My Top 50 countdown of SNL cast members begins with a glue guy who was present in one of the show’s finest eras. That would be Chris Parnell. Whether rapping about Jennifer Garner or Britney Spears or rapping alongside Andy Samberg in the iconic “Lazy Sunday” short or lead singing beside a cow-belling Will Ferrell, Parnell was always a welcome presence on the show.
A utility player who would also provide hilarious moments on Tina Fey’s 30 Rock, Parnell kicks off the list and #49 is coming your way shortly!
Chris Parnell
Years on the Show: 1998-2006
If you missed my prelude mentioning cast members who just missed the cut, you can find it here:
A growing trend in movies for the past few years (and a bit beyond) is the musical biopic that incorporates one of the band or artist’s songs into the title. The latest example will come out this fall with BohemianRhapsody, the behind the scenes story of Queen.
2019 will bring us Rocketman with Taron Egerton as the legendary Elton John.
We’ve seen this trend in years past. For instance, the 1980s saw LaBamba about Richie Valens.
The 1990s gave us Angela Bassett in her Oscar nominated role playing Tina Turner in What’sLoveGottoDoWithIt?
In 2005, we had WalktheLine with Joaquin Phoenix in his Academy nominated turn as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon winning as June.
More recent ones have been in the hip hop world with StraightOuttaCompton (N.W.A.) and AllEyezonMe (Tupac Shakur). There’s also GetOnUp with Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul, James Brown.
So this got me thinking. What would be some other movie/song titles if certain iconic musicians got their biopic? For this blog post’s purposes, I tried to focus on artists where I feel a big screen treatment on them is at least feasible. In other words, while RicoSuave might be a spectacular title, I don’t envision two hours on Gerardo coming anytime soon.
There is already a Madonna flick reportedly in the works and it takes its name not from a tune, but from one of her tours – BlondAmbition. I suppose MaterialGirl or LikeaPrayer could have worked, but BlondAmbition is just about perfect.
Some choices seem obvious. You gotta call the Bon Jovi story LivinonaPrayer, after all. And MyWay seems like the natural fit for Frank Sinatra. And BorntoRun for Bruce Springsteen. And there’s PianoMan for Billy Joel.
It doesn’t end there. Respect (Aretha Franklin) and FireandRain (James Taylor).
When it comes to some recently dearly departed legends, Prince presents a challenge because you can’t call it PurpleRain. And a number of his other massive hits don’t fit. WhenDovesCry is probably the name the studio would go for considering it’s his biggest hit. Personally, I rather like the thought of MyNameisPrince, taken from his Love Symbol album of 1992.
With Michael Jackson, Thriller would work but it’s hard to imagine ManintheMirror not being the choice.
For David Bowie, Starman seems like the winner, but that’s also the name of a fairly well-known 1980s science fiction effort starring Jeff Bridges. That may not matter, but if so, SpaceOddity or simply calling it ZiggyStardust might fit.
Tom Petty? How about FreeFallin or RunninDownaDream. George Michael? Faith or Freedom. Whitney Houston? Tough one. Perhaps a studio would want IWillAlwaysLoveYou. Maybe SoEmotional works as well.
Some bands have more than one title that seem appropriate. Aerosmith has three great ones: DreamOn, SweetEmotion, or WalkThisWay. With AC/DC – BackinBlack or Thunderstruck.
Guns n Roses is an interesting one. WelcometotheJungle is fantastic, but it was just the subtitle for the blockbuster Jumanji reboot. In this matter, you might have to go with their album name AppetiteforDestruction, which is ideal.
Metallica could have ForWhomtheBellTolls or EnterSandman. Nirvana might have SmellsLikeTeenSpirit as the studio choice, but I’m a little partial to ComeAsYouAre.
I like RunninwiththeDevil for Van Halen and I suppose StairwaytoHeaven would be the choice for Led Zeppelin.
Let’s move off rock. How about Britney Spears? That may depend on what direction the studio goes. It could be Toxic or Stronger. Maybe BabyOneMoreTime instead.
Stevie Wonder? Superstition or SirDuke are possibilities, but I like HigherGround.
With Bob Marley, maybe GetUp, StandUp or OneLove.
