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 instrumental week here at the old Classic Song of the Day blog, and today’s classic instrumental song of the day is “Telstar” by the Tornados. This instrumental, released in August of 1962, went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a number-one hit in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the…
It wouldn’t be instrumental music week here at the Classic Song of the Day blog without a tune by Memphis’ best, Booker T. & the M.G.’s. So today’s classic instrumental song of the day is “Time is Tight,” one of the group’s biggest hits. Released as a single in February of 1969, “Time is Tight” peaked at #6 on the…
This week we’re focusing on instrumental hits and today’s classic instrumental song of the day is one of the biggest instrumental hits of the ’60s. The tune is “Classical Gas” by Mason Williams, released as a single in April of 1968. This one went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1…
Today’s classic song of the day is by the King himself. It’s “A Little Less Conversation” and was not a huge hit when it was released as a single in September of 1968—it stalled at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100. “A Little Less Conversation” was written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange for Elvis Presley to sing in his…
Today’s classic song of the day is a sophisticated tune by Dionne Warwick called “Reach Out for Me.” The song was written by the legendary team of Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (words), and it’s a killer. Bacharach and David wrote “Reach Out for Me” in 1963 and initially gave it to singer Lou Johnson. Johnson’s version, released in…
Today is April 1st, April Fool’s Day, so it’s only fitting that today’s classic April Fool’s Day song of the day is “Laughing” by the Guess Who. Released as a single in July of 1969, this one went to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart.…
Today’s somewhat-forgotten classic Motown song of the day is “I’ll Try Something New” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Released in April of 1962, this single went to #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on Billboard’s R&B chart—although you don’t hear it much on oldies radio today. “I’ll Try Something New” was written by Smokey Robinson and features…
Today’s classic song of the day was a hit for Neil Sedaka in two different versions in two different decades. The song is “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” and it was written by Mr. Sedaka and his songwriting partner Howard Greenfield. Neil Sedaka released the first version of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” in June of 1962. It…
Today’s classic song of the day is that soul stomper from the immortal Jackie Wilson, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.” Released as a single in August of 1967 on Brunswick Records, this one hit #6 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 and reached #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “(Your Love Keeps Lifting…