Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Our final classic sad song of the day during this week of incredibly sad songs is “Where’ve You Been” by Kathy Mattea. It was released in November of 1989 and rose to #10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart early in 1990. Like yesterday’s classic song of the day, John Prine’s “Hello in There,” “Where’ve You Been”…
Today’s classic sad song of the day is “Tecumseh Valley,” a real tear-jerker written by Townes Van Zandt and best remembered as performed by Nanci Griffith. Townes wrote this one in 1968 and first released it on his For the Sake of the Song album. It was always a staple of his live sets but didn’t get widespread airplay at…
Today’s classic song of the day packs a true emotional punch. I’m talking about “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” originally a hit for Motown artist Jimmy Ruffin in the 1960s, then a hit for Brit singer Paul Young in the 1990s, but perhaps performed best by Joan Osborne with Motown’s Funk Brothers in 2002. It’s such a perfect song that…
Your Memphis-flavored song of the day is “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn. This song, released in 1991, was a career maker and a career highlight for Mr. Cohn, hitting #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #12 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year, losing to Natalie Cole’s duet…
Your second classic instrumental hit this week that you didn’t know had lyrics is “Soulful Strut,” a big hit for a little combo called Young-Holt Unlimited. Released in November of 1968, it went on to hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Rhythm & Blues Singles charts, #2 on the Easy Listening Chart, and #1 in Canada. The song…
Your long-lost folkie love song of the day is “Someday Soon.” It was written by legendary folk singer Ian Tyson (of Ian and Sylvia fame) and originally recorded by Ian and his wife Sylvia in 1964. The better-known recording was made by Judy Collins in 1968; that version went to #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 but had a lasting…
Your classic song with the day of the week in the title of the day is “Friday I’m In Love” by the Cure. This track was released in May of 1992 and hit #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Alternative Airplay chart. It also hit #6 on the UK Singles chart, #4 in Ireland, and #3…
Your feminist anthem of the day is “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks. The song was released in spring of 1997 and rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video received a lot of airplay on what was left of MTV at the time. In its own way, “Bitch” is a spiritual successor to yesterday’s classic song of the day,…
Your ’60s pop tune written for a fake band in a ’90s movie song of the day is “That Thing You Do!” by The Wonders. The Wonders, in case you were wondering, were a one-hit wonder band created for the 1996 movie That Thing You Do! That movie is the best representation of the music business and the joy of…