U2

"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. During the album's recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin, conflict arose between the band members over the direction of U2's sound and the quality of their material. Tensions almost prompted the band to break up until they achieved a breakthrough by improvising "One"; the song was written after the band members found inspiration from a chord progression that guitarist The Edge composed. The lyrics, written by lead singer Bono, were informed by the band members' fractured relationships and the German reunification. Although the lyrics ostensibly describe "disunity", they have been interpreted in other ways.
"One" was released as a benefit single, with proceeds going towards AIDS research. The song reached number one in the Irish Singles Charts on 5th March 1992. It peaked at number seven in the UK Singles Chart and at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. In promotion of the song, the band had several music videos filmed, although they were not pleased until the third video was created. The song has since been acclaimed as one of the greatest songs of all time, and it is consistently featured in listener and critic polls. The song has been played by U2 at every one of their tour concerts since the song's live debut in 1992, and it has appeared in many of the band's concert films. In a live setting, "One" is often used by the band to promote human rights or social justice causes, and the song lends its namesake to Bono's charitable organization, the ONE Campaign. In 2006, U2 re-recorded the song as part of a duet with contemporary R&B singer Mary J. Blige on her album The Breakthrough.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tracy Chapman

"Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" is the second single from singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. The politically aware song failed to replicate the success of its predecessor, "Fast Car", and peaked at #75 in the United States. However, it also managed to chart on four other charts maintained by Billboard (which brings out the weekly US chart) and reached the top forty in two of them.^[1]
Internationally, this single was a big hit, reaching the Top 40 in several countries, including France and New Zealand, becoming a classic in Chapman's song repertoire.^[2] The song received heavy radio play in Tunisia in 2011 during the Tunisian revolution.^[3]
The song is in the key of G major. The chord progression is: G, C, Em, D. It has a relatively simple strumming pattern which plays unbroken throughout the entire song, making it fairly easy for a novice or learner to play on guitar.
The song was subsequently covered by singer Ben Jelen on the Russell Simmons/Babyface-produced all-star compilation Wake Up Everybody in 2004. This song was also covered by Reel Big Fish on their 2005 album We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy and Chamberlain as a B Side to "Five Year Diary". In 2010, this song was translated into Cree and covered by Art Napolean on his album Creeland Covers. In February 2011, Israeli band Shmemel covered the song and added a verse inspired by the Arab Spring revolutions, with the new song being given the title "Talking About an Arab Revolution".^[4]



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Jackson

"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It is the second single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). It was written by Jackson and produced by him and Quincy Jones. Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and Jackson had disagreements regarding it. There are contradictory claims to what the song's lyrics refer to. One suggests that they are derived from a real-life experience, in which a mentally ill female fan claimed that Jackson had fathered one of her twins. Jackson himself, however, stated that "Billie Jean" was based on groupies he had encountered. The song is well known for its distinctive bass line and Jackson's vocal hiccups. The song was mixed 91 times by audio engineer Bruce Swedien before it was finalized.
"Billie Jean" became a worldwide commercial and critical success; "Billie Jean" was one of the best-selling singles of 1983 and is one of the best-selling singles worldwide. The song topped both the US and UK charts simultaneously. In other countries, "Billie Jean" topped the charts of Spain and Switzerland, reached the top ten in Austria, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, and peaked at number 45 in France. Considered to be one of the most revolutionary songs in history, "Billie Jean" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1989.
Awarded numerous honors—including two Grammy Awards, one American Music Award and an induction into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame—the song and corresponding music video propelled Thriller to the status of best-selling album of all time. The song was promoted with a short film that broke down MTV's racial barrier as the first video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation. Also, Jackson's Emmy-nominated performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, in which Jackson premiered his "the moonwalk" also helped to popularize the song. The song was also promoted through Jackson's Pepsi commercials; during the filming of one commercial, Jackson's scalp was severely burned. Covered by modern artists, "Billie Jean" sealed Jackson's status as an international pop icon.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Booker T. And The MG's

"Green Onions" is a hit soul instrumental recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. The tune is a 12-bar blues with a rippling Hammond organ line. Originally issued on the Volt 102 subsidiary of Stax Records in May 1962 as the B-side to "Behave Yourself", it was quickly reissued as the A-side of Stax 127; it also appeared on the album Green Onions.^[1] The guitar used by guitarist Steve Cropper on "Green Onions", as was all of The M.G.'s instrumentals, was a Fender Telecaster.^[3] According to guitarist Steve Cropper, the name is not a marijuana reference, rather it is named after the Green Badger's^{[clarification needed]} cat, Green Onions, whose way of walking inspired the riff.^[4] Although, according to Songfacts.com, the song was named by Booker T. Jones stating that when asked by Jim Stewart what he'd name the song, Booker T. Jones replied "Green Onions." "Why 'Green Onions'?" Jim asked. Booker T: "Because that is the nastiest thing I can think of and it's something you throw away."^[5] The song is in chromatic-minor with an open fifth as tonic chord.^[6]



