Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
For this sixth of twelve days of classic Christmas songs, our classic Christmas song of the day is “This Christmas” by soul legend Donny Hathaway. Mr. Hathaway wrote (with Nadine McKinnor) and recorded this one back in 1970 but it didn’t do much of anything at the time. It really got big in 1991 when it was included on Atco…
For the fifth of our twelve days of classic Christmas songs we have “Merry Christmas Darling” by the Carpenters. It’s a wistful little tune just perfect for Karen Carpenter’s silky smooth voice. I was in seventh grade when this single came out and I thought the Carpenters were as boring as white bread. I was wrong. “Merry Christmas Darling” has…
Today is the fourth day of 12 days of classic Christmas songs and our classic Christmas song of the day is “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” a charity single released by a collection of British and Irish musicians collectively known as Band-Aid. This is the rare example of a Christmas song written and performed not just for the holidays but…
Today is the third day of 12 classic Christmas songs and our classic Christmas song of the day is “The Christmas Song,” as performed by Nat King Cole. According to performing rights organization BMI, it’s the most-performed Christmas song of all time. Nat King Cole recorded “The Christmas Song” four different times. The first was in June of 1946, with…
For this second day of 12 days of classic Christmas songs, we’re featuring “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams. This tune first appeared on the 1962 Christmas episode of his TV show and was put to vinyl on Mr. Williams’ 1963 album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. It was not released as a single at…
Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, today we’re starting 12 days of classic Christmas songs. Our first classic Christmas song is “Christmas Time is Here” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, from that holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The tune is jazzy and a just a little melancholy. The early- to mid-60s was a golden time for television and for…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Levon” by Elton John. Like all the best Elton John songs, this one was written by Elton (music) and his long-time collaborator, Bernie Taupin (words). “Levon” was the second track on side one of Elton’s 1971 album, Madman Across the Water and was released as a single in November of that year. It…
Today’s classic long-forgotten until you hear it again song of the day is “Shake It” by Ian Matthews. Mr. Matthews released this one in late 1978 and it peaked, early in 1979, at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Shake It” was written by Terence Boylan in 1977 and released on his…
Today’s classic song of the day for this crazy Monday morning is “Manic Monday” by the Bangles. Released in January of 1986, this was the group’s first big hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a Top Five hit all around the world, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, West Germany,…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Tracks of My Tears.” It was a hit for three different artists across two decades: The Miracles in 1965, Johnny Rivers in 1967, and Linda Ronstadt in 1975. “Tracks of My Tears” was written by Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracles Pete Moore and Marv Tarplin. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #50 on its…