Scorpions "No One Like You"

"No One Like You" is a song by the German rock band Scorpions, written by band members Rudolf Schenker (guitar) and Klaus Meine (vocals). It first appeared on the band's 1982 album Blackout, and was one of three hits from the album. The song reached #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the US Rock Tracks chart. The song is included in the video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. [Wikipedia]

Scorpions "When the Smoke Is Going Down"

"When the smoke is going down" is a song from a German band Scorpions album Blackout released in 1982. [Wikipedia]

Blondie "Call Me"

"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie released in 1980. The song topped the singles charts in both the US (where it bacame the band's biggest selling single) and the UK (where it became their fourth no.1 hit). The single was released in the United States in February 1980. It peaked at #1 for 6 weeks, and was certified Gold (for one million copies sold) by the RIAA. It also spent four weeks at number two on the U.S. Dance chart. It was released in the UK two months later, where it became Blondie's fourth UK no.1 single in little over a year. The song was also played on a British Telecom advert from the 1980s. Twenty-five years after its original release, "Call Me" was ranked at #283 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song lists at #44 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. The song was the main theme of the film American Gigolo. [Wikipedia]

Eurythmics "Thorn In My Side"

"Thorn in My Side" is a song recorded by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was released as a single from the duo's Revenge album in the UK and the U.S. in 1986. Written by band members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, the song is a cast-off to an unfaithful lover. After one mid-charting UK hit from Revenge, "Thorn in My Side" became Eurythmics' ninth Top 10 single, reaching number five in the UK singles chart. To date, it is their last appearance in the UK Top 10. In the United States, the track stalled at number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100. [Wikipedia]

Lynyrd Skynyrd "Sweet Home Alabama"

"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping. "Sweet Home Alabama" was written as an answer to two songs, "Southern Man" and "Alabama" by Neil Young, which dealt with themes of racism and slavery in the American South. "We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," said Ronnie Van Zant at the time. Van Zant's musical response, however, was also controversial, with references to Alabama Governor George Wallace (a noted supporter of segregation) and the Watergate scandal:

In Birmingham, they love the governor (boo boo boo)
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth

In 1975, Van Zant said: "The lyrics about the governor of Alabama were misunderstood. The general public didn't notice the words 'Boo! Boo! Boo!' after that particular line, and the media picked up only on the reference to the people loving the governor." "The line 'We all did what we could do' is sort of ambiguous," Kooper notes "'We tried to get Wallace out of there' is how I always thought of it." Journalist John Swenson argues that the song is more complex than it is sometimes given credit for, suggesting that it only looks like an endorsement of Wallace. "Wallace and I have very little in common," Van Zant himself said, "I don't like what he says about colored people."

As of 2009, the State of Alabama has begun using the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama" as an official slogan on license plates for motor vehicles, with Governor Bob Riley noting that Lynyrd Skynyrd's anthem is the third most-played song referencing a specific destination. (This is also the second Alabama license plate in a row to reference a popular song. Sweet Home Alabama has appeared in many commercials, movies, and subsequent recordings by other bands. It remains a popular request on classic rock radio stations and has been featured in many movies, including True Romance, To Die For, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Con Air, The Waterboy, Forrest Gump, Joe Dirt, 8 Mile, The Girl Next Door, Sweet Home Alabama, "Crimson Tide" and Sahara. The song was alluded to in Warren Zevon's "Play It All Night Long" (from his 1980 album Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School): "Sweet home Alabama! Play that dead band's song! Turn those speakers up full blast!". The song is also prominently mentioned in Kid Rock's "All Summer Long." The song's reach also extends to "virtual" sporting events. It was featured on the PS2 and Xbox versions of NASCAR Thunder 2002 because the game creators, EA Sports, had just announced sponsorship of the fall race at Talladega Superspeedway, located in Alabama.

