25/12/2025
THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
95-91.
95-Fatboy Slim-Rockafella Skank
94-The Jam-Going Underground
93-Luciano Pavarotti-Nessun Dorma.
92-S*x Pistols-Anarchy in the UK
91-Righteous Brothers-Unchained Melody
THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
95-Fatboy Slim-The Rockafeller Skank.
1998-Number 6 single.
Best Bit-At 4.02.’ My favourite artist right now is Fatboy Slim, that guy kicks ass. ”How tremendous is Fatboy Slim?” 'The band of the 90’s, if you wanna call it a band, because it’s a one man name,’ '‘Wow, Fatboy, and you wanna hear that new Fatboy song?” 'Absolutely!' ''Which one?” 'The huh…it’s funk soul brother, check it out.’
Fatboy Slim (see also best songs 760 and 387) and for his remix work, (see also best songs 950) was born Quentin Leo Cook, on July 31st, 1963, in Bromley, Kent, England, in 2002, he changed his name by deed poll to Norman Quentin Cook. He adopted the name Norman when he was bullied at school for the name Quentin, which his classmates associated with the gay actor Quentin Crisp (1908-1999.) In 1996 he began using the stage name ‘Fatboy Slim,’ of which he has said, ’It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve told so many different lies over the years about it I can’t actually remember the truth. It’s just an oxymoron, a word that can’t exist. It kind of suits me, it’s kind of goofy and ironic.’ During his music career which started in 1979, he has used at least 25 different stage names, including ‘DJ Quentox,’ ‘Drunk Soul Brother,’ and ‘Margret Scratcher.’ In the 1980’s Cook encouraged the youth of Brighton, England, to get involved in music by staging events, which proved to have a positive effect in the city. This was acknowledged with Cook being awarded a star on the city of ‘Brighton’s Walk of Fame’, next to that of the British prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965.)
Norman Cook holds the UK record for most top 40 chart entries under different names, these are, as ‘Fatboy Slim’, and also with ‘The Housemartins,’ (see best songs 387) ‘Beats International,’ ‘Freak Power,’ and ‘Pizzaman.’ As ‘Fatboy Slim’ he has recorded four studio Albums between 1996-2004, and 28 singles between 1996-2020, there are also five extended plays, (EP's) three remix Albums, one soundtrack Album, two official compilation Albums, and three live Albums available. He has also remixed tracks for dozens of other artists, including ‘Brimful of Asha,’ which was a UK Number 1 for ‘Cornershop’ in 1998. As Fatboy Slim, 12 of his singles have reached the UK top 40, with ‘Praise You’ peaking the highest at Number 1 in 1999, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, only ‘Praise You (Number 36) has ever charted within the top 40. The extensive discography of Norman Cook also includes five Albums of various mixes released between 1986-2006, and two singles released in 1989, including 'Won't Talk About It"/"Blame It on the Bassline,' which reached Number 29 on the UK top 40. His further discography includes two Albums with The Housemartins, (1986 & 1987) two Albums with Beats International, (1990 & 1991) two Albums with Freak Power, (1994 & 1996) one Album with Pizzaman, (1995) and one Album with The Brighton Port Authority (2009.)
‘The Rockafeller Skank’ was both written and produced by Fatboy Slim, and was the first of five singles to be issued from his second studio Album ‘You’ve Come a Long Way Baby,’ which was released in October 1998. ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ features a total of nine different samples, and in order to get clearance so that he could release the song, Fatboy Slim ended up having to pay 100% of the tracks royalties to the original writers, meaning he made no money from the song himself. It is possible that there are further samples used within the song, but Fatboy Slim isn't saying, as it would require more possible royalty payments (see also best songs 111.)
