500 Grandes Canciones 11

390Elton John, 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'

Writers:John, Bernie TaupinProducer:Gus DudgeonReleased:Sept. '73, MCA17 weeks; No. 2Inspired by theRolling Stones'Goats Head Soup,Johnand lyricist Taupin went to Kingston, Jamaica, to record John's sixth album. "The studio was surrounded by barbed wire," said Taupin, "and there were guys with machine guns." Too scared to leave their hotel, the duo wrote 21 songs in three days, including "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."Appears on:Goodbye Yellow Brick Road(Island)RELATED:500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Elton John'sGoodbye Yellow Brick Road100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Elton John100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Elton John 389R.E.M., 'Radio Free Europe'

Writers:R.E.M.Producers:Mitch Easter, Don DixonReleased:July '83, I.R.S.5 weeks; No. 78"We hated it," said Peter Buck of the sound on the first version of "Europe," on indie label Hib-Tone. "It was mastered by a deaf man, apparently."R.E.M.rerecorded it forMurmur, with a richer melody and tighter rhythm "like Motown," Buck recalled. Michael Stipe mumbled his lyrics a vague riff on U.S. cultural imperialism because he hadn't finished writing them when it was time to record.Appears on:Murmur(A&M)RELATED:500 Greatest Albums of All Time: R.E.M.'sMurmur100 Best Albums of the Eighties: R.E.M.'sMurmur 388U2, 'Pride (In the Name of Love)'

Writers:Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.Producers:Brian Eno, Daniel LanoisReleased:Oct. '84, Island15 weeks; No. 33The chords came from a 1983 soundcheck in Hawaii; the lyrics about Martin Luther King Jr. were inspired by an exhibit at Chicago's Peace Museum. With backing vocals byPretenderssinger Chrissie Hynde (credited as Mrs. Christine Kerr; she was married to Jim Kerr of Simple Minds at the time), the result was the band's first Top 40 hit.Appears on:The Unforgettable Fire(Island)RELATED:100 Greatest Artists of All Time: U2100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Bono 387Ray Charles, 'Hit the Road Jack'

Writer:Percy MayfieldProducer:Sid FellerReleased:Sept. '61, ABC-Paramount11 weeks; No. 1Charlesasked Mayfield, a one-time R&B hitmaker whose performing career was curtailed by a car accident in 1952, if he had any songs for Charles to record. Mayfield offered up "Hit the Road Jack." The snarling female vocal was provided by Margie Hendricks of the Raelettes. Hendricks' affair with Charles produced a son in 1959; Charles fired her from the Raelettes in 1964.Appears on:Ultimate Hits Collection(Rhino)RELATED:100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Ray Charles100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Ray Charles 386Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'Maps'

Writers:Yeah Yeah YeahsProducer:David Andrew SitekReleased:Feb. '04, Interscope13 weeks; No. 87"Maps" is both a soul ballad and an art-punk classic, with torrents of jagged guitar noise and thundering drums backing up Karen O's lovesick wail. TheYYY's breakthrough hit was inspired by a case of real-life rock & roll romance: The Divine Miss O (real name Karen Orzolek) wrote the song about being on tour and missing her boyfriend, Angus Andrew, singer for fellow New York band Liars.Appears on:Fever to Tell(Interscope) 385Radiohead, 'Fake Plastic Trees'

Writers:RadioheadProducer:John LeckieReleased:March '95, Capitol4 weeks; No. 65Radioheadfrontman Thom Yorke would describe "Fake Plastic Trees" as the song on which he found his lyrical voice. He cut the vocal, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, in one take, then the band filled in its parts around him. Yorke said the song began as "a very nice melody which I had no idea what to do with, then you wake up and find your head singing some words to it."Appears on:The Bends(Capitol)RELATED:100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Thom Yorke100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Radiohead500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Radiohead'sThe Bends 384Pink Floyd, 'Another Brick in the Wall Part 2'

Writer:Roger WatersProducers:Bob Ezrin, Waters, David GilmourReleased:Nov. '79, Columbia25 weeks; No. 1Waters' attack on teachers who practice "dark sarcasm in the classroom" was inspired by his own schoolmasters. "The school I was at they were really like that," Waters said. "[All] they had to offer was their own bitterness and cynicism." There are three versions of "Another Brick" onThe Wall, but "Part 2" was the hit.Appears on:The Wall(Capitol)RELATED:500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Pink Floyd'sThe Wall100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: David Gilmour 383Chuck Berry, 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man'

Writer:BerryProducer:Leonard Chess, Phil ChessReleased:Sept. '56, ChessDid Not ChartBerrywas inspired to write this song while he was touring through heavily black and Latino areas of California. As Berry put it, "I didn't see too many blue eyes." He did see a good-looking Chicano nabbed for loitering until "some woman came up shouting for the policeman to let him go." Over a manic guitar lick, the song spins a riotous tale about a dark-eyed loverman.Appears on:The Anthology(Chess)RELATED:100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Chuck Berry100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Chuck Berry100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time: Chuck Berry 382Sam Cooke, 'Wonderful World'

Writers:Cooke, Herb Alpert, Lou AdlerProducers:Cooke, AdlerReleased:May '60, RCA15 weeks; No. 12Cookewas rooming with Adler, who had already finished this song when Cooke came up with the academic conceit that made it work. Cut while Cooke was still signed to Keen, it sat around until he'd moved to RCA then sold a million. Before it came out, Cooke liked to sing it for women he met, telling them he'd made it up on the spot just for them.Appears on:Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964(ABKCO)RELATED:100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Sam Cooke100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Sam Cooke500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Sam Cooke'sPortrait of a Legend 1951-1964 381Television, 'Marquee Moon'

Writer:Tom VerlaineProducer:Andy JohnsReleased:Feb. '77, ElektraDid Not Chart"Marquee Moon" isTelevision's guitar epic; Verlaine and Richard Lloyd stretch out for 10 minutes of urban paranoia. "I would play until something happened," Verlaine said. "That comes from jazz, or even theDoors, or theFive Live Yardbirdsalbum that kinda rave-up dynamics."Appears on:Marquee Moon(Elektra)

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