Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
On yesterday’s classic song of the day, James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” his friend and fellow songwriter Carole King played piano. That leads us directly to today’s classic song of the day, “Been to Canaan,” on which Ms. King also played piano, in addition to singing and writing it. Released in November of 1972, this one went to #24 on…
Today’s classic song of the day, keeping with our ongoing rain theme, is James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.” Included as the first track on side two of Mr. Taylor’s Sweet Baby James album, the single, released in August of 1970, rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. “Fire and…
Today’s classic song of the day takes us “Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa,” courtesy of Gene Pitney. This song was released in October of 1963 and peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa” was written by the legendary team of Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (words). It was the seventh top twenty hit…
Today’s classic song with Hal Blaine on drums of the day is “(They Long to Be) Close to You” by the Carpenters. This monster track was released in May of 1970 and shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, Billboard Adult Contemporary, and Canadian RPM charts. It won the group a Grammy Award for Best…
In honor of lyricist Toni Stern’s passing, today’s classic songs of the day are “Sweet Seasons” and “It’s Going to Take Some Time.” Ms. Stern wrote the lyrics for both of these tunes and her friend Carole King composed the music. Toni and Carole wrote “Sweet Seasons” for Ms. King’s 1971 album Music, the follow-up to her groundbreaking 1971 album,…
Today’s classic song that packs an emotional punch is one you might not have heard but are going to love. The song is “Emily” by Beth Nielsen Chapman, off her 1990 self-titled debut album. This one knocks me out every time. “Emily” starts out as a song about two old friends catching up after many years apart. That, in itself,…
Today’s classic song that packs an emotional punch is another story song by Harry Chapin, “A Better Place to Be.” This one was a track on his 1972 album, Sniper and Other Love Songs. While the original version of the song was never issued as a single, a live version was released in April of 1976 and peaked at #86…
We continue our look at the year 1971 with one of the biggest hits from one of the year’s biggest albums, “It’s Too Late” by Carole King, from her landmark Tapestry album. Released as a single in April, “It’s Too Late” hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. Billboard ranked “It’s Too Late” and the…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day was “Taxi,” a story song about two old lovers running into each other years later. It follows, then, that today’s classic song of the day is another story song about two old lovers running into each other years later, this time during the holiday season. The song, and you know it, is “Same Old…