Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: These are a few (more) of my favorite things

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl is simply too large a concept to be neatly contained within a mere three-hour weekly time slot. Hence these occasional fake TIRnRR playlists, detailing shows we're never really going to do...but could.

In the course of recording this coming Sunday night's real-world radio show, I made a few references to Slyboots' fantastic song "If We Could Let Go," naming it as my favorite individual track of 2024, one of my top five (at least!) tracks of the 2020s so far, and certainly on my all-time Hot 200.

Afterward, it occurred to me that "Hot 200" could be interpreted as faint praise, but it's not. I love a lot of songs, and I consider "If You Could Let Go" one of my many toppermost of the poppermost picks. And it then occurred to me that was a ripe subject for another imaginary TIRnRR playlist.

So! Avoiding tracks and artists listed in my recently-posted All-Time Hot 125, here's a primo playlist of still more Fave Raves. Would all of them make my all-time Hot 200? Many of them absolutely would, and each is at the very least a legit contender. We play the HITS! And here they are....

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl--y'know, the real one--airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

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Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
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Fake TIRnRR Playlist: These are a few (more) of my favorite things

SLYBOOTS: If We Could Let Go

STYX: Kiss Your Ass Goodbye

THE RICHARDS: Five Personalities

DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back

MARY LOU LORD: Aim Low

THE STALLIONS: Why

--

THE SEARCHERS: Hearts In Her Eyes

THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache

SEX CLARK FIVE: Fool I Was

SCRUFFY THE CAT: My Baby She's Alright

TWINKLE: Golden Lights

CYNDI LAUPER: I Drove All Night

--

THE GREG KIHN BAND: The Break Up Song (They Don't Write 'Em)

RIHANNA: Shut Up And Drive

DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK AND TICH: Hold Tight

THE MARVELETTES: I'll Keep On Holding On

THE CREATION: Making Time

THE MC5: Kick Out The Jams

--

THE TOYS: May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone

RONNIE SPECTOR AND THE E STREET BAND: Say Goodbye To Hollywood

BILLY JOEL: An Innocent Man

SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man

DON HENLEY: Boys Of Summer

BLONDIE: (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear

--

MARYKATE O'NEIL: I'm Ready For My Luck To Turn Around

FIRST AID KIT: America

CAST OF WEST SIDE STORY: America

PINK FLOYD: Wish You Were Here

MERLE HAGGARD: Mama Tried

TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS: Pressure Drop

--

THE LITTLE GIRLS: How To Pick Up Girls

LYRES: You Won't Be Sad Anymore

THE OHMS: License To Kill

MELANIE WITH THE EDWIN HAWKINS SINGERS: Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)

THE HUMAN SWITCHBOARD: (Say No To) Saturday's Girl

ARTHUR CONLEY: Sweet Soul Music

--

THE ZOMBIES: She Does Everything For Me

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS: Midnight Train To Georgia

DAVID BOWIE: Life On Mars?

THE ROMANTICS: What I Like About You

THE SHIRTS: Reduced To A Whisper

JAY AND THE AMERICANS: Only In America

--

SQUEEZE: Goodbye Girl

THE HOODOO GURUS: Bittersweet

THE POLICE: Roxanne

SUGAR: If I Can't Change Your Mind

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Got To Have You Back

JUICE NEWTON: Queen Of Hearts

THE SOFT BOYS: Queen Of Eyes

SUZI QUATRO: Tear Me Apart

--

BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog

THE ARCHIES: Jingle Jangle

THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?

STARZ: Cherry Baby

THE CICHLIDS: Did You Ever

THE ROLLING STONES: Jumpin' Jack Flash

THE ENGLISH BEAT: Save It For Later

--

THE BREAKAWAYS: Walkin Out On Love

CC's All-Time Hot 125

As This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio listeners know, we end each year with a countdown show, playing back what we played a lot over the course of the preceding twelve months. New songs, old songs, songs of varying in-between vintage--great records don't care what year it is. The stats are kept by my friend Fritz Van Leaven, and the countdown shows were Fritz's idea to begin with. The countdowns are nothing short of epic, and we can't thank Fritz enough for making them possible.

