1000-976-Great Vocals
1000. RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON MY HEAD “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)
Vocalist: B. J. Thomas
Writer/Composer: Hal David / Burt Bacharach (1969)
The video clip from the movie with the bicycle scene is a joy to behold, and through the years it has become iconic, thanks to B. J. Thomas’s thoroughly engaging voice. Its youthful tune and its joyful delivery almost make it inspirational. This American singer became a major Pop / Rock / Country vocalist with a career spanning 3 decades, starting in the late 1960s. His wonderful, resonate, masculine delivery suited his full-throated tenor, 2+octave vocals well, and this tune was by far his biggest hit, going straight to # 1 on the charts. “Raindrops are falling on my head / And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed / Nothing seems to fit / Those raindrops keep falling on my head / They keep falling.” Oh, what joy to expect the happiness that awaits us!…A Fulfilling Triumph of a Song!
Link # 1 Original music audio with lyrics. Link # 2 Song from the movie with movie clips 1969.
999. I LOVES YOU PORGY “Porgy and Bess” (1959)
Vocalist: Nina Simone (Eunice Kathleen Waymon)
Writer/Composer: George Gershwin (1935)
If ever pure genius was stifled by ongoing social restrictions and racial attitudes in America, it was done to Nina as a child prodigy. However, it did not stop her. Trained, beginning at age three, she learned Classical piano, including Bach, as well as Gospel and Blues, but the cultural system was not on her side. She found her niche by the mid-1950s, becoming one of the most important, respected Jazz / Blues singers for at least 30 years, achieving legendary status. This is her signature song, her biggest hit, and a Jazz / Blues standard. She describes her mezzo-soprano voice as like gravel, “Sometimes I sounded like coffee and cream.” At any rate her rare, course, grainy style always played well to legions of Jazz fans, as this is one of her greatest vocal performances…Melancholy and Contemplative!
Link # 1 Original recording 1959. Link # 2 Live on Ed Sullivan Show 1960.
998. DON’T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE (1977)
Vocalist: Crystal Gayle (Brenda Gayle Webb) (“Pig” Robbins acoustic piano)
Writer/Composer: Richard Leigh (1976)
Very few Country artists made the transition from C&W to Pop with such smooth, modern and flowing vocals as Loretta Lynn’s sister, known as Crystal Gayle. She knew she had to be different—and she was. She possessed an aluring persona, piercing blue eyes, and long, knee-length, flowing black hair. But it was her fresh, appealing, cultured voice that won her a Grammy, and female Country Song of the Year. The Jazzy intro says it all, “Don’t know when I’ve been so blue / Don’t know what’s come over you / You’ve found someone new and / Don’t it make my brown eyes blue.” She had many more hits in the 1979s & 80s and career lasting through the 2010s. Her elegant style and vibrato captured Country / Pop / Jazz / Folk and Gospel fans, and her records sold in the millions…Absolutely Endearing!
Link # 1 Original recording 1977. Link # 2 LIve performance Tops of the Pops for 1977.
997. SIXTEEN TONS (1955)
Vocalist: Tennessee Ernie Ford (Ernest Jennings Ford)
Writer/Composer: Merle Travis (1946)
The unforgettable chorus, “You load sixteen tons, what do you get? / Another day older and deeper in debt / St. Peter, don’t you call me ‘cause I can’t go / I OWE MY SO-O-OUL, to the company store.” still resonates, written as a coal-mining self-identity song. It suited Ford’s full-throated bass / baritone delivery, and it went straight to #1 on the charts at the spawn of the Rock revolution. His stellar 40+ year career crossed many boundaries, Country / Pop / Folk / Novelty and Gospel. He was a beloved singer, whether on the Grand Ole Opry stage or performing live on television. People were drawn toward his confident, smiling delivery, perfect for songs such as Shotgun Boogie and In the Middle of an Island. He rode his crest of popularity in the 1950s / 1960s…Superb and Memorable!
