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 for a summer Sunday afternoon is “Groovin’,” by the Young Rascals, later covered by Booker T. and the M.G.’s. It was a big hit for both groups. The first version released was by the group then known as the Young Rascals. They released it in April of 1967, just in time for summer Top 40 radio, and…
In honor of Tina Turner’s passing, today’s classic song of the day is the Wall of Sound classic, “River Deep, Mountain High.” Produced by the legendary Phil Spector for Ike & Tina Turner, this one was released in May of 1966 but only rose to #88 on the Billboard Hot 100. Everybody, Phil Spector included, expected “River Deep, Mountain High”…
Your totally unknown classic Jimmy Webb song of the day is “This Is Where I Came In,” by the Contessas. No point looking it up; it didn’t chart anywhere. Recorded and released in 1965, “This is Where I Came In” was one of the first songs composed by soon-to-be-legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb, and his first time in the studio. It’s…
Your classic song written by Laura Nyro but performed by someone else of the day is “Eli’s Coming,” by Three Dog Night. The band released this one in October of 1969 and it went all the way to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Cory Wells sang lead. As noted, the song wasn’t written by any of the Three Dog…
It’s day number three of horn rock week and today’s classic jazz rock song of the day is “Beginnings” by Chicago, arguably the most popular of the horn rock bands of the late 1960s/early 1970s. This one is from their very first self-titled album when the band still called themselves Chicago Transit Authority. “Beginnings” was first released as a single…
It’s day number two of horn rock week and today’s classic horn rock song of the day is “Spinning Wheel” by Blood, Sweat & Tears. This classic track perfectly blended jazz and rock aesthetics and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart) in July of 1969. It was nominated for three Grammy…
We’re starting off a week of horn rock tunes with your classic horn rock song of the day, “Don’t You Care” by the Buckinghams. This tune, released in March of 1967, didn’t sound like the psychedelic rock and sunshine pop on the charts at the time, which may have helped it cut through the clutter on the airwaves. It spent…
Your classic Sunday song of the day is “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” by the Monkees. It was the group’s fourth big hit (after “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” and “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You”), hitting #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. The Monkees were a big deal when their TV show debuted back in…
Your forgotten soul single of the day is “Please Little Angel” by Doris Troy. The single was released, on the Atlantic Records label, in 1964, but only reached #128 on the Billboard Hot 100. (Which, I know, isn’t technically in the Hot 100.) “Please Little Angel” was written by Doris Troy herself (under her pen name of Doris Payne), along…