1. Top 10 Pop Songs
{ From About.com
By Monique Fearon

2. OutKast - "Hey Ya!"
(2003)
 Courtesy LaFace Records
 "Hey Ya" was released as one of the two lead singles, along with
"The Way You Move," from OutKast's double disc set Speakerboxxx
/ The Love Below. Its catchy uplifting pastiche of Rock, Pop, Hip
Hop and R&B was instantly celebrated as brilliant work. The song
reached #1 on the pop singles chart and ended the year as a
frequent mention in critics' choices for the top single of the year.
The video that accompanies the song references the Beatles's
historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The song's memorable
line, "Shake it like a Polaroid picture," was later used in advertising
by Polaroid.
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3. Carly Simon - "You're
So Vain" (1972)
 Courtesy Elektra
 Despite the fact that the true subject of this song is still
not known, it is one of the most devastating portraits of
conceit ever recorded. Speculation of whom Carly
Simon was thinking about include Mick Jagger, Warren
Beatty, Kris Kristofferson and James Taylor. Various
clues to the identity have come out over time.
Musically, "You're So Vain" is one of the best examples
of a confessional style of singer-songwriter pop. The
song is Carly Simon's only #1 pop single.
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4. Rod Stewart - "Maggie
May" (1971)
 Courtesy Mercury Records
 Rod Stewart's tale of a manipulative romance with
an older woman is believed to be autobiographical.
It became Stewart's first #1 pop single and is given
credit for launching his career as a solo star. "Maggie
May" brought a British folk-pop style and Stewart's
trademark raspy vocals into the pop mainstream.
Rod Stewart has said he's not sure why it became
such a big hit because it has no melody.
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5. Righteous Brothers -
"Unchained Melody" (1965)
 Courtesy Philles
 "Unchained Melody" began its recorded life as a theme song for an obscure
1955 prison film Unchained. It hit the pop charts shortly after in an
instrumental version by Les Baxter and a vocal version by Al Hibbler. The
song was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Song from a Motion
Picture. Produced Phil Spector recorded the best known version of
"Unchained Melody" as a solo performance by the Righteous Brothers'
Bobby Hatfield but it was still credited to the duo upon release. Their
version of the song was a top five pop hit, and it returned to the charts in
1990 after being included on the soundtrack to the filmGhost. "Unchained
Melody" remains one of the most romantic pop songs of all time.
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6. Beach Boys - "Good
Vibrations" (1966)
 Courtesy Capitol Records
 "Good Vibrations" is the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's magnum
opus. It became the band's third #1 pop single. Some consider
the song to be a mini-symphony of sorts in multiple sections.
Production of the song is reported to have taken seventeeen
sessions and ultimately cost over $50,000, a phenomenal cost
at that time. The final segments of the song feature the
electronic instrument the theremin. "Good Vibrations" is
considered to have broken entirely new ground in what could
be done in the recording studio with splicing together a wide
range of discreet recorded components to create the final
work.
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7. Beatles - "Yesterday"
(1965)
 Courtesy Capitol Records
 The Guinness Book of Records claims no song has inspired more
cover versions than "Yesterday." It is a melancholy ballad
recorded with simply the voice of Paul McCartney over a
string quartet. It details the aftermath of a relationship gone
sour. However, when something so simple is done so perfectly
it becomes a classic. The other Beatles members were at first
adamantly against including the song on a Beatles album
because the sound was so different from their other work.
They did veto its release as a single at home in the UK. In the
US the song was a #1 hit. A 1999 BBC poll voted "Yesterday"
the Best Song of the 20th Century.
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8. Judy Garland - "Over the
Rainbow" (1939)
 Courtesy Decca
 "Over the Rainbow" was written specifically for the movie The
Wizard Of Oz by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Judy Garland
singing the song was originally deleted from the movie, but
insistence from Harold Arlen and executive producer Arthur Freed
lobbied to get it back in the film. The version from the Wizard of
Oz remains the best known recording, but other cover versions,
particularly the one by Hawaiian musician Israel
Kamakawiwo'ole, are well known. The "Songs of the Century" list
compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and
the National Endowment for the Arts listed "Over the Rainbow" as
#1 based on its historical significance.
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9. Rolling Stones - "(I Can't
Get No) Satisfaction"
(1965)
 Courtesy London Records
 The Rolling Stones topped the US pop singles chart for the
first time with this song. It has all of the components of a
classic Rolling Stones hit including an arresting guitar
introduction from Keith Richards as well as classic preening
vocals from Mick Jagger. The song was recorded at the Chess
Studios in Chicago. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was seen as
subversive and threatening due to its sexual suggestiveness
and attacks on commercialism. It was the song that turned the
Rolling
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10. Bruce Springsteen -
"Born to Run" (1975)
 Courtesy Columbia Records
 Bruce Springsteen has stated that he wrote "Born to Run" as a last-
ditch effort to become a true star. His first two albums had been
critically acclaimed but didn't sell particularly well. The song is
essentially a passionate, heroic love letter to a girl named Wendy.
The imagery in the song is powerful with "kids huddled on the
beach in a mist" and "highways jammed with broken heroes." The
song, along with the rest of the album Born to Run did help make
Bruce Springsteen into a star. He appeared on the covers
of Time and Newsweek and the album hit #3 on the charts. Neither
of his first two albums had placed inside the top 50. The song itself
reached #23 on the pop singles chart in the US.
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11. John Lennon -
"Imagine" (1971)
 Courtesy Apple Records
 John Lennon himself stated that "Imagine" is as
good as anything he wrote with the Beatles.
The song remains one of the most powerful and
poignant requests in song to imagine a peaceful
world. It reached the top 10 in both the US and
the UK upon initial release.
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