Rap/Hip Hop
"It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! magazine
Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine"
What is Juicy by The Notorious B.I.G.?
"Juicy" was Notorious B.I.G.'s first hit, kickstarting a fast rise to fame. He wrote almost all of his own songs, filling his tracks with clever and very considered wordplay. Many rappers like to freestyle in the studio, but Biggie would write and refine his lyrics.
Baby, can't you see I'm calling?
A guy like you should wear a warning
It's dangerous, I'm falling
What is Toxic by Britney Spears?
"Toxic" was the most-searched song on Google in 2004; Spears was the most-searched artist that year. This won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. It was Spears' first Grammy.
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see
What is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen?
This was Queen's first Top 10 hit in the US, peaking at #9 on April 24, 1976. In the UK, where Queen was already established, it went to #1 on November 29, 1975 and stayed for nine weeks, a record at the time.
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game
What is Defying Gravity from Wicked?
Nearly 21 years after its debut, the original Broadway cast recording of Wicked soared into the top 40 of the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time. On the chart dated December 7, 2024, the album climbed to new heights, fueled by the renewed excitement surrounding the recently released film adaptation of the stage musical.
O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming
What is The Star Spangled Banner?
The poem that formed the basis of the lyrics was penned in 1814 during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer who was sent to negotiate with the British in an attempt to gain the release of an American prisoner they were holding.
"Guys you know you'd better watch out
Some girls, some girls are only about"
What is Doo-Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill?
Hailing from New Jersey, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released that August. Fueled by the success of the single “Doo Wop (That Thing),” the album went multiplatinum in several countries, and in 1999 Hill was nominated for 10 Grammy Awards. She won five, including those for best new artist and album of the year.
Clock strikes upon the hour
And the sun begins to fade
Still enough time to figure out
How to chase my blues away
What is I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)?
This won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. It also took the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single.
I love rock 'n roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock 'n roll
So come and take your time and dance with me"
What is I Love Rock 'N Roll by Joan Jett?
"I Love Rock And Roll" was originally recorded by a British group called The Arrows in 1975, Jett was touring England as a member of an all teenage girl group called The Runaways when she discovered this song. She wanted to record it with The Runaways, but the other members didn't like the song and made the mistake of passing it up.
I'ma get a scholarship to King's College
I probably shouldn't brag, but dang, I amaze and astonish
The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish
What is My Shot from Hamilton?
After Alexander Hamilton moves to New York, he searches for a thing to be a part of. He soon joins the movement for United States independence where he meets some of the characters in the play and Hamilton’s real friends. It finishes with the call to “Rise Up!” against the British regime.
Miranda said he spent 2009 writing this song:
MIRANDA: It means… Hamilton’s so much smarter than me. This is the song where Hamilton comes into the room and blows everyone away with the strength of his oratory. So every couplet has to be amazing.
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
What is Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday?
The song very quickly transcended into a protest song, which Holiday continued to perform live despite the grave threats she received from angry detractors. Her adamancy to continue performing the song, disregarding the personal stakes at hand, landed her in prison, banned her from select nightclubs, and played a large factor in her untimely passing in 1959.
"Never meant to make your daughter cry
I apologized a trillion times"
What is Ms.Jackson by OutKast?
The lyrics are a message to the mother of singer Erykah Badu. Andre 3000, one of the rappers in the group, had a child with Badu out of wedlock named Seven Sirius Benjamin. He wanted Badu's mother to hear his side of the story, as he felt he was being portrayed as a bad father. He felt Badu kept him away from their child on purpose.
For forty days and for forty nights, law was on her side
But who can stand when she's in demand? Her schemes and plans
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round
What is Billie Jean by Michael Jackson?
This song is about a girl who claimed Jackson was the father of her child. Jackson based it on a woman who used to stalk him, writing him letters about a son she thought was his. Jackson rarely spoke about this woman, but he had a very hard time dealing with this unwanted attention and became more reclusive as a result. The song was his way of expressing his feelings without addressing her directly.
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
What is Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvanna?
