Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
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…
Continuing with our socially conscious late ’60s/early ’70s songs by major R&B artists, today’s protest song of the day is “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today)” by the Temptations. This powerful track was recorded on April 12 and 14 in 1970 and released as a single less than a month later, on May 7. It hit #3…
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 almost-forgotten classic song of the day is “For the Love of Him” by Bobbi Martin. Released late in 1969, this single peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart in March of 1970. Bobbi Martin wrote “For the Love of Him” with Henry Jerome, an A&R director at United Artist Records. He…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Early in the Morning” by the British group Vanity Fare. This single was released in June of 1969 and was a top twenty hit worldwide—Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Rhodesia, Switzerland, and the UK. Here in the U.S., the song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the…
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…