We at Hall of Songs have been bemusing over the recent lack of new songs entered into our very prestigious salon. Could the voters figure it out and come to some consensus once in a while?
After discussing our picks for the top-12 songs of 1977, and then slotting them onto our ballot, we waited with baited breath to see if the voters would finally respond. In this episode, we get a clear answer. Find out if any songs have been elected to the Hall of Songs, joining the 48 already entered.
In this episode of Modern Songs, we talk about the eco-aware “Rhododendron” by Hurray for the Riff Raff, then we remember when U2 dropped an album on all of us without asking. Specifically, we discuss the song “Sleep Like a Baby Tonight.” After that, we go through a couple tracks we’re really loving right now, by Lucy Dacus, Sabrina Carpenter, Mr. Husband, and Goose.
Modern Songs is a podcast devoted to the discovery of new music and the discussion of the greatest songs of the last 15 years.
Finally, the dam breaks as our 22nd Election for the Hall of Songs yields multiple inductees.
Come along for a 30-minute ride as we discuss how the best songs of the early and mid 1970s fared in our most recent election. Among the nominees: “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “Superstition,” “Dancing Queen” and “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” Also, yes, we’re heading to Dino’s Bar & Grill.
Let’s congratulate the following songs on making the Hall of Songs …
The Boys Are Back in Town / Thin Lizzy – 75% (1st round) Born to Run / Bruce Springsteen – 68.75% (2nd round) Wish You Were Here / Pink Floyd – 68.75% (2nd round)
Continuing to the next round of voting
Blitzkrieg Bop / The Ramones – 62.5% (1st round) Sir Duke / Stevie Wonder – 62.5% (1st round) Maggie May / Rod Stewart – 56.25% (2nd round) Anarchy in the U.K. / Sex Pistols – 56.25% (1st round) Dancing Queen / ABBA – 53.12% (1st round) You Can’t Always Get What You Want / The Rolling Stones – 50% (6th round) Free Bird / Lynyrd Skynyrd – 46.87% (4th round) More Than a Feeling / Boston – 43.75% (1st round) Superstition / Stevie Wonder – 43.75% (5th round) Sweet Emotion / Aerosmith – 40.62% (2nd round)
Eliminated from the ballot
Jolene / Dolly Parton – 34.37% (4th round) Don’t Leave Me This Way / Thelma Houston – 34.37% (1st round) Thunder Road / Bruce Springsteen – 31.25% (2nd round) Let’s Get It On / Marvin Gaye – 28.12% (4th round) Here Comes the Sun / The Beatles – 25% (8th round) Tangled Up in Blue / Bob Dylan – 25% (2nd round) Lean on Me / Bill Withers -25% (5th round) Cherry Bomb / The Runaways – 15.62% (1st round) Lowdown / Boz Scaggs – 15.62% Desperados Under the Eaves / Warren Zevon – 12.5% As / Stevie Wonder – 12.5% Love Hangover / Diana Ross – 9.37%
Well, it was bound to happen. The voting process in Hall of Songs finally resulted in some possible chicanery.
One of our hosts has to address it, and he does so with equal parts frustration and … well, you should listen.
Did any songs get into our prestigious hall of fame for songs? Listen to find out. But please, hit play on this one. It’s a ride.
