From radios to Air Pods, instrumental to beats, singing to rapping over the 100 years Omaha North High School has been open, the world of music has changed and then changed again. 

For refence, I am not a fan of instrumental music. On my 2024 Apple Music Wrap I listened to 24,356 minutes of music from January to November. My top genre is R&B & soul, with my top artist being Frank Ocean.  

After looking at playback.fm and selecting the top two songs for every 10 years I have composed a list of 22 songs.  

 1920s 

In 1920 the top song was “Swanee” by Al Jolson. I would give this song 4/5 stars.  It has a strong opening. The flutes, combined with the lyrics of “I’ve been away for a long time”, with the knowledge of World War I end being just two years before sounds like your stereotypical 1920s patriotic song. 

At 1:15, Jolson stops singing and whistles for about 10 seconds, which seems unnecessary. It was annoying to hear and did not add anything to the song. 

The second song from the 1920s was “Whispering” by Paul Whiteman. I would give this song a 0/5. This song was completely instrumental and made me anxious. The beat is slow and fast at the same time and makes you imagine getting kidnapped.  

1930s 

Starting in the 1930s, the top song, “Happy Days Are Here Again” was by Ben Selvin. I would give this song a 1/5.  

When the song first starts, you constantly just wait for the lyrics to begin. However, I was left waiting for quite some time, leaving me to believe that it was an instrumental song. However, I was wrong. The introduction to this song starts at 1:30. The song itself is only 3 minutes long and it is mostly dedicated to the introduction.  

After the song finally starts it has a nice ring to it however, I would skip the song before listening to a 1:30 introduction. The only way I would listen to this song is if someone held me down and forced me to listen.  

In my opinion, the second most popular song in the 1930s is better than the first. The second most popular song, “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Harry Richman is a solid 3/5.  

This song is very on theme for this generation. It has a very similar beat to the beginning of Disney movies when Mikey Mouse used to whistle on a train. 

1940s 

The 1940s did not give listeners a lot of variety from the songs produced in the 1930’s. The top song in the 1940s was, “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller, an instrumental piece with a nice beat plus a new component that we had not seen before which is the saxophone.  This song is overall a 3/5 with it being a tad bit repetitive but still has a nice sound to it.  

Following in the 1940’s, “Frenesi” by Artie Shaw. I would rate this a 2/5. It is just repetitive, and it also has no lyrics.  

Certain parts of the song sound straight out of the original Cinderella which makes sense because it was created just 10 years after. There is a part when it switches from orchestra and band to just piano, and it was not a smooth switch.  

1950s 

The 1950’s is full of whimsical music. “Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole is a beautiful song that deserves a 5/5. The voice and the beat flow so well together. 

The instrumental behind the lyrics being orchestral adds to the effect of a whimsical presence. The way he speaks about Mona Lisa is very refreshing compared to modern day things said.  

“The Third Man” by Aton Karas has a good beat however that is all it has. I would rate this song a 1/5. The song lacks any lyrics at all. If you wish to listen to music that sounds like you are on hold then this is the song for you. 

1960s 

The 1960’s was the start of a new era. The use of rock music began with faster beats and more technical lyrics. A token of the 1960s was Elvis Presly having the two top songs in this decade. The song, “Are you Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley is a beautiful song where Elvis’ voice elevates the song to a new level.  

Overall, I would give this song a 3/5, while it is a beautiful melody the lyrics are very repetitive.  

The second most popular song is “It’s Now or Never” by Elvis Presley. While I do not mind this song, it is not my favorite.  

The beat of this song is very fast and upbeat while the lyrics seem sentimental with the lengths of the words being dragged out. Overall, the beat was just too fast for the lyrics, making Elvis sound annoying, making this song a 2/5.  

1970s 

The 1970’s continued to move into more modern types of music with the top song being, “Let it be” by the Beatles. It is a quick beat that has lyrics to match. This song reminds me of the Lorax song “Let it Grow”. Personally, I enjoy this song. It makes me feel calm and childlike. This song deserves a 5/5 there is nothing here I would change.  

 Following the Beatles is another top song, “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry, which captures the feeling of summertime with the upbeat music. There is a part where Mugo Jerry repeatedly says “Da-dee-da-da-da “which makes me irritated because it is reparative and doesn’t add anything, forcing me to give this song a 4/5.  

1980s 

 The number one song of 1980’s is NOT my jam. While it is still stepping towards my modern music taste, the 3-part song is irritating. The song, “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd is not for me, with a large part without lyrics and a weird beat, this song gets a 1/5. 

The second ranked song in my opinion deserves to be ranked above the first. “A Women in Love” by Barbra Streisand is a heartfelt vocal song. Her voice sounds almost angelic and echoes so nicely with the beat of the music making this song a 4/5.  

1990s 

Starting in the 1990s, the top song, “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O’Connor, has a good beat but is just not my jam. The artist repeats nothing too many times. Making me rate this song a 3/5.  

Following this is a song from an absolute icon, Madonna. “Vouge” by Madonna is a fast upbeat song, that transforms you into a 90s sitcom. The fast beat and her voice radiating blend seamlessly.  Earning this song a 4/5.  

2000s 

Madonna’s era continues into the 2000s with the top song being “Music” by Madonna.  This song is mediocre. It’s not a bad song, it’s just not special. Madonna had a whole decade to give us something new and instead gave us almost the same song with different lyrics, making this song a 3/5.  

Following this song is “Beautiful day” by U2 which ultimately is not a bad song. The song sounds a little punk rock which is not my personal favorite but does not sound bad.  

I would give this song a 3/5. I can see why people would like it, but I could not get down with it. 

2010s 

When I finally hit the 2010s, I started to remember the songs. “Love the way you lie” by Eminem and Rihanna is a wonderful song with an amazing blend of rap and singing. The way their voices blend works very well.  

When listening to the lyrics they convey a stronger message of an abusive relationship. This is a modern way of song writing where the lyrics convey a story instead of just words.  This song is. 4/5.  

Following this is “Just the way you are” by Bruno Mars, I personally love this song. in my opinion Bruno Mars has yet to release a flop. Every song he releases has more than just lyrics and tells a story. 

The way his voice and the beat work together every note sounds perfect. I give this song a 10/5.  

2020s 

Looking at our current decade, the top song in 2020 was “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, which makes sense because he performed at the 2021 Superbowl halftime show.  

In my opinion the song is not the best. With being around in this time, I remember there being so many more popular songs making it hard for me to believe this mediocre song was selected as the most popular. I personally give this song a 2/5.  

The last song is “Circles” by Post Malone, and I am a fan of this song. It reminds me of Spiderman into the Spider verse. While I do like this song, I believe there are better songs from 2020.  

I would give this song a 3/5 because while it is good it is definitely not the best.  

The school song 

Like most schools Omaha North has a school song, while I like the essence of having a school song it has been poorly advertised and completely inaccurate lyrics representing Omaha North.  

While this seems like an average song it is not accurate to how we operate, not one current student at Omaha North could recite this song because we have never played it nor sang it.  The line “Oh yes, we’re here to cheer you” is ironic in current day when we cannot even get a student section of over 50 people in our school with over 1000 students.  

In current day we have done nothing to show that we are united strong and that is what this song is trying to convey, I do not blame teachers for not teaching us this dong because it does not represent the school that we go to.  

Overall, music over the years has continued to change more and more. Listening to music is one of my favorite things to do as seen by my Apple Music Wrapped. I am excited to see what the future holds for music and the new discoveries that appear.