Late Night Music Labor Day Edition Part 203......"Go Back, Go Back, Go Back To The Woods!"

I just figured I would sneak one in before I got too busy. I actually had this one on hold for a while. Hopefully I can give you guys a new one next month.

In order to be in the category, the SONG TITLE had to have the word “back” in it. Also receiving votes in this category was“The Moon and Back” by Savage Garden, “Stand Back” by Stevie Nicks, and “Want U Back” by Cher Lloyd.

“Get Back”- The Beatles. Paul McCartney wrote this song by accident during the now famous “Let It Be” sessions of January 1969. This single, featuring famed keyboard player Billy Preston, from the Beatles 1970 final album Let It Be would shoot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and several other countries as well. In what become one of the band’s most famous songs, there was always thoughts that the person Paul was telling to “get back” was actually Yoko Ono.....and with good reason. Shown here is the performance from the famous 1969 rooftop concert on top of Apple Studios in London in what would be the band’s last public live performance. If you listen closely, there is an about ten second stretch where the guitar amps go out and all you can hear is the bass, drums, and piano. This “rooftop” concert idea has been copied by a couple of bands since then- check out the bonus videos for some examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA1q6_Tff7Y

“Back For Good”- Take That. British boy band Take That made their one splash in the United States with this single from their 1995 album Nobody Else when it went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Take That still has a huge following in Europe and band member Robbie Williams has gone on to have a great solo career including a performance where I saw him live (bonus video). Lead singer Gary Barlow wrote this song after a breakup and the result was this flash that would see Take That Gone For Good after this song fell off the charts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ICtCO8TCw

“Back Where I Come From”- Kenny Chesney. (Live From Neyland Stadium). This Kenny Chesney anthem is shown performed here at his famous CMT Neyland Stadium 2003 concert on the campus of the University of Tennesse with a little help from Peyton Manning. This song was included on Chesney’s 1996 album Me And You, but was never released as a single despite its immense popularity. Surprisingly, this song was actually a cover song first written by Mississippian Mac McAnally (who Chesney references at the beginning of the video) in 1990. No matter how you feel about country music, there is no doubt that this is an absolutely electric performance by one of the greatest country artists of all time. Also, is it just me, or does Peyton Manning look incredibly uncomfortable on stage?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDQOcRNFod0

“I Want You Back”- Jackson Five. There was no one who could perform like these guys, and this clip from the band’s 1971 TV special “Back To Indiana” proves that. In 1969, an 11 year old Michael Jackson and his 4 brothers burst onto the scene with their debut album Diana Ross Presents the Jackson Five with this single shooting to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly making the brothers from Gary, Indiana a household name. This song remained a staple at Michael Jackson’s shows throughout his solo career and was always one of his favorite songs, as proven during the Jackson’s 2001 reunion show (bonus video below). I think also one of the things lost in this single is how amazing of a guitar player Tito Jackson was. To be able to put that choreography combo together while playing that funk lick and still singing backup is pretty incredible. I have always thought he was one of the more underrated musicians of his time. I would like to have seen this band get back together one last time before Michael’s untimely death. These guys were truly something special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Q80mk7bxE

“Back To You”- John Mayer. Connecticut’s guitar guru John Mayer burst onto the scene in 2001 with this unreal track from his debut album Room For Squares. This song was never released as a single, but remains a fan favorite, and as seen here, is a song Mayer plays live with raw emotion. Like most of the album, this highly personal song gives us a great glimpse into the personal world of the relationships of John Mayer in a way so many people can relate to. I think his relatability on top of his amazing guitar playing is one of the things sets John Mayer apart from so many of the other singer-songwriters of his generation. I still go back to the line of this song “leave the light on, I’ll never give up on you.” Wow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWOf0DiLQ7A

“Never Going Back Again”- Fleetwood Mac. In 1976, Fleetwood Mac was on top of the world as one of the biggest acts on the planet with the release of the famous album Rumours which still is one of the greatest selling albums of all time. This Lindsey Buckingham masterpiece is placed between two of the band’s more well known songs “Dreams” and “Don’t Stop” on the album and shows his other wordly guitar playing as well as the band’s natural vocal harmony that made them so great for so long. For my money, I will put Lindsey Buckingham in the top 10 guitar players of all time, and has got to be the best guitar player no one ever talks about except for true music pundits. I am not sure when this live performance was recorded, but I would imagine it was somewhere around 1997 when the band would reunite with their powerful live album and tour The Dance. More from that album and tour coming up in a bonus video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGyCx9WgGV8

