Category Soul

“Deeper and Deeper” (Freda Payne)

Deeper and Deeper, Freda Payne

I’m betting that you know the singer behind today’s classic song of the day, Freda Payne, but probably don’t remember the song. The song is “Deeper and Deeper” and it’s pretty much forgotten today—which is a shame, because it’s a damned fine piece of music. Freda Payne released “Deeper and Deeper” on Invictus Records in September of 1970. It only…

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“Floy Joy” (The Supremes)

Floy Joy, Supremes

“Floy Joy” was the Supremes’ last top twenty hit and it’s today’s classic song of the day. Released as a single in December of 1971, it hit, early in 1972, #16 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B chart. In many ways, “Floy Joy” was a return to classic form for…

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“Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” (Ben E. King/Aretha Franklin)

Don't Play That Song, Aretha Franklin

Today’s classic song of the day was a hit for two different R&B artists. The song is “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” and it was written by Betty Nelson, the wife of Ben E. King, and Ahmet Ertegun. (Probably all by Betty; it wasn’t unusual for the producer to take co-songwriting credit back in those days.) The first recording…

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