Michael Jackson - "She's Out of My Life" (1980)

I had practically forgotten about this song but I wrote about it in my old diary journals from 1986 after a girl I dated (Anne Alberti) did something rude to me. I wanted to deliver a Christmas gift to her and she asked me 'NOT TO COME TO HER HOUSE' because she was expecting someone else (another boyfriend). And so, this song was so pertinent for me 'at the time'. "She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera. Rhonda and I had been together for two years, and it was after we broke up that I started dating Karen." The song has been recorded by a variety of artists, including: Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Ginuwine, 98°, Jon Lee, Barbara Mandrell, Nina, Willie Nelson, Josh Groban and Karel Gott (Czech Album: I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, performed in English). The song became famous as the fourth single to be released by singer Michael Jackson from his successful Off the Wall album in 1979. It was the first time a solo artist had achieved four top ten hits from one album. Unlike the album's previous singles (which were all dance-oriented funk/disco songs), the "She's Out of My Life" song was an emotional ballad. Jackson's vocals on the record were considered by critics to be some of his best.

The Foundations - "Build Me Up Buttercup" (1968)

The Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" (a Number One hit in the UK Singles Chart and Canada, and subsequently Top 10 in the US), written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" (a number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 in Canada), co-written by Macaulay with Mike d'Abo, at the time the lead vocalist with Manfred Mann. The group was the first multi-racial group to have a number 1 hit in the UK in the 1960s.

"Build Me Up Buttercup" is the name of a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by The Foundations with Colin Young singing the lead vocals in 1968. This was the third major hit for The Foundations. Colin Young replaced Clem Curtis in 1968 and this was the first Foundations hit that he sang on. It reached number 2 on the UK charts and number 3 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 11 weeks.

It was re-recorded in or around the late 1980s when original Foundations members Clem Curtis and Alan Warner teamed up to recut this as well as other hits of The Foundations.

In 2003, Colin Young recorded an updated version of the song backed by a choir of policemen from the Surrey police force. The proceeds from the sale of the CD go to Milly's Fund. The fund is a trust set up in memory of murdered school girl Amanda Dowler. Apparently the song was a favourite of hers. The song was used in the 1983 film Luggage of the Gods!, and featured again in movies twice in the 1990s and once in 2007.

It was covered by rock band The Goops in 1995 for the soundtrack of Mallrats, with the music video featuring View Askewniverse characters Jay and Silent Bob. Three years later, it was included (as its original version) in the 1998 film There's Something about Mary. The actors of the film also made a video for the song, with all the main actors miming to the words in character.

Stealers Wheel - "Stuck In The Middle With You" (1972)

Today, December 9, 2011 I was editing this photo that I took in ROME, ITALY. The photo caption that came to my mind was 'Stuck In The Middle With You' which made me think of this tune. "Stuck in the Middle with You"(sometimes known as "Stuck in the Middle") is a song written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan and originally performed by their band Stealers Wheel. The song was inspired by a real occasion when the record company and producers were conducting business across Rafferty and Egan at a restaurant table. "Stuck in the Middle" was released on Stealers Wheel's 1972 self-titled debut album. Gerry Rafferty provided the lead vocals, with Joe Egan singing harmony. The song was conceived initially by the band members as a parody of Bob Dylan's distinctive lyrical style and paranoia. The band was surprised by the single's chart success. The single sold over one million copies, eventually peaking in 1973 at #6 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #8 in the UK Singles Chart. It was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

The House of Love - "I Don't Know Why I Love You"

From 1989, this "I Don't Know Why I Love You" came my way yesterday and I recalled how much I LOVE IT. The House of Love is an English alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, the band rose to prominence in the UK as a leading indie rock band in 1988 and split up in 1993, eventually reforming a decade later in 2003. The band is best known for its detailed psychedelic guitar sound and for the successful singles "Shine On", "Christine" and "Destroy the Heart". The best-known members of The House of Love are singer/songwriter/guitarist Guy Chadwick and lead guitarist/backing singer Terry Bickers, who were the creative core of the original band until an acrimonious split in 1989 and who reformed the band together in 2003.

Lobo - "I'd Love You To Want Me" (1972)

"I'd Love You to Want Me" is the title of a popular song from 1972 by Roland Kent Lavoie, who performed using the stage name Lobo. Lavoie wrote the song, which appears on his album Of a Simple Man.

Released as a single in the fall of 1972, "I'd Love You to Want Me" was the singer's highest charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it spent two weeks at number two in November of that year. It was kept from the top spot by Johnny Nash's hit song, "I Can See Clearly Now".

The song also spent one week at number one on the Billboard easy listening chart, Lavoie's second of four songs to achieve this feat. When originally released in the United Kingdom in 1972, the song failed to reach the UK Singles Chart; however, a re-release of the single in 1974 peaked at #5.

The song also topped music charts in Australia (Kent Music Report, two weeks), Canada (RPM Magazine, one week) and Germany (Media Control Charts, 13 weeks).

Styx - "Come Sail Away" (1977)

"Come Sail Away" is a song by American progressive rock group Styx, featured on the band's seventh album The Grand Illusion (1977). Upon its release as the lead single from the album, "Come Sail Away" charted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and helped The Grand Illusion achieve multi-platinum sales in 1978. It is one of the biggest hits of Styx' career.