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bob Marley

"Redemption Song" is a song by Bob Marley. It is the final track on Bob Marley & the Wailers' ninth album, Uprising, produced by Chris Blackwell and released by Island Records.^[2] The song is considered one of Marley's seminal works,with Rolling Stone having listed it as #66 among The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Some key lyrics derived from a speech given by the Pan-Africanist orator Marcus Garvey.
At the time he wrote the song, circa 1979, Bob Marley had been diagnosed with the cancer in his toe that later was to take his life. According to Rita Marley, "he was already secretly in a lot of pain and dealt with his own mortality, a feature that is clearly apparent in the album, particularly in this song".
Unlike most of Bob Marley's tracks, it is strictly a solo acoustic recording, consisting of Marley singing and playing an acoustic guitar, without accompaniment.
"Redemption Song" was released as a single in the UK and France in October, 1980, and included a full band rendering of the song. This version has since been included as a bonus track on the 2001 reissue of Uprising, as well as on the 2001 compilation One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers. Although in live performances the full band was used for the song the solo recorded performance remains the take most familiar to listeners.
In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the song at #66 among The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the Top 20 Political Songs.^[3]



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

U2

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's second single in May 1987. The song was a hit, becoming the band's second consecutive number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 after "With or Without You", while peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart.
Like much of The Joshua Tree, the song was inspired by the group's interest in American music. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" exhibits influences from gospel music and its lyrics describe spiritual yearning. Lead vocalist Bono's vocals are in high register and guitarist The Edge plays a chiming arpeggio. The song originated from a demo the group used to develop a unique drum pattern played by drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was well received by critics. It has subsequently become one of the group's most well-known songs and has been performed on many of their concert tours. The track has appeared on several of their compilations and concert films.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amy Winehouse

"Rehab" is a song by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. It was released on 23 October 2006 as the first single from her second studio album Back to Black. It was written by Winehouse and produced by Mark Ronson. The lyrics are autobiographical, and talk about Winehouse's refusal to enter a rehabilitation clinic. It peaked at number 7 in the United Kingdom on the UK Singles Chart and number 9 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1][2]
It has since become a critical and commercial success internationally, and has been referred to as Amy Winehouse's "signature song".^[3][4] It won three Grammy Awards in 2008, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and was nominated for two more Grammy Awards.^[5] It also won a Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song.^[6] Winehouse's subsequent public battle with drug and alcohol addiction has resulted in some of the song's popularity and appearance in the media. The song has been covered by a list of artists. Two remixes featuring American rappers Jay-Z and Pharoahe Monch were released in 2008.^[7] A further remix by the electronic band Hot Chip was released in the United Kingdom.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gnarls Barkley

"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere. It became a top ten hit throughout Europe, North America and Australia, in the first half of 2006, reaching number one of the single charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and other countries.
The song was leaked in late 2005, months before its regular release, and consequently received massive airplay on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, most notably by radio DJ Zane Lowe, who also used the song in TV ads for his show.^[1] When it was finally released in March 2006, it became the first single to top the British charts on download sales alone. The song remained at number one in the United Kingdom for nine weeks (which no other song had achieved in over ten years, and was only surpassed by Rihanna's "Umbrella" in July 2007) before the band and their record company decided to remove the single from British stores so people would "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it."^[2] In spite of this deletion, the song became the UK's best selling single of 2006.^[3] Due to continued download sales, it reached a million sales in January 2011.
The song won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2007, and was also nominated for The Record of the Year in the United Kingdom, which it lost to "Patience" by Take That.^[4] It was also nominated and further won a 2006 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song. The song was also named the best song of 2006 by Rolling Stone^[5] and by the Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.^[6] The song was listed at #11 on Pitchfork Media's top 500 songs of the 2000s. The song is also in the #45 place in the list of the best songs ever of Acclaimed Music. In 2010, it was placed at #100 in the "updated" version of Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and ranked at the top position of Rolling Stone's top 100 songs of the decade (2000–2009). "Crazy" was notably performed at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, with the band members dressed as various Star Wars characters.^[7][8]