The Albums title 'You've Come a Long Way, Baby' was derived from a marketing slogan for Virginia Slims ci******es. The Albums cover art uses a photograph of an obese young man dressed in a T-shirt bearing the words 'I'm #1 so why try harder' while holding a cigarette. The photograph was taken at the 1983 'Fat People's Festival,' in Danville, Virginia, and provided by the American 'Rex Features' photo library. Norman Cook has spent many years attempting to identify the man on the cover, hoping to pay him, but at the time of writing he had not been successful. The Albums cover was different for North American releases, instead showing an image of shelves stacked with vinyl Album records. The title 'Rockafeller Skank' is derived from 'Rockafella,' which is a reference to extreme wealth, likely inspired by the slang term popularised by the 1990's American television programme 'Seinfeld.' The source of 'Rockafella' relates to John D. Rockefeller, (1839-1937) who was one of the wealthiest Americans of all time. Cook humorously uses the term 'Rockafella' to suggest that this song is the most 'luxurious' and 'extravagant' of them all. 'Skank,' is a Jamaican originated dance, popular in 'Ska' (see also best songs 139) music, and is a nod to the songs diverse musical influences.
On the Album ‘You’ve Come a Long Way Baby,’ 'Rockafeller Skank' is preceded by a short conversation between a radio DJ and a caller named Brad requesting the song. This is a real conversation that took place on the Boston station 'WBCN,' (now known as 'WWBX') the tape was played for Fatboy Slim who persuaded the station to allow him to use the audio on the Album. The ‘Right about now, the funk soul brother,’ is a vocal sample by the American rapper ‘Lord Finesse’ from the 1990’s 'Hip-Hop' song ‘Vinyl Dog Vibe,’ by ‘Vinyl Dogs,’ The original line, which is a spoken word introduction to the instrumental track, was 'Check it out right about now, it's no other than the funk soul brother, the Lord Finesse. And you're welcome to the world of the Vinyl Dogs right about now.' Lord Finesse has recalled receiving a fax about Fatboy Slim wanting to use his vocal sample for 'The Rockafeller Skank,' to which he agreed. However, he was shocked to learn the song was not what he had in mind, thinking it was going to be 'Hip-Hop' (see also best songs 523) and not 'Big Beat' (see also best songs 300.) He called it a 'big mistake,' and expressed regret for not listening to the song first before sending his approval, and not having someone look at the contract before he signed it. It is said that Lord Finesse remains proud of the success of 'The Rockafeller Skank,' but says it could have been his 'retirement money.' The other prominent sample on the record is the 1972 instrumental ‘Sliced Tomatoes’ by the ‘Just Brothers,’ which is a popular ‘Northern Soul’ song. It was written by Winford Terry (-2005) who apart from Fatboy Slim is the only other songwriter credited on the track. It is said that Winford Terry received 70% of the songs royalties for his sample. The drum intro to the 1966 hit ‘I Fought the Law,’ by ‘The Bobby Fuller Four’ can be heard prominently, although I can’t hear the David Bowie (1947-2016) (see also best songs 807-440-334-302-209-186-118-47-31 and 5) song ‘Join the Gang’ from 1967, which is also stated to be another song sampled. The other samples are ‘Beat Girl,’ by John Barry, (1933-2011) from 1960, a guitar line from the song ‘Twistin’ ‘N’ Twangin” by Dwane Eddy, (1938-2024) from 1962, 'Why Can't You Love Me' from 1963 by Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, a 'shout' from the 1971 Ska song 'Soup' by the J.J. All-Stars, and the 1997 track 'Who You Wit II,' by Jay-Z (see also best songs 636-477-267 and 23.)
‘Right about now, the funk soul brother, check it out now the funk soul brother.’
THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
94-The Jam-Going Underground.
1980-Number 1 single.
Best Bit-At 2.09. In his youth Paul Weller was known as ‘the angry young man.’ It’s a shame we haven’t got any young man, or woman as angry today.
