If you had prepared twenty years ago,
You wouldn‘t be a-wanderin‘ from door to door
80. Lil Green | „Why Don‘t You Do Right?“
Recording: April 23, 1941
Release: June 13, 1941 (B-side: „Love Me“)
Songwriter: Joe McCoy
Producers:
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Vaudeville Blues
Line-up: Big Bill Broonzy (guitar), Lil Green (vocals), Simeon Henry (piano), Ransom Knowling (bass)
Points: 635
Finished #10 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #47
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #8358
AM rank: Bubbling Under
I fell for your jivin‘ and I took you in: DaveC (#5), SL3 (#12)
You‘re sittin‘ down wonderin‘ what it‘s all about: andyd1010 (#139), Dan (#139), Honorio (#143), Brad (#147), Listyguy (#148)
Based on a 1936 single by the Harlem Hamfats, „Weed Smoker‘s Dream“. One of the song‘s writers, Kansas Joe McCoy adjusted both composition and lyrics to turn it into „Why Don‘t You Do Right?“ which was introduced by Lil Green.
The original lyrics featured the lines: „Why don‘t you do like the millionaires do? / Put your stuff on the market and make a million too“. This was adjusted to the well-known chorus of the Lil Green version. It belongs to this strange group of songs about women scalding men for being no good. The references to 1922 in two lines of the song reference the economic crisis following 1929 and the subsequent monetary problems most people faced. In a way the singer is quite unfair for acting like the economic downsizing is exclusively one person‘s fault (though her being irrational while being angry is completely understandable considering that she takes care of the guy and he doesn‘t seem to be doing much to help).
Peggy Lee was a big fan of the song and recorded it with Benny Goodman in a version that proved more successful than the original. The song has since become a blues standard.
The main difference between the Lee and Green version is the instrumentation: While Lee has the entire Goodman orchestra backing her, Green is content with a trio of guitar – bass – piano. There are not even drums, so the bass provides the main rhythm. There‘s a guitar solo in place of the bridge.
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Some people say a man is made out of mud
A poor man‘s made out of muscle and blood
79. „Tennessee“ Ernie Ford | „Sixteen Tons“
Recording: September 20, 1955
Release: October 17, 1955 (A-side: „You Don‘t Have to Be a Baby to Cry“)
Album: Ford Favorites (1957)
Songwriter: Merle Travis
Producer: Jack Fascinato
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Country Boogie
Line-up: Rolly Bundock (bass), George Bruns (trombone), Tennessee Ernie Ford (vocals), Bobby Gibbons (guitar), Roy Harte (drums), Red Mandel (clarinet), Charlie Parlato (trumpet), Darol Rice (bass clarinet)
Points: 636,1
Finished #6 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #159
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1475
AM rank: #1087
If you see me comin‘, better step aside: Schüttelbirne (#5), mileswide (#7)
Fightin‘ and trouble are my middle name: Listyguy (#142), Brad (#144)
Capitol Records approached Merle Travis in 1946 about writing songs that sounded like folk songs because all the folks songs had already been sung and they rather wanted new material. Travis wrote a song about life in Muhlenberg County in Kentucky where his father had worked in the coal mines. Two of the most famous lines of the song were taken from quotes: Travis‘ brother wrote in a letter to him: „It‘s like working in the coal mines.You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.“ Travis‘ father used to say: „I can‘t afford to die. I owe my soul to the company store.“
The coal mine used a trucker system: The workers didn‘t get paid in dollars but rather in alternate currency that was only taken by the company store. The workers couldn‘t save up money and had to live in debt bondage. This practice was later discontinued. The lyrics reflect the strain of working under these circumstances.
The radio stations were advised by the FBI not to play the song because of the communist sympathies it supposedly showed.
Tennessee Ernie Ford had previously worked with Travis and knew the song and he played it on his daily NBC show in 1955. The response by his listeners was very positive. In September, Ford recorded the song as the B-side to „You Don‘t Have to Be a Baby to Cry“ which was supposed to be a hit single; but it turned out audiences preferred the B-side.
Ford‘s cover version has more swing than Travis‘ original – an important part is the snapping rhythm (which was apparently mistakenly left in the song). The instrumental arrangement focuses on the clarinet which is an unusual choice, but ultimately a successful one. „Sixteen Tons“ became the most successful Capitol single to date.
