Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
By the early ’70s, country singer/songwriter Ray Stevens had made a name for himself with a succession of pretty funny novelty songs, including “Ahab the Arab,” “Harry the Hairy Ape,” and “Gitarzan.” That’s why so many listeners were surprised when he released today’s classic song of the day, “Everything is Beautiful,” which is about as far from a funny novelty…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day, Noel Paul Stookey’s “Wedding Song (There is Love),” was written for a friend’s wedding, and that’s also the case with today’s classic song of the day. This one is a song you might remember, even though you probably haven’t heard it for awhile. The song is “Rings,” a one-hit wonder for a band called…
Today’s classic forgotten folkie love song of the day is “Wedding Song (There is Love)” by Noel Paul Stookey, otherwise known as the “Paul” in Peter, Paul and Mary. Noel wrote this tune for the wedding of bandmate Peter Yarrow to Mary Beth McCarthy (niece of Senator Eugene McCarthy) in 1969 and released it as a single in July of…
“Carefree Highway” by Gordon Lightfoot is today’s classic song of the day. It was the second single from his Sundown album, released in August of 1974, and went all the way to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It hit #1 on the Canadian charts (he’s a native Canadian) and on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. Mr. Lightfoot was inspired to…
Today’s classic song of the day is one where the featured artist didn’t sing lead. The song is “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” by Elvin Bishop, and it was released as a single in February of 1976. This bluesy track did pretty well, peaking at #3 on the both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. Elvin…
“Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me” from singer/songwriter Mac Davis is today’s classic song of the day. Released as a single in July of 1972, this one went all the way to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts. Mac Davis had made his bones as a songwriter, writing tunes like “In the Ghetto,” “Don’t Cry…
Today’s classic song of the day is a wonderful little tune by Stevie Wonder. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was included on Stevie’s Grammy-winning 1972 album, Talking Book, and released as a single in March of 1973. The single went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard Adult Contemporary…
“These Days” is today’s classic song of the day. Written by singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, it was a standout track on Mr. Browne’s 1973 album, For Everyman. It’s a terrific song. Jackson Browne wrote “These Days” in 1965, when he was just 16 years old. It’s a song about loss and regret that grows more poignant with the passing of years:…
I love power pop, and today’s classic song of the day is a near-perfect example of that genre. The song is “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” and it was written and initially recorded by Eric Carmen, formerly of the Raspberries. The song was made into a hit in 1977 by teen idol Shaun Cassidy, little brother of bigger teen idol David.…