“Back Off Boogaloo”- Ringo Starr. Former Beatles drummer because the only person on this list twice with this 1972 non-album single which featured former bandmate George Harrison on the guitar. Starr reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 with this very strange song and video that Starr was heavily influenced by the glam rock band T. Rex’s lead singer Marc Bolan who used the word “Boogaloo” so much that is got stuck in his head. So much for great inspirational songwriting. This video looks seriously low budge- was that his goal? You would think he would have had enough money to have something just a little better, even in 1972. Oh well, at least he stuck around and gave us a mini reunion. Speaking of those, there’s another one coming up in bonus videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXg1AxBXN5g

“Baby Come Back”- Player.- Player debuted in 1978 with this lead single from their self-titled 1977 album that saw them almost immediately shoot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Player would not come back after this brief brush with stardom, but this song remains popular on “yacht rock” channels like The Bridge on Sirius XM channel 32. Listen for a while and you’ll get it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn-enjcgV1o

“Don’t Come Back”- Tarrus Riley. I honestly don’t know a lot about Tarrus Riley other than he’s a Jamaican-American Reggae singer based in New York. I know this song was included on his 2014 album Love Situation, and it sounds pretty awesome. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NX7FNdWz0E

“I Want You Back”- N’ Sync. N’Sync had the same debut single as the Jackson 5 did 29 years earlier when this single from the band’s self-titled debut album exploded into the early 1998 immediately turning these goofy looking guys into household names including Clinton, Mississippi’s own Lance Bass. This single peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, but this video was put in heavy rotation on MTV (when they still showed videos) and became one of the band’s signature songs that remains performed by all the artists to this day, despite the band being on hiatus. Sorry, I’m still laughing at how ridiculous JT looks in this video. Talk about a transformation we never saw coming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYSArdS0uSg

“Way Back”- TLC. TLC made one last appearance as a duo with their first recording since 2002 with this lead single from their self-titled album that was released this past June. I’ll be completely honest here. I think T-Boz and Chili are still two absolutely gorgeous and talented women, but I am not feeling this song. Their chemistry just doesn’t work any more without Left Eye. Anyone disagree?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibR0rYNMJpI

“Never Look Back”- Eclipse. Swedish rockers Eclipse take us back with this song that just sounds like 1980’s with this single from the band’s 2017 album Monumentum. This is another band I really don’t know much about and that I have just gotten into. If this song is any indicator, this should be a band I will enjoy listening to and one I would like to add to my massive library.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQqRR2r7444

“Baby Got Back”.- Sir Mix-A-Lot. You knew it was coming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY84MRnxVzo

BONUS VIDEOS

“Where The Streets Have No Name”- U2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzZWSrr5wFI

“These Days”- Alien Ant Farm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNM2tV3PA_8

“Feel”- Robbie Williams (Live On “Tonight Show”- see if you can find me).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpRQSoDicmE

“I Want You Back”- Jackson Five (Live from Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Concert).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWwhK8AVpqQ

“Silver Springs”- Fleetwood Mac (Live from “The Dance”).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud2XKt2N8fs

Fleetwood Mac

Jackson Five

The Beatles

Eclipse

N'Sync

Late Night Music Gold Cup Edition Part 202....."Drummer Lead Singers"

I just think it’s cool when I see this. Isn’t it cool when people break the norm and do something different? I don’t know why I haven’t done a list on this before. It just seems like it would be really hard to play the drums and sing at the same time. I guess not for these folks.

To be in this category, the lead vocals had to be at least half way sung by the drummers even if that drummer was NOT the primary lead singer for the band. Also receiving votes in this category were “Glamorous Life” by Sheila E, “Glad All Over” by The Dave Clark Five, and “Octopus’s Garden” by The Beatles- I know I cheated on that one, but I really don’t care.

“Sister Christian”- Night Ranger. Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy was shocked about how fast his little sister Christy was growing up when he visited his hometown of Eugene, Oregon in 1984. What came of that was this song about his sister and his reaction. This single became an 80’s staple from the band’s album Midnight Madness where it climbed to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the charts for 24 weeks. This song remains Night Ranger’s biggest hit and still to this day, the only song that uses the word “motoring” as a for real word. Find another one? Also, this song famously led off the movie version of 2012’s “Rock of Ages”. I really hope I can find that bonus video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z92bmlcmyq0

“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”- The Band. The Band included this famous final performance on this 1976 performance from their famous farewell concert album The Last Waltz. This song was originally recorded in 1969 as the B-Side of the Band’s single “Up on Cripple Creek” and was included on their famous self-titled second album. A concept of Americana roots music, this song paints the historical picture of a poor white southerner during the last days of the Civil War. Lead singer/drummer Levon Helm is originally from Arkansas, and felt obligated to spend time doing research to include actual events in the song, like the railroad attack mentioned in the first verse that took place in Danville, Virginia. Despite the band never releasing the song as a single, it was covered by Joan Baez where it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and this version remains one of the Band’s most famous songs and is sited by many music writers as a one of the best examples of American Roots Rock and one of the best Rock songs of all time. Levon Helm famously refused to play the song after this performance seen here. What a hell of a way to go out! The song has been covered by other artists as well- bonus video on deck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jREUrbGGrgM

“Critical Acclaim”- Avenged Sevenfold. Avenged Sevenfold’s late drummer The Rev makes a splash here in this 2008 performance of this song included on their famous 2007 self-titled album. While he wasn’t a permanent lead singer, he proved his ability on this track while adding a sick drum solo to a shredding song. This song wasn’t released as a single, but it shows the chemistry and talent of one of the best metal bands of the era. Sadly, The Rev passed away from an apparent drug overdose just a year later, but he remains one of the best drummers and one of the best singing drummers of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU1Uav0T8S4

“Boys”- The Beatles. The Beatles covered this 1960 hit from girl group The Shirelles and included it on their 1963 debut album Please Please Me, and despite it being sung originally by a girl group, the song remained popular with crowds and became one a staple of the Beatles live performances until they stopped touring in 1966. It marked the first track Ringo Starr sang lead on and apparently was only chosen as the lead vocalist because the Beatles had done it with Pete Best doing the lead vocals before Ringo joined the band. The band just felt more comfortable keeping it being done the way they were used to. The song was also a personal favorite of Ringo’s. What we got was a rare look at the Beatles in a way we rarely saw them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN6ZZiKWZYA

“Pleasant Valley Sunday”- The Monkees. Everyone’s favorite TV band released this Carole King penned single in 1967 from their album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones Ltd. where it peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the Monkees biggest singles and a staple of their 1960’s TV show. The song was written by Carole King while she was living in New Jersey in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood of West Orange, New Jersey. The song was about “keeping up with the Joneses” while seeing the class structure and consumerism of the area. The guitar riff used in the song was actually based on the Beatles “I Want To Tell You” that Mike Nesmith was a huge fan of. While I will allow this video to be included, Mickey Dolenz wasn’t actually playing the drums as he appears to do so in the video. He had no musical training and learned to play the drums good enough for the camera in the early days of the band. He would eventually learn to play on the albums, but this song was not one of those times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUzs5dlLrm0

“Hotel California”- The Eagles. Don Henley added a memorable drum part to one of the most iconic rock songs of all time as this title track of the Eagles otherworldly 1977 album, which would take home that years Grammy for Record of the Year while gaining nominations for Song of the Year and Album of the Year. While the Don Felder and Glenn Frey dueling guitar solo has long been the signature of this song, Don Henley adds an impressive drum performance here that would go on to be one of his trademarks while absolutely owning a song he still performs to this day. The lyrical content of this song has long been a topic of discussion as Don Henley himself has given many possible backgrounds to the lyrics of the song, still even leaves it open to individual interpretation. This song unsurprisingly went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the most influential songs of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UbEpqLmUNo

“Invisible Touch”- Genesis. Like most great ideas, this song came about by accident while Genesis was having a jam session in the studio. Phil Collins has said this song was really influenced by the drumming of Sheila E who was synonymous with Prince at the time. Collins simply came up with the melody line while adlibbing a guitar part that Mike Rutherford had improvised. The song was then written to talk about the people that had gotten under drummer and lead singer Phil Collins’ skin. This song was the title track to Genesis’s 1986 album and became their one and only #1 Billboard Hot 100 single when it went there following the release of this single. Collins and Rutherford even admitted they were surprised by this just due to how they come up with this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMiDhmL_zFo

“Brick by Brick”- Arctic Monkeys- Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders took over lead vocals on this song from the British rockers 2011 album Suck It And See. This short and humorous song was a change for the band because they were used to writing songs with “too many words”. The idea of the song came while the band was on tour saying that everything in life had to be built “brick by brick”. While this song was never a single, it was released as a teaser track for the release of the album and remains a staple on live performances of the song like the one seen here at the 2013 Glastonbury Festival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3KhSTYJmgs

“Close To You”- The Carpenters- Karen Carpenter made little girls every where want to be a drummer when this title track from their 1970 smash album shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly became one of the most famous guilty pleasures of all time while her amazing voice turned this Burt Bacharach classic into one of the biggest hits of the 70’s. As much as we like to make fun of them, the Carpenters were one of the most talented musical families of all time. Her untimely tragic death cut a career of a lifetime short, but she left us with some of these soft classics that you don’t tell anyone you still listen to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaOyoVS-IAI

“Not Gonna Die”- Skillet. British rocker Jen Ledger joined Memphis Christian Metal band Skillet in 2008 and immediately showed her drum talent. She also shows her vocal talent on this single from their 2013 album Rise where it peaked at #1 on the Billboard Christian Rock Tracks Chart and #28 on the Billboard Rock Chart. The success of this song and others helped Rise peak at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. Skillet continues to be a huge crossover Christian act and it’s definitely in part due to the angelic voice and percussion prowess of this woman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgmpWkUcpjo

“Beth”- Kiss. Ok, I’m aware I cheated on this one. Peter Criss was/is the drummer for Kiss and actually wrote this song in 1971 when he was a member of the band Chelsea in honor of a bandmate’s wife who’s name was “Becky”, as the original name of the song was “Beck”. With urging from Gene Simmons, Criss changed the word of the song and this single was reluctantly included on Kiss’s 1976 album Destroyer where it peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the band’s highest charting single ever despite it being a hugely far cry from anything else the band had or has since recorded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHkojuUSDO8

“You’re Ever So Inviting”- Underoath. Before he was fronting Christian rock band The Almost, Aaron Gillespie was the drummer and co lead vocalist for Ocala, Florida’s Underoath. This single from their 2006 album Define The Great Line helped the album peak at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart while topping the Christian Rock and Billboard Rock Albums Chart. The band was also nominated for a 2007 Grammy from the album as well. Aaron Gillespie shows in this video his musical prowess as he shreds the drum part and works a great clean vocal to turn this song into a song that really rocks. I really like Aaron Gillespie with The Almost, I smell a bonus video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExlaQBvEXOw

BONUS VIDEOS- “Hands”- The Almost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH9UYgnpga4

“Sister Christian/Just Like Paradise”- Rock of Ages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmM40TErdT4

“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”- Zac Brown Band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmp2B-DpiwA

“Throwing It All Away”- Genesis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-3unR3sU74

The Beatles- you knew it was coming!

Arctic Monkeys

Skillet

The Monkees

Late Night Music NBA Summer League Edition Part 201......."With A Little Help From My Friends"

The truth is I had been planning this one a while. I am always fascinated when an artist records a song and then I find out that it wasn’t even really them who wrote it. However, it’s cool to see elements of that artist living through another artist. Some of those are evident in this list.

To qualify for this list, the song had to be written partially by another well known artist who was not affiliated with the recording artist and it could not have been previously recorded by the composing artist. Cover songs were disqualified. In a “Late Night Music” rarity, all songs receiving votes were included on this list.

“Manic Monday”- The Bangles (Prince). We’ll start this list with one of the funniest stories in music. In 1986, Prince wrote this single for the Bangles album Different Light under the Pseudonym “Christopher” which in turn was a name of the character he played in the movie “Under The Cherry Moon”. The reasoning for Prince writing this song is because he really wanted to hook up with Susanna Hoffs- I mean, can you blame him? This single peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and while it features the trademark Bangles harmony, this song has Prince’s fingerprint all over it. This highly rotated video features the very sexy Hoffs in a rush hour haze. Bonus points to Prince for finding out a way to mention Rudolph Valentino in a song. That probably never happened before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsmVgoXDq2w

“Come and Get It”- Badfinger (Paul McCartney). Paul McCartney came in early one day during the Let It Be sessions in 1969 and recorded a unreal demo of this track in which he played all instruments and sang every track. This version was never released until the Beatles Anthology series in 1996. McCartney gave the song to British band Badfinger to use in the movie “The Magic Christian” starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. This single was also featured on the band’s 1970 debut album Magic Christian Music and peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, starting a string of a few very successful years for one of Apple Records’ first acts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWbTZuEWjnc

“I’m A Believer”- The Monkees (Neil Diamond). Neil Diamond wrote this song in 1966 and recorded it prior to the Monkees release, but the Monkees went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the last week of 1966 when this single from their album More Of The Monkees then became one of the biggest singles of 1967. The success of the single also added to the success of the Monkees television show which reached the height of its popularity around this time. This single is one of the very few singles to ever sell 10 million physical copies. This song would famously be covered by Smash Mouth and Eddie Murphy in the “Shrek” movie series simply because of the opening line mentioning “fairy tales”. You can’t make that up. I smell a bonus video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU615FaODCg

“Irreplaceable”- Beyonce’ (Ne-Yo). This single brings the first controversial single of the list. Ne-Yo wrote this song in 2006, and after writing the lyrics, thought it would be much better suited for a woman to sing instead. He then gave the song to Beyonce for inclusion on her album B’Day. The controversy came when Beyonce claimed complete writing of the song, when Ne-Yo said she only helped arrange vocal harmonies and instrumental arrangements and later said he “regretted” giving the song to her. That may be true, but I doubt he was upset over the royalties this single generated. This single show to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is still one of Beyonce’s most notable songs becoming her 4th #1 single in the career of a lifetime. This song also has been covered by some interesting artists. Bonus video on deck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ

“You Got It All”- The Jets (Rupert Holmes). OMG I freaking love this song and band! The Polynesian Minnesota Mormons the Wolfgramms better known as the Jets took the world by storm with this all time great ballad from their 1986 self-titled debut album. This single which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the handy work of Rupert Holmes, most famously known for the 1979 hit “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”. Then 12 year old Elizabeth Wolfgramm said herself that she had to imagine singing this song to a puppy because she had no idea how to “sing about being in love”. What we got was a great 80’s ballad that never gets old with its great saxophone intro and solo. However, this video never made sense to me. If anyone can explain it, I am all ears. It is also at this point, I have my obligatory joke about the Jets that due to the size of the family (which was what the entire band was made up of), that their mother thought her uterus was a clown car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a7dN52k_r0

“Party In the USA”- Miley Cyrus (Jessie J). Let’s be honest. We knew Miley Cyrus didn’t write this. This guilty pleasure party anthem was written by British rocker Jessie J in 2008, but she decided that it “wasn’t edgy enough for her”, so the song was given to the new and “improved” Miley Cyrus who was fresh into her post Hannah Montana transition and was included on her 2009 album The Time Of Our Lives where it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The ultimate in teenage party, Cyrus herself admitted she had never even heard a Jay-Z song despite it being in the lyrics of this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA

“Baby”- Justin Bieber (P!nk). Whatever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4

“F--- You”- Cee Lo Green (Bruno Mars). Now this one cracked me up, but it definitely makes sense. Bruno Mars seems like the perfect person to write this, and Cee-Lo seems like the perfect person to sing this. There is not much I can write about this song without going off my usual PG rating. Sorry guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU

“Halo”- Beyonce’ (Ryan Tedder of One Republic). Something about this song and video just leaves me in a trance. This amazing video features the very cool Michael Ealy. Even he looks like Beyonce’ is out of his league. I guess when you got it, you got it. We all know that Beyonce’ is one of the most amazingly beautiful women alive, but this video right here makes me feel things all in my bones. Anyway, Ryan Tedder wrote this song while rehabbing an injury that forced to miss the rest of One Republic’s tour. During this time, he said he was heavily influenced by Ray Lamontagne (Bonus Video!), and this song was heavily influenced by his music. This song was then finished off by Queen Bey and was included on her 2009 album I Am...Sasha Fierce. This single would peak at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and still remains one of Beyonce’s most critically acclaimed songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVUHWCynig

“Little Things”- One Direction (Ed Sheeran). Was there ever any doubt that Ed Sheehan wrote this? This highly off-genre song for One Direction off of their 2012 album Take Me Home and peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. A huge departure from their usual bubble gum boy band sound, this acoustic love song was written by fellow British mate and everyone’s ginger Ed Sheeran. Surprisingly, this song was panned by critics who claimed that this song didn’t reach One Direction’s “target audience”, which makes sense, but shouldn’t real musicians want to be more diverse? Just a thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGPeNN9S0Fg

