Year: 2022

“Torn” (30) was written in 1993 by Scott Cutler and Anne Preven with producer Phil Thornalley as a solo song for Preven. Cutler and Preven’s band Ednaswap performed it live, but did not initially release a recording. Ednaswap released a recorded version in 1995. The song followed the single “Glow” from their self-titled debut album. […]

“Always on My Mind” (31) is a ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee, Gwen McCrae, and Elvis Presley, and first released by McCrae (as “You Were Always on My Mind”) in 1972. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western […]

“Dedicated To The One I Love” (32) is a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass which was a hit for the ‘5’ Royales, Pauling was the guitarist of the “5” Royales, the group that recorded the original version of the song, produced by Bass, in 1957. Their version was re-released in 1961 and […]

“Stop Your Sobbing“ (33) is a song written by Ray Davies. The Kinks recorded “Stop Your Sobbing” on their first album, which was rushed out in order to capitalize on the success of “You Really Got Me.” Kinks biographer Rob Jovanovic writes that “Stop Your Sobbing” was supposedly written by Ray about a former girlfriend […]

“Kiss” is a song composed, written, and produced by American musician Prince. Released by the Paisley Park label as the lead single from Prince and the Revolution’s eighth studio album Parade (1986) in February 1986, it was a No. 1 hit worldwide, holding the top spot of the U.S. Billboard chart for two weeks. The […]

“Whiskey in the Jar” (35) is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry. The song, about a rapparee (highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by […]

“MacArthur Park” (36) is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris in 1968. Harris’s version peaked at number two on the Billboard chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. In 1967, producer Bones Howe had asked Webb to create a pop […]

“Twist and Shout” (37) is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as “Bert Russell”). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, an American R&B vocal group, at the Atlantic Studios in February 1961. The session was arranged by Teddy Randazzo and produced by Phil Spector. The Top Notes’ […]

“You’ve Got a Friend” (38) is a 1971 song written by Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included in her album Tapestry. Another well-known version is by James Taylor from his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. His was released as a single in 1971, reaching number 1 on the […]

“Blue Suede Shoes” is a rock-and-roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and pop music of the time. Perkins’ original version of the song appeared on the Cashbox Best Selling Singles list for 16 weeks and spent […]