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Alright. Let’s congratulate the following songs on making the Hall of Songs …
Bohemian Rhapsody / Queen – 68.9% (1st round) Take Me Home Country Roads / John Denver – 67.24% (1st round)
Continuing to the next round of voting
Born to Run / Bruce Springsteen – 58.6% (1st round) Superstition / Stevie Wonder – 48.27% (4th round) You Can’t Always Get What You Want / The Rolling Stones – 44.82% (5th round) Tangled Up in Blue / Bob Dylan – 44.82% (1st round) Thunder Road / Bruce Springsteen – 44.82% (1st round) Wish You Were Here / Pink Floyd – 44.82% (1st round) Maggie May / Rod Stewart – 41.37% (1st round) Free Bird / Lynyrd Skynyrd – 39.65% (3rd round) Lean on Me / Bill Withers – 37.93% (4th round) Sweet Emotion / Aerosmith – 36.2% (1st round) Here Comes the Sun / The Beatles – 34.48% (7th round) Jolene / Dolly Parton – 34.48% (3rd round) Let’s Get It On / Marvin Gaye – 32.75% (3rd round)
Eliminated from the ballot
Ain’t No Sunshine / Bill Withers -29.31% (5th round) Won’t Get Fooled Again / The Who – 29.31% (5th round) Rocket Man / Elton John – 29.31% (4th round) Midnight Train to Georgia / Gladys Knight and the Pips – 27.58% (3rd round) Crazy on You / Heart – 24.13% (1st round) Bridge Over Troubled Water / Simon and Garfunkel – 22.41% (5th round) Waterloo / ABBA – 22.41% (2nd round) Gloria / Patti Smith – 17.24% (1st round) Walk on the Wild Side / Lou Reed – 13.79% (4th round) You’re the First, the Last, My Everything / Barry White – 12.06% (2nd round) Shining Star / Earth, Wind & Fire – 12.06% (1st round) Help Me / Joni Mitchell – 10.34% (2nd round) Get Down Tonight / KC and the Sunshine Band – 10.34% (1st round) I’m Not in Love / 10cc – 10.34% (1st round) Love to Love You Baby / Donna Summer – 10.34% (1st round) That Lady / The Isley Brothers – 3.44% (1st round) Can the Can / Suzi Quatro – 1.72% (1st round)
That’s right: The Hall of Songs has a new inductee, and it’s from Hitsville U.S.A.! So what is the 15th member of our exclusive hall of fame for songs? Listen and find out!
Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.
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Alright. Let’s congratulate the following song on making the Hall of Songs …
Georgia on My Mind / Ray Charles – 58.82% (3rd round) Only the Lonely / Roy Orbison – 58.82% (3rd round) Wake Up Little Susie / The Everly Brothers – 58.82% (6th round) Runaway / Del Shannon – 52.94% (2nd round) That’ll Be the Day / The Crickets – 52.94% (5th round) Green Onions / Booker T & The M.G.’s – 52.94% (1st round) You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me / The Miracles – 52.94% (1st round) I Fall to Pieces / Patsy Cline – 47.05% (2nd round) Tutti Frutti / Little Richard – 47.05% (8th round) Wonderful World / Sam Cooke – 47.05% (3rd round) Love Me Do / The Beatles – 47.05% (1st round) The Wanderer / Dion – 41.17% (2nd round) Sherry / The Four Seasons – 41.17% (1st round) Mack the Knife / Bobby Darin – 35.29% (4th round) You Don’t Know Me / Ray Charles – 35.29% (1st round)
Eliminated from the ballot
Runaround Sue La Bamba / Ritchie Valens – 29.41% (5th round) Please Mr. Postman / The Marvelettes – 23.52% (2nd round) I Can’t Stop Loving You / Ray Charles – 23.52% (1st round) Miserlou / Dick Dale and the Del-Tones – 17.64% (1st round) If I Had a Hammer / Peter, Paul and Mary – 17.64% (1st round) The Loco-Motion / Little Eva – 11.76% (1st round) Telstar / The Tornados – 11.76% (1st round) He’s a Rebel / The Crystals – 11.76% (1st round)
We’ve nominated four songs from 1959 to ’62 for the Hall of Songs. They join the ballot starting with the ninth round of voting, which follows our 1963 episode.
The songs are “Think” by James Brown and the Famous Flames, “Turn On Your Lovelight” by Bobby Bland, “Up on the Roof” by the Drifters” and “She Thinks I Still Care” by George Jones.
After discussing the four nominees, we chat more about the period between ’58 and ’62, primarily the impact of the Nashville sound and advances in recording. We take extra time to talk about Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, and the Drifters.
