![]() Seger and Stewart have somewhat similar voices and Seger’s Downtown Train, included in his Ultimate Hits album in 2011, furthers that comparison. (65) Downtown Train (Ultimate Hits, 2011) – Seger recorded this Tom Waits cover in 1989, but didn’t release it since Rod Stewart had just done his own version. I was mesmerized as a 16-year-old watching Seger’s female backup singers on the American Storm tour gyrate on stage during this song. But this song about drug culture is a powerful one. (66) – Tightrope (Like a Rock, 1986) – Like Shakedown, a very un-Seger sound more reflective of the ‘80s than Seger’s career. Seger made his first TV appearance to perform this song on the show “Swingin’ Time” hosted by Robin Seymour. (67) East Side Story (1966) – One of Seger’s first singles, recorded with his band The Last Heard, it sounds a little ‘60s psychedelic, but the 21-year-old’s powerful voice resonates. (68) Wreck This Heart (Face the Promise, 2006) – Leadoff song on Seger’s first new album in a decade, it’s a catchy tune about dealing with pressure and finding the time for what’s important. Anyplace is fine” – it probably belongs higher, but we’ll stick it at 69. (69) – The Horizontal Bop (Against the Wind, 1980) – One of Seger’s few cheeky double entendre songs – “Grass is good as carpet. (70) – Wait for Me (Face the Promise, 2006) – Seger usually placed an album’s most powerful ballad as the second track (Night Moves, Still the Same, You’ll Accompany Me, Like a Rock, The Real Love) and this one lives up to the slot, though it went unappreciated on his first studio album in a decade. (71) – Glenn Song (I Knew You When, 2017) – Seger met Glenn Frey in 1966 and this is a beautiful tribute to the legendary Eagle who died in 2016. (72) – Blue Ridge (I Knew You When, 2017) – An upbeat song with steel drums that provides a historical tour and (I believe) is the only Seger song to mention my native Virginia. This isn’t one of them, but his Blue Monday is memorable. Seger has contributed to a lot of great films. (73) – Blue Monday (Road House soundtrack, 1989) – Written by Dave Bartholomew and popularized by Fats Domino, Seger covers this well for the movie “Road House” starring Patrick Swayze at the height of the late actor’s chiseled, mullet-headed fame. Even diehard Seger fans struggle to come up with that trivia answer. Given the man’s incredible body of work and how many of his songs appeared in movies, it’s odd that Shakedown is both his only No.1 hit and his only song nominated for an Academy Award. (74) – Shakedown (Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack, 1987) – A very un-Seger sounding song but, like all Seger movie music, it fit perfectly with the film and the era. Still, it has its moments and always good to hear Seger in Christmas rotation, especially where “Little Drummer Boy” has been deemed too slow. (75) – Sock it to Me Santa (A Rock and Roll Christmas, 1995) – Not as awkward as the Bon Jovi “Back Door Santa” tune, but definitely an unusual offering from Seger. ![]() In honor of his 75 th birthday, here are my 75 favorite Bob Seger tunes. His longtime manager Punch Andrews made some puzzling moves over the release of his music on iTunes and elsewhere.īut Seger remained true to his core values and for 40 years, he’s provided the soundtrack to my life and those of many others. He turned down both Woodstock and a chance to play halftime at the Super Bowl. ![]() Seger didn’t always make the best career decisions. Seger was just 35 in 1980, but his songwriting showed the wisdom of a much older man. You could understand and sing along with his ballads and hard-charging songs about picking yourself up, learning from experience, dealing with regret, and forging ahead. He was Springsteen before Springsteen, a gifted songwriter and blue-collar commentator. Thankfully Seger was there on my FM dial with his bluesy-rock-country sound delivered in a high-testosterone voice that was warmer and rangier than contemporaries like Neil Young and John Fogerty. So my formative years of music fandom could have gone in many directions. This was a transitional period in American music, right after disco and before the dominance of Michael Jackson and Madonna. Seger’s music resonated with me as a 10-year-old living in Richmond, Virginia in 1980. When he returned, he embraced the old guy look and, unlike many of his contemporaries who raked in millions with endless touring, he hit the road sparingly over the last 25 years. He became a father later in life and basically took off his 50s (1996-2006) when his kids were little. Seger, who completed his final tour last year, had an unconventional career. He spent much of his twenties trying to build a following outside of his native Michigan before hitting it big in his thirties.
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