Year: 1959
Taking an opera song and making it an enormous pop hit is pretty impressive. Love how long he’s able to hold the notes there at the end.
Miley Cyrus — Party In The U.S.A.
Year: 2009
The Bubble Yum Watermelon of pop music and I can’t ever not sing along to this.
Billy Ray Cyrus — It Could’ve Been Me
Year: 1992
I’m undecided if Achy Breaky Heart was a good or a bad thing for Billy Ray. It became so reviled so quickly (and it is indeed a horrible song) it might have kept him underrated for the rest of his life. On the other hand, it put him on the map.
He’s got like ten songs I really like but he never got to #1 a second time.
Sheryl Crow — All I Wanna Do
Year: 1994
Oh, this brings me back to 7th grade. I still can’t help myself when someone mentions that someone else’s name is William. I’ll reply with, “I’m sure it’s Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy.” I get weird looks.
Other than the chorus, the song is all lifted from the poem “Fun” by Wyn Cooper. Of course it’s a poem. Today I learned.
Crosby, Stills, & Nash — Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Year: 1969
Mad props for pulling off the line “Thrill me to the marrow.” As well as the alliterative “Lacy lilting lady, losing love lamenting.”
I just looked up the translation of the Spanish lyrics at the end.
“I remember the beauty of Cuba
The Queen of the Caribbean Sea
I want to go back again
I’m so sad that I can’t go.”
Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!
Jim Croce — Lover’s Cross
Year: 1973
My favorite ballad artist ever. Grateful he recorded this one live before his death. This song pretty much sums up my first relationship. I love this chorus so much.
Still I hope that you can find another
Who can take what I could not
He’ll have to be a super guy
Or maybe a super god
‘Cause I never was much of a martyr before
And I ain’t ’bout to start nothin’ new
And baby, I can’t hang upon no lover’s cross for you
Creedence Clearwater Revival — Up Around The Bend
Year: 1970
CCR was my band growing up. I practically wore out a cassette tape of their first recorded concert. And I also have the box set, which includes all of their work when they were called both The Golliwogs as well as Tom Fogerty and the Blue Velvets. While it helped destroy his relationship with Tom, John taking over creative control sure helped the music.
John’s opening guitar rift here is still my absolute favorite, even more so than the one to Johnny B. Goode.
Counting Crows — Mr. Jones
Year: 1993
Adam Duritz now hates this song. Apparently he\s rejected the song’s aspirations for being famous. And apparently I’ve always interpreted the song differently than he intended.
This came out when I was 13, pretty much the age when everyone starts hating themselves and believing everyone else hates them as well. So I fantasized about being popular, being likeable. I knew literally being famous wouldn’t solve anything, but I just craved being in the spotlight for a hot minute. Mr. Jones wound up being my favorite song for at least twenty-five years.
Confederate Railroad — Queen of Memphis
Year: 1992
Two 1992 country songs in one day from two artists who never had a #1 hit.
Their most famous song is probably “Trashy Women.”
Mark Collie — Even The Man In The Moon Is Crying
Year: 1992
This was his largest hit at #5 and the only song of his that I really like.
Death By Troggles 
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