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Breeze · 07-03-2019, 09:05 AM

30. Devo – Whip It (1980)

Total Points – 430
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 8

Devo, known for their interesting mingling of kitsch, science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and social satire often played discordant pop songs with unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures that arguably prevented them from achieving greater success, but also proved extremely influential on subsequent popular music, particularly new wave, industrial, and alt rock. Often the band’s eccentric persona caused them to be classified by music critics as a joke band. However, the band, and especially this song, has gone on to become iconic to the point it has transcended pop culture, including having The Simpsons pay homage to the video in an episode, and the band was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. This single, which was the second release from the 3rd album, was not expected to be hit, but DJ Kal Rudman loved it, pushed it, and soon it was being played all over the Southeastern US. The riff is a slightly altered version of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman”, and the lyrics are mostly nonsensical but revolve around overcoming one’s problems. There are no sadomasochistic aspects of the song, but the video does play on that thought. The idea for the video came from an article that the band read about a former stuntman who marries a stripper, moves to a cattle ranch, and for entertainment removes his wife’s clothes with a whip. This song has been altered and used in many commercials, and Devo’s work has been redone as Devo 2.0 for kids. This might seem surprising for a band that was so cutting edge, but they feel this brings everything full circle and illustrates their belief that everything humanity creates, including their own songs, devolve.

29. The Cardigans – Lovefool (1997)

Total Points – 427
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 13

This Swedish rock band formed in 1992 and has pretty much remained unchanged to this day. It’s interesting to note that both guitarists in this band, with this bubble gum pop song hit, come from heavy metal backgrounds. Originally this song was released in the fall of 1996, but nothing much happened. It was re-released in 1997 and the song found international success. It reached #2 on the UK singles chart, and #1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart in the US (it didn’t chart on the Hot 100 due to a technical rule at the time), as well as charting on 5 other Billboard charts. Some of the song’s popularity could be attributed to its appearance in Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo & Juliet. It was also present in the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions, and 2007’s Decameron Pie. Slant Magazine ranked the song #40 in their list of the 100 Best Singles of the 90s, and Pitchfork Media ranked it #66 in its Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.

28. Gary Numan – Cars (1980)

Total Points – 425
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 3
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 21

Gary Numan, who’s had a long and successful career in the UK, started out as the creative force behind the new wave band Tubeaway Army. In fact, under that band name he released 2 albums and had a #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”. With the release of the third album, The Pleasure Principle, Numan dropped the band name and found international success with the release of this single. Cars went to #1 in the UK and Canada, while it peaked at #9 here in the States. The UK tour in support of the album, The Touring Principle, was sold-out everywhere and the concert video it spawned is often cited as the first full-length commercial music video released. The lyrics for the song were inspired by a case of road rage. Apparently, a group of teenagers got upset with Numan, they approached his car and tried to drag him out of it. He locked the doors and drove up on the sidewalk to get away. Numan’s distinctive look was totally unintentional. During an appearance on Top of the Pops he was suffering from a severe case of acne, so they slapped about a half an inch of white makeup on his face. This made his eyes non-distinct, so they used black eye-liner to make them stand out. This combined with Numan’s self-consciousness and lack of showmanship created the robotic/android like appearance. That image flourished, and many of his followers called themselves Numanoids. Amazingly, Numan has a new album, his 23rd, due out later this year, its expected title is Intruder.