Link # 1 Original recording 1956. Link # 2 Live performance 1957.
996. HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS (1988)
Vocalist: Richard Marx
Writer/Composer: Richard Marx
One of the really outstanding vocalists of the 1980s, this American Rock / Pop / Soul singer / songwriter / pianist held his own as this power ballad clearly shows, solidifying his enormous popularity. He was a constant hitmaker into the 1990s and sold over 30 million albums worldwide—he holds the record for writing 4 #1 records by different artists over 4 decades from 1980s - 2010s. Within his 2.5 to 3 octaves, he sings with a smooth, sometimes raspy, distinctive voice, with a convincing, sincere, baritone style, seldom misfiring with ability to belt out with gusto when necessary. The second verse…”I saw you smile / And my mind could not erase / The beauty of your face / Just for a while / Won’t you let me shelter you/” …Whew! And what a piano riff!…A Magnificent Emotional Delivery!
Live # 1 Original music video 1988. Live about 10 years later?
995. RUM AND COCA COLA (1945)
Vocalist: Andrews Sisters / Vic Schoen Orch.
Writer/Composer: Morey Amsterdam / Lionel Belasco / Lord Invader (1943)
One of the biggest hits of the 1940s, their playful harmonies soaring, but not without controversy in its time. Some stations refused to play it, thinking it was promoting overdrinking and spending cash on the working ladies in Trinidad! But these sisters here didn’t see it as harmful, and recorded it anyway. Their 3rd listed song is a gem of infectious harmony with a Jazzy motif, syncopated with great orchestration, coming in as a Calypso / Rhumba / Jazz / Boogie-Woogie / Pop number. Everyone in the 40s either hummed it, or sang it. Laverne, Maxine and Patricia’s three soprano voices (one mezzo) blended perfectly, and the sound was so unique that in the late 1930s through the early 1950s, they ruled supreme for female vocals, selling and estimated 80 million records…Zany and Delightful!
Link # 1 Original recording 1945. Link # 2 Live performance 1944.
994. CLOCKS (2003)
Vocalist: Coldplay (lead Chris Martin)
Writer/Composer: Guy Berryman / Jonny Buckland / Will Champion / Chris Martin (2002)
As Rock music started fading in its 21st Century cultural decline, it was only held together by the falling record sales of the Alternative Rock bands, however, some bands emerged to kept it alive, with great instrumental craftmanship and melodious voices. Chris Martin was one of those vocalists, as the charismatic tenor frontman of this British 4-piece band, and with an opening piano riff for the ages. Result? Instantaneous response from his enormous groundswell of fans in live concerts. His unique vocals were gentle with a bit of rasp. The group seemed to find a new audience / generation as an alternative to fluffy, autotuned female Pop. Their music appealed to almost every genre, especially Alt Rock / Pop / Jazz, even Folk. He gives new meaning to the simple phrase, “You Are.”…Purely Ethereal!
Link #1 Official music video 2003. Link #2 Live Austen City Limits 2005?
993. NEVER NEVER LAND “Peter Pan” (1954)
Vocalist: Mary Martin
Writer/Composer: Moose Charlap / Jule Styne / Carolyn Leigh / Betty Comden / Adolph Green (1953)
She became a muse for Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals on Broadway, and a leading lady in many other Stage roles, spurred on by her effervescence, vitality and and her impeccable soprano vocals. She was perfect for such roles as Nellie Forbush from South Pacific, Maria Von Trapp from The Sound of Music and certainly even this number from Peter Pan. She had remarkable clarity, phrasing and a gorgeous vibrato, becoming one the biggest female stars on Broadway from the 1940s through the 1960s. She also captivated audiences by her TV productions, including this role as Tinker Bell from the televised production of Peter Pan. She was so vivacious that everyone seems to fall in love with her…Wonderful and Simply Thrilling!