Circling back to hip hop, FightthePower is the clear pick for Public Enemy and the same may hold true for MamaSaidKnockYouOut with LL Cool J.
And then there’s my favorite… the Rick James biopic SuperFreak. Why hasn’t this been made already?
I could go on, but you get the idea. Let’s see if any of these suggested titles end up playing out in the future. Maybe there will be surprises… BarbieGirl: TheAquaStory, anyone?
Today on the blog, I continue on with my listing of the Top Ten Summer Hits from years past. I’ve already gone over both 1987 and 1997. If you missed those entries, you can find them here:
On this Throwback Thursday, we travel back a decade to 2007 to find what was burning up the charts in a summer where comedies like Knocked Up and Superbad were making us laugh, the Transformers franchise was just beginning, and Spider-Man 3 was overwhelming us with too many villains and Tobey Maguire dancing.
As I have with these posts before, I’ll rank them on my own (not exactly refined) musical scale of 1 (summer bummer) to 10 (summer fire) and let you know whether or not said song resides on my Apple Music playlist.
Let’s get to it!
10. “Make Me Better” – Fabolous feat. Ne-Yo
Brooklyn MC Fabolous starting making hits in 2001 and this Timbaland produced and string heavy track featuring Ne-Yo is one of his biggest. Timbaland always delivers good beats. It’s decent, though nothing too memorable.
My Rating: 6 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
9. “Bartender” – T-Pain feat. Akon
Like many of Mr. Pain’s tracks, this is made for careless nights at the club and in that sense, it’s perfect acceptable. Like some of those nights, however, you may have forgotten it by morning.
My Rating: 6
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
8. “Makes Me Wonder” by Maroon 5
The first single from Maroon 5’s long-awaited second album, this was actually their first #1 hit (a bit surprising considering the smashes from their debut release). It’s a catchy as heck pop concoction with Adam Levine’s fine vocals.
My Rating: 8 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes
7. “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston
Jamaican artist Kingston scored a huge one hit wonder here with this reggae tinged ode to a girl he loves. The lyrics are really quite disturbing if you think about them at all, but summer songs are all about enjoying them with the top down and this pretty much delivers.
My Rating: 6 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
6. “The Way I Are” by Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson
Grammatical issues aside, the second single from mega-producer Timbaland’s Shock Value album is a synth heavy standout jam. My goodness – this man was on fire in the mid 2000s.
My Rating: 8 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes
5. “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” – T-Pain feat. Yung Joc
And now for the lead single from Mr. Pain’s second smash album. It’s another club anthem meant for quick consumption on a night out and it’s a notch above #9 “Bartender”.
My Rating: 6 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
4. “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s
The signature tune from these Illinois rockers, this track was inescapable a decade ago. The ballad’s rating here perhaps suffers from its overexposure, but it does get in your head.
My Rating: 7
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
3. “Party Like a Rockstar” by Shop Boyz
The first and only hit from these Atlanta rappers, “Rockstar” merged the sounds of hip hop and rock that first gained exposure two decades earlier with Aerosmith and Run DMC. It’s the most downloaded ringtone of 2007. It’s not “Walk This Way”, but it’s fun.
My Rating: 6 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
2. “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie
The fourth single off her debut album and the third #1 from it, Black Eyed Peas songstress Fergie slowed it down here with this ditty. Truthfully, it was never among my favorite tracks that were singles but maybe I just gravitated toward other hits like “London Bridge”, “Glamorous”, and “Clumsy”. Still it’s solid. By the way, if that guy Fergie is romancing in the video looks familiar – that would Milo Ventimiglia or Jack from TV’s “This Is Us”.
My Rating: 7 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
1. “Umbrella” by Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
Now we’re talking! One of Rihanna’s best cuts, this was actually rejected by Britney Spears. Oops. With a fine assist from Mr. Shawn Carter (who co-wrote), “Umbrella” features a towering beat and is one of the endlessly played tracks that somehow doesn’t get old. It deserves its accolades.
My Rating: 10
Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes
Well, that does it folks! The last ten, twenty, and thirty years of summertime hits. Next summer – get ready for 1988, 1998, and 2008. And hitting the blog within days will be reviewing the movie summers of 1987, 1997, and 2007. Stay tuned!
