The 76
most iconic
philadelphia
songs

The countdown ends with the songs that have become the soundtrack to Philadelphia — from soul classics to hip-hop anthems and everything in between.

Published

What is Philadelphia music? If you've been following along all week, you've finally reached our answer: the top 10 songs on our list.

It’s the Sound of Philadelphia: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, as well as Thom Bell, their fellow songwriter-producer who completed the triumvirate known as the Mighty Three.

It’s hometown heroes like Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and the Stylistics; out of towners pulled into the city’s orbit such as the O’Jays, Spinners, and David Bowie; and the musicians at Joe Tarsia’s Sigma Sound Studios who made the city a music mecca in the 1970s.

But of course, Philly music is much more than the rugged, sophisticated “soul music in a tuxedo” sound. It’s the street-forged rap of Schoolly D, Freeway, and Meek Mill; the luxurious strings of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and the 21st century indie rock of Kurt Vile, Dr. Dog, and Japanese Breakfast.

Philadelphia is a foundational jazz city, from South Philly’s Eddie Lang — the “Father of Jazz Guitar” — in the 1920s to John Coltrane writing Giant Steps in Strawberry Mansion in the 1950s to pianist McCoy Tyner, who’s represented with a “West Philly Tone Poem.”

Philly music means Chubby Checker and the teen idols of American Bandstand, rock singers who grew up on soul music like Hall and Oates and Todd Rundgren, soul singers par excellence like Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, Jazmine Sullivan, Jill Scott, and irrepressible pop stars like Pink.

It’s a musician’s city that birthed the world’s greatest hip-hop band — the Roots — whose best known and loved member is the drummer. A gospel singer’s city that’s home to powerhouse vocalist Clara Ward with a concert hall named after a classical contralto — Marian Anderson — who also sang spirituals and broke racial barriers.

Timed to the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday in the city where it was founded, what follows is an annotated list of the 76 most essential Philadelphia songs.

Are they also the best? For the most part, in my subjective opinion, yes. But along with quality, many of these songs — that are not always made by Philadelphians — are included mainly because they say something about Philadelphia, and who we are as Philadelphians.

And some are on the list due to ubiquity. They’ve become part of the fabric of daily life. You might hear them on your TV, on Broad Street on New Year’s Day, at any time of year at the sports complex, or in the summertime as an ice cream truck rounds the corner.

I made most of the decisions myself, but my colleague Peter Dobrin contributed when it came to all matters concerning classical music, and some of his choices are better described as pieces of music rather than songs, per se.

He knows far more about classical music than I do, so — like Rocky and Adrian in Rocky — we will fill each other’s gaps. So be on the lookout for Peter’s picks, and also for where the “Theme From Rocky” is going to land on the top 76.

Let the countdown begin!

story continues after advertisement

76 to 55

76

Cliff Nobles & Co., “The Horse”

You may think you've never heard Cliff Nobles’ “The Horse.” But if you’ve ever been to a high school football or basketball game, the pep band has probably played it.
You may think you've never heard Cliff Nobles’ “The Horse.” But if you’ve ever been to a high school football or basketball game, the pep band has probably played it.Courtesy of the artist

Cliff Nobles’ voice is not heard on his biggest song. After moving to Philadelphia, the Mobile, Ala., born singer recorded the single “Love Is All Right” for Phil-La of Soul Records in 1968. In a session at Virtue Recording on North Broad Street that Nobles didn’t attend, guitarists Bobby Eli and Norman Harris, sax player Mike Terry, bassist Ronnie Baker, and drummer Earl Young — all future members of Philadelphia International Records house band MFSB — jammed on an instrumental version of “Love Is All Right” that became the B-side. DJs preferred that version without words, and “The Horse” became a No. 2 pop hit. You might not think you know it, but if you’ve ever been to a high school football or basketball game, the pep band has probably played it.

75

Bahamadia, “Uknowhowwedu”

Antonia D. Reed, aka Bahamadia, was born in Philadelphia and started rapping when she was still in high school.
Antonia D. Reed, aka Bahamadia, was born in Philadelphia and started rapping when she was still in high school.Courtesy of Michael Branscom

Stone-cold classic from the underappreciated — though not by hip-hop heads — rapper Bahamadia, from her 1996 debut album Kollage. The artist born Antonia Reed made her debut with a guest verse on the Roots’ “Proceed III” in 1994. Here, she samples A Tribe Called Quest and Schoolly D and displays her verbal dexterity on a song that’s a flashback to a memorable Philly hip-hop era, as she name checks 215 rappers and DJs of the day, including the Roots, Ram Squad, Cash Money, Kolby Kolb, Cosmic Kev, and “Illadell” itself.

74

John Philip Sousa, “Liberty Bell March”

We let Monty Python’s Flying Circus borrow it for a while, but the piece is ours. Originally written for an operetta left unfinished, the piece wraps our resident bell in Sousa’s usual uplifting military garb. Tubular bells — and an optional ship’s bell — are used to suggest the famous one near Independence Hall that no longer rings. — Peter Dobrin

73

Mannequin Pussy, “Drunk II”

(Left to right) Colins “Bear” Regisford, Maxine Steen, Marisa Dabice, and Kaleen Reading, bandmates in Philly punk (and pop) band Mannequin Pussy, at Penn Treaty Park in Philadelphia on Feb. 15, 2024.
(Left to right) Colins “Bear” Regisford, Maxine Steen, Marisa Dabice, and Kaleen Reading, bandmates in Philly punk (and pop) band Mannequin Pussy, at Penn Treaty Park in Philadelphia on Feb. 15, 2024.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

Mannequin Pussy identifies as a punk band, and for good reason. The group can whip up a righteous racket and singer Marisa Dabice’s lyrics seethe with capitalist critiques and feminist rage. But it’s also a pop band whose earworms are as musically pleasing as they are lyrically subversive. This 2019 song alternates between outer- and inner-directed anger, from a great Philly band representative of this time and place. So much so that when Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby created a fictional Delco rock band, he had them sing Mannequin Pussy songs.

72

Bill Doggett, “Honky Tonk, Parts 1 and 2”

Huge 1956 instrumental pop and R&B smash from Doggett, who was born in Philly in 1916 and played piano in Lucky Millinder’s Orchestra in the 1940s, when he cowrote “Shout, Sister, Shout!” for Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who will appear higher up on the Philly 76. Doggett was an innovator of the Hammond B-3 organ, and “Honky Tonk” was such a runaway hit that it was covered by Buddy Holly and the Beach Boys. It also pointed ahead to the great Philadelphia organ jazz tradition that includes Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Trudy Pitts, Shirley Scott, and Papa John & Joey DeFrancesco.

