Music News & Videos

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Last week, while daydreaming about the sleep we’d be losing thanks to the swap to Daylight Savings Time, we asked you for your favorite tunes about sleep. When we tallied up the votes, the Beatles scored the most reader picks with “I’m Only Sleeping,” beating out tracks by Metallica, Aerosmith and yes, the Cranberries:

1. The Beatles – “I’m Only Sleeping”
2. Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”
3. Beastie Boys- “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn”
4. Rage Against The Machine – “Sleep Now In The Fire”
5. Metallica – “Enter Sandman”
6. The Beatles – “I’m So Tired”
7. Aerosmith – “Dream On”
8. R.E.M. – “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight”
9. Radiohead – “Go To Sleep”
10. The Tokens – “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
11. Pearl Jam – “Let Me Sleep”
12. R.E.M – “Daysleeper”
13. Santo and Johnny – “Sleepwalking”
14. The Cranberries – “Dreams”
15. The Smiths – “Girlfriend in a Coma”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

The worst day of the year is upon us: Daylight Savings. This Sunday we’ll lose an hour and feel like crap all week thanks to our sleep deficit. But instead of dwelling on those lost 60 minutes (we hardly knew ya!), we’re going to focus our energy on coming up with the best songs about sleep. And we need your help! What are your favorite drowsy ditties? Your insomnia sing-alongs? Your overtired odes? Check out some of our favorites below and add your suggestions in the comments:

• The Beatles – “I’m So Tired”
• The Wu-Tang Clan – “I Can’t Go to Sleep”
• The Romantics – “Talking in Your Sleep”
• John Lennon – “How Do You Sleep”
• The Postal Service – “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”

Photo: Jennings/WireImage
On Friday, Rock Daily was pondering Lil Wayne’s impending trip to prison — and T.I.’s last days of incarceration — and asked our readers to muse on the concept of “Freedom” for our Weekend Rock List. The results are in, and they are pretty literal: seven of the Top 10 tracks include the word “Free,” though Bob Marley’s inspiring “Redemption Song” and Aretha Franklin’s “Think” also made the cut. Check out the list and our gallery of rock-star mug shots:

1. Neil Young – “Rockin’ In The Free World”
2. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Free Bird”
3. Tom Petty – “Free Fallin’”
4. Rush – “Freewill”
5. Queen – “I Want To Break Free”
6. R.E.M. – “Radio Free Europe”
7. Rage Against The Machine – “Freedom”
8. Bob Marley – “Redemption Song”
9. Bob Dylan – “I Shall Be Released”
10. Aretha Franklin – “Think”

Barring any more root canal surgeries or courthouse fires, this weekend will be Lil Wayne’s last as a free man before he’s officially sentenced to a year in jail on Monday. The day Weezy goes behind bars, T.I. will unveil his first post-penitentiary single, a celebration of his own freedom called “I’m Back.” As a tribute to the soon-to-be-incarcerated and the recently released, this weekend’s Rock List is dedicated to Freedom Songs. Tell us your favorites and on Monday we’ll tally the votes. Until then, here’s a handful of our picks and a gallery of rock-star mug shots:

• The Who – “I’m Free”
• George Michael – “Freedom! ‘90″
• Ween – “Freedom of ‘76″
• The Beatles – “Free as a Bird”
• Devo – “Freedom of Choice”

Photo: Haun/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Last week, in memory of Newcleus’ Chilly B and their hit “Jam On It,” we asked our readers to tell us their favorite 1980s hip-hop tracks. Public Enemy, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys rightfully dominated the list, but it was Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” that won the popular vote, beating out “It’s Tricky,” “Brass Monkey” and “The Breaks.”

Plus, check out our special feature on 1988: Hip-Hop’s Greatest Year: Fifteen Albums That Made Rap Explode

1. Grandmaster Flash- “The Message”
2. Afrika Bambaataa – “Planet Rock”
3. Public Enemy – “Fight the Power”
4. Run-DMC – “It’s Tricky”
5. Beastie Boys – “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”
6. Public Enemy – “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”
7. Run-DMC – “Walk This Way”
8. Run-DMC – “King of Rock”
9. Kurtis Blow – “The Breaks”
10. LL Cool J – “I’m Bad”
11. Beastie Boys – “Brass Monkey”
12. Beastie Boys – “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”
13. Slick Rick- “Hey Young World”
14. De La Soul – “Me Myself and I”
15. Public Enemy – “Rebel Without A Pause”

Newcleus-Jam On It

DIAZ | MySpace Video

Newcleus’ Robert “Chilly B” Crafton — who features in the electro classic “Jam On It,” above — passed away this Tuesday, February 23rd following a stroke, Newcleus’ MySpace page solemnly writes (via Pitchfork). He was 47. As “Jam On It” is one of our favorite jams, this week’s Rock List looks back at Newcleus and other icons of ’80s hip-hop. All styles, genres and subgenres are fair game, as long as they were recorded between 1980 and 1989. Leave your picks in the comments, and on Monday we’ll tally the votes. Until then, here’s a small sampling of our faves below:

