Samples of music from the United States

American art
Architecture - Comics - Cuisine - Dance - Folklore - Literature - Movies - Painting - Poetry - Sculpture - Television - Theater - Visual arts
Music of the United States
History (Timeline)	Ethnicities
Before 1940	African American
1900-1940	Native American (Inuit and Hawaiian)
40s and 50s	Latin (Tejano and Puerto Rican)
60s and 70s	Cajun and Creole
80s to the present	Other immigrants (Jewish, European, South and East Asian, modern African and Middle-Eastern)
Genres (Samples): Classical - Rock - Pop - Folk
Awards	Grammy Awards
Charts	Billboard Music Chart
Festivals	Lollapoolooza, Lilith Fair, Ozz Fest
Media	Spin, Rolling Stone, Vibe
National anthem	"The Star-Spangled Banner" and forty-nine state songs
Local music
AL - AK - AR - AS - CA - CO - CT - DC - DE - FL - GA - GU - HI - ID - IL - IN - IA - KS - KY - LA - ME - MD - MA - MI - MN - MP - MS - MO - MT - NC - ND - NE - NV - NH - NJ - NM - NY - OH - OK - OR - PA - PR - RI - SC - SD - TN - TX - UT - VT - VA - VI - WA - WV - WI - WY

Samples
Roots music - 1929 - 1932 - 1934 - 1936 - 1938 - 1939 - 1940 - 1941 - 1942 - 1943 - 1944 - 1945 - 1946 - 1947 - 1949 - 1951 - 1952 - 1953 - 1954 - 1955 - 1956 - 1957 - 1958 - 1959 - 1960 - 1963 - 1964 - 1965 - 1966 - 1967 - 1968 - 1969 - 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 - 1975 - 1976 - 1977 - 1978 - 1980 - 1982 - 1984 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000

Samples

Roots music - 1929 - 1932 - 1934 - 1936 - 1938 - 1939 - 1940 - 1941 - 1942 - 1943 - 1944 - 1945 - 1946 - 1947 - 1949 - 1951 - 1952 - 1953 - 1954 - 1955 - 1956 - 1957 - 1958 - 1959 - 1960 - 1963 - 1964 - 1965 - 1966 - 1967 - 1968 - 1969 - 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 - 1975 - 1976 - 1977 - 1978 - 1980 - 1982 - 1984 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000

[Top]

