Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Today’s classic mid-70s song of the day is “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder. It was the lead single from his triumphant Songs in the Key of Life album, released in November of 1976, my first semester at Indiana University. This track hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard Soul Singles charts. It also won…
This week we’re looking at songs that were popular enough in their first go round but really blew up when covered by other artists. With that in mind, today’s classic song and cover of the day is “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” a hit originally for Gladys Knight & the Pips and later for Marvin Gaye. “I Heard It…
Today’s classic song of the day is the Motown classic “Up the Ladder to the Roof” by the Supremes. Released in February of 1970, this track peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #9 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #5 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart. Note that this single is by the Supremes, not by Diana…
You can’t look at the hit songs of 1971 without including that Motown classic, the groundbreaking “What’s Going On” by the legendary Marvin Gaye. “What’s Going On” was the lead track from Mr. Gaye’s 1971 album of the same name; released as a single in January of 1971, it hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Cash…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Tracks of My Tears.” It was a hit for three different artists across two decades: The Miracles in 1965, Johnny Rivers in 1967, and Linda Ronstadt in 1975. “Tracks of My Tears” was written by Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracles Pete Moore and Marv Tarplin. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #50 on its…
Today’s classic song of the day is Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady.” This song was never released as a single in the U.S., although it should have been. It was a standout track (the fourth and final track on side one) on Wonder’s 1973 album, Innervisions. Innervisions was the third of a string of five career-defining albums from Stevie Wonder. The…
Today’s classic Motown song of the day is “Bernadette” by the Four Tops. It was released in February of 1967 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. “Bernadette” was a ground-breaking tune, especially for bass players. Motown legend James Jamerson played bass and showed all the other players out there…
We’ve been doing a few days of rain-themed songs, so let’s keep it going with today’s classic rain song of the day, “I Wish It Would Rain” by the tempting Temptations. Motown released this one on the Gordy Records label in late December of 1967 and it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February and March of…
Today’s classic soul song of the day is “It’s a Shame” by the Spinners. It was their last recording for Motown’s V.I.P. subsidiary and their only Motown hit before they moved over to Atlantic Records and had a bevy of hits there, including “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love?,” “One of a Kind (Love Affair),” “Mighty…