100 SONGS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. This post: GHOST TOWN. Continues tomorrow.
Caffè Lattè pays tribute to 100 songs that innovated, changed the rules, defied convention and had a significant impact on the evolution of pop and rock music, presented in chronological order…
Check out the playlist on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1j1WNc1Txp4Loh4txnqu7S?si=01aa2a187ada4e3d
100 SONGS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
1981
💥71 Ghost Town
The Specials
The reprehensible Thatcher
Government was elected in 1979. As British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher
was at the helm of cruel policies that sparked outrage. The Specials spoke out
against her government through its songs which took British new wave into a new
direction. Ska music was enjoying a revival. The Specials were at the forefront
of this renaissance. Its brand of ska and punk morphed into the 2-Tone
movement. Of all of the band’s singles, the best known is “Ghost Town”. The
gloomy track is an unlikely #1 but it enjoyed 3 weeks at the chart summit. Its
message captures the desperation felt by the victims of Thatcher’s insensitivity.
Riots sprang out in various locations, most notably in Brixton. Clashes erupted
between black British youths and the police. “Ghost Town” captured that moment.
The track begins with an ominous wind blowing through desolate city streets.
Jerry Dammers’ keyboard only heightens the pessimistic tone. The lyrics deal
with unemployment, closures and violence. All the pieces come together to convey
the volatility of the era.
1980- Rapture
Vienna
Back In Black
Love Will Tear Us Apart
1979- London Calling
Rapper’s Delight
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
Good Times
1978- Wuthering Heights
1977- Stayin’ Alive
Heroes
I Feel Love
1976- Dancing Queen
Anarchy In The U.K.
Blitzkrieg Bop
1975- Gloria
Bohemian Rhapsody
Love To Love You Baby
Autobahn
No Woman, No Cry Live
1973- Personality Crisis
Living For the City
Time
Soul Makossa
1972- I Am Woman
1971- American Pie
Imagine
Theme From ‘Shaft’
What’s Going On
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
1969- Whole Lotta Love
1968- Helter Skelter
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Folsom Prison Blues Live
1967- Sunshine Of Your Love
A Day In The Life
Respect
Light My Fire
Venus In Furs
Strawberry Fields Forever
1966- Good Vibrations
Tomorrow Never Knows
Eight Miles High
1965- The Sounds Of Silence
My Generation
Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)
1964- You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
You Really Got Me
The House Of The Rising Sun
Where Did Our Love Go
1963- I Want To Hold Your Hand
Blowin’ In The Wind
Be My Baby
1962- Misirlou
1961- Crazy
1960- The Twist
Cathy’s Clown
1959- There Goes My Baby
What’d I Say
(Parts 1 & 2)
1957- Great Balls Of Fire
Jailhouse Rock
You Send Me
That’ll Be The Day
1955- Tutti Frutti
Maybellene
1955- Rock Around The Clock
1954- That’s All Right Mama
1951- Rocket 88
“Rapture” was included on Blondie’s
‘Autoamerican’ album which was issued in 1980. The following year, the track
was released as a single. When the disc reached #1 in America, it became the
first chart-topping rap hit. Here was a white American new wave band introducing
the mainstream to the emergent sound of the street. Blondie made rap safe for a
white audience that was discovering hip hop. For many, this was the first rap
song they ever purchased. Blondie had previously incorporated diverse styles
into its music: “Heart Of Glass” flirted with disco; “The Tide Is High”
featured reggae elements and “Sunday Girl” was a nostalgic throwback to the
girl groups and The Beach Boys. No other band was brave nor astute enough to fuse
disco, pop and electronic sounds with its new wave concepts the way Blondie did. “Rapture”
differed from other rap songs in that it was not built around any samples. The
whole track was original. Its title was a pun on rap music. Impressed with the nascent
New York hip hop scene, lead singer Deborah Harry took the risky move to rap on
the song. She delivers with aplomb, namechecking rappers Fab 5 Freddie and
Grandmaster Flash and adding a nod to The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”.
There’s nothing cheesy about the track, which became rap’s first major
international smash. The single reached the Top 10 in Britain, Europe, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In the same way that “Rock Around The
Clock” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” announced the arrival of rock ‘n’ roll
and Beatlemania respectively, “Rapture” declared that rap was emerging from the fringes. Since
then, hip-hop has only grown in influence, while it has permeated many other sub-genres. 
The UK music scene was gripped by
punk when Ultravox was creating its sound. The band was influenced by the punk
and new wave of the time but also drew inspiration from the recordings of David
Bowie and Brian Eno. Initially led by John Foxx, Ultravox’s debut album arrived
in 1977 with the original group name of ‘Ultravox!’. Various LPs followed but
none dented the charts. Members departed, including Foxx after Ultravox was
dropped by Island Records. The remaining line-up recruited Midge Ure. While his
entry divided some fans, it did change the group’s fortunes. Upon signing with the
Chrysalis label, Ultravox began work on its ‘Vienna’ album. The title track was
intentionally pompous, but what the group achieved with it was a defining moment
in synth-pop. “Vienna” is a classic constructed from a new canvas, with
grandeur, romanticism and innovation. It sounded like nothing Ultravox had
recorded before. Moreover, the track sounded like no other song. “Vienna” ushered
in a new trend: British electro-pop. The disc shot to #2 in Britain, the first of a series of hit singles.