#1 Hits of the Current Decade....

This decade is coming to a close, much like this blog, and some crazy things have happened over the past 9-and-a-half years! The September 11th terrorist attacks on the US World Trade Centers certainly shook the nation up, resulting in the war with Iraq; Social networking websites, such as Xanga, Myspace, Facebook, etc., radically altered the patterns of communication between acquaintances and brought along fears of decreasing privacy; Same-sex marriages were deemed legal in some states; Global warming has evolved into a major economic and political issue, and the "Go Green" campaign has taken the nation by storm; "American Idol" was born; "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" made their way to the big screen, grossing more than $1 billion each; and of course, the iPod has become a must-have to all music lovers.

Now, here are the Hits of the Decade:

2000- "Bye Bye Bye" by N'Sync; '01- "In the End" by Linkin Park; '02- "Without Me" by Eminem; '03- "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce; '04- "Yeah!" by Usher; '05- "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey; '06- "Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake; '07- "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse; '08- "Womanizer" by Britney Spears; Today- "Blame It" by Jamie Foxx.

Well, that concludes our musical journey through history! I hope you guys enjoyed reading, learning, and listening to/about these musical genres as much as I did....

Playlist: Songs 1-10

#1 Hits of the '90s....

The 1990s were....interesting. Nothing major happened, but it wasn't an insignificant decade, either. Taking a trip down memory lane...."Dolly" the sheep was cloned; a spaceship was sent to Mars; Bill Clinton becomes president, and is then impeached; the Mac computer was created; Amazon, EBay, Yahoo, AOL, and other popular Internet sites were created; the tragic Columbine High School massacre occurred; Pokemon made its way into the US, providing entertainment for children everywhere; bombings of the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City lead to awareness in U.S. of domestic and international terrorism as a potential threat; O.J. Simpson was found not guilty; fear of "Y.2.K" spread throughout the world; and "Friends" and "Seinfeld" are famous TV sitcoms presented in the '90s, as well as the cartoon, "The Simpson's."

But even with all of those neat things going on, my favorite part of the '90s would have to be the music. This is the decade I grew up listening to, and I love it! So, here are the #1 US hits of the 1990s:

'90- "Vogue" by Madonna; '91- "Black or White" by Michael Jackson; '92- "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston; '93- "I’d Do Anything for Love" by Meatloaf; '94- "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen; '95- "Gangsta’s Paradise" by Coolio; '96- "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees; '97- "I’ll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy; '98- "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion; '99- "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears.

Playlist: Songs 11-20

#1 Hits of the '80s....

Well, throughout this blog we have been exploring the many different genres of music. We started with the foundations of music, learning about Renaissance music from the 1400s, on through the Classical era in the 1600s-1800s, and recently have covered several genres from the early 1900s. I thought we would finish out the blog by covering the biggest hits from the 1980s, '90s, and today. This post we will be flashing back to the '80s.....

The 1980s produced a very interesting decade, one that some people treasure, and one that some people try hard to forget. Ronald Reagan was elected the new president; the "Just Say No" campaign on drugs was created; the Cold War finally came to an end; the 1984 Olympics, held in LA, were boycotted by many countries; famous Beatles musician John Lennon is assassinated in 1980 in the US; the "compact disc" (CD's) was unveiled in 1980, and would gradually replace vinyl records; the Space Shuttle Challenger tragically exploded in 1986, with the deaths of 7 people on board; and Michael Jackson was by far the most popular entertainer, introducing several classing '80s trends, including the leather jacket, white glove, and the "Moonwalk."

Music of the 1980s was of a wide variety. There was of course the pop music teens loved thanks to the classic '80s movies. Here are some classic movie scenes from some of the classic movies (which also show off the fun '80s dance moves), just for fun!: Footloose, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future, Flashdance, and Dirty Dancing.

Anyway, while there were hundreds of songs to choose from to put on the playlist, I though I'd put on the #1 hit in the US from each year of the '80s. So here they are:

1980- "Upside Down" by Diana Ross; '81- "Bette Avis Eyes" by Kim Carnes; '82- "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor; '83- "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson; '84- "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder; '85- "We Are the World" by USA for Africa; '86- "Papa Don’t Preach" by Madonna; '87- "La Bamba" by Los Lobos; '88- "Don’t Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin; '89- "Like a Prayer" by Madonna.

Playlist: Songs 21-30

Rhythm and Blues....

Rhythm & Blues is a genre that started with a bang in the late 1940s in African American communities, and has only only gotten bigger with time. Starting in the 1960s, after this style of music contributed to the development of rock and roll, the term Rhythm & Blues became used to refer to music styles that developed from and incorporated electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. By the 1970s, the term rhythm and blues was being used as a blanket term to describe soul and funk. Since the 1990s, the term Contemporary R&B is now mainly used to refer to a modern version of soul and funk-influenced pop music.

In the 1940s, Louis Jordan and his band, the Tympany Five, which consisted of him on saxophone and vocals, along with musicians on trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums, dominated the R&B charts with three of the top five hits. The early 1950s introduced famous artists such as Johnny Otis, who produced ten top ten hits in 1951; Fat Domino; Little Richard; Ruth Brown, who placed hits in the top 5 every year from 1951 through 1954; and Ray Charles. Carl Perkins, Della Reese, and Chuck Berry dominated the charts in the late 1950s. Also at that time, the movie industry found a way to incorporate this popular genre of music, and Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Big Joe Turner, The Treniers, The Platters, The Flamingos, all made it onto the big screen starting in 1956. In 1957, extraordinaire Elvis Presley made his surprising debut on the R&B charts with "Jailhouse Rock"/"Treat Me Nice" at #1, and "All Shook Up" at #5, an unprecedented acceptance of a non-African American artist into a music category known for being created by blacks. Sam Cooke‘s #5 hit "Chain Gang" is indicative of R&B in 1960, as is Chubby Checker's #5 hit "The Twist". Also, Motown Records, an immediately successful Rhythm & Blues record label started in 1959 by Berry Gordy, had its first million-selling single in 1960 with The Miracles' "Shop Around."

