Month October 2024

“Timothy” (The Buoys)

Timothy, the Buoys

Today’s classic song of the day is that catchy little ode to cannibalism, 1970’s “Timothy” by the Buoys. Yes, the song is about three guys (Timothy, Joe, and the unnamed singer) trapped in a mine cave-in; to survive, the singer and Joe made a meal of their former pal Tim. Definitely not your normal “moon, June, spoon” top forty love…

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“How Long” (Ace)

How Long, Ace

Today’s classic song of the day is “How Long” by Ace. Released in March of 1975, this track rose all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Cash Box Top 100. “How Long” was the debut single by the band. It was written by Paul Carrack, who also sang lead on this track. You…

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“Poor Poor Pitiful Me” (Warren Zevon/Linda Ronstadt/Terri Clark)

Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Linda Ronstadt

Today’s classic song of the day is “Poor Poor Pitiful Me.” It was written by and originally recorded by Warren Zevon but became a hit when covered by singer Linda Ronstadt. It was also a hit for country singer Terri Clark two decades later. As noted, Warren Zevon wrote “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and included it on his 1976 album,…

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“867-5309/Jenny” (Tommy Tutone)

867-5309, Tommy Tutone

Keeping with our theme of phone number-named tunes, today’s classic song of the day is that major earworm from the early ’80s, “867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone. Released in November of 1981 and supported by massive MTV music video airplay, this irresistible little ditty hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on…

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“634-5789” (Wilson Pickett)

634-5789, Wilson Pickett

Yesterday’s classic song of the day had everybody dialing “Beechwood 4-5789” (which is actually 234-5789). Today’s phone number-related song changes the first digit from a “2” to a “6” and gives us “634-5789,” a big hit for legendary soul singer Wilson Pickett. “634-5789” was written by Stax Records stalwarts Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper. You know Eddie Floyd as a…

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“Beechwood 4-5789” (The Marvelettes/The Carpenters)

Beechwood 4-5789, Carpenters

Today’s classic song of the day with a phone number in the title is “Beechwood 4-5789.” Back in the days when there were fewer people, fewer phones, and therefore fewer phone numbers, local exchanges were known by their letters rather than their numbers. Take the first two letters of the word and that’s your exchange prefix—which you could translate into…

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“Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen)

Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen

We finish off our week of 1970s classic rock tracks with one of the most popular songs of the entire decade, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” This almost-six minute epic, released as a single in October of 1975, reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Cash Box Top 100; it went all the way to #1 in Australia,…

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“Mr. Skin” (Spirit)

Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, Spirit

Today’s classic song of the day comes from one of the most innovative but overlooked albums of the early ’70s, Spirit’s Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. The song, “Mr. Skin” was released as a single in 1973 and barely cracked the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at a totally unjustifiable #92. It’s a great tune, nonetheless. “Mr. Skin” is a hard-driving…

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