Mostly Oldies

Dolly Parton's first appearance on The Ellen Show (2004) talks about why she sleeps in her makeup

"When the Children Cry" is a power ballad performed by Danish-American glam metal band White Lion. It is the third single and 10th and final track on their 1987 album, Pride. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in Canada, and number 88 in the United Kingdom. The song was written immediately after Live Aid, and was partly influenced by singer Mike Tramp's childhood. He said, "I was around five or six when my father left us. My mom was left with three boys. So without a doubt my own story is in that song." He also said, "Even though the words are simple, it has a very powerful lyric. Imagine being a kid from Copenhagen, Denmark, sitting there in Staten Island and writing, 'No more presidents, and all the wars will end' at the time when Ronald Reagan is the president. But it was how I felt at the time. That song began by just sitting around and playing. Then Vito changed it to the fingerpicking style." The video from the original clip with additional footage from @savethechildrenuk https://youtu.be/nKDgFCojiT8

“Queen of Hearts” is about falling for an unreliable lover; although you know it’s a bad move, you are simply unable to resist them. The Welsh musicianDave Edmundswas the first artist to record “Queen of Hearts”. The song appears on his 1979 album, “Repeat When Necessary”. However, “Queen of Hearts” had its highest success via its inclusion on the 1981 albumJuiceby Juice Newton. The song also afforded Newton an international hit with Top Ten hit status in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland and more moderate success in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. In the US it peaked at #2, held from the top spot by “Endless Love” (which held the top spot for nine weeks). She won a 1982 Grammy for Best Female Vocalist in the C&W category.

Valentina Vasilevna Tolkunova(Russian:Валенти́на Васи́льевна Толкуно́ва, 12 July 1946 – 22 March 2010) was aSovietandRussiansinger and was bestowed the title of Honored Artist ofRSFSR(1979) andPeople’s Artist of the RSFSR(1987). Her performances exhibited a kindhearted mood and sincerity, and her voice was noted for its clarity.

"Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put a new English lyric to the Russian romance song "Дорогой длинною" (Romance transliteration "Dorogoj dlinnoju", literally "By the long road"), composed by Boris Fomin (1900–1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism. It also deals with tavern activities, which include drinking, singing and dancing. Mary Hopkin's 1968 debut single of "Those Were the Days", which was produced by Paul McCartney of the Beatles, and arranged by Richard Hewson, became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. The song also reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. It was number one in the first edition of the French National Hit Parade launched by the Centre d'Information et de Documentation du Disque. The song was featured on the US version of the debut album Post Card.

Dolly Parton's first appearance on The Ellen Show (2004) talks about who she gets her fashion inspiration from

"I Wish I Was James Bond" is the fifth single from English pop rock band Scouting for Girls' debut album, Scouting for Girls (2008). It is the 10th track on the album and is followed by a hidden track called "Michaela Strachan You Broke My Heart (When I Was 12)". The single peaked at number 40 in the UK Singles Chart.

Kate Bush released a cover of "Rocket Man" in 1991 as part of the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. Kate's version of "Rocket Man" was a commercial success, reaching no. 12 in the UK singles chart and no. 2 in Australia. In 2007, the track won The Observer readers' award for Greatest Cover of all time. The B-side of the single was Kate's recording of another Elton John classic, "Candle In The Wind". Release date 2nd December, 1991

"Tian Mi Mi" (Chinese: 甜蜜蜜; pinyin: Tián Mì Mì; literally "very sweet") is a 1979 Mandarin Chinese song by Teresa Teng. The lyrics were written by Zhuang Nu. The music was adapted from a 1940s gambang kromong about sampan boats called "Dayung Sampan" by the pasindhèn Dasimah. In 1978, while on tour in Southeast Asia, Teng produced an Indonesian-language cover of "Dayung Sampan", a popular song in Indonesia and Singapore.

Likely inspired by the song Daddy Cool’s “Eagle Rock” and Neil Sedaka’s “Oh! Carol,” “Crocodile Rock” comments on rock’s evolution over time using metaphors. Elton John actually described this song as “disposable pop,” stating that he didn’t want people to remember him by this song, but rather one with a message to convey. Further, he said in an interview with Rolling Stone: I wouldn’t like in 15 years' time to still be playing “Crocodile Rock.”

"Harper Valley PTA" is a country song written by Tom T. Hall, which in 1968 became a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley. Riley's record, her debut, sold over six million copies as a single, and it made her the first woman to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and the U.S. Hot Country Singles charts with the same song (but not at the same time), a feat that would not be repeated until Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" 13 years later in 1981. It was also Riley's only Top 40 pop hit.

"Zakia" is a popular Indonesian rock song performed by Ahmad Albar. It was released in 1978 as part of his album titled "Zakia." The song became a significant hit and remains one of Albar's most well-known songs. "Zakia" is known for its catchy melody and energetic sound. The lyrics depict a story of unrequited love, with the protagonist, Zakia, being the object of the singer's affection. The song expresses the singer's longing for Zakia and his desire to win her heart. Ahmad Albar is a prominent Indonesian rock singer known for his powerful vocals and contributions to the Indonesian music scene. He has been active since the 1970s and is considered one of the pioneers of rock music in Indonesia. "Zakia" is one of his signature songs and remains popular among rock music enthusiasts in Indonesia.

