Wrapping It Up

Yes, I know it’s not Monday.  Thanks.

All right:  Time to wrap up and break down My Favorite 300 Songs Ever . . .

By Decade:

1970’s:   62

1980’s:   58

2000’s:   57

1960’s & 2010’s:   52

1990’s:   15

1950’s:    4

Year with Most Songs on the List:

2011:   18

By Artist

A word or two of clarification here:  Determining whether to attribute certain songs to a band’s frontman, or to the actual band, was a tricky business.  So I consulted with experts in the field (that would be myself, with a little help from my good friend Mike).  For instance, since Creedence Clearwater Revival is basically John Fogerty (can you name any of the other dudes?), I lumped Creedence and Fogerty songs together under Fogerty.  But since the Eagles have an identity outside of Don Henley, I kept Eagles songs separate from Don Henley songs.  For duets, I gave each artist credit for a half-song.

Bruce Springsteen:   13

Tom Petty:                   9.5

Rolling Stones:            9

Taylor Swift                  7

Neil Young                    6

John Fogerty                6

John Mellencamp       6

Sheryl Crow                  6

Beach Boys                    5

Eagles                             5

Patti Smith                    5

Tied with 4.5:  Bon Jovi; Sugarland; Carrie Underwood

Tied with 4:  The Band Perry; the Beatles; Eric Church; the Dave Clark Five; the Dixie Chicks; Green Day

Tied with 3.5:  Pat Green; Miranda Lambert; Trish Murphy; Blake Shelton; Tina Turner

Tied with 3:  Adele; The Allman Brothers; Blondie; Fleetwood Mac; Don Henley; Billy Joel; Patty Smyth & Scandal; Rod Stewart; Traveling Wilbury’s; Keith Urban; ZZ Top

Bryan Adams:             2.5

Tied with 2:  The Band; Ryan Bingham; Eric Clapton; Kelly Clarkson; Counting Crows; Crosby Stills Nash & Young; Dire Straits; Bob Dylan; Steve Earle; Florida Georgia Line; Four Seasons; Guns ‘N Roses; Jimi Hendrix; Jimmy Eat World; Janis Joplin; Led Zeppelin; Little Big Town; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Kip Moore; The Police; Elvis Presley; Linda Ronstadt; Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band; Simon & Garfunkel; Temptations; U2; Lucinda Williams; Gretchen Wilson; The Who

Tied with 1.5:  Connie Britton; Brad Paisley; Kid Rock; Carly Simon

Tied with 1:  AC/DC; Aerosmith; Pat Benatar; Boston; Kelleigh Bannen; Dierks Bentley; Chuck Berry; Black Eyed Peas; Black Keys; Lee Brice; Jeff Bridges; Jackson Browne; Chris Carmack; the Cars; Will Chase; Brandy Clark; Joe Cocker; The Corrs; Cream; Billy Ray Cyrus; Miley Cyrus; The Doors; Eli Young Band; Melissa Etheride; Everly Brothers; Eddie Floyd; Foo Fighters; Four Tops; Marvin Gaye; Grateful Dead; Heart; Hootie & the Blowfish; Billy Idol; Jefferson Airplane; Joan Jett & the Blackhearts; Elton John; The Kinks; The Knack; LaBelle; Lady Antebellum; Lady Gaga; Cyndi Lauper; Sonia Leigh; The Mamas & the Papas; Bob Marley & the Wailers; Mac Miller; Steve Miller Band; Ashley Monroe; Van Morrison; No Doubt; Roy Orbison; Aubrey Peeples; Katy Perry; Pistol Annies; The Pretenders; Bonnie Raitt; Otis Redding; The Righteous Brothers; Sam & Dave; Shadows of Knight; The Supremes; Third Eye Blind; Traffic; Shania Twain; The Vaughan Brothers; Zac Brown Band

Tied with .5:  Alan Jackson; Stevie Nicks; Hayden Panettiere; James Taylor

Number of Artists Represented:

141

Highest Position for Previously Unranked Song

#6   What Are You Doin’ In My Life? / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Biggest Winners

Radio Nowhere / Bruce Sprinsteen:  up 197 places (#201 to #4)

The Waiting / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:  up 175 places (#203 to #28)

So You Want To Be a Rock and Roll Star / Patti Smith:  up 160 places (#202 to #40)

Legs / ZZ Top:  up 154 places (#213 to #59)

Powderfinger / Neil Young:  up 151 places (#181 to #30)

Biggest Losers

Knock on Wood / Eddie Floyd:  down 255 places (#38 to #293)

What About Love? / Heart:  down 196 places (#61 to #257)

A Thing Called Love / Bonnie Raitt:  down 194 places (#73 to #267)

You Better Be Good To Me / Tina Turner:  down 184 places (#25 to #209)

California Gurls / Katy Perry:  down 178 places (#78 to #256)

So.  I’ve put this off as long as I can.

Mt. Rushmore.

As we’ve discussed, the top 3 are signed, sealed, and delivered:  Bruce Sprinsteen, Tom Petty, and the Rolling Stones.  (Though T.P. edged ahead of the Stones this time around.)

The fourth face?  The numbers say T-Swift at 7 — with 6 for Neil Young and John Fogerty and John Mellencamp and Sheryl Crow.  And much as I’d love to have a woman represented on Rushmore, and much as I’d love to tweak all those venomous Taylor Swift haters, I can’t go strictly by the numbers.  After all, as I’ve pointed out, if you combine the 6 Neil Young tunes with the 2 Crosby Stills Nash & Young songs, you come out with 8 — one more than Swifty.  But more to the point:  My son Matt, whose idea my rock-and-roll Mt. Rushmore was in the first place, suggested it had to be Neil Young.  That for all the years he’s been alive, he says I’ve always revered Neil Young.  (T-Swift, of course, is a relative newcomer.)  That most of my Neil Young songs took quantum leaps in the revised standings, indicating that, if anything, my opinion of Neil’s music is even getting higher.  And, that weird-ass falsetto of his?  Those haunting melodies?  Come on!  And, of course, as I’ve said so many times, it’s my list, and I can put whoever I want on Rushmore.

Yeah, Matt’s right.  Sorry, Jeff and Marybeth.  It’s gotta be Neil.

One last very important piece of business:  Lots of you have asked if there’s a way you can listen to my whole Top 300 playlist.  With the help of my tech consultant (thanks, Alison!) I’ve published the Top 300 on Spotify.  Go to the Spotify app, user name hankherman, then look for the HANK’S (REVISED 2015) 300 FAVORITES.  Fingers crossed; hope it works 🙂

And for next post . . . back to the dogs!

LOOK FOR A NEW BEAGLE MAN POST EVERY THURSDAY. OR PRETTY CLOSE TO THURSDAY. COULD BE WEDNESDAY. OR FRIDAY. LET’S NOT GET TOO OBSESSIVE HERE . . . OH, AND BTW, YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM.