Noteworthy songs or music from 1945 to now
October 13, 2005 1:02 AM Subscribe
I'd like to find a list of the most remarquable songs or music pieces that were composed from 1900 to now.
The criteria can be : popularity, "goodness" or musical innovation (one of the first Kraftwerk songs for example). I need a significant song or music for each year from 1900 to 2005. Can you give me your suggestions or sites that could help me.
I intend to include some french songs or musics in my list.
The purpose of my quest is to create a slideshow mixing images (historical events), names of my family members (sorted by birthdate) and music from 1900 to now.
The criteria can be : popularity, "goodness" or musical innovation (one of the first Kraftwerk songs for example). I need a significant song or music for each year from 1900 to 2005. Can you give me your suggestions or sites that could help me.
I intend to include some french songs or musics in my list.
The purpose of my quest is to create a slideshow mixing images (historical events), names of my family members (sorted by birthdate) and music from 1900 to now.
"Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and his Comets in 1954. First chart topping rock and roll record.
Edith Piaf will help a little through some of the 40s too :)
posted by wackybrit at 3:08 AM on October 13, 2005
Edith Piaf will help a little through some of the 40s too :)
posted by wackybrit at 3:08 AM on October 13, 2005
Richard Thompson did a project called a thousand years of popular music you may want to check out the latter half of that
posted by oh pollo! at 3:46 AM on October 13, 2005
posted by oh pollo! at 3:46 AM on October 13, 2005
There's John Peel's Peelenium project, 4 tracks from every year 1900-2000.
posted by Cuppatea at 4:15 AM on October 13, 2005
posted by Cuppatea at 4:15 AM on October 13, 2005
If you're feeling a little silly, there's always LMP's "Century Of Song" project.
Highlights include "Sweet Adeline" (in the style of Neil Diamond, by singing robots); "You Are My Sunshine" (also by robots, and a chorus of fake Japanese schoolchildren); a crying version of "Mr Sandman"; and a dance/techno-ish version of "Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag".
There's even a lo-fi version of "La Vie En Rose" to meet the French requirement...
Pity the box set is all sold out, & the full MP3s no longer on the website. However, the tracklist is there, and the files can often be found on those nefarious eyepatch-wearing networks.
(To be serious: at the very least, there's some good suggestions in their choices for the first half of the century. "We'll Meet Again" & "You Are My Sunshine", in particular, should be on anyone's list of greatest / most popular songs of the last century.)
posted by Pinback at 5:02 AM on October 13, 2005
Highlights include "Sweet Adeline" (in the style of Neil Diamond, by singing robots); "You Are My Sunshine" (also by robots, and a chorus of fake Japanese schoolchildren); a crying version of "Mr Sandman"; and a dance/techno-ish version of "Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag".
There's even a lo-fi version of "La Vie En Rose" to meet the French requirement...
Pity the box set is all sold out, & the full MP3s no longer on the website. However, the tracklist is there, and the files can often be found on those nefarious eyepatch-wearing networks.
(To be serious: at the very least, there's some good suggestions in their choices for the first half of the century. "We'll Meet Again" & "You Are My Sunshine", in particular, should be on anyone's list of greatest / most popular songs of the last century.)
posted by Pinback at 5:02 AM on October 13, 2005
Ghershwin's Rhapsody in Blue mixes symphonic music with popular music (at the time jazz) in an innovative way. I think it should be considered one of the milestones in modern American music.
posted by sic at 5:33 AM on October 13, 2005
posted by sic at 5:33 AM on October 13, 2005
Another innovative song is Giant Steps by John Coltrane (1960) this was Coltrane's first foray into modal jazz, one of the early experiments in what would become his "sheets of sound" style.
posted by sic at 5:41 AM on October 13, 2005
posted by sic at 5:41 AM on October 13, 2005
1971 American Pie by Don Mclean may also fall into the category of songs you are looking for. People have found a lot of interesting things relating to popular music in general in that song.
posted by sic at 5:45 AM on October 13, 2005
posted by sic at 5:45 AM on October 13, 2005
CBC's 50 Tracks? There's also a canadian version, but the original 50 Tracks tried to identify the best 50 songs from 1900 to today. Make of it what you will.
posted by GuyZero at 6:15 AM on October 13, 2005
posted by GuyZero at 6:15 AM on October 13, 2005
Ah, yes — another AskMe question playing to one of my superpowers (namely: the power of collecting early American popular music). The answer to this question is purely subjective, of course, and 99.999% of the population has no exposure to songs from before, say, 1935. Still, there are a few of us out there who love early recorded music. I'll give you some answers for before 1960. After that, I can't help you.
