Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Still honoring songwriter Bobby Hart, who passed away last week, today’s classic song of the day is one of his most popular tunes, “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees. Released as a single in August of 1966, this track went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 “Last Train to Clarksville” was written by Bobby Hart…
We found out yesterday that songwriter Bobby Hart passed away earlier last week. In his honor, today’s classic song of the day is “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight?” by Mr. Hart and his partner Tommy Boyce, performing as Boyce and Hart. This single, released in December of 1967, shot up the charts early in 1968, reaching #8 on the…
In honor of Tom Shipley, who passed away last month, and Mike Brewer, who passed away late last year, today’s classic song of the day is their biggest hit, “One Toke Over the Line.” The single, billed to Brewer & Shipley, was released in March of 1971 and went all the way to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100—and #8…
I’ve always thought of today’s classic song of the day as an instrumental, but it really isn’t. “Shotgun” by Junior Walker & the All Stars actually has lyrics, and they’re sung by Junior Walker himself. There’s a story behind that. “Shotgun” wasn’t actually recorded by Junior Walker’s real band. Berry Gordy (who co-produced the track with Lawrence Horn) thought the…
No doubt due to their direct connection to the Beatles, the band that influenced the whole genre of power pop, Badfinger is known as one of the foremost power pop bands of the late ’60s/early ’70s. Today’s classic song of the day, “Day After Day,” is one of their best. Released as a single on the Apple Records label in…
Today’s somewhat forgotten classic song of the day is “Goodbye” by Mary Hopkin. This was Mary’s second hit single; it followed the chart-topping “Those Were the Days,” released the previous year. “Goodbye” was released in March of 1969 and rose all the way to #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. It hit…
Today’s classic song of the day was Paul McCartney’s first solo single after leaving the Beatles in 1970. Released on Apple Records in February of 1971, “Another Day” peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 in McCartney’s native England. It went all the way to #1 in Australia, Ireland, and Spain. McCartney began writing “Another Day” during…
Here’s another Motown classic from Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops. Today’s classic song of the day is “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over); it was released in February of 1966 and went to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Like many of the Four Tops’ songs, “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s…
Today’s classic song of the day is that funky little dance track, “Boogie Wonderland,” released in April of 1979. Performed by Earth, Wind & Fire along with the female vocal trio the Emotions, this single peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Cash Box Top 100, #2 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, and #14 on…
Today’s somewhat obscure classic song of the day comes from a group of siblings called the Paris Sisters. The song is a forgotten Girl Group classic called “My Good Friend.” “My Good Friend” was written by Paris sister Priscilla Paris. The legendary Jack Nitszche, who did a lot of work with producer Phil Spector, did the arrangement and also, with…