Musically, "Come Sail Away" combines a plaintive, ballad-like opening section (including piano and synthesizer interludes) with a bombastic, guitar-heavy second half. In the middle of the second half of the album version is a minute-long synthesizer instrumental.

Styx member Dennis DeYoung revealed on In the Studio with Redbeard (which devoted an entire episode to the making of The Grand Illusion), that he was depressed when he wrote the track after Styx's first two A&M offerings, Equinox and Crystal Ball, sold fewer units than expected after the success of the single "Lady".

The track became the regular closing track during the band's live set before the encore, and DeYoung now closes nearly all of his live concert performances with a rendition.

Al Wilson - "Show and Tell" (1973)

"Show and Tell" is a popular song written by Jerry Fuller and first recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1972.

A 1973 recording of the song by Al Wilson reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week on January 19, 1974, which sold over two million copies and was named a Cashbox Magazine Number One Single of the Year.  Wilson's version also made number ten on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Peabo Bryson had a number one R&B hit with his version of the song in 1989. Bryson's version did not chart on the Hot 100.

The song is often played by Paul Schaffer and The CBS Orchestra on The Late Show with David Letterman for the segment "Show & Tell".

Crosby, Stills and Nash - "Teach Your Children" (1970)

"Teach Your Children" is a song by Graham Nash. Although it was written when Nash was a member of The Hollies, it was never recorded by that group, and first appeared on the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released in 1970.  The recording features Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar. Garcia had made an arrangement so if that he played pecal steel on Teach Your Children that CSNY would teach Bob Weir. Released as a single, the song peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that year.

The song was also used in the 1971 comedy film Melody.

Nash, who is also a photographer and collector of photographs, has stated in an interview that the immediate inspiration for the song came from a famous photograph by Diane Arbus, "Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park." The image, which depicts a child with an angry expression holding the toy weapon, prompted Nash to reflect on the societal implications of messages given to children about war and other issues.

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale used the song in a campaign commercial on arms control.

In 1994, Crosby, Stills & Nash re-recorded the song with guest vocals from country music artists Suzy Bogguss, Alison Krauss and Kathy Mattea, crediting the recording to "The Red Hots". This version was included on the album Red Hot + Country, a release by the Red Hot Organization benefiting AIDS awareness. The Red Hots' version of the song spent one week on the Hot Country Songs charts in October 1994, peaking at #75. The song was performed by Michael and Dwight on the 2006 Office episode "Take Your Daughter to Work Day".

Robert Palmer - "Bad Case of Loving You" (1979)

"Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" is a 1978 song recorded by Robert Palmer and written by Moon Martin. The song appeared on Palmer's 1979 album Secrets and was a hit, reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Canadian RPM chart in 1979. It was remixed with heavier guitars and drums for the greatest hits collection Addictions: Volume 1.

The song was featured in the season 2 Scrubs episode My First Step, when Julie Keaton (Heather Locklear) was first introduced to the show.

A sample of the song is used as the theme song for the show The Doctors.

The song was also was also featured in the Indonesian sitcom My Many Wives.

The song was also used in an advertising campaign for reruns of the medical drama House M.D. on the station USA.

The song was also used in the 1997 movie Romy & Michele's High School Reunion.

The song was also used in the 2002 South Korean film Chingu.

The song was also used during the end credits of an episode of the U.S. version of Queer as Folk (Season 1, Episode 9).

The song was also used in 2005 movie Just Like Heaven. Billy Gibbons collaborating with Les Paul performed "Bad Case of Lovin' You" for his 'Les Paul & Friends' album. Jason Greeley sang the song on Top Five night of season two of Canadian Idol.

The song was also played prior to the start of a home game Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Roy Halladay pitched as his entry music.

The chorus of the song served as an allusion to his nickname, "Doc" Halladay.

The song is also played during the end credits of the 1992 horror movie Dr. Giggles.

In the 1980s, the song was used promoting Dr. Pepper in its commercials.

The Kinks - "Lola" (1970)

"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite he meets in a club in Soho, London.

Released in June 1970, in the UK on the 12th and in the USA on the 28th, the single was taken from the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One and reached #2 in the UK charts and #9 in the US. It was ranked 422nd on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and its C-D-E power riff is recognized among the famous riffs of rock.

In the book The Kinks: The Official Biography, Davies says that he was inspired to write this song after the band manager Robert Wace had spent the night dancing with a transvestite.
Davies said, “ In his apartment, Robert had been dancing with this black woman, and he said, 'I'm really onto a thing here.'
And it was okay until we left at six in the morning and then I said, 'Have you seen the stubble?'
He said 'Yeah,' but he was too pissed [i.e., drunk] to care, I think. ”

In his autobiography, Dave Davies mentions that he came up with the music for what would become Lola.  After Dave had shown his brother the music, Ray came up with the lyrics. Dave goes on to claim his brother took all the credit for the song.

The original song recorded in stereo had the word "Coca-Cola" in the lyrics, but because of BBC Radio's policy against product placement, Ray was forced to make a six thousand mile round-trip flight from New York to London — interrupting the band's American tour — to change those words to the generic "cherry cola" for the single release.

The success of the single had important ramifications for the band's career at a critical time, allowing them to negotiate a new contract with RCA Records, construct their own London Studio, and assume more creative and managerial control.