It’s that time again, for another annual countdown for my Top 20 songs that turn 30 years old this year, 2021.  Starting on April 1 I will begin to countdown a song each day until my birthday on April 20 when I announce the #1 30-year old song.  I’ve mentioned this in prior intro posts, but to quickly reiterate, this is the criteria of how I determine my lists: – No covers or re-releases of tunes.  The song had to be released originally, and in the US, during this countdown year.  So, that means even though Power of Love/Love Power is …..more →

We have now reached the #1 song of 1980, and this one is a no-brainer.  The second I played this song, I just knew this would be the top track.  I mean, come on!  Is there anybody who has NOT heard this song before?  And it’s always this version, that’s how good it is.  I dare you to find a song release in 1980 that’s better than this one.  The #1 song turning 40 years old is Celebration by Kool & The Gang.

And now, we come to #1, and the reasons for this song’s placement are as much personal as they are musical.  The song is arguably one of the best ones written by them, but the influence this track had on me and my musician friends cannot be denied.  I sing this song a lot and I sing it with passion because it’s so good.  The lyrics are so good, and you would never know this song was 30 years old.  It sounds like it could be a hit today, and that’s the power of a great song.  So, the #1 …..more →

Trying to figure out where to place these last two songs was harder than any other countdown before.  My wife and I had these next two songs switched in our countdowns.  #2 is such a great song, especially since I played it with Electric Avenue, and the impact that song had was huge.  It established his use of models in his videos, but it also showed him destroying the iconic symbols of his previous album, which is one of the greatest of the 80s.  It was a daring move but one that made him even more a pop-music icon.  Coming …..more →

As we approach the very top of this countdown, we come to a song that still gets played at sporting events, parties, etc.  For a band whose songs were mainly written by the singer and guitarist, who would have thought that one of the very few songs written by the bass player would be Queen’s biggest billboard hit.  When you hear it, you know it, and its title is another phrase used repeatedly in various situations.  Coming in at #2 is Another One Bites The Dust by Queen.

Childhood alert again!  The second Hall & Oates song to enter this countdown is one I worn out on my mom’s vinyl player.  So upbeat, dance-able, it’s hard not to smile when you hear it, and it’s still being used today in commercials and dj parties.  Coming in at #3 is You Make My Dreams by Daryl Hall & John Oates.