Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
Today’s classic song of the day is from 1981, the year that MTV launched. “Bette Davis Eyes,” as performed by Kim Carnes, hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 15 and stayed there for nine non-consecutive weeks. The track ended up being a #1 hit in 21 countries and was Billboard’s #1 song for the entire…
Our final classic mid-80s song of the day this week is “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul. This single was released in late November 1988 and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance Singles charts early the next year. Sales were helped by a ton of music video play on MTV. “Straight Up” was written and produced by…
Today’s classic mid-80s song of the day is “I Can’t Wait” by Nu Shooz. This dance floor classic debuted in February 1986 (sort of; we’ll get into details in a moment) and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the Hot Black Singles chart (even though nobody in the group was black), and #1 on the Hot…
Today’s classic mid-80s song of the day is a personal favorite of mine, “Heart and Soul” by the group called T’Pau. This was the group’s first single and track one on side one of their debut album, Bridge of Spies. “Heart and Soul” released in February of 1987 in the UK and went absolutely nowhere. Undeterred, the label released the…
Today’s classic mid-80s song of the day is “What I Am” by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. This was the first single from their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars; released in November of 1988, it peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #4 on the U.S. Alternative Airplay charts.…
Today’s classic mid-80s song of the day is “Luka” by Suzanne Vega. “Luka” was the second single from Ms. Vega’s 1987 album, Solitude Standing, and became her biggest hit. It peaked at #3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and #4 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Luka” is a serious song about a serious subject,…
Today’s classic mid-80s song of the day is by another Brit singer, John Waite. This track, released in June of 1984, peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100 and was a top ten international hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. The single was nominated for a Best Male Pop Performance Grammy…
This week we’re fast forwarding to the mid-1980s and some of my favorite tunes from that period. With that in mind, today’s classic mid-80s song of the day is “Every Time You Go Away” by British singer Paul Young. This was Mr. Young’s biggest hit, climbing all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Adult Contemporary, and…
Today’s classic dance song of the day is “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston. This track, released in 1987, was a huge hit, reaching the #1 position on charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, West Germany, and the UK. Here in the U.S. it hit…