Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
“Pancho and Lefty” is today’s classic song of the day. Written by singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, it’s a story song about a Mexican bandit named Pancho and his pal Lefty, who eventually betrays him to the Federales. Some people think that “Pancho and Lefty” is about real Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Mr. Van Zandt said that wasn’t the case, but…
We turn to the legendary folksinger/poet Bob Dylan for today’s classic song of the day. The song is “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and it became a major hit for the folksinging trio, Peter, Paul and Mary. Bob Dylan wrote “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” in 1962. It’s a breakup song about saying goodbye to an old lover…
“Lay Lady Lay” was Bob Dylan’s fourth and final top ten single, and it’s today’s classic song of the day. Released in July of 1969, “Lay Lady Lay” peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #19 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Bob Dylan included “Lay Lady Lay” on his country-flavored 1969…
Folksinger/songwriter Kate Wolf was born on this date in 1942, and today’s classic song of the day is one of her finest tunes. The song is “Across the Great Divide,” and it’s an introspective tune about the passage of time and having the emotional resilience to keep moving forward. You can hear it in the lyrics: I’ve been walkin’ in…
Here’s a classic song of the day that sounded different from anything else on the charts at the time, “A Little Bitty Tear” by Burl Ives. Released as a single in November of 1961, it rose all the way to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Billboard’s Country Singles chart, and #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. “A…
It’s New Year’s Eve, and once again we’re wondering where the whole year went. That leads us to the perfect classic song of the day for the last day of the year, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” Folksinger Sandy Denny wrote “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” back in 1966. While Ms. Denny recorded a few demos of the…
It’s likely that you haven’t heard today’s classic song of the day, at least not by the guy who wrote it. I know you’ll like it when you listen to it, however. “Morning Song to Sally” is a beautiful and lyrically moving ode to lost love by singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker. He wrote the song in 1968 and released it…
Today’s classic forgotten folkie love song of the day is “Wedding Song (There is Love)” by Noel Paul Stookey, otherwise known as the “Paul” in Peter, Paul and Mary. Noel wrote this tune for the wedding of bandmate Peter Yarrow to Mary Beth McCarthy (niece of Senator Eugene McCarthy) in 1969 and released it as a single in July of…
“Carefree Highway” by Gordon Lightfoot is today’s classic song of the day. It was the second single from his Sundown album, released in August of 1974, and went all the way to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It hit #1 on the Canadian charts (he’s a native Canadian) and on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. Mr. Lightfoot was inspired to…