The five hundred seventy-second song: The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
One of the earliest successful rap track, there's a growth from the socially conscious spoken word albums that came before his one, looking at poor inner city life while getting the beat in there a lot stronger.
The five hundred seventy-third song: 365 Is My Number - King Sunny Ade & His African Beats
The contrast with the previous track is pretty great - the very chill sound is a lot slower and the track obviously doesn't have those same highs.The experimental nature means that we're still bouncing between a lot of different sounds, but I don't think it works well for the nearly eight minutes the track lasts for.
The five hundred seventy-fourth song: Do You Really Want to Hurt Me - Culture Club
There's a classic new wave sound and song here, a slow but focused hook that sticks with you while the rest of the track guides you through the slow sound of loss in the song.
The five hundred seventy-fifth song: Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
It's hard to remember for sure, but I don't think this is the first reggae-rock track - but this is one where it works for sure. It's a good tune while having some meaningful lyrics to go with them and the song still holds up really well. It's genuinely just fun to listen to.
The five hundred seventy-sixth song: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics
This title track of the album it belongs to was its standout and it still works well here in isolation, a full bodied sound that's still as attractive to listen to. If anything, the track sounds that much fuller compared to everything else. It's its own bizarre world in places, but it works.
The five hundred seventy-seventh song: Atomic Dog - George Clinton
While there are parts of the refrain that feel like they've lasted, it's the funk throughline of the full song that works for me here, incredibly accessible and easy to listen to. It's a lot of fun to listen to, which stays as its main attraction.
The five hundred seventy-eighth song: State of Independence - Donna Summer
Unlike everything - and perhaps because of the energy of the previous tracks - State of Independence didn't connect with me as much. The vocals are excellent and work, but the production around it overshadows it a bit too much, and I don't think it actually sounds as good as it could be. There's just too much that I don't think works here.