Favorite Songs Decade by Decade

I began listening to my new transistor radio sometime in 1960 when I was 7 or 8 (I may have received it for my 8th birthday in August). After that time, I had no idea that I would be a part of the great era of music that the British Invasion and Motown helped to create. Like many "Baby Boomers," it was a surreal experience that created many great memories. The younger generations can't comprehend it, but The Beatles inspired so many young boys to participate in music as many resolved to become "rock stars" through garage bands.

The music of the 1960s was very eclectic with songs of protest (Civil Rights Movement, Opposition to Vietnam War, Cold War), several types of rock (surf, psychedelic, folk, progressive, etc.) along with the rise of R&B and Soul. The King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, 1954-1977, still leads all with 114 Top 40 singles, and 149 Hot 100 entries. My early exposure to music on television came with The Lawrence Welk Show on Saturday nights; it began in 1951 along with the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights that ran since 1948. American Bandstand began in 1952 with Dick Clark hosting in 1956-1989 on Saturday afternoons. The Billboard 100 began in 1958; Sing Along with Mitch began in 1961, Hootenanny in 1963, Robin Seymour began Swinging Time in Detroit in 1965, and Hullabaloo in 1965. I tried to play clarinet in 4th grade, but didn't practice enough to become a musician; I enjoyed choir though. I clearly remember the impact of the 1961 musical film, West Side Story, and its impact on me when I saw it in 1962 at the age of 9 or 10. As a young boy around the age of 10 or 11, I attended a party on South Boulevard where The Iguanas, later to be known as The Prime Movers perfomed; their drummer, James Osterberg, would later become Iggy Pop. Many downtown trips were spent at Discount Records, owned by Jeep Holland, the manager of The Rationals and founder of A-Square Records, where Osterberg was a stock boy in 1963 (he graduated at Ann Arbor HS in 1965). Around the corner was the Liberty Music Shop that opened in 1939, and had private booths available to listen to records and albums.

A fond memory was attending the opening of A Hard Day's Night on September 3, 1964 at the age of 12 in 7th grade at the State Theatre. We also had some pretty mean "Sock Hops" after school at Tappan Junior High, and I got an electric guitar for Christmas in 1965; I began taking lessons at the Herb David Guitar Studio. The Fifth Dimension Club opened up in 1966 in Ann Arbor, and I attended several concerts there with The Rationals, Scot Richard Case, Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, Bob Seger & The Last Herd, etc. Both Iggy Pop and Bob Seger, local Ann Arborites were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. There were several after football game dances at Ann Arbor High School as well in 1968 and 1969. Ann Arbor Area Concerts included several Free Rock Concerts at Gallup Park and West Park in 1969 and 1970. I also attended the initial Ann Arbor Blues Festival on August 1, 1969. I enjoyed the music history in Humanities class as a senior in high school, and took music appreciation at Eastern Michigan; it helped me appreciate many types of music including classical.

Later, significant dates in the evolution of the music industry have included: America's Top 40 with Casey Kasem began in 1970, Soul Train began in 1971, The Midnight Special began in 1973, Saturday Night Live began in 1975, MTV began in 1981 with the first music videos, VH1 began in 1985, FileSharing began becoming popular in 1999 with Napster, Facebook began in 2004, and YouTube began in 2005.

The Beatles had an astonishing run in the decade of the 1960s with 18 #1 hits, and with at least one song as #1 for 55 weeks. They had 6 #1 hits in 1964 holding the top position from February 22 to April 25, 1964 with the top two positions, and had 3 or more singles in the Top 10 from February 29-May 2, 1964. ( I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me, Twist and Shout, Can't Buy Me Love, and Do You Want to Know a Secret). They had 6 consecutive #1 hits from December 26, 1964 and March 26, 1966 (I Feel Fine to Nowhere Man). The Supremes were second with 12 #1 hits for 22 weeks; they had 6 consecutive #1 hits from August 22, 1964 to June 12, 1965. The Rolling Stones had 5 #1 hits for 13 weeks, and the Four Seasons had 4 #1 hits for 15 weeks. The Top Movie Film soundtracks included West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), My Fair Lady, A Hard Day's Night, Help (The Beatles), Goldfinger, The Graduate, and Funny Girl (Barbra Streisand). The Sound of Music, Bye Bye Birdie, Hello, Dolly, Fiddler on the Roof, and Cabaret dominated the music awarded in the Tony's. Late in the decade, it was also the start of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice with The Likes of Us, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar. Otis Redding died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. Louis Armstong became the oldest person to chart a song with Hello, Dolly at the age of 64; Little Peggy March became the youngest female music artist with I Will Follow Him at the age of 15 years, 50 days, and Stevie Wonder became the youngest male music artist at the age of 13 years, 89 days. Michael Jackson was 10 years old when The Jackson 5 recorded I Want You Back in 1969.

