The Next 100

* * *  COUNTDOWN:  1 DAY TO LA/XC-3  * * *

Officially stuck a fork in summer with our last bike ride to Jack’s Monday morning.  I know, I know — but it’s still summer till the 21st.  Blah, blah, blah.  Ricky and I have a zillion things to do today — last day in WePo before hitting the road — but I do have one important piece of business to take care of before becoming thoroughly overwhelmed by last-minute trip details:  The unveiling of Beagle Man’s Favorite Songs of all Time, Part 2 (numbers 101-200).

This list is, of course, the follow-up to Beagle Man’s 100 Favorite Songs Of All Time, Part One.  (See my posts of May 30, June 2, and June 5, 2012.)  As I blasted through the 2013 countdown at the beach in Montauk — it has to be at the beach in Montauk — Robby, who always is sure he knows exactly what everyone in the room is really thinking, looked me in the eye and said, “Tell the truth — you went for crowd reaction this year, didn’t you?”  He was reacting, at that moment, to “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line, a huge fan favorite among his inner circle.

And who’s to say he wasn’t partially right.  I like to think I create my list in a vacuum.  I like to think I’m true to my oft-repeated message:  If you don’t like it, make your own damn list.  But it’s hard, when you know you’re going to make public something as personal as your favorite songs of all time, not to anticipate the reaction.  It’s hard to include “Come Home” (Dave Clark Five), a song you listened to on your record player — yes, record player —every night for a year back in high school, when you know the response from 98% of the peanut gallery is gonna be a resounding thumbs-down and a what-the-heck-is-this?  (I included it anyway.)  And of course I was also mindful of the outcry after the release of last year’s list.  Three Taylor Swift and only one Beatles???!!!  Two from newcomer Eric Church in the top 20 of all time???!!!  No Elvis???!!!

I’d like to say I turned a deaf ear on all this . . . but clearly, I heard footsteps.  And then there was my own second-guessing of last year’s top 100.  Why so little Motown?  Where were the Temptations and the Four Tops and the Supremes and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles?  What about those slow-dance, spin-the-bottle favorites, like “Oh, Donna” and “Sealed With A Kiss”?  My first go-round at The Next 100 reflected all these voices, but when I played the songs back, it sounded like a list designed by a committee.  So I stripped away all the “make-goods” and stuck with the songs that rock.  For me.  And not just then, but now.  

Of course, I still heard gripes from the beach crowd.  “Way too much country!!!”  “Miley Cyrus???”  But just give these songs a listen.  Let me know what you think.  And oh, if you don’t like them?  Make your own damn list!

