100 Best Songs Ever (30-39)
We're inching ever closer to my top ten! Some of the oldest songs I love are in this list.
39. Heaven Is a Place on Earth / Heaven on Earth / Belinda Carlisle / 1987
When I was five, this was my favorite song. I’d flit around the house singing the chorus over and over again. This song was made for the radio. From the bombastic opening to the magical fadeout, it feels alive throughout. Everything comes together perfectly. It screams 80s, but there’s still a timeless quality. I can imagine this being played on the radio thirty years from now. There have been numerous remakes and mixes over the years, but nothing touches Belinda’s original.
38. Love Will Never Do (Without You) / Rhythm Nation 1814 / Janet Jackson / 1990
This song helped Janet burst into more sensual imagery with its accompanying video, and the world was never the same. Personally I always enjoyed the song and never even saw the video until just a few years ago. When I was younger I thought someone else sang the first verse because of Janet’s low vocals: Boy was I fooled. This is Janet at her best, singing about enduring love with a cheery and flirty disposition. The high note crescendo at the end is production brilliance!
37. Escapade / Rhythm Nation 1814 / Janet Jackson / 1990
I have very vivid memories of listening to this on the radio during the 1990s. This was one of Janet’s biggest hits and spent several weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. I was inspired to write my own spunky song after hearing this. It’s got peppy synths and jingly bells. The beat is addicting and the lyrics are simple and just plain fun. It’s hard to believe this song is really twenty years old: It always makes me feel lively and happy.
36. Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel / Sky High! / Tavares / 1976
I heard this song years ago but didn’t really fall in love with it until I saw the scene in Charlie’s Angels with Cameron Diaz dancing. I looked it up on YouTube and found the extended version with the excellent vocal harmonies about halfway through. What a great find! I admit this is totally cheesy and typical disco, but hey, it gets me going and makes me smile every time I hear it. I love the glockenspiel!
35. Praise the Name of the Lord / All-Night Vigil / Rachmaninoff / 1915
I first heard this in My Best Friend’s Wedding. For years I wondered, what was that song? Who wrote it and what was the name? On a whim, I searched YouTube and came across some midnight vigil music: Could this be it? Ah ha! There it was, brilliantly performed and perfectly angelic. With lyrics in Russian, you’d never know the content was spiritual if it weren’t for the heavenly feeling it exudes. When I close my eyes and listen to this, I really do feel like I’m light as a feather, totally at peace in a little tiny perfect moment. A vocalist once said they felt as though there was something really special and spiritual happening as they sang this, and I totally believe it.
34. Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing) / Sing Sing Sing / Louis Prima / 1936
Many people love this song. In fact, I’ve never met someone who doesn’t. It’s absolutely fabulous: A song with sass, sexiness and style. The musical conversation between brass and drums keeps building until the very end when everything explodes. This is musical climax at its best. It’s energizing and takes you for a ride. Even if you can’t dance, this makes you want to try anyway.
33. Clair de lune / Suite bergamasque / Claude Debussy / 1905
Sometime during my childhood, I discovered this song. My dad had the sheet music for it, and mom bought me a tape of Debussy. I never listened to any of the other tracks, but I wore the tape out listening to this. It’s a tearjerker in every sense, and makes you think of the most touching moments of your life. When a piano expresses almost every emotion in one song, you know it’s good. Every performer has their own way of playing this, but I really enjoy it when the player takes time to transition between the arpeggios and simple melodies. It’s really a magical moment in music.
32. Moonlight Serenade / Moonlight Serenade / Glenn Miller / 1939
One of my very favorite jazz tracks, I adore this song. Despite the repetition, it just makes you feel all warm and romantic. I don’t think the beauty of this will ever diminish. It’s a timeless track that screams sensuality, grace and class. It’s still a staple at weddings and parties everywhere. I wonder if Glenn had any idea how significant this song would be. The instruments almost seem to be singing, and the harmonies are so close, they sound like one: Wonderful.
31. Sparkling Diamonds / Moulin Rouge 2 (Motion Picture Soundtrack) / Various Artists / 2002
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! I love this song. A classic with a twist, Nicole Kidman stole the show with this number. Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite films, and this song is my personal high point. Every song from the film was genius: Well-known tracks merged together to create a seamless soundtrack. Still, the brass arrangement in this song is stunning, and Nicole was clearly enjoying her new freedom as a single woman and sexy movie star. I guess a little bit of Monroe and Madonna would do that to almost any woman.
30. Loved By The Sun / Legend (Motion Picture Soundtrack) / Tangerine Dream / 1986
When I was a kid, I wasn’t that interested in the storyline or the creative visuals of this movie (though I have to admit, Darkness was one freaky dude): I liked the music. I later heard the director’s cut with the classical score, but the synthetic soundscape created by Tangerine Dream really made this movie shine. I particularly liked this song (especially the opening) with its rich chords and crescendos. Not surprisingly, this takes me to another place, away from reality just long enough to give me a boost.
