A Deep Dive Into Lyrical Poetry and Some of the Best Music Ever Made- Marcello Recommends: “The Greatest Song Ever” by Michael Walter
The Greatest Song Ever? An in-depth analysis of incredible songs with the ultimate goal of finding “The Greatest Ever”
'“What’s the greatest song ever?” If you ever need a perfect conversation starter at a cocktail party, this might be it. If you ask most people, they will rattle off a few tracks that either make them feel good, get them pumped up for a good workout, or get them on the dance floor. They’ll keep it simple.
Then there’s Michael Walter. A man who wrote “On This Date In Music,” a colossal 634 page book (with no pictures!) that went behind the music on nearly every song you could think of. A man who has made a living listening to and playing music for thousands of people annually for three decades. A man who, if there actually were a Ph.D to be earned on the subject of music, song writing, and the business of using songs to create memorable moments as a DJ, would be the guy they’d choose to be the Professor Emeritus.
So yeah, he’s got the chops to have his name listed as the author and share his opinion on such a gargantuan selection process undertaking.
Without completely giving away the ending and all of the cool music-related tidbits, there were a lot of compelling facts I learned from reading the book. And, yes, Michael does reveal his pick for the greatest song ever AND, as an added bonus, tells us all which song out of thousands he wished he’d written. I narrowed it down to twenty five for this review and listed them below.
If you are a fan of the old show on VH1 called “Behind The Music,” you’ll definitely appreciate some of the factoid Easter Eggs from the music industry and some of the lyrics that have been hidden in plain sight all these years.
If you are a fan of listening to Spotify and hearing music you already know from a new perspective, you’ll love this book. Throughout the pages Michael encourages you to listen to the track he’s talking about and I promise you, you’ll either discover something you hadn’t noticed before in the lyrics or you’ll learn more about the who, what, where, when, and how of the song’s DNA. I found it fun and fascinating—two words I don’t usually use to describe a book I’m reading or reading in general.
Author, Michael Walter
So let’s do this! Here are twenty five musical morsels that I added to my cocktail party conversation repertoire while reading “The Greatest Song Ever”:
1) The Platters must have been drunk, high, or both when they chose their b-side.
2) Alanis Morrissett put together a legitimate Supergroup for Jagged Little Pill.
3) Carly Simon would’ve have been rich and famous even if she weren’t a talented performer.
4) Happy XMas (the “So This Is Christmas” song), like a ton of other tracks I love to listen to, is yet another song that I wish I didn’t learn the real meaning of so I can just be in denial and enjoy it when it comes on.
5) Michael attended one of the most iconic concerts of all time and knows that “scrambled eggs” are more than just a breakfast staple.
6) DJs around the world need to thank L.A Reid instead of Usher for the hit song, “Yeah!”.
7) Buddy Holly’s death impacted the music industry far beyond the tragedy of the infamous plane crash.
8) Apparently, Bonnie Raitt had Bruce Hornsby on speed dial.
9) Mick Jagger sang backup on a huge hit and unless you hop on Spotify to play it few times, you probably wouldn’t notice.
10) Michael Walter knows his stuff when it comes to music theory. In addition to having Spotify open to play the songs while you read about them, you may need a dictionary as well to decipher Ph.DJ-esque explanations like these from Michael when, for example, he talks about Radiohead: “Yorke holds the last ‘run’ as the song reaches a cacophonous apogee before a quick caesura.” (Pardon Mui, Michael!!!)
11) The Gin Blossoms were not named after gin or flowers.
12) A lot of musical artists, like politicians and salespeople, use a little poetic license from time to time when it helps the cause. “Meter matters more than fact.”
13) Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Bachman Turner Overdrive, and Elvis Presley all share a common thread.
14) Kasey Kasem should credit a jukebox for the name of his famous countdown show.
15) The movie Risky Business wasn’t the only blockbuster that changed the career trajectory for Bob Seger.
16) Like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, Insane Clown Posse has a special name for their fans. (This was a kind of a dark little rabbit hole to go down after I read this page.)
17) No one would know who Nina Sklar was if she didn’t marry a celebrity.
18) “When he dines it’s for the wall that he sets a place” might be one of saddest lines ever written.
19) Billy Squire had a very recognizable drum beat and it wasn’t from his hit, The Stroke.
20) Ozzy Ozborne poached the guitar player from Quiet Riot to play on one of his biggest hits.
21) House of Pain owes Prince a big debt of gratitude.
22) Some artists are lucky if they are a one hit wonder; others are true rock stars who have tracks like Born To Run, You’ve Got a Friend, When Doves Cry, God Only Knows, and Thriller left on the roster for that vital and coveted ‘side two-track one’ position on the album.
23) Credence Clear Water Revival’s song set at Woodstock was more memorable for the group than it was for almost everyone who attended.
24) Jay Z has an even better expression than Flo’s “Kiss My Grits” if you really want to tell somebody off.
25) There probably aren’t many things that could’ve overshadowed a reunion of Diana Ross and The Supremes at The Motown Anniversary Event back in 1983, but when you look back at that night, their special moment never stood a chance.
Great job once again, Michael! You’ve got another literary hit on your hands with “The Greatest Song Ever”.
Click here to order your copy.
Cheers -m