Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Your classic song by a Gary, Gerry, or Jerry of the day is “Lady Willpower” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap. This track, released in May of 1968, went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Cash Box Top 100. It was ranked #34 on Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 Singles list for all of 1968,…
Apropos of absolutely nothing, this week we’re featuring classic songs by artists named either Gary, Gerry, or Jerry. (And, yes, that’s a nod to the bumbling character of Garry/Jerry/Larry/Terry Gergich on Parks and Recreation, played by actor Jim O’Heir) So today’s classic song by a Gary, Gerry, or Jerry of the day is “This Diamond Ring” by Gary Lewis &…
Continuing our look at girl singers of the ’60s, we come to one of my favorite singers singing one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite songwriting teams. We’re talking about “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by the divine Dionne Warwick. While “Do You…
Over the past few days we’ve looked at a few British girl singers, including the extremely talented Petula Clark. The biggest of the ’60s Brit girls, however, was arguably Dusty Springfield. Dusty was a phenomenon, racking up fifteen Top 40 hits on the UK charts and ten in the U.S. With that in mind, today’s classic songs (plural) of the…
Yesteday’s classic song of the day was “Girl Don’t Come” by Pye Girl Sandie Shaw. While we’re on a Pye Records kick, let’s go to the biggest Pye Girl of them all, the legendary Petula Clark and her equally legendary hit, “Downtown.” This classic single was released in November of 1964 and hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 early…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Girl Don’t Come” by Sandie Shaw. This one sounds a little like a Burt Bacharach tune, but it isn’t. “Girl Don’t Come” was written not by Burt Bacharach but rather by a chap named Chris Andrews. Like Ms. Shaw, Mr. Andrews was a Brit; he wrote a bunch of songs for a bunch…
Today’s classic ’60s pop song that sounds like a Girl Group but isn’t of the day is “Dream Baby,” by an 18 year-old, not-yet-famous singer named Cher. This one was a flop when it was released but became a Girl Group classic, and deservedly so. “Dream Baby” was written and produced by Cher’s then-husband and singing partner, Sonny Bono. It…
Last week we took a look at the Girl Group sound of the early 1960s, but that sound wasn’t limited to girl groups. There were plenty of solo girl singers who put out records that mirrored that Girl Group sound, and we’re going to listen to some of them this week. Let’s start with a singer named Ellie Greenwich. Music…
Our last classic Girl Group song of the week is also the last Top 10 hit by the Shirelles, perhaps the most popular group of the Girl Group era. “Foolish Little Girl,” released in March of 1963, peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart. “Foolish Little Girl” was written by Helen…