Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
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…
We’re on a bit of a power pop kick this week, so today’s classic song of the day is that power pop/New Wave classic, “My Best Friend’s Girl” by the Cars. Released in October of 1978, this pre-MTV wonder only hit #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 (although it did go all the way to #3 in the UK), even…
Today’s classic song of the day is “September Gurls” by Big Star. It’s a near-perfect piece of power pop, influential beyond its limited recognition at the time. Big Star’s Alex Chilton (former lead singer of the Box Tops) wrote “September Gurls” and the group released it on their second album, 1974’s Radio City. It was also released as a single…
Today’s classic song about teenage lust of the day is “Go All the Way” by Raspberries. Released in July of 1972, this was the group’s biggest hit, peaking at #5 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. “Go All the Way” was written by Raspberries’ front man Eric Carmen. It’s a perfect piece of power pop,…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Cruel to Be Kind” by Nick Lowe. Released in August of 1979, it peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, the Cash Box Top 100, and the UK Singles chart. This made it the best-performing U.S. single of Lowe’s long and illustrious career. Lowe wrote this one way back when he was…
Your really dark and twisted song with a bouncy cheery melody of the day is “Marie Provost,” by Nick Lowe. It’s a song about a fading silent movie star who dies all alone, save for her hungry little dachshund. That macabre tale is set to the sunniest, poppiest melody you can imagine, which belies the dark lyrics. If you didn’t…
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…
Your long-lost power pop song of the day is “Whenever You’re On My Mind” by Marshall Crenshaw. Mr. Crenshaw released this one in April of 1983 and it went absolutely nowhere. While it was a hit on college radio at the time, it only hit #103 on the Billboard Hot 100, which technically isn’t actually in the Hot 100. (It…
Your ’90s power pop song of the day is “Til I Hear It From You” by Gin Blossoms. The song appeared on the soundtrack for the 1995 film Empire Records and, released as a single, went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It ended up as…