Here’s the current list of nominees:
Come back on July 25, 2021, for our episode on 1963. Then, we’ll start voting for the ninth class of the Hall of Songs.
1962 is a weird year in music. “The Twist” comes back early in the year, and some jazz musicians bring Brazilian bossa nova to America around the holidays. In between, it’s a whole lot of everything on the charts with some impressive leaps forward.
Among our 1962 nominees are three instrumentals, two songs from arguably the first true effort at a cohesive album, and recordings by self-contained groups that could sing and play instruments. You’ve definitely heard of them both.
After listening, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1962, plus tunes from 1961, ’60, ’59, ’58, ’57, and ’55, are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now and come back on July 23 to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1961 nominees:
“You Don’t Know Me” as performed by Ray Charles
Written by Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold; recorded February 1962; released April 1962
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” as performed by Ray Charles
Written by Don Gibson; recorded February 1962; April 1962
“Miserlou” as performed by Dick Dale
Written by Nick Roubanis, Fred Wise, Milton Leeds and Chaim Tauber; recorded March 1962; released April 1962
“The Loco-Motion” as performed by Little Eva
Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King; recorded late 1961; released June 1962
“Do You Love Me” as performed by The Contours
Written by Berry Gordy Jr.; recorded June 1962; released June 1962
“If I Had a Hammer” as performed by Peter, Paul and Mary
Written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays; recorded early 1962; released July 1962
“Sherry” as performed by The Four Seasons
Written by Bob Gaudio; recorded July 1962; released August 1962
“Telstar” as performed by The Tornados
Written by Joe Meek; recorded July 1962; released August 1962
“He’s a Rebel” as credited to by The Crystals
Written by Gene Pitney; recorded July 1962; released August 1962
“Green Onions” as performed by Booker T. & the M.G.’s
Written by Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewie Steinberg and Al Jackson Jr.; recorded early 1962; released May and August 1962
“Love Me Do” as performed by The Beatles
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; recorded September 1962; released October 1962
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” as performed by The Miracles
Written by Smokey Robinson; recorded October 1962; released November 1962
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down or click here to vote. Then, come back on July 25, 2021, for our discussion on 1963.
The hits just keep on coming! We have four new inductees to the Hall of Songs after the latest round of voting. One song skates right through without a problem, another is a bit of a surprise, and two get in by the skin of their teeth.
Okay. Don’t scroll if you want to be spoiled.
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Alright. Let’s congratulate the following songs on making the Hall of Songs …
Georgia on My Mind / Ray Charles – 60.78% (2nd round) I Fall to Pieces / Patsy Cline – 58.82% (1st round) Only the Lonely / Roy Orbison – 56.86% (2nd round) The Wanderer / Dion – 54.9% (1st round) That’ll Be the Day / The Crickets – 52.94% (5th round) Wake Up Little Susie / The Everly Brothers – 50.98% (5th round) Please Mr. Postman / The Marvelettes – 43.13% (1st round) Tutti Frutti / Little Richard – 41.17% (7th round) La Bamba / Ritchie Valens – 41.17% (4th round) Runaway / Del Shannon – 41.17% (1st round) Wonderful World / Sam Cooke – 37.25% (2nd round) Mack the Knife / Bobby Darin – 35.29% (3rd round)
Eliminated from the ballot
Runaround Sue / Dion – 33.33% (1st round) The Twist / Chubby Checker – 31.37% (2nd round) Running Scared / Roy Orbison – 9.80% (1st round) Back Door Man / Howlin’ Wolf – 3.92% (1st round) Let’s Go Trippin’ / Dick Dale and the Del-Tones – 3.92% (1st round)
It’s 1961 and we’re twisting again on Hall of Songs! OK, “Let’s Twist Again” is not one of our 12 nominees from this year, BUT we talk about dance crazes before hopping into the new songs on the ballot.