First, though I know 1901 seems like a fine arbitrary line, I'd actually make the line 1897 or whenever it was that Charles Harris produced After the Ball. That song was a huge, huge hit, the biggest hit in the U.S. until "Alexander's Ragtime Band" came along. (Unfortunately, I've never found a period recording of the song.)
Second, remember that recording technology was relatively primitive at the turn of the century. Recordings exist, but they're terrible by any standard. The best recordings actually come from piano rolls, which could be used to exactly reproduce the artist's performance a century later.
1901 - I have no recommendations for 1901!
1902 - John Philip Sousa's Band's "In the Good Ol' Summertime" (a 1905 recording of a 1902 song — there's probably a good 1902 recording somewhere)
1903 - Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer"
1904 - "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy" (was this recorded by George M. Cohan?) or "Meet Me in St. Louis"
1905 - "My Gal Sal" recorded by ???
1906 - Billy Murray's "Grand Old Rag" (which we now know as "Grand Old Flag")
1907 - I don't know any songs from 1907!
1908 - Miss Walton and Mister MacDonough's "Shine on Harvest Moon" or Enrico Caruso's "La donna e mobile (from Rigoletto)" or a recording of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
1909 - Ada Jones' "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" or Billy Murray's "In My Merry Oldsmobile"
1910 - Ada Jones and Billy Murray's "Come Josephine in My Flying Machine" and the song "Down By the Old Mill Stream" (I don't have a recording to recommend)
1911 - Must be one of the biggest hits in the history of American Music: Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band". (In a normal year the following would be good options: Gene Greene's "King of the Bungaloos" or George M. Cohan's "Life's a Funny Proposition After All" or Sophie Tucker's "Some of These Days")
1912 - Lillian Russel's "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star"
1913 - Al Jolson's "You Made Me Love You"
1914 - Alma Gluck's "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" or John McCormack's "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"
1915 - Billy Murray's "I Love a Piano"
1916 - George Gershwin's "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em"
1917 - No question: the Original Dixieland Jass Band's "Livery Stable Blues", the self-proclaimed (and quite possibly legitimate) first-ever jazz recording
1918 - Enrico Caruso's "Over There" (an important song) or Nora Bayes' "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm" (a great song) or Marion Harris' "After You've Gone" (a great song) or the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's "Tiger Rag"
1919 - John Steele's "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"
After this point, the selection becomes even more difficult. Around 1920, phonograph technology changed. The recordings improved. The players became more and more ubiquitous. The number of yearly recordings increased at a tremendous pace, so that we have many fantastic songs that survive to this day. Also, note that sometime in the mid-20s these songs go from being in the public domain to being covered by copyright. Which year? I used to know, but don't any longer. It's like 1926 or 1928.
1920 - Al Jolson's "Swanee" or Edith Day's "Alice Blue Gown" or Frank Crumit's "Palasteena" but probably Paul Whiteman's "Whispering"
1921 - Van and Schenk's "Ain't We Got Fun" or Rudy Wiedoeft's "The Sheik of Araby" or Zez Confrey's fun "Kitten on the Keys"
1922 - Fanny Brice's "My Man"
1923 - Billy Jones' "Yes, We Have No Bananas!" or Sophie Tucker's "In Old King Tutankhamen's Day"
1924 - A song my father always used to sing: Billy Jones' "Does Your Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Over Night" or another song he always sang: Vernon Dalhart's mournful "The Prisoner's Song" or Cliff Edwards' "Fascinatin Rhythm" (Cliff Edwards is also known as Ukelele Ike)
1925 - Bessie Smith's "St. Louis Blues" or Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Black Snake Moan" or my favorite song of the 1920s, California Ramblers' "Sweet Georgia Brown". Actually, 1925 has so many great songs that I'd spend the next ten minutes listing them...
1926 - Jack Smith's "Poor Papa (He's Got Nuthin' At All)" or Fisk Jubilee Singers' "Shout All Over God's Heaven" or George Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" or Irving Aaronson and the Commander's "Crazy Words (Vo-do-de-o)" (an important flapper song) or I don't know. Again, far too many songs from which to choose.
