Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
We found out yesterday that songwriter Bobby Hart passed away earlier last week. In his honor, today’s classic song of the day is “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight?” by Mr. Hart and his partner Tommy Boyce, performing as Boyce and Hart. This single, released in December of 1967, shot up the charts early in 1968, reaching #8 on the…
I’ve always thought of today’s classic song of the day as an instrumental, but it really isn’t. “Shotgun” by Junior Walker & the All Stars actually has lyrics, and they’re sung by Junior Walker himself. There’s a story behind that. “Shotgun” wasn’t actually recorded by Junior Walker’s real band. Berry Gordy (who co-produced the track with Lawrence Horn) thought the…
Today’s somewhat forgotten classic song of the day is “Goodbye” by Mary Hopkin. This was Mary’s second hit single; it followed the chart-topping “Those Were the Days,” released the previous year. “Goodbye” was released in March of 1969 and rose all the way to #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. It hit…
Here’s another Motown classic from Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops. Today’s classic song of the day is “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over); it was released in February of 1966 and went to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Like many of the Four Tops’ songs, “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s…
Today’s somewhat obscure classic song of the day comes from a group of siblings called the Paris Sisters. The song is a forgotten Girl Group classic called “My Good Friend.” “My Good Friend” was written by Paris sister Priscilla Paris. The legendary Jack Nitszche, who did a lot of work with producer Phil Spector, did the arrangement and also, with…
In honor of Mark Volman’s passing, today’s classic song of the day is the Turtles’ “She’s My Girl.” Released in October of 1967, this one peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100—even though some radio stations banned the song, thinking the line about morning glories was some sort of drug reference. Mark Volman was born on April 19, 1947,…
“Wives and Lovers,” today’s classic song of the day, may be one of the most sexist songs ever written, but it was of its time. It’s all about what a wife has to do to keep her husband from straying, as you can see in these lyrics: Hey, little girlComb your hair, fix your make-upSoon he will open the doorDon’t…
Today is the first day of September here on planet Earth, so it’s only fitting that today’s classic song of the day is one titled “See You in September.” It’s all about two young lovers separating at the beginning of summer vacation but knowing that they’ll be back together again when summer is over and school begins again in September.…
Perfect for the last Sunday of summer, today’s classic song of the day is “That Sunday, That Summer,” by the great Nat King Cole. Released as a single at the end of August in 1963, this gentle ballad hit #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard’s Middle-Road Singles chart. “That Sunday, That Summer” was written by professional…