Michael Jackson - The Anniversary

On the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, I need to make my cousin aware of the most incredible, talented, controversial and influential artist of all time.

Through all the controversy and scandal, Michael Jackson's talent rose above it all to be the greatest artist of all time. So, Alyssa, in case you don't believe me, here is a list of his accomplishments:

• Thriller, Michael's 1982 album, is the best-selling album of all time. OF ALL TIME.
• Michael Jackson has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice
• Received multiple Guinness World Records
• Won 13 Grammy awards
• Won 26 American Music Awards, which is more than any other artist, ever
• Had 13 number one singles in the United States
• Sold over 800 million albums worldwide

If there was ever any doubt about his talent and awesomeness, it has been put to shame.

And just because I love this music video - one of the most played music videos EVER - here is Thriller :)

The Devil Went Down To Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band

Charlie Daniels, in case you aren't aware, is one of the best fiddlers in the entire world. His talent for the violin's beats and speed is incredible.

That said, one of The Charlie Daniels Band's most well-known songs is The Devil Went Down To Georgia. The story about a young man who meets up with the devil and engages in a fiddle-off. If the Devil wins, he takes Johnny's soul. If Johnny wins, he gets the Devil's beautiful golden fiddle.

Pretty basic premise to the song, but the music, the beat and the lyrics drag you in and make you nod your head and sing along.

The song was the greatest pop hit for The Charlie Daniels Band, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been featured in many movies since it was released in 1979. THe song will also be played well into this century, as no one will be able to play the fiddle as fast as Mr. Charlie Daniels.

I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton

Everyone probably knows this, but when Whitney Houston belted out "I Will Always Love You" she is not the original singer of the song.

The Great Ms. Dolly Parton is. And her version is astounding.

Written in 1973 by Dolly Parton, and released as a single a year later, the song went to #1 on theBillboard Hot Country songs chart. Later in 1982 Dolly Parton released a new version of the song for the soundtrack of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. That version also went to #1, marking the first time the same song has gone to #1 twice on the Country charts by the same artist.

Then, in 1992, Whitney Houston recorded the song for the soundtrack to the movie The Bodyguard. The song reached #1 again, and was a huge success worldwide for Whitney Houston.

I guess when a song is good, keep working at it to make it an even greater success.

It's one of the most well-known songs of all time, and has been as #68 on Billboard's 100 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Another artist that could possibly have recorded the song to make it another success - Elvis Presley. In the mid-1970s, Elvis was interested in recording the song, but required shared writing credits. Since Ms. Parton was not willing to share, Elvis did not record the song. image how awesome that would have been though....

Here's Dolly's version

And here's Whitney's version. Enjoy!

You're My Best Friend - Queen

"You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love
The things that you do
You're my best friend"

Yes, I'm posting another Queen song. Why? Because they are my favorite. So there.

My love affair with Freddie Mercury goes way beyond his wide range of musical styles and sung lyrics. This song is one of those ones that spans across the entire world - everyone who hears it loves it. It's just true.

"You're My Best Friend" by Queen was released in 1976, originally from the band's A Night At The Opera album. The song was written by John Deacon for his wife Veronica, to whom he is still married. Such a sweet song. Sigh.

Down Under - Men At Work

No lie, this song was in my elementary school music class book. We would beg our music teacher to listen to it on CD (when CDs first came out) and when we did we thought it was SO funny!

Now that I am about 20 years older, it is still funny - and one of the coolest songs ever recorded.

"Down Under" by Men At Work was released in 1982 and went to #1 on the Australian, American and UK rock charts. Because of the great success of this song, Men At Work are the only Australian band to simultaneously hold the #1 album and #1 song in the United States.

The song is about an Australian man traveling the world. He is very proud of his heritage and tries to entice people to come visit Australia.

And because of the great lyrics to this song, it has become an anthem of sorts for Australia.

So, grab up a Vegimite sandwich, make friends with a Kangaroo, and listen to this awesome song.

Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles

"All the cops in the donut shop say
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh"

One of their most famous songs, "Walk Like An Egyptian" by the 1980s girl band The Bangles just rocks. Not many people don't know this song, and a few even remember the hilarious music video with random people on the street walking like Egyptians.

Though I don't think Egyptians really walked like that - right?

"Walk Like An Egyptian" reached $3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in the UK, and #1 in the States. I guess that just goes to show that people in the United States like to walk funny.

With the hug success of this song, The Bangles propelled from the underground punk girl music scene to mainstream radio in the later half of the 1980s.

Note From My Cousin Alyssa

So, after trying to explain to a 12 year old that rap music - while good in it's own right - is just one kind of music to listen to, she decided to contribute a bit to this blog on which I am sharing some of my favorite Classic Rock music for her education.

Below is Alyssa's Note - Enjoy :)

Dear whoever goes on this website and looks at this,

I am the famous Alyssa, the reason this site is on the internet, well not entirely! My cousin Dana thought that I need to learn to like "old music" but i only listen to rap (it's the best... TRUST ME!) Anyways, when she told me that she made a website for me, I was soooooooo happy, but when I heard the name...Alyssa's Music Education, i knew it was going to be all old music i will never listen to EVER! But still I love Dana for making me this website, she rocks! Thanks for reading this and going on the website full of music I will never listen to lol jk Dana!!

PEACE OUT PEEPS!! @LY$$@

(thats alyssa in getto)

Oh Lordy........ *head shake*

Whip It Good - Devo

So, are they saying "Tattoed Detective"? Or "Try to Detect It"?

This question plagued my college roommate and I for months when we became obsessed with this song. Granted it was over 20 years after it was released, but one can discover and appreciate awesome 80's music during any decade, right?

Devo was formed in 1973 in Ohio, and has developed somewhat of a cult following since then. Their band name comes from the concept of "de-evolution" meaning that instead of evolving, human kind has regressed. But wherever their name comes from, their song "Whip It" is freaking amazing.

"Whip It" was released in 1980 and was Devo's most successful song. Reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, "Whip It" was also named #63 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s.

But it's the music video and the red hats that make this song the best. Just watch and find out.

Pink Houses - John Mellencamp

"There's a black man with a black cat livin' in a black neighborhood
He's got an interstate runnin' through his front yard
You know he thinks that he's got it so good
And there's a woman in the kitchen cleanin' up the evenin' slop
And he looks at her and says, "Hey darlin', I can remember when
You could stop a clock."

Back before Cougars were horny moms, John Cougar Mellencamp rocked the stage with great music such as "Jack and Diane" and "Hurt So Good".

One of his songs from the early 1980s "Pink Houses" is one of those songs that is written about the heart of America, and the people in it. Telling stories about an old African-American couple, a young hard working man and everyone else that make up our country.

The song made it to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and was ranked #439 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

This song also makes my mom and her sisters sing and dance in bars. It's that good.

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

I have to admit, I first fell in love with this song when Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora played it at the 2001 My VH1 Awards right after George Harrison died. but listening to the song played by anyone else other than George Harrison and The Beatles is a shameful event.

"Here Comes The Sun" is one of the most widely known contribution George made to The Beatles, singing and playing acoustic guitar on the track. It originated from a collaboration session with friend and artist Eric Clapton.

After it was released in 1969, this song was covered by a variety of artists, including Bon Jovi, Paul Simon, U2, James Taylor and Sheryl Crow.

Here is a version of the song being played by the fantastic George Harrison, along with fellow Beatle Ring Starr and Elton John, Eric Clapton and Phil Collins.

I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty

"Well I won't back down, no I won't back down
You could stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down"

Incredibly well-known and acclaimed as the front man of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty has also released a few very successful solo albums, including 1989's Full Moon Fever. From this album came two of Petty's signature songs, "Free Fallin'" and "I Won't Back Down"

"I Won't Back Down" was the first single from the album Full Moon Fever, and reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for five weeks.

This song has attracted many iconic musicians with it's awesomeness, including George Harrison and Ringo Starr of The Beatles (in the music video) and Johnny Cash and Pearl Jam (who had covered this song on albums and live performances).

Southern Voice - Tim McGraw

"Hank Aaron smacked it
Michael Jordan dunked it
Pocahantas tracked it
Jack Daniels drunk it
Tom Petty rocked it
Dr. King paved it
Bear Bryant won it
Billy Graham saved it

Smooth as the hickory wind
That blows from Memphis
Down to Appalachicola*
It's hi ya'll did ya eat well
Come on in I'm
Sure glad to know ya
Don't let this old gold cross
In this Crimson Tide t-shirt throw ya
It's cicadas making noise
With a southern voice"

Okay okay okay - I know this isn't a classic song by any means - in fact it is brand spankin' new!

But I wake up with this song stuck in my head every morning, and it references a lot of GREAT classic rock in it, so I thought I'd change it up for once.

Singing about the likes of Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Tom Petty, The Allman Brothers, Crimson Tide and Charlie Daniels, "Southern Voice" by Tim McGraw is a pretty cool new song that pays homage to the greats of the South.

Not only do you get to learn a bit about classic rock music here, but you also get a history lesson as well.

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

Sometimes regarded as an incredibly goofy song, I have always thought it would be a fun one to have playing in the background while being proposed to.

When I wake up, well I know i'm gonna be,
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next you
When I go out, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
If I get drunk, well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver up, Yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

The Proclaimers' hit "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" was released in the UK in 1989, and in the United States in 1993. The song reached #11 in the UK and #1 in Australia in 1989, and then #3 in the US 5 years later. The music video for this song features the four-eyed band members, who also happen to be twins from Scotland.

Enjoy the music video here and see just how goofy the singers are - and make sure to listen to all the goofy lyrics!

You Got It (The Right Stuff) - New Kids On The Block

Yes, the New Kids On The Block came back recently as, well, older men on the block - however they were still awesome in concert!

The Boys from Boston's song "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" was released in 1988 as the second single off their debut album Hangin' Tough. The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts and was included in VH1s list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s.

