Top 200 Greatest Songs of All-Time

"You know the night's magic, seems to whisper and hush. And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush". Moondance is an all-time great written and performed by Van Morrison. George Ivan 'Van' Morrison is the resident musical genius of the day. Born in 1949 in Ireland, he has captured all of us with his mystical voice and the jazz/r and b infused music. Songs like Wild Night, Brown Eyed Girl, And it Stoned Me, Gloria (with the group, Them) and Into the Mystic are classic songs but there are none better than Moondance. The Moondance Album came out in 1970 and it was Van Morrison's first million selling album. The Moondance Single was not released until 1977. Ladies and Gentlemen, Song Number 182 in my Top Songs of All-Time, Moondance by Van Morrison

'You gotta slow down (slow down), Sweet Talkin' Woman. You got me runnin', you got me searchin'   Admit it you were singing along. It's alright, I was also. Electric Light Orchestra's Sweet Talkin' Woman comes in at Number 183 in my Top 200 of all-time. Great song that is the first of several ELO songs on my Top 200. The song was originally named Dead End Street, but it was changed because of confusion with a Kinks song with a similar name. For more info about the song go to a great site, song facts http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=17265 Sweet Talkin' Woman was from the 1978 Album, Out of the Blue, and was Number 86 in Billboard's Top 100 for that year. Several other songs on The Top 200 are on the list including Reminiscing and Sometimes When We Touch (just kidding---they would be in my list of 200 Worst Songs of all-time). Now to get on one of my rants. Jeff Lynne is a musical genius. The ELO resume is incredible and Lynne deserve...

"Flying me back to Memphis. Gotta find my Daisy Jane" Daisy Jane was written by America's Gerry Beckley. Beckley, Dan Peek and Dewey Bunnell formed America in 1970. This British Band had huge success in the United States in the 70's Frankly, they were one of those groups that I either loved their songs or hated their songs--no in between which is a surprise given the in-offensive nature of their music. Other songs I loved besides Daisy Jane are in my Top 200 and will not be mentioned, but this is also a group responsible for some songs I can't stand like Muskrat Love, Horse with No Name, I Need You ('I need you like the flower needs the rain'--really), etc. Daisy Jane was not one of those songs. It is such a wonderful song with such a great chorus ('Does she really love me, I think she does'). It was not as big a commercial hit as several of their others songs but it was one of their best. From the 1975 America Album Hearts, Song Numb...

'Ain't No Stopping Us Now, we're on the move, we're groovin'. Talk about a great song with a wonderful disco beat. Admit it, you're singing it right now. Ain't No Stopping Us Now was written and performed by Gene McFadden and John Whitehead. Before their debut album in 1979, McFadden and Whitehead had written several hit songs including Backstabbers ('They Smile at Your Face and All the Time, they Want to Take Your Place, The Backstabbers"), Bad Luck and Wake Up Everybody. When the song was released in 1979, it quickly moved up in the charts and was Billboard's Number 65 song of 1979. Over the years, it has become an anthem for many sports teams and political campaigns. Glad to hear this great, upbeat song  with a positive message is still as popular today as it was 37 years ago (Man, I'm getting old). Number 185 in my Top 200 Songs of All-Time, Ain't No Stopping Us Now, by McFadden and Whitehead

I Dig Rock and Roll Music was one of the most satirical songs of the 60's with spot on impersonations by Peter, Paul and Mary of Donovan, The Mamas and the Papas and The Beatles. Sometimes it is pure genius the way vocals can match each other and that was never truer than with Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers. They are the greatest of all folk groups. Their litany of hit songs is incredible---Leaving on a Jets Plane, Puff, Lemon Tree, Blowin' in the Wind, If I Had A Hammer, and so much more. They were able to combine beautiful music with social activism that made them such leaders in the folk and pop world. On a personal note, my organization, The Mental Health Association in New York State, www.mhanys.org  had Peter Yarrow come to one of our events. He stayed for hours, provided us with lots of stories and brought us all out to sing along with several of his classics. He still sounded absolutely incredible. One of my favorite of their songs was I Dig Ro...

As you loyal followers are tracking the daily list of my Top 200 songs, I will give you a hint of what lies ahead. There are several songs from an obscure 60's group known as the The Beatles. Given my eye for musical talent, I have identified several of their songs for my list. Their 60's and 70's music may not be mainstream but give them time. It is cliché, but The Beatles are simply my favorite group of all-time. I have eclectic tastes but when it comes to the Fearsome Foursome, I do not equivocate. They are simply the greatest of all-time who people will be talking about a hundred years from now. The first Beatles song on my list is a beautiful but somewhat melancholy song, foreshadowing their breakup. Paul wrote the Long and Winding Road by himself when he was in Scotland. The multi-talented musician Billy Preston (Nothing from Nothing means Nothing) played on the song with The Beatles. The song was Number 41 for 1970 in the Billboard Top 100. Ladies and G...