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

"The Message" is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released as a single by Sugar Hill Records on January 1, 1982 and was later featured on the group's first studio album, The Message. "The Message" was the first prominent Hip-Hop song to provide a lyrical social commentary. It took rap music from the house parties to the social platforms later developed by groups like Public Enemy, N.W.A., and Rage Against The Machine. Melle Mel said in an interview with NPR "Our group, like Flash and the Furious Five, we didn’t actually want to do the message because we was used to doing party raps and boasting how good we are and all that”.^[2] It is credited as the catalyst for the conscious Hip-Hop or political sub-genre of Hip-Hop music. It is a social narrative that details the struggles and difficulties due to living in poverty in the inner-city. In addition, it embodies the distress, anger, and sadness an individual experiences when confronting these inequalities. The description of various social and economic barriers followed by the mantra “don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge, I’m trying not to lose my head” exemplifies that it is not just the disparity in opportunity that is oppressive but also the emotional response that is debilitating. It is frequently referred to as the greatest record in hip hop history and was the first Hip-Hop record ever to be added to the United States' National Recording Registry of historic sound recordings.
Though not the first in the genre of rap to talk about the struggles and the frustrations of living in the ghetto; the song was unique in that it was set to a slower beat, refocusing the song on the lyrics over the music.^[3] The song was written and performed by Sugar Hill session musician Ed "Duke Bootee" Fletcher and Furious Five MC Melle Mel.^[4] Some of Mel's lyrics on "The Message" were taken directly from "Supperrappin'", a song he had recorded three years earlier. Flash and the other members of The Furious Five, although credited on the record, were uninterested in recording the song and are not found on the finished record. In the music video, Fletcher's verses are lip-synced by group member Rahiem.
Remixes appeared in 1995 and 1997.
West Coast hip hop artist Captain Rapp recorded a similar song to "the Message" in 1984 called "Bad Times (I Can't Stand It)".



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manu Chao

"Desaparecido" & "Rumba De Barcelona"

"Radio Bemba Sound System"is a live album by Manu Chao that was released in 2002. It is the accompanying CD to the performer's live DVD Babylonia en Guagua, filmed over two nights (4–5 September) in 2001 during the tour for Proxima Estacion: Esperanza. Many of the songs found on Radio Bemba Sound System, such as "Machine Gun", "Peligro","Mala Vida","King Kong Five" and "The Monkey", are songs originally recorded by Manu Chao's previous band, Mano Negra. However the arrangements performed with Radio Bemba Sound System are more reggae-, ska-, and rock-oriented.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kanye West

"Jesus Walks" is a hip hop song by American rap artist Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004 as the third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song is built around a sample of "Walk with Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. "Jesus Walks" was well received by music critics, who praised its compelling sonic atmosphere and boldness in its open embrace of faith. It was met by widespread commercial recognition, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming West's fourth consecutive top twenty hit in the United States.
The single was accompanied by three separate music videos, each of which visually interpreted a portion of its multifaceted context in different ways. "Jesus Walks" continues to be a crowd favorite and stands as one of the most-performed songs by West, who has included it within all of his headlining tours. At the 47th Grammy Awards, "Jesus Walks" was awarded the Grammy for Best Rap Song. Rolling Stone named the song #19 on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade. The song was named the 6th best song of 2004 on Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll.^[1] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 69 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".^[2] The song was listed at #123 on Pitchfork Media's 500 songs of the 2000s. It was placed at #273 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".



 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eminem feat. Dido

"Stan" is the third single from the The Marshall Mathers LP, by American rapper Eminem featuring Dido. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also included on Curtain Call: The Hits, performed with Eminem and Dido on track 5 and on track 17 as a live Performance from the 2001 Grammy awards featuring Elton John, which was censored on both the clean and explicit versions. The song was produced by The 45 King, and uses a slightly modified break from Dido's "Thank You" as its base sample. The track also samples the opening lines of "Thank You" as its chorus. Coincidentally, both songs were released as singles in late 2000. "Stan" has been called one of Eminem's best songs and is considered one of his signature songs. Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Stan" at #296 in their list in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was also listed at #15 on VH1's list of the greatest hip hop songs of all-time. The song was nominated for multiple awards like the Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Video of the Year, Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Cinematography at the MTV Video Music Awards. The only award it won was the Best International Artist Video at the MuchMusic Video Awards.In April 2011, Complex magazine put together a list of the 100 Greatest Eminem songs, ranking "Stan" at #2.^[2]



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia