Sometimes a song makes my countdown because it’s a phrase I have often repeated, many times in the same manner it was sung. I have used “back to life, back to reality” so many times, it’s literally part of my go-to library of catchphrases. So when I saw this song was released in 1989, I knew it had to be here. Check out this groove coming in at #15, Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) by Soul II Soul.
One big difference between my wife and I is she never watched music videos, while I was an MTV child. I used to have what had to be three 6-hour VCR tapes of recorded music videos, like it or not, MTV made a huge impact on my life. So, it’s no surprise why this song managed to get into this countdown. It was the first video played on MTV, and it’s also a really cool tune by some great musicians who also played in some other groups I came to love over the years. Coming in at #15 is Video …..more →
Like in my other countdown, #16 was also my last change for the 1979 countdown. I originally had Supertramp’s Logical Song in here, but thinking back, it wasn’t the first one that really hooked me in to the band. The whole song is solid – from the harmonica to the awesome outro. Logical Song is great, but my final choice for #16 in this countdown is Take The Long Way Home by Supertramp.
One thing I can say is that this list has gone through several iterations, but at some point it had to stop. #16 was my last change, and I decided to give Aerosmith’s only spot in this countdown this slot. I could not escape how rockin’ this tune was and how much I heard it when I was a teenager. Another song released at the same time, Janie’s Got a Gun, was close to hitting this countdown, but instead, coming in at #16 is Love in an Elevator by Aerosmith.
This #17 song only came back to my consciousness recently, but hit me just as hard. I forgot how much I used to love this song years ago, and when I heard it again for this list, it was back in my head again. Because he gets lobbed in the 80s period, people sometimes forget how great of a song writer Howard Jones is, and one example comes in at #17, Everlasting Love by Howard Jones.
I remember at different times in my life when this #17 song kept creeping up in my playlist of radio stations and song lists. It’s still a great tune, written in a quasi-blues fashion, and it’s by an incredible band, ELO. I love the harmonies too. Coming in at #17 is Don’t Bring Me Down by Electric Light Orchestra.