2022 is mere hours away and if you’re not rambling incoherently about lizard people, popping champagne bottles or trying not to fall asleep, you’re very likely to read a niche blog post about e-learning.
Here at Gymglish, we’re concerned about your well-being, particularly as the ball drops at the witching hour. Here are 5 jams to play at full blast in order to get you through the evening. Party poopers please abstain.
1) Celebration, Kool and the Gang (1980)
Celebration, performed by US funk and R&B band Kool and the Gang on their 1980 album Celebrate! is the band’s only No. 1 hit, though they did achieve great success in the late 70’s and 80’s with songs like Get Down on It and Fresh.
The band was founded by Robert “Kool” Bell, his brother Ronald, along with five high-school friends in 1964. The Bell brothers’ father lived in the same New York apartment building as Thelonious Monk (I Mean You), who would become Robert’s godfather.
2) We are the Champions, Queen (1977)
The 1977 hit We are the Champions was sung by British rock band Queen, from the album News of the World (We Will Rock You). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), the song was a worldwide success and is one of rock’s most recognizable anthems.
Formed in London in 1970, the band included Brian May (1947), Roger Taylor (1949) and John Deacon (1951). Popular for victories at sporting events, the song was the official theme song for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
3) R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Aretha Franklin, 1967
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is a song by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin (1942-2018). It was written and originally released in 1965 by fellow American recording artist, Otis Redding (1941-1967).
The music and story in the two versions are very different. Redding’s version is a plea from a hardworking man, asking for the respect he deserves when he brings money home. Franklin’s version asserts a strong, confident woman who demands respect from her man.
While keeping the original lyrics, Franklin made the song her own by spelling out R-E-S-P-E-C-T and adding the now-famous refrain “sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me”, sung by her sisters, Erma and Carolyn. The sung has become iconic and symbol of women’s rights.
4) Dancing Queen, ABBA (1976)
Dancing Queen was a worldwide hit from the Swedish group ABBA, becoming the band’s only number one hit in the United States.
ABBA, formed in Stockholm in 1972 by members Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, was one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of pop music, topping global charts between 1974 to 1982. They were the first group from outside the English-speaking world to have consistent success in the charts of English-speaking markets, including eight consecutive number one albums in the UK.
5) You Sexy Thing, Hot Chocolate (1975)
You Sexy Thing was a major hit by UK funk and soul group Hot Chocolate, from their 1975 album Hot Chocolate.
Written by the band’s singer Errol Brown (1943-2015), the song saw immediate success in the UK and the US, reaching the top 10 in the UK charts. It eventually became the only track to do so in three decades of the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s following its widespread use in film, television, and TV commercials – most notably in the 1997 British hit film The Full Monty.
Today’s clips are also featured in our desserts: an authentic sample of English-speaking culture presented at the bottom of each Gymglish online English course. These include excerpts from cinema, series, songs, and so on.
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