71

Lee Andrews & the Hearts, “Long Lonely Nights”

Lee Andrews Thompson’s impact goes well beyond cocreating his son, Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. (And his lineage goes back further: Lee Andrews’ father Beechie Thompson sang with Philly gospel greats the Dixie Hummingbirds.) In the late 1950s, when the Hearts were managed by influential Philly DJ Douglas “Jocko” Henderson, the band scored a series of heart-rending doo-wop hits. “Long Lonely Nights” is the one that hurts the most.

70

Evelyn “Champagne” King, “Shame”

The Phillie Phanatic dances with singer Evelyn "Champagne" King after she threw out the first pitch on June 21, 2013.
The Phillie Phanatic dances with singer Evelyn "Champagne" King after she threw out the first pitch on June 21, 2013.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Evelyn King was discovered as a teenager singing in a bathroom at the Philadelphia International Records offices. “Champagne” was added to make her name sound less grown-up and give it the extra fizz suited to the disco explosion, which, in 1977, the song arrived in the middle of. Raymond Earl of Philly band Instant Funk plays bass, recently deceased Philadelphia International Records great Dexter Wansel plays keys, and Sam Peake is on sax.

69

Bobby Rydell, “Wildwood Days”

Bobby Rydell speaks about his experiences in Wildwood after the dedication of his “Icon of the Wildwoods” mural, in May 2014.
Bobby Rydell speaks about his experiences in Wildwood after the dedication of his “Icon of the Wildwoods” mural, in May 2014.Michael S. Wirtz / Staff Photographer

Bobby Rydell had a big 1963. Not only did the South Philly musician — originally a drummer, who played in a teenage band with guitar great Pat Martino — costar in Bye Bye Birdie, he also scored a hit with “Forget Him.” “Wildwood Days” is the summertime excursion that has stood the test of time. It’s featured in Season 2 of Upper Darby native Tina Fey’s Netflix series The Four Seasons. Sixty-three years after its release, the song still soundtracks a summer down the Shore, where “Every day’s a holiday, and every night’s a Saturday night.”

68

Woody Guthrie, “Philadelphia Lawyer”

Woody Guthrie in March 1943 with his guitar.
Woody Guthrie in March 1943 with his guitar.Courtesy of Library of Congress

Woody Guthrie’s cowboy ballad is not about a personal injury attorney who advertises on billboards on I-95 and the Schuylkill Expressway luring clients with a big sack of money. But it could be: The protest and folk singer who wrote the words “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitars characterizes Philadelphia lawyers as slick, not to be trusted operators. So when the title character gets repaid in blood for romancing a Nevada cowboy’s sweetheart, no tears are shed. Willie Nelson and the Maddox Brothers and Rose also do fine versions.

67

Santigold, “Creator”

Santigold performs on the Rocky Stage during the Made In America Music Festival along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sept. 2, 2012.
Santigold performs on the Rocky Stage during the Made In America Music Festival along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sept. 2, 2012.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Mount Airy-raised Santi White is a Philly all-star going back to her days leading Stiffed, the New Wave and ska rock band she fronted in the early ‘00s. After moving to New York, she soon broke through with a 2008 album that stylishly mixed, dub, electro, punk, hip-hop, and pop and made her an avatar of 21st-century cool. “I’m the creator, thrill is to make it up,” she singjays on “Creator,” which found its audience in part through exposure on Gossip Girl and a Bud Light Lime ad.

66

Blind Willie Dunn’s Gin Bottle Four, “Jet Black Blues”

Salvatore Massaro changed his name twice. As Eddie Lang, the South Philly native was known as the Father of Jazz Guitar. Then he called himself Blind Willie Dunn so he could break the music industry color line and team with jazz and blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson at a time when Black and white players making music together was taboo. This 1929 song is important music that’s also delightful; and also tinged with tragedy as Lang would die in 1933 at age 30 from complications from a tonsillectomy that his friend Bing Crosby urged him to have.

65

McCoy Tyner, “West Philly Tone Poem”

In this July 14, 2009, file photo, jazz pianist McCoy Tyner performs during the 43rd Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland.
In this July 14, 2009, file photo, jazz pianist McCoy Tyner performs during the 43rd Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland.Courtesy of AP

The giant of jazz piano, known for his thunderous playing and early collaborations with John Coltrane, sounds soft and lovely here. He is accompanied on bowed bass by a Philly jazz great of a younger generation, Southwest Philly’s Christian McBride.

64

Blue Magic, “Sideshow”

Written by MFSB guitarist Bobby Eli with Vinnie Barrett, and produced by Norman Harris, “Sideshow” is an achingly beautiful song with a soaring vocal by lead singer Ted “Wizard” Mills, released on Atco Records. It demonstrates just how rich the Philly soul scene was in the 1970s, with Sigma Sound players like Eli and Harris scoring No. 1 R&B hits on Philly artists outside of the Philadelphia International family.

63

The Dovells, “Bristol Stomp”

Vocal group the Dovells pose for a portrait in 1961.
Vocal group the Dovells pose for a portrait in 1961.Courtesy of Getty Images

Dance music culture in Philadelphia in the early days of rock and roll was at such a fever pitch that a song about a teen dance craze in Bucks County could — with the help of American Bandstand — become a No. 2 national pop hit. Len Borisoff, the lead singer of the Dovells, who also had a smash with “You Can’t Sit Down,” later went on to solo fame as Len Barry, with the divine 1965 hit “1-2-3.”

62

The Menzingers, “Anna”

Tom May, co-frontman of the Menzingers, at Union Transfer on Nov. 24, 2018, for the “After The Party Tour.”
Tom May, co-frontman of the Menzingers, at Union Transfer on Nov. 24, 2018, for the “After The Party Tour.”Courtesy of Kristen Balderas

Like any power pop band worth its salt, Scranton-born and Philly-based the Menzingers excel at yearning. The thing they’re longing for in 2019’s “Anna” is quality time with their significant other. “Anna, I have so much to tell ya” rhymes with “Please come back to Philadelphia.”

61

Rachmaninoff, “Symphonic Dances”

Undated photo of pianist, conductor, and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (left) and Eugene Ormandy.
Undated photo of pianist, conductor, and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (left) and Eugene Ormandy.Courtesy of Marston

“Unquestionably, they are the finest orchestral combination in the world,” Rachmaninoff said of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1931. Among the works he wrote specifically for the ensemble is his Symphonic Dances, his last major work and one of the most colorful and emotionally far-reaching. — Peter Dobrin

60

Sheer Mag, “Point Breeze”

Christina Halladay (left), Hart Seely, and Kyle Seely (right), sit in their rehearsal space on Grays Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2019. The three are part of the band Sheer Mag, which was formed in Philadelphia.
Christina Halladay (left), Hart Seely, and Kyle Seely (right), sit in their rehearsal space on Grays Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2019. The three are part of the band Sheer Mag, which was formed in Philadelphia.Margo Reed / Staff Photographer

Anti-gentrification rock and roll! The Christina Halladay-fronted hard-rock quartet draws inspiration from 1970s bands like Thin Lizzy and the Clash. “Point Breeze,” from the band’s 2014 debut EP makes pointed reference to an OCF Realty office and notes that “the streets are changing, a white breeze is blowing through.”

59

Jim Croce, “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim”

Jim Croce, a South Philly native and Villanova grad.
Jim Croce, a South Philly native and Villanova grad.

South Philly native and Villanova grad Jim Croce met a “pool shootin’ son of a gun” named Big Jim Walker in a West Philly bar. The title cut to Croce’s 1972 breakout album was also the blueprint for his 1973 hit “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” which Philly troubadour Kenn Kweder sang in tribute to Croce at the Philly Music Alliance gala this spring.

58

The American Dream, “Frankford El”

What was true in 1970 remains so today: “You can’t get to heaven on the Frankford El.” The reason why is succinctly explained on this ramshackle tune by one of the leading Philadelphia rock bands of the countercultural era, whose one and only album was the first to be produced by Todd Rundgren: “Because the Frankford El goes straight to Frankford.”

57

Lady B, “To the Beat, Y’all”

DJ Lady B in the WRNB studio in 2011, her 30th year in hip-hop.
DJ Lady B in the WRNB studio in 2011, her 30th year in hip-hop.Courtesy of Laurence Kesterson

As a pioneering Power 99 DJ, Wendy Clark boosted the careers of Schoolly D, Run-DMC, and especially DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. But she also made music history in 1979 when she recorded this snappy single, the first rap song released by a Philadelphia artist or female artist anywhere. In 2015, Vibe called her “maybe the most influential female in hip-hop radio history.”

56

Marah, “Christian Street”

In a photo from 1999, Serge Bielanko (right) of the group Marah goes through a sound check. To his left is his brother Dave, who is also a member of the band.
In a photo from 1999, Serge Bielanko (right) of the group Marah goes through a sound check. To his left is his brother Dave, who is also a member of the band.Peter Tobia / Staff Photographer

A tour down the South Philly artery, from the Conshohocken-raised Bielanko brothers’ scrappy Springsteen-y band's 2000 album Kids in Philly. “Saint Paul’s is for soul salvage, 9th Street for my fennel and leek,” Dave Bielanko sings, while shouting out Rocky Balboa and Angelo Bruno. “Stop by Snockey’s for a short Amaretto, when the moon comes up rising like a giant pizelle.” From the smell of pepper and egg sandwiches to the corner payphone “for bettin’ the numbers,” the song — and entire album — teem with life and capture a fleeting turn-of-the-millennium moment.

55

Al Ham & the Hillside Singers, “Move Closer To Your World”

The Action News theme song, composed by jingle writer Al Ham, with lyrics by former 6abc exec Walt Liss, is still everyday listening in Philadelphia living rooms, 54 years after its release. Honorable mention in the category of songs that seem to be in the air, if not the wooder: the Mister Softee ice cream truck jingle, written by Les Waas, which has been omnipresent on the streets of Philadelphia since 1960.

54 to 33

54

Low Cut Connie, “Boozophilia”

Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner performs at the Fillmore Philadelphia on Oct. 14, 2021.
Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner performs at the Fillmore Philadelphia on Oct. 14, 2021.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Barack Obama might have put this Low Cut Connie song on his inaugural presidential playlist in 2025 because Adam Weiner calls out “the South Side of Chicago.” But the raucous workout by the Philly rock and soul band — which has a patriotic protest album called Livin In the USA due July 4 — is also a song of 215 pride. “Where do we live?” Weiner asks when the band rips it up onstage. “We live in South Philly!”

53

Japanese Breakfast, “Everybody Wants To Love You”

Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner performs during the “Melancholy Tour” stop at the Met Philadelphia on May 15, 2025.
Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner performs during the “Melancholy Tour” stop at the Met Philadelphia on May 15, 2025.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

The coat check that Michelle Zauner once operated at Union Transfer was named in her honor in 2021, and the H Mart that gave a name to her best-selling memoir, Crying In H Mart, about grief and her Korean identity is in Elkins Park. This super sticky love song was originally recorded for Zauner’s Bryn Mawr College band Birthday Girls before finding its audience on the 2016 Japanese Breakfast album Psychopomp.

52

George Crumb's “Black Angels”

George Crumb’s “Black Angels” is absolutely hair-raising stuff.
George Crumb’s “Black Angels” is absolutely hair-raising stuff.Courtesy of George Crumb

There’s a reason Crumb’s piece was dropped into The Exorcist. It is absolutely hair-raising. The Philadelphia composer, who died in 2022, was perhaps unmatched in bringing unusual sounds into Western classical music — sitar, Tibetan prayer stones, toy piano, and pretty much anything he heard and liked. Black Angels uses an electrified string quartet, and as frightening as the work was as the soundtrack to a demon presence, its original, real-life reference was even more horrifying. Written into the 1970 score are the Latin words In tempore belli (“in time of war”), a reference to the piece as a lament of the Vietnam War.

— Peter Dobrin

51

Beanie Sigel and Eve, “Remember Them Days”

Rapper Beanie Sigel performs for a crowd at the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop celebration hosted at Lou and Choo's Lounge in North Philadelphia on July 1, 2023.
Rapper Beanie Sigel performs for a crowd at the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop celebration hosted at Lou and Choo's Lounge in North Philadelphia on July 1, 2023.Ed Newton / For The Inquirer

This gets the nod over “Philly, Philly,” this duo’s more on-the-nose 215 track, simply because it’s a much better song. The two rappers are nostalgic for the good old days when times were bad, with a Good Times reference: “Welfare and white landlord, that life ain’t easy / The only ones movin’ up was George and Weezy.”

50

Young Gunz, “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop”

At the Project Brotherly Love Concert, Young Neef, of the group Young Gunz, jumped into the crowd and sang during the concert.
At the Project Brotherly Love Concert, Young Neef, of the group Young Gunz, jumped into the crowd and sang during the concert.Vicki Valerio / Staff Photographer

The 2003 debut single from hip-hop duo Young Gunz — part of Beanie Sigel’s State Property crew — rides a minimalist groove and brims with youthful self-confidence. Rappers Young Chris and Neef Buck sound giddy: “The girls, the girls, they love us / ‘Cause we stay fresh to death, we the best, nothing less.” An ode to the hip-hop hustler’s life also lent its name to author Jeff Chang’s history of the culture.

49

The Intruders, “Cowboys To Girls”

The Intruders
The IntrudersCourtesy of the Artist

My mother would be disappointed that I didn’t pick “I’ll Always Love My Mama,” a single I’m proud to say I bought in 1973. The Intruders’ first big Gamble- and Huff-penned hit arrived in 1968 and was recorded pre-Sigma Sound at Cameo Parkway studio on South Broad Street. The group’s delicate harmonies and Bobby Martin’s gossamer arrangement are a perfect fit for the sweet innocence of the coming-of-age lyric.

