Mel's Current Top 20
Significant songs that you don't care about.
Mel’s Current Top 20 | As of August 26, 2021
TW - Song Title - Artist - LW
1. OH! - The Linda Lindas - 1
2. Wrecked - Imagine Dragons - 2
3. Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran - 3
4. Skate - Silk Sonic - 5
5. Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello - 6
6. Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo - 4
7. Take My Breath - The Weeknd - 12
8. Good 4 U - Olivia Rodrigo - 8
9. Last Train Home - John Mayer - 7
10. Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World - Robin Schulz, Alle Farben, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - 13
11. Nothing Else Matters (featuring....) - Miley Cyrus - 9
12. I Get a Kick Out of You - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - 16
13. Find My Way (featuring Beck) - Paul McCartney - 15
14. Save Your Tears (remix & single) - The Weeknd & Ariana Grande - 14
15. Quiet Town - The Killers - 19
16. Shadow Dancing - Dee Gees - 20
17. Run Baby Run - Southern Culture on the Skids - 10
18. Higher Power - Coldplay - 11
19. Cold Heart (PNAU remix) - Elton John & Dua Lipa - NEW
20. Drive (featuring Wes Nelson + Topic) - Clean Bandit - NEW
CHART NOTES
Covers, Remakes, Remixes:
Reviewing this latest chart, I find it contains several cover songs, remakes and remixes. Let’s work our way from the bottom to the top.
Cold Heart - Elton John & Dua Lipa
Debuting at #19 this week we find a remix from Elton John paired with singer Dua Lipa. The song is a mash-up of previous Elton John tracks rolled into a new title… “Cold Heart”. In this catchy remix you can hear snippets from the following Elton John songs: “Rocket Man”, “Sacrifice”, “Kiss the Bride” and “Where’s the Shoorah”, the latter an album only track from Elton John’s 1976 release, Blue Moves.
Shadow Dancing - Dee Gees
Last week, Foo Fighters' disco persona Dee Gees debut at #20 with their cover of the Andy Gibb hit “Shadow Dancing”. That record moves up to #16 this week. The song previously went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978 for several weeks.
Save Your Tears - The Weeknd & Ariana Grande (remix)
Another remix on our chart is the “oldest” song with the most accumulated weeks on. “Save Your Tears”, the remix version featuring The Weekend and Ariana Grande have been listed on the Current Top 20 since late April and is a re-hash of The Weeknd’s still current solo hit of the same title. Both went to #1 on this chart earlier this year. I refer to them both on my weekly listing, placing “Save Your Tears” at #14 for a second week.
Find My Way (remix) - Paul McCartney featuring Beck
Another song with similar treatment is Paul McCartney’s “Find My Way”, which in its original version topped this chart for a few weeks earlier this year. The remix version featuring Beck on most of the vocals moves up 2 from last week’s #15 to #13.
I Get My Kicks on You - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
The oldest song in terms of years of longevity is the Cole Porter penned “I Get My Kicks on You”. The song was written in 1934 and first premiered in the Broadway Musical Anything Goes, and sung in the movie version of the same play in 1936. The first person to sing the song was Ethel Merman. It was covered over many years by musical luminaries such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
The newest remake of “I Get My Kids on You” complete with the “cocaine” line is sung by 95 year old Tony Bennett with Lady Gaga. The song is from the duo’s upcoming album Love For Sale. It climbs from #16 of last week to #12 this week.
Nothing Else Matters - Miley Cyrus
At #11 we have a heavy metal song that has been wonderfully remade by Miley Cyrus and a bunch of her musician friends. “Nothing Else Matters” was recorded by Metallica for their famed 1991 album Metallica. This killer remake features Cyrus on vocals and backing musicians Elton John on keyboards, Yo Yo Ma on cello, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith on percussion, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo on bass and Andrew WATT on guitars and producing. The dusty western themed video for the song is timeless. “Nothing Else Matters” peaked at #8 on the Current Top 20 a few weeks ago, and is now sitting at #11.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World -
Our last cover song is a medley and remix. This remix covers two very famous the song, the first being “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” which was first immortalized in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz and sung by actress Judy Garland.
The second part of this remix medley is “What a Wonderful World” which was recorded in 1967 by jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong. Released as a single that year, the record failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, even though it went to #1 in the U.K.
Armstrong’s recording of “What a Wonderful World” appeared in the 1987 Robin Williams movie Goodmorning Vietnam. The song was re-released as a single in 1988. It finally hit the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #32. It was subsequently inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 1988 both “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” were combined into a medley and recorded by Hawaii's Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.
The simple ukulele version of the “Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World” medley became a big hit in Hawaii during the 1990s. The song’s popularity increased after Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s death in 1997.
Awareness of the song spread with the use of the internet and streaming audio. The song became a popular digital track all over the world and was used in numerous movies and TV shows since the early 2000s.
This year (2021), “Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World” is back as a new pop / electronic dance remix by German DJs and remixers Robin Shulz and Alle Farbin. This new remix is a very catchy pop tune which should be a hit everywhere again. It currently stands at #10 on the Current Top 20, up from last week’s #13 position. The medley's video appears at the top of this post.
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Lastly, The Linda Lindas hold on to #1 for the 2nd week with their smash hit, “Oh!”, which is not a remake or remix.. though I suspect that if this becomes a big hit, a future remix could be inevitable.
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The Country 5 + 5