992. I DON’T WANT TO WAIT (1997)
Vocalist: Paula Cole
Writer/Composer: Paula Cole (1996)
This meaningful composition is a great look at self-examination since we don’t want to repeat the same mistakes as our fathers and their fathers. She sings it with conviction and eager expectation. A classic in songwriting and melody, her unique vocal style can cover at least 2.5+ octaves, yet she doesn’t resort to the trend of vocal loudness or gymnastics to get her point across. This personal storytelling song goes back to the WWII days and the ordeal of her grandfather’s remorseful anxiety. She handles it with care and emotion, thus appealing to Pop and Alt-Rock audiences as her 2nd song listed. From her album This Fire, she pleads in the chorus, “I don’t want to wait / for our lives to be over / I want to know right now what it will be.” Our live are riddled with anxiety…Contemplative and Beguiling!
Link # 2 Official music audio with lyrics 1996. Link # 2 Live from Hard Rock Cafe 1998.
991. SEPTEMBER SONG “Knickerbocker Holiday” (1961)
Vocalist: Frank Sinatra
Writer/Composer: Kurt Weill / Maxwell Anderson (1938)
In one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and covered by numerous artists, no one delivers this message of looking back with regret at the unfinished, and unfulfilled portions of our lives any better than Sinatra. With his 6th entry on our list, we can’t help but meditate on the lyrics and transfer ourselves back in time, thinking “where has the time gone?” Actor Walter Huston originally sang this number from the Movie, but it’s Frank’s beautiful baritone rendition was from his Pop / Jazz hit in 1948 that really shines. “Oh, It’s a long, long while from May to December / But the days grow short / When you reach September / When the Autumn weather turns the leaves to flame / One hasn’t got time for the waiting games,” The emotion and feeling in his voice is…Beloved and Sorrowful!
Link # 1 Original album September of my Years, recorded in 1965. Link # 2 recording from 1957.
990. WISHING YOU WERE SOMEHOW HERE AGAIN “The Phantom of the Opera” (2004)
Vocalist: Emily Rossum
Writer/Composer: Charles Hart / R. Stilgoe / Andrew Lloyd Webber (2004)
This sensational number from the Movie Soundtrack is delivered by the angelic voice of this American actress, and it stays with you long after the movie is over. She shines as Christine Daae in the musical, with her gentle, immaculate mezzo-soprano vocals, an uplifting performance of missing someone with extraordinary passion and emotion, especially departing. The pleas resonate in the song’s conclusion, “Wishing you were somehow here again / Knowing we must say goodbye / Try to forgive. teach me to live / Give me the strength to try / No more memories, no more wasted tears / Help me say goodbye.” She seems to reach out and touch us with a tenderness we never experienced, with a soft celestial vocal that embraces and yearns…Dazzling and Enchanting!
Link # 1 Original recording from Phantom of the Opera 2004. Link # 2 Direct scene from Phantom of the Opera 2004.
989. TILL THERE WAS YOU “The Music Man” (1957)
Vocalist: Barbara Cook / featuring Robert Preston
Writer/Composer: Meredith Wilson (1957)
She was an American singer / actress who was commonly referred to as one of the most splendid of interpreters of Broadway Musicals. Her career lasted more than 60 years and early on she was known as Broadway’s leading ingenue and for her lyric soprano voice. She also became known for her wonderful lead in 1950s musicals such as Candide and The Music Man, for which she won a Tony Award in 1957. This song was perfect for her lilting, expressive and the sincere beauty of her voice, one that would change through the years for deeper and darker roles in the theater. Anita Bryant had the hit Pop version of the song, but we prefer Barbara’s Beloved version for its excellent timbre and phrasing, simply unmatched in its emotion and vibrato…Sunning and Heavenly!
Link # 1 Original Broadway recording 1957. Link # 2 Live performance 1957.