48

Lee Morgan, “The Sidewinder”

American Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Lee Morgan, Jymie Merritt, and Art Blakey, Copenhagen, Denmark, December 1960.
American Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Lee Morgan, Jymie Merritt, and Art Blakey, Copenhagen, Denmark, December 1960.Courtesy of Getty Images

Named not for a venomous snake but a TV villain, “The Sidewinder” was then-25-year-old Philly trumpeter Lee Morgan’s comeback record; a jaunty, burst of soul-jazz with a boogaloo beat that put him back on track after a battle with heroin addiction. Its infectious energy and irresistible groove made it the high mark of Morgan’s career until he was tragically shot to death by his common-law wife in 1972. The song was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2024.

47

Lil Uzi Vert, “XO Tour Llif3”

Lil Uzi Vert performs on the Liberty Stage in 2022.
Lil Uzi Vert performs on the Liberty Stage in 2022.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

“Push me to the edge, all my friends are dead”: Is that a dark look into the abyss, or a proud boast that Lil Uzi’s wallet is stuffed with Dead Presidents? The artist born Symere Woods, who grew up in the Francisville section of the city, is the only Philadelphia artist to ever release three consecutive albums to reach No. 1 on the pop charts. This dark, dreamy, addictive song sent the first of those, 2017’s Luv Is Rage 2, straight to the top.

46

Dr. Dog, “Where’d All The Time Go?”

Dr. Dog - (from left) Dmitri Matos (kneeling), Eric Slick, Scott McMicken, Frank McElroy, Zach Miller, and Toby Leaman.
Dr. Dog – (from left) Dmitri Matos (kneeling), Eric Slick, Scott McMicken, Frank McElroy, Zach Miller, and Toby Leaman.David Swanson / Staff Photographer

As a rock band that built a wide audience with a 1960s inspired buoyant sound, which helped put the Philly music scene on the map this century, Dr. Dog unquestionably belongs on the list. But what song from an 11-album run? This Scott McMicken-sung deep cut from 2010’s Shame, Shame cuts the band's easy charm with an undercurrent of dread. Thanks to TikTok, it’s far and away their most frequently streamed track, with over 600 million clicks. Honorable mention: “Philadelphia Lights,” by the band’s drummer, Eric Slick.

45

Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit”

Billie Holiday singing at the Downbeat in New York, circa February 1947.
Billie Holiday singing at the Downbeat in New York, circa February 1947.Courtesy of Library of Congress

Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia General Hospital in West Philly’s Black Bottom neighborhood in 1915. She grew up in Baltimore, but often stayed at the Douglass Hotel at 1409 Lombard St. when performing at the Showboat venue in the hotel basement. “Strange Fruit,” her harrowing anti-lynching protest song written by Abel Meeropol, was named song of the century by Time in 1999. It's also the name of a Zoe Leonard art installation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, inspired by Holiday’s song.

44

Soul Survivors, “Expressway To Your Heart”

Soul Survivors, the soul-rock band founded by Charlie Ingui and his late brother Richie
Soul Survivors, the soul-rock band founded by Charlie Ingui and his late brother RichieCourtesy of Getty Images

In 1967, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff penned and produced this R&B hit for the soul-rock band founded by Charlie Ingui and his late brother Richie. Charlie still regularly performs with David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket, whose entire repertoire consists of Philly songs like those found on this list. Inspired by I-76, the highway that bifurcates the City of Brotherly Love. Then as now: It’s much too crowded!

43

Sun Ra, “Space Is The Place”

Marshall Allen on the saxophone and vocalist Tara Middleton (right) perform during the Sun Ra Arkestra: Marshall Allen Birthday Celebration at the Lounge at World Cafe Live on May 27, 2023.
Marshall Allen on the saxophone and vocalist Tara Middleton (right) perform during the Sun Ra Arkestra: Marshall Allen Birthday Celebration at the Lounge at World Cafe Live on May 27, 2023.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Interplanetary avant-jazz from the Afro-Futurist bandleader born Herman Poole Blount, who lived in Philadelphia from 1968 until his death in 1993. His steadily gigging sui generis Arkestra — fronted by the remarkable 102-year-old sax player Marshall Allen — still calls Germantown home.

42

The Orlons, “South Street”

The Orlons in the 1960s. The "South Street" singers were inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame in 2025.
The Orlons in the 1960s. The "South Street" singers were inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame in 2025.Courtesy of the Artist

It’s where “the hippest,” not the hippies meet. Hippies weren’t a thing in 1963, when the Orlons released the song. The unorthodox vocal group, named after a synthetic fabric, had three female singers in lead vocalist Rosetta Hightower, Shirley Brickley, and Marlena Davis plus Stephen Caldwell. The song was written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell, who also penned hits by the Dovells and Bobby Rydell on this list.

41

Pink, “Get The Party Started”

Pink performs at Citizens Bank Park on September 18, 2023.
Pink performs at Citizens Bank Park on September 18, 2023.Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Doylestown’s own Alecia Moore didn’t write this song — Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes did. But it was a smash hit that kick-started the success of Pink’s 2001 artistic breakthrough Mizzundaztood. And its irrepressible dance-pop energy helped create the enormously likable Pink persona that’s carried her to stadium-size aerial acrobatic superstardom.

40

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “This Train”

Sister Rosetta Tharpe jams with (from left) Hot Lips Page, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway in August 1939 at Burris Jenkins Studio in New York City.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe jams with (from left) Hot Lips Page, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway in August 1939 at Burris Jenkins Studio in New York City.

Sanctified gospel singer and electric guitar pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born in Cotton Plant, Ark., and scored her most influential hits, like “Strange Things Happening Every Day” and “Rock Me,” years before she moved to Philadelphia in 1960. But she resided here until her death in 1973, and is buried in Northwood Cemetery in West Oak Lane, so we’re claiming her. “This Train” was recorded in 1939 and remained a staple of her concerts through her Philly years, including the 1964 tour of Europe witnessed by British guitar heroes like Keith Richards and Jimmy Page. Take a listen to Bruce Springsteen’s “Land of Hope and Dreams” and hear the echo of “This Train.”

39

James A. Bland, “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers”

A portrait of composer and minstrel performer James A. Bland (1854–1911) at the Mummers Museum on Dec. 29, 2025.
A portrait of composer and minstrel performer James A. Bland (1854–1911) at the Mummers Museum on Dec. 29, 2025.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

The minstrelsy song that soundtracks the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia every New Year’s Day was written by a Black man and prolific songwriter who often had to wear blackface himself while performing in minstrel shows.

Bland’s “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers” was written in 1878 as a parody of the spiritual “Golden Slippers,” popularized by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which celebrated the finery believers expected to wear in the afterlife after ascending to heaven. Bland moved to Philadelphia in 1901 and four years later, his second most famous song — he also wrote “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” — was first performed by parading Mummers. In 1911, he died penniless. He’s buried in Merion Memorial Park in Bala Cynwyd, where the great Mississippi bluesman Skip James is also interred.

