Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Today’s classic song of the day is “I’ll Take You There” by the Staple Singers. Released in February of 1972, this reggae-influenced soul single went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard R&B charts. “I’ll Take You There” was written and produced by Al Bell (under his given name, Alvertis Isbell),…
We end our week of summer-themed songs with today’s classic summer song of the day, “Summer Nights” from the musical Grease. It’s the song that kicks off the musical, both the stage and movie versions, and sets up the whole plot. It’s all about the summer romance between greaser Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Olsson (Sandy Dumbrowski in the…
Still celebrating the songs of summer, today’s classic summer song of the day is “Summertime Blues.” Written by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart, this one was a hit for three different artists—and covered by many more. The first version of “Summertime Blues” was released by Eddie Cochran, the song’s co-writer, in July of 1958. Eddie played all the guitar parts…
It’s a full week of summer songs here at the Classic Song of the Day blog, and today’s classic summer song of the day is the aptly named “Summer” by the band War. “Summer” was written by the entire band—Lonnie Jordan (keyboards), Howard Scott (guitar), Lee Oskar (harmonica), Papa Dee Allen (percussion), Charles Miller (sax), B.B. Dickerson (bass), and Harold…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Do You Know What I Mean” by Lee Michaels. Released in May of 1971, this single went all the way to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Cash Box Top 100. Lee Michaels wrote, produced, and performed “Do You Know What I Mean.” The song is about a guy…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Sara Smile” by Daryl Hall and John Oates. Released as a single in January of 1976, “Sara Smile” became the duo’s first top forty (and top ten) hit in the U.S. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #18 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Misters Hall and Oates wrote “Sara…
This week we’ve been featuring tunes that were hits multiple times for multiple artists. This brings us to our final classic multiple-artist hit of the day, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).” This one was a hit for both Marvin Gaye and Junior Walker in the ’60s and for James Taylor in the ’70s. “How Sweet It…
Today’s classic song that was a hit for multiple artists of the day is that smooth soul classic, “Ooo Baby Baby.” It was first a hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles then, about a dozen years later, for singer Linda Ronstadt. Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracle Pete Moore wrote “Ooo Baby Baby” back in 1965. The Miracles recorded it…
This week we’re highlighting songs that were hits multiple times for multiple artists, and today’s classic multiple-whatever song of the day is “The Loco-Motion.” This one was a hit three times in three different decades—in the ’60s for Little Eva, in the ’70s for Grand Funk Railroad, and in the ’80s for Kylie Minogue. “The Loco-Motion” was written by the…