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 classic early MTV song of the day, and an unshakable earworm, is “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield. The single was released at the end of March in 1981 but took an agonizing 19 weeks to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the beginning of August. Billboard ended up ranking it as the #5 song for the entire…
Your classic early MTV song of the day today is “Rapture” by Blondie. Like yesterday’s classic song, “Kid,” “Rapture” actually predates the launch of MTV. “Rapture” was included on the group’s 1980 album, Autoamerican, and released as a single in January of 1981. The song got a lot of radio play before the MTV channel launched in August of that…
This week we’re taking a stroll through the early years of MTV and music videos. That means the early ’80s and we’re starting with “Kid” by the Pretenders. This track was released on the band’s self-titled 1979 debut album. It was not released as a single in the U.S. but it was in the UK, where it peaked at #33…
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,…