38

Charlie Gracie, “Fabulous”

Charlie Gracie in the 1950s.
Charlie Gracie in the 1950s.Courtesy of the Charlie Gracie Family

Philadelphia’s first rock-and-roll star scored two rockabilly hits that topped the pop charts in 1957: the sweetly romantic “Butterfly” and this hiccuping gem which was a Top 10 hit in England, and had a profound effect on a 15-year-old Paul McCartney.

37

“Fly, Eagles, Fly,” “Here Come The Sixers,” and “High Hopes”

Richard Sherwood, Terry Rocap, Randy Childress, Frank McDonnell, and Joe Sherwood when they were in a rock band called Wellington Arrangement. Rocap, Childress, and Joe Sherwood later formed Fresh Aire and wrote "Here Come The Sixers."
Richard Sherwood, Terry Rocap, Randy Childress, Frank McDonnell, and Joe Sherwood when they were in a rock band called Wellington Arrangement. Rocap, Childress, and Joe Sherwood later formed Fresh Aire and wrote "Here Come The Sixers."Courtesy of Randy Chi

OK, we’re cheating here. This is a Philly sports music three for one. “Fly, Eagles, Fly,” the battle cry penned by 1950s admen Charles Borelli and Roger Courtland has been covered by the Roots and Coldplay, and is sung not only at Eagles games but at concerts and other sporting events by Philadelphians eager to express their love for their Iggles and their city. It’s the musical way to say: “Go Birds!”

Catchier still is “Here Come The Sixers,” the disco-ish ditty that counts down — “10, 9, 8, 76ers! … 3, 4, 5, Sixers!” — heard at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the closing seconds of every home win. “Play the song!” means victory has been secured. And “High Hopes” is the Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn song sung by Frank Sinatra in the 1959 A Hole In the Head, which the late Phillies announcer Harry Kalas shows up to sing on the big screen at Citizens Bank Park at the close of every win. Go Phils!

36

Clara Ward and the Ward Sisters, “How I Got Over”

Gospel singer Clara Ward (at the piano) and Gertrude Ward (left) rehearse in a studio circa 1955.
Gospel singer Clara Ward (at the piano) and Gertrude Ward (left) rehearse in a studio circa 1955.Courtesy of Getty Images

The classic gospel hymn and civil rights anthem that Ward wrote in 1951 was sung by Mahalia Jackson at the March on Washington in 1963. It also inspired the title track to the Roots’ 2010 album of the same name.

35

Elton John, “Philadelphia Freedom”

English pop singer Elton John in a flamboyant stage outfit of white suit with feather trim and rhinestone encrusted glasses, circa 1973.
English pop singer Elton John in a flamboyant stage outfit of white suit with feather trim and rhinestone encrusted glasses, circa 1973.Courtesy of Terry O’ Neil Iconic Images

It’s not the greatest Philadelphia song by a British rock superstar — that would be David Bowie’s “Young Americans.” But this one was written by John and lyricist Bernie Taupin for Billie Jean King, then player/coach of the mixed gender World Team Tennis franchise, the Philadelphia Freedoms. An inscription on the label of the 45 reads “To B.J.K. and the Soulful Sounds of Philadelphia.”

Released in 1975, it became a Bicentennial anthem, a No. 1 hit, and later, a gay pride anthem. At the time, however, John saw it as an example of his overexposure: “I wish the bloody thing would piss off,” he told an interviewer about the song. “I can see why people get sick and tired of me. In America I get sick and tired of hearing myself on AM radio.”

34

Barbara Mason, “Yes, I’m Ready”

Singer Barbara Mason at Sigma Sound Studios in the 1970s, with (left to right) Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, Earl Young, and an unknown musician.
Singer Barbara Mason at Sigma Sound Studios in the 1970s, with (left to right) Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, Earl Young, and an unknown musician.Courtesy of Arthur Stoppe

North Philly singer Barbara Mason was 17 when she wrote “Yes, I’m Ready,” the 1965 song that became a top five pop and R&B smash. Recorded at Virtue Studios in North Philly, it’s a prototypical Sound of Philadelphia recording that features Kenny Gamble on backup vocals and musicians who would become members of the Sigma Sound Studios house band MFSB, including guitarists Bobby Eli and Norman Harris, bass player Ronnie Baker, and drummer Earl Young.

33

Freeway, “What We Do”

Freeway, left, and Beanie Sigel perform at Gillie Fest 2023 at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 29, 2023.
Freeway, left, and Beanie Sigel perform at Gillie Fest 2023 at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 29, 2023.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

The lead single for the 2003 debut album by Freeway — also known as Philly Freeway, also known as Leslie Pridgen Jr. — features Jay-Z, and was produced by Just Blaze. It samples Creative Source’s 1974 “I Just Can’t See Myself Without You,” which provides the song’s memorable morally conflicted hook about carrying on with sketchy activities “even though what we do is wrong.”

32 to 11

32

MFSB, featuring the Three Degrees, “T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)”

Earl Young seated on the right at the front in an early 1970s photo of MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother), the group of musicians who regularly played on songs produced by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell that were recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
Earl Young seated on the right at the front in an early 1970s photo of MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother), the group of musicians who regularly played on songs produced by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell that were recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.Courtesy of Earl Young

The studio musicians based at Sigma Sound Studios, who were in essence the Philadelphia International Records house band, called themselves Mother, Father, Sister, Brother. In 1974, the band built around the rhythm section of Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, and Earl Young topped the charts with this largely instrumental number which became the theme to Soul Train. Vocals are by the Three Degrees, the trio that scored a hit that year with “When Will I See You Again,” and who — fun fact! — was the favorite group of then Prince and now King Charles.

31

The Hooters, “All You Zombies”

The Hooters, founded by Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, who met in 1971 as students at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Hooters, founded by Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, who met in 1971 as students at the University of Pennsylvania.Courtesy of Michael Dwornik

It’s a toss-up between this and “And We Danced” for the definitive Hooters song. The Rob Hyman- and Eric Bazilian-led band, who played Live Aid and defined Philly rock in the 1980s, is still kicking it with a robust fan base today. The biblical, reggaefied “Zombies” gets the nod for sheer weirdness, and Hyman and Bazilian deserve props for other songwriting successes such as Hyman’s “Time After Time” for Cyndi Lauper and Bazilian’s Joan Osborne hit “One Of Us.”

