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 Motown song of the day comes from one of Motown’s top composers and performers. It’s “The Tears of a Clown” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. This one was initially released on the Miracles’ 1967 album, Make It Happen, but not released as a single. Motown released it as a single in England in 1970, where it rose…
Today’s classic Motown song of the day is “Heat Wave,” which was a hit twice—for Martha and the Vandellas in 1963 and a little over a decade later for Linda Ronstadt. We’ll focus on the original version first, since this is Motown week at the Classic Song of the Day blog. Martha and the Vandellas recorded “Heat Wave” on June…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Please Mr. Postman” by the Marvelettes. It was one of the first big Motown hits, released in August of 1961 on the Tamla label. It went all the way to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard’s Hot R&B Sides charts. If you’ve been following this blog you might have noticed…
In honor of his passing, today’s classic songs of the day are “Margaritaville” and “Come Monday” by the late Jimmy Buffett. I know you know them both. Jimmy Buffett started out in Nashville as a country artist. He released his first album in 1970 and it went absolutely nowhere. He later moved to Key West and evolved from country music…
Today’s classic song of the day was suggested by group member Paula Summerville Davis. It’s the two-part song “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)” by Grand Funk Railroad. “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)” was included on Grand Funk’s 1970 album, Closer to Home. It was a very long track (5:31 for the single, 10 minutes for the album version),…
Your classic forgotten late ’70s pop song of the day is Ian Gomms “Hold On.” This one was released in September of 1979 and rose all the way to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that fall. “Hold On” sounds a little Yacht Rockish, especially with that signature ’70s saxophone break, but Gomm’s background is more British pub rock.…
Today’s little-known classic soul song of the day is “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” originally released by Frank Wilson and most recently covered by the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. Frank Wilson was a songwriter and producer for Motown Records in the ’60s and ’70s. In 1965 he was recruited, along with a handful of others, by Berry Gordy…
Today’s classic song of the day was suggested by old friend Brad Koch. It’s “Thunder Island” by Jay Ferguson, and it hit #9 on the Billboard 100 back in April of 1978. Brad wondered how “Thunder Island” ranked on the old Yacht or Nyacht? list. (That website is no longer active, which saddens us all.) Well, “Thunder Island” isn’t really…
In honor of Robbie Robertson’s passing on August 9, today’s classic song of the day is “The Weight.” Mr. Robertson wrote this and the Band recorded it at A&R Studios in Manhattan in January of 1968. They released it on their legendary Music from Big Pink album, which hit store shelves in August of 1968. “The Weight” was the fifth…