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 that packs an emotional punch is “Hearts of Stone” by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Never released as a single, this song was included on side two of the Jukes’ album of the same name, released in 1978. It’s a killer. “Hearts of Stone” is a breakup song—actually, a post-breakup song. The singer has moved on…
Today’s classic song that packs an emotional punch is another story song by Harry Chapin, “A Better Place to Be.” This one was a track on his 1972 album, Sniper and Other Love Songs. While the original version of the song was never issued as a single, a live version was released in April of 1976 and peaked at #86…
Today’s classic song of the day that packs an emotional punch is Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son”—although I admit it packs a different kind of punch now than it did when I first heard it fifty or so years ago. “Father and Son” was the next-to-last track on side two of Mr. Stevens’ album, Tea for the Tillerman. That album,…
This week we’re going to look at songs that pack a real emotional punch, starting with Elvis Presley’s “Kentucky Rain.” This is a powerful song given a powerful performance by the King and it hits you in the gut every time you hear it. Elvis recorded “Kentucky Rain” on February 19, 1969. It was one of several powerful songs recorded…
We’re apparently on a short run of tunes about cities, so for today’s classic song of the day we point the Wayback Machine to New York City in the late ’70s with the song “Native New Yorker” by the group Odyssey. This disco track was released in November of 1977 and, while it only hit #21 on the Billboard Hot…
Our final classic song of the day from 1971 this week is “Want Ads” by the group Honey Cone. This track, released in March of 1971, hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Soul Singles charts. Billboard ranked it as the #13 song for the entire year. “Want Ads” was written by Greg Perry, Barney Perkins,…
Today’s classic 1971 song of the day is “Signs” by a Canadian group called Five Man Electrical Band. Released in May of 1971, the single hit #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Signs” is one of those early ’70s hippie songs about a bunch of long hairs traveling around the country and observing life around them. In this case, songwriter…
Still looking at some of the top tunes of 1971, we come to today’s classic song of the day, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” by Paul & Linda McCartney. Apple Records released this single on August 2nd of 1971 and it went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 just a month later. Billboard ranked it the #22 song…
You can’t look at the hit songs of 1971 without including that Motown classic, the groundbreaking “What’s Going On” by the legendary Marvin Gaye. “What’s Going On” was the lead track from Mr. Gaye’s 1971 album of the same name; released as a single in January of 1971, it hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Cash…