Jukebox songs have entertained us for ages!
Many things have already changed in the world of music. We went from vinyl to cassettes to CDs to mp3s, and finally, to streaming services as our primary source of day-to-day listening. All through those changes, however, one source of music remains – the jukebox.
You can walk into any bar or restaurant, and odds are you’ll find one there. So today, we’ve gathered up some of the most played jukebox songs. Check it out below.
10. “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC
From: Back In Black (1980)
“You Shook Me All Night Long” did not only become a staple of AC/DC concerts, but it is also one of the most requested bar songs of all time.
9. “Friends In Low Places” by Garth Brooks
From: No Fences (1990)
This ballad about a cowboy who turned up at the wedding reception of an old flame is such a crowd-pleaser.
Out of his massive catalog of hits, “Friends in Low Places” is regarded as Garth Brooks’ signature song. It dominated the charts in several countries and is considered one of the greatest country songs of all time. It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs and won both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association awards for 1990 Single of the Year.
8. “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
From: Dock Of The Bay (1968)
The song was recorded by Otis Redding twice in 1967, including once just days before his death in a plane crash. It was by far his biggest hit and was also the first-ever posthumous No. 1 single in the United States.
7. “My Girl” by The Temptations
From: Greatest Hits (1965)
There is nothing about The Temptations’ “My Girl” that is gimmicky. In fact, it only uses just two notes of a major scale. Yet the moment you hear it, you immediately know what the song is, and it will never leave out of your mind.
This was the first of four US No. 1 hits for The Temptations. Several artists covered this song, including Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Dolly Parton, and it charted in the United States for five different artists.
6. “Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle
From: Copperhead Road (1988)
Steve Earle first made a name for himself as a songwriter in Nashville. Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt, and Johnny Cash have all recorded songs written by him.
In 1974, Earle released the first EP and had been performing ever since. “Copperhead Road” became his highest-peaking song to date, peaking at No. 10 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
In case you don’t know, Copperhead is actually a real road that can be found near Mountain City, Tennessee, although it has since been renamed Copperhead Hollow Road.
5. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
From: Second Helping (1974)
Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote this song about their impressions of Alabama and a tribute to the studio musicians at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, where they recorded for two years since 1970. Interestingly, none of the members were from Alabama. Ed King was from Glendale, California, while Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington were both born in Jacksonville, Florida.
The song was also written as an answer to Neil Young’s two songs, “Southern Man” and “Alabama,” which dealt with themes of slavery and racism in the American South.
“Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her (southern man). Well, I heard ol’ Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember. A southern man don’t need him around, anyhow,” the song goes.
“Sweet Home Alabama” was the lead track on the album, and became the rock band’s first hit.
4. “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton
From: Traveller (2015)
By now, it seems like the song “Tennessee Whiskey” has more than earned the right to be called timeless. Thanks to Chris Stapleton, our favorite jukebox hit has experienced an insane amount of success since late 2015. But did you know its history extends back much further than that?
“David Allan Coe originally recorded Tennessee Whiskey,” but it first gained popularity when George Jones released his version in 1983. Jones successfully snagged the top spot on the chart in Canada and reached No. 2 on US Billboard Hot Country Singles.
3. “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
From: Elvis Presley No. 2 (1956)
Besides being one of the most played songs in Jukebox charts, “Hound Dog” has been recorded over 250 times. The best-known version is the 1956 recording by Elvis Presley, which placed on the 19th spot of Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song is also one of the best-selling singles of all time – selling about ten million copies worldwide – and “an emblem of the rock ‘n’ roll revolution.” It ranked No. 1 on the US pop, country, and R&B charts at the same time, and it topped the pop chart for eleven weeks — a record that stood for over three decades.
2. “Old Time Rock And Roll” by Bob Seger
From: Stranger in Town (1978)
Bob Segar’s “Old Time Rock and Roll,” released in 1979, has since become a standard in popular music and was ranked No. 2 most-played song on jukeboxes.
Often referenced as Seger’s favorite song, “Old Time Rock and Roll” is a romanticized look back at the music of the original rock ‘n’ roll era. The song gained renewed popularity after being featured in the film Risky Business in 1983, starring Tom Cruise. Cruise’s character, Joel Goodson, would lip-sync and dance in his underwear as this song plays after his parents leave him home alone.
1. “Crazy” by Patsy Cline
From: Patsy Cline Showcase (1961)
Written by Willie Nelson during the time he was still trying to sell his songs for meal money like a fruit vendor on the streets, “Crazy” was made famous by the one and only Patsy Cline. She brought the song to the second spot of U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles and was even a crossover success, peaking at No. 9 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
This yearning ballad for a lost lover remains a country music staple and is one of the most frequently covered songs by other artists. Moreover, according to the Amusement and Music Operators Association, Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” is the most-played song on jukeboxes in the United States.
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jukebox songs