In later recordings and live shows, Merle Travis changed the ending of the song: „I owe my soul to… Tennessee Ernie Ford“
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When you hold my hand I understand the magic that you do
78. The Platters | „Only You (And You Alone)“
Recording: April 26, 1955
Release: June 1955 (B-side: „Bark, Battle and Ball“)
Album: The Platters (1956)
Songwriter: Buck Ram
Producers:
Genre: Doo-Wop
Line-up: David Lynch (vocals), Buck Ram (piano), Herb Reed (vocals), Paul Robi (vocals), Zola Taylor (vocals), Tony Williams (vocals)
Points: 636,9
Finished #14 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #65
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3075
AM rank: #865
For it‘s true, you are my destiny: bonnielaurel (#19)
You can make the darkness: Bang Jan (#135), Listyguy (#135)
Sometimes you need to try multiple times to make something work. „Only You (And You Alone)“ as first recorded on May 20, 1954, but that recording was thrown out by Ralph Bass, boss of Federal Records. It was much slower than the version that would be successful and the vocals were not well-arranged. The Platters were managed by Buck Ram, who also wrote the song, but they were not a very successful group. They also had an unconvential line-up with four men and Zola Taylor as the only woman in the group. Most groups featured only men (and The Platters originally did too, since Taylor replaced tenor Gaynel Hodge).
After seven singles without huge success Federal Records laid them off and they moved to Mercury Records. They re-recorded „Only You“ with a faster tempo and more free-flowing vocals by Tony Williams (apparently spontaneously thought up during a car ride). Originally Mercury didn‘t want to release the song, but they caved and it became a million seller.
Of course, Federal Records wanted some of that success too, so they released the shelved original recording, but it wasn‘t very successful.
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If that diamond ring don‘t shine
He gonna take it to a private eye
77. Bo Diddley | „Bo Diddley“
Recording: March 2, 1955
Release: April 1955 (B-side: „I‘m a Man“)
Songwriter: Ellas McDaniel
Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess & Bo Diddley
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Billy Boy Arnold (harmonica), Jerome Green (maracas), Clifton James OR Frank Kirkland (drums), Ellas McDaniel (vocals, guitar), Otis Spann (piano)
Points: 637
Finished #9 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #40
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #654
AM rank: #209
My pretty baby said she was a bird: andyd1010 (#32)
He‘d better not take the ring from me: Brad (#143)
Notable and important for the introduction of the Bo Diddley beat, a musical rhythm widely emplyed in Rock and Pop music. It‘s a rhythm strongly influenced by Afro-Cuban music (notice the maracas on the record). Diddley did not invent this beat since it can be found on multiple R&B songs recorded much earlier, but Diddley‘s song popularized to a degree where his name served as its title.
Here are some examples of songs using the Bo Diddley beat: Elvis Presley‘s „(Marie‘s the Name) His Latest Flame“, The Stooges‘ „1969“, The Clash‘s „Hateful“, Tom Petty‘s „American Girl“, The Smiths‘ „How Soon Is Now?“ and George Michael‘s „Faith“. There‘s far too many to list here, so I just took the most well-known ones.
Bo Diddley is the pseudonym for Ellas McDaniel and also the title of this song, which was originally titled „Uncle John“ before it was changed to „Bo Diddley“. The lyrics are based upon the lullaby „Hush Little Baby“ and can be categorized as nonsense. I‘m sure some people can find ways to interpret the words and maybe find some innuendo or something, but I don‘t really think there‘s anything interesting to find there.
This recording was the first one Diddley did and it became a major success.
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76. Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers | „Moanin‘“
Recording: October 30, 1958
Release: January 1959 (album track)
Album: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers [Moanin‘] (1959)
Songwriter: Bobby Timmons
Producer: Alfred Lion
Genre: Hard Bop
Line-up: Art Blakey (drums), Benny Golson (tenor saxophone), Jymie Merritt (bass), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Bobby Timmons (piano)
Points: 638
Finished #15 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #312
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1953
AM rank: #4857
Biggest Fan: Schüttelbirne (#11)
Not a Fan: andyd1010 (#123), Brad (#123)
Art Blakey‘s Jazz Messengers was never a solid group like Miles Davis‘ two quintets were. The personnel was always shuffling around, with new talent coming in, staying for one or two years and then leaving for other, often bigger things. Just look at the line-up of the 1959 self-titled album, a quintet: Bobby Timmons would go solo the following year releasing two albums,
Soul Time and
This Here Is Bobby Timmons, which is certainly worth your time. Benny Golson already had his own group and continued working with Art Famrer in The Jazztet. Lee Morgan stands as one of the best trumpeters of the Hard Bop era with his best effort being 1966‘s
Search for the New Land.
