My Jammin’ Grammy Best Songs Evah Playlist

Best songs of the year mixed together on a cassette tape

I love rock ‘ roll. I also love alternative rock, pop, disco, classic rock, grunge, 80s music, and yacht rock. And I also loved making playlists on cassette tapes.

And used to do it almost daily.

Best pump-up songs, Summer jams, best baseball songs, Atari-playing playlist, I-don’t-wanna-do-my-homework playlist. The mixed-tape themes lists were endless.

In celebration of Sunday’s Grammys, I compiled my own killer playlist based on the Grammy’s Best Song Award of the Year of the past 50 years.

Enjoy! I know I did listening to them.

2009: “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay: The song is a tribute to painter Frida Kahlo’s strength (enduring polio, a broken spine, and a decade of chronic pain). Said frontman Chris Martin: “She went through a lot of pain of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said ‘Viva la Vida. I just loved it.’ And many love the song, Chris!

2005: “Daughters” by John Mayer: “Fathers be good to your daughters/Daughters will love like you do/Girls become lovers who turn into mothers/So mothers be good to your daughters too.” Do I really need to say anything more?

2001: “Beautiful Day” by U2: Feeling blue? Seek this one on Spotify or Apple Music and it’ll quickly change your mood. U2’s 14th №1 song talks about losing everything and still seeing the good in everything: “See the oil fields at first light and/See the bird with a leaf in her mouth/After the flood all the colors came out.”

1999: “A Whole New World” by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle: I’m starting to see a trend amongst these choices. All are inspirational, feel-good songs, and this Aladdin soundtrack favorite is no exception: “Don’t you dare close your eyes/A hundred thousand things to see/Hold your breath, it gets better/I’m like a shooting star/I’ve come so far/I can’t go back to where I used to be.”

1993: “Tears in Heaven” By Eric Clapton: Although a beautiful song, quite possibly one of the saddest songs ever written as it is about Eric’s four-year-old son Conor who fell from the 54th floor accidentally while playing tag with the housekeeper. Clapton wrote the song to help heal from the tragedy: “Beyond the door/There’s peace, I’m sure/And I know there’ll be no more/Tears in Heaven.”

1991: “Unforgettable” by Natalie Cole & Nat “King” Cole: This has to be the most unique song on the list. The song was originally released by Nat in 1951 but was edited and recorded as a virtual duet with Nat’s daughter Natalie. “Like a love that clings to me/How the thought you does things to me/Never before has someone been more.”

1986: “We Are the World” by USA for Africa: Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and sung as a “charity band” to raise money for the famine in Africa. The song sold 20 million copies, the eighth-most ever by any single. Other in the band were Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Steve Perry, and Kenny Rogers among others.

1984: “Every Breath You Take” by The Police: The story goes that Sting was experiencing a “mental breakdown” after his first marriage dissolved. Sting decides to take on the role of a stalker in the song. Romantic? Parts. Creepy? Oh, definitely! “Every breath you take/Every move you make/Every bond you break/Every step you take/I’ll be watching you.”

1981: “Sailing” by Christopher Cross: You’re going to be transported instantly to a sailboat, a cold margarita, and the relaxing breeze of the ocean (or maybe a memorable junior-high slow dance). “Sailing, takes me away to where I’ve always needed to be/Just a dream and the wind to carry me/Soon I will be free.”

1979: “Just The Way You Are” By Billy Joel: It’s about Joel’s first wife, Elizabeth Weber, a marriage that ended in a bitter divorce in 1982 and who wasn’t liked by the band. He rarely played it after. “I said I love you and that’s forever/And this I promise is from the heart/I could not love you any better/I love you just the way you are” Apparently not.

1975: “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand: The song (and movie) revolve around a couple (Streisand and Robert Redford) that drift apart, meet coincidentally, realize it will never work, but remember the laughs and joyful times: “Memories of the lights the corner of my mind/Misty watercolors memories of the way we were/Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind/Smiles me gave to one another for the way we were.”

1971: “Bridge over Trouble” by Simon & Garfunkel: Known as the duet’s signature song, but also their last album they recorded before splitting up. The gospel-like song came to Paul Simon so quick he wondered, “Where did that come from? It doesn’t seem like me?” “When you’re down and out/When you’re on the street/When evening falls so hard/I will comfort you/I’ll take your part.”

Wow! What a wild ride! I hope you enjoyed the Jammin’ Grammy Best Songs Evah Playlist, a rollercoaster of a musical journey full of a variety of sounds, melodies, emotions, memories, and powerful, lasting lyrics.

Tagging my musical peeps: Scot Butwell, Evon, Jane Kelley, Diana Meresc, Sreese, Klara Jane Holloway, Lu Skerdoo, Ruby Lee, Adelina Vasile, Ning Choi, The Sober Vegan Yogi, Alicia Domínguez, MarkfromBoston 🌻Ukraine, Deborah Camp, Susan Wheelock.

You might also like:

Wanna read more jamming music stuff by Michael L Butwell? You can read thousands of stories and earn money writing your own stories by joining Medium for $5 a month. If you use my link I receive a small commission.