The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: #360-351

The only place where Usher can co-exist with the Rolling Stones and Willie Nelson in songs heard back-to-back-to-back.  You have found The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, specially updated in 2015 to help the world celebrate the great 60th birthday of the Rock Era.  If you haven't heard the segments preceding this one, we strongly urge you to go back and listen to those first!

Then when you have heard the songs ranked lower than this, come back and enjoy these 10:

 

#360:

I Write The Songs 
Barry Manilow
1976

"It doesn't get any better than this--Barry sings it perfect!"

 

"This is my favorite song."

 

"Love this song so much."

 

"This song gives me goosebumps."

 

"What a beautiful song and special words."

 

This singer-songwriter went from the slums of Brooklyn to the Julliard School of Music to becoming one of The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era*.  He wrote and recorded some of the top advertising jingles of the period, including those for McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and State Farm Insurance.  After his first single, "Mandy", introduced him to the world, Barry Manilow scored 27 more hits, including three #1's.  Here's one of them.

Bruce Johnson of the Beach Boys wrote this song, and he says the inspiration of the song came from God.  Johnston has stated that, for him, the "I" in the song is God, and that songs come from the spirit of creativity in all of us. 

The Captain & Tennille, who worked with Johnston in the Beach Boys in the early 1970s, originally recorded the song on their 1975 album Love Will Keep Us Together.  David Cassidy released the song, which was also produced by Johnston, as a single, but it only made it to #11 in the U.K. 

Manilow was hesitant to record the song, stating in his autobiography Sweet Life:  "The problem with the song was that if you didn't listen carefully to the lyric, you would think that the singer was singing about himself.  It could be misinterpreted as a monumental ego trip."

But Clive Davis, president of Arista Records at the time, persuaded Manilow to record it, and "I Write The Songs" was released as the first single from his great album Tryin' to Get the Feeling in 1975.

 

"I Write The Songs" challenged the other top songs of its time--"Lyin' Eyes" and "Take It To The Limit" by the Eagles, "Let Your Love Flow" by the Bellamy Brothers, "Island Girl" by Elton John, "I'm Sorry" by John Denver, "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac, "Free Bird" from Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Theme From 'Mahogany'" by Diana Ross and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.

Davis made a good decision.  By December, Manilow had his fourth consecutive Top 15 song.    "I Write The Songs" then topped the Popular and Adult charts in the United States and logged 10 weeks in the Top 10.  It also rose to #3 in Canada.

 

"I Write The Songs" went Gold and helped Manilow sell over eight million albums in the U.S. alone.  Johnston won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year (for songwriters) and "I Write The Songs" was also nominated for Record of the Year.  As of now, "I Write The Songs" has been heard over three million times on the radio.    

 

 

#359:

Southern Nights
Glen Campbell
1977

"Makes me smile every time."

 

"This song evokes pure joy."

 

"Such a feel good song."

 

"This is a great song."

 

"Beautiful!!  I Love It!"

 

This next winner proved to be a magical combination of Glen Campbell with songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint.  Toussaint was responsible for writing and producing the #1 song "Mother-In-Law" for Ernie K-Doe, and he produced "Lady Marmalde" for Labelle.  Toussaint was also associated with hits such as "Ya Ya" by Lee Dorsey, "Java" by Al Hirt, and Barbara George's "I Know".

Campbell, the seventh son of a seventh son, received his first guitar ordered from Sears and Roebuck when he was four.  He joined his first band as a teenager, and formed his own group in 1958.  Glen really paid his dues when he moved to Los Angeles in 1960 to become a session guitarist.  He was prolific in the studio, and worked with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, and Bobby Darin.  By Campbell's count, he played in 586 sessions in a single year. 

Glen joined the Champs after they scored their #1 smash "Tequila", and played on tour with the Beach Boys in 1965.  Then, Campbell began to get rewarded for all his hard work.  He became a popular guest on shows such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.  The Brothers asked Glen to star in the summer replacement series for the show, and audience reaction was so strong that CBS gave Campbell his own prime time variety series in 1969, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Variety Hour.