988. HARPER VALLY P. T. A. (1968)
Vocalist: Jeannie C. Riley (Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson) / Jerry Kennedy dobro guitar
Writer/Composer: Tom T. Hall
One never knows if an unknown Country / Gospel singer is going straight to #1 on the Country AND Pop charts with their breakthrough hit, but that certainly happened with this singer in 1968. The song became an international hit and consequently, a Country / Pop classic story song. Riding the cultural wave of TV’s Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, they rode the expression of the year, “Sock it to me!” to its ultimate height, with a song about retribution, (getting even or retaliation.) Jeannie had the sound, the twang, and the distinctive contralto voice to fit in perfectly with this Tom T. Hall classic. She lets them have it with lines like, “And you have the nerve to tell me as a mother I’m not fit / Well this is just a little Peyton Place and You’re all Harper Valley hypocrits!”…Clever and Engaging!
Link #1 Original recording remastered 1968. Link #2 Live performance 1969.
987. I’M IN LOVE WITH A WONDERFUL GUY “South Pacific” (1958)
Vocalist: Mitzi Gaynor (Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber) & chorus
Writer/Composer: Richard Rodgers / Oscar Hammerstein II (1949)
This is one of R & H’s great songs from the movie, and Mitzi Gaynor does it with a superb, uplifting rendition with her incredible delivery of this joyful, delightful, celebrated love song. She delights the audience in the role of Nellie Forbush, with a full-voiced, soprano performance, right on the beach, accompanied by a full orchestra. Seldom has a Soundtrack found better success for all its great songs such as Some Enchanting Evening, Bali Hai and This Nearly Was Mine. It stayed at #1 on the best-selling album charts for 115 weeks with a run of over 3 years! Mitzi does not disappoint with her gleeful, energetic, bigger-than-life delivery, full of verve and vitality. He entertainment career lasted for over 60 years and prevailed through all of America’s musical changes…A Fantastic, Radiant Performance!
Link - Movie clip straight from the movie, South Pacific 1958.
986. EL PERDON (The Forgiveness) (2016)
Vocalist: Diana Navarro
Writer/Composer: Carlos Vera / Diana Navarro / Inaki Garcia / Paco Salazar (2016)
This surprising entry proves that some of the best vocals come from obscure foreign (Spanish) artists with magnificent voices. She conveys multi-musical styles such as Pop, Latino, Folk and Flamenco and has complete control over her soprano voice of 3+ octaves. Her phrasing, versatility and ability to vocally display her pain and heartbreak in this selection is done with such matchless, emotional verve puts her in a class as one of the great female vocalists in this 21st century. Her unique, incredible voice is known for its penchant for being intensely moving. Cry if you want to, this is nothing short of remarkable! She’s slowly becoming a World Music Phenomenon…Elegant and Shattering!
Link - Music video with English lyrics.
985. BUSTED (1963)
Vocalist: Ray Charles (Ray Charles Robinson) (Ray’s band)
Writer/Composer: Harlan Howard (1963)
Singing for the workers in the field and those of little means, Ray combines Blues / Country / Rock & Soul—he’s down and out, and he knows it! “My bills are all due and the baby needs shoes and I’m busted / Cotton is down to a quarter a pound, but I’m busted / I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won’t lay / a big stack of bills that gets bigger each day / The county’s gonna haul my belongings away, cause I’m busted.” These clever words introduce us to one of the greatest Country songs written by Harlon Haward, totally re-invented by this American R&B genius. This Grammy-winning song, his 5th entry on our list, is another masterpiece, released in his most prolific decade, when Ray specialized in Soul-infused covers. Blind, but not handicapped, There’s no doubt about it…Absolutely Flawless!
Link # 1 Official audio 1963. Link # 2 Audio live update 1970s.
984. TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (1995)
Vocalist: Annie Lennox (Backup by Hootie & the Blowfish)
Writer/Composer: Al Green / Mabon “Teenie” Hodges (1973)
Al Green’s masterpiece is re-invented here, and Annie takes the vocals to the MOON and back in this searing delivery where the “River” is the destination. As her 4th entry on our list, this becomes an R&B / Soul / Gospel / Rock / Pop song, from her stellar album of covers, Medusa, and does she ever deliver!? Her backup singers and players are exceptional, her vocals are pristine, crisp, original and impeccably jaw-dropping. Her use of well over 3 octaves becomes more than apparent here, she emotes, takes it tender, and explodes into an intense impressive range. We expect nothing less from this Scottish lass who incidentally sold more than 80 million albums with and without the Eurythmics. It seems the only way she can be forgiven is, “Take me to the river / Drop me in the water.” Absolutely Awesome!
Link - Original recording from Medusa album 1995.
983. SHINING STAR (1980)
Vocalist: The Manhattans (lead Gerald Alston)
Writer/Composer: Leo Graham / Paul Richmond (1980)
The impeccable harmony in this American, 4-man, R & B vocal group is a template on how a song can and should be delivered. The R&B / Soul / Pop classic is a love ballad that identifies their 2nd song on our list. It’s a touching, moving tribute of admiration in comparing his sweetheart to a celestial star in the heavens. Gerald Alston’s tenor voice takes the lead here, with his ultra-smooth delivery and exceptional phrasing, “Honey, you are my shining star / Don’t you go away, no, baby / Wanna be right here where you are / Until my dying day, yeah, baby.” Their career is considered a mainstay from the 1970s until through their live concerts through the 1990s, and this song was a Grammy-Award winning number that was considered among the best of the 70s / 80s era…A Romantically Devine Signature Song!
Link # 1 Original recording 1980. Link # 2 Live performance 1980.
982. I APOLOGIZE (1951)
Vocalist: Billy Eckstine
Writer/Composer: Al Hoffman / Al Goodhart / Ed Nelson (1931)
What! You mean to say you never heard of Billy Eckstine?! In the 1940s he formed his own orchestra, which served as a springboard to countless Jazz / Blues / Pop singers, and eventually he was known as the sepia Sinatra. In the 40s and 50s, Billy’s velvety bass-baritone voice was the touchstone of vocal Jazz / Blues delivery, and his signature song shows perfect Jazz interpretation. His influence among Jazz performers lead to a modern Bebop sound that transcended the genre. His rich, full-measured vocals were a standout for any generation, with a warm, affectionate sound that was respected worldwide, and a beautiful, rich vibrato on any note he sang. His stellar intro, “If I told a lie / If I made you cry / When I said goodbye / I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart, dear / I apologize.” Wow! Legendary!
Link # 1 Original recording 1951. Link # 2 Remastered and live 1952.
981. TO LOVE SOMEBODY (1967)
Vocalist: Bee Gees (Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb / Bill Shepherd orchestral arrangement)
Writer/Composer: Barry Gibb / Robin Gibb (1967)
Originally written for Otis Redding, this amazing vocal performance, their 4th on our list, endures the test of time, and was recorded by them instead. It’s been covered by multitudes of artists and ended up one of their stellar earlier songs. The curious sound from these Australian brothers, both magnetic and unique, is the fact their uncanny harmonies always seem to work. This was considered part of the “British Invasion” even though they were Aussies, and the piece was considered Blue-eyed Soul appealing to Rock / Pop and R&B fans the world over. With their recording career lasting over 25 years, they made a permanent mark on the musical landscape and became on of the mainstays in the Disco craze in the 1970s & 80s. They sold over 200 million records…Simply Spectacular!
Link # 1 Original recording 1967. Link # 2 Live on The Midnight Special 1971?
980. CHAIN OF FOOLS (1967)
Vocalist: Aretha Franklin
Writer/Composer: Don Covay (1953)
Very few artists can have more than one signature song—Aretha has many! Joe South’s guitar intro gets you ready for a Gospel-tinged, Rock & Roll / R & B / Soul / thrill ride. With her 5th song on our list, she thrills us with a sneak preview with a chorus intro, “Chain, chain, chain,” and then she turns it loose, “For five long years / I thought you were my man / But I found out / I’m just a link in your chain / Oh, you got me where you want me / I ain’t nothin’ but your fool / You treated me mean / Oh, you treated me cruel.” No one before or after ever belted lines like these with such convincing Soul! She displays her 4-octave soprano voice with such melisma and stunning range! With over 70 charted hits, selling over 75 million singles, she is considered the most decorated female artist historically…Legendary!