„Moanin‘“ was composed by Bobby Timmons based on a theme he had devised on the piano. After Golson told him to write a bridge for it, he turned it into a song that was then recorded and released on the album as the opening track. It turned out to be the stand-out track, receiving a rare single release in 1959 (split in two parts) and retroactively serving as the title of the album.
The main theme of the song uses a call-and-response pattern with Timmons providing the call and the wind instruments the response.
The first minute sees the statement of the theme. The second and third minute delight us with a trumpet solo by Lee Morgan, before Benny Golson gets to show his chops on the saxophone for two minutes. Next, Timmons gets to solo and slide all over the piano for two minutes. Finally, Jymie Merritt (who‘s the only one here who never released any solo work, as far as I can tell) impresses with a bass solo for a minute, before the theme is restated and brought to a close. „Moanin‘“ is one of the most energetic Hard Bop tracks of the 1950s and is a signature track for Blakey, only rivaled by „A Night in Tunisia“ (which did not make the list, btw, which is a travesty).
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Lord, I told the undertaker
Undertake please drive slow
For this body you are hauling
Lord, I hate to see her go
75. The Carter Family | „Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)“
Recording: May 6, 1935
Release: June 22, 1935 (B-side: „Glory to the Lamb“)
Songwriters: Ada R. Habershon, Charles H. Gabriel & A.P. Carter
Genre: Traditional Country, Appalachian Folk Music, Country Gospel
Line-up: A.P. Carter (vocals), Maybelle Carter (vocals, guitar), Sara Carter (vocals, autoharp)
Points: 641
Finished #6 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #88
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2258
AM rank: #1067
There‘s a better home awaiting in the sky, Lord, in the sky: Father2TheMan (#12), mileswide (#12)
All my brothers and sisters crying, what a home so sad and alone: Moonbeam (#144)
This song is based on a Christian hymn from the year 1907, „Will the Circle Be Unbroken?“ with music by Charles H. Gabriel and words by Ada R. Habershon. A.P. Carter reworked the lyrics to some degree but left the music as it was.
The changes in the lyrics are very notable: The most important change is probably the story told in the song. A protagonist loses his mother, follows the undertaker to the grave where she is laid to rest before coming back home to find his family in sorrow. They find solace in singing the songs their mother taught them.
This change is very substantial since the original hymn doesn‘t tell any story at all. It speaks to an unspecified „you“ about the themes of death and remembering lost loved ones, but without being specific.
The other obvious difference is the chorus. While the hymn asks whether the circle „will“ be unbroken and formulates a question about whether there will be a better home in the sky, Carter‘s version asks about the possibility of the circle being broken („can“) and assures the listener (without a question) that there is a better home awaiting.
The song turned out to be very successful and was subsequently covered by many artists, often using the title of the original hymn despite not using that version. It seems clear to me that Carter‘s reworking is more successful in reaching an audience by appealing to their empathy with the protagonist.
The hymn is of course meant to be sung by a congregation in Church and not by three people on a recording, so I won‘t argue that one is better than the other, rather that they each fulfill their specific goal; but since we‘re here to talk about recorded music, The Carter Family‘s specific rendition is of course the more relevant one.
A.P. Carter sings the verses and is joined in the chorus by his wife Sara and his sister-in-law Maybelle who also play the instruments on the recording. Just three voices and two instruments make this version seem far more intimate than later recordings (for example the one by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band also featuring Maybelle Carter).
