One of the biggest pop and R&B artists of the 20th century made her official debut during this year, and this is the first of two tracks that made it to this list. This one is probably my favorite of the two, given that every time I sing the title I can’t help but sing the musical melody after that. It’s that catchy, and funky too. Coming in at #13 is What Have You Done For Me Lately by Janet Jackson.
Our next song in the countdown of top 20 songs turning 40 years old this year is another example of a “fine wine” track. It was a hit when it came out but has seemingly gotten more if not just as popular now as it did back then. The production is time-capsuled to the 80s but the song and melody are strong enough to continue to be heard and played today. Coming in at #14 is Your Love by The Outfield.
I remembered when this song literally swept all the MTV Video Music Awards the year it came out. This artist had already established himself as a worldwide superstar, but this song and video literally made him a legend with the MTV generation. The song still holds up today and is covered quite a bit by various bands. At #15 it’s Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel.
The first, but not the last, song to appear on this countdown by this group is a huge rock anthem that helped launch this band into the stratosphere. An incredible choral hook with an equally great title makes this a classic that would set the tone for what would come over the next few years with this band. Wrapping up the first quarter of this 1996 countdown at #16 is You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi.
From one soundtrack classic, to another, and a major one at that. While this artist already had a major reputation for making timeless soundtrack songs, this is arguably one of his biggest if not the biggest, and firmly cemented him as the soundtrack king. Another track synonymous with the movie it belongs to, it’s hard not to get fired up listening to this song. Flying in hard at #17 is Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins.
In this countdown of songs turning 40 years old we will hit some tunes that helped lay more foundation to the art of soundtrack songs. This is one of the first ones. It takes guts to leave one of the biggest rock bands in the world to go out on your own and still make it big, and this artist does so with this track, almost synonymous with the movie it belongs to. Coming in at #18 is Glory of Love by Peter Cetera.