Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Pretenders was one of the most impressive debut albums I can remember. That album contained a slew of terrific tunes, including “Precious,” “Stop Your Sobbing,” “Kid,” and today’s classic song of the day, “Brass in Pocket.” Written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, “Brass in Pocket” was released in November of 1979 and, early the next year, peaked at #14…
Today’s classic song of the day is a pretty much totally forgotten late-70s power pop tune. It’s “Back of My Hand” by The Jags, and don’t be embarrassed if you’ve never heard it. Described by some as “one of the best records that Elvis Costello didn’t write,” the track very much sounds like an Elvis record from that time period—and…
We go from yesterday’s classic song of the day with old Elvis (Presley) to today’s song with new Elvis (Costello). The song is “Oliver’s Army” and Elvis Costello released it as a single in the UK in February of 1979. It went all the way to #2 on the UK Singles chart and #4 in Ireland—which is fitting, because the…
After yesterday’s “Daydream Believer,” today’s classic dreaming song of the day is “Dreaming” by Blondie. Released in September of 1979, this single peaked at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #20 on the Cash Box Top 100. It peaked higher in the UK, at #2 on the charts. “Dreaming” is, perhaps, Blondie’s most pure New Wave track. It was…
Today’s classic early ’80s song of the day is “She Blinded Me with Science” by Thomas Dolby. This one, released in October of 1982, rose to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart. “She Blinded Me with Science” was written by Mr. Dolby, along with…
Today’s classic early ’80s song of the day is “We Got the Beat” by the Go-Go’s. Released in January of 1982, it went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and established the group as the real deal. “We Got the Beat” was written by Charlotte Caffey, the band’s lead guitarist. It was inspired by the Miracles’ 1965 Motown hit,…
Today’s classic song from the late ’70s of the day is “Heart of Glass” by Blondie. Released in January of 1979, this danceable little number went to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. (Surprisingly for a dance tune, it only hit #58 on Billboard’s Disco chart.) It was also a number-one hit in Australia,…
This week we’re fast forwarding slightly to the late 1970s and very early 1980s and some of the best tracks from that era. With that in mind, today’s classic song of the day is “Stop Your Sobbing” by the Pretenders. Released as a single in January of 1979, this track peaked at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #34…
Today’s classic song of the day is “My Sharona” by the Knack. This perfect little piece of power pop was released in single form in June of 1979 and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks. It also hit #1 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart and in Australia and Canada. Billboard ranked it…