RANDALL’S RADIO TOP 20 OF 2020 To begin with, we know you don’t come to Randall’s to listen to music. We also know (because you tell us) that music is one of the many intangibles that help to make your dining experience extraordinary. Because of that, we put the same amount of effort and attention to detail into every music selection at Randall’s (“Every Song Handpicked”) as we do with the décor, the atmosphere, the drinks, and above all else, the legendary Randall’s food. Whether you become aware of a song playing at Randall’s for five seconds or listen much longer, we want what you hear and what you feel to be special, to make you happy, and to leave you with a memory; one the song invokes from your own past, or the new memory you make that night at Randall’s. Each song is matched to the time of day it plays, and you get a different feel during Happy Hour than you do as you savior a cup of coffee or tea or an after dinner drink as the evening winds down – and sometimes its two distinct versions of the same song. The playlist at Randall’s, which is updated seasonally, is an eclectic mix of R&B, soul, jazz, rock, funk, swing, big band, standards, alternative, reggae and pop and includes well known classics from those genres that span over nine decades, as well as album cuts, B-sides, extended remixes, alternate takes and songs that never appeared on any popular music chart (we call them “should have been hits”) from that same period. The only common element among the songs on the Randall’s playlist is that, well, they feel like Randall’s. We decided to honor the uniqueness of the Randall’s playlist and of the past year by sharing with you our thoughts on the Top 20 songs of 2020. We’d love to hear your thoughts and remember, anytime you want to experience the feel of Randall’s, no matter where you are, join us at Randall’s.restaurant/radio. Tom Reilly and Ian Reilly Randall’s Music Curators 20. Year of the Cat – Al Stewart (1976; Billboard Chart #8; Randall’s Spring Playlist). A song by British singer-songwriter Al Stewart (written along with legendary Smooth Jazz guitarist Peter White, who then was Stewart’s keyboardist), would appear an unusual choice for the Randall’s playlist. Ostensibly a folk song about a tourist having a romantic adventure in an exotic location - On a morning from a Bogart movie; In a country where they turn back time; You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre; Contemplating a crime – the record itself becomes much more. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, it was produced by Alan Parsons (who was the Beatles recording engineer and went on to work with Paul McCartney and Wings and to produce Ambrosia and his own Alan Parsons’ Project – all on the Randall’s playlist). Over two-thirds of the song is an instrumental, including the defining saxophone riff by Phil Kenzie (who also worked with the Beatles), which along with Parsons’ decidedly non-folk production, transforms the original Stewart song into six minutes of jazz-influenced progressive pop. While many people think the title comes from the Chinese Zodiac animals, it does not; there is no cat in the Chinese Zodiac and 2020 was the Chinese Year of the Rat (it certainly was). Stewart based the song title on the Vietnamese Zodiac. But the drum-beat strains of the night remain; In the rhythm of the newborn day; You know sometime you're bound to leave her; But for now you're going to stay. We hope you stay with us in 2021 and beyond; In the Year of the Cat. 19. I Want a Love I Can See – The Temptations (1963; Did Not Chart; Randall’s Summer Playlist). What was supposed to be the breakout single by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label from their debut album “Meet The Temptations” and what was supposed to be the defining sound of The Temptations wasn’t and isn’t. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson and featuring Paul Williams as the sole lead vocal, this “should have been hit”, while huge in many regions of the country, including Philadelphia, just did not break nationally. While The Temptations achieved their biggest success with a different, more mellow sound beginning in 1964 when David Ruffin sang lead on the group's biggest hits (think "My Girl", also on the Randall’s playlist), this infectious, upbeat song is a summertime happy hour favorite. I want a love I can see; That's the only kind that means a thing to me; Don't want a love you have to tell me about; That kind of loving I can sure do without. Two minutes and thirty seconds of Paul Williams channeling Smokey’s thoughts on true love has to make you smile. 18. Colour of My Love - Barry Ryan (1969; Did Not Chart; Jefferson 1969; Pop Chart #68; Randall’s Summer Playlist). Written by Barry’s twin brother, Paul Ryan, the song was released in 1969 by both Barry Ryan and Jefferson (Geoff) Turton, both from Britain, and was a forerunner of the Sunshine Pop genre. Paul Ryan now works as a photographer in London and Jefferson still tours under his given name with his original band, The Rockin’ Berries. Her hair was the colour of the sun; was the colour of her eyes; Was the colour of my own true love. We don’t fully grasp the imagery either (golden eyes?), but we love the chorus, and we especially love the way they spell “color.” Blimey. 17. All About That Bass - Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox (2014; Did Not Chart; Randall’s Autumn Playlist). Postmodern Jukebox was founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee as a vehicle to rework popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially swing and jazz (which is why so many PMJ songs are on the Randall’s playlist). In 2014, singer, songwriter, and bassist Kate Davis recorded a PMJ 1940’s stylized cover of Meghan Trainor's retro R&B song, "All About That Bass" while playing a double standup bass (in Scott Bradlee’s living room). I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble. We like the cover, we love the double bass. 16. Summit Ridge Drive – Artie Shaw and His Gramercy Five (1940; Billboard Chart #27; Randall’s Main Playlist). Randall’s playlist features music that covers more than nine decades, including a number of songs from the swing and big band era. From 1931 until his abrupt retirement from the music business in 1954, Artie Shaw defined swing while serially forming, developing and then disbanding big bands, small ensembles, large groups, jazz groups, string and woodwind ensembles and the Gramercy Five, usually at the height of their popularity. While there are several Shaw songs in the Randall’s playlist, we especially like Summit Ridge Drive. We think it’s the harpsichord. 15. My Funny Valentine - Various (1937 to Present; Randall’s Valentine Playlist). While the rest of the world celebrates the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14, we celebrate Valentine’s Week at Randall’s, with cozy dinners for two, romantic cocktails and love songs that abound in our special one week Valentine’s playlist. A different version of this 1937 Rodgers and Hart classic plays each half hour, so every couple will hear it at least once during their time together at Randall’s. This isn’t hard to do, since the former show tune from Babes in Arms (sung by an early “talkies” child star, Mitzi Green, who also sang "The Lady is a Tramp" in the same show - wow!) has become a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 1,300 albums and performed by over 600 artists. We’re partial to the November 24, 1974, live instrumental version by saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and trumpeter Chet Baker (it was Baker’s signature song) recorded at Carnegie Hall, with the spoken word intro “Don't change your hair for me; Not if you care for me; Stay little valentine, stay.” We hope you will. 14. I Love Beach Music – The Embers (1979; Did Not Chart; Randall’s Summer Playlist). Beach music, also known as shag music (the official state dance of both North Carolina and South Carolina), is a regional genre of music which developed in and around Myrtle Beach from roughly the end of World War II through the mid-1950’s, and is a staple of the Randall’s playlist. The unusual name for this mix of swing, jump blues, R&B and soul developed when white college students in the still-segregated South could not always hear the compelling music of primarily black artists in their home towns or college campuses, but returned from spring break or a summer in the Carolinas talking about the “beach” music they heard on the jukeboxes at the bars and pavilions along the Grand Strand. The classic beach records in the 1950’s and early 1960’s were by the Dominoes, The Drifters, The Clovers, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, The Tams, The Tymes, The Temptations, the Four Tops, and General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board. Beginning in the later 60’s, pop records that had the right tempo, such as "More Today Than Yesterday" by the Spiral Starecase (yes, that’s the way it’s spelled), and "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations, (a British soul band with a Jamaican lead singer) were deemed beach music.