Paul Weller (see also best songs 670 and 59) was born John William Weller on May 25th, 1958, in Woking, Surrey, England, despite being named ‘John,’ he became known as ‘Paul’ by his parents. In his youth Weller was heavily influenced by the ‘Mod’ groups of the 1960’s such as The Who, (see also best songs 926-891-306 and 265) and The Small Faces, (see also best songs 1048 and 872) and it was these musical influences that helped construct the sound of ‘The Jam,’ and earning Weller the honorific title of ‘The Modfather.’ In 1982 to the complete surprise of his two band mates Bruce Foxton, and Rick Buckler, (1955-2025) Weller decided he had had enough of The Jam, and needed to explore other musical genres, which led to him forming ‘The Style Council,’ where he would explore ‘Jazz,’ ‘Pop,’ ‘New Wave,’ and ‘Blue Eyed Soul.’ The Style Council remained active until record sales began to wane, and they split in 1989. Weller would once again resurrect his career in 1990, when this time launching a solo career, which has once again seen him critically acclaimed.
Rick Buckler was born Paul Richard Buckler on December 6th, 1955, in Woking, Surrey, England, he died on February 17th, 2025, following a brief illness, at the age of 69. It was while attending 'Sheerwater Secondary School, in Woking in the early 1970's that Buckler joined other pupils, Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton, in a newly formed band named 'The Jam.' Buckler was the drummer for The Jam from its formation, all the way through until the split at the end of 1982. Although The Jam's creative output came to be attributed primarily to Weller, its rhythm section of Buckler (drums) and Foxton (bass guitar) were integral to its sound. In retrospect, Buckler felt that Weller had been given undue credit for the band's song catalogue to the detriment of its other members' contributions. It is said that apart from a brief greeting exchanged in passing at a chance meeting, Buckler and Weller did not speak to each other again. On his death, Weller paid tribute to Buckler, saying, 'I'm shocked and saddened by Rick's passing. I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking.
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Although Paul Weller is considered to be one of ‘Pop Music’s’ greatest ever exponents, his success outside of the UK has remained limited, with many putting it down to him being too ‘English’ for the foreign markets. With The Style Council, Weller issued five studio Albums between 1984-1989, and 24 singles between 1983-1989, there are also six extended plays, (EP's) four box sets, nine official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In the UK, 16 of The Style Council's singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Long Hot Summer’ charting the highest at Number 3 in 1983, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, The Style Council's only top 40 charting single is ‘My Ever Changing Moods,' which peaked at Number 29 in 1984. The solo discography of Paul Weller includes 18 studio Albums released between 1992-2025, and 39 singles released between 1991-2025, there are also three extended plays, four official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. In the UK all of his studio Albums have reached the top 10, with six of them making Number 1, while 31 of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Peacock Suit’ from 1996 charting the highest at Number 5. In America on Billboard, he has never had a 'Hot 100' charting single, and his only solo Album to pe*****te the '200 Album' chart is his 11th studio Album 'Sonik Kick,' which reached Number 166 in 2012. For the discography of The Jam see best songs 59.
‘Going Underground’ which was released as a stand alone single was written by Paul Weller, and produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, and did not appear on a ‘Jam’ Album until 1982’s live Album ‘Dig the New Breed.’ Vic Coppersmith-Heaven was born Victor Smith in August 1945, he is an English sound engineer and record producer, best known for his production work with the Jam. After leaving school in 1961, Smith began working in the recording studios at Polydor Records. By 1967, he was working as an engineer, notably on Cat Stevens' Album 'Matthew and Son,' (1967) (see also best songs 384) and on the Rolling Stones' 'Let It Bleed' (1969.) Smith was also the engineer on the hit singles 'H***y Tonk Women,' for the Rolling Stones, (1969-UK-Number 1 & Billboard Number 1) and Joe Cocker's (1944-2014) 'With a Little Help from My Friends' (UK-Number 1 & Billboard Number 68.) It was through his connection to Polydor Records that Smith got to know The Jam. Smith has said about encountering The Jam, 'I remember that first gig Chris Parry (music producer) took me to, it was a period of real excitement, and although there were only between 15 and 20 people there, it was a great show with amazing spirit and energy.' Vic Coppersmith-Heaven would go on to produce or co-produce the first five of The Jam's studio Albums, notably developing the group's sound with harmonised guitars and acoustic textures. In March 1980 he achieved the rare fete of being responsible for the production of two of the UK's top 40's top 3 singles, with 'Going Underground' at Number 1, and 'Turning Japanese' by the 'Vapours' at Number 3.