More than forty years ago, Fritz introduced me to the idea of compiling and then annually updating a personal all-time Hot 100 of favorite individual tracks. We devoted a 2024 episode of TIRnRR to selections from Fritz's Hot 100, because we play the hits. GO, Fritz!

As for me, well, you've gotta expect that a guy whose last book took 145 tracks and insisted that each one of them was The Greatest Record Ever Made! might possibly have an eensy bit of difficulty in narrowing down a list of his Fave Raves. I love SO many songs, so many great records, and I had to omit a soulcrushingly vast number of 'em to come up with my own updated list. I stopped when I'd whittled it down to 125. Close enough! The list is unranked (though I've proclaimed elsewhere that Badfinger's "Baby Blue" is my all-time # 1), and the list is alphabetical by song title. And here 'tis:

CC'S ALL-TIME HOT 125

ANIMAL FARM--The Kinks

ANOTHER SAD AND LONELY NIGHT--The Bobby Fuller Four
ANY WAY YOU WANT IT--The Dave Clark Five
BABY BLUE--Badfinger
BABYSITTER--The Ramones
BAD REPUTATION--Joan Jett
BEG, BORROW AND STEAL--The Rare Breed/The Ohio Express
BLITZKRIEG BOP--The Ramones

CARBONA NOT GLUE--The Ramones
COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU--Todd Rundgren
DA-A-A-ANCE--The Lambrettas
DANCING WITH JOEY RAMONE--Amy Rigby
DIE TRYING--New Math
DO ANYTHING YOU WANNA DO--The Flashcubes
DO THE FREDDIE--Freddie and the Dreamers
DO YOU WANNA DANCE?--The Ramones
DOOR INTO SUMMER--The Monkees
DOUBLE OUR NUMBERS--Parthenon Huxley
ELEVATION--Television
EMPTY HANGERS--Anny Celsi
EVERYWHERE THAT I'M NOT--Translator
FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST--P. P. Arnold
FIRST PLANE HOME--The Flamin' Groovies
FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD--The Vogues
FOOL OF LOVE--The Bobby Fuller Four
GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES--Bruce Springsteen
GIRLS TALK--Dave Edmunds
GLAD ALL OVER--The Dave Clark Five
GOD ONLY KNOWS--The Beach Boys
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN--The Sex Pistols
GOING DOWN TO LIVERPOOL--The Bangles
HARD DAY'S NIGHT--The Beatles
HE'D BE A DIAMOND--The Bevis Frond
HEADING OUT TO THE HIGHWAY--Judas Priest
HEART FULL OF SOUL--The Yardbirds
HEARTS WILL BE BROKEN--The Records
HELP!--The Beatles
HIGHWAY LINES--Mannix
HIM OR ME--WHAT'S IT GONNA BE?--Paul Revere and the Raiders
HIS LAST SUMMER--The Barracudas
I CAN'T EXPLAIN--The Who
I CAN'T LET GO--The Hollies
I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP--The Ramones
I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY--The Beatles

I LOVE YOU--The Heartbreakers

I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU--Dusty Springfield
I TELL NO LIES--The Shoutless
I TOOK MY BABY HOME--The Kinks
I WANNA BE SEDATED--The Ramones
I WANNA BE WITH YOU--The Raspberries

I WANNA BE YOUR BOYFRIEND--The Rubinoos

I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME--The Jayhawks
(I'M NOT YOUR) STEPPIN' STONE--The Monkees
(I'M) STRANDED--The Saints

IN THE CITY--The Jam
IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR--Wilson Pickett
IT'S COLD OUTSIDE--Stiv Bators
IT'S MY LIFE--The Animals
IT'S THE SAME OLD SONG--The Four Tops
JOHNNY B. GOODE--Chuck Berry

KICKS--Paul Revere and the Raiders
KIM THE WAITRESS--Material Issue
LAUGH, LAUGH--The Beau Brummels
LIES--The Knickerbockers

LITANY (LIFE GOES ON)--Guadalcanal Diary
LOOK THROUGH ANY WINDOW--The Hollies
LOVE IS ONLY SLEEPING--The Monkees
LOVE IS PAIN--Joan Jett and the Blackheartss
MILLION MILES AWAY--The Plimsouls
(MY GIRL) MARYANNE--The Spongetones
NIGHT BEFORE--The Beatles

NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE (YOUR STOMACH'S IN)--The T-Bones

NO MILK TODAY--Herman's Hermits
NO PROMISE--The Flashcubes
NO REPLY--The Beatles
NOTHING REALLY MATTERS WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG--The Flashcubes
ON BROADWAY--The Drifters
ON MY RADIO--The Selecter
PERSONALITY CRISIS--The New York Dolls
PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY--The Monkees
PLEASE DON'T TOUCH--Headgirl [Motörhead/Girlschool]
PLEASE PLEASE ME--The Beatles
PORPOISE SONG (THEME FROM HEAD)--The Monkees
PROMISED LAND--Chuck Berry
RAIN--The Beatles

REMINISCE--The Flashcubes
ROCK AND ROLL LOVE LETTER--The Bay City Rollers
ROCKAWAY BEACH--The Ramones

SAYING GOODBYE--The Muffs
SEPTEMBER GURLS--Big Star
SHAKE SOME ACTION--The Flamin' Groovies
SHE SAID SHE SAID--The Beatles
SHE SAID TO ME--The Cowsills
SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER--The Ramones
SHOUT IT OUT LOUD--KISS
SOLITARY MAN--Neil Diamond

SOUND OF THE RADIO--Screen Test
ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE--The Cocktail Slippers
SWALLOW MY PRIDE--The Ramones
SYRACUSE SUMMER--The Tearjerkers
TEARS OF A CLOWN--Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
THANK YOU, GIRL [Capitol Records US mix]--The Beatles
THAT THING YOU DO!--The Wonders

THIS YEAR'S GONNA BE OUR YEAR--Eytan Mirsky
TIME HAS COME TODAY--The Chambers Brothers
TIME WILL TELL--Holly Golightly
TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU--The Kinks
TO SIR, WITH LOVE [Museum Outings Montage]--Lulu
TOMORROW NIGHT--Shoes
TRANSYLVANIA TWIST--Baron Daemon and the Vampires
TWENTY FOUR HOURS FROM TULSA--Gene Pitney
UNCLE JOHN'S BAND--The Grateful Dead

VACATION--The Go-Go's
WALK--DON'T RUN--The Ventures
WATERLOO SUNSET--The Kinks
WE GOT THE BEAT--The Go-Go's
WHAT AM I DOING HANGIN' 'ROUND?--The Monkees
WHAT TIME IS IT--Jive Five

(WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING--Elvis Costello and the Attractions
WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EYES--The Flashcubes

WOULDN'T YOU LIKE IT--The Bay City Rollers

YOU MUST BE A WITCH--The Lollipop Shoppe
YOU REALLY GOT ME--The Kinks
YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME--The 13th Floor Elevators
YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY--The Beatles

LAST THREE OUT:

AIM LOW--Mary Lou Lord

FIVE PERSONALITIES--The Richards

HEARTS IN HER EYES--The Searchers

HONORABLE MENTIONS: 

TRUE LOVE WAYS--Buddy Holly

(It's not even my favorite Buddy Holly song, but "True Love Ways" was my wedding song, so it carries a unique importance in my life, an importance well apart from the impact of my other fave raves.)

DAYS--The Kinks

(A long-time favorite, rendered bittersweet after I included its lyrics in the eulogy I delivered at my dad's funberal in 2012. I still adore the song.)

ALL MY LOVING--The Beatles

(The first song I sang to my newborn baby daughter Meghan in 1995.)

And, of course, about a thousand other individual tracks that I love just about as much as these. All-time fave raves are kinda like potato chips: No one can dig just one.

Nor just 100.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here

CC's ALL-TIME HOT 100 [exclusive 150-song director's cut]

I'm not cutting any more songs. This could have been a Hot 500. I love a lot of songs, and I love many of them nearly as much as I love these--hell, many pretty much in a dead heat with what I've listed in my Hot 150. I'm grateful that life offers no limits on the love of music.