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Just keep that rhythm, give it everything you got
74. Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra | „It Don‘t Mean a Thing (If It Ain‘t Got That Swing)“
Recording: February 2, 1932
Release: February 18, 1932 (B-side: „Rose Room“)
Songwriters: Duke Ellington & Irving Mills
Producers:
Genre: Swing, Big Band
Line-up: Ivie Anderson (vocals), Barney Bigard (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Wellman Braud (bass), Harry Carney (baritone saxophone, clarinet, alto saxophone), Duke Ellington (piano), Sonny Greer (drums), Fred Guy (banjo, guitar), Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet), Freddy Jenkins (trumpet), Joe Nanton (trombone), Juan Tizol (valve trombone), Arthur Whetsel (trumpet), Cootie Williams (trumpet)
Points: 644
Finished #10 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #67
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5842
AM rank: #2295
All you got to do is sing: Schüttelbirne (#7)
It makes no difference if it‘s sweet or hot: nicolas (#147)
Duke Ellington is one of the most important American composers of all time; I think by now everybody can agree with that statement. For a long time, this wasn‘t really acknowledged because he also made songs like this: songs you could dance too. (It‘s especially ridiculous considering that movement titles in Baroque and early Classical-era music are often based on the corresponding dances, but I digress).
„It Don‘t Mean a Thing (If It Ain‘t Got That Swing)“ stands „as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time“ (Ellington). Some even say that the song popularized the term „Swing“ for this kind of music. At the time „Swing“ often just referred to Jazz music in general, while today it refers more to the swinging feeling jazz generates by playing melody notes before, across or behind the beat.
It‘s not really clear who came up with the titular expression; there‘s diverging stories. Ellington himself credited it to his trumpeter Bubber Miley. Miley had to be replaced because he had tuberculosis; his replacement Cootie Williams claimed the expression was his catchphrase. The lyricist Irving Mills says he told Ellington that the customers weren‘t dancing to the band‘s music and used the expression.
No matter who invented it, the song became a huge success, not in small part due to Ivie Anderson who provided the vocals. Indeed she starts the song with vocalization before Joe Nanton plays a trombone solo. Anderson then has her chance to really shine in the five verses that make up the lyrics of the song. Johnny Hodges then plays a solo before Anderson returns again with some scat singing and the titular phrase.
The song stands as a joyful celebration of music and the feelings it evokes, and it has since become a standard.
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Why does my heart skip a crazy beat?
Before I know it will reach defeat.
73. The Teenagers | „Why Do Fools Fall in Love“
Recording: November 1955
Release: December 1955 (B-side: „Please Be Mine“)
Album: The Teenagers (1956)
Songwriters: George Goldner, Frankie Lymon, Herman Santiago & Jimmy Merchant
Producer: George Goldner
Genre: Doo-Wop
Line-up: Sherman Garnes (backing vocals), Frankie Lymon (vocals), Jimmy Merchant (backing vocals), Joe Negroni (backing vocals), Herman Santiago (backing vocals) et al.
Points: 645
Finished #11 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #37
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1642
AM rank: #262
Lovers await the break of day: Listyguy (#5), Schüttelbirne (#6)
I know of a fool you see, for that fool is me: Elder (#141), Bang Jan (#148)
Jimmy Merchant and Sherman Garnes formed a band when they were in High School, as many people do. But few would go on to be this successful and influential. Their group was called The Earth Angels and finally also featured Joe Negroni and Herman Santiago. At that point the group was called The Coupe De Villes. They also added Frankie Lymon to the group and changed their name to The Ermines and then to The Premiers. They really went through a lot of name changes in the early run of their group.
They wrote a song called „Why Do Birds Sing So Gay?“ and auditioned it for George Goldner, record producer for Gee Records. With the help of Goldner they changed some of the song and released it as their first single „Why Do Fools Fall in Love“ credited to The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon. Garnes, Merchant and Negroni were fifteen years old, Santiago was fourteen and Lymon was thirteen. The songwriting credits were disputed for a long time and led to a lengthy court battle, because Santiago and Merchant were not credited on most releases. At some point Morris Levy had bought the rights to the song, officially becoming its songwriter.
As you can see with the credit specifically singeling out Lymon, that he was supposed to become a new star, which led to fighting in the group. Lymon was also not very successful as a solo artist, became a heroin addict at an early age and died at the age of 25 in his grandmother‘s bathroom.
The Teenagers went on performing without him, changing their line-up frequently. They still gave concerts until 2020 (that‘s the last information I could find), though the only surviving member is Herman Santiago.
