The Songfactor's Choice Top Ten Facts

[edna]

"Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)"

Outkast

Written André L.Benjamin, (one of the two members of Outkast) a rapper, hip-hopper, singer, producer and songwritter.

It was released as a single in the US in 2006, on the 9th November. It's also included in "Idlewild", the sixth studio album by Outkast, released on August 22 in the same year.

A song about someone trying to be free and independent from his background and his family.

It's an acoustic blues where André300, the nickname of A.Benjamin, sings lead vocals in this song and also plays guitar.

The single went to #100 in the Billboard 100 chart.

[Brad_M]

Here's some additional info for:

"Sour Times" - Portishead

In the U.S., the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart and #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

[Lea]

Thank you to all who participated in gathering the facts for list 239. Good job to all

For The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten: Instrumentals there are three songs needing facts.

Pipeline - The Chantays (1963)

Apache - The Shadows (1960)

Linus And Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio (1964)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

As always the Songfish thanks you :guitar: :rock:

[Brad_M]

"Apache" - The Shadows

Released: July 1960

The song, described as a titanic tower of twang underpinned by pounding war drums, was The Shadows first #1 hit in the UK.

The song was composed by Jerry Lordan (who also composed two other massive UK hits for The Shadows: "Wonderful Land" and "Atlantis").

The Shadows (Cliff Richard's backing group), were hugely popular in Europe and the rest of the world, but they had no hits in the U.S.

"Apache" was the first of more than 30 UK chart hits for the group over the next two decades.

No other instrumental outfit came close to matching The Shadows' consistency and longevity.

Their leader, Hank B. Marvin, is one of the most influential rock guitarists of all time, cited as a primary influence by Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Neil Young, and dozens of other top axemen.

Book Source:

Six Decades Of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts

Thunder Bay Press

Pages: 46, 47, 58

[edna]

"Pipeline"

The Chantays

Written by Brian Carman-Bob Spickard in 1962.

Recorded and released as a single in Juanuary 1963. The B-side was "Move It".

Also a track from their first abum, "Pipeline", from 1963.

The single was recorded in monaural while the track of the album was recorded in stereo.

The single reached #4 in the Billoboard charts.

Carman and Spickard originally wrote the song and called it "Liberty's Whip". But the documentary "Endless Summer" made them change their mind: by then, surf was becoming very popular so they changed the name as referring to a "pipeline" made by a wave. "pipeline" is the phenomenon that happens when the crest of the wave on which a surfer is riding surrounds the surfer, leaving him just into the middle, like if it was a pipeline.

The song is still a classic of the sixties.

Originally, the A-side was "Move it" but it failed to chart, so the single is considered as being a "two A sides" single.

The track's distinctive sound was in large part due to the mix being "upside down", in that the bass and rhythm guitars were at the forefront, while the lead guitar, electric piano and drums were buried.

The song was re-recorded as an acoustic version in 1997 by The Chantays and they called it "Pipeline Unplugged", for their album "Waiting For The Tide".

[edna]

"Linus and Lucy"

Vince Guaraldi

Written by Vince Guaraldi in 1964.

It's a very well-known jazz tune played on piano by The Vince Guaraldi trio. It was part of the soundtrack of the TV animated "Peanuts" serie, introducing most of the special shows for kids since 1965.

"Linus and Lucy" are, obviously, the characters from the comic strips , siblings Van Pelt.

It was released on "Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown", the LP recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, originally released in 1964 under the title "A Boy Named Charlie Brown".

The song was played to the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour as wake-up music on Day 2 of the STS-123 mission on March 11, 2008. It was also used as background music for The Weather Channel's local forecasts starting in 1999.

Here's the review from Allmusic for the LP

...it is Guaraldi's first Peanuts soundtrack, but also because the music heard here probably introduced millions of kids (and their parents) to jazz from the mid-'60s onward. Actually, this music is the score for a documentary on the Peanuts phenomenon called A Boy Named Charlie Brown, which ran before the first Peanuts specials per se appeared on the CBS network. The most remarkable thing, besides the high quality of Guaraldi's whimsically swinging tunes, is that he did not compromise his art one iota for the cartoon world; indeed, he sounds even more engaged, inventive, and lighthearted in his piano work here than ever. It must have been quite a delightful shock back then to hear a straight-ahead jazz trio (Guaraldi, Monty Budwig, bass; Colin Bailey, drums) backing all those cartoon figures and genuine children's voices, a mordant running musical commentary that made its own philosophical points. The music on this album laid the groundwork for much that was to come; here is the first appearance of the well-known bossa nova-influenced "Linus and Lucy," and fans of the series will recognize such themes from future episodes as "Baseball Theme" and "Oh, Good Grief" (which is a rewrite of the Dixie Belles' hit "Down at Papa Joe's"). The original LP came with 12 bonus lithographs of Charles Schulz's celebrated Peanuts drawings; the only extra thing the CD issue offers is a gratuitous outtake of "Fly Me to the Moon."

