Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
On this, the 21st of September, it’s only fitting that our classic song of the day is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. It’s right there in the lyric: Do you rememberThe 21st night of September?Love was changin’ the minds of pretendersWhile chasin’ the clouds away Or maybe you remember the nonsense lyrics in the chorus, all those “Ba-du-das?” Co-songwriter…
Today’s classic soul song of the day is “It’s a Shame” by the Spinners. It was their last recording for Motown’s V.I.P. subsidiary and their only Motown hit before they moved over to Atlantic Records and had a bevy of hits there, including “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love?,” “One of a Kind (Love Affair),” “Mighty…
Today’s classic song of the day is one most of you might not know, but it’s a good one. The song is “Popsicle Toes” by Michael Franks, off his album The Art of Tea. “Popsicle Toes” was released in August of 1976 and got all the way to #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was somewhat of an accomplishment…
Today’s classic guilty pleasure song of the day is “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes. This frothy ode to infidelity was released in September of 1979 and hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of December 22, making it the final number-one song of the ’70s. “Escape” is probably the most appealing song about adultery this…
Today’s classic sad song of the day is a real tear jerker, one of the first important songs from fabled songwriter John Prine. “Hello in There” was track number three on side one of his first solo album, the self-titled 1971 album, John Prine. That album included several songs that both established Mr. Prine’s career and became instant classics that…
Today’s classic sad song of the day is “San Francisco Mabel Joy,” by Mickey Newbury. Like “Tecumseh Valley,” yesterday’s classic song of the day, “San Francisco Mabel Joy” is a folk song that tells a story—a sad story, indeed. “San Francisco Mabel Joy” really isn’t about the character in the title, although she’s in the song. No, this one is…
Today’s classic sad song of the day is “Long Long Time,” one of Linda Ronstadt’s first solo hits. The single was released in June of 1970 and rose to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #20 on the Easy Listening chart. Mr. Ronstadt’s performance was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance. (She lost to Dionne…
This week we’re featuring particularly sad songs, and today’s classic sad song of the day is “Hasten Down the Wind” by Warren Zevon, later covered by Linda Ronstadt. It’s hard to believe this song is close to fifty years old or that Warren’s been gone twenty years now. “Hasten Down the Wind” tells the story, in the third person, of…
This is the last day of Motown week here at the classic song of the day blog, and our final classic Motown song of the day is “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” a song great enough to be a hit for two different Motown artists within the span of three years. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was first released by…