A simple tale of a lonely telephone repairman working in the vast open plains of the American Midwest, "Wichita Lineman" is one of the most perfectly realised pop songs of all time. It was written by the American songwriter Jimmy Webb in 1968. It was first recorded by the American country music artist Glen Campbell with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew and has since been widely covered by other artists. It has been referred to as "the first existential country song".

"Running Up That Hill", titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" on some releases, is a song by the British singer and songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in the United Kingdom as the lead single from Bush's album Hounds of Love on 5 August 1985 by EMI Records. The lyrics imagine a scenario in which a man and a woman make "a deal with God" to exchange places. Bush wrote and produced "Running Up That Hill" using a Fairlight CMI synthesiser and a LinnDrum drum machine. In 2022, "Running Up That Hill" received renewed attention when it was featured in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things. Its appearance led to the song's resurgence on charts around the world, topping the charts in eight countries, including the United Kingdom for three consecutive weeks, Ireland for seven consecutive weeks and Australia for nine non-consecutive weeks. The song also reached a new peak of number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Koes Plus is an Indonesian musical group that enjoyed success in the 1960s and 1970s. The band was formerly known as Koes Bersaudara (Koes Brothers) and was formed in 1963. The band members were Tony Koeswoyo (Lead Guitar), Yon Koeswoyo (Vocal), Yok Koeswoyo (Vocal, Bass guitar) and Nomo Koeswoyo (Drum). Koes Plus is known as one of Indonesia’s classic musical acts and is often considered as the pioneer of pop and rock ‘n roll music in Indonesia. They are also known for being an extremely productive band, having released 22 albums in just one year in 1974, followed by six albums in 1975 and ten albums in 1976.

"Tom Dooley" is a traditional North Carolinafolk songbased on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster inWilkes County, North CarolinabyTom Dula(whose name in the local dialect was pronounced "Dooley"). One of the more famousmurder ballads, a popular hit version recorded in 1958 byThe Kingston Trio, which reached No. 1 inBillboardHot 100singles chart, and also was top 10 on theBillboardR&B chart, and appeared in theCashboxCountry Music Top 20.

“Let’s Get It On” is a deceptively simple declaration of sex-positivity, released at a time when such statements were revolutionary. It is even more impressive when one considers that it was created by a man awakening from the trauma of growing up constantly physically and emotionally abused by a preacher father who conditioned his children to regard sex as shameful. That father, Marvin Gaye Sr., would infamously murder his son in 1984. The song celebrates a turning point for the younger Marvin, who first learned to play music in the church and at one point endeavored to follow in his father’s footsteps as a minister. In “Let’s Get It On,” Marvin is still making spiritual music, but this time to elevate the act of physical love and exalt it as an expression of a living person’s potential on Earth. It topped both the US Pop and R&B charts in the summer of 1973 and was also successful in Canada and the UK.

"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in 1977 as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The band co-produced the song with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It is one of the Bee Gees' signature songs.

"Please Help Me, I'm Falling" is a 1960 song written by Don Robertson and Hal Blair and first recorded by Hank Locklin. The single was Locklin's most successful recording and was his second number one on the country charts. "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" spent 14 weeks at the top spot and spent nine months on the country chart and crossed over to the Hot 100 peaking at number eight.

In 1962, Marty Robbins released “Devil Woman” as the first single and title track off his tenth studio album. The song then became another successful hit for Robbins, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart – where it remained at the top spot for eight remarkable weeks.

"Reflections of My Life" was a 1969/1970 hit single for the Scottish band, Marmalade. It was written by their lead guitarist Junior Campbell, and singer Dean Ford (credited to his birth name, Thomas McAleese). Released in late 1969, it was the band's first release on Decca following an earlier spell at CBS. The song went on to chart worldwide, reaching number three in the UK in 1969, No.10 in the US in 1970 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No.7 on the Cash Box Top 100. Initial sales were significant in both countries, and the one million mark was reported in November 1971, when the group was presented with a gold disc for global sales. The track featured a lead vocal by Ford backed by vocal harmonies, and included a reverse tape guitar solo (backmasking) by Campbell. "Reflections of My Life" has produced sales of over two million units. In 1998 the writers were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by the BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the US alone.

“Звезда (The Star)” by Витас (Vitas) was written by Дмитрий Плачковский (Dmitry Plachkovsky) and released in 2003. Vitas is a Latvian born singer who first made his stage debut on the Russian stage in the year 2000. In his 18-year career, Vitas has conquered great success in the Russian music scene as well as establishing a huge fanbase world-wide.

"I've Been Everywhere" is a song written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack in 1959, and popularised by Lucky Starr and Hank Snow in 1962. The song as originally written listed Australian towns. It was later adapted by Australian singer Rolf Harris with British toponyms (1963), and by John Hore (later known as John Grenell) with New Zealand toponyms (1966). In 1962, the song was a number-one US country hit for Hank Snow, and #68 on the Hot 100.

"I Will Survive" is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song, it is a popular disco anthem, as well as being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).