But now: Let's PLAY!!

CC'S ALL-TIME HOT 150

Updated 6/5/2024

AIM LOW--Mary Lou Lord

ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT--The Kinks

ALL FOR SWINGING YOU AROUND--The New Pornographers

ALLISON ROAD--The Gin Blossoms

ANIMAL FARM--The Kinks

ANOTHER SAD AND LONELY NIGHT--The Bobby Fuller Four

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT--The Dave Clark Five

BABY BLUE--Badfinger

BABYSITTER--The Ramones

BAD REPUTATION--Joan Jett

BEG, BORROW AND STEAL--The Rare Breed/The Ohio Express

BLITZKRIEG BOP--The Ramones

BOOK OF TOO LATE CHANGES--Cotton Mather

CARBONA NOT GLUE--The Ramones

CATCH US IF YOU CAN--The Dave Clark Five

COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU--Todd Rundgren

DA-A-A-ANCE--The Lambrettas

DANCING WITH JOEY RAMONE--Amy Rigby

DAYS--The Kinks

DETROIT ROCK CITY--KISS

DIE TRYING--New Math

DO ANYTHING YOU WANNA DO--The Flashcubes

DO THE FREDDIE--Freddie and the Dreamers

DO YOU WANNA DANCE?--The Ramones

DOOR INTO SUMMER--The Monkees

DOUBLE OUR NUMBERS--Parthenon Huxley

ELEVATION--Television

EMPTY HANGERS--Anny Celsi

EVERYWHERE THAT I'M NOT--Translator

FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST--P. P. Arnold

FIRST PLANE HOME--The Flamin' Groovies

FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD--The Vogues

FIVE PERSONALITIES--The Richards

FOOL OF LOVE--The Bobby Fuller Four

GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES--Bruce Springsteen

GIRLS TALK--Dave Edmunds

GLAD ALL OVER--The Dave Clark Five

GO ALL THE WAY--The Raspberries

GOD ONLY KNOWS--The Beach Boys

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN--The Sex Pistols

GOING DOWN TO LIVERPOOL--The Bangles

HARD DAY'S NIGHT--The Beatles

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TORN APART?--The Spongetones

