1920s-1940s
The 1938 version of this nursery rhyme was co-written by Ella Fitzgerald and is the first song that brought her to the public's attention.
This is the first national single by Jackson 5 in October 1969
Following the death of Prince, this song was once again on the music charts, reaching number 41.
The song initially gained popularity on the social video sharing app TikTok and eventually entered the Billboard charts in March 2019.
This Bodyguard actress was known as "The Voice" and as one of the best selling musical artists of all time, until her death in 2012. You may know her best from her cover of a Dolly Parton song.
In 1930s Hollywood, Black actors were not filmed singing to each other, so Louis Armstrong sang this song to a horse
In the fall of 1960, The Marvelettes formed to perform in a high school talent show. They came in fourth place and gained a chance to audition for a new record label called Motown. This is their first hit.
Having already performed at the Nelson Mandela Tribute concert earlier that day, then unknown singer/songwriter Tracey Chapman was asked to fill in quickly when there was a technical problem. She sang this song to the restless crowd of 80,000 people. It became her signature song and her debut album sold 1.75 million extra copies in the next two weeks.
On July 27, 2015, actor Tom Cruise performed this Weeknd song in a "Lip Sync Battle" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
This artist began her career as "Little Ann" (Anna Mae Bullock) in 1958, when she appeared on her first record "Box Top". In 1960, she changed her name and debuted as who?
This Cab Calloway hit was associated with the cartoon "Betty Boop" in 1932. Tupac Shakur and Chopmaster J made a hip hop version of the song in 1989.
This 1976 Stevie Wonder song was written as a tribute to Duke Ellington, a popular jazz musician.
This 1995 song is considered by many to be TLC's signature song
This Lizzo track debuted on The Late Late Show with James Corden in March 2022.
This 2003 Beyonce/Jay Z collaboration has been used on the soundtrack of six films and at least two television shows, including Glee
This 1937 Billie Holiday song protests the lynching of Black Americans with lyrics that compare the victims to the fruit of the trees.
Originally recorded by Big Momma Thornton in 1952, this song has been covered over 250 times.
In 1979, this song became the first rap song to be played on the radio. It was used in the movie The Wedding Singer in 1998.
Following its release as a single, it reached number one in Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Israel and the top five in twenty-four countries worldwide including Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Rihanna's twenty-fourth top ten on the chart, thus surpassing Whitney Houston's tally.
This is first single on Lenny Kravitz's third album and is still his most well known hit.
A traditional folk song that dates back to at least the 1870s. It began as a combination of two different songs and is now well known by at least three different names. It has been covered by Lead Belly, Dolly Parton and Nirvana, to name a few.
This song was written in 1964 when the singer and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel. It became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and it still played today (REWORD--Floyd, BLM)
It would take a long time to count the number of times Usher says the name of the song in his biggest hit of 2004
Samara Joy won the Best New Artist Grammy two weeks ago, on February 5th, 2023. This song was released in September 2022.
She is 23 years old!
The Minneapolis sound is a subgenre of funk rock with elements of new wave and synth-pop. Its popularity was given a boost throughout the 1980s thanks to Prince and groups he organized or produced. Name this Sheila E song that makes Shayne want to go roller skating.