30

The Dead Milkmen, “Punk Rock Girl”

American satirical punk rock band The Dead Milkmen perform on stage at Cabaret Metro on March 3, 1989 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Left to right: Dean Clean (Dean Sabatino), Joe Jack Talcum (Joe Genaro), Dave Blood (Dave Schulthise, 1956 - 2004) and singer Joe Jack Talcum (Rodney Linderman).
American satirical punk rock band The Dead Milkmen perform on stage at Cabaret Metro on March 3, 1989 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Left to right: Dean Clean (Dean Sabatino), Joe Jack Talcum (Joe Genaro), Dave Blood (Dave Schulthise, 1956 – 2004) and singer Joe Jack Talcum (Rodney Linderman).Courtesy of Getty Images

Guitarist Joe Genaro takes the lead with singer Rodney Anonymous only occasionally chiming in on this 1988 juvenile delinquent ditty that nicely encapsulates the band’s bratty aesthetic. It’s a love song about a couple who meet at Zipperhead, the famed South Street punk rock emporium that closed in 2005 (but its unzipped facade remains). They then head out in search of Mojo Nixon records as they refuse, as always, to take themselves seriously.

29

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Leopold Stokowski, “Fantasia”

Conductor Anthony Parnther leads the Philadelphia Orchestra and The Crossing during the world premiere performance of “A Hundred Years On” at the Highmark Mann Center in Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Conductor Anthony Parnther leads the Philadelphia Orchestra and The Crossing during the world premiere performance of “A Hundred Years On” at the Highmark Mann Center in Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.Elizabeth Roberston / Staff Photographer

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Leopold Stokowski recorded most of the soundtrack to the 1940 Disney film, including the conductor’s towering orchestration of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Stoki made it OK to take liberties with Bach (and others), a practice that only makes the rich Philadelphia Sound more convincing as the musical herd today follows the orthodoxy of early instruments and historical accuracy. — Peter Dobrin

28

The War On Drugs, “I Don’t Live Here Anymore”

War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel performs during the group’s “A Drugcember To Remember" show at Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown on Friday, December 19, 2025.
War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel performs during the group’s “A Drugcember To Remember" show at Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown on Friday, December 19, 2025.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

For the most part, the War On Drugs don’t live here anymore, though keyboard player Robbie Bennett and drummer Charlie Hall reside in the area, and Hall has a major impact as a bandleader and producer. Drugs main man Adam Granduciel decamped to Los Angeles a number of years ago.

This terrific 2021 song isn’t about departing Philadelphia — it’s about moving on to new creative places. Its title does call attention, though, to a pattern that’s shaped the Philly music scene this century. (Relatively) cheap rent and a vibrant musical community created conditions for young bands to thrive. When they make it big — like the Drugs, or Japanese Breakfast — they frequently move on, but still consider themselves Philly bands, because the city crept into their DNA.

27

Samuel Barber, “Adagio for Strings”

Samuel Barber circa 1932, when he was a student at Curtis.
Samuel Barber circa 1932, when he was a student at Curtis.Courtesy of Curtis Archives

It had its beginnings as one movement in a string quartet, and then the string orchestra version became our national soundtrack to grief. Barber was a product of the Curtis Institute of Music, and though he went on to make incredibly valuable contributions to American music — Knoxville: Summer of 1915 on a text of James Agee is perhaps the high point — nothing has become as ingrained in the country’s consciousness as the Adagio. Billy Joel once said: “I hope before I can’t write anymore, I can create music like that.” — Peter Dobrin

26

Bill Conti, “Gonna Fly Now (Theme From ‘Rocky’)”

Music Director for the 78th Academy Awards Bill Conti at the Capitol Records building in Hollywood during rehearsals for the 78th Academy Awards on February 27, 2006.
Music Director for the 78th Academy Awards Bill Conti at the Capitol Records building in Hollywood during rehearsals for the 78th Academy Awards on February 27, 2006.Courtesy of Getty Images

The music that scored Sylvester Stallone’s scamper up the Art Museum steps in Rocky caps off one of the most irresistible inspirational scenes in Hollywood history. The film score composer and conductor lifted the trumpet intro from an anonymous 17th-century Italian sonatina. Fitting enough for the hortatory theme music for the Italian Stallion, and the city of Philadelphia itself.

25

The Trammps, “Disco Inferno”

The Trammps (from left) Stanley Wade, Harold Wade, Earl Young, Robert Upchurch, and Jimmy Ellis.
The Trammps (from left) Stanley Wade, Harold Wade, Earl Young, Robert Upchurch, and Jimmy Ellis.Courtesy of Atlantic Records

This absolute burner of a disco-defining hit was inspired by the 1974 disaster movie The Towering Inferno. It features an incendiary vocal by Jimmy Ellis and archetypal four-on-the-floor drumming by drummer Earl Young, the MFSB member and Trammps founder who also sings a bass vocal on the track. It was a modest hit when it came out in 1976, but gained in popularity when a 10-minute plus version was included on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Burn, baby, burn!

24

William DeVaughn, “Be Thankful For What You Got”

William DeVaughn poses for a studio portrait in 1974 in the United States.
William DeVaughn poses for a studio portrait in 1974 in the United States.Courtesy of Gilles Petard

William DeVaughn was a one-hit wonder. But what a hit that one hit was! DeVaughn was a government employee in Washington and he paid $900 to get his song, originally called “A Cadillac Don’t Come Easy,” recorded at Joe Tarsia’s Sigma Sound with MFSB member John Davis’ Omega Sound production company.

“Be Thankful”’s simple message of gratitude is timeless, and it doesn’t hurt that DeVaughn sounds so much like Curtis Mayfield that the song is often misunderstood to be one of Mayfield’s own.

And while the 1974 song’s message is ultimately anti-materialist, its slinky groove and repeated lyric — “Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin’ the scene with a gangsta lean” — has made it irresistible to hip-hop producers.

It was sampled by N.W.A. in “Gangsta, Gangsta,” and scores of others, including De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and A$AP Rocky. And in Bill Nicoletti’s Sigma documentary, The Philly Sound: Heard ’Round the World, Tarsia’s status as a major player in creating the Sound of Philadelphia is underscored as as he cruises around Philly with DeVaughn’s No. 1 R&B hit pumping out of the speakers.

23

The Spinners, “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”

The Spinners’ members were from Detroit, but became one of the shining lights of Philly soul when producer-arranger Thom Bell took on the challenge of turning the journeyman vocal group into 1970s top 40 stars. He succeeded magically, perhaps never more so than with this elegant, bewitching ballad. It’s marked by Bell’s delicate musical embellishments, Bobby Smith and Philippe Wynne’s dazzling lead vocals, and backup singers including Linda Creed and the trio of Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, and Evette Benton, who were known as the Sweethearts of Sigma.

22

Ween, “Spirit of ’76”

Ween group portrait: Dean Ween, Gene Ween, Claude Coleman Jr, and Andrew Weiss. Hof Ter Lo, Antwerp, Belgium, March 27 1995.
Ween group portrait: Dean Ween, Gene Ween, Claude Coleman Jr, and Andrew Weiss. Hof Ter Lo, Antwerp, Belgium, March 27 1995.Courtesy of Getty Images

What better way to celebrate Philadelphia’s role in the founding of the U.S. than with Gene and Dean Ween? New Hope DIY music savant duo of Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo is a master of many styles. On this single, the two create a Philly soul music pastiche that's not only highly amusing but also — as is Ween’s wont — musically on point.

