Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
All this week we’ve been looking at songs about different types of men. We end this trip with a song by the Beatles about a “Nowhere Man.” Released as a single in the U.S. in February of 1966, this one went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Cash Box Top 100. While credited to Lennon-McCartney,…
Today’s classic song about a particular kind of man is about a “Secret Agent Man.” As recorded by Johnny Rivers, this single was released in March of 1966 and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Secret Agent Man” was written by the team of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, who…
Today’s classic “man” song of the day is about a “Handy Man.” This tune was a hit for three different artists—Jimmy Jones, Del Shannon, and James Taylor. Who wrote “Handy Man” is up for debate. The original recording, released in 1959 by the Sparks of Rhythm, lists Andrew Barksdale and Charles Merenstein as writers. That version was in a bluesy…
Today’s classic song of the day is an easy listening track from Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66. “Pretty World” was released as a single in May of 1969 and, while it only hit #62 on the Billboard Hot 100, it got a ton of airplay on easy listening stations across the country and went all the way to #4 on…
Today’s classic song of the day was a hit for two different artists in the ’60s—and a British a cappella group in the ’80s. The song is “When You’re Young and In Love,” and it was written by Van McCoy, who would make a name for himself in the ’70s with the iconic disco tune “The Hustle.” McCoy had been…
Today’s classic song of the day is “One Fine Day.” This one was written by the legendary songwriting team of Carole King (music) and her then-husband Gerry Goffin (words) back in 1963. They originally intended the song for Little Eva, who had a previous hit with their song, “The Loco-Motion,” and occasionally babysat for their kids. When that didn’t pan…
Today’s classic song of the day is “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)” by the Walker Brothers. This single was released in February of 1966 and peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)” was written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio of the Four Seasons. The Bobs first offered the song to bandmate…
This week’s final classic song by a female artist of the day is “Every Little Bit Hurts” by Brenda Holloway. This Motown classic was released as a single in April of 1964 and peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #18 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Every Little Bit Hurts” was written by Ed Cobb, who also…
Today’s classic song of the day from a female artist is “To Sir With Love” by the British singer, Lulu. Her single was released in September of 1967 and went all the way to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. It was also a #1 smash in Canada, but only hit #11 on the…