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Neill Clegg, a professor of music at Greensboro College, set out to choose the top 10 pop songs of the past 50 years.

He wound up picking 17 — including “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian.

“If we had time, I could think of 1,000 or 10,000 that are just as great,” he said. “I had 'Billie Jean’ on there. But there are probably 20 other Michael Jackson songs that are just as good. Same thing with James Taylor. I can’t think of a song he did that wasn’t a masterpiece.”

Clegg and his fellow music professor Dave Fox just wrapped up a course at Greensboro College titled “Special Topics in Music: The 10 Greatest Pop Songs of the Past 50 Years.”

The class, which met once a week, featured performances on sax and piano by the two instructors. Students were treated to guest musicians such as Fincastles singing waiter Jay Bird, former Daughtry drummer Joey Barnes and Allison King, a local singer and music writer.

Discussions covered a variety of music, such as that performed by Hoagy Carmichael, Willie Nelson and Lady Gaga.

“That was interesting, just hearing about the types of songs and music everyone is interested in,” said David Fields, a student and substitute teacher from Climax. “And then hearing from the guest performers and how they came up with their music.”

The two professors didn’t really lay down any guidelines for choosing the best songs, other than that they had to be some form of popular music (as opposed to, say, classical), had to have lyrics and had to be from the last half century — though they were willing to budge on that last rule.

Fox said the decision about what to put on his list was more an intuitive one than anything else.

“It’s like this feeling you have when you go to a movie and it was so good that at the end, you sit there and you look at all the closing credits and listen to the closing music until the screen goes white again and they turn the lights back on,” he said. “And then you go, 'Wow.’ I chose songs that had that effect on me over and over.”

Fox said what he enjoyed most about the class was the give and take between students and instructors.

“The other classes I teach are courses that students have to take, and they have these horrible names like music theory,” he said. “With this, everyone seemed more relaxed, they were interested in the topic.”

“Once we said 'go,’ the conversation would start, and we’d just sit back and listen to it,” Clegg said.

Students came up with their own lists, and some brought CDs of their top picks to play for the class. They, too, had a hard time deciding what to choose.

“I wanted to pick songs that represented moments in time,” said Jim O’Gara , a student and part-time musician from Greensboro. “I chose, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand,’ instead of 'Yesterday’ by The Beatles, because that’s what they played on 'Ed Sullivan.’ I chose 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ even though I hated Nirvana. But I recognize the importance of that song.”

And some, like Clegg, couldn’t choose just 10 — one student, David Ball , picked 15.

“And as soon as I turned it in, it changed,” the medical supplies salesman from Greensboro said. “It’s already changed a couple of times.”

Contact Robert C. Lopez at 691-5091 or robert.lopez@news-record.com

Dave Fox’s Top Pop Songs
1. “I Should Have Known Better” by The Beatles
2. “19th Nervous Breakdown” by The Rolling Stones
3. “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King
4. “Theme from New York, New York,” written by Fred Ebb and John Kander
5. “Your Song” by Elton John
6. “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown
7. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
8. “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne
9. “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley
10. “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty

Neill Clegg
1. “Blackbird” by The Beatles
2. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
3. “What’s Going On,” by Marvin Gaye
4. “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkel
5. “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen
6. “Overjoyed” by Stevie Wonder
7. “Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Bob Dylan
8. “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian
9. “Fire and Rain” and “Please Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” by James Taylor
9a. “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown
9b. “Danny’s All-Star Joint” by Rickie Lee Jones
9c. “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel
9d. “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” by The Temptations
9e. “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones
9f. “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
10. “Kiss” by Prince

Jim O’Gara
1. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Yesterday” by The Beatles
2. “ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction)” by The Rolling Stones
3. Entire “Thriller” album by Michael Jackson with Quincy Jones
4. “Smells like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
5. “Walk This Way” by RUN-DMC with Aerosmith
6. “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, redone by Whitney Houston
7. “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys
8. “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf
9. “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
10. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin

David Fields
1. “Uneasy Rider” or “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band
2. “Walk This Way” by RUN-DMC with Aerosmith
3. “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice
4. “Baby’s Got Back” by Sir Mix A Lot
5. “Incense and Peppermint” by Strawberry Alarm Clock
6. “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC
7. “Drivin’ My Life Away” by Eddie Rabbit
8. “Legs” by ZZ Top
9. “Hair of the Dog” by Nazareth
10. “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” by David Allan Coe

David Ball
1. “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan
2. “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye
3. “Baba O’Riley” by The Who
4. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles
5. “Louie Louie” by The Kingsman
6. “Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones
7. “American Pie” by Don McLean
8. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
9. “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits
10. “Blowin’ in the Wind,” by Bob Dylan
11. “Piano Man” by Billy Joel
12. “I Need a Lover” by John Mellencamp
13. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
14. “King of the Road” by Roger Miller
15. “Moondance” by Van Morrison