It was only by fortune that ‘Going Underground’ was ever an ‘A’ side, as the intention had been to release ‘Dreams of Children,’ but following a mix up at the pressing plant the single was issued as a double A’ side, and it was the radio DJ’s who chose to play ‘Going Underground,’ which would eventually go on to give The Jam’ the first of their four UK Number 1 singles. At the time the single reached Number 1, The Jam were touring in the America, where they had long struggled commercially. Bruce Foxton has said, 'The record company called us up and told us we'd gone in at Number One. We said, 'Well, what are we doing here then?' We jumped on the plane and went home to where people did want to hear us. We flew back on Concorde and recorded 'Top of the Pops.'
‘Going Underground’ was Paul Weller’s angry outcry against the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s (1925-2013) Conservative government. In particular the way it seemed more keen on spending tax payers money on nuclear weapons, rather than the ‘National Health Service’. In recent years Paul Weller has stated that he has no time anymore for politicians of any party.
‘You choose your leaders and place your trust, as their lies wash you down and their promises rust. You’ll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns, and the public wants what the public gets, but I don’t get what this society wants.’
THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
93-Luciano Pavarotti-Nessun dorma.
1990-Number 2 single.
Best Bit-At 2.45. ‘You’re not singing anymore,’ ‘Three Lions on a shirt,’ and ‘You only sing when your winning,’ are favourite chants among football fans, but this is the daddy of them all.
Luciano Pavarotti was born on October 12th, 1935, in Modena, Kingdom of Italy, he died of pancreatic cancer on September 5th, 2007, at the age of 71. Pavarotti made numerous recordings of complete operas, and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for his tone, and achieving the honorific title ‘King of the High Cs’. Luciano Pavarotti was noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the 'Red Cross,' amongst others, and in 1988 he was appointed a 'Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.' In 2013 he posthumously received the ‘Italy-USA Foundation’s America Award,’ and then in 2014 the ‘Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music,' amongst his many awards and honours. During the latter part of his career he embraced ‘Popular Music,’ and his recording of ‘Nessum dorma’ is the most successful ‘Opera’ song ever to chart in the UK. With sales in excess of 100 million records sold worldwide, Luciano Pavarotti is one of the best selling artists of all time. ‘Nessun dorma’ isn’t the only hit single for Luciano Pavarotti in the UK top 40 singles chart, as in 1995 he sang on the ‘Passengers’ Number 6 hit single ‘Miss Sarajevo’. The ‘Passengers’ were in fact the Irish Rock band ‘U2’ (see also best songs 766-320-190 and 84) using a pseudonym, Bono, the lead vocalist of U2, has said that ‘Miss Sarajevo’ is his all time favourite U2 song.
‘Nessun dorma’ which in English means ‘none shall sleep’, is an ‘aria,’ (a self contained piece of music from a larger work) and is from the final act of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s (1858-1924) opera ‘Turandot,’ which was written in 1924, but not first performed until after his death in 1926. Puccini never got to complete ‘Turandot’ as he died of throat cancer, and it was finally completed by the Italian composer Franco Alfano (1875-1954) in 1926. The opera’s libretto (the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work) was written by the Italians Guiseppe Adami, (1878-1946) and Renato Simoni (1875-1952.)
‘Opera’ originated in Italy at the end of the 16th Century, and soon spread through Europe, it is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component, and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Opera incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costume, and sometimes dance or ballet. The literal translation of the Italian word ‘opera’ in English, is ‘work.’