1960s

The Bee Gees had 9 #1 hits lasting 27 weeks in the decade; they had 6 consecutive #1 hits from December 24, 1977 to June 9, 1979. Elton John had 5 #1 hits lasting a total of 15 weeks. The Beatles officially broke up on April 10, 1970, the same year I graduated high school. Paul McCartney and Wings had 5 #1 hits lasting 13 weeks. Stevie Wonder and The Eagles had 5 #1 hits, but they didn't stay up on top very long. The Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, KC & The Sunshine Band, Barbra Streisand and John Denver had 4 #1 songs each; however, Summer' lasted 13 weeks, the Jackson 5 and Streisand's lasted 10 weeks each. Rod Stewart had a total of 17 weeks at #1 during the decade. You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone spent 10 weeks up on top. One of the big changes in music included the number of songs used in movie soundtracks with Saturday Night Fever easily the most popular soundtrack, but Cabaret was another top one. The Best Musicals from the Tony Awards included A Chorus Line and Annie. Also, the genre of Soft Rock was born. I attended concerts with Blood, Sweat and Tears in 1970, James Taylor in 1971, Chicago in 1973, and Peter Frampton in 1976. I tried my best to enjoy hard, psychedelic and acid rock, but really didn't enjoy it; it was too chaotic, loud and without much meaning to me. Since one of my majors at EMU was Radio-TV-Film, and had hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster; I completed an internship at WUOM in 1977. Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 shortly after he had a farewell concert in Ann Arbor on April 24, 1977; other famous music stars who passed away in the 1970s included Janis Joplin, Tammi Terrell, Jim Morrison, Jim Croce, Bobby Darin, Donnie Hathaway, Mama Cass Elliot, Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, etc.

1970s

Michael Jackson had 9 #1 hits lasting 27 weeks; his album, Thriller, was the top album in music history with 7 Top Ten singles. Jackson had 5 consecutive #1 hits from September 19, 1987 to July 2, 1988. Jackson won 8 Grammy Awards in 1983. Madonna, Whitney Houston and Phil Collins had 7 #1 hits. Houston had 7 consecutive #1 hits from October 26, 1985 to April 23, 1988. George Michael had 6 #1 hits. Lionel Richie and Hall & Oates had 5 #1 hits each. Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi and Prince had 4 #1 hits each. Lionel Richie dominated the top spot for 21 weeks, Paul McCartney & Wings and George Michael stayed on top for 16 weeks each. George Michael had 4 #1 hits in 1988 plus 6 Top Ten hits from his album, Faith. Madonna, Phil Collins and Stevie Wonder had 15 weeks each at the top, Whitney Houston and Olivia Newton-John stayed up on top for 14 weeks each, Diana Ross had 13 weeks, and Hall & Oates spent 12 weeks at #1. Physical dominated the top spot for 10 weeks. Bruce Springsteen's album, Born in the USA and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 each had 7 Top Ten songs. Lionel Richie had six consecutive years charting a #1 single, August 15, 1981 to January 11, 1986. It should be noted that James Brown charted 91 hits from 1956-1981 in the Hot 100. The top movie soundtracks were Dirty Dancing, Ghostbusters and Back to the Future. The Tony Awards were dominated by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express, and Joseph & The Technicolor Dreamcoat. John Lennon was assassinated on December 8, 1980; Marvin Gaye was murdered by his father on April 1, 1984. Karen Carpenter passed away on February 4, 1983 after a heart attack caused from complications with anorexia nervosa; other famous music stars who passed away in the 1980s included Bill Haley, Bob Marley, Harry Chapin, Dennis Wilson, Kyu Sakamoto, Jackie Wilson, Roy Orbison, Andy Gibb, etc. I began to develop an interest in Smooth Jazz in the early 1980s, and it has been my favorite genre of music since.

1980s

Mariah Carey dominated the decade with 14 #1 hits lasting 60 weeks at the top of the charts. Carey had 5 consecutive #1 hits from August 4, 1990 to October 12, 1991, and again another 5 consecutive #1 hits from September 30, 1995 to May 23, 1998. She also had an incredible 11 consecutive years charting a #1 song, August 4, 1990 to February 19, 2000. Boyz II Men had 5 #1 hits lasting 50 weeks. Janet Jackson had 6 #1 hits, but only lasting 17 weeks on top. Celine Dion had 4 #1 hits lasting 17 weeks, Whitney Houston had 4 #1 hits lasting 18 weeks, Madonna had 4 #1 hits, TLC had 4 #1 hits lasting 18 weeks up on top. Monica spent 22 weeks at #1, Puff Daddy (Sean Combs) held the top spot 19 weeks, Brandy, Bryan Adams and Elton John spent 15 weeks at the Billboard throne. Ace of Base had 48 consecutive weeks with Top Ten hits, 1993-1994. One Sweet Day spent 16 weeks at #1, I'll Make Love to You, I Will Always Love You, and Candle in the Wind dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana after her death on August 31, 1997 each spent 14 weeks at #1. How Do I Live spent 32 weeks in the Top Ten, 1997-1998. The Top Movie Soundtracks were Titanic, Forest Gump and The Lion King. The Tony Awards for Best Musical included The Lion King, Titanic, Rent, Sunset Boulevard, and Miss Saigon as award winners. John Denver passed away on October 12, 1997 in a plane crash. Other notable musical artist deaths in the 1990s included: Selena, Dusty Springfield, Linda McCartney, Sonny Bono, Tupac Shakur, Harry Nilsson, Kurt Cobain, Mary Wells, David Ruffin, Del Shannon, Eddie Kendricks, etc. Cher, a 1987 Oscar winner for Best Actress in Moonstruck, became the oldest female music artist to chart a song with Believe at the age of 52+297 days; it also gave her the record for the longest gap between #1 songs from March 23, 1974 (Dark Lady) to March 13, 1999. I attended my first musical sometime in March, 1994, The Sound of Music, at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.

