Greil Marcus’ new book, The History of Rock’N’Roll in Ten Songs, is basically a device to allow Marcus to riff about other artists and other songs. I found the book entertaining, but I came up with my own list of 10 songs to tell the story of Rock’N’Roll:
MY 10 SONGS:
1. “Return to Sender”–Elvis (1962)
2. “She Loves You”–The Beatles (1963)
3. “Come See About Me”–The Supremes (1964)
4.”Like a Rolling Stone”–Bob Dylan (1965)
5. “Tumblin’ Dice”–The Rolling Stones (1972)
6. “Bad Girls”–Donna Summer (1979)
7. “Hey Nineteen”–Steely Dan (1980)
8. “Live to Tell”–Madonna (1986)
9. “Genie In A Bottle”–Christina Aguilera (1999)
10. “Just Dance”–Lady Gaga (2008)
GREIL MARCUS’ 10 SONGS:
1.”Shake Some Action”–Flamin’ Groovies (1976)
2. “Transmission”–Joy Division (1979)
3. “In the Still of the Nite”–The Five Satins (1956)
4. “All I Could Do Was Cry”–Etta James (1960,) Beyonce (2011)
5. “Crying, Waiting, Hoping”–Buddy Holly (1959)
6. “Money (That’s What I Want)”–Barrett Strong (1960), Beatles (1963)
7. “Money Changes Everything”–Cyndi Lauper (1984)
8. “This Magic Moment”–The Drifters (1960)
9. “Guitar Drag”–Christian Marclay (2006)
10. “To Know Him Is To Love Him”–Amy Winehouse (2006)
What 10 songs would you choose to tell the history of rock & roll?
The #1 song I’d add that neither of you had is “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard. Also maybe “Johnny Be Goode” by Chuck Berry and “Don’t Worry Baby” or “Caroline No” by The Beach Boys.
Jeff, I didn’t start listening to rock & roll until 1960 or so. I tried to get The Beach Boys on my list but the limit of 10 songs forces painful decisions.
Marcus is great. I love his books. I need to read this one. My list:
1. Rocket 88 — Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats (in reality, Ike Turner)
2. Heartbreak Hotel — Elvis Presley
3. Tutti Frutti — Little Richard
4. Maybelline — Chuck Berry
5. Peggy Sue — Buddy Holly
6. Surfin’ USA — The Beach Boys
7. She Loves You — The Beatles
8. Win, Place, or Show (She’s a Winner) — the Intruders (first disco song)
9. Smoke on the Water — Deep Purple
10. Rapper’s Delight — the Sugar Hill Gang
Hi, Bill! Great list! I would have thought you would have included more Doo-Wop songs.
I should’ve had at least one.
I don’t believe ten of anything – song, book, film, single event – can tell a history, so I won’t even try. I do think you probably didn’t nee two Stones songs, though. I will work on a list of ten top favorites for this post, thought.
Gosh, George, I was listening to R&R a lot earlier than you, 1954 or so.
Rick, I was too busy playing outside to listen to the radio much. Once I got a transistor radio as a Birthday present, everything changed.
The first songs I remember hearing were Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins), Short Shorts (Royal Teens?), Lolli-Pop, Tequila, and the like.
1. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
2. She Loves You by The Beatles
3. Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones
4. Positively Fourth Street by Bob Dylan
5. Heroin by The Velvet Underground
6. Waterloo Sunset by The kinks
7. London Calling by The Clash
8. Take Me to the River by Talking Heads
9. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
10. Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.
Steve, I really like your inclusion of “God Only Knows” (my favorite Beach Boys song) and “Tears of a Clown” (my favorite Smokey Robinson & The Miracles song).
Like your list a lot. Am also impressed that you sent it at 9:58 am. MY list includes John Lennon’s cover of Stand By Me and Out of the Blue and Into the Black by Neil Young.
Michaele, I’m a big fan of Neil Young’s “Out of the Blue and Into the Black.”
At least I recognized most of your songs, George.
I couldn’t even begin to make up my own list.
Beth, it takes some thought and tough decision-making to come up with the right mix of songs. I’m with you on Marcus’ picks; I have to go to YouTube to hear some of his choices.
george-we need some narrative to tell us why you chose what you chose. Nice list though.
Patti, Elvis’ “Return to Sender” was the first “hit” I listened to with my new transistor radio. “She Loves You” was on heavy rotation at Buffalo radio stations back in 1963. You couldn’t get away from that song! “Come See About Me” triggered my love for Motown. I was in love with Diana Ross back then. “Like a Rolling Stone” is Bob Dylan’s best song. I heard him sing this song in a 1965 concert in Buffalo (my first rock concert!). “Tumblin’ Dice” is my favorite Rolling Stone song. I saw Donna Summer in concert when she sang “Bad Girls.” I fell in love with her, too! Steely Dan albums sounded great. I loved the rock-jazz fusion. “Hey Nineteen” still sounds good today. “Live to Tell” is one of the most enigmatic songs I’ve ever heard. It still haunts me. I took Patrick and Katie to a Christina Aguilera concert and “Genie in a Bottle” was specular! Plenty of smoke and pyrotechnics! Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” will have listeners 100 years from now. Infectious beat!