On July 7th, 1990, on the eve of the football ‘FIFA World Cup Final’ in Rome, a charity concert took place, with the three performers being Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, and Placido Domingo, for the encore Pavarotti sang ‘Nessun dorma.’ The sight of the three ‘tenors’ in full costume dress singing in a ‘World Cup’ captivated a global audience. An Album of the concert called ‘The Three Tenors in Concert’ was issued, which has gone on to become the best selling operatic Album of all time. Such was the popularity of that concert that the three tenors were asked to perform the aria at three subsequent World Cup Finals, in 1994 in Los Angeles, 1998 in Paris, and 2002 in Yokohama. ‘The Three Tenors in Concert’ Album was first released in 1990, as 'Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert,' but re-issues were re-named 'The Three Tenors in Concert,' the Albums producer was the English born Christopher Raeburn, (1928-2009) and there were two orchestras performing, the 'Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,' and the orchestra of 'Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.'
The Luciano Pavarotti version of 'Nessun dorma' that reached Number 2 on the UK top 40 in 1990 is not the live recording from 'The Three Tenors in Concert’ Album, but in fact is a 1972 studio recording, which was also used as the theme song of 'BBC' television's coverage of the 1990 'FIFA World Cup' in Italy. Although Pavarotti rarely sang 'Nessun dorma' on stage, it became his signature aria, and a sporting anthem in its own right, especially for football. In 2006 at Pavarotti's final live performance, which was for the '2006 Winter Olympics' opening ceremony, he performed 'Nessun dorma,' it was later revealed that he had lip-synced the specially pre-recorded performance, as it was too cold for him to sing live. His 1972 'Decca Records' recording of the aria was played at his funeral during the flypast by the Italian Air Force in 2007.
'Nessun dorma' has crossed over into the world of 'Pop Music' on other occasions as well. In 1988 Roy Orbison (1936-1988) (see also best songs 657) and Jeff Lynne (see also best songs 970-769 and 25) co-wrote the track 'A Love So Beautiful,' which borrows the aria's melody, the song appears on Orbison's posthumously released 22nd studio Album 'Mystery Girl' from February 1989. The 2002 ninth studio Album by the American Heavy Metal group 'Manowar' called ' Warriors of the World' features a version of the aria. Jeff Beck's (1944-2023) (see also best songs 361 and 205) 2010 10th studio Album called 'Emotion & Commotion' includes an instrumental version of the aria, where the guitar takes the place of the human voice to an orchestral accompaniment. In 2013 Billy Joel (see also best songs 810 and 215) added 'Nessun dorma' to his live set list although he didn't sing it, instead he had an American singer called Mike DelGuidice perform it as an intro to his much loved 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant.' Luciano Pavarotti may have been one of the worlds greatest live performers, but he also had a reputation for cancelling concerts at very short notice. In what the 'National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' called 'The greatest last-second substitution act in Grammy history,' Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) (see also best songs 644 and 366) sang a 'soul-infused' version of the aria in place of Luciano Pavarotti when throat problems caused him to withdraw from the 1998 'Grammy Awards' show.
‘Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma. Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano d’amore, e di speranza!’
THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
92-S*x Pistols-Anarchy in the UK.
1976-Number 36 single.
Best Bit-At 2.00. I can recall doing a teenagers disco in a village hall shortly after this song first came out. From out of nowhere the local village policeman, a middle aged man from what I remember, came up to me and politely but firmly asked me not to play this song, as it was according to him, offensive and not the sort of thing young people should be listening to. When I think of some of the songs I play today, I realise how times and attitudes have changed.
The S*x Pistols (see also best songs 576 and 27) were formed in London, England, in 1975 by the vocalist John Lydon, (Johnny Rotten) (see also best songs 967 and 323) Steve Jones, (guitar) Paul Cook, (bass) and Glen Matlock, (guitar) under the management of Malcolm McLaren (1946-2010) (see also best songs 751) Matlock left the group in 1977, before the release of the bands only studio Album ‘Never Mind the Bo****ks, Here’s the S*x Pistols,’ and was replaced by Simon John Ritchie (Sid Vicious) (1957-1979.)