This was the first "alternative" song to become a huge hit, and in many ways it redefined the term, as "alternative" implies lack of popularity, but the song was embraced by the mainstream. Kurt Cobain got the title from a friend who wrote on her bedroom wall, "Kurt smells like teen spirit" which was a girl's deodorant brand
'Cause the world keeps spinning
'Round and 'round
And my heart's keeping time
To the speed of sound
I was lost 'til I heard the drums
Then I found my way
'Cause you can't stop the beat
What is You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray?
You Can't Stop The Beat" is the finale number in the 2002 musical Hairspray. Although the lyrics touch on sizeism and racism, the song also references broader themes of change and progression. The song pays tribute to the Phil Spector-produced 1966 Ike & Tina Turner hit "River Deep – Mountain High".
It's the same old theme, since 1916
In your head, in your head, they're still fightin'
With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are dyin'
What is Zombie by the Cranberries?
The Cranberries describe the violence in “The Troubles,” the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland between nationalists (mainly self-identified as Irish or Roman Catholic) and unionists (mainly self-identified as British or Protestant).
"And when he tells you you ain't nuttin' don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him
'Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin' to gas ya up, I just call 'em how I see 'em (you don't need him)"
What is Keep Ya Head Up by 2Pac?
"Keep Ya Head Up" may be described as an ode to especially black women, and is dedicated to the memory of Latasha Harlins, who's death was one of the causes of the LA Riots
Life is a mystery
Everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home
What is Like a Prayer by Madonna?
"Like A Prayer" was the first song by a major artist to be used in a commercial before being released to stores or radio stations. With the cola wars heating up, Pepsi signed Madonna to a $5 million endorsement deal, which included a two-minute commercial that would debut this song.
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven
When she gets there, she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
What is Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin?
The most famous rock song of all time, "Stairway To Heaven" wasn't a chart hit because it was never released as a single to the general public. Radio stations received promotional singles which quickly became collector's items.
Touch me
It's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me
You'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day
Has begun
What is Memory from Cats?
Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin'
Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
What is The Times They Are A Changin by Bob Dylan?
I wanted to write a big song, with short concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way. The civil rights movement and the folk music movement were pretty close for a while and allied together at that time. Almost everyone knew everyone else. I had to play this song on the same night that President Kennedy died. Somehow it became a constant opening song and remained that for a long time".
"I said a hip-hop, the hippie, the hippie
To the hip, hip-hop and you don't stop the rockin'
To the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie
To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat"
What is Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang?
This was the first rap song to enter the US Hot 100. Rap music had been around for about seven years, but it was usually heard at block parties and discos where DJs would loop breakbeats and MCs would add live vocals. Outside of the Bronx, rap was generally considered a fad, and record companies had no interest in financing it.
Oh, please, say to me
You'll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You'll let me hold your hand
What is I Wanna Hold Your Hand by The Beatles?
"I Want To Hold Your Hand," a very innocent and inescapably catchy song about young love, was the first Beatles song to catch on in America. In 1963, the Beatles became stars in the UK, but couldn't break through in the US. They couldn't get a major label to distribute their singles in America, so their first three singles there, "Please Please Me," "From Me to You" and "She Loves You," were issued on small labels and flopped, even though they were hits in their native land.
I was working part time in a five-and-dime
My boss was Mr. McGee
He told me several times that he didn't like my kind
'Cause I was a bit too leisurely
What is Raspberry Beret by Prince?
"Raspberry Beret" tells the story of a young man captivated by a lady who comes into the store where he is a lowly employee with a rocky relationship with his boss. This girl is a little crazy - she goes in through the out door - very fashionable, and just a touch rebellious.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
What is Seasons of Love from RENT?
The composer of this show died 3 days before RENT was slated for its Broadway opening
We came in spastic like tameless horses
We left in plastic as numbered corpses
And we learned fast to travel light
Our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight
What is Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel?
This is a very unusual song for Joel, who stays away from political songs and never served in the military. He composed it after he was asked to write a song by a veterans' group. Since Joel had no firsthand experience with combat and no interest in espousing his views on the topic, he was reticent, but the group told him that they would tell him what to write.