“Dancing Queen” is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, and is commonly regarded as one of the most successful singles of the 1970s and greatest songs of all time. “Dancing Queen” was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson and features the shared lead vocal performance of Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It is considered by many to be ABBA’s signature song, as it reached the number 1 position on popular music charts in 13 countries. Recorded in 1975, it was released on the group’s album Arrival the following year.
Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
“Stayin’ Alive” is a disco song by the group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on 13 December 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It is one of their signature songs. “Stayin’ Alive” was placed at number 191 on the list of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Upon release, “Stayin’ Alive” climbed the charts to hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 4 February 1978, remaining there for four weeks. In the process, it became one of the band’s most recognisable tunes, in part because of its place at the beginning of Saturday Night Fever.
Katie Melua – Nine Million Bicycles
“Nine Million Bicycles” is a song written and produced by Mike Batt for the singer Katie Melua’s second album, Piece by Piece. It was released as the album’s first single in September 2005 (see 2005 in music) and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Melua’s first top five hit as a solo artist. It was a finalist for The Record of the Year prize, losing to “You Raise Me Up” by Westlife. According to Melua, the inspiration for the song came during a visit to Beijing with her manager Mike Batt. Their interpreter showed them around the city and told that there are supposedly nine million bicycles in the city. Batt wrote a song based around the title “Nine Million Bicycles” upon his return to England two weeks later, and it was one of the last songs to be recorded for Piece by Piece. Adrian Brett, who played the ethnic flutes on Batt’s album Caravans (1978), contributed to the song; an ocarina was used for the low sounds, and a Chinese bamboo flute for the high sounds.
Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me)
“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” is a 1985 song performed by the band Simple Minds. It is best known as the song played during the opening and closing credits of the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. It was written by producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff (guitarist and songwriter from the Nina Hagen band).
The Cranberries – Linger
“Linger” is a song composed by Irish musicians Dolores O’Riordan and Noel Hogan of the rock band The Cranberries, released in 1993. The song, which has an acoustic arrangement featuring a string section, became the band’s first major hit, peaking at #3 in the Republic of Ireland, #8 in the United States and #14 in the UK.