Welcome to the first installment of Way Back Wednesday, where I will be featuring old school classics each week.Some of these jams will likely be well known while others might be new to you. Either way, they're all from way back. This week, Madonna released her 13th and latest album, Rebel Heart. She's still a very successful pop artist, but most would agree that her best work came out of the 1980s and '90s. She had countless No. 1's on the Billboard charts, won numerous Grammys, and is also an actress with an award winning performance to her credit in Evita. "Vogue" is undoubtedly one of her most iconic songs, and you'll still hear it playing in movies, TV shows, and at fashion events. Her style and sound has been sampled, duplicated and reinvented by countless imitators, but no one has quite reached the legendary pop levels as Madge. Here are some of her standouts from way back:
"Vogue" ('91)
"Like A Virgin" ('84)
"Into The Groove" ('85)
"Holiday" ('83)
"Deeper And Deeper" ('92)
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Now to switch up genres a little. Another artist from way back whose best work arguably came out in the 1990s, Common (born Lonnie Lynn), is one of the most influential hip hop players in the last two decades. Like Madonna, Common has also seen success in the film industry with noteworthy performances in Smokin' Aces and American Gangster. He started off his career as Common Sense in 1992 with debut full-length Can I Borrow A Dollar. After shortening his name to Common for legal reasons, Common began coming into his own. "I Used To Love H.E.R." is still one of the best and most sincere hip hop tracks ever recorded...
"I Used To Love H.E.R." ('94)
"Retrospect For Life" Feat. Lauryn Hill ('97)
"Breaker 1/9" ('92)
"Resurrection" ('95)
"The Light" ('00)
Make sure to return to Ear Buds next Wednesday and see what jams I dig up from way back...