HE'D BE A DIAMOND--The Bevis Frond

HEADING OUT TO THE HIGHWAY--Judas Priest

HEART FULL OF SOUL--The Yardbirds

HEARTS IN HER EYES--The Searchers

HEARTS WILL BE BROKEN--The Records

HEAVEN TONIGHT--Hole

HELP!--The Beatles

HIGHWAY LINES--Mannix

HIM OR ME--WHAT'S IT GONNA BE?--Paul Revere and the Raiders

HIS LAST SUMMER--The Barracudas

I CAN'T EXPLAIN--The Who

I CAN'T LET GO--The Hollies

I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP--The Ramones

I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY--The Beatles

I FOUGHT THE LAW--The Bobby Fuller Four

I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU--Dusty Springfield

I TELL NO LIES--The Shoutless

I TOOK MY BABY HOME--The Kinks

I WANNA BE SEDATED--The Ramones

I WANNA BE WITH YOU--The Raspberries

I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME--The Jayhawks

I'M IN LOVE--The Dirty Royals

(I'M NOT YOUR) STEPPIN' STONE--The Monkees

I'M READY FOR MY LUCK TO TURN AROUND--Marykate O'Neil

(I'M) STRANDED--The Saints

IN THE CITY--The Jam

IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR--Wilson Pickett

IT'S COLD OUTSIDE--Stiv Bators

IT'S MY LIFE--The Animals

IT'S THE SAME OLD SONG--The Four Tops

JOHNNY B. GOODE--Chuck Berry

KICKS--Paul Revere and the Raiders

KIM THE WAITRESS--Material Issue

LAUGH, LAUGH--The Beau Brummels

LAY DOWN (CANDLES IN THE RAIN)--Melanie with the Edwin Hawkins Singers

LEFT IN THE DARK--The Vertebrats

LIES--The Knickerbockers

LITANY (LIFE GOES ON)--Guadalcanal Diary

LOOK THROUGH ANY WINDOW--The Hollies

LOVE IS ONLY SLEEPING--The Monkees

LOVE IS PAIN--Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

LOVE TO LOVE--The Monkees

MAY MY HEART BE CAST INTO STONE--The Toys

MILLION MILES AWAY--The Plimsouls

(MY GIRL) MARYANNE--The Spongetones

NIGHT BEFORE--The Beatles

NO PROMISE--The Flashcubes

NO REPLY--The Beatles

NOTHING REALLY MATTERS WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG--The Flashcubes

ON BROADWAY--The Drifters

ON MY RADIO--The Selecter

PERSONALITY CRISIS--The New York Dolls

PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY--The Monkees

PLEASE DON'T TOUCH--Headgirl [Motörhead/Girlschool]

PLEASE PLEASE ME--The Beatles

PORPOISE SONG (THEME FROM HEAD)--The Monkees

PRETTY VACANT--The Sex Pistols

PROMISED LAND--Chuck Berry

RAIN--The Beatles

RAMONES--Motörhead

ROCK AND ROLL LOVE LETTER--The Bay City Rollers

ROCKAWAY BEACH--The Ramones

SAYING GOODBYE--The Muffs

SEPTEMBER GURLS--Big Star

SHAKE SOME ACTION--The Flamin' Groovies

SHE SAID SHE SAID--The Beatles

SHE SAID TO ME--The Cowsills

SHE'S LEAVING--The Flashcubes

SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER--The Ramones

SHOUT IT OUT LOUD--KISS

SOLITARY MAN--Neil Diamond

SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE--The Barracudas

SOUND OF THE RADIO--Screen Test

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE--The Cocktail Slippers

SURRENDER--Cheap Trick

SWALLOW MY PRIDE--The Ramones

SYRACUSE SUMMER--The Tearjerkers

TEARS OF A CLOWN--Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

THANK YOU, GIRL [Capitol Records US mix]--The Beatles

THAT THING YOU DO!--The Wonders

THEY RAN FOR THEIR LIVES--The Knickerbockers

THIS YEAR'S GONNA BE OUR YEAR--Eytan Mirsky

TIME HAS COME TODAY--The Chambers Brothers'

TIME WILL TELL--Holly Golightly

TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU--The Kinks

TO SIR, WITH LOVE [Museum Outings Montage]--Lulu

TOMORROW NIGHT--Shoes

TRANSYLVANIA TWIST--Baron Daemon and the Vampires

TRUE LOVE WAYS--Buddy Holly

TWENTY FOUR HOURS FROM TULSA--Gene Pitney

UNCLE JOHN'S BAND--The Grateful Dead

VACATION--The Go-Go's

WALK--DON'T RUN--The Ventures

WALKING OUT ON LOVE--The Breakaways

WALKING WITH A GHOST--Tegan and Sara

WATERLOO SUNSET--The Kinks

WE GOT THE BEAT--The Go-Go's

WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE--The Animals

WHAT AM I DOING HANGIN' 'ROUND?--The Monkees

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU--The Romantics

WHAT TIME IS IT--Jive Five

WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EYES--The Flashcubes

WORDS OF LOVE--The Beatles

WOULDN'T YOU LIKE IT--The Bay City Rollers

YOU REALLY GOT ME--The Kinks

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME--The 13th Floor Elevators

YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY--The Beatles

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

Carl's book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

POP-A-LOOZA: My All-Time Hot 100

Each week, the pop culture website Pop-A-Looza shares some posts from my vast 'n' captivating Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) archives. The latest shared post is a list of my all-time Hot 100.

And yeah, there are dozens of other songs I love about as much as I love many of the ones listed. I have way more than a mere 100 favorite songs.

The subject of favorite songs dovetails with the subject of my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). As noted recently, this battered warhorse of a project is still kicking. A publisher has the manuscript; while there's no odds on whether or not the book will find its home there, the publisher himself has said he's digging the manuscript, which he described as "such great material." I'm made out of hope.

