Time To Dance To The Tune Of “U”!

David Bowie and Freddie Mercury gave us one of the greatest songs that began with the letter “U”, so let’s get going there and see where this musical letter of the alphabet takes us!

10 – “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen

An unlikely collaboration at the time, and the stories of how it came together are fascinating – but come together it did, in one of the greatest songs of our generation…

David Bowie and Queen created an instant classic – still as revered today as when they created it in 1982 – here is the video, thanks to Queen’s official YouTube channel:

I found a great story about the recording of this song, with great quotes from Queen’s Brian May – see my story here:

“Under Pressure” is an iconic song from the 80’s…and speaking of that:

9 – “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel

This 1983 hit song is one of Joel’s biggest hits: an infectious slice of pop/rock written for his wife at the time, Christie Brinkley:

While their marriage didn’t last, the song has become iconic…and in fact, he made it a signature part of his concert I saw last year!

It was a night of dozens of hit songs over almost 3 hours..and Billy never left the stage:

Here he is performing at New York’s Madison Square Garden – show #146 of his 150 show residency! Oh, and his ex-wife Christie Brinkley – the subject of the song – was in the audience and sang along!

Time now to get modern, with one of the most popular performers today:

8 – “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars

Many people think of this as a Bruno Mars song, but it’s actually from Mark Ronson’s 2015 album “Uptown Special” – it was #1 for 14 straight weeks, thanks to the Bruno Mars collaboration – giving it that swagger he is known for, as he sings at the top of the song:

“This hit, that ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold
This one, for them hood girls
Them good girls, straight masterpieces
Stylin’, wilin’
Livin’ it up in the city
Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent
Gotta kiss myself I’m so pretty”

Here is this terrific music video:

What’s amazing is that someone took this funky beat and edited classic movie dance numbers all over it – and it works! See it here:

Music lost a legend when Prince died, so I have a great song to honor him:

7 – “U Got The Look” by Prince

Prince sang this as a duo with Sheena Easton, and the song is so catchy – just watch the video and you will be hooked forever!

Prince was a musical genius – who always followed his own free spirit – but he doesn’t get as much credit for his musicianship as well:

I shared this unbelievable guitar solo he performed at the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame a few years ago…check it out here:

Next up is a performer who was part of the greatest “supergroup” in history, and has done albums across almost every musical genre:

6 – “Unknown Legend” by Neil Young

Neil Young released his commercially acclaimed album “Harvest Moon” in 1992: it’s a gorgeous album that is reflective, spiritual and very catchy…the album opens with this gem of a song.

Here is a live performance from Neil’s “Farm Aid” benefit in 2024:

Speaking of iconic, how about the longest charting rock band of all time?

5 – “Us And Them” by Pink Floyd

This 1973 song from the iconic “Dark Side Of The Moon” album tells the story of the futility of war:

“Us and them
And after all
We’re only ordinary men

Me and you
God only knows it’s not what
We would choose to do

“Forward”, he cried from the rear
And the front rank died
The general sat and the lines on the map
Moved from side to side”

The album is one of the best selling of all time and what about this record?

It’s spent more than 970 weeks, or the equivalent of over 18-and-a-half years, in the Billboard top 200 album charts in the US, 

Here is a live version from the band in 1994 – simply gorgeous:

Now, did you know that the entire album was written to match the movie “The Wizard Of Oz?”

Well, that’s the legend that has grown with the album…but why?

Click here for the wild answer!

Next up is an unreleased song from one of music’s most eclectic Artists!

4 – “Umbrella Man” by Todd Rundgren

You might know Todd from this #1 hit “Hello It’s Me”, or the hit songs “Can We Still Be Friends?” and the hilarious “Bang The Drum All Day”…but you see this Japanese album cover? It’s called “Demos And Lost Albums”, and it’s filled with music that had never been released…like this gorgeous song:

Todd has such incredible music…here is the audio only version of “Umbrella Man” – enjoy!

If you want a great way to start loving his music, try this album, which is on the list of best albums of all time:

There have been a lot of duet albums in the past, but this is one of the most unique:

3 – “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole

Yes, the legendary Nat King Cole was know for the song “Unforgettable” but what is also unforgettable is the fact that his daughter Natalie sang it as well decades later, then recorded it as a duet with her late father to!

The use of modern technology to match their performances is really something…see it here:

Next up, a rock song that is still performed today:

2 – “Urgent” by Foreigner

The band has a number of great rock anthems like “Feels Like The First Time” and “I Want To know What Love Is”, but this rocker is fun – and starts with the letter “U!”

Here is the band performing it last in 2010:

Finally, Paul McCartney recorded one album that was credited to both him and his wife Linda:

1 – “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” by Paul and Linda McCartney

It was after the breakup of The Beatles, and history has suggested that Linda’s name was used in order in the credits for McCartney’s second solo album “RAM” to get some money from the album sales, since Paul was in heavy litigation with the other former members of The Beatles at the time.

Here’s a great video filled with vintage shots of Paul, Linda and the kids on their farm during recording:

“RAM” has become one of Macca’s masterpieces, but it was also attacked by John Lennon – see that story here:

Let me know your favorite “U” songs as well!

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Categories: 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, The Beatles, Todd Rundgren

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