Of all the great Motown acts, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas has to be the most underrated. People rarely talk about them in the rarified air of The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Supremes, yet look at their body of work. Besides Jimmy Mack, they made had three huge hits --No Where to Run, Heat Wave, and Dancing in the Streets. How many groups can boast of that kind of resume? Glad voters had the good sense to elect them to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. My favorite song of theirs is the very catchy Jimmy Mack. "Jimmy, Oh Jimmy Mack, when are you coming back, Jimmy Mack"---What a great song. It was Number 36 in the Billboard Top 100 of 1967 and it is my Number 188 in my Top 200 Songs of all-time.

The incredible voice of Karen Carpenter propelled Sing to the top of the charts in 1973. It was from their Album, Now and Then. The song was Number 59 in the Billboard Top 100 of 1973. This song was originally written by Joe Raposo for Sesame Street in 1971. It was an incredibly popular Sesame Street song over the years song by everyone from Big Bird to Elmo (fact check--not sure about Elmo). This is my second very catchy song in a row in my Top 200. The upbeat song and the voice of Karen Carpenter made it such a winning combination. That is why Sing is Number 189 in my All-Time Top 200 songs

Early 1980's, I decided on a lark to go to a concert up at Saratoga Performing Art Center by a singer named Peter Allen. Knew very little about him except he was a singer, songwriter, musician. All I know is that he put on an incredible performance---multi-talented, great story teller and hilarious. I was a fan of his ever since. By now, many people know his story. Born in Australia, came to U.S. mentored by Judy Garland and married Liza Minnelli After he and Minnelli divorced, he came out of the closet. His partner performed in the band. Sadly, they both ultimately lost their lives to AIDS. The Broadway Musical, Boy from Oz, starring Hugh Jackman, was about the amazing life of Peter Allen. He left an incredible legacy of songs he wrote and performed like Arthur's Theme, I Honestly Love You, Don't Cry Out Loud, Bi-Coastal, You Haven't Heard the Last of Me and so many more. But his quintessential hit song was the great party song, Go To Rio. He wrote th...

The Alt Rock Band, The New Radicals' hit song, You Get What You Give is Number 191 on my list of the Top 200 Songs of All-Time. This terrific song was a one hit wonder for the New Radicals, off the album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. In 2002, VH 1 rated this song Number 64 on the list of greatest one hit wonders. In 1998 when the song was a hit, it created some controversy with a lyric that was critical of several celebrities "Fashion shows with Beck and Hansen Courtney Love and Marilyn Mansen Your all faking, run to your mansions Come around, we'll kick your ass in" Controversy aside, it is a great song and my choice for 191 of All-Time, You Get What You Give

"Ever went over to a friend's house to eat. And the food just ain't no good. I mean the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed and the chicken tastes like wood" That is one of the clever lyric's from the Rap Song that started it all, Wrapper's Delight. Michael 'Wonder Mike' Wright, Henry 'Big Hank' Jackson and Guy 'Master Gee' O'Brien of Englewood, New Jersey comprised the members of The Sugar Hill Gang. They released Rapper's Delight in 1979. The song was produced by Sylvia Robinson (who made a hit out of Pillow Talk). Little did we know that the song would be the Rock Around the Clock of Rap. It introduced hip hop to the world. The song was so influential that it was Number 251 in Rolling Stone's Top 500 songs of all-time. So here is the Sugar Hill Gang with Number 192 of my Top 200 Songs of All-Time

Hard to believe for the younger generation, but I grew up at a time when there was not a chorus of people singing 'so good, so good', after Neil Diamond sang, 'Good times never seemed so good' I loved Sweet Caroline, before it became the cultural phenomenon at Red Sox games and now at many other sporting events. Neil Diamond has been an icon for fifty years. The Brooklyn born Diamond has sold over 120 million records worldwide. Think of all his songs---Cracklin' Rosie, Song Sung Blue, America, and the list goes on and one. His most popular song and my favorite is the classic Sweet Caroline, which he named in honor of Caroline Kennedy. Sweet Caroline was Number 22 in the Billboard's Top 100 of the Year in 1969. Ladies and Gentlemen, Number 193 of my Top 200 of All-Time is Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline

The Fifth Dimension are rarely talked about as an all-time great  group, but think of that harmony, those voices, so many terrific songs like Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine, Sweet Blindness, Up Up and Away, Wedding Bell Blues, etc. None were better than Stoned Soul Picnic.  The song was written by Laura Nyro. When she was asked what  Surry meant in the context of the song, according to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_5th_Dimension , she said it was a nice word. The Fifth Dimension made this song into a huge hit in 1968 from the Album of the Same Name. It was Number 17 for the year. Lots of great songs in 1968. 8 of my Top 200 come from that year. Best Lyric from Stoned Soul Picnic: "There'll be trains of trust, trains of golden dust. Come along surry on, sweet train of gold. Surry on down" Ladies and Gentlemen, Number 194 of my Top 200 Songs of All-Time, Stoned Soul Picnic by the Fifth Dimension

I have always been a big Herb Alpert guy. Loved Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.--Lonely Bull, Taste of Honey, Casino Royale, Work Song, Tijuana Taxi, etc. These were all feel good songs that I still play consistently today. This Guy's in Love with You was the only song I know of where he sang vocals. It was also his first big hit. Of course, when you have a song written by the great team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, you know there is a winning recipe. We have several other Bacharach and David songs in the Top 200. The combination of the song writing team and the multi talented Alpert made this song one of the biggest hits of 1968, reaching Billboard's Number 7 for the Year. Of course, not to be out done, the following year, Dionne Warwick, sang This Girl's In Love With You. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1811 Best Song Lyric: "My hands are shaking, don't let my heart keep breaking" Ladies and Gentlemen, Song Number 195 of the 2...

Todd Rundgren is a performer who defied all stereotypes. He was early punk, hard rock and pop. He glammed himself up and then sang songs like Hello It's Me and I saw the Light in Your Eyes. Song Number 196 in our list of Top 200 is a song from Rundgren's first album Runt (also the name of his band). It climbed as high as Number 20 in the 1971 billboard charts. Love the lyrics (except the stupid girls line, which he explains in the attachment). http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=20958 Best Lyrics: "We gotta get you a woman. And when we're through with you We'll get me one too" Ladies and Gentlemen, Number 196 on the List of top 200 Songs of All-Time, We Gotta Get You a Woman by Todd Rundgren

I'm really getting old. The song Photograph from Def Leppard came out in 1983. It was from their third album, Pyromania. Seems like it was just yesterday. I was never a huge Def Leppard fan back in the day, but I've always loved this song. So did much of the public did as well as it still ranks high in all-time great rock songs. It did reach Number 90 on the billboard charts in 1983 Best Song Lyrics: "Photograph. I don't need your photograph. I don't need your photograph. All I've got is a photograph, but it's not enough" Number 197 of the Top 200 Greatest Songs of All-Time, Photograph by Def Leppard

This past summer, my wife and I had a wonderful chance to see Dolly Parton in concert.  I knew she was incredibly talented and an icon, but I never thought one way or the other about her music, though I was a fan of Here You Come Again. Let me tell you did she put on a show---She played five different instruments, song beautifully and was as funny as any Borscht Belt Comedian. Wow. And all of this at age 70. What an incredible performer. As I said, there was something I always loved about Here You Come Again. Ironically, it was about her biggest hit song and she didn't write it, even though she wrote so many of her other songs. Here You Come Again was released as part of her 19th album in 1977 and it was a hit in 1978. It was at the top of the charts for several weeks and it was the 60th top selling single of the year in 1978 The One and Only Dolly Parton comes in at 198 on my list of the Top 200 Songs of All-Time for Here You Come Again

I keep saying that I am generally not a cover guy but Number 200 and 199 are both covers.  Number 199 is the Cat Stevens version of Another Saturday Night. The brilliant Sam Cooke wrote the song and made it a hit in 1963.  The upbeat tempo sold me on the Cat Stevens version which reached Number 6 on the Hot 100 Charts of 1974. Beside being a great song, it had one of the all-time great lyrics, "Another fellow told me he had a sister who looked just fine, instead of being my deliverance, she has a strange resemblance to a cat named Frankenstein' That lyric alone should make the song a classic. Ladies and gentlemen, Number 199 on my list of the Top 200 songs of all-time, the Cat Stevens version of 'Another Saturday Night'

Welcome to my new blog of the 200 Greatest Songs of all-time, based completely on my opinion. There are few songs I have that are covers---Proud Mary is one of them. Though I love Creedence Clearwater Revival (and they are represented later in the list), the Ike and Tina Turner version of the song is an all-time great. Hearing Ike start the song 'nice and easy' followed up by the electricity of Tina's half of the song make it a classic. So we start our list with Number 200, featuring Proud Mary as performed by Ike and Tina Turner

Welcome to our newest blog about the 200  greatest songs of all-time. I used to have a blog with my Top 100 songs, but the list was never completed and my tastes have also evolved.  I also thought that given all the difficult choices from the Top 100, expanding the list to 200 would make it easier. Wrong on that account. I found it just as challenging.  I could easily go to 500 or even 1000. This list is totally based on my own opinion which means that a lot of the songs are from the 60's, 70's, 80's, though there are some surprises in there. My tastes, like most people's, is incredibly eclectic as you will see when you read the list. I have a few rules. Due to all the different varieties of music, I have excluded any songs related to Broadway, Movies, Jazz, Classical, Easy Listening (i.e.--Sinatra, Ella, Nat King Cole, etc.). I'm not a techno guy so you won't see any of that music listed either. Just plain old great songs---I am no brilliant rock c...