"Southern Nights" includes lyrics inspired by childhood memories Toussaint had of visiting relatives in Louisiana, which often included the telling of stories under star-filled nighttime skies.  Campbell heard Toussaint's version when he was touring in Australia, and immediately identified with it.

Campbell slightly changed the lyrics, then recorded it October 2, 1976.  "Southern Nights" is the title song from Glen's album released in February, 1977 on Capitol Records. 

"Southern Nights" was out the same time as "Hotel California" and "New Kid In Town" by the Eagles, "Dreams" and "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac, "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand, "Tonight's The Night" by Rod Stewart, "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder, Andy Gibb's "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, "Lucille" from Kenny Rogers, the song we just heard ("Best Of My Love" by the Emotions), and "When I Need You" by Leo Sayer.

"Southern Nights" scored a rare triple #1 song for Campbell that logged eight weeks inside the Top 10 in 1977.  In addition to being the most popular song in the United States, it also reigned for four weeks on the Adult chart and spent two weeks at the top of the Country chart.  "Southern Nights" thus was the top song on all three of the most popular music formats--that's a lot of listeners.  It also climbed to #1 in Canada and #3 in Ireland.  

"Southern Nights" has now been played over three million times.

 

 

#358:

Let's Stay Together 
Al Green
1972

"Just love this song."

 

"One of the best."

 

"Beautiful song."

 

"Romantic and beautiful."

 

"My all-time favorite."

Here's one of four songs in The Top 500* recorded by artists from the state of Arkansas in the United States.

When Al Green was nine, he and his brothers:  Robert, Walter and William, sang gospel as the Green Brothers.  Al then played with the group the Creations, and with a group called Al Greene and the Soul Mates, reached #41 in 1968 with "Back Up Train".

 

But there was no follow-up in the chute--as Al said, "I went through all the frustrations and disappointments of being a one-record act", and the record label folded.  One year later, Al (who by this time had dropped the "e" from the end of his last name) was set to play a club in Midland, Texas, that also featured Willie Mitchell, leader of a band from Memphis, Tennessee and the A&R man for Hi Records.  Mitchell was impressed, and asked Green if he wanted to come to Memphis to record with his band, which included drummer Al Jackson of Booker T. and the BGs.  Green did, and went on to become a superstar. 

Green wrote the lyrics to this classic song about the permanence of a relationship, with Willie Mitchell and Jackson writing the music.  Green titled his 1972 album after the song, and Mitchell produced it for release.

Amidst competition from classics such as "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, "American Pie" by Don McLean, Nilsson's "Without You", "Imagine" by John Lennon, "A Horse With No Name" from America, "Heart Of Gold" by Neil Young, "Superstar" by the Carpenters, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack, "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" by Cher, and "Family Affair" by Sly & the Family Stone, Green's song still rose to the top. 

"Let's Stay Together" went to #1 overall, and became The #1 R&B Song of the 70's* after nine weeks at the top in that genre.  It sold one million 45's, helped sell three million albums, and has now topped two million in radio airplay. 

 

"Let's Stay Together" was selected in 2010 by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry of the United States,  which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.







 

#357:

Jack & Diane
John Cougar
1982

"The brilliant John Cougar."

 

"Awesome.  One of my favorite songs of all-time."

 

"Amazing song."

 

"Great song by a great artist."

 

"Love this song!!  The beat is great and the lyrics actually mean something that anyone can understand."

 

 

John Mellencamp, who went by the stage name of John Cougar originally before reverting to his real name, says he based this next song on the movie by Tennessee Williams called Sweet Bird of Youth. 

 

Cougar recorded the song at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida.  You will hear the name of that famous studio several times during the presentation of The Top 500*.

 

Elite guitarist Mick Ronson, who was producing Cougar's album, also played on "Jack & Diane".  Ronson played a key role in the success of the song, as Mellencamp told Classic Rock magazine:

 

 

Mick was very instrumental in helping me arrange that song, as I'd thrown it on the junk heap.  Ronson came down and played on three or four tracks and worked on the 'American Fool' record for four or five weeks.  All of a sudden, for "Jack & Diane," Mick said "Johnny, you should put baby rattles on there."  "I didn't know what that meant.  So he put the percussion on there and then he sang the part "let it rock, let it roll" as a choir-ish-type thing, which had never occurred to me.  And that is the part everybody remembers on the song.  It was Ronson's idea.

