40s
Released in early 1940, this big band swing anthem recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra spent 13 weeks at #1.
What is "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra?
In Bobby Darin's famous recording of this track, he shouts out fellow jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald toward the end of the song.
What is "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin?
Written by Paul McCartney to comfort young Julian Lennon during his parents' divorce, this 1968 Beatles smash spent nine weeks at #1.
What is "Hey Jude" by The Beatles?
This iconic 1977 disco anthem by The Bee Gees features Robin and Barry Gibb's famous falsetto and served as the opening track to the hit film Saturday Night Fever.
What is "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees?
During a 1983 television performance of this hit on Motown 25, Michael Jackson debuted his signature dance move, the moonwalk.
What is "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson?
This 1940 hit spent 12 weeks at #1 on Billboard's first-ever national sales chart and featured a young Frank Sinatra on lead vocals.
What is "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey feat. Frank Sinatra?
Elvis Presley hit #1 in 1957 with this rock and roll anthem about a warden throwing a party in the county jail.
What is "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley?
The opening line of this 1960 rock and roll classic asks: "Come on baby, let's do..." this famous dance.
What is "The Twist" by Chubby Checker?
This epic 1971 classic by Don McLean famously mourns the tragic 1959 plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper.
What is "American Pie" by Don McLean?
In this soul-searching track, Prince reflects on family patterns, singing: "Maybe I'm just like my mother / She's never satisfied."
What is "When Doves Cry" by Prince?
Written by Johnny S. Black in 1915, this song lay virtually forgotten for nearly three decades until The Mills Brothers recorded it as a B-side during World War II.
What is "Paper Doll" by The Mills Brothers?
Buddy Holly co-wrote this song after hearing John Wayne repeat a famous catchphrase multiple times in the 1956 John Ford western movie The Searchers.
What is "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly & The Crickets?
In this uplifting soul track, the singer boasts that even in the middle of winter, he has "all the heat I can desire" because of his love for this person.
What is "My Girl" by The Temptations?
In this worldwide #1 hit, the song's subject is described as being "young and sweet, only seventeen."
What is "Dancing Queen" by ABBA?
Cyndi Lauper changed key lyrics in the original song so that instead of complaining about women, the song championed women's desire to enjoy the same freedom as men.
What is "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper?
Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters learned and recorded this million-selling smash hit in a single 30-minute studio session on July 25, 1944.
What is "Don't Fence Me In" by Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters?
In this country-pop classic, the singers sing about how they can hold and kiss their sweetheart anytime, day or night, simply by closing their eyes and doing this.
What is "All I Have to Do Is Dream" by The Everly Brothers?
Bob Dylan originally wrote the draft for this song as a sprawling 10-page piece of verse before condensing it into four verses and a famous chorus.
What is "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan?
Served as the answer track to Lindsey Buckingham's harsh breakup song "Go Your Own Way," this song offered a softer, more philosophical perspective on their relationship's end.
What is "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac?
Slash's iconic opening guitar riff leads off this 1987 hard rock anthem, which features Axl Rose singing affectionately about a love with eyes as blue as the bluest skies.
What is "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses?
This 1946 #1 hit by The Ink Spots centers on a brokenhearted lover who goes to a fortune teller to ask if their sweetheart's love is true.
What is "The Gypsy" by The Ink Spots?
This iconic song asks whether the title lady's famous smile is meant to hide a broken heart or if it is just a warm, enticing sign of love.
What is "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole?
In this comforting classic, the singer promises he won't cry or shed a tear as long as his love stays right by his side.
What is "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King?
Released as the title track of his 1971 album, this song became the best-selling single of John Lennon's solo career.
What is "Imagine" by John Lennon?
The song's hopeful lyrics plead with a lover for a chance at romance, declaring: "I'll be gone in a day or two."
What is "Take on Me" by A-ha?