the list of 9 for december 4, 2001:
THE NINE MOST POPULAR SONGS OF THE LAST MILLENNIUM
This list is two years too late, as it was in December 1999 when radio stations, magazines, MTV et al "counted down" the top songs of recent times, calling it "the top 50 songs of the millennium" and such. Of course it was a joke: such countdowns never included a song before 1950 (if that). Peeved that some might actually believe that Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and Van Halen's "Jump" adequately represent a thousand years of human existence, I offer up this list as something a little more respectful to songwriters of centuries past. I have to mention that this list refers to the biggest hits in the Western world; I'm sure there are many fine examples from China and India which have been sung and remembered by millions. Also I'm adhering strictly to "pop" music - that is, songs that aren't religious (Amazing Grace, Kumbaya), classical pieces (Claire de Lune, Für Elise) or national anthems (God Save the King, The Star-Spangled Banner).
- GREENSLEEVES (mid-1500s, author unknown). Though the melody is usually sung in America as the Christmas Carol "What Child Is This," the original medieval love song is the granddaddy of popular music, composed in the 16th century somewhere in England. Legend has it that Henry VIII wrote it in 1530, but I'm not buying it.
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY (1935, Mildred and Patty Hill). A comparatively new tune on this list, but possibly the most recognized song in the entire world. Tens of millions of people sing it every day, and they all have these two old sisters to thank. Mildred wrote the melody back in the 1890's; Patty added the lyrics, which were at first "Good morning to you" and then, 40 years later, "Happy birthday to you." Incredibly and disgustingly, the song that seemingly belongs to everyone is to this day covered by copyright (it expires in 2011), and if you want to use it in a film or even have waiters sing it in your restaurant, you have to pay steep licensing fees to Warner Communications (who paid around $25 million for the rights in 1988) or get sued.
- AH, VOUS DIRAI-JE, MAMAN (mid-1700s, author unknown). Though the French translation reads "Should I tell you, mother?" you probably know this as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Or "Baa Baa Black Sheep." Or "The Alphabet Song." In truth, it's an old French folk song that was first written down in 1761 by one M. Bouin, though it probably existed beforehand. However, it was a 26-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who cemented the melody's popularity with his twelve variations (written presumably for his students to practice with) in 1782.
- THREE BLIND MICE (1609, author unknown). Another oldie but a goodie, this popular nursery rhyme began, like many popular nursery rhymes, as a bit of political satire: The "farmer's wife" is said to refer to England's Queen Mary I ("Bloody Mary"), who executed three lords of her estates (the "mice," obviously). This would make sense, as the beloved Elizabeth I had recently died and it was quite fashionable to mock her late sister. Whatever. The tune has stayed with us, especially with all those damn Three Stooges movies, and some say the three different notes you hear on your standard touchtone phone were suggested by this tune. Shrug.
- HOME, SWEET HOME! (1823, Sir Henry Bishop & John Howard Payne). "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." Hard to believe, but this corny little homily got its start as an operatic aria - though British composer Sir Henry Bishop was not quite in the same league as Verdi or Puccini. It was first warbled in his opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan, with words written by the American Payne. The song has great historical significance, too: for centuries popular songs were never written down like classical music was, and certainly there was no arena for mass distribution. "Home, Sweet Home!" was the first to obtain widespread distribution, and the first to be intentionally sold to the masses as a song they could play at home. It was an enormous success; the better-remembered composer Rossini even used it in his famous opera The Barber of Seville.
- FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW (1709? 1722?, author unknown). Another French folk song that got transformed in English-speaking lands. Originally called "Malbrouck s'en va-t-en guerre," named after the Duke of Marlborough, who battled France to his death in 1705, it was known first in the U.S. as "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" and in England by its best-known title. It's also what you hear in movies where the budget wasn't big enough to afford "Happy Birthday."
- ARE YOU SLEEPING (1811, author unknown) As "Frère Jacques," this is the one song that even American children hear more often in French than in English (where it's sometimes called "Brother John"), though this song remains popular in several languages throughout the world - "Bruder Jakob" in German, "Panie Janie" in Polish, etc. A cute page of examples is here. By the way, the "brother" referred to is not an annoyed sibling, but a sleepy monk.
- AULD LANG SYNE (1788, Robert Burns). Scottish poet Burns attached his name to this popular year-end crowd-pleaser, though historians believe the song predated Burns by many years (possibly as early as 1700); he himself claimed to have transcribed it from "an old man's singing" but probably made enough changes to call it his own. In any event, you should know that the Scottish words "auld lang syne" directly translate to "old long ago" - or "times gone by," if you prefer.
- COMIN' THRO' THE RYE (1792?, Robert Burns). Burns again! Why, he was a one-man hit machine! This little ditty - "Gin a body meet a body, comin' thro' the rye," etc. - deserves its place on this list not only for its instantly recognizable melody, but also because it lies at the center of one of American literature's greatest books, The Catcher in the Rye, as well as being heard millions of times each day throughout Japan: the tune is played electronically at pedestrian crossing signals across the country.
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