Link # 1 Original recording 1967. Link # 2 Live performance 1968.
979. HELPLESSLY HOPING (1969)
Vocalist: Crosby, Stills & Nash
Writer/Composer: Stephen Stills (1969)
Their acapella harmony, with lone guitar, makes this one of the most admired Folk group offerings in music. Very few can match the sheer beauty of their blended voices as impeccable! This American Folk / Rock group with their 4th entry on our list, solidifies CCN as the pinnacle of perfect, uncanny and unique harmony, distinctively recognizable as different from everyone else. David Crosby’s amazing high harmony was evident even in the previous groups he was in, such as The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. Try to sing along in the chorus, “They are one person / They are two alone / They are three together / They are for-or each other.” They possess a birdlike quality that turns on a dime, holding or bending the note at precisely the right time. This cut from their debut album is…Astonishing!
Link # 1 The B side of their first hit, Marrakesh Express. Link # 2 Live from Woodstock on August 15, 1969.
978. SONG OF INDIA (1953)
Vocalist: Mario Lanza / RCA Victor Orch. (Constatine Collinicos cond.
Writer/Composer: Rimsky-Korsakoff / adapted by Johnny Mercer
This song continues to soar into celestial delight with the passage of time. How does a song take on new life and sail into our musical landscape? Perhaps by being delivered by one of the most poignantly beautiful, remarkable Opera / Pop singers of all time. He takes this newer reworking of an older classic standard to new a heavenly form of mysterious beauty—what a shame that he only lived 38 years, all the while neglecting his heart health through the last years of his life. This astounding recording (his 3rd on our list) genuinely proves his body of work from his 8 musical films and recordings is a testament to his importance and longevity as a vocal artist. Validating that testament is the fact that artists of great magnitude such as Pavarotti, Domingo—they all loved him…A Crowning Achievement!
977. BIG BAD HANDSOME MAN (2009)
Vocalist: Imelda May (Imelda Mary Higham)
Writer/Composer: Imelda May
From the British Isles of Ireland comes this retro song with an amazing, charismatic, and unique sound to bring some light and nostalgia to 21st Century music. This offering has Rock roots and she falls into the category of Rockabilly / Jazz / Pop—she takes to another level. As a singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist, she is a sensational vocalist, with a gritty, earthy technique, perfect for holding the notes and perfect for an alluring growl. She has a great band behind her with perfect timing to play into her style. Check out this opening verse, “The man is tall, mad, mean and good lookin’ / And he’s got me at his eye / When he looks at me, I go weak in the knees / Got me going like no other guy.” She works splendidly withing her two octaves, a musical treat…Exceptionally Enthralling!
Link # 1 Official music audio 2008. Link # 2 Live performance Lele Live 2009.
976. BIG YELLOW TAXI (1970)
Vocalist: Joni Mitchell
Writer/Composer: Joni Mitchell (1970)
We can’t imagine how Joni can cross all boundaries with her 5th entry on our list, demonstrating her superb blend of Folk, Pop, Rock and Jazz, but she does it here with reckless abandon. She is truly unique, (not like everybody else) in every musical category! Her jubilant, acrobatic, soprano voice is inevitably on full display here. Her long-storied career is a magnificent tapestry of creative, poetic songwriting and delivery. “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” When musicians congregate and talk about the creative aspect of their compositions, it seems Joni always rises to the top as a genuine shape-shifter in affecting the American musical landscape. This piece was a wake-up call for the approaching and now ongoing environmental issues…A Clear, Clever, High-Spirited Message!
Link # 1 Original 1970 recording. Link # 2 Early live performance in 1970.
