CAFFE` LATTE` 
TOP 1200 CHOICE TRACKS

Mid-week bonus: #553-551
#553 LOVESONG Adele
The best cover versions take a song and totally transform it into something seemingly fresh and new. Adele did just that with her remake of a song from, of all sources, goth group The Cure. "Lovesong" was penned by the group. The original version was a #2 US hit in 1989. Rock funk group 311 covered it in 2004 for the '50 First Dates' film soundtrack. 
Adele's rendition approaches the song as if it were a blue-eyed soul standard. It gradually builds up to its heartfelt climax. She co-produced the track with Jim Abbiss for her '21' album, which was unleashed in 2011. It's now the definitive version of "Lovesong", which is what the best covers are meant to achieve.

#552 PAINTED DESERT Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar's husband Neil Geraldo is also the guitarist in her band. He wrote the moody "Painted Desert" with her drummer, Myron Grombacher. The track was included on Benatar's 1984 album 'Tropico'. Geraldo co-produced the LP with Peter Coleman.  
"... Desert" finds the female rocker missing her man. The desolation of the environment is used to reflect the void she feels without him on this sensitive ballad. It was 1 of 5 tracks lifted as a single from the platinum album.

#551 DOWNTOWN Petula Clark
Petula Clark had enjoyed a string of hits in Britain, Europe, Canada and Australia. Along with songs sung in English, she had charted with French recordings. The USA proved impregnable, until  "Downtown" changed everything. 
In 1964, Tony Hatch played a new tune for the singer to consider. Clark loved it. The song evolved into "Downtown". The single peaked at #1 in the UK and soon reached the top of the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany and Italy. In the US, the single was her first to make the Hot 100 in late December. Just 5 weeks later, the disc had reached the chart summit. Clark recorded the song in Italian using the title "Ciao Ciao" and in French as "Dans Le Temps". Along with composing "Downtown", Hatch produced the track.


This is a list made up of the songs I enjoy the most, ranked in order of preference: the higher we go, the more I cherish them. Some were released as singles, others as album tracks. Some are obscure; others were worldwide hits or have universal appeal. They aren't always the most famous or popular, but simply a personal choice. I have excluded songs from the last few years in order to get a better idea of a song's lasting impression. I hope you find some new tracks to love, or re-discover some past favourites.
2 new songs are added each day (every 12 hours)  with a mid-week bonus every Wednesday. Today, 3 songs will be added every 6 hours.