Cougar released the single in July of 1982, when it faced songs such as "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor, "Ebony And Ivory" by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder, "Always On My Mind" from Willie Nelson, "Down Under" by Men At Work, "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago, "Maneater" from Hall & Oates, Mellencamp's own "Hurts So Good", "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, and "Truly" by Lionel Richie. 

"Jack & Diane" was a huge hit, going to #1 for 4 weeks, with a solid 10 weeks in the Top 10.  It also reached #1 in Canada.  The song sold one million singles and helped sell nine million albums.  

"Jack & Diane" works because it is relevant to people; it is about real-life relationships.  Mellencamp mentioned his title characters again in 1998 in his song "Eden Is Burning", in which it starts, "Diane and Jack went to the movies." 

 

Mellencamp commented to the newspaper The Sun in 2008 about his classic:

That song is 30 or so years old and it gets played more today

in the United States than it did when it came out.  As much as I am a little weary of those two, I don't know any other two people in rock and roll who are more popular than Jack and Diane.  Some people probably think there's a place in hell for me because of those two people!  But it gave me the keys to do what I want.  I'm 57 today.  I've lived the way I wanted to live, sometimes recklessly and stupidly, but still been able to do that. I 've been able to live on my whims, that's what Jack and Diane gave me, so I can't hate them too much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#356:
 
I Got You Babe 
Sonny & Cher
1965

"This song is timeless."

 

"One of the classics."

 

"Sweet!"

 

"Legendary song."

 

"Splendid song and duo."

 

Sonny Bono wanted to sing since he was a child, and wrote his first song while working as a stockboy in a local grocery store in Inglewood, California.  In 1957, Bono got a job at Specialty Records, where he wrote and produced.  Among the songs he wrote during this period is "Needles And Pins", which the Searchers turned into a worldwide hit in 1964.

 

Sonny met Cher at a coffee shop in Hollywood that people in the record industry frequented.  At the time, Sonny was working for Phil Spector, serving as his West Coast promotion man.  Bono sang background and hired the musicians and background singers.  Sonny knew of Cher's desires to sing as well, and invited her to recording sessions.

 

Together, the two worked on "Da Doo Ron Ron" by the Crystals and "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes.  By this time, Sonny and Cher were dating, and they married soon afterwards.  Then, Sonny borrowed $135 to produce his own session for Cher.  But at the last minute, the nervous Cher asked Sonny to sing on the song with her, and the result was the single "Baby Don't Go".

 

Cher was under contract with Imperial Records, but Ahmet Ertegun was interested in signing both Sonny and Cher to contracts, so the two signed with Atco Records, a division of Atlantic.   Bono wrote songs on a piano in the garage of the couple's home in Laurel Canyon.  The duo's first single went nowhere, so Sonny came up with the lyrics to this song, which he wrote on a piece of cardboard.  He played it for Cher, who didn't like it initially, but when Sonny changed the key to fit her voice, she loved it. 

 

Sonny and Cher recorded the song for their first album, Look at Us, with Bono producing it as well.  Famous session drummer Hal Blaine performed on the song as well.   

 

The excited Sonny sent it to Ertegun in New York City.  Ertegun called Sonny to say how much he loved the new single--"It's Gonna' Rain".  Sonny told him it was the record's main side, "I Got You Babe", that he had sent him, that "It's Gonna' Rain" was just on the flip side.  But Ahmet preferred the latter, and was set to release "It's Gonna' Rain".

 

Sonny did an end-around.  He took "I Got You Babe" to legendary radio station KHJ in Hollywood.  Program director Ron Jacobs told Sonny he would play it once an hour if he had an exclusive.  Sonny agreed, the song broke nationally, spreading like wildfire after that., becoming a huge hit in July of 1965.

