Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
I like listening to rebroadcasts of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 from the ’70s, especially those tunes on the bottom half of the charts. Sometimes those tunes are former chart-toppers on their way down; sometimes they’re future hits just hitting the charts. More often than not, however, those tracks that sat at the bottom of the top forty never rose…
“All I Really Want to Do” is today’s classic song of the day. It was written by Bob Dylan and included on his 1964 album, Another Side of Bob Dylan. He wrote the song earlier in 1964 and first performed it at the Newport Folk Festival on July 26, 1964. The song was made famous by its cover versions. The…
Today’s classic song of the day comes from Stevie Wonder and his landmark album, Innervisions. Released as a single in March of 1974, “Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing” peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, #9 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and #2 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “Don’t You…
Chicago group the Buckinghams bring us today’s classic song of the day, “Kind of a Drag.” Released in December of 1966, this single went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February of 1966. It scored just a little lower on the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at #3. “Kind of a Drag” was written by…
Today’s classic song of the day was never released as a single (at least in the U.S.) but every serious music lover of the ’70s knows it. The song is “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” and it was a highlight of Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 album, The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle. That album, Springsteen’s second, is my second favorite…
Today’s extremely obscure classic song of the day is one most of you probably have never heard. The song is “If You Love Me (Really Love Me)” and it was recorded by both Brenda Lee and Donna Loren—although neither version made much of a splash at the time. “If You Love Me (Really Love Me)” was written way back in…
“Have You Seen Her” is a sweet slice of Chicago Soul with heavy overtones of the nearby Philly Soul sound. Released by the Chi-Lites in October of 1971, “Have You Seen Her” went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. This is the one with the spoken word introduction: One month…
Today’s classic song of the day is an unusual one. “Comin’ Home Baby” was written as a jazz instrumental, had lyrics added, then became an unlikely pop hit for a famous jazz singer. Read on, please. “Comin’ Home Baby” was written, as an instrumental, by jazz bassist Ben Tucker. It was first recorded by the Dave Bailey Quintet on their…
The early seventies were a great time for soul music. Motown was still going strong and the sophisticated sounds of Philly Soul were starting to fill the radio airwaves. The R&B charts were dominated by male vocal groups, many survivors from the doo-wop era, finding their way into a new era with mellow harmonies, snappy dance moves, and very groovy…
Today’s classic song of the day comes to us from one of Stax Records’ most popular artists, Eddie Floyd. The song is “I’ve Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)” and, when it was released in June of 1968, it peaked at just #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #47 on the Cash Box Top 100,…