Today, we continue on with the summer songs were filling our ears two decades ago. Last week, I brought you the top 10 seasonal ditties of 1987. If you missed that post, you can find it here:
As I’ve done with these posts previously, I’m personally rating each of them on a scale of 1 (summer bummer) to 10 (summer fire). I’m also answering the important question as to whether each track is located in my Apple Music catalog.
Before we delve into the top 10, I must say that when I looked up Billboard’s chart I expected to see Will Smith’s “Men in Black”, the theme song to 1997’s highest grossing picture. Surprisingly, it was nowhere to be found but in case you wanted to put on your nostalgia goggles and watch the Fresh Prince groovin’ with an alien, here you are:
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to the songs that were constantly playing on our radios and CD players 20 years ago:
10. “Look Into My Eyes” by Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony
While I expected Mr. Smith’s movie hit to be in this list, I had plain forgotten about Cleveland rap group Bone’s track that appeared on the Batman and Robin soundtrack. I guess the movie itself isn’t the only forgettable thing about the fourth Caped Crusader flick. While Bone has had some classics (“Tha Crossroads”, “1st of tha Month”), this isn’t one of them.
My Rating: 5 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music? No
9. “Do You Know (What It Takes)” by Robyn
Swedish pop star Robyn scored her first of two top 10 singles stateside with this uptempo dance hit (her second was “Show Me Love”). The fact that I had to look it up to remind myself of it means it’s a bit of a throwaway, but my head was nodding along to it and it’s got a little Britney Spears vibe pre-Britney. This makes sense because it was co-produced by Max Martin, who went on to make massive hits for Britney, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and many many others.
My Rating: 6 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
8. “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and Mase
The second single from Biggie’s Life After Death album (released just weeks after his murder), “Mo Money” is a Puff Daddy confection that samples the Diana Ross classic “I’m Coming Out”. It would have sounded perfectly at home on Puff’s hit album from that summer, but it hits a high note when Christopher Wallace’s fierce rap closes it out.
My Rating: 8 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes
7. “Say You’ll Be There” by Spice Girls
For those who didn’t live through the Spice revolution, the British girl group were a massive sensation and this is on the higher end of their pop hits. They even went the movie route six months after this topped the charts with Spice World, which performed well worldwide despite mostly scathing reviews.
My Rating: 7 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music? No
6. “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind
This cut from San Francisco rockers Third Eye Blind was inescapable two decades ago. It may be a perfectly sounding pop concoction, but it’s actually about crystal meth addiction. Woo hoo! Truthfully, I found this song rather grating back then and still do. It was featured prominently in American Pie two summers later.
My Rating: 5
It Is On My Apple Music? No
5. “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison
British hip hop artist Morrison had his one hit wonder with this anthem and it’s a darn catchy one that still resonates today. It was even recently featured in a Burger King commercial!
My Rating: 9
It Is On My Apple Music?: Yes
4. “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” by Backstreet Boys
Also produced by the aforementioned Max Martin, this is Backstreet’s first chart topper in the United States. Is it their best? No, that easily belongs to “I Want It That Way”, but it’s a good pop tune.
My Rating: 7
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
3. “MMMBop” by Hanson
The Oklahoma brothers had an absolute smash with the ubiquitous “MMMBop”. It received critical raves as well. I’ll fully admit this a song I would turn off today, but I liked it too back in the day.
My Rating: 7 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music? No
2. “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks
This female empowerment track by Oregon songstress Brooks was inescapable as well. It doesn’t touch top tier Alanis as far as I’m concerned, but it’s easy to belt out the chorus. It would be prominently featured three years later in the Mel Gibson rom com What Women Want.
My Rating: 6 and a half
Is It On My Apple Music? No
1. “I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112
Puff Daddy’s tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. with an assist from his widow and Bad Boy label mates 112 was an absolute juggernaut that spent 11 weeks at #1. Sampling The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”, it was a powerful track coming so soon after Biggie’s demise. Truth be told, it’s also rather mawkish and doesn’t hold up nearly as well today but I sure dug it then.
My Rating: 7
Is It On My Apple Music?: No
And there you have it, folks! I’ll be bringing you the 2007 list very soon…
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