Sonny and Cher's debut single rose to #1 for three weeks, encountering the songs "Yesterday" and "Help!" by the Beatles, "Satisfaction" and "Get Off Of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones, "Turn!  Turn!  Turn!" by the Byrds, "I Can't Help Myself" by the Four Tops, "California Girls" by the Beach Boys, "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers, and Elvis Presley's "Crying In The Chapel" during its chart run.  Thus, Sonny Bono is the only member of the United States Congress to perform on a #1 hit.  Bono was elected to the California House of Representatives in 1994, where he served until his death from a skiing accident on January 5, 1998.

"I Got You Babe" also registered in at #1 in the U.K. and Canada, #2 in Ireland, #3 in Germany and Australia, #4 in the Netherlands and Sweden, and #6 in Austria and Norway.

The song was famously played every morning at precisely 6:00 AM on the alarm clock in Bill Murray's hotel room in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day.  It wasn't quite played two million times in that movie, but that is how many total plays "I Got You Babe" has logged since 1965. 

#355:

Can't Fight This Feeling 
REO Speedwagon
1985

"Yeah!  One of my favorites."

 

"I really love this song."

 

"Awesome era--awesome music."

 

Classic song."

 

"Beautiful song."

This group formed in Champaign, Illinois, and got their unusual name from a make of high-speed antique fire engine.  They were a popular live band around Illinois, and soon were opening for Kansas and other acts.  Lead singer Kevin Cronin briefly attempted a solo career, but came back to the group. 

REO Speedwagon wasn't the most talented act from 1972-1982, but they more than made up for it with good old-fashioned work.  The group toured constantly despite low album sales.  They could have given up, but pressed on, continuing to write, record, and hit the road.

REO Speedwagon had finally hit the big time with their album Hi Infidelity in 1981, but their follow-up Good Trouble did not do well.  As songwriter and lead singer Kevin Cronin now describes the album, "It was half-baked".  In 1984, they began working on their new album Wheels Are Turnin', and may have had similar results had they not made a key decision.  The group halted production when they realized that only for or five of the 25 songs they had written were suitable for the album. 

REO found that when they had trouble coming up with songs for the album, it worked best to give each member of the group the time to write by themselves.  Cronin went to Molokai, Hawai'i and perfected a song he had written 10 years earlier but never finished.  

Cronin also co-produced the song with Gary Richrath and Alan Gratzer.  Richrath had discovered Cronin via a "Musicians' Referral Service" in Chicago, Illinois back in 1972.  REO Speedwagon released the single in late 1984, and by January, it was one of the hottest things going.

But "Can't Fight This Feeling" would have to contend with songs such as "Like A Virgin" and "Crazy For You" by Madonna, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears for Fears, "We Are The World" from USA for Africa, "I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder, Wham's "Careless Whisper", "I Want To Know What Love Is" by Foreigner, "You're The Inspiration" by Chicago, "One More Night" from Phil Collins, and "Caribbean Queen" by Billy Ocean. 

"Can't Fight This Feeling" not only held its own against that lineup; it gave REO a second #1 song, posting three weeks at the top and eight weeks in the Top 10.  It also reached #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and #1 in Canada, #2 in Australia, and #5 in Ireland.

The song went well over one million in single sales and helped sell 5.5 million albums for REO.

 

 

#354:

Hot Stuff 
Donna Summer
1979

"Beautiful.  Dancing.  Music."

 

"I love this!"

 

"Donna Summer.  Enough said.  Disco diva."

 

"Timeless!"

 

"Such a classic."

 

 

This one-of-a-kind talent grew up idolizing Mahalia Jackson, and she started out appearing with gospel groups in churches in Boston, Massachusetts.  She tried out for a part in the Broadway play Hair, but was offered a role in the play in Munich, Germany instead.  When the musical closed in Europe, Donna Summer remained, performing with the Vienna Folk Opera and singing backing vocals at MusicLand studios in Munich.

 

There, Summer met Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, but several collaborations failed to generate interest.  When one finally became a hit in France, Morder sent a copy to Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records.  Bogart played the nearly 17-minute version of "Love To Love You Baby" at a party, and received so many requests to repeat it that he signed Summer to a recording contract and released it as a single.