1927 - Gene Austin's "My Blue Heaven" or George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" or George Olsen's "Varsity Drag" or Josephine Baker's wonderful "Bye Bye Blackbird" or some Louis Armstrong
1928 - Irving Aaronson's "Let's Misbehave" or The Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower" or The Chocolate Dandies' rollicking "Birmingham Breakdown" (an early hint of the coming Big Band era) or Eddie Cantor's "Makin' Whoopee" or Jimmie Rogers' "Waitin' For a Train"
1929 - Bessie Smith's "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" (a great song) or Gene Autry's "Frankie and Johnny" or Rudy Vallee's "My Time is Your Tiime" or Vernon Dalhart's "Eleven Cent Cotton" or more Louis Armstrong
With the coming of the Great Depression, music changed. Gone were the happy songs and in were more morose songs, the best known of which is probably the haunting "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime". The thirties saw the dawn of the Big Band Era, of course...
1930 - Ben Selvin's "Happy Days Are Here Again" or A.A. Gray and Seven Foot Dilly's "Streak of Lean, Streak of Fat" or Bradley Kincaid's "Barbara Allen" or Duke Ellington's "Three Little Words" or Ethel Waters' wonderful "Black and Blue" or Fred Astaire's "Puttin' On the Ritz" or Helen Kane's "He's So Unusual" or Fred Waring's "Tea For Two" or Jesus! there's a score of other great songs in 1930.
1931 - Mildred Bailey's "Georgia On My Mind" or Louis Armstrong's "Lazy River" or, most probably, Bing Crosby's "Stardust" (although I dislike it — Crosby has a marvelous voice, but his delivery is sappy) or Fred and Adele Astaire's goofy (but fun) "Hoops" or Ruth Etting's "All of Me"
1932 - Leo Reisman with Milton Douglas' "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" (there are also versions by Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby that are much more important from a historical perspective, but which are inferior musically (or maybe I just like Douglas' theatrical delivery)) or Fred Astaire's "Night and Day" or Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" or
As you can tell, I could go on for hours. I did just go on for one hour, and am now late for work. If you want more suggestions like this, I can give more recommendations up the mif-fifties (and the arrival of the Rock Era) later tonight. After the mid-fifties it gets easier because you're more familiar with the songs.
Note that there are probably other great options for the years I listed above. These are merely culled from those songs in my iTunes collection that I've bothered to tag with the correct year.
Meanwhile, check out public domain songs. Also, tinfoil.com sells some great CDs of old cylinder music.
posted by jdroth at 7:54 AM on October 13, 2005
First, though I know 1901 seems like a fine arbitrary line, I'd actually make the line 1897 or whenever it was that Charles Harris produced After the Ball. That song was a huge, huge hit, the biggest hit in the U.S. until "Alexander's Ragtime Band" came along. (Unfortunately, I've never found a period recording of the song.)
Second, remember that recording technology was relatively primitive at the turn of the century. Recordings exist, but they're terrible by any standard. The best recordings actually come from piano rolls, which could be used to exactly reproduce the artist's performance a century later.
1901 - I have no recommendations for 1901!
1902 - John Philip Sousa's Band's "In the Good Ol' Summertime" (a 1905 recording of a 1902 song — there's probably a good 1902 recording somewhere)
1903 - Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer"
1904 - "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy" (was this recorded by George M. Cohan?) or "Meet Me in St. Louis"
1905 - "My Gal Sal" recorded by ???
1906 - Billy Murray's "Grand Old Rag" (which we now know as "Grand Old Flag")
1907 - I don't know any songs from 1907!
1908 - Miss Walton and Mister MacDonough's "Shine on Harvest Moon" or Enrico Caruso's "La donna e mobile (from Rigoletto)" or a recording of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
1909 - Ada Jones' "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" or Billy Murray's "In My Merry Oldsmobile"
1910 - Ada Jones and Billy Murray's "Come Josephine in My Flying Machine" and the song "Down By the Old Mill Stream" (I don't have a recording to recommend)
1911 - Must be one of the biggest hits in the history of American Music: Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band". (In a normal year the following would be good options: Gene Greene's "King of the Bungaloos" or George M. Cohan's "Life's a Funny Proposition After All" or Sophie Tucker's "Some of These Days")
1912 - Lillian Russel's "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star"
1913 - Al Jolson's "You Made Me Love You"
1914 - Alma Gluck's "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" or John McCormack's "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"
1915 - Billy Murray's "I Love a Piano"
1916 - George Gershwin's "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em"
1917 - No question: the Original Dixieland Jass Band's "Livery Stable Blues", the self-proclaimed (and quite possibly legitimate) first-ever jazz recording
1918 - Enrico Caruso's "Over There" (an important song) or Nora Bayes' "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm" (a great song) or Marion Harris' "After You've Gone" (a great song) or the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's "Tiger Rag"
1919 - John Steele's "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"
After this point, the selection becomes even more difficult. Around 1920, phonograph technology changed. The recordings improved. The players became more and more ubiquitous. The number of yearly recordings increased at a tremendous pace, so that we have many fantastic songs that survive to this day. Also, note that sometime in the mid-20s these songs go from being in the public domain to being covered by copyright. Which year? I used to know, but don't any longer. It's like 1926 or 1928.