The video features the duo stealing the Liberty Bell, and with Freeman’s falsetto in fine form. “Fairmount Park in the summer, lookin’ good on the street,” he sings. “Mannequin was filmed at Woolworth’s, Boyz II Men still keepin’ up the beat.”

(Mannequin was actually filmed at Wanamakers, but Boyz II Men were, in fact, doing their part…)

21

Todd Rundgren, “Hello, It’s Me”

Todd Rundgren on stage at the Spectrum, Oct. 23, 2009.
Todd Rundgren on stage at the Spectrum, Oct. 23, 2009.David M. Warren / Staff Photographer

Upper Darby’s finest! Todd Rundgren got his start in the Philadelphia music scene in the 1960s, first with bluesy Woody’s Truck Stop and power-pop band the Nazz, whose “Open My Eyes” probably deserves a spot on this list as well.

Rundgren’s list of credits as a producer is staggering: Patti Smith, XTC, Meatloaf, the Cars. He was raised on the radio by legendary Philly DJs like Jerry Blavat, Jimmy Bishop, and Georgie Woods. “I grew up listening to the Geator,” he told an audience at a Philly Music Walk of Fame gala in 2019. “He played the music that would have been called race records at the time. And that’s why so many white kids in Philly grew up wanting to sing R&B.”

“Hello, It’s Me” introduced Rundgren to the world. It was the first song he ever wrote. Its music was shaped by Rundgren’s reaction to Philly jazz organ great Jimmy Smith’s introduction to a version of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.” It first appeared as a Nazz song as the B-side of “Open My Eyes” in 1968 and then on a different, more uptempo version on Rundgren’s 1972 double album solo debut Something/Anything?

20

Patti LaBelle, “If Only You Knew”

American R&B singer Patti Labelle sings with emotion during the Live Aid famine relief concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa., July 13, 1985.
American R&B singer Patti Labelle sings with emotion during the Live Aid famine relief concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa., July 13, 1985.Courtesy of AP

There are so many Patti LaBelle eras. Her early ‘60s days with Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, the 1970s “Lady Marmalade” period in the group Labelle with Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx and New Orleans producer Allen Toussaint, as well as the trio’s contributions to Laura Nyro’s classic Philly soul album Gonna Take A Miracle.

This song, written by Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Briggs, came at a key moment in her career, when she had joined Philadelphia International Records and was in need of a hit. She got a 1983 No. 1 R&B chart-topper with this subtle love song that starts off restrained before cutting loose with full Ms. Patti force. It set the stage for “New Attitude” the next year, and her showstopping performance at Live Aid in 1985.

19

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, “Summertime”

Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Will Smith, c. 1990
Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Will Smith, c. 1990Courtesy of Getty Images

A truly iconic track in Philly hip-hop culture. Why did the Roots feel compelled to move its annual festival to Belmont Plateau this year? Of course, because the Fairmount Park hilltop with a view of the Center City skyline was a favorite hip-hop hangout in the 1980s and 1990s. But also because that era was immortalized and made famous by “Summertime.”

“Back in Philly we be out in the park,” Will Smith rhymes on the breezy, laidback track, which samples “Summer Madness” by Kool & the Gang. “A place called the plateau is where everybody go.”

Smith, who was 23 at the time, was already missing his carefree youth: “As I think back, makes me wonder how the smell of the grill could spark up nostalgia.”

Now, it’s the sound of this song that does the trick.

18

Boyz II Men, “Motownphilly”

Boyz II Men members, from left, Wanya Morris, Nathan Vanderpool, Shawn Stockman and Mike McCary pose at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 25, 1993.
Boyz II Men members, from left, Wanya Morris, Nathan Vanderpool, Shawn Stockman and Mike McCary pose at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 25, 1993.Courtesy of AP

Boyz II Men came together in the late 1980s at South Philly’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. (Amazingly, they overlapped at CAPA with Black Thought and Questlove, and also jazz greats Christian McBride and Joey DeFrancesco.)

Released in 1991, it was the first single from the quartet’s Cooleyhighharmony debut. It’s not the band’s biggest song — both “End Of The Road” and “One Sweet Day,” with Mariah Carey, were even bigger later in the decade. But “Motownphilly” put the band on the map. The quartet of Shawn Stockman, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, and Wanya Morris revived the Philly vocal harmony concept that harkens back to the street-corner soul sounds of the 1950s updated as modern “doo wop-hip-hop.”

17

Kurt Vile, “Pretty Pimpin”

Kurt Vile performs during a show at Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday, January 15, 2022.
Kurt Vile performs during a show at Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday, January 15, 2022.Miguel Martinez / For The Inquirer

Kurt Vile’s stream of consciousness songwriting and guileless self-regard are at their most appealing on this single from 2015’s B’lieve I’m Goin Down. In this song, the singer-guitarist encounters his reflection in the mirror and isn’t sure who he sees. But then he carries on as always, in pursuing his raison d’etre: “All I wanted to do was have some fun, and live my life like a son of a gun.”

Vile, who has his own mural in Northern Liberties, always reps his hometown hard — his new album is called Philadelphia’s Been Good To Me.

16

Schoolly D, “P.S.K. What Does It Mean?”

Rapper Schoolly D, aka Jesse Weaver, poses inside Taylor's cafe in Philadelphia, PA on May 17, 2017.
Rapper Schoolly D, aka Jesse Weaver, poses inside Taylor's cafe in Philadelphia, PA on May 17, 2017.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

P.S.K. stands for Park Side Killas, which was the name of a West Philly gang that Schoolly D (aka Jesse Weaver) was affiliated with when, along with DJ Code Money, he made the massively influential reverb-drenched single. This 1985 track and its “Gucci Time” flipside are rightly considered to be the first gangsta rap recordings.

Schoolly has gone on to have an intriguing career: scoring films for Abel Ferrara, and making music for Aqua Teen Hunger Force. But if “P.S.K. What Does It Mean?” was all he ever did, his impact would still have been enormous.

The murky, unexpurgated content opened the door for West Coast rappers like Ice-T and Eazy-E, then East Coast MCs such as Notorious B.I.G. The sheer number of acts who sampled the chilling, spooky Roland TR-909 drum machine beat is staggering; that list includes Siouxsie & the Banshees, DJ Khaled, Eminem, and more.