Roots music

Download sample of Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"
Download sample of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads Blues"
Download recording - ?Pues vuestros santos favores? a cappella alabado hymn sung at vigils in honor of St. Anthony from the Library of Congress' Juan B. Rael Collection of culture from the Northern Rio Grande; performed by Mr. Romero, age 50, of Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico
Download recording - courtship song of the Omaha Native Americans, from the Library of Congress' Omaha Indian Music Collection; performed by George Miller in 1897, collected by Alice Cunningham Fletcher and Francis La Flesche
Download recording - "My Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes" barbershop quartet song from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Ray Wood on April 13, 1939 in Houston, Texas
Download recording - "Lost Train Blues" fiddle and guitar song from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Fred Perry (fiddle) and Glenn Carver (guitar) on June 6, 1939 at the State Penitentiary in Raiford, Florida
Download recording - ?Don?t You Grieve? blues mourning song from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Aunt Mollie McDonald on May 27, 1939 at her family home near Livingston, Alabama
Download recording - ?Camino de San Antonio? a corrido from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Jose Ararjo on April 27, 1939 at his school near Brownsville, Texas
Download recording - "Cotton-Eyed Joe" a fiddle tune from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Elmo Newcomer on May 3, 1939 at his ranch home near Pipe Creek, Texas
Download recording - ?La canción de bebiendo? a mescal drinking song from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by José Suarez on April 26, 1939 at the home of J.K. Wells near Brownsville, Texas
Download recording ?Yo cuando era niño - mi padre querido? habañeras song of vagrant Mexican cotton-pickers from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Jose Ararjo on April 26, 1939 at the home of J.K. Wells near Brownsville, Texas
Download recording - ?Dollar Mamie? work song for hoeing from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Judge "Bootmouth" Tucker and Alexander "Neighborhood" Williams on May 23, 1939 at a State Penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi
Download recording ?Amazing Grace? long-meter hymn from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Mr. and Mrs. N.V. Braley on May 5, 1939 at the home of Beal D. Taylor near Medina, Texas
Download recording - "Clemens Rag" instrumental blues guitar song from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Ace Johnson and L.W. Gooden on AApril 15, 1939 at Clemens State Farm near Brazoria, Texas
Download recording - "Train" instrumental blues harmonica song from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Ace Johnson on April 16, 1939 at Clemens State Farm near Brazoria, Texas
Download recording - Marine military march, instrumental piano from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Kate W. Jones on April 10, 1939 at her home in Houston, Texas
Download recording - "Mabel" schottisch from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Elmo Newcomer (fiddle) on May 3, 1939 at his ranch home near Pipe Creek, Texas
Download recording "My Good Lord Done Been Here" spiritual song from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Aunt Florida Hampton on May 29, 1939 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. P.W. Tartt in Livingston, Alabama
Download recording "Versos del Mojado" Mexican border ballad (corrido-waltz) from the Library of Congress' John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip; performed by Homero López and Manuel Salinas on April 29, 1939 at López's Cash Store in Sarita, Texas
Download recording Ghost Dance and gambling song from the Piute and Arapaho Native Americans from the Library of Congress' Emile Berliner and the Birth of the Recording Industry Collection; performed by James Mooney (possibly along with Charles Mooney; neither are believed to be Native Americans) on July 5, 1894
Download recording - Kiowa mescal daylight song from the Library of Congress' Emile Berliner and the Birth of the Recording Industry Collection; performed by James Mooney (possibly along with Charles Mooney; neither are believed to be Native Americans) on July 5, 1894
Download recording - "Aa kjore vatten, aa kjore ve" a cappella Norwegian folk song from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Alf Nilssen on February 18, 1939 in Carmel, California
Download recording - "Kicsi fulemule dalol" a cappella Hungarian folk music from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Mary Gaidos on January 3, 1940 in Oakland, California
Download recording - "Jenny Lind" polka from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by John Selleck (violin) on October 2, 1939 in Camino, California
Download recording Hornpipe and fiddle tune from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by John Selleck on October 2, 1939 in Camino, California
Download recording - Irish harmonica tune from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Aaron Morgan (harmonica) on July 17, 1939 in Columbia, California
Download recording Mazurka - Mazurka from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Aaron Morgan on July 17, 1939 in Columbia, California
Download recording - "Macleod?s Reel" from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Aaron Morgan on July 17, 1939 in Columbia, California
Download recording - "Erivan bachem arer" Armenian folk music from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed a cappella by Ruben J. Baboyan on April 16, 1939 in Fresno, California
Download recording - "Lili bat ikhusi dut" Basque folk music from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Francisco and Matias Etcheverry on September 11, 1940 in Fresno, California
Download recording - Gusle solo (Croatian folk music) from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Peter Boro on December 20, 1939 in Fresno, California
Download recording - "Vaka vanha Vainamoinen" Finnish poetry from the Kalevala from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by John Soininen on November 5, 1939 in Berkeley, California
Download recording - Rimur (Icelandic folk music) from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Sigurd Bardarson on April 29, 1940 in Carmel, California
Download recording - "Addio, mamma" Italian folk music from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed a cappella by Louis Brangone on May 7, 1939 in Woodside, California
Download recording - "Olivi, salati" Martinez, California
Download recording "Le estrella del Oriente" aguinaldo (Puerto Rican Christmas Carol) from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Cruz Losada on April 10, 1939 in Oakland, California
Download recording - "Na cuperean" Scottish folk music from Nova Scotia from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Mary A. McDonald on April 11, 1939 in Berkeley, California
Download recording - "Venid pastores" Spanish folk Christmas song from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Aurora Calderon on April 10, 1939 in Oakland, California
Download recording - "Roll the Old Chariot Along" spiritual and sea shanty from the Library of Congress' ; performed by unknown persons in the Bay Area of California in the early 1920s
Download recording - "Haul the Woodpile Down" Minstrel song and sea shanty from the Library of Congress' ; performed by unknown persons in the Bay Area of California in the early 1920s
Download recording - ?The Old Grey Mare? Appalachian folk music from the Library of Congress' ; performed by Bascam Lamar Lunsford in the Asheville, North Carolina area on October 19, 1925
Download recording ?Hesitation Blues? blues song from the Library of Congress' ; performed by Bascam Lamar Lunsford in the Asheville, North Carolina area on October 19, 1925
Download recording - ?Sally Goodin? fiddle tune from the Library of Congress' ; performed by John W. Dillon in the Asheville, North Carolina area on October 22, 1925
Download recording - "Prisoner?s Song" country music from the Library of Congress' ; performed by Ernest Hilton with banjo accompaniment in Biltmore, North Carolina on November 20, 1925
Download recording - "The Wagon" ragtime from the Library of Congress' ; performed by Ben Harney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on about September 9, 1925
Download recording - "Deep Down in My Heart" - Spiritual from the Library of Congress' ; performed by W. M. Givens in Darien, Georgia on about March 19, 1926
Download recording - "Po? Gal" East Coast blues from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Zora Neale Hurston on June 18, 1939 in Jacksonville, Florida
Download recording - "Drive the Nail a?Right, Boys" Bahamanian conch song from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Naomi Nelson on January 15, 1940 in Riviera, Florida
Download recording - "On the Old Kissimmee Prairie" British tune from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Bob Hall, Walter van Bass, Ned Hugh Bass and J. C. King with banjos, guitars and violin in Juli, 1940 in Kenansville, Florida
Download recording - "Tece voda, tece" Czech tune from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Michael and Elizabeth Prácher on August 28, 1939 in Masaryktown, Florida
Download recording - "Amaxas" Greek song from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Charles M. Brown, Louis Peronis (fiddle), Charylaos Perris (santouri) and George Kafezio (mandola) on August 26, 1939 in Tarpon Springs, Florida
Download recording - "Alfonso Doce" Minorcan song from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Maria Hugas de Aceval on September 26, 1939 in St. Augustine, Florida
Download recording - "Steal Partner" Seminole song from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Richard Osceola, Naha Tiger, John Josh and Morgan Smith in July 1940 in Cow Creek, Florida
Download recording "Ej lúcka, lúcka siroká" Slovak song from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Lillian Jakubcin and Emily Mertán on July 31, 1939 in Slavia, Florida
Download recording "Ughniyah li al-Atfal" Syrian lullaby from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Nicholas Debs on March 10, 1940 in Jacksonville, Florida

