BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century

Posted in News on December 13, 1999

'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' ' Is Number One

BMI today announced the Top 100 Songs of the Century, listing the most played songs on American radio and television. Leading the list is the anthemic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," written by Barry Mann, Phil Spector and Cynthia Weil, which recently passed the historic 8 million performance plateau. It was originally recorded by The Righteous Brothers and produced by Spector.

The second, third and fourth place songs have all attained more than 7 million airplays. They are: "Never My Love," written by Donald and Richard Addrisi; "Yesterday" by John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney; and "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Rounding out the Top 10 are the six-million-plateau performers: "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio; "Sitting On the Dock Of the Bay" by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper; Paul Simon's "Mrs. Robinson"; "Baby I Need Your Loving" by the legendary Motown writers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland; John Gummoe's "Rhythm Of The Rain"; and the evergreen "Georgia On My Mind" written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell.

John Lennon and Paul Simon each have four songs in the Top 100. Lennon's contributions are his Beatles's classics "Yesterday," "Michelle" (#42), and "Let It Be" (#89), all co-written by McCartney, as well as his solo outing "Imagine" (#96). In addition to "Mrs. Robinson," Simon is represented on the list with "The Sound of Silence" (# 18), "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (#19), and "Scarborough Fair" (#31), co-written by his long-time partner Art Garfunkel. Other songwriters with multiple listings include, with three songs each, Norman Gimbel, Mark James, Barry Mann, McCartney and Roy Orbison, as well as the teams of Holland-Dozier-Holland and Sir Elton John-Bernie Taupin (PRS). Mann, co-writer of the #1 song, is also co-writer (with Dan Hill-SOCAN) of the #100 song, "Sometimes When We Touch." With two songs each, Sam Cooke, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Melson, J.D. Souther, Jimmy Webb and Cynthia Weil made the list, along with the teams of Leiber-Stoller and Bert Kaempfert (GEMA)-Eddie Snyder-Charles Singleton.

Most of the songs became hits several times over when they were "covered" by various artists. However, as performers of the Top 100, The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel scored the most spots with four original versions of the songs. The Association was responsible for three ("Never My Love," "Cherish" #22 and "Windy" #61), as were The Drifters ("On Broadway" #45, "Save the Last Dance for Me" #49 and "Up On the Roof" #92), Elton John ("Your Song" #37, "Daniel" #66 and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" #76), and Roy Orbison ("Oh Pretty Woman" #26, "Crying" #74 and "Blue Bayou" #85).

BMI is a performing rights organization that represents more than 250,000 songwriters, composers and publishers with a repertoire of more than 3 million songs and compositions from around the world and in all genres of music. The company annually monitors approximately 450,000 hours of commercial and non-commercial radio airplay and more than 6,000,000 hours of television programming. BMI collects license fees from the commercial users of music and, after deducting operating costs, distributes those fees to its affiliates as royalties.

One million continuous performances of a song of the average length of 3 minutes represents 5.7 years of continuous airplay. The 8 million performances of "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling' " equals more than 45 years of back-to-back play.

