June is Black Music Month and to celebrate the occasion, That’s My Jam will feature some of the best contributions by black musicians in the genres its readers love: dance, pop and R&B.
Next on the agenda is pop, the fun, MTV and radio-ready chart-toppers whose catchy lyrics and melodies keep listeners singing along. Download these recommendations for some happy listening.
Chubby Checker
“The Twist” (1960)
― Reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 1960 and 1962
The Supremes
“Baby Love” (1964)
Four Tops
“Reach Out I’ll Be There” (1966)
Aretha Franklin
“Respect” (1967)
Marvin Gaye
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968)
― A successful chart hit the previous year for Gladys Knight and the Pips
Jackson 5
“ABC” (1970)
Stevie Wonder
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” (1970)
Al Green
“Let’s Stay Together” (1971)
The Temptations
“Papa Was a Rolling Stone” (1972)
Bill Withers
“Lean on Me” (1972)
― Remade in 1987 by Club Nouveau. Both versions made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100
Carl Douglas
“Kung Fu Fighting” (1974)
Ohio Players
“Love Rollercoaster” (1976)
Thelma Houston
“Don’t Leave Me This Way” (1977)
― Houston’s version is a cover of a hit originally performed by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Donna Summer
“Bad Girls” (1979)
Shannon
“Let the Music Play” (1983)
Pointer Sisters
“Jump (For My Love)” (1984)
Tina Turner
“Private Dancer” (1985)
Jody Watley
“Looking for a New Love” (1987)
― Introduced the popular phrase “Hasta la vista, baby” to pop culture
Billy Ocean
“Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” (1988)
Bobby Brown
“My Prerogative” (1988)
Janet Jackson
“Miss You Much” (1989)
Michael Jackson
“Remember the Time” (1992)
Gabrielle
“Dreams” (1993)
Eternal
“Stay” (1994)
― Eternal’s roster hails from London
TLC
“Waterfalls” (1995)
BLACKstreet featuring Dr. Dre and Queenpen
“No Diggity” (1996)
Mariah Carey featuring Jay-Z
“Heartbreaker” (1999)
Samantha Mumba
“Baby Come Over” (2001)
Ashanti
“Foolish” (2002)
Mis-teeq
“Scandalous” (2004)
― Replaced Britney Spears’ “Outrageous” as the theme for Halle Berry’s flick, Catwoman
Rihanna
S.O.S. (2006)
Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson and Doe
“The Way I Are” (2007)
Friday, June 13, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment