70 articles
Thank You for Being a Friend
"Thank You for Being a Friend" is a 1978 Andrew Gold pop song from All This and Heaven Too, reaching No. 25 on Billboard; Cynthia Fee's cover served as the Golden Girls theme (1985-1992) and the song has drawn many covers since.
The Chain
"The Chain" is a 1977 Fleetwood Mac song from Rumours, the album's only track credited to all five band members, assembled from rejected material including Christine McVie's Keep Me There and the 1973 Buckingham Nicks song Lola (My Love), famous for John McVie's bass riff used as the BBC's Formula 1 theme.
The Joker (Steve Miller Band song)
"The Joker" is a 1973 Steve Miller Band single and title track of their eighth album; it hit Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 in January 1974 and UK No. 1 in 1990 after a Levi's ad, with credits to Miller, Curtis, and Ertegun.
Under Pressure
Under Pressure, a 1981 duet by Queen and David Bowie recorded at Mountain Studios, Montreux, built on John Deacon's seven-note bass riff; UK number one from Hot Space, later central to the Vanilla Ice "Ice Ice Baby" dispute.
Venus (Shocking Blue song)
Venus (Shocking Blue song), 1969 hit written by Robbie van Leeuwen and sung by Mariska Veres; first Dutch No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (February 7, 1970), based on The Banjo Song, later covered by Bananarama.
We Can Work It Out
We Can Work It Out is a 1965 Beatles song by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, also known as the double A-side partner of Day Tripper; UK and US number one, distinguished by its waltz-time middle eight, Lennon's harmonium, and an 11-hour two-day recording at EMI Studios.
What Is Life
"What Is Life" is a 1970 George Harrison song from All Things Must Pass, written in 1969 for Billy Preston, co-produced with Phil Spector, and a US top-ten single in 1971.
Wouldn't It Be Nice
"Wouldn't It Be Nice" is a Beach Boys song written by Brian Wilson, Tony Asher, and Mike Love; it opens Pet Sounds (May 1966), was a July 1966 single with God Only Knows, peaked at US No. 8, and differs from any same-titled work.
You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me: 1964 Kinks single written by Ray Davies, UK number 1 and US number 7, with Dave Davies's razor-slashed amp distortion; covered by Van Halen in 1978.
You're My Best Friend
You're My Best Friend is a 1975 Queen song written by bassist John Deacon for his wife Veronica Tetzlaff, from A Night at the Opera; a UK number 7 single driven by Deacon's electric piano, which Freddie Mercury refused to play.