Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
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…
Three Dog Night were really big in the late ’60s/early ’70s, bigger than most of us remember. They had 18 top twenty hits between 1969 and 1974, including three number-ones: “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Joy to the World,” and “Black and White.” Not only were they huge on the radio, they sold a ton of albums and were…
Here’s today’s classic song of the day, “My Boy Lollipop.” You probably know it from the 1964 single by Jamaican singer Millie Small, which went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and introduced ska music to the U.S. and the UK. Ms. Small’s version was not the original, however. That honor goes to a then-14 year-old singer named Barbie…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Use Ta Be My Girl” by the O’Jays. Released in March of 1978, this fine example of Philadelphia Soul peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “Use Ta Be My Girl” was written and produced by Philly…
Today’s classic song of the day is one of Tommy James and the Shondells’ biggest hits. “I Think We’re Alone Now” was released as a single in January of 1967 and went all the way to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Cash Box Top 100. “I Think We’re Alone Now” was written by Richie Cordell,…
Today’s classic song of the day is another stellar track from Steely Dan’s Aja album. Released as a single in November of 1977, “Peg” peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the Cash Box Top 100 early in 1978. “Peg,” written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, is about an aspiring actress trying to break into…
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner” is today’s classic song of the day. Released as a single in October of 1969, it peaked in late December of that year at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. (CCR never had a number-one hit, if you can believe that.) Like most CCR tunes, “Down on the Corner” was written by the…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day was “The Monkey Time” by Major Lance. Today’s classic song of the day is by another Major, Major Harris. The song is ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait” and it was released in March of 1975. The single went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Cashbox Top 100, and #1 on…
Today’s classic song of the day is an R&B track from Major Lance, “The Monkey Time.” Released as a single in June of 1963, “The Monkey Time” hit #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “The Monkey Time” was written by Curtis Mayfield, of the Impressions. The record was produced by Carl Davis and released…