Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
Today’s classic Motown song of the day is “Walk Away from Love” by David Ruffin. Released in November of 1975, it rose to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “Walk Away from Love” was written by Charles Kipps and produced by Van McCoy. Kipps wrote songs for Faith, Hope and Charity, the Choice Four,…
Today’s classic song of the day is by a legendary Motown group after they left the Motown label. The song is “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got)” and the group is the Four Tops. This single was released on the ABC/Dunhill label in in January of 1973. It proved that the Tops could be successful without Berry Gordy,…
Today’s long-lost classic soul song of the day is “Just Your Fool” by Eddie Whitehead. It’s a catchy little tune that didn’t get much radio play at the time, although it later became a favorite of England’s Northern Soul scene. “Just Your Fool” was released in 1967 on the Cincinnati-based Black Jack label. You’ve probably never heard of either Eddie…
Today’s classic song of the day is “As” by Stevie Wonder, from his legendary Songs in the Key of Life album. Released as a single in October of 1977, “As” peaked at just #36 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts. A few weeks ago I posted Stevie’s “I Wish” as the classic song of the…
Today’s classic ’70s R&B song of the day is “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” by the Main Ingredient. Released in January of 1974, this smooth soul track peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” was written by Bobby Eli, John Freeman, and Vinnie Barrett.…
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…
I love picking out little-known tracks from the 1960s and 1970s and giving them a little wider exposure. That leads us to your totally forgotten classic soul song of the day, “I Wouldn’t Change a Thing About You” by Johnny Wyatt. Released in August of 1963 on Challenge Records, this track was the B-side of a single; a tune called…
Today’s classic song that became an even bigger cover is “Respect.” This tune was an initial hit for Memphis soul legend Otis Redding and an even bigger hit for the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin. Who wrote “Respect” is open for debate. While the song is credited to Otis Redding, he doesn’t appear to be the original creator. The…
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…