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72. Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five | „West End Blues“
Recording: June 28, 1928
Release: August 1928 (B-side: „Fireworks“)
Songwriters: Joe „King“ Oliver
Genre: Dixieland
Line-up: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet), Mancy Carr (banjo), Earl Hines (piano), Fred Robinson (trombone), Zutty Singleton (drums, cymbals), Jimmy Strong (clarinet)
Points: 647
Finished #5 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #13
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1211
AM rank: #349
Biggest Fan: Bang Jan (#6)
Not a Fan: DaveC (#146)
Armstrong‘s recording of „West End Blues“ has stood the test of time and turned out to be
the canonical piece of early Jazz music. Gunther Schuller writes in his seminal work
Early Jazz: „When on June 28, 1928, Louis Armstrong unleashed the spectacular cascading phrases of the introduction to
West End Blues, he established the general stylistic direction of jazz for several decades to come. Beyond that, this performance also made quite clear that jazz could never again revert to being solely an entertainment or folk music.“ (p. 89)
Schuller emphasizes the influence of „West End Blues“ on the genre of Jazz in general, especially emphasizing the role of the intro. He writes extensively about the song and its role in shaping the jazz to come, dedicating multiple pages to a detailed musical analysis. You can check that out yourself.
At the time of recording, musicians didn‘t really work with overdubs. What you hear is pretty much exactly what was played in the studio. And in just three minutes you can hear how King Oliver‘s composition is transformed into an incredible piece of music.
I don‘t mean to insult King Oliver who‘s an important figure of jazz in his own right. But if you listen to the original recording of „West End Blues“ from June 11, 1928 and Armstrong‘s version which was recorded just two weeks after you‘ll hear an enormous difference. King Oliver‘s later recordings incorporate some of the changes Armstrong made to the song, most notably the inclusion of the trumpet intro Schuller was raving about.
These twelve seconds of solo trumpet are actually praised frequently and held up as one of the defining moments in jazz history. The entire following tune includes a lot more interesting elements than King Oliver‘s version did, including Zutty Singleton‘s cymbal playing, Armstrong‘s scat singing (how I hate that term), Earl Hines‘ cascading piano solo in the middle and Fred Robinson‘s deep-pitched clarinet wailing.
Armstrong ends the song on a high note – almost literally. Towards the end of the song he holds a note very long, but it never seems labored. It has to be clear that this version is not improvised; Armstrong and his band did not go into the studio and suddenly were overcome with all these ideas. Instead this specific recording needed a lot of work to get right and it shows. The tremendous work put into this, combined with the talent of the musicians involved helped a composition fulfill its potential and in turn created one of the most important jazz songs of all time deserving of its position on this list.
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71. The Thelonious Monk Quintet | „‘Round About Midnight“
Recording: November 21, 1947
Release: 1948 (B-side: „Well You Needn‘t“)
Album: Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1 (1951)
Songwriter: Thelonious Monk
Producers:
Genre: Bebop
Line-up: Art Blakey (drums), Thelonious Monk (piano), Bob Paige (bass), Sahib Shihab (alto saxophone), George Taitt (trumpet)
Points: 649
Finished #8 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #34
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1918
AM rank: #389
Biggest Fan: Bang Jan (#13),Brad (#14)
Not a Fan: Dan (#149), SL3 (#149)
One of the biggest, most popular Jazz standards, recorded countless time by a plethora of musicians of widely differing styles. Some sources call it the most recorded jazz standard in history. Originally titled „I Need You So“, the song became famous under the title „‘Round Midnight“, though it is also known as „‘Round About Midnight“. It was written in the early 1940s, and not immediately recorded by Monk himself.
The first recording came through Cootie Williams at the behest of Bud Powell, followed by a recording by Dizzy Gillespie who also arranged it for big band and added introduction and cadenza. Monk copied these for his own performances. He recorded it for the first time in 1947.
In 1955, the possibly most significant performance of the song happened: At the Newport Jazz Festival, George Avakian was so thrilled by Miles Davis‘ performance of the song, he secured him a contract for Columbia Records. Only logical, then, that his first album on that label would be titled
‘Round About Midnight.
Monk‘s own recording is done by a quintet featuring Art Blakey who would go on to do quite significant things in his later career. It does really feature alternating solos between the different players as a lot of jazz did in this time period. You could argue that the entire song is one extended solo for Monk, with the other four players providing the background. Blakey and Paige introduce a slow rhythm, with Shihab and Taitt providing the nocturnal mood the song is famous far. All the melodic flourishes are done by Monk‘s virtuosic playing. The quintet works together very well so it never seems like Monk is just showing off; they each provide vital parts in a song that would become more popular than basically any other in the jazz world.