“Black Widow”- Iggy Azalea featuring Rita Ora. (Katy Perry). This single featuring Australia’s newest starlet Iggy Azalea and British goddess Rita Ora was originally written by Katy Perry for her album Prism, but the song wasn’t finished in time for the album to be released. Due to Perry recently becoming friends with Katy Perry, Perry wanted to help Azalea have a solid debut album when this single was included on Azalea’s 2014 debut album The New Classic where it also peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. British starlet Rita Ora does a great job owning the vocals of this song while still in an indirect way paying a great tribute to Katy Perry. As much as I want to like this song, I just can’t get into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3u22OYqFGo

“You Are Not Alone”- Michael Jackson (R. Kelly). I have to admit, that I had no idea about this one until just now. Hilariously, this song makes the most sense after the fact that is almost is upsetting that I never knew this. According to R Kelly, Jackson contacted him in 1994 and asked him to contribute a song on his upcoming album HIStory Past and Present, which would be released in 1995. R Kelly said he was geeked and beyond star struck and even recorded the demo for the song mimicking Jackson’s style. This famously made R Kelly go from writing songs in the basement in the ghetto to writing for Michael Jackson in the span of 5 years. Pretty impressive. This song went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and re established Michael Jackson to the legend status he had long since attained. This song was written by R Kelly after experiencing the loss of loved ones in the recent months. What we got this was this MJ classic, but one of his cheesiest and most awkward videos with a horrible haircut. Even the greatest ever have their low points huh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAyKJAtDNCw

“Quickly”- John Legend featuring Brandy (Frank Ocean). John Legend included this track featuring McComb, Mississippi’s own on his 2008 album Evolver and if this Frank Ocean penned song doesn’t sound like Frank Ocean, I don’t know what else does. I would really like to see John Legend and Brandy team up again, because this duet just seems to have an unbelievable amount of chemistry. This is also a good departure from the acoustic piano sound of John Legend with a great mix of synthesizer instead. It actually works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugsz11KKUaE

“Islands In The Stream”- Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (The Bee Gees). Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton gave a memorable performance at the 1983 Grammys seen here with this song written by all 3 Bee Gees and named after the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, was originally written for Marvin Gaye. The song was changed to a country style to be recorded on Rogers 1983 album Eyes That See In The Dark. This single shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a staple for both artists. I have to admit that I have never been a huge fan of either one of these artists, but this really is a great song. The Bee Gees also performed the song live quite often in their later career. I smell a bonus video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lixDK_tMEhE

“Diamonds”- Rihanna (Sia). Rihanna was already on top of the world in 2012 when this single became one of the greatest selling singles of all time off of her album Unapologetic. The single shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and this unbelievable video put Rihanna on a status that has been matched by very few artists. According to producer Benny Blanco, Australian singer Sia wrote the lyrics to “Diamonds” in just 14 minutes, with the music coming pretty quick after and the song almost immediately being given to Rihanna to record. The final product is seen here and would be the title of her 2012-2013 World Tour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWA2pjMjpBs

“California King Bed”- Rihanna (Priscilla Renea). We had to throw in one more Rihanna song. She’s just that amazing. This Priscilla Renea masterpiece was included on Rihanna’s 2011 album Loud, and while it only peaked at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100, this unbelievably conceptual video and track featuring Renea herself on background vocals remains one of Ri’s most amazing songs. In a bonus video for the ages, Rihanna debuted this song with Sugarland at the 2011 ACM Awards live on CBS. Talk about a magical duo! No matter who writes the song, Rihanna is on another level awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhBorPm6JjQ

BONUS VIDEOS

“California King Bed”- Rihanna and Jennifer Nettles- Live at the 2011 ACM Awards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtmZe1zvCQE

“Islands In The Stream”- Bee Gees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcsW9pdSKMs

“I’m A Believer”- Eddie Murphy as “Donkey” in “Shrek”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dByBJdbrtBs

“Irreplaceable”- Sugarland and Beyonce Live at the 2007 American Music Awards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCBwvaEGyns

“You Got It All”- The Jets Live at their 25th Anniversary concert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEg6eth8f5A

“With A Little Help From My Friends”- The Beatles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lYudapfHlw

The Jets

Rihanna

Michael Jackson

The Monkees

The Bangles