At long last, we return to the Songs of the Century as compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
1. Bye Bye Blackbird – Mel Torme (#189, Gene Austin)
2. Tom Dooley – Kingston Trio (#197)
3. The Tennessee Waltz/Tennessee Mazurka – Tom Jones and The Chieftains (#198, Patti Page)
4. What The World Needs Now Is Love – Modern Barbershop Quartet (#208, Jackie DeShannon)
5. It’s Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move – Carole King (#213)
6. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon (#216)
7. Blue Moon of Kentucky – Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys (#218)
8. We Shall Overcome – Bruce Springsteen/The SNCC Freedom Singers, Dorothy Cotton & Pete Seeger (#221, Joan Baez)
9. Something To Talk About – Bonnie Raitt (#222)
10. Summertime Blues – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (#227, Eddie Cochrane)
There’s a few songs you’re unlikely to hear on the radio today. I have to admit, I thought “What The World Needs Now Is Love” was pretty schmaltzy when I first heard it as a kid. Not really sure what its enduring appeal is, but to each their own. And just because it’s something that you won’t hear on the radio doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy tune; far from it. “Tom Dooley”, “The Tennessee Waltz”, “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, “We Shall Overcome” – they’re not on the radio stations most of us listen to, but they should be.
Round 2 report: Started with “Personal Jesus”, by The Lonely Wild. Finished with “Separate Ways”, by Elvis Presley, song #855, for a total of 78 this week. The last P song was “Puzzlin’ Evidence”, by the Talking Heads. The one and only Q song was “Queen Jane Approximately”, by Bob Dylan. The first R song was “Rad Gumbo”, by Little Feat. The last R song was “Runaway Trains”, by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. The first S song was “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”, also by Bob Dylan. Barring anything unusual, three more weeks of this and we’re done. Woo hoo!