Today, this genre is referred to as "Contemporary R&B," using inspirations from the great artists listed above, but also taking elements from modern soul, funk, dance, and hip hop. Contemporary R&B has a slick, electronic record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, the occasional guitar riff to give the song a rock feel, the occasional saxophone solo to give a jazz feel, and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. In the early to mid 1980s, new stars such as Prince and Michael Jackson rose in popularity, but the females led the scene in that decade with the introduction of Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, and Janet Jackson. By the '90s, R&B artists were incorporating hip-hop sounds into their music, and popularity shifted to Boyz II Men, Brian McNight, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Usher, and Mariah Carey. Today, soulful R&B continues to be popular, with artists such as Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J Blige, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Mario, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, and John Legend showcasing classic influences in their work.

Playlist: Songs 31-39

Spiritual Hymns....

"You know when you're young you think you will always be. As you become more fragile, you reflect and you realize how much comfort can come from the past. Hymns can carry you into the future." -Andy Griffith

"Hymn" is a Greek word meaning "song of praise." They are often sung in church services, and a collection of hymns can be found in a book, called a hymnal. Christian/Jewish hymns were started through the book of Psalm in the Bible, and are also referred to as "psalms" as a synonym of the word. Other ancient hymns include the Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten, composed by Pharaoh Akhenaten; the Vedas, a collection of hymns in the tradition of Hinduism; and the Western tradition of hymnody begins with the Homeric Hymns, a collection of ancient Greek hymns, the oldest of which were written in the 7th century BC, praising deities of the ancient Greek religions. During the Middle Ages a rich hymnody developed in the form of Gregorian chant or plainsong. Christian hymns are often written and sung with special or seasonal themes in mind, such as Christmas, Easter and the Feast of All Saints, during particular seasons such as Advent and Lent, or celebrations or mournful such as a baptisms, weddings and funerals. A writer of hymns is known as a hymnist or hymnodist, and the practice of singing hymns is called hymnody; the same word is used for the collectivity of hymns belonging to a particular denomination or period. According to Wikipedia, "Thomas Aquinas, in the introduction to his commentary on the Psalms, defined the Christian hymn as praise of God with song; a song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice."

On a side note- I personally LOVE hymns! I think, especially with my generation, hymns are getting lost and forgotten, but I think they are so powerful. The new, contemporary Christian songs are great, but I think it is important to remember where those songs started, and that was with hymns. And actually, some recent Christian artists have started rerecording hymns, and putting a contemporary spin on them, like with Chris Tomlin and his version of "Amazing Grace." That way, younger people are getting a mix of the old and the new. My favorite hymn is "How Great Thou Art," and Carrie Underwood did an amazing performance of the song last year that still can bring me to tears! Also, "Amazing Grace" is probably the most known and frequently sung hymn, and if you haven't seen the movie, called "Amazing Grace," which explains how the hymn was written, I recommend you watch it sometime. It's fabulous.

Playlist: Songs 40-46

"Life is like a song. For you are mine, at last..."

"Like a song of love that clings to me, how the thought of you does things to me..."

"Unforgettable" -Nat King Cole

Everybody enjoys a good love song every now and then. Whether a person is celebrating new love, or mourning love lost, these classic loves songs have lived throughout the decades to bring us the comfort we need. On the playlist, there are songs ranging from the 1920s, and the way to the 1990s. They are popular picks for weddings, night clubs, movies, etc. These are some of my favorite songs to listen to....

Playlist: Songs 47-57

Great American Country....

GAC is actually a country television network, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, to 54 million viewers. The station launched December 31, 1995 and Garth Brooks' video, "The Thunder Rolls," was the first video to air on GAC. The television show not only plays the classics and hit country videos, but also features original programming, special musical performances and live concerts.

Interestingly enough, country music introduced two of the top selling solo artists of all time: Elvis Presley, who went on to introduce rock and roll music; and Garth Brooks, who, with 128 million albums sold, is the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history. Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family are widely considered to be important early country musicians from the 1920s, and later on artist such as Roy Rogers, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins stepped onto the country scene, and made fans fall even more in love with this genre. In the decades that followed, artists such as Alabama, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Brooks & Dunn, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, The Eagles, Tim McGraw, and many more made country music rise to the top, adding a bit of rock and pop into their styles, leaving many other genres were struggling to keep up.

Country music is one of the most popular genres currently, and has experience several changes and been introduced to many new things over the past few years. There have been many cross-over artists and duets, such as Jewel, Jessica Simpson, Bon Jovi, and Don Henley. Television shows have also found two of the top country female vocalists, including Carrie Underwood, who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol in 2005 and became a multi-platinum selling recording artist and a multiple Grammy Award winner, and Miranda Lambert, who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records, and just won Album of the Year at the 2008 ACM Awards. And also, in 2008 Taylor Swift became the first country singer to reach number one on the pop charts with her single, "Love Story."

Playlist: Songs 58-66