Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
This week we’re celebrating the genius of legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb, starting with his first big hit, “Up, Up, and Away.” Recorded by the 5th Dimension, this single was released in February of 1967 and peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Up, Up and Away” won an astonishing six Grammy…
Today’s classic song of the day is “It’s a Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals. Released in March of 1968, this single peaked at #3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. “It’s a Beautiful Morning” is a perfect good vibes song for the spring that led into the Summer of Love. It was written by Rascals…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Do You Believe in Magic” by the Lovin’ Spoonful. It was the group’s first single, released in July of 1965; it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the Cash Box Top 100. The song’s magic is the music. As the lyrics say: If you believe in magic, come…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Like to Get to Know You” by Spanky and Our Gang. This single, released in March of 1968, went to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on the Cash Box Top 100, but has become a well-deserved staple of oldies radio. “Like to Get to Know You” was written by Stuart…
Today’s classic song of the day may be the best song ever written. (Or maybe the second-best; I vacillate between this one and Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman,” which I’ll feature next week.) The song is “God Only Knows,” written by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher. It was recorded by the Beach Boys and featured as the first track…
Today’s classic song of the day is my favorite Beatles track and maybe their best track, which is saying a lot given how many great songs this group produced. The song is “A Day in the Life;” never released as a single, it was the concluding track on side two of 1967’s landmark Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.…
Today’s classic early ’70s song of the day is “Gypsy Woman.” It was originally a hit for the Impressions in 1961 and an even bigger hit for Brian Hyland in 1970. Curtis Mayfield wrote “Gypsy Woman” when he was barely a teenager and his group the Impressions released it as a single in October of 1961. The Impressions’ version of…
Frequent readers of this blog know that I occasionally like to highlight obscure 1960s R&B singles that never made it big on the charts but were later somewhat revived by England’s Northern Soul scene. Today’s classic song of the day is one such obscure tune, “Do It” by Pat Powdrill. This track, released in 1966 on the equally obscure Downey…
Today’s classic horn rock (or, if you prefer, jazz-rock) song of the day is “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” by Blood, Sweat & Tears. This was their mainstream breakthrough single; released in March of 1969, it shot all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Blood, Sweat & Tears was formed two years earlier by singer/keyboardist Al…