Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
In 1977 the airwaves were ruled by that accursed dance music known as disco—and what wasn’t four-on-the-floor with a hi-hat upbeat was white breadish soft rock. It was not a great time for popular music. In reaction to the beats and the bland came the fresh sounds of punk rock. Punkers like the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and a young…
Robert John’s “Sad Eyes” is today’s classic song of the day. Released in April of 1979, this soft rock track went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year. “Sad Eyes” was written by Robert John and produced by George Tobin and Mike Piccirillo. Musicians on the track included Bill Neale on guitar, Stewart Levine…
“Temptation Eyes” was one of the last big hits for the Grass Roots, and it’s today’s classic song of the day. The single was released in December of 1970 and, early in 1971, it rose to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Cash Box Top 100. Of all the group’s hits, this one stayed on the…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Puppet Man,” a hit for two different artists a year apart. The song was written by the legendary duo of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield—one of the last tunes the two wrote together before Sedaka moved on to work with other lyricists. The 5th Dimension released their version of “Puppet Man” in March…
Today’s classic song of the day is a very, very lost sweet soul tune from 1974, “Sad Sweet Dreamer” by the group Sweet Sensation. It reached #1 in the UK, #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #17 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Sad Sweet Dreamer” sounds like a Philly Soul track but it’s all British—the group…
Three Dog Night were really big in the late ’60s/early ’70s, bigger than most of us remember. They had 18 top twenty hits between 1969 and 1974, including three number-ones: “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Joy to the World,” and “Black and White.” Not only were they huge on the radio, they sold a ton of albums and were…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Use Ta Be My Girl” by the O’Jays. Released in March of 1978, this fine example of Philadelphia Soul peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “Use Ta Be My Girl” was written and produced by Philly…
Today’s classic song of the day is another stellar track from Steely Dan’s Aja album. Released as a single in November of 1977, “Peg” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the Cash Box Top 100 early in 1978. “Peg,” written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, is about an aspiring actress trying to break into…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day was “The Monkey Time” by Major Lance. Today’s classic song of the day is by another Major, Major Harris. The song is ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait” and it was released in March of 1975. The single went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Cashbox Top 100, and #1 on…