80. My Sweet Lord -- George Harrison. … The most under-rated artist
from the Fab Four apparently intended to fuse different religious thoughts into
this song to encourage people to “abandon sectarianism.” This is definitely one
of the most memorable tunes from my early childhood in 1970 and one of my first
45s.
79. Back in the High Life Again – Steve Winwood. … An uplifting,
optimistic tune that displays the soothing voice of the former lead singer from
the group Traffic. “It used to seem to me, that my life ran on too fast. And I
had to take it slowly, just to make the good parts last.”
78. Lola – The Kinks. … Ray Davies reportedly claims the song was primarily
about the band’s manager dancing with a “possible” transvestite one night in
Paris, but others say it’s from a blend of different inspirations. Regardless,
it is a classic from the English band and sounds best when played live.
77. If I Had a Rocket Launcher – Bruce Cockburn… The Canadian jazz/folk/rock
artist wrote this emotional, angry, political song about his visit to
Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico during the 1980s. “I want to raise every
voice. At least I’ve got to try. Every time I think about it, water rises to my
eyes.”
76. I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones. … Joey Ramone apparently wrote
this song about a boring night in London and it became a classic for the Hall
of Fame punk/rock band. Saw this group on spring weekend at UConn one year and
all I can remember is two guitarists playing while standing atop huge speakers.
75. I’ll Be You – The Replacements. … Lead singer, guitarist and Minnesota
native Paul Westerberg wrote the band’s only single that reached the Billboard
charts. “I could purge my soul perhaps, for the imminent collapse. Oh yeah,
I’ll tell you what we could do. You be me for a while. I’ll be you.”
74. You are the Sunshine – Stevie Wonder. … The all-time great has several
other songs that probably should have been on the list like “My Cherie Amour”
or “Superstition,” but this is his best and most memorable in my opinion. “I
feel like this is the beginning, though I’ve loved you for a million years.”
73. Don’t let me be misunderstood – Santa Esmerelda. … The Animals
released it as a rock tune in 1965 before the latin -- and best version -- became
a hit in the 70s while NBC Sports used it as outro music for baseball and
football games. It was also background for one of the best fight scenes in
modern cinema.
72. Amie – Pure Prairie League. … This is one of the best sing-a-long songs of all time from a
country-rock group with roots in Ohio. It was written about an on-and-off
relationship. "Don't
know what I'm gonna do. I keep, fallin' in and out of love with you."
Released as a single in 1973 after getting big play on college radio.
71. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
– Rolling Stones. … Mick and Keith wrote this classic tune that was apparently only
played on pirate radio stations originally in Great Britain because of its
suggestive lyrics. The song became the group’s first No. 1 hit in America and
was rated No. 2 all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