101.  Somethin’ Bout a Truck / Kip Moore (2011)

102.  Who Says You Can’t Go Home / Bon Jovi & Jennifer Nettles (2010)

103.  Hot Legs / Rod Stewart (1977)

104.  I Want To Hold Your Hand / The Beatles (1963)

105.  Johnny B. Goode / Chuck Berry (1958)

106.  Proud Mary / Tina Turner (1971)

107.  I Gotta Feelin’ / Black Eyed Peas (2009)

108.  Sharp Dressed Man / ZZ Top (1983)

109.  Fun, Fun, Fun / The Beach Boys (1964)

110.  When Will I Be Loved / Linda Ronstadt (1975)

111.  Pontoon / Little Big Town (2012)

112.  Ain’t Killed Me Yet / Eric Church (2009)

113.  Born On the Bayou / John Fogerty (1969)

114.  It’s Only Love / Tina Turner & Bryan Adams (1985)

115.  Jailhouse Rock / Elvis Presley (1958)

116.  Gloria / Patti Smith (1975)

117.  With a Little Help from My Friends / Joe Cocker (1968)

118.  Born In The U.S.A. / Bruce Springsteen (1984)

119.  Layla / Derek & The Dominos (1970)

120.  Here Comes My Girl / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1979)

121.  Small Town Big Time / Blake Shelton (2013)

122.  Surfin’ USA / The Beach Boys (1963)

123.  Gimme Shelter / The Rolling Stones (1969)

124.  Centerfield / John Fogerty (1985)

125.  Mockingbird / Carly Simon & James Taylor (1974)

126.  I Won’t Back Down / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1989)

127.  Badlands / Bruce Springsteen (1978)

128.  It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It) / The Rolling Stones (1974)

129.  Hurts So Good / John Mellencamp (1982)

130.  Think About Me / Fleetwood Mac (1979)

131.  Down By The River / Neil Young & Crazy Horse

132.  American Girl / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

133.  Running On Empty / Jackson Browne

134.  My Hometown / Bruce Springsteen

135.  Purple Haze / The Jimi Hendrix Experience

136.  Jack and Diane / John Mellencamp

137.  Cruise / Florida Georgia Line

138.  Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night / Bon Jovi

139.  The Sound of Silence / Simon & Garfunkel

140.  Green River / Creedence Clearwater Revival

141.  Wrong Song / Connie Britton & Hayden Panettiere

142.  Get Back / The Beatles

143.  I Ain’t In Checotah Anymore / Carrie Underwood

144.  Free Bird / Lynyrd Skynyrd

145.  Rhiannon / Fleetwood Mac

146.  Hard Candy / Counting Crows

147.  Whole Lotta Love / Led Zeppelin

148.  One Way Or Another / Blondie

149.  You Shook Me All Night Long / AC/DC

150.  Angie / The Rolling Stones

151.  Boys ‘Round Here / Blake Shelton (2013)

152.  End of the Line / The Traveling Wilburys

153.  Lady Marmalade / LaBelle

154.  Need You Now / Lady Antebellum

155.  Time After Time / Cyndi Lauper

156.  Paralyzed / Trish Murphy

157.  Almost Saturday Night / John Fogerty

158.  Lay, Lady, Lay / Bob Dylan

159.  Soak Up The Sun / Sheryl Crow

160.  Brass in Pocket / Pretenders

161.  Oh, Pretty Woman / Roy Orbison

162.  Blue Sky / The Allman Brothers

163.  I’m The Only One / Melissa Etheridge

164.  Remind Me / Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood

165.  Southern Man / Neil Young

166.  My Girl / The Temptations

167.  If I Die Young / The Band Perry

168.  Breathless / The Corrs

169.  Just What I Needed / The Cars

170.  If I Fall You’re Going Down With Me / Dixie Chicks

171.  This Is Country Music / Brad Paisley

172.  Don’t You Remember / Adele

173.  Come Home / The Dave Clark Five

174.  Big Girls Don’t Cry / Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

175  Hold My Hand / Hootie & The Blowfish

176.  Born This Way / Lady Gaga

177.  Mama’s Broken Heart / Miranda Lambert

178  All Summer Long / Kid Rock

179.  The End of the Innocence / Don Henley

180.  Brown Eyed Girl / Van Morrison

181   Powderfinger / Neil Young

182.  You Belong With Me / Taylor Swift

183.  Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man / Alan Jackson & Martina McBride

184.  Miss You Being Gone / The Band Perry

185.  Gimme Some Lovin’ / The Spencer Davis Group

186.  Hotel California / The Eagles

187.  Some Dreams / Steve Earle

188.  Settlin’ / Sugarland

189.  Honey Bee / Lucinda Williams

190.  Don’t Let Me Down / No Doubt

191.  Better In the Long Run / Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton (2011)

192.  Never Let You Go / Third Eye Blind

193.  Buffalo Soldier / Bob Marley & The Wailers

194.  The Middle / Jimmy Eat World

195.  Party in the U.S.A. / Miley Cyrus

196.  Raise The Barn / Keith Urban

197.  Hush Hush / Pistol Annies

198.  Heartache Tonight / The Eagles

199.  Speak Now / Taylor Swift

200.  Hit Me With Your Best Shot / Pat Benatar

Planned departure time tomorrow morning is 9:30, but Vegas has set the over-under at 12 noon, and action seems to be heavy on the over.  And keep in mind:  Life on the road can get lonely:  Remember that time Ricky and I got lost in the Badlands at night when Garmin went dark?  So keep those comments coming!  Btw, thanks, Pam and Mary and Bill, et al, for your input over the last few days.  Oh, and you’ll notice I only included the year of release for the first 30 songs on the list.  It was taking me forever and if I finished looking up every song, I wouldn’t be hitting the road tomorrow!

I PLAN TO POST AS CLOSE TO DAILY AS POSSIBLE WHILE RICKY AND I ARE ON THE ROAD.  BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY:  MAN PLANS, GOD LAUGHS.   OH, AND BTW, YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER