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 song of the day is “Do You Believe in Magic” by the Lovin’ Spoonful. It was the group’s first single, released in July of 1965; it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the Cash Box Top 100. The song’s magic is the music. As the lyrics say: If you believe in magic, come…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Like to Get to Know You” by Spanky and Our Gang. This single, released in March of 1968, went to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on the Cash Box Top 100, but has become a well-deserved staple of oldies radio. “Like to Get to Know You” was written by Stuart…
Today’s classic song of the day is “If She Knew What She Wants” by the Bangles. Released as a single in April of 1986, this track peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #28 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #24 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. “If She Knew What She Wants” was written by Jules Shear and…
Today’s classic song of the day is “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. Released as a single in August of 1986, this track hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. Over time, it became an anthem for the gay community. “True Colors” was written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who also wrote “I Drove…
Today’s classic song of the day may be the best song ever written. (Or maybe the second-best; I vacillate between this one and Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman,” which I’ll feature next week.) The song is “God Only Knows,” written by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher. It was recorded by the Beach Boys and featured as the first track…
Today’s classic song of the day is my favorite Beatles track and maybe their best track, which is saying a lot given how many great songs this group produced. The song is “A Day in the Life;” never released as a single, it was the concluding track on side two of 1967’s landmark Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.…
This week’s final classic early ’70s song of the day is “Oh Babe, What Would You Say?” by Hurricane Smith. This one-hit wonder was released in July of 1972 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and #1 on the Cash Box Top 100. It also hit #4 on the UK chart.…
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…
Today’s classic early ’70s one-hit wonder song of the day is “Go Back” by Crabby Appleton. This single, released in April of 1970, peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100. Critics have described “Go Back” as proto power pop with a psychedelic twinge. Okay, that’s not wrong. The song was written by the band’s singer, Michael Fennelly. It was…
Top forty radio in the early 1970s was host to a slew of one-hit wonders. Case in point, today’s classic early ’70s song of the day, “Sweet Mary” by a group called Wadsworth Mansion. The single, released in October of 1970, peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Cash Box Top 100. The song was…