Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Today is Halloween, so what better classic song of the day than Blue Öyster Cult’s classic, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Released as a single in October of 1976, it peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. It did even better in Canada, going all the way to #7 on our northern…
Believe it or not, this is the 1000th post here on the Classic Song of the Day blog. I started this blog back on February 18, 2023, with a post all about composer Burt Bacharach, who had recently passed away. Over the next 999 posts I’ve covered songs both popular and relatively unknown, mostly from the ’60s and ’70s but…
If you’re of a certain age, today’s classic song of the day means something special to you. The song is “You’ve Got a Friend” and it was written by songwriter extraordinaire Carole King and recorded both by herself and by her friend James Taylor. Unlike many of Carole King’s tunes, Carole wrote both the words and the music for “You’ve…
For today’s classic song of the day we return to Swinging London in the mid-60s and another terrific tune by Brit songbird Petula Clark. The song is “I Know a Place” and, when it was released in March of 1965, it went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #17 on the UK charts. Like most…
By the early ’70s, country singer/songwriter Ray Stevens had made a name for himself with a succession of pretty funny novelty songs, including “Ahab the Arab,” “Harry the Hairy Ape,” and “Gitarzan.” That’s why so many listeners were surprised when he released today’s classic song of the day, “Everything is Beautiful,” which is about as far from a funny novelty…
I’m happy to present today’s classic song of the day, “Happy.” No, not the 2013 tune by Pharrell Williams, from the Despicable Me soundtrack. This “Happy” was a single back in 1967 that was a minor hit for two different groups at more or less the same time. Radio play and record sales were much different back in the ’60s.…
This evening I’m sitting in (on drums) with some friends in a band playing a Halloween-themed house party. The band is kind of an outlaw/trad country thing, but they’re throwing in some “black” songs to fit the Halloween vibe. One of the songs they’re playing is the one I’ve chosen for today’s classic song of the day, the Rolling Stones’…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day, Noel Paul Stookey’s “Wedding Song (There is Love),” was written for a friend’s wedding, and that’s also the case with today’s classic song of the day. This one is a song you might remember, even though you probably haven’t heard it for awhile. The song is “Rings,” a one-hit wonder for a band called…
Today’s classic forgotten folkie love song of the day is “Wedding Song (There is Love)” by Noel Paul Stookey, otherwise known as the “Paul” in Peter, Paul and Mary. Noel wrote this tune for the wedding of bandmate Peter Yarrow to Mary Beth McCarthy (niece of Senator Eugene McCarthy) in 1969 and released it as a single in July of…