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The track pays tribute to his long partnership with Art Garfunkel
His drummer Clyde Stubblefield’s 20-second break on the track became one of the most sampled beats in music
Under pressure, the leader of Sly and the Family Stone came up with a sparse funky blues that baffled and beguiled
The band have been credited with helping integrate gay culture into the mainstream, while the song’s dance routine spread like wildfire
His track for the 1973 film was unusually structured, including a section written by Linda McCartney, and gave rise to a memorable cover version
Adapted from a Yiddish musical comedy number, the track became a sensation — and was used by the Nazi propaganda machine
The singer’s powerhouse performance brought the song to the attention of The Rolling Stones
Inspired by Moroccan rhythms and first sung by Fred Astaire, the track became a fixture in the Great American Songbook
The singer hit a memorable high note that continues to resonate
The track was first recorded by its reluctant author, country singer Carl Perkins
The German composer’s simple, interlocking round has been adapted by acts such as The Farm and The Village People
The ill-fated singer’s track horrified Nashville but drew in a wider audience
First sung by Liza Minnelli and popularised by Frank Sinatra, this paean to the city is bawled out at parties and in karaoke bars
Written after a long car journey north, the track became a favourite festive cover
Sparked by the 1991 police beating of Rodney King, the song became the band’s signature — and an unlikely seasonal chart-topper
The singer’s 1966 track was often treated as a love song, though its lyrics portray dark themes
The track’s downbeat mood was later a perfect fit for the film Donnie Darko, as sung by Gary Jules
Scott Walker’s was perhaps the best known of the many versions of the song that became ‘Next’
The song from West Side Story has fascinating roots — and a fruitful afterlife
Though singer Martha Reeves rejected claims that it was a civil rights anthem, the song projected confidence and power
The track written by June Carter and later sung by Johnny Cash brought the pair closer together
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