We get to know some new artists for this episode, including Patsy Cline, Del Shannon, Dion, Dick Dale, and Howlin’ Wolf. Plus, we hear once again from established stars like Roy Orbison and Ben E. Keith (formerly of the Drifters), and the newly discharged Elvis Presley. And we travel back to Motown to find a girl group bursting onto the scene with an exciting song about the U.S. mail.
After listening, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1961, plus tunes from 1960, ’59, ’58, ’57, and ’55, are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now and come back on July 9 to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1961 nominees:
“I Fall to Pieces” as performed by Patsy Cline
Written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard; recorded November 1960; released January 1961
“Runaway” as performed by Del Shannon
Written by Del Shannon and Max Crook; recorded January 1961; February 1961
“Running Scared” as performed by Roy Orbison
Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson; recorded February 1961; released March 1961
“Stand By Me” as performed by Ben E. Keith
Written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller; recorded October 1960; released April 1961
“Back Door Man” as performed by Howlin’ Wolf
Written by Willie Dixon; recorded June 1960; released spring 1961
“Crying” as performed by Roy Orbison
Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson; recorded June 1961; released July 1961
“Please Mr. Postman” as performed by The Marvelettes
Written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, and Robert Bateman; recorded April 1961; released August 1961
“Let’s Go Trippin'” as performed by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones
Written by Dick Dale; recorded summer 1961; released September 1961
“Runaround Sue” as performed by Dion
Written by Dion DiMucci and Ernie Maresca; recorded summer 1961; released September 1961
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” as performed by Elvis Presley
Written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss; recorded March 1961; released October 1961
“Crazy” as performed by Patsy Cline
Written by Willie Nelson; recorded August 1961; released October 1961
“The Wanderer” as performed by Dion
Written by Ernie Maresca; recorded October 1961; released November 1961
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down or click here to vote. Then, come back on July 11, 2021, for our discussion on 1962.
These are the 12 numbers from 1960 that we feel merit possible inclusion in our song hall of fame. We’re talking the most popular track in modern history, indelible treats that combine orchestral sweetness and polished rhythm and blues, and even some tunes you may consider standards.
For this episode we visit the Brill Building in New York City and Hitsville USA in Detroit. We also hear more examples of the burgeoning Nashville Sound. And yes, the seeds of the pop-rock explosion yet to come are sown. Some cool songs await you in this episode.
After listening, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1960, plus tunes from 1959, 1958, 1957, 1956, and 1955, are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now and come back in 12 days to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1959 nominees:
“This Magic Moment” as performed by The Drifters
Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman; recorded December 1959; released January 1960
“Cathy’s Clown” as performed by The Everly Brothers
Written by Don Everly; recorded March 1960; released April 1960
“Wonderful World” as performed by Sam Cooke
Written by Lou Adler, Herb Alpert, and Sam Cooke; recorded March 1959; released April 1960
“Only the Lonely” as performed by Roy Orbison
Written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson; recorded spring 1960; released May 1960
“Walk, Don’t Run” as performed by The Ventures
Written by Johnny Smith; recorded spring 1960; released June 1960
“The Twist” as performed by Chubby Checker
Written by Hank Ballard; recorded spring 1960; released June 1960
“Chain Gang” as performed by Sam Cooke
Written by Sam Cooke and Charles Cook Jr.; recorded January 1960; released July 1960
“Save the Last Dance For Me” as performed by The Drifters
Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman; recorded spring 1960; released August 1960
“Georgia on My Mind” as performed by Ray Charles
Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell; recorded May 1960; released September 1960
“Shop Around” as performed by The Miracles
Written by Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy; recorded summer 1960; released September 1960
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” as performed by The Shirelles
Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King; recorded fall 1960; released November 1960
“At Last” as performed by Etta James
Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren; recorded fall 1960; released November 1960
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down or click here to vote. Then, come back on June 27, 2021, for our discussion on 1961.
