OK, let’s try something a little different here? The plan was to feature five songs a post. We’re gonna increase that to seven. I’m also gonna link the videos in the song titles instead of embedding them. The goal is for a cleaner, more efficient reading experience for you!
“Always & Forever” by Heatwave (Epic, 1976)
Do young people slow dance anymore? If so, what the hell do they slow dance to? Love songs (as opposed to songs about fucking, or songs about the shitty side of love) seem to be a thing of the past.
“Always & Forever” by the multi-ethnic band Heatwave came out the year I was born. When I was a little kid and my folks threw house parties, it’s the song that indicated the end of the night. The lights would turn blue, couples would hold one another tightly and sway back and forth. Six minutes and 18 seconds of a promise to undying devotion, composed to perfection by British songwriter Rod Temperton (who will appear on this list many more times) and sung exquisitely by American Johnnie Wilder, Jr. Truly a cross-country collaboration for the ages.
“Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey (Columbia, 1995)
Sometimes all you need is a simple melody and simple lyrics to create perfection. Here we have a relatively understated vocal performance, a chorus that practically brands itself on you, a tasty key change and a groove that threads the needle between “edgy”contemporary R&B and “safe” adult pop. This was the first of many Mariah Carey/Jermaine Dupri collaborations, and they’ve only bested it once (more on that much, much later). Bonus-the remixed version (featuring background vocals by Xscape and a tight 16 from Da Brat—read Mariah’s memoir to find out the crazy story behind that recording) is arguably as good as the original.
“Always the Last to Know” by Del Amitri (A&M, 1992)
American Top 40 was a Sunday morning institution for me until I graduated high school. Those four hours counting down the most popular songs in the country introduced me to music I wouldn’t necessarily have heard via direct cultural exposure in those days before the internet. American Top 40 began my love affair with Scottish rock band Del Amitri and particularly their lead singer Justin Currie.
Even though most of Del Amitri’s ouevre consists of love songs, Currie had a particular songwriting style that imbued those love songs with a bit of melancholy, sarcastic wit and self-deprecation. “Always the Last to Know” was the second of the band’s three top 40 hits, and it’s my favorite. It took me a decade or so to fully appreciate the lyrics (I needed some life and relationship experience), but holy shit does this song hit you in the feels if you’ve ever regretted ending a romantic entanglement (or you’ve not fully moved on from an ex, or if you’ve been an asshole in relationships.)
“American Girl” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Shelter, 1976)
Concise and hooky. As good as pop/rock gets. Petty hit a grand slam on his first at-bat!
“American Idiot” by Green Day (Reprise, 2004)
12 years before you know what happened and changed the course of world politics forever, “American Idiot” came out. Remember when we good folks thought Dubya was the worst thing that America’s political system had to offer. I almost wish for those days now.
I’m not on board for the entire “rock opera” thing Green Day was trying to do here (although I think American Idiot is a very good album), but the singles kick ass, none more than the power-pop rave up that is the title track.
Billie Joe Armstrong is someone I’ve always held in very high regard, not least because he was the first male out queer musician that I felt any kind of an affinity with. The fact that he did so at the height of the band’s initial run of success (this was peak Dookie era) in an interview with a relatively major publication (The Advocate, or maybe it was Out) and no one really noticed (leading to a lot of scratched heads when BJA’s status as a queer icon became big news during Green Day’s most recent album cycle) felt really affirming.
“And God Created Woman” by Prince & The New Power Generation (Paisley Park/Warner Bros., 1992)
The New Power Generation seemed more like an actual band than The Revolution did. That’s probably because Prince played most of the instruments on the “Prince & The Revolution” albums (Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day and Parade). While Prince still wrote the songs on the two NPG albums (Diamonds & Pearls and the Love Symbol album), there’s a less synthesized, fuller feel to these albums. It feels like there were multiple people in a room, creating together.
“And God Created Woman” is buried on Side 2 of the Love Symbol album, and was never released as a single. If Prince’s singing seemed especially impassioned during this period (it certainly does on this song), it’s because he was courting Mayté Garcia (who would eventually become his wife and I’m gonna leave the low-frequency creepiness that exists when I think of Mayté’s age compared to Prince’s alone). This jazz-flecked tune somehow sounds tight and loose at the same time.
“And On And On” by Janet Jackson (Virgin, 1994)
Speaking of low-frequency creepiness, “And On And On” was the b-side to “Any Time, Any Place”, the fifth single from Janet Jackson’s 1993 janet. album. Both songs (listed as one) made it all the way to #2 on the pop charts and #1 R&B. Two reasons for that tier of success. One, “Any Time, Any Place” was remixed by R. Kelly, who was red-hot at the time (and, to be fair, this was before anyone even had an idea of…that stuff).
Two, “And On And On” was a previously-unheard Janet track. It was released just as folks started shutting their school books and thinking about summer vacations, and it is a God-tier summer song. It’s so laid back and in the pocket. Janet sounds like she’s having a ball, and even old(er) heads could vibe with it due to the prominent sample of Sly & The Family Stone’s “Family Affair”.
I’m pretty sure Mike owned Sly’s publishing at that point, so the sample clearance must have been very easy.
Anyway, as I write this, we’re barreling into May. Summer approaches. Play this song and imagine chilling with your friends on a beautiful sunny day.
Running tally-type shit because I like stats:
Total songs: 57
4 songs from the 1960s
12 songs from the 1970s
25 songs from the 1980s
10 songs from the 1990s
2 song from the aughts
4 songs from the 2010s
16 songs by male solo artists (including Prince’s songs featuring band names), 26 songs by duos/groups/bands, 12 songs by female solo artists, 2 collaborative performance by two (or more) solo artists, 1 collaborative performance between two groups (although what did Cult Jam actually do?)
Michael Jackson appears on five songs on this list as it stands (one as a solo artist, three as a member of the Jackson Five, one as a background vocalist.) There are three Prince songs listed so far. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (as a duo) and Stevie Wonder appear twice so far.
Next up: so, so many “Angel”s