I Must Be Hercules

From the desk of Ned P. Rauch:

"Hercules," by Aaron Neville (1973), is the first song in my iTunes library. That means every time I open iTunes, there it is. What a knockout tune. "Wanna know what's going down, when the pimp on the corner looks like the sharpest cat in town," Neville sings. Later: "Like the bird on the wing, I just want to be free enough to do my thing. I can feel the pressure from every side. If you're not gonna help, don't hurt, just pass me by."

That rolling bass line, tick-tock high hat, jabbing guitar and Neville's signing—they never back down, altering their course only for a bridge. The effect is to convey both the hopelessness of a rundown neighborhood and the determination of the singer to stay strong: "Talk about me if you please, I must be Hercules." That shit may go on and on, he's saying, but I'm getting out. I have to.