1920 - Al Jolson's "Swanee" or Edith Day's "Alice Blue Gown" or Frank Crumit's "Palasteena" but probably Paul Whiteman's "Whispering"
1921 - Van and Schenk's "Ain't We Got Fun" or Rudy Wiedoeft's "The Sheik of Araby" or Zez Confrey's fun "Kitten on the Keys"
1922 - Fanny Brice's "My Man"
1923 - Billy Jones' "Yes, We Have No Bananas!" or Sophie Tucker's "In Old King Tutankhamen's Day"
1924 - A song my father always used to sing: Billy Jones' "Does Your Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Over Night" or another song he always sang: Vernon Dalhart's mournful "The Prisoner's Song" or Cliff Edwards' "Fascinatin Rhythm" (Cliff Edwards is also known as Ukelele Ike)
1925 - Bessie Smith's "St. Louis Blues" or Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Black Snake Moan" or my favorite song of the 1920s, California Ramblers' "Sweet Georgia Brown". Actually, 1925 has so many great songs that I'd spend the next ten minutes listing them...
1926 - Jack Smith's "Poor Papa (He's Got Nuthin' At All)" or Fisk Jubilee Singers' "Shout All Over God's Heaven" or George Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" or Irving Aaronson and the Commander's "Crazy Words (Vo-do-de-o)" (an important flapper song) or I don't know. Again, far too many songs from which to choose.
1927 - Gene Austin's "My Blue Heaven" or George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" or George Olsen's "Varsity Drag" or Josephine Baker's wonderful "Bye Bye Blackbird" or some Louis Armstrong
1928 - Irving Aaronson's "Let's Misbehave" or The Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower" or The Chocolate Dandies' rollicking "Birmingham Breakdown" (an early hint of the coming Big Band era) or Eddie Cantor's "Makin' Whoopee" or Jimmie Rogers' "Waitin' For a Train"
1929 - Bessie Smith's "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" (a great song) or Gene Autry's "Frankie and Johnny" or Rudy Vallee's "My Time is Your Tiime" or Vernon Dalhart's "Eleven Cent Cotton" or more Louis Armstrong
With the coming of the Great Depression, music changed. Gone were the happy songs and in were more morose songs, the best known of which is probably the haunting "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime". The thirties saw the dawn of the Big Band Era, of course...
1930 - Ben Selvin's "Happy Days Are Here Again" or A.A. Gray and Seven Foot Dilly's "Streak of Lean, Streak of Fat" or Bradley Kincaid's "Barbara Allen" or Duke Ellington's "Three Little Words" or Ethel Waters' wonderful "Black and Blue" or Fred Astaire's "Puttin' On the Ritz" or Helen Kane's "He's So Unusual" or Fred Waring's "Tea For Two" or Jesus! there's a score of other great songs in 1930.
1931 - Mildred Bailey's "Georgia On My Mind" or Louis Armstrong's "Lazy River" or, most probably, Bing Crosby's "Stardust" (although I dislike it — Crosby has a marvelous voice, but his delivery is sappy) or Fred and Adele Astaire's goofy (but fun) "Hoops" or Ruth Etting's "All of Me"
1932 - Leo Reisman with Milton Douglas' "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" (there are also versions by Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby that are much more important from a historical perspective, but which are inferior musically (or maybe I just like Douglas' theatrical delivery)) or Fred Astaire's "Night and Day" or Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" or
As you can tell, I could go on for hours. I did just go on for one hour, and am now late for work. If you want more suggestions like this, I can give more recommendations up the mif-fifties (and the arrival of the Rock Era) later tonight. After the mid-fifties it gets easier because you're more familiar with the songs.
Note that there are probably other great options for the years I listed above. These are merely culled from those songs in my iTunes collection that I've bothered to tag with the correct year.
Meanwhile, check out public domain songs. Also, tinfoil.com sells some great CDs of old cylinder music.
posted by jdroth at 7:54 AM on October 13, 2005
Aha! Just before I leave, some correctons and some additions. (I found an old LP of these songs that includes some dates.)
"After the Ball" is from 1892. The only real recording I have of it is from 1974 and is by Joan Morris and William Bolcom. Morris sings in a period style, but the recording sounds far too modern for a listener to pretend it's authentic. Still, I try.
