CURIOSITIES
The musicians who no longer wanted to perform some of their songs live
For various reasons, some bands, as well as some singers, force themselves to stop playing certain songs live, including some of their biggest hits.
Among these bands are Beatles, who, for example, have never played at least ten songs from their entire repertoire live.
The Beatles, of course, are not the only musicians who have had this peculiarity. The same goes for other great artists such as David Gilmour, AC/DC, but also R.E.M. Here are some of the songs that musicians have never performed (or ever again performed) live.
The songs that band and singers no longer performed at their concerts
For various reasons, some bands, as well as some singers, decide to stop playing some of their songs live, including sometimes the biggest hits. Among these artists are The Beatles, David Gilmour, AC/DC, but also R.E.M. Here are some of the songs that musicians never performed (or never again performed) live.
Elton John - Candle in the Wind 1997
'Candle in the Wind 1997' is a re-adaptation of the song composed by Sir Elton himself in 1973 in honour of Marilyn Monroe. John performed the 1997 version live on only one occasion, namely on 6 September 1997, at the funeral of Princess Diana, his close friend. The musician kept his promise made before Lady D's funeral: only with the consent of William and Henry, Diana's sons, would he sing the 1997 version one more time in public.
Green Day - Panic Song
Green Day have only performed 'Panic Song' live once, in France in 2012. It is a song that deals with the subject of psychological distress and panic attacks, as can be deduced from the song's title. According to Billy Joe Armstrong, the decision to no longer perform 'Panic Song' during concerts is due to the fact that the song is too complex to perform live.
Paramore - Misery Business
"Misery Business" is one of the most appreciated songs of Paramore and certainly one of those that have given the most success and fame to the band. However, since 2018, the song has not been offered live: frontwoman Hayley Williams has explained on many occasions that she no longer intends to sing this song as it belongs to the past, while her group has had a clear artistic growth.
R.E.M. - Shiny Happy People
R.E.M. preferred not to play this song in front of the public again because the political message it contains would have been misunderstood on several occasions. Incidentally, 'Shiny Happy People' was not even included in the group's 2003 greatest hits album 'In Time'.
David Gilmour - Echoes
David Gilmour no longer likes to perform live one of the most intense (and longest) songs of Pink Floyd, namely "Echoes", because it reminds him too much of Richard Wright, the keyboardist of Pink Floyd who died in 2008. In fact, in 2006, the two musicians performed this song live again in Gdansk, Poland, during the tour of Gilmour.
AC/DC - It's a long way to the top (if you wanna rock'n'roll)
AC/DC allegedly decided to stop playing 'It's a long way to the top (if you wanna rock'n'roll)' because the song would be linked to the band's heyday, in which the late Bon Scott, who died in 1980, was also present. Furthermore, the current singer, Brian Johnson, considered this song to be suitable only for the late Scott. This song would be very difficult to perform live: in total, AC/DC played it live only about 30 times.
Arctic Monkeys - The Bad Thing
The Arctic Monkeys have decided not to perform "The Bad Thing" live because, like other songs belonging to the early albums of band, it would be difficult to perform both emotionally and technically.
Metallica - Sweet Amber
Many fans consider 'Sweet Amber' to be the best track on Metallica's sixth album, 'St. Anger'. Despite this, the band only sang this track live on one occasion. "Sweet Amber" is about a girl who is addicted to alcohol, although some listeners thought it described James Hetfield's addiction: due to this misunderstanding, Metallica preferred not to play this song again.
RHCP - Love Rollercoaster
This song is a cover of the Ohio Players' single of the same name and was featured on the soundtrack of the animated film 'Beavis and Butt-Head do America'. Chili Peppers have always refused to sing 'Love Rollercoaster2" live: according to the drummer Chad Smith, the band feels emotionally disconnected from this song.
The Beatles
We end with The Beatles, who during their short, but intense career together, have never offered live at least ten songs from their repertoire. Among them are "Every little thing", "Revolution", "Honey Pie" or "Oh! Darling".
Rankings
25/04/2024
The well-known US magazine Rolling Stone in 2021 has updated the list of the 500 most beautiful songs of all time.
The ranking was first published on December 11, 2003 and was compiled by a jury chosen by the editorial staff, composed of 172 musicians, music critics and experts in the recording industry. Subsequently, the ranking was changed twice: the first in 2010, the second in 2021, when 254 songs that were previously not present were added.
Obviously, there is nothing more subjective than music: these songs are considered the best according to the criteria defined by Rolling Stonemagazine, but each of us has his own personal ranking of the best songs ever. Here, however, is the Top 20 of Rolling Stone.
Rankings
23/04/2024
In 2008, 'Rolling Stone' compiled a list of the 100 best singers of all time.
This ranking was compiled 15 years ago by 180 people, including several musicians (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Keith Richards), journalists and music experts.
On 1 January 2023, however, 'Rolling Stone' published an update of the ranking that revolutionised the list, especially with regard to the Top Ten. As the well-known US magazine was keen to point out, this ranking does not only take into account technical and vocal abilities (it is not a list of the best voices of all time), but also the originality of the vocal timbre, the record catalogue, the writing ability and the musical legacy of the singers in question. Here are the top 20 positions.