Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Today’s classic early ’70s song of the day is “Gypsy Woman.” It was originally a hit for the Impressions in 1961 and an even bigger hit for Brian Hyland in 1970. Curtis Mayfield wrote “Gypsy Woman” when he was barely a teenager and his group the Impressions released it as a single in October of 1961. The Impressions’ version of…
Frequent readers of this blog know that I occasionally like to highlight obscure 1960s R&B singles that never made it big on the charts but were later somewhat revived by England’s Northern Soul scene. Today’s classic song of the day is one such obscure tune, “Do It” by Pat Powdrill. This track, released in 1966 on the equally obscure Downey…
All this week we’ve been looking at socially relevant songs from the late ’60s/early ’70s by prominent soul artists. So far all the tracks have been by Motown or Motown-adjacent (Freda Payne, with “Bring the Boys Home“) artists. Today we step away from the Motor City and venture to the recording studios of the West Coast with Bobby Womack and…
Today’s socially conscious track by a legendary soul singer is “Living for the City” by Stevie Wonder. Released as a single in November of 1973, it went all the way to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “Living for the City” was the third track on side one of Stevie’s 1973 album,…
Today’s socially relevant classic song of the day by an R&B legend is “Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye. Released in June of 1971, it hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 (for two weeks) on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. “Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)”…
Today’s classic song of the day is one of the first socially conscious tunes of the late ’60s by a major R&B artist. The song is “Love Child” and it was recorded and released by Diana Ross & the Supremes in September of 1968. The single was a global smash, hitting #1 in Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and, in…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day was Edwin Starr’s “War.” Continuing the anti-war theme, today’s socially conscious classic song of the day by a top R&B artist is “Bring the Boys Home” by Freda Payne. This powerful protest song was released in May of 1971 and peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on Billboard’s Best Selling…
This week we’re featuring socially conscious songs from the turbulent late ’60s/early ’70s from Motown and other R&B artists. We start with one of the most memorable protest songs of that or any era, “War” by Motown artist Edwin Starr. “War,” an obvious anti-Vietnam War protest song (“War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin’!”) was written by legendary Motown…
Today’s classic song of the day is “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding. Released in January of 1968, this classic track went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard’s Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles charts. It’s become Mr. Redding’s signature song, even though it was released posthumously. Otis Redding, a Memphis…