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’s classic song of the day is one of the very best songs of the 1960s (or any decade), “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. Mr. King wrote it, with a little assist from legendary producers/songwriters Mike Leiber and Jerry Stoller, inspired by/based on the turn-of-the-previous-century gospel hymn of the same name by Charles Albert Tindley. It’s a song…
It’s Christmas Eve, the eleventh day of our twelve days of classic Christmas songs, and our classic Christmas song of the day is my very favorite Christmas song of them all, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is a near-perfect track that defines the season for me and features some of the best…
Today is the ninth day of twelve days of classic Christmas songs, and our classic Christmas song of the day is “Sleigh Ride.” This classic was a hit for multiple artists, most notably Johnny Mathis and, in a much more contemporary version, the Ronettes. “Sleigh Ride” was composed by Leroy Anderson (who also wrote “The Syncopated Clock,” which you might…
For this second day of 12 days of classic Christmas songs, we’re featuring “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams. This tune first appeared on the 1962 Christmas episode of his TV show and was put to vinyl on Mr. Williams’ 1963 album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. It was not released as a single at…
Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, today we’re starting 12 days of classic Christmas songs. Our first classic Christmas song is “Christmas Time is Here” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, from that holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The tune is jazzy and a just a little melancholy. The early- to mid-60s was a golden time for television and for…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Tracks of My Tears.” It was a hit for three different artists across two decades: The Miracles in 1965, Johnny Rivers in 1967, and Linda Ronstadt in 1975. “Tracks of My Tears” was written by Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracles Pete Moore and Marv Tarplin. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #50 on its…
Today’s classic song of the day is from that famous cartoon band, the Archies. “Jingle Jangle” was the group’s (and I use the word “group ” loosely) second-biggest single; released in November of 1969 it peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 early in 1970. “Jingle Jangle” was written by the songwriting team of Andy Kim and the legendary…
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, which means lots of leftover turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie. In that spirit, today’s classic post-Thanksgiving song of the day is “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & the Techniques. This single was released in March of 1967 and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “Apples, Peaches,…
Today is the day before Thanksgiving, so let’s celebrate with a song about the country most of us live in. That makes today’s classic song of the day “America” by Simon & Garfunkel. The song was the third track on side one of the duo’s 1968 album, Bookends. Bookends was Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel’s fourth album. It peaked at…