39. Heaven Is a Place on Earth / Heaven on Earth / Belinda Carlisle / 1987
When I was five, this was my favorite song. I’d flit around the house singing the chorus over and over again. This song was made for the radio. From the bombastic opening to the magical fadeout, it feels alive throughout. Everything comes together perfectly. It screams 80s, but there’s still a timeless quality. I can imagine this being played on the radio thirty years from now. There have been numerous remakes and mixes over the years, but nothing touches Belinda’s original.
38. Love Will Never Do (Without You) / Rhythm Nation 1814 / Janet Jackson / 1990
This song helped Janet burst into more sensual imagery with its accompanying video, and the world was never the same. Personally I always enjoyed the song and never even saw the video until just a few years ago. When I was younger I thought someone else sang the first verse because of Janet’s low vocals: Boy was I fooled. This is Janet at her best, singing about enduring love with a cheery and flirty disposition. The high note crescendo at the end is production brilliance!
37. Escapade / Rhythm Nation 1814 / Janet Jackson / 1990
I have very vivid memories of listening to this on the radio during the 1990s. This was one of Janet’s biggest hits and spent several weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. I was inspired to write my own spunky song after hearing this. It’s got peppy synths and jingly bells. The beat is addicting and the lyrics are simple and just plain fun. It’s hard to believe this song is really twenty years old: It always makes me feel lively and happy.
36. Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel / Sky High! / Tavares / 1976
I heard this song years ago but didn’t really fall in love with it until I saw the scene in Charlie’s Angels with Cameron Diaz dancing. I looked it up on YouTube and found the extended version with the excellent vocal harmonies about halfway through. What a great find! I admit this is totally cheesy and typical disco, but hey, it gets me going and makes me smile every time I hear it. I love the glockenspiel!
35. Praise the Name of the Lord / All-Night Vigil / Rachmaninoff / 1915
I first heard this in My Best Friend’s Wedding. For years I wondered, what was that song? Who wrote it and what was the name? On a whim, I searched YouTube and came across some midnight vigil music: Could this be it? Ah ha! There it was, brilliantly performed and perfectly angelic. With lyrics in Russian, you’d never know the content was spiritual if it weren’t for the heavenly feeling it exudes. When I close my eyes and listen to this, I really do feel like I’m light as a feather, totally at peace in a little tiny perfect moment. A vocalist once said they felt as though there was something really special and spiritual happening as they sang this, and I totally believe it.
34. Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing) / Sing Sing Sing / Louis Prima / 1936
Many people love this song. In fact, I’ve never met someone who doesn’t. It’s absolutely fabulous: A song with sass, sexiness and style. The musical conversation between brass and drums keeps building until the very end when everything explodes. This is musical climax at its best. It’s energizing and takes you for a ride. Even if you can’t dance, this makes you want to try anyway.
33. Clair de lune / Suite bergamasque / Claude Debussy / 1905
Sometime during my childhood, I discovered this song. My dad had the sheet music for it, and mom bought me a tape of Debussy. I never listened to any of the other tracks, but I wore the tape out listening to this. It’s a tearjerker in every sense, and makes you think of the most touching moments of your life. When a piano expresses almost every emotion in one song, you know it’s good. Every performer has their own way of playing this, but I really enjoy it when the player takes time to transition between the arpeggios and simple melodies. It’s really a magical moment in music.
32. Moonlight Serenade / Moonlight Serenade / Glenn Miller / 1939
One of my very favorite jazz tracks, I adore this song. Despite the repetition, it just makes you feel all warm and romantic. I don’t think the beauty of this will ever diminish. It’s a timeless track that screams sensuality, grace and class. It’s still a staple at weddings and parties everywhere. I wonder if Glenn had any idea how significant this song would be. The instruments almost seem to be singing, and the harmonies are so close, they sound like one: Wonderful.
31. Sparkling Diamonds / Moulin Rouge 2 (Motion Picture Soundtrack) / Various Artists / 2002
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! I love this song. A classic with a twist, Nicole Kidman stole the show with this number. Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite films, and this song is my personal high point. Every song from the film was genius: Well-known tracks merged together to create a seamless soundtrack. Still, the brass arrangement in this song is stunning, and Nicole was clearly enjoying her new freedom as a single woman and sexy movie star. I guess a little bit of Monroe and Madonna would do that to almost any woman.
30. Loved By The Sun / Legend (Motion Picture Soundtrack) / Tangerine Dream / 1986
When I was a kid, I wasn’t that interested in the storyline or the creative visuals of this movie (though I have to admit, Darkness was one freaky dude): I liked the music. I later heard the director’s cut with the classical score, but the synthetic soundscape created by Tangerine Dream really made this movie shine. I particularly liked this song (especially the opening) with its rich chords and crescendos. Not surprisingly, this takes me to another place, away from reality just long enough to give me a boost.
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