Greetings Manic Fans. Les here to continue my top 200 songs I feel achieved something amazing through song content, performance or musical arrangement/recording. These are the songs that mesmerize and make you go WHOA!….they then make you want to listen to them over and over. This will not be ranked as my favorite song changes on a minute to minute basis LOL! The numbers are simply to keep track on the count to 200.
Click here for songs 1-10 https://www.manic-expression.com/my-top-200-best-songs-for-content-performance-and-arrangementrecording-songs-1-10by-les/
Click here for songs 11-20 https://www.manic-expression.com/my-top-200-best-songs-for-content-performance-arrangementrecording-songs-11-20by-les/
And on with the list:
21. Fly like an Eagle(Steve Miller Band)
Steve Miller always had a way with catchy phrases and utilizing very unique musical arrangements and use of synthesizers to augment the sound. This song is a great example of what this band could do.
22. Come Sail Away(Styx)
Dennis DeYoung has one of the best power ballad voices in the business and this song really showcases it well. Add in a great chorus and this song will leave you feeling energized.
23. I’ve got you under my skin(Frank Sinatra)
Put the “Chairman of the Board,†together with master arranger Nelson Riddle to sing a classic song by Cole Porter and stand back to see magic occur. Featuring some of the finest big band horn section work(including one really bitching trombone solo), this song swings hard, my friends.
24. Hotel California(The Eagles)
When you think of The Eagles, you invariably think of 5 songs: “Desperado,â€â€Take it Easy,â€â€Lying Eyes,â€â€Life in the Fast Lane,†and this song. Combining the band’s signature 5-part harmony with some really sharp guitar work and soloing, the band tells a mystical tale of a hotel that could’ve been the inspiration for the one in “The Shining.â€(Well, without the homicide…but being trapped, you know?)
25. Georgia on my mind(Ray Charles)
MMMM….Sweet soulful singing and a great orchestral arrangement take you into a very personal love that leaves no doubt as to why they made this song the official State song of Georgia.
26. Jump(Van Halen)
Oh, HELL YEAH! Best use of an Analog Synth sound EVER!(second best goes to EUROPE for “The Final Countdown,†but I digress…). This song rocks hard and really suits David Lee Roth’s vocal abilities well. Major points go to Eddie Van Halen for that amazing guitar work.
27. Don’t Stop Believing(Journey)
Wow! Talk about a great sing-a-long chorus at the end. It’s nearly as infectious as “Hey Jude†by the Beatles. “DOOOON’T STOP…BE..LIEVING!…..HOLD ON TO THE FEEEEEEEEEEELINNNNNNG!!!!†I dare you to listen to this and not sing along at the end LOL!
28. Prelude/Chocolate Fudge(Mannheim Steamroller)
New Age music got its start in the early 1970’s and this group was one of the pioneers of the new craft. Chip Davis took an orchestral style best categorized as “Bach meets Celtic†and mixed it with synthesizer music to produce an electrifying new sound that’s never matched no matter how hard others try to capture it. This was the first song of this new sound. While this is 2 separate tracks on the CD, I consider them part of the same song for the intro feel of Prelude that goes straight into Chocolate Fudge.
29. Afscheid(Volumia!)
While Dutch music isn’t really known all that well internationally, I wanted to include this number in my list, as I really love the music and the singing. Translated, it comes down to another “I don’t want you to leave me†songs of desperation. While not nearly as powerful as “Ne Me Quitte Pas,†it is, nonetheless a highly emotional delivery that is moving.
30. Linus and Lucy(Vince Guaraldi)
The sound of the Peanuts specials. Simple piano/bass/drums/percussion really give you a taste of Jazz by one of the great players of all time. Schroeder couldn’t have picked a catchier tune to perform during the “goof off†parts of the Christmas Play rehearsal scenes.
And that’s songs 21-30. Stay tuned for more great songs, my friends. Peace.
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