Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
“The Sound of Silence” (originally titled in the plural as “The Sounds of Silence”) is today’s classic song of the day. Written by Paul Simon, performed by Simon and his partner Art Garfunkel, and recorded for Columbia Records, the single was released twice. The first version, a folk-like acoustic recording, was released in October of 1964 and included on the…
Today’s classic song of the day is by the King himself. It’s “A Little Less Conversation” and was not a huge hit when it was released as a single in September of 1968—it stalled at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100. “A Little Less Conversation” was written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange for Elvis Presley to sing in his…
Yesterday’s classic power pop song of the day was “My Best Friend’s Girl” and today’s song is strongly inspired by that and other songs by the Cars. Today’s song is “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne and it sounds like a Cars song had the Cars still been recording songs in the early 2000s, except maybe a little catchier. “Stacy’s…
This week we’re going to examine some slower, sadder songs and we’re starting with Tom Waits’ “Time.” As you’ll see, it has particular relevance to this date in history. Tom Waits wrote and recorded “Time” in 1985. It appeared on his eighth album, Rain Dogs. The song is about… well, who ever knows what a Tom Waits song is about?…
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 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 not-so-old earwig of the day is “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon. Released less than ten years ago, in 2014, it hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2014 and topped both the Alternative Songs and Hot Adult Contemporary charts. There’s good reason why—it’s a great tune, filled with catchy hooks (is that redundant?), a cool…
Your lonely long-distance dating song of the day is “I-95” by Fountains of Wayne. This track was on the group’s 2007 album, Traffic and Weather, and it means a special something to me and anybody else who has ever been involved in a long-distance relationship. When I was dating my wife Sherry, around the time this album was released, she…