Back to my favorite songs, I have previously posted appreciations of my top 25 Beatles, Monkees, and post-Beatles Paul McCartney tracks, as well as "Imagining/Remembering The Music That Played," an approximation of my all-time Hot 100s when I was a lad of 16 to 22 years old. I did a list of my top five '70s Kinks tracks, and have made vague promises of Top Fives and/or Top 25s of the Hollies, Herman's Hermits, the Rolling Stones, and KISS. Please remember that I am not under oath at any time in the blogging process. 

But I do make an effort to speak my misshapen, mutant truth. An attempt to list my own all-time Hot 100 songs serves as the latest Boppin' Pop-A-Looza.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

CC's All-Time Hot 100

Egged on my pal Fritz Van Leaven, here is my latest attempt to narrow down and cobble together a list of my all-time 100 favorite tracks. 

The exercise itself reminds me once again that I have way, waaaaay more than just 100 favorite tracks. The overall list of a mere 100 could vary on any given day, and in fact it omits a few tracks that were included in an all-time Top 40 I concocted just a few months ago. Consistency is overrated, though certain core tracks will always remain in my Hot 100. 

This is NOT the same as The Greatest Record Ever Made! With that duly noted, these are a few of my favorite tracks.

CC's ALL-TIME Hot 100

Updated 6/7/2022

ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT The Kinks

ALL FOR SWINGING YOU AROUND The New Pornographers

ALLISON ROAD The Gin Blossoms

ANOTHER SAD AND LONELY NIGHT The Bobby Fuller Four

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT The Dave Clark Five

BABY BLUE Badfinger

BABYSITTER The Ramones

BEG, BORROW AND STEAL The Rare Breed/The Ohio Express

BITTERSWEET The Hoodoo Gurus

BLITZKRIEG BOP The Ramones

CALIFORNIA NIGHTS Lesley Gore

CARBONA NOT GLUE The Ramones

CATCH US IF YOU CAN The Dave Clark Five

COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU Todd Rundgren

CRYIN' SHAME The Parties

DA-A-A-ANCE The Lambrettas

DO ANYTHING YOU WANNA DO Eddie and the Hot Rods

DO THE FREDDIE Freddie and the Dreamers

THE DOOR INTO SUMMER The Monkees

EMPTY HANGERS Anny Celsi

EVERYWHERE THAT I'M NOT Translator

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST P.P. Arnold

FIRST PLANE HOME The Flamin' Groovies

FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD The Vogues

GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES Bruce Springsteen

GLAD ALL OVER The Dave Clark Five

GOD ONLY KNOWS The Beach Boys

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN The Sex Pistols

GOING DOWN TO LIVERPOOL The Bangles

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT The Beatles

HEART FULL OF SOUL The Yardbirds

HEARTS IN HER EYES The Searchers

HELP! The Beatles

HIGHWAY LINES Mannix

HIS LAST SUMMER The Barracudas

I CAN'T EXPLAIN The Who

I CAN'T LET GO The Hollies

I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP The Ramones

I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY The Beatles

I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU Dusty Springfield

I TELL NO LIES The Shoutless

I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME The Jayhawks

(I'M NOT YOUR) STEPPIN' STONE The Monkees

IN THE CITY The Jam

IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Stiv Bators

IT'S MY LIFE The Animals

IT'S THE SAME OLD SONG The Four Tops

JOHNNY B. GOODE Chuck Berry

KICKS Paul Revere and the Raiders

KIM THE WAITRESS Material Issue

LAUGH, LAUGH The Beau Brummels

LIES The Knickerbockers

LOVE TO LOVE The Monkees

A MILLION MILES AWAY The Plimsouls

(MY GIRL) MARYANNE The Spongetones

THE NIGHT BEFORE The Beatles

NO PROMISE The Flashcubes

NO REPLY The Beatles

NOTHING REALLY MATTERS WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG Screen Test