Over the past 20 years, we've seen over 30 Broadway musicals including Motown, The Jersey Boys, Phantom of the Opera (twice), Jekyl & Hyde (twice), Wicked (twice), Contact, Cats, Annie, Legally Blonde, Forever Plaid, Beauty and The Beast, The Lion King, Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Starlight Express, Mama Mia, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Movin Out, Ragtime, Sunset Boulevard, The Full Monty, Titanic, Rent, White Christmas, West Side Story, and The Producers at several venues including the Fisher Theatre, Fox Theatre, Detroit Opera House, Cleveland, Seattle, Washington, DC, Toronto, Las Vegas, and The Croswell in Adrian.

1990s

Usher took 7 songs to #1 for 41 weeks, Beyonce took 5 to the top for 36 weeks, Rihanna took 5 songs to #1 for 19 weeks, Mariah Carey took 4 to #1 for 19 weeks, 50 cent took 4 to #1 for 23 weeks, Nelly took 4 to #1 for 23 weeks. Justin Timberlake and Ludacris also had 4 #1 songs. The Black Eyes Peas spent 26 weeks at #1, Alicia Keys spent 22 weeks, and Jay-Z spent 20 weeks at the top. We Belong Together and I Gotta Feeling both spent 14 weeks at #1. Unfortunately, I must conclude that although I've given the musical artist and their songs every effort to enjoy, it doesn't appear that most of the music appeals to me. As R&B has evolved into Hip Hop and Rap, it has lost me and others due to the vulgar, profane, and angry messages of many songs especially when women and others are demeaned. The Best Movie Soundtracks were Chicago, High School Musical, and Moulin Rouge. The Top Musicals included Mamma Mia, Wicked, The Producers, Hairspray, Avenue Q, and Jersey Boys (my favorite with Wicked and Mama Mia tied for 2nd). American Idol began its first season on June 11, 2002; Kelly Clarkson won on September 4, 2002 to become the first idol, and recorded A Moment Like This which broke The Beatles 38 year record of biggest leap to #1 in the Billboard 100. Michael Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009; other notable musical artist deaths of the decade included Wilson Pickett, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, Rick James, Maurice Gibb, Johnny Cash, Barry White, Aaliyah, George Harrison, James Brown, etc. Billboard began tracking the Top Smooth Jazz hits in 2006. Smooth Jazz Favorites

2000s

Thus far in the decade, Rihanna and Katy Perry have 8 #1 songs each with 32 and 26 weeks at the top respectively. Perry had 5 #1 hits from June 19, 2010 to August 17, 2011, and spent 69 consecutive weeks with Top Ten hits while Rihanna spent 46 consecutive weeks with Top Ten hits in the same years. Perry tied Michael Jackson with 5 #1 hits from the same album (Teenage Dream vs. Bad). Bruno Mars has 5 #1 songs with 17 weeks on top, Adele has 3 #1 songs with 14 weeks, Kesha has 3 for 13 weeks, Maroon 5 has 2 #1 hits for 13 weeks on top, Pharrell Williams has 2 #1 songs for 22 weeks on top. Pink, Pitbull, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, LMFAO, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, and T.I. have also had #1 songs. Taylor Swift's album, Speak Now, is the only album in music history to have all 14 of its songs chart in the Hot 100. It should be noted that Stevie Wonder has won the most Grammy Awards by a male musical artist with 28. It should also be noted that Lil Wayne has had 123 Hot 100 songs with 64 in the Top 40 from 1999-2014. I like many of the songs of Katy Perry and Maroon 5, but the others leave me unimpressed. Frozen has probably been the best movie soundtrack thus far. So far in the decade, The Book of Morman, Memphis, Motown, and Kinky Boots appear to be big Tony Award winners. Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48 on February 11, 2012, and American Bandstand Host, 1952-1989, Dick Clark passed away on April 18, 2012; other death have included: Joe Cocker, . There are no Platinum Music Albums in 2014; this is a first for the music industry.

2010s

It should be noted that Paul McCartney still leads all songwriters with 32 #1 hits followed by John Lennon with 26. List of the Best Selling Music Artists.