420Little Richard, 'The Girl Can't Help It'

Writer:Bobby TroupProducer:Robert "Bumps" BlackwellReleased:Jan. '57, Specialty8 weeks; No. 49Richardscreamed the theme from one of the first great rock movies, starring Jayne Mansfield. "She was a wonderful person," Richard said. "Her breasts were 50 inches, and she didn't wear a brassiere. They didn't hang down."Appears on:The Georgia Peach(Specialty)RELATED:100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Little Richard100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Little Richard 419Bobbie Gentry, 'Ode to Billie Joe'

Writer:GentryProducers:Kelly Gordon, Bobby ParisReleased:July '67, Capitol14 weeks; No. 1Once and for all: Exactly what did Billie Joe throw off the Tallahatchee Bridge? Gentry never revealed the secret of this spooky country blues. "The real message," she said, "revolves around the way the nonchalant family talks about the suicide."Appears on:Greatest Hits(Curb) 418Donna Summer, 'I Feel Love'

Writers:Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete BellotteProducers:Moroder, BellotteReleased:May '77, Casablanca23 weeks; No. 6Summer would dismiss "I Feel Love" as a "popcorn track," but its impact on dance music is incalculable. WhenBrian Enofirst listened to this, he toldDavid Bowie, "I've heard the sound of the future." Thanks to Moroder's throbbing Moog synthesizers and Summer's epic-orgasm vocals, "I Feel Love" claimed tomorrow in the name of disco.Appears on:The Donna Summer Anthology(Casablanca) 417Pixies, 'Monkey Gone to Heaven'

Writer:Black FrancisProducer:Gil NortonReleased:March '89, ElektraDid Not ChartNumerology, sludge in the ocean, a hole in the sky what's it all supposed to mean? Said Francis (a.k.a. Frank Black), "The phrase 'monkey gone to heaven' just sounds neat." Norton cleaned up the band's sound, adding the eerie strings, but thePixiesdidn't bother to try for pop appeal. Said Francis, "It wasn't like we thought we'd get played on the radio."Appears on:Doolittle(4 AD/Elektra)RELATED:500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Pixies'Doolittle 416Aerosmith, 'Sweet Emotion'

Writers:Steven Tyler, Tom HamiltonProducer:Jack DouglasReleased:April '75, Columbia8 weeks; No. 36As the sessions forToys in the Attic,Aerosmith's third studio album, reached the 11th hour at the Record Plant in New York, producer Douglas called out for ideas. Bassist Hamilton resurrected a riff that had been germinating for several years, and it was outfitted with bass marimba and Joe Perry's voice-box recitation of the song title. A few months later, Aerosmith had their first Top 40 single.Appears on:Toys in the Attic(Sony)RELATED:100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Aerosmith500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Aerosmith'sToys in the Attic100 Greatest Guitarists: Joe Perry100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Steven Tyler 415Nirvana, 'In Bloom'

Writer:Kurt CobainProducer:Butch VigReleased:Sept. '91, DGCNon-Single"I don't like rednecks, I don't like macho men,"Cobainonce said. This track about a guy who "loves to shoot his gun" would become one ofNirvana's biggest live anthems. It started out as more of a hardcore rant. "It sounded like aBad Brainssong," said Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic. Then, "One day Kurt called me and started singing. It was the 'In Bloom' ofNevermind, more of a pop thing."Appears on:Nevermind(Geffen)RELATED:100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Nirvana500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Nirvana'sNevermind 414Carpenters, 'We've Only Just Begun'

Writers:Paul Williams, Roger NicholsProducer:Jack DaughertyReleased:Sept. '70, A&M17 weeks; No. 2"Begun" began life as a TV jingle for a California bank that caught Richard Carpenter's ear. He called Williams to see if there was an actual song attached to the short bit he'd heard. "I assumed that it would never, ever get cut again," Williams said. He wrote several hits for theCarpenters, but this soft-rock ode remains the watershed. Richard later called it "our best single."Appears on:Singles 1969-1981(Interscope)RELATED:100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Karen Carpenter 413Bob Dylan, 'Visions of Johanna'

Writer:DylanProducer:Bob JohnstonReleased:May '66, ColumbiaNon-Single"It's easier to be disconnected than connected,"Dylanconfessed in late 1965. "I've got a huge hallelujah for all the people who're connected, that's great, but I can't do that." He never sounded lonelier than in this seven-minute ballad, originally titled "Seems Like a Freeze-Out." Dylan cut it in a single take on Valentine's Day 1966, with Al Kooper on Hammond B3 organ.Appears on:Blonde on Blonde(Columbia)RELATED:100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Bob Dylan100 Greatest Singers of All Time: Bob Dylan500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Bob Dylan'sBlonde on Blonde 412Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z, 'Umbrella'

Writers:The-Dream, Kuk Harrell, Jay-Z, Christopher "Tricky" StewartProducers:Harrell, StewartReleased:March' 07, Def Jam27 weeks; No. 1The songwriters initially offered the track toBritney Spears, whose career was spiraling out of control. "We thought, 'Let's save our friend,'" the-Dream says. But Spears' management brushed them off. "I'm so thankful for it,"Rihannasaid. "I prayed for this song."Appears on:Good Girl Gone Bad(Def Jam) 411Eddie Cochran, 'C'mon Everybody'

Writers:Cochran, Jerry CapehartProducer:CapehartReleased:Oct. '58, Liberty12 weeks; No. 35Cochranwas paid $82.50 for the three-hour session that produced this classic rockabilly track. The follow-up to his smash "Summertime Blues," "C'mon" is a good-natured bad-boy tune powered by heavy strumming on his Martin guitar. Although he died at age 21, in a 1960 car crash that also seriously injured rockabilly pioneer Gene Vincent, Cochran became a huge influence in England.Appears on:Something' Else(Razor and Tie)

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