The Songs canon

Sourced and sung.

Every song chosen by hand, with the recording to play it.
Browse all 2,393 songs or filter by genre, subject, artist, and year.
Too ShyKajagoogoo

Too Shy

1983

Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran co-produced it, and Limahl rode the hook to two weeks at UK number one.

★ 3.0

I Got A Man

1992

The woman turning him down is Positive K himself, pitched up in the studio, and that duet is the joke.

★ 3.4

My Boo

1996

Bass from Atlanta, an R&B vocal on top, and a 2016 dance craze that beat its 1996 chart peak.

★ 4.1

Bus Stop

1966

Graham Gouldman's father handed him the opening lines; Gouldman finished the middle eight on his own bus to work.

★ 5.0

Uptown Girl

1983 · From An Innocent Man

Joel chasing Frankie Valli's falsetto and the Four Seasons' bounce; five weeks at number one, his only UK chart-topper.

★ 5.1
Roxanne, RoxanneUTFO

Roxanne, Roxanne

1984

Released as a B-side, produced by Full Force, and Roxanne rejecting all three MCs set off dozens of answer records.

★ 5.3

For Your Love

1965

Brian Auger's harpsichord and Denny Piercy's bongos on a pop single, with Clapton confined to the middle break before quitting.

★ 5.4

Shoop

1993

Built on a Sweet Inspirations sample, with Salt and Pepa flipping the gaze and riding it to number four.

★ 5.9

Take a Chance on Me

1978 · From Gold: Greatest Hits

Ulvaeus chanted "tck-a-ch" to pace his jogging; it became the a cappella hook on ABBA's seventh UK number one.

★ 6.2

Get Ready

1966

Smokey's song, Kendricks singing lead, number one R&B but only twenty-nine pop, which handed the group to Whitfield.

★ 6.3
Who Do You LoveBo Diddley

Who Do You Love

1957 · From Bo Diddley

Jerome Green's maracas, Jody Williams on lead guitar, graveyard imagery, and a shuffle that skips the Bo Diddley beat.

★ 6.9