Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
“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…
This week is all about songs with a person’s name in the title, and today’s thus-titled classic song of the day is “Michael” by the Highwaymen. You might know it better as “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” and it’s been covered by many artists since its birth as a Black American spiritual way back in the 1860s. (That’s right, the…
Today’s classic song of the day is Joni Mitchell’s ode to a morning in New York, “Chelsea Morning.” This track was included on her 1969 album, Clouds, and has become one of Ms. Mitchell’s most popular songs. On the surface, “Chelsea Morning” is a simple song about youth and joy and the sheer romance of waking up with the right…
Today’s classic rain-themed song of the day is “Don’t Let the Rain Come Down” from the Serendipity Singers. The song released in February of 1964, reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. “Don’t Let the Rain Come Down” is a traditional tune based on the English nursery rhyme, “There Was a Crooked Man.”…
Today’s classic song of the day is a gentle lament from folksinger/songwriter Tom Paxton, “The Last Thing on My Mind”. He first recorded the song for his 1964 album, Ramblin’ Boy, and it later became a top ten country hit for the duo of Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. “The Last Thing on My Mind” is one of Tom Paxton’s…
Today’s classic song of the day was never released as a single, but it should have been. The song is “Heart Like a Wheel” and it was written by Canadian singer/songwriter Anna McGarrigle, recorded by both Anna and her sister Kate and by big-time American singer Linda Ronstadt. “Heart Like a Wheel” is a beautiful song about how wonderful and…
“But I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” That’s one of the best lyrics ever written and a wonderful philosophical rumination of how our views on things change as we age and gain more experience. The line is from the song “My Back Pages,” which Bob Dylan wrote in 1964. Dylan wrote “My Back Pages” in…
In honor of Peter Yarrow’s passing, today’s classic song of the day is one of his most popular compositions, “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” Peter, Paul and Mary released “Puff” as a single in January of 1963 and it went to #2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Middle-Road Singles chart.…
Today’s classic song of the day is more obscure than most, and I expect that many readers of this blog won’t know it. But if you do, you probably love it. The tune is “Hammond Song” by the Roches. The Roches were a new-folk group of three sisters (Maggie, Terre, and Suzzy) out of New Jersey who hit the scene…