27. Debby Boone – You Light Up My Life (1977)

Total Points – 422
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 1

This song joins “Walking in Memphis” and “It’s Raining Men” as one of our 6 songs to receive a #1 ranking by the seeding lists. Debby Boone, the 3rd of Pat Boone’s 4 daughters, started touring with her sisters at 14 singing mostly gospel music. Debby, the Boone sisters’ lead singer, was urged to launch a solo career when her two older sisters married, and her younger sister started college. Her first effort was a remake of “You Light Up My Life” which was an unbelievable smash hit. In 1977, Fleetwood Mac released “Rumors”, The Eagles “Hotel California” was practically new, and Boston’s biggest debut album ever was less than a year old, plus disco was on the cusp of exploding in 1978. However, this single, which for all intense and purposes, and from Boone’s own admission to her interpretation of the lyrics, is a Contemporary Christian song, reached #1 on the Hot 100 for TEN STRAIGHT WEEKS. This set a new record (for the Hot 100 which was created in 1958), besting the 9 week record held by Percy Faith’s “Theme from A Summer Place”, and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”. The record was tied in 1991 by Olivia Newton John’s “Physical”, but not broken until a chart methodology was changed to allow singles longer reigns at #1. It finally lost its top spot to the Bee Gee’s “How Deep is Your Love”, the first of 3 #1 singles from the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. This single was the biggest selling song of the entire decade, and it is still in Billboard’s Hot 100 all time top 10, ranking #9 as of 2013. Amazingly, despite all the success of this single, Debby never managed to get another song in the Hot 100 top 40. She did change her focus to country where she had some success, before eventually moving, unsurprisingly to Contemporary Christian music.

26. Toni Basil – Mickey (1982)

Total Points – 421
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 5

Toni’s career began as a choreographer and dancer in 1964 for the ABC show Shindig! She choreographed and co-directed the music videos “Once in a Lifetime” and “Crosseyed and Painless” by the Talking Heads. She choreographed David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” and “Glass Spider” tours. She was also involved as a choreographer in the movies, American Graffiti, The Rose, Peggy Sue Got Married, Something to Talk About, That Thing You Do, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2, Charlie Wilson’s War, and The House Bunny. Her musical career began in ’66, but she didn’t break out until this single, which was recorded in 1980 but not released until ’82. The video was also recorded in 1980, even before MTV existed. This single is a remake of a tune called “Kitty” by the UK band Racey. The original version of the song lacked the opening chant, which was added to give the song the cheerleading feel. This single reached #1 on the Hot 100 knocking Lionel Richie’s “Truly” from the top spot. In the cheerleading video for the song, Basil is 38 years old, and the stunt, at the beginning where two cheerleaders dive through a human pyramid, is now illegal in competition.

