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 one of my all-time favorite songs, period. It’s “Year of the Cat,” by Al Stewart, and it is superb. In my mind, there is no more perfect song than “Year of the Cat.” It is melodic with a great chord progression, the arrangement and production (by the legendary Alan Parsons) is stellar, and…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Sultans of Swing” by the band Dire Straits. Released in January of 1979 in the U.S. (May of 1978 in the UK), this track hit #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the UK Singles Chart. “Sultans of Swing” was written by Dire Straits’ frontman and guitarist extraordinaire Mark Knopfler.…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Mr. Bojangles.” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released this song as a single in September of 1970 and it rose to #9 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. “Mr. Bojangles” was written and originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker. The song was inspired by and somewhat documents a…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” by Melanie. Released in March of 1970, this single peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” was written by the singer (full name: Melanie Safka) and recorded with the Edwin Hawkins Singers,…
Today’s classic song of the day is that perennial ear worm, “Come and Get Your Love,” by Redbone. The single was released in January of 1974 and peaked a few months later at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was and remains one of the most infectious tunes of the past fifty years and is one of my personal…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Stoney End,” written by the incredibly talented Laura Nyro and performed by the equally incredibly talented Barbra Streisand. Released in 1971, the single hit #6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It’s a terrific song, as were just about all of Laura Nyro’s songs, and Babs did…
Today’s classic song of the day is the little-remembered but still great “It’s a Cryin’ Shame” by Gayle McCormick. Released in the fall of 1971, this one only hit #44 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did better on the Adult Contemporary chart, going all the way to #9. You may remember it or you may not. “It’s a Cryin’…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” by Chicago. The song was first released on the group’s 1969 debut album (side one, track two) when they were still known as Chicago Transit Authority. (It was actually the first song recorded for that album.) It wasn’t released as a single at the time,…
Today’s classic song of the day is that wonderful one-hit wonder by the Sanford-Townsend Band, “Smoke from a Distant Fire.” This bouncy little single was released in 1977 and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Smoke from a Distant Fire” sounded different from everything else on the radio at the time. It was an uptempo shuffle with lots…
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, which means lots of leftover turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie. In that spirit, today’s classic post-Thanksgiving song of the day is “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & the Techniques. This single was released in March of 1967 and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “Apples, Peaches,…