[Top]

1929 in music

Download sample of "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Louis Armstrong, a song from the Broadway revue Hot Chocolate and one of the earliest hits by Armstrong, a musical superstar of the 1930s and 40s

[Top]

1932 in music

Download sample of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Aint't Got That Swing)" by Duke Ellington, an early hit from one of the giants of American popular song

[Top]

1934 in music

Download sample of "Finger Buster" by Willie The Lion Smith, a long-unreleased piano solo from one of the giants of stride

[Top]

1936 in music

Download sample of "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" by Fats Waller, a well-known song by the pianist

[Top]

1938 in music

Download sample of "Begin the Beguine" by Artie Shaw, a surprise hit that turned the clarinetist into a swing star
Download sample of "Jumpin' at the Woodside" by Count Basie & His Orchestra, a popular swing song by a jazz legend
Download sample of "Take the A-Train" by Duke Ellington

[Top]

1939 in music

Download sample of The Ink Spots' "If I Didn?t Care", the first major hit for The Ink Spots, who were the first major pop doo wop group
Download sample of "And the Angels Sing" by Benny Goodman and Martha Tilton, a legendary swing recording that helped keep Goodman's career afloat as band members departed

[Top]

1940 in music

Download sample of "Tuxedo Junction" by Glenn Miller

[Top]

1941 in music

Download sample of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", one of the best-selling singles of all time

[Top]

1942 in music

Download sample of "Summertime" by PJ Witherspoon

[Top]

1943 in music

Download sample of "Blue Sky" by Ben Webster

[Top]

1944 in music

Download sample of "She's Funny That Way" by Lester Young, a popular jazz song
Download sample of "That Ol' Devil Called Love" by Billie Holiday

[Top]

1945 in music

Download sample of "Caldonia" by Louis Jordan, one of the biggest hits of Jordan's career
Download sample of "Hot House" by Dizzy Gillespie, one of the breakthrough releases for Gillespie, who was a major star in the middle of the century
Download sample of "How High the Moon" by Ella Fitzgerald from Lullabies of Birdland, one of Fitzgerald's biggest songs
Download sample of "Laura" by Errol Garner
Download sample of "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" by Frank Sinatra, a popular song from one of the most famous American musicians, written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn

[Top]

1946 in music

Download sample of "Bird of Paradise" by Charlie Parker from In a Soulful Mood, one of the historic recordings that launched the bebop revolution
Download sample of "What a Difference a Day Made" by Sarah Vaughan
Download sample of "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" by Nat King Cole

[Top]

1947 in music

Download sample of "In the Still of the Night" by Billy Eckstine, a popular version of a Cole Porter song
Download sample of "Ruby My Dear" by Thelonius Monk, an early recording from a popular bop performer