15

Stylistics, “You Make Me Feel Brand New”

The Stylistics were one of Philadelphia's best known groups in the 1970s. Known for their smooth ballads, The Stylistics produced such hits as "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and "Betcha By Golly, Wow."
The Stylistics were one of Philadelphia's best known groups in the 1970s. Known for their smooth ballads, The Stylistics produced such hits as "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and "Betcha By Golly, Wow."Courtesy of The Artist

The Stylistics toss-up comes down to two compositions from Thom Bell (who posthumously went into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025) and Linda Creed (who will be inducted this year). The quandary is between this one, from 1974, and “Betcha By Golly, Wow,” which was originally recorded under another title by Connie Stevens in 1970 before the Philly vocal group led by Russell Thompkins Jr. did it two years later.

Both are sublime. But I’ll go with “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” because Thompkins and his bandmate Airrion Love, who share vocal duties, make heartfelt sentiments like “Without you, life has no reason or rhyme / Like notes to a song out of time,” ringing true as their voices float about Bell’s feathery orchestrations. And also because Creed wrote the lyrics for Bell, and it’s such a tender expression of personal connection between the two halves of one of soul music's all-time greatest songwriter teams.

14

John Coltrane, “Giant Steps”

John Coltrane started playing the saxophone at age 13, and came to Philadelphia from North Carolina after high school to try to make it in music.
John Coltrane started playing the saxophone at age 13, and came to Philadelphia from North Carolina after high school to try to make it in music.Courtesy of AP

John Coltrane was born in North Carolina, but spent most of the 1950s in a house on North 33rd Street in Strawberry Mansion that the former Navy seaman bought in 1952 with a grant from the G.I. Bill. It was there that he wrote much of Giant Steps, the landmark album where he pioneered the wildly expressive “sheets of sound” approach to melodic phrasing that transformed modern jazz.

Other Giant Steps classics include “Cousin Mary,” about his cousin Mary Lyerly Alexander who lived in the Strawberry Mansion house for decades after Coltrane’s death in 1967. “Naima,” written for his then-wife Juanita Naima Grubbs, is a lovely ballad that has been covered by many artists, including a gorgeous live version recorded at the Tin Angel in Old City by the Philadelphia jazz guitar virtuoso Pat Martino.

13

David Bowie, “Young Americans”

David Bowie, from "Who Can I Be Now? 1974-1976." One album in the set was recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios.
David Bowie, from "Who Can I Be Now? 1974-1976." One album in the set was recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios.Courtesy of David Bowie Archive

David Bowie came to Sigma Sound Studios in 1974 seeking Philadelphia soul. The English rock star, shapeshifting out of a glam-rock phase, came away with his version of the Philly sound, which he called “plastic soul.” He, however, used his own musicians, rather than the Philly musicians of MFSB.

The Bowie Sigma sessions are the stuff of legend. There was a studio visit from Bruce Springsteen, who took the bus from Jersey and whose music Bowie was enamored of at the time. Then they recorded versions of “Growin’ Up” and “It’s Hard To Be A Saint In the City.”

Then there are the “Sigma Kids,” who slept outside the 12th Street studio to get a glimpse of their hero, with Bowie eventually inviting them in. Decades later, the ardor of those fans is undiminished, with Sigma Kid Patti Brett being the force behind January’s annual Philly Loves Bowie Week.

“Young Americans” is a remarkable track, with a sashaying groove featuring Carlos Alomar’s guitar, David Sanborn’s honking saxophone, and backup vocals by a young Luther Vandross and Ava Cherry, Bowie’s girlfriend at the time.

The song’s lyrics about a honeymooning couple for whom things are not going so well — “It took him minutes, took her nowhere” — is full of stream of consciousness impressions of American culture on the eve of the celebration of the country’s 200th birthday in Philadelphia. Richard Nixon, Ford Mustang, and Soul Train all get referenced.

12

Billy Paul, “Me and Mrs. Jones”

Billy Paul, back in 1975.
Billy Paul, back in 1975.

“We got a thing, goin’ on….” Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff got the idea for what might be the greatest cheating song of all time when they noticed a couple cozying up on a daily basis in the downstairs bar at the Schubert Building on South Broad Street. That building is also where the songwriters met in an elevator in a chance encounter years before. (It now houses the Miller Theater.)

Paul was a veteran jazz-soul singer who had recorded first for the Gamble label and then Gamble and Huff’s Neptune label, before having success with 360 Degrees of Billy Paul, his second album for Philadelphia International. It came out in 1972 and included “Me and Mrs. Jones,” which packs an emotional wallop when the moody instrumentation drops out and Paul sounds equally tortured and enraptured as he belts out the song’s title.

“Me and Mrs. Jones” topped the pop and R&B charts and won Paul a Grammy, but its follow-up single, the Gamble and Huff-penned “Am I Black Enough For You?” was judged to be “too militant” by radio stations and was a commercial failure. Schoolly D then sampled it on a song of the same name in 1989.

11

Marian Anderson, “Deep River”

Marian Anderson sings on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter 1939. In 1936, she had been prohibited from performing in Washington's Constitution Hall by its owners, the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Marian Anderson sings on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter 1939. In 1936, she had been prohibited from performing in Washington's Constitution Hall by its owners, the Daughters of the American Revolution.Courtesy of AP

Deep is the operative word here — a deep (and exceedingly rare) contralto voice, and a deep well of yearning. The South Philadelphia-born Anderson brings not just introspection to the spiritual, which was arranged and popularized by Harry T. Burleigh, but also tremendous authority. When she sings of “that promised land, where all is peace,” you are there. — Peter Dobrin

10 to 1

10

Jill Scott, “A Long Walk”

Jill Scott performs at The Met on March 16, 2023.
Jill Scott performs at The Met on March 16, 2023.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Philly rowhouse culture gets spotlighted in “A Long Walk,” a standout single from Jill Scott’s 2002 debut album Who Is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds Vol.1., which established her as a multi-hyphenate singer-poet-songwriter-actress. This year, she is part of the city’s July Fourth celebration, and has three shows coming up at the Met in July.

The video to this signature song finds Jilly from North Philly getting up from her steps to contemplate the possibilities of a relationship that would include “conversation, verbal elation, stimulation,” and might be helped along by a stroll around the park in hopes of finding “a spot for us to spark.”

76 Neighborhood Gems That Make Philadelphia Philadelphia

More from this series

76 neighborhood gems that make Philadelphia Philly

A collection of recommendations from people who spend their days exploring Philadelphia.

Photo illustration of The 76 Most iconic dishes in Philly

More from this series

The top ten most iconic Philly foods revealed

The countdown ends with The Inquirer's list of Philadelphia's 10 most iconic dishes — the foods, traditions, and restaurant creations that helped define the city.

story continues after advertisement

Staff Contributors

  • Design: Julia Duarte
  • Development: Julia Duarte and Charmaine Runes
  • Reporting: Dan DeLuca and Peter Dobrin
  • Editing: Ann Applegate, Bedatri D. Choudhury and Sam Ruland
  • Photo Editing: Jasmine Goldband

Subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer

Our reporting is directly supported by reader subscriptions. If you want more journalism like this story, please subscribe today

Subscribe