96. Martha and the Vandellas – Heatwave
This is one of those songs that I heard over and over as a kid but I am pretty sure the first time I gave it a lot of notice was when I saw it in Sister Act. That movie and its sequel was such a good thing for music performed by these wonderful girl groups. Naturally, the original version is way better than Whoopi Goldberg and her fellows. The lyrics speak not of a literal heatwave but of the heat of passion that is both constructive and destructive. Love can be dangerous and volatile. Martha Reeves was a great singer and the Vandellas the perfect compliment to her. I really love the steady drum beat accompanied by a very nice saxophone (complete with solo).
97. Diana Ross and the Supremes – Stop! In the Name of Love
When I was a kid, I was always fascinated by the lyrics of this song because it treated the concept of love like it was an authority. It reminded me of how Sailor Moon often said that she stood for love and justice. The idea intrigued me. This song actually came back to me in a big way when I worked in west Baltimore for a summer. Apparently, the song was a huge hit on the house and club circuit and there was a particular remix that was hugely popular. The song itself is, of course, great. Diana Ross does a great job blending in with the Supremes and they sing as a team. The backing instrumentals are simple but compliment the voices on the track.
98. Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up
This song feels so seventies to me with the mix of brass and guitar with soulful singing. That makes sense as the song is from Mayfield’s self-titled debut album released in 1970. Except it is so energetic from the getgo. It has to be as the song lasts nearly nine minutes and its joyful energy never flags or fails. Mayfield’s vocals sound playful and excited like a celebration. The familiar brass riff with a complicated, driving drum beat make sure the party continues while Mayfield is not singing.
99. REM – Losing My Religion
Funny enough, this song came out at a time when I stopped going to church and started feeling like church was unnecessary for me. However, singer Michael Stipe has insisted that the song is not about religion. Instead, it is about unrequited love and the slang (which is apparently a thing in the American South) which means losing your cool or ‘flying off of the handle’. This actually fits a lot with me personally as well. Around this time I started to get very angry easily, something I only let go of relatively recently. I have always loved Stipe’s voice as his style could have easily come off as whiny but he does longing and sadness really well. Aside from the lyrics, the rest of the song was basically written by guitarist Peter Buck who came up with the song while learning the mandolin. The guitar work is really good and I can hear where it might have come from that different style.
100. Talking Heads – Once In a Lifetime
One of the main reasons that I picked this song over other songs is the sing-speaking that happens before the song starts and at intervals during the song. The strange rambling of the song is definitely memorable and interesting to me. I find myself repeating “This is not my beautiful house, this is not my beautiful wife” randomly all the time in my head. I love the instrumentals, especially the groovy drumbeat throughout. I really like when things get weird and this song definitely feels like a musical version of David Lynch. Some of it is very clear but some of it requires interpretation.