Paul Cook was born Paul Thomas Cook on July 20th, 1956, in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, he is the drummer and a founding member of the the S*x Pistols. It was while attending school in Shepherd's Bush that Cook first met future S*x Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, who was born Stephen Philip Jones on September 3rd, 1955, also in Shepherd's Bush, the pair became friends, and along with fellow school friend Wally Nightingale (1956-1996) they formed a band called the 'Strand' in 1972. In 1975 just prior to the group being re-named the 'S*x Pistols' by Malcolm McLaren, Nightingale was sacked because McLaren thought Nightingale did not fit the image of the band that he had in mind. It was Nightingale who wrote the music for 'Did You No Wrong,' a song which eventually became the B-side of the S*x Pistols' single 'God Save the Queen.' After the S*x Pistols broke up after their final concert in San Francisco on January 14th, 1978, Paul Cook and Steve Jones initially worked on the soundtrack to Julien Temple's film, 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle.' The two of them also recorded a few songs using the 'S*x Pistols' name, notably 'Silly Thing,' (1979-UK Number 6) on which Cook sang lead vocals. Cook and Jones then formed a new band with Andy Allan called the 'Professionals' in 1979, Cook and Jones were members until 1982, with Cook re-joining in 2015 until 2024. In the early 1980's (good Pop quiz question this) Cook and Jones discovered the English New Wave girl-group 'Bananarama.' Cook helped the trio record their debut single, 'Aie a Mwana,' and acted as a producer on their 1982 debut Album 'Deep Sea Skiving.' In 1996 Cook and Jones both reunited with the surviving S*x Pistols for the 'Filthy Lucre' world tour, the S*x Pistols then played a gig for the 30th anniversary of the 'Never Mind The Bo****ks' Album at the Brixton Academy on November 8th, 2007, to meet demand, six further gigs were added. In 2008 the S*x Pistols played several headline dates around Europe, including at the Isle of Wight Festival. In October 2018, Cook and Jones joined Billy Idol (see also best songs 945) and Tony James, (see also best songs 163) formerly of Generation X, for a free entry performance at 'The Roxy,' in Hollywood, Los Angeles, under the name 'Generation S*x,' playing a combined set of the two former bands' material. The band reunited in 2023 for a European tour that included several festival appearances.
'Anarchy in the UK’ was the debut single, and the first of four singles released from the S*x Pistols only studio Album 'Never Mind the Bo****ks,' from October 1977, with all four band members at that time receiving the song writing credits, although it has always been a bone of contention, particularly between Steve Jones and Glen Matlock as to whom had the most input in the actual writing of the music. Matlock states that although he was not a member of the S*x Pistols at the time of the Album’s release that he had a significant hand in 10 of the 12 tracks, for which he is credited on the Album. ‘Anarchy in the UK’ is also credited with three producers, Chris Thomas, (see also best songs 576-316-285 and 27) Bill Price, (1944-2016) and Dave Goodman (1951-2005.)
Bill Price was born on September 3rd, 1944, he was an English music producer and audio engineer, he died on December 22nd, 2016, at the age of 72. His career highlights included the mixing of Harry Nilsson's (1991-1994) (see also best songs 388 and 39) 1971 single 'Without You,' and being the chief engineer on the first three solo studio Albums by Pete Townshend (see also best songs 926-891-306 and 265) released between 1980-1985. His work on 'Never Mind the Bo****ks, Here's the S*x Pistols' led to one of his most curious Album credits, alongside Chris Thomas. Bill Price has said, 'The simple facts of the matter were that Chris was hired by Malcolm (McLaren) to do a series of singles for the S*x Pistols. I was hired by Malcolm to do a series of album tracks with the S*x Pistols. Life got slightly complicated because I did a few album tracks that Chris remade as singles. Also, Chris started a couple of tracks, which got abandoned as singles, which I remade to be used as album tracks. On quite a large number of songs, when we'd finished the album, we had two versions of the song. I couldn't quite understand why Malcolm kept chopping and changing between different versions of different songs. It slowly dawned on Chris and myself that Malcolm was trying to slip between two stools and not pay Chris or me. So we said, "I'll tell you what, Malcolm. Whatever's on the S*x Pistols' album, it was either done by me or Chris, and you can pay us and we'll divvy it out amongst our little selves." Which is what we did. But it did force that very strange credit, simply because the sleeve was printed long before it was finally decided which version of each individual song was on the record. If we'd known, it would have said 'produced by Bill Price' or 'produced by Chris Thomas'. That's how you ended up with that credit, 'produced by Bill Price or Chris Thomas.'
Anarchy is society without government or law, but the songs lyrics writer John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) isn’t actually advocating anarchy, he has said, ’I have always thought that anarchy is mind games for the middle class, it’s a luxury. It can only be afforded in a democratic society, therefore kind of slightly fu redundant. It also offers no answers and I hope in my songwriting I’m offering some kind of answer to a thing, rather than spitefully wanting to wreck everything for no reason at all, other than it doesn’t suit you.’ The songs lyrics mention the ‘MPLA,’ which are a political party that took control of Angola, formerly one of Portugal’s African colonies, in a 1975–76 civil war, and still run the country today. Also mentioned are the the ‘IRA,’ and the ‘UDA’ who were the largest paramilitary armies in the conflict in Northern Ireland. The heavily armed IRA (Irish Republican Army) were on the Republican (anti-British, pro-unification) side, while the thousands-strong ‘UDA’ (Ulster Defence Association) were on the Loyalist (pro-British, anti-unification) side. Lydon also sings ‘I use the enemy,’ which is a play on words, he actually means the ‘NME,’ which is a British magazine called the ‘New Musical Express.’ The S*x Pistols definitely used them for lots of publicity.
‘How many ways to get what you want, I use the best, I use the rest, I use the enemy, I use anarchy. ‘Cause I want to be anarchy, its the only way to be.’
THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
91-The Righteous Brothers-Unchained Melody.
1965-Number 14 single. When it was re-issued in 1990 it reached Number 1.
Best Bit-At 1.56. The original version of the song was first performed in the 1955 prison film 'Unchained,' where Todd Duncan (1903-1998) sings to a 'captive' audience. The song has captivated every generation since.
The Righteous Brothers (see also best songs 782) were originally the duo of Bill Medley, (see also best songs 439) and Bob Hatfield, (1940-2003) when the duo first split in 1968, Hatfield performed as 'The Righteous Brothers' with his new partner Jimmy Walker (1941-2020) between 1968-1972, and Medley has been performing as 'The Righteous Brothers' with Bucky Heard since 2016. Medley and Hatfield had reformed again between 1974-1976, and then again between 1986-2003. The discography of The Righteous Brothers includes 15 studio Albums released between 1963-2016, and 41 singles (including re-issues) released between 1963-1990, there are also seven official compilation Albums available. The 1969 Album 'Re-Birth' features just Bobby Hatfield and Jimmy Walker, and the 2016 Album 'The Righteous Brothers' features just Bill Medley and Bucky Heard, all the other Albums are by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, 12 of their singles have reached the top 40, with 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin,' (1964) and 'You're My Soul and Inspiration,' (1965) both making Number 1, while in the UK they have charted on eight occasions, (including re-issues) with 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin,' and 'Unchained Melody,' both reaching the top spot.
'Unchained Melody' was the second of two singles released from the Righteous Brothers fifth studio Album 'Just Once in My Life,' from June 1965, the song was written by Alex North, (1910-1991) who wrote the music, and Hy Zaret, (1907-2007) who provided the lyrics, the production was by Bill Medley. The Righteous Brothers recording of 'Unchained Melody' was sung solely by Bob Hatfield, with Bill Medley playing the Wurlitzer piano on the track. On the original pressings of the single it is Phil Spector (1939-2021) (see also best songs (820-782-737-262-192-127 and 20) who is credited as the songs producer, but on later pressings this was corrected. 'Unchained Melody' tells of someone who pines for a lover he has not seen in a 'long, lonely time.' 'Unchained Melody' was originally released as the 'B' side of the single 'Hung on You' as the follow up single to 'Just Once in My Life,' however, 'Hung on You' failed to interest radio DJ's, who instead chose to play the 'B' side, 'Unchained Melody.' According to Bill Medley, Phil Spector, who would deliberately place a throwaway song that was not meant to be played on the 'B' side, was so incensed by DJ's choosing to play the 'B' side that he started to call their radio stations to get them to stop playing 'Unchained Melody.' He failed, though, and the song reached Number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Number 14 in the UK in 1965.
'Unchained Melody' was written by Alex North, (1910-1991) who wrote the music, and Hy Zaret, (1907-2007) who provided the lyrics for the little known film 'Unchained' released in 1955. Alex North was born Isadore Soifer on December 4th, 1910, in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, he died on September 8th, 1991, at the age of 80. Alex North is best remembered for his many film scores, including 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' (1951) which was one of the first Jazz-based film scores, 'Viva Zapata!,' (1952) 'Spartacus,' (1960) 'Cleopatra,' (1963) and 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966.) He received 15 'Academy Award' nominations for his work as a composer, and although he did not win for any of his nominations, he received an 'Honorary Academy Award' in 1986, the first for a composer. Hy Zaret who wrote the lyrics for 'Unchained Melody' was born Hyman Harry Zaritsky on August 21st, 1907, in New York City, United States, he died on July 2nd, 2007, at the age of 99, a month before his 100th birthday. Other notable lyrics written by Hy Zaret include his first major success in 1936, when he teamed up with Saul Chaplin (1912-1997) and Sammy Cahn (1913-1993) to co-write the Pop standard 'Dedicated to You,' which was recorded by many of the era's top artists. The early 1940's brought some collaborations with Alex C. Kramer (1903-1998) and Joan Whitney, (1914-1990) including 1941's 'It All Comes Back to Me Now,' and the socially conscious, WWII-themed 'My Sister and I' (American Billboard Number 1 for Jimmy Dorsey (1904-1957) and his orchestra.) In 1941 the American baritone singer Vaughn Monroe (1911-1973) reached Number 5 on Billboard with the song 'There I Go,' which Zaret co-wrote with Irving Weiser (1913-1997.)
In the 1950's it was normal for several artists to jump on the bandwagon and record a version of the best new songs of the day. In 1955 four versions of 'Unchained Melody' appeared in the UK top 20 simultaneously. Al Hibbler (1915-2001) reached Number 2, Les Baxter, (1922-1996) made Number 10, Liberace, (1919-1987) reached Number 20, and Jimmy Young (1921-2016) took his recording all the way to Number 1. The song was also very successful in America where three versions all made the top 10, recorded by, Al Hibbler, (1915-2001) (Number 3) Les Baxter, (1922-1996) (Number 1 ) and Roy Hamilton (1929-1969) (Number 6.)
In 1990 'Unchained Melody' was brought to the attention of a whole new generation when it was used in the film 'Ghost.' The song was re-issued, and this time went all the way to Number 1 in the UK, and Number 13 on Billboard in America. In 1995 the song was covered by the English Pop duo 'Robson & Jerome,' and once again it reached Number 1, and then in 2002 the English singer Gareth Gates also took the song to Number 1.'Unchained Melody' has been to Number 1 on four occasions in the UK, a fete that is only matched by the four different recordings of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' by 'Band Aid.' (see also best songs 455.) 'Unchained Melody' is the only song to have sold over a million copies by three separate acts in the UK, Robson and Jerome, (1.87 million) Gareth Gates, (1.35 million) and the Righteous Brothers (1.17 million.) The song is currently the fifth biggest earner of royalties according to the BBC's list of the 'Richest Songs in the World,' at £18 million. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of 'Unchained Melody' have been made by more than 670 singers, in multiple languages.
'Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea to the open arms of the sea. Lonely rivers sigh wait for me, wait for me, I'll be coming home, wait for me.'
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