In May 2006, National Review ranked the song #4 on its list of "50 greatest conservative rock songs". In July 2006, CMT ranked it #1 of the "20 Greatest Southern Rock songs". In 2004, the song was ranked #398 on Rolling Stone's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2007, the song was used in the Top Gear Greatest Driving Songs album. [Wikipedia]

Joe Cocker "Unchain My Heart"

"Unchain My Heart" is a song written by Bobby Sharp and recorded first in 1963 by Trini Lopez and later by Ray Charles. Sharp, a drug addict at the time, sold the song to Teddy Powell for $50. Powell demanded half the songwriting credit. Sharp later successfully fought for the rights to his song. In 1987, he was also able to renew the copyright for his publishing company, B. Sharp Music. The song was a hit for Charles when released as a single in late 1961. Accompanied by his Raelettes, Charles sang about wanting to be free from a woman "who won't let (him) go". It was also accompanied by his longtime saxophonist, David "Fathead" Newman and other members of Charles' band. The song reached #9 on the pop singles chart and number one on the R&B singles chart and was the working title of Charles' 2004 biopic Ray.

In 1963, doo-wop band The Rivingtons covered "Unchain My Heart" on their Doin' The Bird LP. The track was further popularised by Joe Cocker when he named his 1987 album after the song. His version of the song was re-released in 1992 and reached #17 in the UK. Another a cappella group, The Bobs recorded a version in 1994. Also, the Australian government used the Joe Cocker version - illegally - to promote the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2000. [Wikipedia]

J. Geils Band "Centerfold"

"Centerfold" was a single released by The J. Geils Band from their album Freeze Frame. The song is about a man who is shocked to discover that his high school crush did a centerfold spread for a male-oriented magazine. The song could be a reference to actress Angel Tompkins' relationship with Peter Wolf. It was released in the Fall of 1981, and eventually went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982, and stayed there for six weeks, and also reached number one on the Rock Tracks chart for three weeks, and on the ARIA Chart in Australia. It was the first single released from the band's album Freeze Frame and was an early staple on MTV. The band's lead singer Peter Wolf revealed on In the Studio with Redbeard that "Angel in Blue" was going to be the album's first single. Then during the "Angel in Blue" video shoot, Peter got a call from the president of EMI America Records suggesting that the band change the single's title to "Centerfold". In February 1983, a year after the song hit #1 in the US Billboard Hot 100, "Centerfold" peaked at #3 in the UK Top 40, earning The J. Geils Band their only major hit single in the UK, although follow-up "Freeze-Frame" was also a minor UK hit. [Wikipedia]

Mango Groove "Special Star"

Mango Groove is an 11 piece Afropop group formed in 1983 in Johannesburg, South Africa and fronted by lead singer Claire Johnston. They have sold more than 700,000 albums in South Africa alone, mostly with popular hits like "Dance Some More", "Special Star", "Hometalk" and "Nice To See You". Some of the highlights of Mango Groove’s career include: The direct satellite link-up to the The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in London in 1992 to an estimated audience of a billion people. Their performance in front of 200,000 people at a "Rock Against Racism" concert in Paris. Their performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival where they received 3 encores. Being the only African band to be invited to perform at the "Celebrate Hong Kong ‘97" Reunification Concert where they performed alongside Wet Wet Wet, Michael Learns to Rock and All-4-One. [Wikipedia]

Smokie "Living Next Door To Alice"

"Living Next Door to Alice" was originally released by the Australian vocal harmony trio New World in 1972 when the song charted at # 35 on the Australian chart. In November 1976, the English glam rock band Smokie released their version of the song. That song charted at No. 5 on the UK chart and, in March 1977, reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a Number One hit in The Netherlands.

The song is about a young man's long-standing crush on Alice, the girl next door and neighbor of 24 years, which is left unrequited after she moves away. The protagonist had seen a limousine parked at Alice's home and begins to reflect on childhood memories and his friendship with Alice, and becomes heartbroken as he sees Alice get inside the limousine. As he watches the car drive out of sight, the protagonist feels angst over two things: 1. Alice leaving without explanation; and 2. That he did not use that second opportunity to express his feelings for her. Another female character in the song is Sally, another longtime neighbor of the main protagonist who is introduced early in the song. In the song's first verse, she reminds the protagonist of Alice's impending departure. Sally, who later tells the man that he now must get over Alice, then states that she is available. But the man — presumably left with Sally, whom he apparently believes is a less-desirable woman than Alice — reaffirms that he'll "never get used to not living next door to Alice." [Wikipedia]

Pussycat "Mississippi"

Mississippi was a popular single by Dutch group Pussycat. Written by Werner Theunissen and produced by Eddy Hilberts, Mississippi was the sole number one single for Pussycat, spending four weeks at number one on the UK singles chart in October 1976. The lyrics are about the history of music, how rock music became more popular than country music. [Wikipedia]