Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
“It’s My Party” was Lesley Gore’s first big hit, and it’s today’s classic song of the day. Released when she was just 16 years old, in April of 1963, the single hit #1 on all the charts—the Billboard Hot 100, the Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard’s R&B chart. The song was credited to songwriters Herb Weiner, John Gluck Jr.,…
Today’s classic song of the day sounded quite a bit different from everything else on the radio at dawn of the British Invasion. The song is “(Down At) Papa Joe’s” by a group called the Dixiebelles, and it hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released late in 1963. “(Down At) Papa Joe’s” was written by a…
If you remember today’s classic song of the day at all, and you might not, you might think it was a song by the Beach Boys. That’s because it sounds remarkably like the Beach Boys singing a Brian Wilson song, even though it isn’t. The song is “New York’s a Lonely Town” and it’s by a studio group called the…
Kenny Rogers had a pretty decent career before he went solo in the ’70s and became a big-time star. He started out singing with groups in his native Houston during the 1950s then, in 1966, joined the folk group the New Christy Minstrels as a bassist and singer. A year or so later, he and several other Minstrels left that…
The song “Concrete and Clay” is today’s classic song of the day. Released by a group calling themselves Unit 4 + 2 in February of 1965, it was a #1 hit in the UK but peaked at just #28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. (It did hit #9 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart, however.) “Concrete and Clay” was written…
Today’s classic song of the day won Grammy Awards for both Song of the Year and Best Contemporary Song. The song is “Games People Play” by Joe South and it first hit the charts in January of 1969. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, and was a top ten…
In honor of the late Connie Francis, who passed away earlier this week, today’s classic song of the day is one of her biggest hits. “Where the Boys Are,” released as a single in January of 1961, peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Connie Francis was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on December 12, 1937. She appeared on…
Today’s classic song of the day is another piece of sophisticated adult pop from the pens of Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (words), “You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart).” It was a hit for two different artists in successive decades. “You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)” was first recorded by Dionne…
Sandy Posey’s “Single Girl” is today’s classic song of the day. Released in December of 1966 on MGM Records, this single peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 early the next year. “Single Girl” was written by Martha Sharp, who also wrote tunes performed by the likes of Bobby Vee, Eddy Arnold, and Tom Jones. Like Dusty Springfield’s “Wishin’…