I noticed the other day that this site was approaching a milestone - and so today, we celebrate the 100th post!!
And what better way to do that, than with a playlist of songs about 'celebration' or '100'.
There'll be some party classics, some rock classics and a few other somewhere in between. So, thank you for your support and engagement so far - and here's to the next 100 posts.
1. Kool & The Gang: Celebration
Pretty much had to start with this one - no celebratory party is complete without this 1980 banger! It was their only US Billboard #1 song and came from their twelfth album, Celebrate! It has some really funky brass, some woo-hoo'ing and check out the coordinated foot movement at the start of the video.
2. Ocean Colour Scene: 100 Mile High City
Late 60s psych-rock vibes ooze from the pores of this UK #4 hit from Solihull's OCS. The drums and guitar propel this along at quite a frenetic pace - a 90s indie classic that ended up on the soundtrack of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.
3. Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day
Time for some classic rock! At first you think it is all about Jimmy Page's trademark riffing - a frenzy of blues - and Robert Plant's strong vocal chords. But then you watch and listen again, and the John Bonham / John Paul Jones rhythm section are the real driving force. It's not a 'heavy' rock song and yet it still feels like a train is coming at you.
4. Power of Dreams: 100 Ways To Kill A Love
Alright, the title is not in a celebratory mood, but it does have 100 in it. It is also from one of the best (and least heard) debut albums of all time. 1990's Immigrants, Emigrants And Me was going to sweep Power of Dreams to stardom. Four young lads from Dublin, fronted by the supreme writing skills of Craig Walker, they were going to be the next U2. But inexplicably, despite rave reviews all round, it never happened. Over the next few years they put out four really strong indie albums, but could never quite break through. But the first album was the best, and this track is an absolute killer
5. Simple Minds: Celebrate
Okay, here is where we go off piste a little. If Simple Minds to you is all about stadium rock, Alive & Kicking and all that, then there is a whole world you have missed. While their inception in 1977 started out in a fairly conventional post-punk style, playing songs mixing their punk and glam upbringing (Roxy Music), albums two through six were mysterious, often hypnotic and influenced by life on the road in small vans hurtling around the small clubs of Europe. The drums pulse, the bass flickers and whirrs and Jim Kerr's voice was never deeper and darker than here.
6. Sonic Youth: 100%
Another slightly left field one for this playlist, 100% was the lead single from 1992's Dirty. Its grungy power chords and eerie feedback serve as a background for what is a tribute to their friend Joe Cole, who had been killed during an armed robbery the previous year. The video was directed by noted filmmaker Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich), with much of the footage shot by him from his skateboard.
7. Black Eyed Peas: Celebrate
This one comes from 2020's Translation album and starts to get us back into party mode! There is an incessant drum track and little synth flourishes that give a hint of brass to the song. It also apparently samples Conga by Miami Sound Machine and the song certainly has a bit of that Gloria Estefan vibe to it.
8. Dave: 100ms
This is an early single (2017) by Brixton rapper Dave. Apparently the lyrics, all about cash, were put down in one take over a frenetic beat by Liverpudlian, SG Lewis. While rap is not a genre any in-depth knowledge of, it's always good to expand ones horizons, and I am always amazed and dazzled by the verbal dexterity and beat poetry of a good rapper. This can't be a bad tune - Nike used it in a commercial the following year.
9. Womack & Womack: Celebrate The World
Husband and wife team, Cecil (younger brother of Bobby) and Linda (daughter of Sam Cooke) Womack, had both made names for themselves as songwriters long before their marriage in the late 70s. Cecil had written songs for artists including his first wife, Mary Wells, while Linda wrote songs used by the likes of Wilson Pickett and Bobby Womack. Together they wrote tunes for Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle and the O'Jays, before working on their own material, most notably 1988s Conscience, which included big hit Teardrops and this one.
10. Haircut 100: Fantastic Day
Okay, I know this song doesn't have either key word in it - but it is definitely a 'celebratory' song and it is by Haircut 100! This takes me back to being nine years old and happily watching Top Of The Pops. It is a slice of pop heaven - somehow managing to avoid slipping into cheesy - and just being joyous and uplifting celebration!