List-a-Beefy

Year Spotlight: 2006

2006 also completely whiffed on the final top 100 #3s.  Here's what missed the cut:

1. Be Without You - Mary J. Blige
2. What You Know - T.I.
3. It's Goin' Down - Yung Joc Featuring Nitti
4. Me & U - Cassie
5. (When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me - Sean Paul
6. Buttons - The Pussycat Dolls Featuring Snoop Dogg
7. Too Little Too Late - JoJo
8. How to Save a Life - The Fray
9. Lips of an Angel - Hinder

Porbably 8 is the best of the batch with 4 as the most poppy with 6 running it a close second.  All of this though is fine to leave off methinks.  And thou?

Year Spotlight: 2005

Another blanking year is 2005.  That year saw:

1. Lovers and Friends - Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring Usher and Ludacris
2. Soldier - Destiny's Child (feat. T.I. & Lil Wayne)
3. Disco Inferno - 50 Cent
4. Obsession (No Es Amor) - Frankie J
5. Just a Lil Bit - 50 Cent
6. Don't Phunk With My Heart - The Black Eyed Peas
7. Lose Control - Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara & Fat Man Scoop
8. Like You - Bow Wow (feat. Ciara)
9. My Humps - The Black Eyed Peas

Of these, 9 is the most iconic though not necessarily good.  My needs for 50 Cent songs is close to zero.  The rest are 'and the rest' territory or worse.

Year Spotlight: 2002

A lot of years from the 00s totally blanked on this list.  Her'es the first, 2002:

1. U Don't Have to Call - Usher
2. Hero - Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott
3. Hey Ma - Cam'ron feat. Julez Santana and Freekey Zekey)
4. Underneath It All - No Doubtfeaturing Lady Saw
5. Jenny from the Block - Jennifer Lopez featuring Jadakiss & Styles

Of these 3 and 4 are my favorites, but nothing worthy of the top 100.

#61

61. November Rain – Guns 'n' Roses

Stats:

• #3 for 2 Weeks in 1992 (August - September)
• Best higher charting song: End of the Road - Boyz II Men
• Worst higher charting song: Baby-Baby-Baby - TLC 
• Top 100 #3 Hits 1955-2002 Rank: #51

GnR's attempt to pull off a Stairway to Heaven is mostly successful despite being more about bombast. But hey, who's counting?  If you are into the whole late 80s rock thing, this is the culmination of that effort.  If you're not, here's 8 minutes of mostly obvious guitar licks and lyrics.  But it makes a great singalong for people of my age.

Coming up: #60 - "You see them on the freeway; it don't look like a lot of fun"

#62

62. She Bop – Cyndi Lauper

 Stats:

• #3 for 3 Weeks in 1984 (September)
• Best higher charting song: What's Love Got to Do With It - Tina Turner 
• Worst higher charting song: Missing You - John Waite
• Top 100 #3 Hits 1955-2002 Rank: #58

Naughty. Just naughty, but super fun.  Lauper showed so much versatility on her first three major singles that she seemed to be all things to all people.  Girls was a raucous anthem, Time after Time, a downbeat love song and She Bop was sex right on the line.  Indeed, she can thank Darling Nikki for taking the heat off of what would have been the most the raunchiest song of the year.  The songs also wastes no time getting to heart of the matter with a few drum beats and then a guitar riff that just circles your brain for hours without being irritating.  And of course the lyrics, which also work as a pronoun tutorial, express the importance of loving yourself.

Coming up: #61 - "I can see a love restrained"

#63

63. Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees

Stats:

• #3 for 2 Weeks in 1967 (August - September)
• Best higher charting song:All You Need is Love - The Beatles 
• Worst higher charting song: Ode to Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry
• Top 100 #3 Hits 1955-2002 Rank: #83

The Monkees later stuff is much more serious than their early stuff which is lighter and more fun.  Standing across this chasm is Pleasant Valley Sunday, which is equal parts scathing criticism and peppy pop song.  This song dates itself as being from '67 with its fake Strawberry Fields ending and amplified distortion, but it outlasts that by picking up on late 60s surbia and presaging most the 70s and 80s as well.  It turns out that status symbol land would continue to be a more potent lure than the Monkees who only reached the top ten once more after this.

Coming up: #62 - "Do I wanna go out with a lion's roar?"  

#64

64. You're The Inspiration – Chicago

 Stats:

• #3 for 2 Weeks in 1985 (January - February)
• Best higher charting song: Like a Virgin - Madonna 
• Worst higher charting song: All I Need - Jack Wagner 
• Top 100 #3 Hits 1955-2002 Rank: #56

This song is not for me, but John really likes it. Indeed, it made the finals for his first dance with his wife.  So, what can I say about it.  Most 80s Chicago is in the AC love song category and really they owned that for the whole decade.  It was a long way from their jazz-pop roots, but it also reflected a maturity of thought as well.  Regardless, teenagers need songs to make-out to and pledge their undying love to each.  This works for that.

Coming up: #63 - "My thoughts all seem to stray to places far away"

#64

64. You're The Inspiration – Chicago

 Stats:

• #3 for 2 Weeks in 1985 (January - February)
• Best higher charting song: Like a Virgin - Madonna 
• Worst higher charting song: All I Need - Jack Wagner 
• Top 100 #3 Hits 1955-2002 Rank: #56

This song is not for me, but John really likes it. Indeed, it made the finals for his first dance with his wife.  So, what can I say about it.  Most 80s Chicago is in the AC love song category and really they owned that for the whole decade.  It was a long way from their jazz-pop roots, but it also reflected a maturity of thought as well.  Regardless, teenagers need songs to make-out to and pledge their undying love to each.  This works for that.

Coming up: #63 - "My thoughts all seem to stray to places far away"

Year Spotlight: 1997

I like this song, but it didn't make:

1. Say You'll Be There - Spice Girls

Such is life.

Year Spotlight: 1995

My high school graduation year totally blanked on the #3s list. Here's what we left off:

1. Run Away - Real McCoy
2. I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By - Method Man & Mary J. Blige
3. Boombastic - Shaggy
4. Runaway - Janet Jackson
5. Hey Lover - LL Cool J

I like a couple of these songs but I can also see them missing this list as well.  Do you think so too?