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 continue our salute to drummer extraordinaire Hal Blaine with today’s classic song of the day, the instrumental hit “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Mr. Albert’s single, released in August of 1965, peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent five weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. It also won…
This week we’re highlighting the work of legendary drummer Hal Blaine and some of the hundreds of hits on which he’s played. We’re starting with today’s classic song of the day, “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes. “Be My Baby” was written by the team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (with additional credit to producer Phil Spector, as was…
In honor of her passing, today’s songs of the day are all by the artist known as Melanie (real name: Melanie Safka). She passed on January 23. Melanie was born on February 3, 1947, in Queens, New York City. She was regarded as a “beatnik” in high school and ran away to California. (She later returned home to her family…
Today’s classic song of the day, like several others this week, mentions the name of a city in its title and lyrics. The song is “El Paso” by Marty Robbins, released in October of 1959. As a single, it hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts early in 1960. That made “El Paso”…
Today’s classic song of the day is one that drew thousands of young people to a particular city in the summer of 1967. We’re talking “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” by Scott McKenzie. Released in May of 1967, just in time to herald the so-called Summer of Love, “San Francisco” peaked at #4 on both…
In honor of Les McCann’s passing earlier this week, today’s classic song of the day is his only mainstream hit, “Compared to What.” The song, recorded live at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival, was released as an album track on Swiss Movement, a live LP by McCann and saxophonist Eddie Harris. “Compared to What” is a protest song written by…
Today’s unjustly forgotten classic soul song of the day is “And the Rains Came” by the Millionaires. This catchy single was released on the Specialty Records label in 1969 and you’ve probably never heard it before. That’s a shame. “And the Rains Came” belongs to that genre now known as Northern Soul. This is a movement, based in England, that…
Today’s classic song of the day is “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.” This song was a hit for the Royalettes in 1965 and Deniece Williams in 1982; it was also featured on Laura Nyro’s 1971 album of covers with Labelle, Gonna Take a Miracle. First things first. “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” was written by Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein, and…
Today’s classic song of the day is “In My Life” by the Beatles. This one was a track from their landmark 1965 album, Rubber Soul; even though it wasn’t released as a single, it seeped into our collective consciousness just the same. “In My Life” is all about coming to grips with the places, friends, and lovers of one’s past.…