 

After that big hit, Summer recorded songs that, while people were eating them up on the dance floor, were not appreciated as much as they should have been--songs such as "I Feel Love" and "I Love You".  That all changed when Donna recorded "Last Dance" for the movie Thank God It's Friday.  Finally, her career was on the move.

Harold Faltermeyer, Bellotte, and Keith Forsey combined to write this classic.  Faltermeyer later enjoyed a hit of his own with "Axel F" from the movie Beverly Hills Cop.   Bogart suggested Summer pass "Hot Stuff" on to Cher, but Donna insisted on recording it herself.  It's a good thing, as "Hot Stuff" is her only song in the updated version of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  

"Hot Stuff" was released as a single from the album Bad Girls, and it became one of the dominant songs in the spring and summer of the year.  Top competition came from "My Sharona" by the Knack, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "Reunited" from Peaches & Herb, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson, "What A Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers, "She Believes In Me" by Kenny Rogers, and "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band.  

"Hot Stuff", part of a phenomenal run of eight consecutive Top 5 songs for Summer, features a solo from ex-Doobie Brother and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.  It led the way for three weeks at #1, and accumulated an impressive 14 weeks in the Top 10.  It also reached #3 on the R&B chart in the U.S., and charted at #1 in Canada, Australia, and Switzerland, #2 in Italy, Norway and Sweden, #3 in Austria, #5 in Germany, #7 in New Zealand and Finland and #10 in France. 

"Hot Stuff" went Platinum (two million in single sales) and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female.


 

 

#353:

A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) 

Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
1993

 

 

 

"This is one of the greats."

 

"A very beautiful song."

 

"Lovely song--classic!"

 

"The best Disney song ever."

 

"What a powerful song."

 

 

 

 

This is from the Disney animated classic Aladdin, starring the voice of the great Robin Williams.  Alan Menken and Tim Rice wrote Song #353*, a song about the world that the movie's characters, Aladdin and Jasmine, were going to discover together on Aladdin's magic carpet.

Menken also wrote music for the movies Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Enchanted.  Rice wrote lyrics for Beauty and the Beast as well as The Lion King, the massive hit movie that has become one of the most innovative and successful plays in Broadway history as well.

Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle did not perform the song for the body of the movie, but rather recorded a version that is played over the film's ending credits. 

Bryson & Belle released the single in October of 1992, and it did not stop gaining in popularity until it reached the summit.  "A Whole New World" also logged 4 weeks at #2 and 10 in the Top 10.  Among adults, which of course make up the vast majority of the population, the song held on to #1 for 6 weeks. 

The song competed against Whitney Houston's amazing "I Will Always Love You", "End Of The Road" from Boyz II Men, "If I Ever Fall In Love" by Shai, "That's The Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson,

"A Whole New World" has the distinction of replacing  Houston's "I Will Always Love You" at #1 after it had remained locked there for 14 weeks.  It is the first and only song from a Disney movie to go to #1.  "A Whole New World" also reached  #6 in Canada, #8 in New Zealand, and #10 in Australia.

The song was later included on Bryson's studio album Through the Fire and on Belle's album Passion.  "A Whole New World" won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal and Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or For Television and helped win the Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children and it won an Oscar for Best Song from a Motion Picture.

The song has sold over half a million copies and has already chalked up two million radio airplays.

#352:

Best Of My Love

Emotions
1977

"Luvin' this and can't get enough."

 

"Groovin'"

 

"What a positive song!"

 

"Classic song."

 

"One of the best of the disco songs--still stands the test of time."

 



This R&B trio made their first recordings at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.  With their father serving as their mentor, Sheils, Wanda and Jeanette Hutchinson started out as the Hutchinsons, then the Sunbeams.  While on tour, the group met the Staple Singers, which led to a contract with Stax/Volt Records in Memphis, Tennessee.  The group then renamed themselves the Emotions, and sister Pam replaced Jeanette. 

"Best Of My Love" was written by Earth Wind & Fire members Al McKay and Maurice White, and was also produced by White.  Maurice knew The Emotions (the sisters Wanda, Sheila and Pamela Hutchinson) from his pre-Earth, Wind & Fire days when he regularly drummed for the then-teenage girl group on their gigs in the Chicago area. The Emotions signed to Stax Records, and when that label imploded, White signed the group to his Kalimba Productions. Their first album with White was Flowers in 1976, and for their next one, White and McKay wrote "Best Of My Love" specifically for the group. For White, writing this song was a way of expressing a positive feeling in a style much better suited for The Emotions than for his band. White says he would have never written this song for Earth, Wind & Fire.  The song was featured in movie Boogie Nights.  

The group recorded the album Rejoice in 1977, and released the single "Best Of My Love" in June.
 

At the time, one could also hear great songs like "Hotel California" by the Eagles, "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees, "Dreams", "You Make Loving Fun", and "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone, "Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel, "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder, "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb, "We Are The Champions" from Queen, "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt, "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers, and "When I Need You" by Leo Sayer.

"Best Of My Love" roared to #1 for five weeks, then a record for a female group, and they also posted three weeks at #3.  All told, the Emotions scored 12 glorious weeks in the Top 10, and they also presided as the queen bees for four weeks at #1 on the R&B chart.

The Emotions took home the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.  The single sold one million copies, but the song has yet to be played one million times on the radio, a factor which hurt it in the rankings.  If a few million more people either buy it or request it on the radio, it could rise in the coming years.

Earth, Wind & Fire later joined forces with the Emotions for the 1979 smash "Boogie Wonderland".

 

 

 

 

#351:

Rose Garden
Lynn Anderson
1970

 

 

 

"Great song."

 

"This song is fantastico!"

 

"Timeless song."

 

"One of my all-time faves."

 

"Great performance by Lynn!"

 

 

Joe South wrote this great song that Lynn Anderson turned into a classic in 1970.  South enjoyed hits of his own with "Games People Play" and "Walk A Mile In My Shoes".  Several other artists recorded it, including Dobie Gray, Billy Joe Royal, and the Three Degrees, but it was Anderson that turned it into a hit.  After several years recording on Chart Records, Anderson signed a major recording contract with Columbia Records in time for the release of "Rose Garden".
 

Anderson's producer, husband Glenn Sutton, was at first hesitant to have Lynn record it, thinking the line "I could promise you things like big diamond rings" implied it was a man's song.  After arranging a more up-tempo, light-hearted melody, Sutton was satisfied, and Columbia boss Clive Davis had high hopes for it.  "Rose Garden" was the first single released from the album of the same name. 
 

In November, "Rose Garden" began appearing on radio stations.  At that time in 1970, listeners could also hear great songs such as "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison, "Fire And Rain" from James Taylor, "Black Magic Woman" by Santana, "We've Only Just Begun" and "For All We Know" by the Carpenters, "Your Song" from Elton John, "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5, "Me And Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin, "Knock Three Times" from Tony Orlando & Dawn, "Just My Imagination" by the Temptations, and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross.

 

Anderson tilled the soil until "Rose Garden" reached #3 for two weeks, and it also received significant radio play on Adult stations to attain #5.  But "Rose Garden's" forte was the Country chart, where it became one of The Top Country Songs of All-Time* with five weeks at #1. 

 

"Rose Garden" also went to #1 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Finland, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland and it went to #2 in the Netherlands,  #3 in the U.K., and #4 in Austria.

 

In retrospect, Anderson said "I believe that  'Rose Garden' was released at just the right time.  People were trying to recover from the Vietnam years.  The message in the song — that if you just take hold of life and go ahead, you can make something out of nothing — people just took to that."

 

"Rose Garden" sold one million singles and helped sell 2.5 million albums.  It captured the Grammy For Best Country Vocal Performance, Female and it also earned Anderson the Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year.  To date, the song has achieved over four million airplays.

 

Anderson won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and "Rose Garden" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Country Song.

 

 

You won't hear better songs anywhere in the world, because The Top 500* is an exclusive presentation of Inside The Rock Era.  All rights reserved.  Join us tomorrow for the next 10 classics.