[Lea]

Thank you Edna and Brad good job

The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #240

This week there are three songs needing facts.

Can't Get Enough - Bad Company (1974)

Love Like a Man - Ten Years After (1970)

Sugaree - Grateful Dead (1972)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

As always the Songfish thanks you :guitar: :rock:

[edna]

"Can't Get Enough"

Bad Company

Written by Mick Ralphs.

It was recorded in 1974 and released soon after, in 1974. The single reached #5 in the Billboard charts and #15 in the British charts.

Also a track from their 1974 debut album "Bad Company".

It's their biggest hit.

Allmusic says: From its opening power chords to its urgent climax, "Can't Get Enough" is not only a quintessential Bad Company side, it defines the post-Led Zeppelin blues-rock sound of the '70s. Free's Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke aligned themselves with Boz Burrell of King Crimson and Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople for their Zeppelin-endorsed supergroup. Their self-titled debut on the strength of its first number one single "Can't Get Enough" earned the group a number one album in 1974. The song is a staple of classic rock radio play lists and it's no wonder: "Can't Get Enough" has the right elements for a rock & roll song -- guitar, bass, drums and sex -- while it swings and swaggers in all the right places. First there's the count-off followed by one of the most cracking snares committed to tape, sustained throughout; the requisite power chords seem almost superfluous in contrast but it becomes clear the interplay between the instruments is key to the track. Combine that with the thunder factor, Rodgers' soul shouting and Ralphs manic guitar leads and you've got gold. The vocal pushes and pulls in all the right places, as does the twin guitar duel at the song's center. Though at first the singer claims he can "take whatever I want," by the end he's pleading in desperation and so is Ralphs' guitar. Although later recordings found Rodgers singing similar libidinous songs that bordered on parody, this is an absolutely perfect single as words and music mimic each other to evoke feelings of wantonness.

[MuzikTyme]

Love Like a Man ~ Ten Years After or the child-man ALVIN LEE!

Born in Nottingham England, ALVIN LEE began playing guitar of age 13

Then formed the core of the band Ten Years After by aged 15. Originally, he was influenced by his parent's collection of jazz and blues records, it was the advent of rock-n-roll that truly sparked his interest and creativity!

Guitarists like Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore provided his inspiration!!!

The Jaybirds, as Lee's early band was called, were popular locally and had success in Hamburg, Germany, following the Beatles there in 1962.

But it wasn't until the band moved to London in 1966 and changed its name to TYA that international success beckoned.

The band secured a residency at the legendary Marquee Club, and an invitation to the famous Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival in 1967 led to their first recording contract. The self titled debut album surprisingly received play on San Francisco's underground radio stations and was enthusiastically embraced by listeners, including concert promoter "Bill Graham" who invited the band to tour America for the first time in the summer of 1968.

Audiences were immediately taken in by Lee's distinctive, soulful, rapid fire guitar playing and the band's innovative mix of blues, swing jazz and rock, and an American love affair began while history was in the making!

TYA would ultimately tour North America 28 times in 7 years, more than any other U.K. band.

Appearing at the famed Woodstock Festival, Lee's virtuoso performance was one of the highlights and remains today a standard for many other guitarists. Captured on film in the documentary of the festival, his inspired playing catapulted him into superstardom, and soon the band was playing arenas and stadiums around the globe. Although Lee later lamented that he missed the intimacy of smaller venues, there is no denying the impact the film made in bringing his music to a worldwide audience.

TYA had great success, releasing ten albums together, but by 1973, Lee was feeling limited by the band's style. With American gospel singer Mylon LeFevre and a host of rock talents like George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood and Mick Fleetwood , too many to list here...

Lee's overall musical output includes more than 20 albums, including 1985's Detroit Diesel and the back to back 90s collections of Zoom and 1994 (I Hear You Rocking). Guest artists on both albums include George Harrison, whose brilliant slide guitar perfectly complements Lee's lead. Their duet on 1994's The Bluest Blues led one reviewer to call it "the most perfect blues song ever recorded."

"Alvin Lee in Tennessee", a 2004 release, was recorded with rock and roll legends Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. It's an upbeat selection of songs that are timely and forward looking, yet borrow from his beloved 50s rock-n-roll. There's even a new version of his signature song, I'm Going Home, performed here, according to Lee "as it always should have been."