07-03-2019, 09:05 AM	#154
Breeze Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL	30. Devo – Whip It (1980) Total Points – 430 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking – 8 Devo, known for their interesting mingling of kitsch, science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and social satire often played discordant pop songs with unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures that arguably prevented them from achieving greater success, but also proved extremely influential on subsequent popular music, particularly new wave, industrial, and alt rock. Often the band’s eccentric persona caused them to be classified by music critics as a joke band. However, the band, and especially this song, has gone on to become iconic to the point it has transcended pop culture, including having The Simpsons pay homage to the video in an episode, and the band was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. This single, which was the second release from the 3rd album, was not expected to be hit, but DJ Kal Rudman loved it, pushed it, and soon it was being played all over the Southeastern US. The riff is a slightly altered version of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman”, and the lyrics are mostly nonsensical but revolve around overcoming one’s problems. There are no sadomasochistic aspects of the song, but the video does play on that thought. The idea for the video came from an article that the band read about a former stuntman who marries a stripper, moves to a cattle ranch, and for entertainment removes his wife’s clothes with a whip. This song has been altered and used in many commercials, and Devo’s work has been redone as Devo 2.0 for kids. This might seem surprising for a band that was so cutting edge, but they feel this brings everything full circle and illustrates their belief that everything humanity creates, including their own songs, devolve. 29. The Cardigans – Lovefool (1997) Total Points – 427 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 13 This Swedish rock band formed in 1992 and has pretty much remained unchanged to this day. It’s interesting to note that both guitarists in this band, with this bubble gum pop song hit, come from heavy metal backgrounds. Originally this song was released in the fall of 1996, but nothing much happened. It was re-released in 1997 and the song found international success. It reached #2 on the UK singles chart, and #1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart in the US (it didn’t chart on the Hot 100 due to a technical rule at the time), as well as charting on 5 other Billboard charts. Some of the song’s popularity could be attributed to its appearance in Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo & Juliet. It was also present in the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions, and 2007’s Decameron Pie. Slant Magazine ranked the song #40 in their list of the 100 Best Singles of the 90s, and Pitchfork Media ranked it #66 in its Top 200 Tracks of the 90s. 28. Gary Numan – Cars (1980) Total Points – 425 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 3 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 21 Gary Numan, who’s had a long and successful career in the UK, started out as the creative force behind the new wave band Tubeaway Army. In fact, under that band name he released 2 albums and had a #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”. With the release of the third album, The Pleasure Principle, Numan dropped the band name and found international success with the release of this single. Cars went to #1 in the UK and Canada, while it peaked at #9 here in the States. The UK tour in support of the album, The Touring Principle, was sold-out everywhere and the concert video it spawned is often cited as the first full-length commercial music video released. The lyrics for the song were inspired by a case of road rage. Apparently, a group of teenagers got upset with Numan, they approached his car and tried to drag him out of it. He locked the doors and drove up on the sidewalk to get away. Numan’s distinctive look was totally unintentional. During an appearance on Top of the Pops he was suffering from a severe case of acne, so they slapped about a half an inch of white makeup on his face. This made his eyes non-distinct, so they used black eye-liner to make them stand out. This combined with Numan’s self-consciousness and lack of showmanship created the robotic/android like appearance. That image flourished, and many of his followers called themselves Numanoids. Amazingly, Numan has a new album, his 23rd, due out later this year, its expected title is Intruder. 27. Debby Boone – You Light Up My Life (1977) Total Points – 422 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking – 1 This song joins “Walking in Memphis” and “It’s Raining Men” as one of our 6 songs to receive a #1 ranking by the seeding lists. Debby Boone, the 3rd of Pat Boone’s 4 daughters, started touring with her sisters at 14 singing mostly gospel music. Debby, the Boone sisters’ lead singer, was urged to launch a solo career when her two older sisters married, and her younger sister started college. Her first effort was a remake of “You Light Up My Life” which was an unbelievable smash hit. In 1977, Fleetwood Mac released “Rumors”, The Eagles “Hotel California” was practically new, and Boston’s biggest debut album ever was less than a year old, plus disco was on the cusp of exploding in 1978. However, this single, which for all intense and purposes, and from Boone’s own admission to her interpretation of the lyrics, is a Contemporary Christian song, reached #1 on the Hot 100 for TEN STRAIGHT WEEKS. This set a new record (for the Hot 100 which was created in 1958), besting the 9 week record held by Percy Faith’s “Theme from A Summer Place”, and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”. The record was tied in 1991 by Olivia Newton John’s “Physical”, but not broken until a chart methodology was changed to allow singles longer reigns at #1. It finally lost its top spot to the Bee Gee’s “How Deep is Your Love”, the first of 3 #1 singles from the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. This single was the biggest selling song of the entire decade, and it is still in Billboard’s Hot 100 all time top 10, ranking #9 as of 2013. Amazingly, despite all the success of this single, Debby never managed to get another song in the Hot 100 top 40. She did change her focus to country where she had some success, before eventually moving, unsurprisingly to Contemporary Christian music. 26. Toni Basil – Mickey (1982) Total Points – 421 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking – 5 Toni’s career began as a choreographer and dancer in 1964 for the ABC show Shindig! She choreographed and co-directed the music videos “Once in a Lifetime” and “Crosseyed and Painless” by the Talking Heads. She choreographed David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” and “Glass Spider” tours. She was also involved as a choreographer in the movies, American Graffiti, The Rose, Peggy Sue Got Married, Something to Talk About, That Thing You Do, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2, Charlie Wilson’s War, and The House Bunny. Her musical career began in ’66, but she didn’t break out until this single, which was recorded in 1980 but not released until ’82. The video was also recorded in 1980, even before MTV existed. This single is a remake of a tune called “Kitty” by the UK band Racey. The original version of the song lacked the opening chant, which was added to give the song the cheerleading feel. This single reached #1 on the Hot 100 knocking Lionel Richie’s “Truly” from the top spot. In the cheerleading video for the song, Basil is 38 years old, and the stunt, at the beginning where two cheerleaders dive through a human pyramid, is now illegal in competition.