[Top]

1949 in music

Download sample of "Boplicity" by Miles Davis from Birth of Cool, an album that is often said to be the beginning of the cool jazz genre
Download sample of "Indian Summer" by Stan Getz, an influential bop performer
Download sample of "Night and Day" by Mel Tormé & the Mel-Tones

[Top]

1951 in music

Download sample of Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart", perhaps the best-known Williams songs, covered by numerous other stars, and an excellent representation of the 1950s Nashville Sound

[Top]

1952 in music

Download sample of "Mixed Emotions" by Dinah Washington

[Top]

1953 in music

Download sample of "Basin Street Blues" by Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford

[Top]

1954 in music

Download sample of "I Can't Get Started" by Eddie Lockjaw Davis, an influential bebop recording

[Top]

1955 in music

Download sample of "I'll Never Be the Same" by Buddy Rich and Lionel Hampton, a noted jazz collaboration

[Top]

1956 in music

Download sample of "April in Paris" by Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Armstrong, one of many well-known songs by this collaboration, both solo stars in their own right

[Top]

1957 in music

Download sample of Elvis Presley's "Good Rockin' Tonight", one of the most representative songs of the rockabilly era
Download sample of "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" by Sonny Rollins from The Sound of Sonny, a well-known hard bop song
Download sample of "Traneing In" by John Coltrane from Traneing In, a well-known hard bop album

[Top]

1958 in music

Download sample of "Moanin'" by Art Blakely & the Jazz Messengers, a song which influentially incorporated soul influences into bop
Download sample of "It's the Good Life" by Ahmad Jamal

[Top]

1959 in music

Download sample of Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk", a surprise instrumental rock hit
Download sample of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say", the most well-known hit from Charles, a noted R&B and soul singer
Download sample of Richie Valens' "La Bamba", the signature song for Valens, a pioneering rock star, and the first Mexican-American musical celebrity
Download sample of "Fables of Faubus" by Charles Mingus from Mingus Ah Um, a song which criticized Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, who opposed desegregation; the lyrics were censored by company executives -- an uncut version was not released until 1960's Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus

[Top]

1960 in music

Download sample of The Flamingos' "Nobody Loves Me Like You" from Respectfully Yours, a popular doo wop song
Download sample of "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck, a popular experimental jazz song

[Top]

1963 in music

Download sample of Peter, Paul & Mary's "Puff the Magic Dragon", a popular pop-folk song

[Top]

1964 in music

Download sample of The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie", a hit song that was originally a Jamaican ballad; The Kingsmen's version, originally a rival with Paul Revere & the Raiders' nearly-simultaneously released take, launched a national debate over the lyric's supposed sexual content. After an investigation, the FBI concluded that the words (in The Kingsmen's version) were incomprehensible.

[Top]

1965 in music

Download sample of The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" from Mr. Tambourine Man, helped launch careers of both The Byrds and Bob Dylan, noted folk-rock song with controversial allusions to drug abuse
Download sample of Otis Redding's "Mr. Pitiful", one of the most well-remembered songs from this soul great
Download sample of James Brown?s "Papa?s Got a Brand New Bag", an influential proto-funk recording
Download sample of "One Note Samba" by Al Jarreau, a popular jazz song

[Top]

1966 in music

Download sample of Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention's "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" from Freak Out!; the debut song on Zappa's debut album, "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" is an exhortation to end the domination of teen-pop on the American charts

[Top]

1967 in music

Download sample of The Doors' "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" from The Doors, a notorious recording of The Doors' signture dark psychedelic sound and mystical, LSD-inspired lyrics
Download sample of Gram Parson's "Miller?s Cave" from Gram Parsons International Submarine Band (Safe at Home); Parsons was the leading figure in the nascent country rock scene
Download sample of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" from Surrealistic Pillow, one of the most legendary songs of the psychedelic rock genre

[Top]

1968 in music

Download sample of Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", one of the biggest hits of Franklin's career and a still well-known soul and R&B song

[Top]

1969 in music

Download sample of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" from Green River, one of the band's most famous songs, notable as an early example of Southern rock
Download sample of The Delfonics' "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)" from The Sound of Sexy Soul, one of the pioneering recordings of Philly soul
Download sample of Janis Joplin's "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" from I Got Dem Ol? Kozmic Blues Again Mama, perhaps Joplin's most well-regarded song, "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" was released at the popular peak of American blues rock

[Top]

