Photo: By Curtis Palmer from Vestavia Hills (Birmingham), Alabama, USA (Todd Rundgren performs @ WorkPlay) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Todd Rundgren’s first album entitled Runt was released in 1970. He followed that album up in 1971 with a record called Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
. However, it was in 1973 when Todd Rundgren released his double record Something/Anything?
that he became a household name. The Something/Anything? album contained two of Todd Rundgren’s biggest hits of his career in “Hello It’s Me,” and “I Saw The Light.” From that point on, Todd Rundgren released records almost on a yearly basis. Todd Rundgren has released twenty six solo albums. That number does not include the albums he released with his band Utopia and his 1960’s band Nazz. In between solo albums and band releases, Todd Rundgren served as a producer on albums such as Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell
, The Rascals Felix Cavaliere solo album, Patti Smith’s Wave and so many more.
With an artist that owns such a deep catalog of albums as Todd Rundgren, it becomes very difficult to choose only ten songs. However, these lists are designed to serve an introduction to an artist’s works that young people may not know. So, we hope you don’t mind if we missed your favorites. These are just a handful of Todd Rundgren songs that everyone should hear. There are so many more.
# 11 – Bang The Drum
We forget this one when we first published this article. Shame on us. So we turned it up to 11 to make up for our mistake. A perfect way to get this party started.
# 10 – Marlene
If you don’t fall in love with this song instantly than don’t even bother checking out the rest. It’s simple, it’s incredibly innocent sounding. The instrumentation sounds almost “toy like,” which only lends itself to the song’s innocence. The melody is as beautiful as it gets. From the brilliant Something/Anything? album, “Marlene,” is our choice as the opening song on our top 10 Todd Rundgren Songs list.
# 9 – Hurting For You
In complete contrast to the happy fun like melody and spirit of “Marlene,” Todd Rundgren’s “Hurting For You,” exemplifies all the pain of heartbreak in a resonating chorus that anyone who has felt the despair of an unwanted break up can sympathize with. The songs intense guitar solo at the end echos the desperate cries of the broken hearted. This was simply brilliant stuff.
# 8 – Love of The Common Man
Listening to these incredible Todd Rundgren songs makes one realize that this was an artist that should have gotten so much more credit than he received. “Love of the Common Man,” was released on Todd Rundgren’s 1976 album Faithful
. That album presented fans with a side of cover songs by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan. Side two of the record featured all original songs written by Todd Rundgren.
# 7 – All The Children Sing
While Todd Rundgren’s Something/Anything?
album contained the biggest hits of his career, our favorite Todd Rundgren record has always been 1978’s Hermit Of Mink Hollow
. Every song on the record defined an emotional roller coaster of thought and feeling that penetrated the soul in a way that only truly great art can. Both the Something/Anything?
album and The Hermit Of Mink Hollow albums provide this top 10 Todd Rundgren songs list with seven songs from the combined albums making our top 10. For the number 10 spot we have chosen the album’s uplifting opener “All The Children Sing.”
# 6 – Black Maria
The great track “Black Maria,” showcases the other side of Todd Rundgren. While songs from the album like “Marlene,” and “Hello It’s Me,” defined Todd’s sense of pop melody, “Black Maria,” presented fans with Todd’s heavy rock and roll chops and deep compositional skills. Hints of Todd’s future success as also a legendary producer can be heard in this track’s great production. Simply a true work of art!
# 5 – A Dream Goes On Forever
No other line in musical pop history probably resonates more in the hearts of a struggling artist or a hopeful romantic than Todd Rundgren’s “A Dream Goes On Forever.” This beautiful song of hope was released on Todd Rundgren’s album Todd
. The album was released in 1974 and was the second two record set that Todd had released in just two years. From 1970 to 1974, Todd Rundgren had released five albums with two of them being two record sets. The only other single artist to release that much material in such a short span of time was Elton John.
# 4 – I Saw The Light
The first single released from the Something/Anything?
album was the pop masterpiece “I Saw The Light.” It was the album’s opening track. Artist and record companies usually pick what they feel is the best song or at least song they think has the greatest chance of becoming a hit as the first single release from an album. It was clear they all thought “I Saw the Light,” would be the album’s most successful song. They were close, but there would be one that would become much bigger. “I Saw The Light,” reached the number 16 spot on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972
# 3 – We Gotta Get You A Woman
What we always loved about Todd Rundgren was his sense of humor. There is no better closing line in popular music history than what Todd Rundgren sings to his friend at the end of “We Gotta Get You A Woman.” Todd Rundgren sense of counterpoint in melody between the song”s verses and chorus should be come the standard in teaching pop songwriting 101. This was nut just a pop masterpiece but it was one of the most addicting songs ever released. “We Gotta Get You A Woman,” was issued on Todd Rundgren’s first solo album Runt.
It was Todd Rundgren’s first solo single of his career. The song reached Number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. A true GEM!