• Slick Rick – “Children’s Story”
• Boogie Down Production – “The Bridge Is Over”
• Run-DMC – “My Adidas”
• Newcleus – “Jam On It”
• The Beastie Boys – “Paul Revere”

Photo: Kane/Getty

In memory of Bon Scott, the AC/DC frontman who passed away 30 years ago on February 19th, last week we asked our readers to tell us their favorite AC/DC songs spanning the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band’s catalog. The results were split pretty evenly between songs featuring Scott and singer Brian Johnson, but in the end it was “Back in Black,” the title song from the first post-Scott album, that readers named AC/DC’s best, beating out “Dirty Deeds,” “T.N.T.” and “Shoot to Thrill”:

1. “Back In Black”
2. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
3. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
4. “Highway to Hell”
5. “Hell’s Bells”
6. “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”
7. “Big Balls”
8. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
9. “T.N.T.”
10. “Jailbreak”
11. “Thunderstruck”
12. “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”
13. “Shoot To Thrill”
14. “Let There Be Rock”
15. “Girls Got Rhythm”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of AC/DC singer Bon Scott, who passed away in 1980 following a night of hard, hard drinking. To pay tribute to the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap singer’s legacy — and all the music history his resilient Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bandmates achieved following his death — this weekend’s Rock List is dedicated to AC/DC songs. Tell us your favorite songs by the Aussie hard rockers, and on Monday we’ll count up the votes to reveal our Readers’ Rock List.

Before you cast your votes, be sure to check out one of Rolling Stone’s first features on the band, a 1978 profile that finds AC/DC on the road in support of their then-new album Powerage. Plus, check out the band’s amp-bursting odyssey from High Voltage to Black Ice in our AC/DC essential album guide. A handful of our favorite cuts are below:

AC/DC in Photos: Four Decades of Big Riffs and Schoolboy Uniforms

• “Back in Black”
• “(If You Want Blood) You Got It”
• “Thunderstruck”
• “Let There Be Rock”
• “T.N.T.”

Last week with Valentine’s Day looming, we asked our readers what song they’d contribute to the perfect Valentine’s mixtape. After tallying the votes, the Beatles’ Abbey Road classic “Something” was the runaway victor and the must for any V-Day mixtape, beating lovelorn songs by Derek and the Dominoes, Buddy Holly and Marvin Gaye. Check out our gallery of couples on the cover of RS while perusing the readers’ complete 15-song Valentine’s Day mixtape, which would make a pretty good present this time next year:

1. The Beatles – “Something”
2. Derek and the Dominos – “Layla”
3. The Cure – “Love Song”
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Maps”
5. The Beatles – “In My Life”
6. Bee Gees – “To Love Someone”
7. Buddy Holly – “True Love Ways”
8. Four Tops – “Reach Out I’ll Be There”
9. Journey – “Open Arms”
10. Led Zeppelin – “Thank You”
11. Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get it On”
12. The Bee Gees – “How Deep Is Your Love”
13. U2 – “All I Want Is You”
14. Chris Isaak – “Wicked Game”
15. The Beach Boys – “God Only Knows”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. What do you do when the boxes of chocolate are all sold out, the price of roses is astronomical and all the good restaurants are booked? You make a mixtape, of course. For this long weekend’s Rock List, we’re calling upon the Rolling Stone readers to help craft the perfect V-Day mix. Tell us the ONE essential song you’d include, and on Tuesday we’ll dig through the comments to construct the surefire Valentine’s Day mix. For a further education on the art, check out Rob Sheffield’s Love is a Mixtape, and to get the ball rolling, check out some of our favorites below while clicking through our Couples on the Cover of Rolling Stone gallery:

• The Beach Boys – “God Only Knows”
• Red House Painters – “All Mixed Up”
• U2 – “With or Without You”
• Guns n’ Roses – “Patience”
• Prince – “Adore”

Photo:Clary/AFP/Getty
To celebrate our day of independence and the much-needed three-day weekend, we asked our readers to tell us their favorite “American” songs. It was a hard-fought battle for the song most worthy of the stars and stripes, but in the end Tom Petty’s “American Girl” beat out tracks by Springsteen, Green Day and an invasion of British artists singing unpatriotic songs (The Clash, David Bowie) to be named the Readers’ favorite American Song. For the complete Rock List, check below:

1. Tom Petty – “American Girl”
2. Don McLean- “American Pie”
3. The Guess Who – “American Woman”
4. Simon & Garfunkel- “America”
5. Bruce Springsteen – “Born In The U.S.A.”
6. James Brown – “Living in America”
7. Grand Funk Railroad – “We’re An American Band”
8. David Bowie – “I’m Afraid of Americans”
9. David Bowie – “Young Americans”
10. Green Day – “American Idiot”
11. The Clash- “I’m So Bored with the U.S.A.”
12. Neil Diamond - “America”
13. Wilco – “Ashes Of American Flags”
14. R.E.M.- “Little America”
15. Ray Charles - “America The Beautiful”