1970 in music

Download sample of Gil Scott-Heron's "Small Talk at 125th and Lennox" from Small Talk at 125th and Lennox; this song is a form of spoken poetry with simple percussion accomaniment, and is considered a precursor to the rapping vocals of hip hop. Heron was associated with the Black Power movement, and was especially known for criticizing the leaders of the African American community, as well as those blacks who gave only tepid or no support to the cause, as in this track
Download sample of Grateful Dead's "Box of Rain" from American Beauty; for a band known more for live performances than studio releases, American Beauty and its album opener, "Box of Rain", are both among the most well-known and widely-respected recordings by the Grateful Dead. The song is a mixture of influences ranging from bluegrass and country to rock and roll and psychedelic rock

[Top]

1971 in music

Download sample of Don McLean's "American Pie"; this song was a major hit and has come to represent the singer-songwriter tradition in the minds of many listeners, though McLean's popular career never lasted as long as other luminaries in the field like James Taylor or Carol King. "American Pie" is a guitar-based ballad filled with cryptic lyrics which describe the musical events of McLean's life, from the rock and roll boom in the 1950s to the social turmoil of the later 60s.
Download sample of Marvin Gaye's "What?s Going On" from What's Going On, a seminal soul album led by the hit title track, What's Going On transformed the genre from single-led pop to cohesive albums with socio-political lyrical content. "What's Going On", recorded despite condemnation from Gaye's record label, became a hit and has since become one of the most well-known anti-Vietnam protest songs
Download sample of MC5's "Sister Ann" from High Time, a song from past the band's creative peak, "Sister Ann" remains the most well-known MC5 song, and a characteristic example of the group's proto-punk rock sound

[Top]

1972 in music

Download sample of Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle", a critically acclaimed performer who died before making any major sustained mainstream success
Download sample of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line", one of the biggest hits for Cash, perhaps the most enduringly popular performer in country music

[Top]

1973 in music

Download sample of Allman Brothers Band's "Rambling Man" from Brothers and Sisters, a major recording from the burgeoning Southern rock scene
Download sample of New York Dolls' "Trash" from New York Dolls, which helped establish the sound of both punk rock and glam

[Top]

1975 in music

Download sample of Big Star's "O, Dana" from Third/Sister Lovers, the album that established the power pop genre, recording by a band in the midst of legendary feuds

[Top]

1976 in music

Download sample of "Exodus" by Quincy Jones from We Had a Ball, a pop-jazz song
Download sample of "The Masquerade Is Over" by George Benson, a popular crossover jazz song

[Top]

1977 in music

Download sample of The Commodores' "Brick House" from The Commodores, a well-remembered song from one of the biggest bands of the disco era

[Top]

1978 in music

Download sample of Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands" from The Darkness on the Edge of Town, part of Springsteen's move towards a mature, adult sound
Download sample of The Ramones' "I Want to Be Sedated" from Road to Ruin, a popular cover for garage bands and perhaps the most well-known song from The Ramones

[Top]

1980 in music

Download sample of "A Wheel Within a Wheel" by Wynton Marsalis from Wynton, an early album that helped establish Marsalis as one of the premiere jazz musicians of the late 20th century
Download sample of "Herbie's Blues" by Herbie Hancock, a prominent jazz and fusion musician

[Top]

1982 in music

Download sample of Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force's "Planet Rock", a major single, using electronic beats and old school raps
Download sample of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message", sometimes called the first "message rap"

[Top]

1984 in music

Download sample of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" from She's So Unusual, a ballad from Lauper, who was one of the most popular singers of the year

[Top]

1986 in music

Download sample of Bad Brains' "Secret 77" from I Against I, a widely-respected release from one of hardcore punk's most innovative albums, which added reggae to the hardcore sound
Download sample of Beastie Boys' "Rhymin?" and Stealin?? from Licensed to Ill, a major album of old school hip hop, and one of the first by a white crew
Download sample of Paul Simon's "Graceland" from Graceland, a pivotal album that helped introduce world music

[Top]

1987 in music

Download sample Into the Woods "Ever After", a climactic song from one of the most popular new musicals of the era
Download sample of Pixies' "Holiday Song" from Come on Pilgrim, the biggest band of late 1980s alternative rock

[Top]

1988 in music

Download sample of Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow the Leader" from Follow the Leader, sometimes considered the peak of the golden age of old school hip hop
Download sample of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" from It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, one of the first crews to bring hip hop to the mainstream, showcasing a hard-edged, sociopolitical sound

[Top<