishes, and ends up with a bombastic anthem to self-respect-which serves to encourage even the worst of dancers to strut their stuff. How do people decide a once-dead genre is cool again? Or, at least, when does it stop inducing cringes and start inducing nostalgia fever? I wasn’t around when disco died in the early ‘80s and I don’t know why it became listenable again in the late ‘90s, but “I Will Survive” had to be one of the first 45’s dusted off, because it is the Platonic form of disco. How could you not feel good with all those saxes and bass?- Hilary Saunders 7. “I Got You (I Feel Good)” is his highest-charting single, though, lead by Brown’s squeals, yelps, and shaking hips. The first of two appearances James Brown made on The Ed Sullivan Show included this song and “Papa’s Got A Brand New Back” (see below) back in 1966. Needless to say, the stop-start arrangement-vocal forward and guitar cresting-was catnip for the gay clubs, high school dances, cruise ships and wedding planners. As the song evolves, Michael’s supple tenor grips the melody like a bedpost and suggests an Elvis-esque desire. Lusty without being raunchy, Michael tapped into the rhythms of sex and pushed his single into a place where coitus comes with a deeper attachment than the disco hit and run.
After a bit of churchy pipe organ, “Faith” dropped the beat with a choppy acoustic guitar and a sexually frank opening line that declared, “Well, I guess it would be nice / If I could touch your body.”
George Michael, “Faith”Īfter all the PG-13 of Wham!, George Michael came back as a clean-cut, yet full-tilt sex symbol. However, whether he liked it or not, “Brown Eyed Girl” has since become his reluctant calling card, the one Van Morrison song everyone seems to know about due to its firm place on classic rock radio, its appearance in such acclaimed films as The Big Chill and Born on the Fourth of July and the fact its a song in regular rotation in the iPods of no less than two American presidents. Van claimed he never saw a penny of royalties and the contract he naively signed rendered him liable for all expenses incurred during the recording process, which is probably a big reason why he doesn’t consider it one of his favorite songs from the catalog. Originally titled “Brown Skinned Girl”, this Calypso-kissed AOR staple about an alleged interracial tryst and deemed too hot for pop radio upon its release was without question the biggest hit from Morrison’s ill-fated tenure with groundbreaking producer/songwriter Bert Berns and his Bang Records label.