# 2 – Hello It’s Me
Most top 10 Todd Rundgren songs list choose “Hello It’s Me,” as Todd’ best song. It an amazing record that can be listened to over and over again without it ever sounding overplayed. An played it was in 1972. “Hello It’s Me,” was the most successful song of the Something/Anything?
album. It was a top 10 US Hit peaking at number 5 on the Billboard top 100 chart. Its mesmerizing piano hook and unforgettable vocal lined defined the meaning of the “perfect pop song.”
# 1 – Can We Still Be Friends
Todd Rundgren understood what all the great songwriters learned about writing songs with universal meaning that everyone could relate to. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship has probably heard the words at one time or another, can we still be friends? Todd took that universal and painful question an wrote a melody and series of chord changes that made that question feel more real and yes, more painful. But when hearing someone else dealing with the same issues only usually eases the pain. And in the end music is all about therapy.
Music is supposed to relieve the pain in some sort of ironic way. “Can We still be Friends,” is Todd Rundgren’s most important song because it communicates most directly to the fan, to the gist of heartbreak and redemption, to an understanding that we all go through the same nonsense and we all can celebrate and despair together. That connection between the music that Todd Rundgren composed and the voice he sung with, is what made Todd Rundgren one of our most cherished artists.
Updated Nov 8,2020
![Rob De Luca of Spread Eagle, Sebastian Bach & UFO: 10 Albums That Changed My Life From humble East Coast origins to grandest stages worldwide, veteran bassist Rob De Luca has seen and done it all. De Luca first hit the local Boston rock and metal scene in the late 80s after meeting guitarist Paul DiBartolo, bonding over Van Halen before forming Bang. Regional success came quickly, but eventually, the members of Bang went their separate ways, with De Luca and drummer Tommi Gallo heading to NYC and hooking up with Ray West and, later, DiBartolo to form Spread Eagle. By 1990, Spread Eagle was on the fast track, with a contract through MCA Records and a self-titled debut album poised to crush skulls. But poor timing and MCA's sad indifference left Spead Eagle out in the cold despite being a hard-boiled answer to Guns N' Roses's West Coast sleaze. Spread Eagle's first chapter came to an end in '95. As for Rob De Luca, his nimble fingers and gift for melody and songwriting kept him moving forward. Soon, he found a gig with former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and the legendary outfit UFO. And in 2010, after coupling up with Ray West and his cousin Rik De Luca, Spread Eagle retook flight. During a break from Spread Eagle's increasingly busy touring schedule, Rob De Luca dialed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to run through the ten albums that changed his life. But only after adding, "I made a playlist of these songs, including some I've written or co-written. Do you hear any of these albums' influence on me?" Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LWJuhDrE8JmzhsmTeIDUq 10) Gentlemen by Afghan Whigs (1993) Here's an entry that was so important to me. This may be the darkest break-up album of all time. Greg Dulli has been in many projects, but I feel Gentlemen is his zenith. Somewhat undefinable at times but always profound and honest. Listen to "Gentlemen," "Fountain and Fairfax," and "What Jail Is Like." 9) In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi (1993) By this time, I had been sucked in and spit out by the major-label record industry. Glam came and went; grunge was history, too. I was searching for new sounds. When I heard Fugazi's twin guitar approach, I knew this was what was missing. Fugazi may be considered a less polished sound than the albums above; however, once you "get it," it hits you like a ton of bricks, and there's no going back. From the moment I heard Fugazi, I went to every NYC show after. It's easily some of the best concerts of my life, and possibly my favorite bassist in Joe Lally. And their DIY ethics refused to charge us more than $5 a show! In on the Kill Taker is a powerful album demonstrated in songs such as "Smallpox Champion," "Great Cop," and "Public Witness Program." 8) Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses (1987) I discovered many of these albums (sometimes long) after they were released. However, I was at the right place at the right time for this one. Steve Ostromogilsky had a Berklee College of Music lunch card and used to sneak out sandwiches for me. One day, he invited me to hang out at his place and listen to music. As we got off the train, he put Sony Walkman headphones on my ears and said, "Hey, check out this brand-new group." A song like "It's So Easy" was so different from the popular Sunset Strip sound at that time. Me and about 499 other informed rockers were lucky enough to see them on their first East Coast tour at the sold-out Paradise on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston (the same street Aerosmith started on). I saw Gn'R every tour after until I took a break when Buckethead joined. Gn'R is the band I've been lucky enough to see the most times live, almost 100! Everyone on this album is just stellar. Axl [Rose] had the tones, power, melodic sensibilities, and foresight to do what no other singer did then. Slash's playing was beyond memorable. Duff [McKagan] is one of the most underrated bassists in rock history, and learning his Appetite basslines is a masterclass. Steven [Adler] had the natural swing, and Izzy [Stradlin] was the secret weapon songwriter. Everything that's been heralded about this gem is deserved and true. Check out "It's So Easy," "Out Ta Get Me," and "Mr. Brownstone.' 7) Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd (1975) Another contender for my favorite album and band of all time. Using The Beatles machine (same recording studio, engineer, record label), Pink Floyd made what I feel is their strongest, most cohesive album (my second favorite of theirs would be Animals). This list mainly consists of bands with an instantly recognizable sound. Floyd is certainly no exception to that! This album included a solid handful of undeniable rock radio classics, bookended by two halves of the mind-blowing song "Shine on You Crazy Diamond.' That song was written about former band member and founder Syd Barrett. It would be hard to live in a world without this album. Check out "Welcome to The Machine," "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (parts 6-9),' or even better yet, listen to the whole thing in one sitting! 6) Decade by Neil Young (1977) About this time, I started playing guitar. As a beginner, it was comfortable jamming to this album because the chord changes were simple—a great "first ten years" retrospective of Neil's stunning, unique songwriting. Neil is a treasure who always writes from the heart and stands up for what's right. Check out "Southern Man," "A Man Needs a Maid," "Down by The River," and "After the Goldrush." 5) Highway to Hell by AC/DC (1979) When I heard this album, I was firmly "me." My life would be 100% focused on hard rock music forever. AC/DC are like air; they're ubiquitous. Everyone knows them and their incredible songs. However, as a young teen in Wilmington, Delaware, I only had WMMR 93.3 FM Philadelphia and a few friends to inform me about the world of Rock outside my bedroom. AC/DC had not gone mainstream, and their albums were available primarily in the USA as imports. To put things more in perspective, I only knew two people in the world who had heard of AC/DC. A friend had an import that we played in Steve Buckley's basement, which sounded ripping. When Highway to Hell was released, WMMR started spinning the title track, and I immediately bought the album, listening to it every single day after school. Then WMMR announced AC/DC was coming to the Spectrum in Philly, supporting Ted Nugent! I liked Ted but loved AC/DC, so my good friend Mick Cummins and I bought tickets, and he drove us up to the Spectrum (where we saw most of our concerts). Bon Scott was in fine form, and the band went over great. Although the crowd knew Ted better, Angus [Young] wouldn't let anyone upstage him. I'll never forget it! Unfortunately, Bon would be gone in 6 months. Check out "Walk All Over You," "Touch Too Much," "Shot Down in Flames," and "If You Want Blood (You Got It)." 4) Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith (1975) By the time I heard this, I was now in my teens. I had a childhood friend up the street, Jim Linberg (we're still good buddies). His older sister had a great album collection, including Toys in The Attic. Once I heard that groove, my taste changed. I lost interest in rock music that didn't have some sort of "swing" feel to it. I think Rocks is a slightly better Aerosmith album (and possibly my favorite album of all time), but both are perfect or very close. Check out "Uncle Salty," "Adam's Apple," "No More No More," "Round and Round," and "You See Me Crying." 3) Alive! by Kiss (1975) When I was still a little kid, I asked for Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke album for Christmas. The entire family came over for an enormous feast, and I dropped the needle. When my mother heard the content, she turned off the album and said I had to exchange it. My mom was cool, but I was young and knew much more about life than she suspected. Anyway, the next day, she drove me back to the store. In the music section, promoted on an "endcap" was a Kiss Alive! display. I had never heard of Kiss, but that cover picture told me I had to have it! My first foray into hard rock. Check out “Strutter.” I went through my Kiss phase very quickly, I believe in a matter of months because I discovered the previous entry, Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic. 2) Honky Chateau by Elton John (1972) When I was a wee lad, my parents bought a used Volkswagen camper van from my uncle Ozzie. My favorite Elton John album is Yellow Brick Road, but Honky Chateau is great and easily one of his best. It sent me down a lifelong rabbit hole of loving everything about the 1970s partnership between Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin. The simple beauty of voice, the master songwriting, the perfect backing band, the clear, unobtrusive recordings, and always Bernie's incredible lyrics. The day this album was released, Elton became an unstoppable force that conquered the music industry. Check out "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Rocket Man." 1) Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967) Another tape that was included in the VW Camper. The van had a bunch of music tapes, and one was Sgt Pepper. I was too young to understand the sophistication of the music, but that was one of the many skills of The Beatles. They attracted listeners at every level, even little kids. I still feel that immediate connection to Sgt Pepper; now, I hear so much more. It's an album that changed the world and the world of music. Check out "Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds," "A Day In The Life," and "Fixing a Hole."](http://www.classicrockhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Shutterstock_1815495569-1-300x200.jpg)
Janey, I see this piece was logged 3 years ago, and who knows if you are even still around the scenes of rock music. Your choices for a top 10 for Mr Rundgren are all worthy of being picked. I think if I picked a top 10 5 times, each group would contain different songs. I have been a huge fan of Todd since the Something/Anything album, and to this day, I still listen to this work of art and many more of his albums. I have somewhere in the 100’s of his songs, and still and pleased when I listen to his compositions, the song structures, the melodies, the chord changes and progressions, the arrangements, the background vocals, the lyrics, the soaring guitar leads. He is in fact, a true genius. To me he is in the top 3 of my all time favorite recording artists which includes The Beatles and Steely Dan. You can see the similarities of these 3 with the diversity of the songs and professional recording techniques used. Thanks for the piece, and long live RUNT