ON BROADWAY The Drifters

PERSONALITY CRISIS The New York Dolls

PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY The Monkees

PLEASE PLEASE ME The Beatles

PORPOISE SONG (THEME FROM HEAD) The Monkees

PROMISED LAND Chuck Berry

RAIN The Beatles

ROCK AND ROLL LOVE LETTER The Bay City Rollers

SAYING GOODBYE The Muffs

SEPTEMBER GURLS Big Star

SHAKE SOME ACTION The Flamin' Groovies

SHE SAID SHE SAID The Beatles

SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER The Ramones

SHOUT IT OUT LOUD KISS

SOLITARY MAN Neil Diamond

SOUND OF THE RADIO Screen Test

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE The Cocktail Slippers

SYRACUSE SUMMER The Tearjerkers

THE TEARS OF A CLOWN Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

THANK YOU, GIRL [U.S. Capitol Records mix] The Beatles

THIS DIAMOND RING Sammy Ambrose

THIS YEAR'S GONNA BE OUR YEAR Eytan Mirsky

TIME HAS COME TODAY The Chambers Brothers

TIME WILL TELL Holly Golightly

TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU The Kinks

TO SIR, WITH LOVE [MUSEUM OUTINGS MONTAGE] Lulu

TOMORROW NIGHT Shoes

THE TRANSYLVANIA TWIST Baron Daemon and the Vampires

TWENTY FOUR HOURS FROM TULSA Gene Pitney

UNCLE JOHN'S BAND The Grateful Dead

VACATION The Go-Go's

WALK AWAY RENEE The Left Banke

WALK, DON'T RUN The Ventures

WATERLOO SUNSET The Kinks

WE GOT THE BEAT The Go-Go's

WHAT AM I DOING HANGIN' 'ROUND? The Monkees

WHAT TIME IS IT The Jive Five

(WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE & UNDERSTANDING Elvis Costello and the Attractions

WOULDN'T YOU LIKE IT The Bay City Rollers

YOU REALLY GOT ME The Kinks

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME The 13th Floor Elevators

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl

POP-A-LOOZA: My All-Time Top 40 Favorite Tracks

 

Each week, the pop culture website Pop-A-Looza shares some posts from my vast 'n' captivating Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) archives. The latest shared post is a victory lap listing of my all-time top 40 favorite tracks.

Because of my willful pop obsession, the virtual ink on this piece wasn't even virtually dry when I regretted omitting "Time Will Tell" by Holly Golightly. Ah well. The nature of these lists makes them just snapshots in time, subject to ongoing revision. That's why I embrace the notion that an infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Gimme MORE!! (Cue plug for the book.)

In the 1980s, my friend Fritz Van Leaven encouraged me to assemble a list of my all-time Hot 100; in 1985, I came up with my first such all-time Hot 100 list, which I updated periodically for several years thereafter. I made an abortive attempt at another one in 2018, deliberately skipping my five favorite groups--the Beatles, the Ramones, the Flashcubes, the Monkees, and the Kinks--but still unable to narrow things down below 125 songs before giving up. It's okay. Excess is its own reward.

I have done annotated artist-specific all-time Top 25s for my favorites by the Beatles, the Monkees, and post-Beatles Paul McCartney, plus a supplemental listing of my next 40 Monkees faves. I may yet follow with Top 25s for the Kinks, the Hollies, the Rolling Stones, KISS, and/or others.

Swinging for the fences in 2018, I began a series called Remembering/Imagining The Music That Played, an attempt to recreate what would have been my all-time Hot 100s if I'd done such lists and subsequent updates when I was in my late teens and early twenties, 1976-1982. Because music is such an integral part of who we are and what we become, the resulting pieces are as much personal memoir and autobiography as they are celebrations of individual tunes. I'm quite proud of those six essays--I Was 16 (Going On 17), When I Was 17, 18 (And I Like It), Hey 19!, I Hit 20 (And 20 Hits Back), and No Time To Be 21/This Year I'll Be 22--and I eventually brought them all together in one place. It's one of my favorite pieces.

And we're all about the favorites here. A list of my all-time Top 40 favorite tracks is the latest Boppin' Pop-A-Looza.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl