Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Your you-thought-it-was-cheesy-but-it’s-really-not power ballad song of the day is “Goodbye to Love” by Carpenters. It was released in June of 1972 and rose to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart. In the Carpenters’ procession of singles, it chronologically followed “It’s Going to Take Some Time” (#12 on the Hot 100) and immediately preceded…
Your forgotten early ’70s song of the day is “Pieces of April” by Three Dog Night. It was released in November of 1972 and peaked early the following year at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. (It scored higher on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, rising all the way to #6.) The song was included on the group’s 1972 album, Seven…
In honor of Mr. Shorter’s passing, here’s your standout Wayne Shorter sax solo on a classic Weather Report song of the day, “A Remark You Made” from 1977’s Heavy Weather album. Mr. Shorter plays a simply gorgeous solo on this tune, complementing Josef Zawinul’s beautiful melody and Jaco Pastorius’ emotive bass lines. It’s a lovely ballad that Mr. Shorter elevates…
Your overlooked ’70s song of the day is “When the Morning Comes,” from Daryl Hall and John Oates’ oft-overlooked album, Abandoned Luncheonette. This album, Hall & Oates’ second, came out in 1973, the fall of my 9th grade year. I listened to it all that year, into the spring and summer of ’74, and beyond. The sound was unique to…
Your mournful ’70’s soul song of the day is Brook Benton’s “Rainy Night in Georgia.” This big hit went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart, and #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the spring of 1970. It was a big comeback for Mr. Benton, who had a string of hits…
Your sappy early ’70s love song of the day is “Precious and Few” by Climax. Released in December of 1971, it rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #1 on the Cashbox Hot 100) in March the following year. The song was written by Walter Nims, the band’s lead guitarist. “Precious and Few” is a powerful song with…
Your everybody-knows-it-and-loves-it early ’70s pop song of the day is “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass. This one is a classic that stood out in a year full of terrific pop hits. The song was released in May of 1972 and went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked it the #12 song…
Your mostly forgotten horn-rock song of the day is “Pretty Lady,” by the also seemingly forgotten band, Lighthouse. Lighthouse was a Canadian band, kind of like Chicago or BS&T but with strings (two cellos and two violas) added on top of the horns (two trumpets, alto sax, and trombone, just like BS&T). This song was off their 1973 Can You…