Now, I believe this to be a semi-actual summary of what Alvin was saying then...and doing now:

LOVE LIKE a MAN!

Alvin certainly loves music... Like a Man!

[edna]

"Love Like A Man"

Ten Years After

Written by Alvin Lee.

A track of their fifth album, "Cricklewood Green" Released in April 1970.

It's a song very much in the Ten Years jamming style, with lyrically meaningless verses setting up extended guitar workouts that build in intensity, rhythmically and sonically., as allmusic points.

[edna]

Sorry, I'm not being of much help this time...

I cannot find time to look up in books or magazines and anyways, i doubt I have anything about those songs...

So if you can help, fishies...

[edna]

"Sugaree"

The Grateful Dead

Written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia.

A track from Jerry Garcia´s first solo album, "Garcia", released in January 1972.

Jerry Garcia plays acoustic and electric guitar and bass guitar; Bill Kreutzmann plays drums.

[Brad_M]

"Can't Get Enough"

Bad Company

The single reached #5 in the Billboard charts...

It's their biggest hit.

Sorry I don't have any additional info on any of the 3 songs, but I would like to clarify the following:

"Can't Get Enough" may be their highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart (#5), but it is not their biggest hit.

The U.S. has many different Billboard Charts.

When referencing them, the specific Billboard Chart should be mentioned.

"Can't Get Enough" charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart (#5).

It is important to mention this because some songs will attain different positions on various Billboard Charts in the U.S. at the same time.

Bad Company have had 6 other songs chart higher than "Can't Get Enough" on other U.S. Billboard Charts.

The highest would be the song, "How About That", from their 1992 album, 'Here Comes Trouble'.

It peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks Chart (now known as the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart) in 1992 and held the #1 position for 6 weeks, making it their biggest hit.

[edna]

Cool.

Thank you... we need all the info you can provide...

[Lea]

Any help you give is greatly appreciated Edna and everyone else that helps out in this thread Another big thank you to all who helped with last weeks facts :guitar:

[pinkstones]

The only US Billboard chart that matters for singles is the Hot 100. The others are subsidiary charts that are extremely specialized due to airplay on specific kinds of radio stations. While a band can have several hit singles on those charts (Pink Floyd is one of those bands), they're not considered chart successes until they've had multiple hits on the Hot 100. Pink Floyd has had only two hit singles on the Hot 100 -- Money (#13) and Another Brick In The Wall pt. 2 (#1). They've had several other singles do well on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, especially from the later two albums, but that doesn't mean those were their biggest hits.

So Edna was correct to call Can't Get Enough their biggest hit, as it charted at #5 on the Hot 100.

[Lea]

The Songfactors' Choice Top Ten #241

This week there are two songs needing facts.

Too Busy Thinking About My Baby - Marvin Gaye (1969)

Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C Riley (1968)

If you have any info on any of the songs mentioned anywhere in this thread, please feel free to post your knowledge here. Submissions on songs will be collated and sent to the main site and you will receive credit for your contribution.

As always the Songfish thanks you :guitar:

[edna]

"Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"

Marvin Gaye

Written by Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong and Janie Bradford.

The Temptations released the original version as a track of their LP "Gettin' Ready" in 1966.

Marvin Gaye released his version in April 1969, backed by the Funk Brothers. The Andantes did the background vocals.

The song was produced by Norman Whitfield with "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" as the B-side.

Also a track from his album "M.P.G.", on the same year.

It was the second biggest hit for Marvin Gaye in the sixties.(The first was "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"). It sold 1.500.000 copies, reaching#1 on Billboard's Black Singles Chart for more than one month.

It reached #4 on Billboard Hot 100.

The song's lyrics feature the male narrator discussing how he has "no time to discuss weather" or "think about what money can buy", because when he thinks about his woman, "I ain't got time for nothing else".

[Brad_M]

The only US Billboard chart that matters for singles is the Hot 100. The others are subsidiary charts that are extremely specialized due to airplay on specific kinds of radio stations. While a band can have several hit singles on those charts (Pink Floyd is one of those bands), they're not considered chart successes until they've had multiple hits on the Hot 100. Pink Floyd has had only two hit singles on the Hot 100 -- Money (#13) and Another Brick In The Wall pt. 2 (#1). They've had several other singles do well on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, especially from the later two albums, but that doesn't mean those were their biggest hits.

So Edna was correct to call Can't Get Enough their biggest hit, as it charted at #5 on the Hot 100.

I'm sorry, but those are not facts, pinkstones.

The Billboard Hot 100 Chart isn't a special chart that defines an artist's or group's success by what appears on it.

