Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
In 1977 the airwaves were ruled by that accursed dance music known as disco—and what wasn’t four-on-the-floor with a hi-hat upbeat was white breadish soft rock. It was not a great time for popular music. In reaction to the beats and the bland came the fresh sounds of punk rock. Punkers like the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and a young…
You probably know the Left Banke from their huge hit, “Walk Away Renee.” It’s a great tune but it wasn’t the group’s only hit. They followed up that one with another single, “Pretty Ballerina,” which is today’s classic song of the day. This baroque pop tune entered the charts in January of 1967 and went to #15 on the Billboard…
Robert John’s “Sad Eyes” is today’s classic song of the day. Released in April of 1979, this soft rock track went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year. “Sad Eyes” was written by Robert John and produced by George Tobin and Mike Piccirillo. Musicians on the track included Bill Neale on guitar, Stewart Levine…
Today’s classic song of the day was the debut single by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap. The song is “Woman, Woman,” and it was released in August of 1967. It did pretty good for a debut single, hitting #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Cash Box Top 100. Before “Woman, Woman” hit the charts, singer…
“Temptation Eyes” was one of the last big hits for the Grass Roots, and it’s today’s classic song of the day. The single was released in December of 1970 and, early in 1971, it rose to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Cash Box Top 100. Of all the group’s hits, this one stayed on the…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day was the 5th Dimension’s recording of “Puppet Man.” Sticking with the puppet theme, today’s classic song of the day is “I’m Your Puppet” by James & Bobby Purify. Released in September of 1966, the single went to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B chart. It was also nominated for…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Puppet Man,” a hit for two different artists a year apart. The song was written by the legendary duo of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield—one of the last tunes the two wrote together before Sedaka moved on to work with other lyricists. The 5th Dimension released their version of “Puppet Man” in March…
Today’s classic song of the day is a very, very lost sweet soul tune from 1974, “Sad Sweet Dreamer” by the group Sweet Sensation. It reached #1 in the UK, #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #17 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Sad Sweet Dreamer” sounds like a Philly Soul track but it’s all British—the group…
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller helped create the type of rock and pop music that has ruled the airwaves for the past 70 years. Either as songwriters or producers (and often both), they infused black rhythm and blues with lush orchestration, radio-friendly production, and a general polish that music pre-Leiber and Stoller didn’t possess. Today’s classic song of the day,…
A reviewer for Rolling Stone magazine called Spirit’s “I Got a Line On You” “the near definitive rock single.” I can’t argue with that. Released in October of 1968, today’s hard-rockin’ classic song of the day took almost six months to reach its peak of #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of 1969. “I Got a Line On…