Add these songs to my list above:
1900 - "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (w. Harry von Tilzer)
1901 - still no songs
1902 - "Under the Bamboo Tree" (you could probably use the version from the musical Meet Me in St. Louis) or "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star", for which I listed a 1912 recording above (the song was actually published in 1902)
1903 - nothing t add
1904 - "Good Bye, My Lady Love" is another good option if you can find a recording
1905 - "Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie" (w. Harry von Tilzer) was popular
I'm going to grab some of my American popular music books and haul them to work. I may have more suggestions.
posted by jdroth at 8:15 AM on October 13, 2005
"After the Ball" is from 1892. The only real recording I have of it is from 1974 and is by Joan Morris and William Bolcom. Morris sings in a period style, but the recording sounds far too modern for a listener to pretend it's authentic. Still, I try.
Add these songs to my list above:
1900 - "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (w. Harry von Tilzer)
1901 - still no songs
1902 - "Under the Bamboo Tree" (you could probably use the version from the musical Meet Me in St. Louis) or "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star", for which I listed a 1912 recording above (the song was actually published in 1902)
1903 - nothing t add
1904 - "Good Bye, My Lady Love" is another good option if you can find a recording
1905 - "Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie" (w. Harry von Tilzer) was popular
I'm going to grab some of my American popular music books and haul them to work. I may have more suggestions.
posted by jdroth at 8:15 AM on October 13, 2005
I think we are sorta stuck thinking inside the box here. How about Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring (1945) or Fanfare for the Common Man (1942)? How about foreign hits?
Other than that, we can take the purely objective view of the biggest selling albums of all time:
Things like the Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (currently biggest selling ever at 28 million), Michael Jackson's Thriller (26 Million), Pink Floyd The Wall (23 Million), and Led Zeppelin IV (22 Million).
The #1 singles of all time include: Candle in the Wind, White Christmas, Rock Around the Clock and I Want to Hold Your Hand, in that order.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:36 AM on October 13, 2005
Other than that, we can take the purely objective view of the biggest selling albums of all time:
Things like the Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (currently biggest selling ever at 28 million), Michael Jackson's Thriller (26 Million), Pink Floyd The Wall (23 Million), and Led Zeppelin IV (22 Million).
The #1 singles of all time include: Candle in the Wind, White Christmas, Rock Around the Clock and I Want to Hold Your Hand, in that order.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:36 AM on October 13, 2005
Good lord, jdroth. I only have time for:
The Beatles - I Feel Fine" - 1st use of feedback?
BB King - Nobody Loves me but my Mother, and she could be jivin' too. Best title ever, unless
Hoagy Carmichael -- I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin’ Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues -- longest title
posted by Pressed Rat at 8:54 AM on October 13, 2005
The Beatles - I Feel Fine" - 1st use of feedback?
BB King - Nobody Loves me but my Mother, and she could be jivin' too. Best title ever, unless
Hoagy Carmichael -- I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin’ Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues -- longest title
posted by Pressed Rat at 8:54 AM on October 13, 2005
You'll shoot me for this, but the REAL major innovation is not in those folk song sound like the beatles, it is in:
: Rap
Yes, I said it. This is the most popular genre, has taken over the entire globe in a few short years of existence, and was the first complete break from the old way of making music.
Beatles made music that was good, but in my humble opinion, is not very different from the old european classics in the way it was built up or its melody.
posted by markesh at 8:56 AM on October 13, 2005
: Rap
Yes, I said it. This is the most popular genre, has taken over the entire globe in a few short years of existence, and was the first complete break from the old way of making music.
Beatles made music that was good, but in my humble opinion, is not very different from the old european classics in the way it was built up or its melody.
posted by markesh at 8:56 AM on October 13, 2005
Furthermore, I highly recommend Alan Lewens' book Popular Song: Soundtrack of the Century, which you may be able to find at a public library. Your library may also have one or more of the outstanding Smithsonian collections, of which I'm particularly fond of the Classic Country Music and the American Popular Song collections.
posted by jdroth at 10:02 AM on October 13, 2005
posted by jdroth at 10:02 AM on October 13, 2005
Full disclosure: I work for SonyBMG
You might find some ideas in the tracklisting for the "Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century"
posted by softlord at 10:52 AM on October 13, 2005
You might find some ideas in the tracklisting for the "Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century"
posted by softlord at 10:52 AM on October 13, 2005
NPR had a series, the NPR 100: The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century. Plenty of rock and pop.
posted by dhartung at 12:59 AM on October 15, 2005
posted by dhartung at 12:59 AM on October 15, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by agropyron at 1:24 AM on October 13, 2005