Allow me to clarify.

While the other Billboard Charts out there collect their data from specific radio stations, so does the Hot 100.

It may not have the word "pop" in it's title, but the Hot 100 Chart collects data from pop radio stations all over the United States and a group's success is not determined by pop radio airplay only.

In fact, many songs, at one time, were ineligible to even appear on the Hot 100 chart (no matter how much airplay the song received) if it wasn't available in America as a single.

That changed in December 1998, when Billboard revised the Hot 100 chart to include them.

This is why, for example, Led Zeppelin's most famous song, "Stairway To Heaven" never appeared on the Hot 100 chart even though it got tons of airplay and would have been huge hit if it had.

One can claim it's their most-popular song, but not their biggest hit.

As another example, No Doubt's song, "Don't Speak", didn't appear on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart at all, but it spent 16 amazing weeks at #1 on the Billboard Airplay Chart at the time and remained in the top 40 on that chart for a whopping 52 weeks (that's a lot of airplay!).

It also spent 5 weeks at the #2 position on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart and remained in the top 40 on that chart for 23 weeks.

Besides being their most-popular song, could anyone honestly say that it is also not their biggest hit just because it didn't appear on the Hot 100 chart.

All of the other charts out there are also Billboard Charts, and all of them (including the Hot 100) now collect data from relevant radio stations the same way.

For decades, charts were compiled from playlists reported by radio staions.

Billboard now compiles their charts from actual monitored airplay gathered by Broadcast Data Systems (BDS). BDS is a subsidiary of Billboard that electronically monitors actual radio airplay.

They have installed monitors throughout the country that track the airplay of songs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These monitors can identify each song played by an encoded audio "fingerprint."

To name a few charts:

Billboard started the Top 100 Chart (now known as the Hot 100 Chart) in 1955.

Billboard began a weekly Top Tracks chart (now known as Mainstream Rock Tracks) in 1981 devoted to rock radio airplay when more rock radio station formats appeared alongside pop radio stations.

During the mid-1980s an alternative rock radio format developed and by late 1988 Billboard debuted the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Also, the Billboard Hot C&W Sides chart(now known as Hot Country Songs) started in late 1958.

All of these current charts have been around a long time and all are legitimate Billboard charts that monitor all different genres of music.

When a group or artist make any of these charts, they are entitled to that hit song.

I would say that "Can't Get Enough" or "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Bad Company are their two "most-popular" songs, but it's radio airplay on any of the various charts that make it a hit, not just the Hot 100(which only monitors pop radio stations data).

"Can't Get Enough" was definitely a hit, just not their biggest; unless you want to say it was their biggest hit on the Hot 100 chart.

[Lucky]

Thanks for that bit of clarification Brad.

If I'm not mistaken, a lot of this is semantics. When you speak of a hit(s), a hit single, hit track, and hit song may all mean different things.

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio airplay or significant commercial sales.[1]

In the United States and the United Kingdom, a single is usually considered to be a hit when it has reached the official Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 or the Top 75 of the 'UK Singles Chart' and stayed there for at least one week (the definition used by the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles since the 1970s).

Also, I know that other criteria may be used as well, such as sales figures, depending on the context in which you're speaking.

wiki

Good grief. It's more than complicated, but it appears that everybody is correct, in one way or the other.

[edna]

Thanks for your help, Pinkstones, Brad and Lucky

[edna]

"Harper Valley PTA"

Jeannie C Riley

Written by Tom T. Hall.

It was released as a single and is also a track of her album "Harper Valley PTA", both released in 1968.

The song jumped to #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Country singles in the US. It also went #1 in the pop and country charts in Canada and in Australia as well.

Jeannie C. Riley became the first woman to have a #1 in both pop and country lists. The single sold over 6 million copies.

Tom Hall said he was a former student of the Harpeth Valley Elementary School in Bellevue, Tennessee and he loved the name, so he wrote the song inspired by it.

...the story of a junior high girl who is sent home with a note to her widowed single mother from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the school decrying her scandalous behavior by small-town standards. The mother decides to speak to a meeting of the PTA where she addresses various episodes of misbehavior on the part of several of its members, concluding, "This is just a little Peyton Place / And you're all Harper Valley hypocrites." The final line of the song sums up the action with the memorable line: "The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA"

[Brad_M]

Thanks for your help, Pinkstones, Brad and Lucky

You deserve one, too, edna.

You're a great contributor to this site, along with pinkstones, Lucky and all the other members who submit information.

[Lucky]

edna doesn't get near the credit she deserves .... nor Lea ....

Ain't we grand?

[edna]