When I was 6 years old, I first learned on New Kids On The Block, and they have stuck with me ever since. This song is one of my favorites, and one that I still know all the words to.

Piano Man - Billy Joel

"It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about their life for a while
And the piano, it sounds like a carnivore
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?""

Here's the thing - I love Billy Joel more than I love most of my friends. There. I said it. Now it's out in the open.

Billy Joel is a freakin' genius, and his first major hit "Piano Man" launched him to stardom, earning him the nickname Piano Man and ensuring this song is one of his staples at every concert and on many albums.

Released in November 1973, "Piano Man" is a first-person observance of a bar piano player, telling the stories of the regulars in his bar. Listening to the song, you learn about Davy "who's still in the navy" and the old man "makin' love to his tonic and gin". Billy Joel acknowledged that each character in this song is based on a real person - either a friend of his, or a stranger in a bar that he saw all too often.

Because this song is immensely popular and widely recognized, it is obviously a karaoke classic. It it also one of the first songs I learned with I was a small kid riding around in my dad's old beat-up car listening to classic rock.

Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi

The famous story of Tommy and Gina - struggling to make ends meet, and still working at their relationship to keep it going - is a fantastic story behind the killer beats and amazing guitar playing of Bon Jovi's song "Livin' On A Prayer"

The second single by the incredibly popular band, "Livin' On A Prayer" almost didn't make it on Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet". Imaging if it hadn't - what a sad world it would be.

Named by VH1 as the #1 Rock Song of the 80's, "Livin' On A Prayer" has rocked the faces of millions of people since its debut in 1987.

Alyssa, be sure to crank this song up the next time you hear it, belt out the lyrics, and become a part of one of the greatest songs of all time.

Watch the Video on YouTube, and be sure to turn up the speakers :)

Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett

"But there's booze in the blender

And soon it will render

That frozen concoction that helps me hang on"

Yes, Alyssa, I know you'e heard this song before. But I want to make sure you appreciate just how fantastic this song actually is.

"Margaritaville" is the iconic song for anyone who just wants to sit back, relax, and enjoy an adult beverage. This is known as Jimmy Buffett's ultimate song, and to this day, he still performs with enthusiasm and vigor. When released in 1977, the song topped the Adult Contemporary charts and is Buffett's largest selling single of all time.

Jimmy Buffett is a marketing genius, having themed restaurants all over the country, CDs, books, DVDs, beer and the Dolphins Stadium. Oh yeah, and his concerts sell out in record time and are enjoyed by people in high school all the way yo to their 60s and 70s.

Here is Buffett singing the song live - check out the people enjoying themselves during the concert too - it's a hell of a time!

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

This is The Song. The Song to make you sing loud. The Song to make you thrash your hair around on the dance floor.

"Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on
Livin' like a lover with a radar phone
Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp
Demolition woman, can I be your man?"

"Pour Some Sugar On Me" by British rock band Def Leppard quickly became an MTV classic after it's debut in 1988. Regarded as the band's signature song, "Pour Some Sugar On Me" kicked ass, took names, and reached #2 on the Billboard charts.

Oh yeah - and the drummer only has one arm. And he still rocks. Better than most.

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Download it and fall in love.

Do you take sugar? One lump or two?

Feels Like the First Time - Foreigner

I think Alyssa is even too young to remember the Burger King commercials featuring music from this band, but let me tell you - Foreigner is outstanding.

Their songs all seem to have a very similar style, which can either make all of them rotten, or all of them awesome. Thankfully for this band, it was the latter.

Foreigner was formed in 1976, and has since sold over 50 million albums worldwide, thanks to the success of many of their hits, including "Cold as Ice", "Hot Blooded", "Dirty White Boy" and the song I am featuring here - "Feels Like The First Time".

"Feels Like The First Time" was on the band's debut album released in 1977, and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.

"I would climb any mountain

Sail across a stormy sea
If that's what it takes me baby
To show you how much you mean to me"

Oh yeah, and the band Daughtry did a cover of this song last year. So, i suppose that makes it col, right? Check out Foreigner's version though - it's way better.

Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

So, you're probably saying "Really Dana, a cult of oysters?" Yes. Yes.

Blue Oyster Cult got its start in the late 1960s in Long Island, New York, are still active in 2009, and have sold over 14 million albums worldwide. They are well known for hits such as "Godzilla", "Burnin' For You" and the song I have chosen to offer Alyssa here, "Don't Fear The Reaper".

"Don't Fear The Reaper" is the band's greatest hit to date, reaching #12 on the American charts in November 1976. This same year, Rolling Stone named it the year's best rock song.

This song has a lot of deep qualities, including the meaning of the song itself. Sometimes misinterpreted as a song about suicide, "Don't Fear The Reaper" is actually about being in love with someone forever; a love that transcends death and the physical existence of the two people in love.

This song was also famously parodied in the infamous "More Cowbell!" skit on Saturday Night Live in 2000, featuring Will Farrell and Christopher Walken. You can listen to the original version below, and try to catch a rerun of that SNL episode at least once in your life - it is amazing!