1. “Return to Sender”–Elvis (1962)
2. “She Loves You”–The Beatles (1963)
3. “Come See About Me”–The Supremes (1964)
4.”Like a Rolling Stone”–Bob Dylan (1965)
5. “Tumblin’ Dice”–The Rolling Stones (1972)
6. “Bad Girls”–Donna Summer (1979)
7. “Hey Nineteen”–Steely Dan (1980)
8. “Live to Tell”–Madonna (1986)
9. “Genie In A Bottle”–Christina Aguilera (1999)
10. “Just Dance”–Lady Gaga (2008)
Bill, I like your list. Here’s one:
1. Tutti Frutti, Little Richard
2. Heartbreak Hotel, Elvis Presley
3. Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
4. Rave On, Buddy Holly
5. Sleepwalk, Santo & Johnny (needs to be at least one instrumental)
6. Runaway, Del Shannon (I had to have toom for my favorite song!)
7. She Loves You, Beatles
8, Be My Baby, Ronettes
9. My Girl, Temptations
10. Caroline No, Beach Boys
You can see where my tastes start and end. Of course, an hour from now this could be a very different list.
Jeff, I love your Del Shannon choice! And The Ronettes! I should have included a Phil Spector song on my list.
Yeah, great list. I was trying to cover the history, sort of, in 10 songs, so I had to have disco and rap, which I otherwise wouldn’t have included.
Bill, I faced the same problems as you did: disco and pop icons like Madonna and Lady Gaga forced out other song choices.
‘room’
Any list that purports to be a history of rock and starts in 1976 is too preposterous for words.
Bob, Greil Marcus jumps around with his list. I went strictly chronological with my list with representative songs from all the decades.
Coincidently, I just added this book to my TBR list after reading the essay “Guitar Drag,” which was linked on Longform. I suppose the key word here is “history,” so with that in mind:
1. All Shook Up – Synthesized all that came before it; influenced all that came after it.
2. She Loves You – Beatlemania begins; for some of us, it never ends.
3. Good Vibrations – Next-level surf music.
4. Sugar Pie Honey Bunch – The Motown hit machine.
5. Staying Alive – The brief life and long shadow of Disco.
6. Anarchy in the U.K. – The even briefer life and equally long shadow of Punk.
7. Born in the USA – The apex of “The Boss”.
8. Like A Virgin – Madonna and girl-power.
9. I Will Always Love You – The “power ballad”.
10. Single Ladies – Girl-power Mach II.
I could have made ten different lists with ten different songs.
Deb, outstanding list! “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Like A Virgin” are classics! And who can sit still when “Stayin’ Alive” comes on!
I remembered that Brian Wilson considers “Be My Baby” the greatest rock & roll song of all time.
Jeff, “Be My Baby” is an almost perfect song.
Okay, I couldn’t come up with just ten, so here’s THIRTY. Heaven Knows how many I missed because I didn’t think of them.
Rock Around the Clock – Bill Haley and the Comets
At the Hop – Danny and the Juniors
Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
La Bamba – Ritchie Valens
Maybellene – Chuck Berry
Please Please Me – Beatles
I Saw Her Standing There – Beatles
Satisfaction – Rolling Stones
Come See About Me – Supremes
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – The Platters
Over The Rainbow – The Skyliners
Heard it Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye
Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
Subterranean Homesick Blues – Bob Dylan
Light My Fire – The Doors
White Rabbit – The Jefferson Airplane
Purple Haze – Jimmy Hendricks
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – Iron Butterfly
Sittin’ OnThe Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
Knock On Wood – Eddie Floyd
Marrakesh Express – Crosby, Still & Nash
Teach Your Children – Crosby Still & Nash
White Room – Cream
Take It Easy – Eagles
Desperado – Eagles
Hotel California – Eagles
It’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll (But I like It) – Rolling Stones
Late For the Sky – Jackson Browne
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? – Chicago Transit Authority (later just Chicago)
Soul Man – Sam & Dave
Time – The Chambers Brothers
Stayin’ Alive – The Bees Gees
You Should Be Dancing – Bee Gees
Love Train – The O’Jays
Bad Girls – Donna Summer
Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
Can’t Get It Out of My Head – Electric Light Orchestra
Hey Nineteen – Steely Dan
Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears For Fears
Rick, great list…but 20 songs too long. The whole 10 song device by Marcus forces painful choices.
Oh crikey, I forgot The Beach Boys – I’ll go with Fun, Fun, Fun.
Nice list, Rick. I’m sure a lot of people did it but I’m assuming you meant this version of “Over the Rainbow” by The Demensions.
You’re right, George. The Skyliners did “Since I Don’t Have You”, which was a favorite back in the day.
Thanks for the narrative, George. Always interesting to see what draws someone to a song. A day after I made my list, I could change a lot of the picks. Next I need to do one from 1970 to today.
Patti, you provided a great list of songs! Like you, I could change my list depending on my mood.