1.You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’Barry Mann, Phil Spector, Cynthia Weil
2.Never My LoveDonald & Richard Addrisi
3.YesterdayJohn Lennon & Paul McCartney
4.Stand By MeBen E. King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
5.Can’t Take My Eyes Off of YouBob Crewe & Bob Gaudio
6.Sitting on the Dock of the BaySteve Cropper & Otis Redding
7.Mrs. RobinsonPaul Simon
8.Baby, I Need Your LovingLamont Dozier, Brian Holland & Eddie Holland
9.Rhythm of the RainJohn Gummoe
10.Georgia on My MindHoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell
11.Killing Me Softly with His SongCharles Fox & Norman Gimbel
12.MoreMarcello Ciorciolini, Norman Newell, Nino Oliviero, Riz Ortolani
13.I Will Always Love YouDolly Parton
14.When A Man Loves A WomanCalvin Lewis & Andrew J. Wright
15.Every Breath You TakeSting
16.Gentle on My MindJohn Hartford
17.SomethingGeorge Harrison
18.Sounds of SilencePaul Simon
19.Bridge Over Troubled WaterPaul Simon
20.By the Time I Get to PhoenixJimmy Webb
21.Angel of the MorningChip Taylor
22.CherishTerry Kirkman
23.You Can’t Hurry LoveLamont Dozier, Brian Holland & Eddie Holland
24.Proud MaryJohn Fogerty
25.SunnyBobby Hebb
26.Oh Pretty WomanWilliam Dees & Roy Orbison
27.Everybody’s Talkin’Fred Neil
28.I Heard It Through the GrapevineBarrett Strong & Norman Whitfield
29.Goin’ Out of My HeadTeddy Randazzo & Bobby Weinstein
30.Suspicious MindsMark James
31.Scarborough FairArt Garfunkel & Paul Simon
32.TracesBuddy Buie, J.R. Cobb, Emory Gordy
33.All I Have to Do Is DreamBoudleaux Bryant
34.Only YouAnde Rand & Buck Ram
35.Canadian SunsetNorman Gimbel & Eddie Heywood
36.Oh GirlEugene Record
37.Your SongElton John & Bernie Taupin
38.How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland & Eddie Holland
39.(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and HigherGary Jackson, Raynard Miner & Carl William Smith
40.I Can’t Stop Loving YouDon Gibson
41.Wind Beneath My WingsLarry Henley & Jeff Silbar
42.MichelleJohn Lennon & Paul McCartney
43.Up, Up and AwayJimmy Webb
44.Happy TogetherGarry Bonner & Alan Gordon
45.On BroadwayJerry Leiber, Barry Mann, Mike Stoller & Cynthia Weil
46.Twilight TimeAl Nevins, Morty Nevins & Buck Ram
47.Strangers in the NightBert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton & Eddie Snyder
48.Breaking Up Is Hard to DoHoward Greenfield & Neil Sedaka
49.Save the Last Dance for MeDoc Pomus & Mort Shuman
50.For the Good TimesKris Kristofferson
51.We’ve Only Just BegunRoger Nichols & Paul Williams
52.What a Wonderful WorldLou Adler, Herb Alpert & Sam Cooke
53.SnowbirdGene MacLellan
54.Everlasting LoveBuzz Cason & Mac Gayden
55.My Special AngelJimmy Duncan
56.The Most Beautiful GirlRory Bourke, Billy Sherrill & Norro Wilson
57.Brown Eyed GirlVan Morrison
58.Girl From IpanemaVinicius DeMoraes, Norman Gimbel & Antonio Carlos Jobim
59.My Cherie AmourSylvia Moy, Henry Cosby & Stevie Wonder
60.Always on My MindWayne Carson, Johnny Christopher & Mark James
61.WindyRuthann Friedman
62.If You Don’t Know Me by NowKenneth Gamble & Leon Huff
63.MargaritavilleJimmy Buffett
64.Spanish EyesBert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton & Eddie Snyder
65.Daydream BelieverJohn Stewart
66.DanielElton John and Bernie Taupin
67.Take It EasyGlenn Frey & Jackson Browne
68.Let Your Love FlowLarry Williams
69.The RoseAmanda McBroom
70.The Heart of the MatterDon Henley, J.D. Souther & Mike Campbell
71.Don’t Be CruelOtis Blackwell & Elvis Presley
72.Listen to the MusicTom Johnston
73.A Groovy Kind of LoveCarole Bayer Sager & Toni Wine
74.CryingJoe Melson & Roy Orbison
75.Put A Little Love In Your HeartJackie DeShannon, Jimmy Holiday & Randy Myers
76.Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on MeElton John & Bernie Taupin
77.Help Me Make It Through the NightKris Kristofferson
78.Best of My LoveGlenn Frey, Don Henley & J.D. Souther
79.The LetterWayne Carson
80.DreamsStevie Nicks
81.Mr. BojanglesJerry Jeff Walker
82.Fire and RainJames Taylor
83.Then You Can Tell Me GoodbyeJohn D. Loudermilk
84.Hooked on a FeelingMark James
85.Blue BayouJoe Melson & Roy Orbison
86.Born FreeJohn Barry & Don Black
87.Release MeEddie Miller, Dub Williams & Robert Yount
88.It’s Just a Matter of TimeBrook Benton, Belford Hendricks & Clyde Otis
89.Let It BeJohn Lennon & Paul McCartney
90.I’d Really Love to See You TonightParker McGee
91.(I Can’t Get No) SatisfactionMick Jagger & Keith Richards
92.Up on the RoofGerry Goffin & Carole King
93.LaylaEric Clapton & Jim Gordon
94.I Honestly Love YouPeter Allen & Jeff Barry
95.California GirlsMike Love & Brian Wilson
96.ImagineJohn Lennon
97.You Send MeSam Cooke
98.How Deep Is Your LoveBarry, Maurice & Robin Gibb
99.I Never Promised You a Rose GardenJoe South
100.Sometimes When We TouchBarry Mann & Dan Hill

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