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 somewhat-forgotten classic Motown song of the day is “I’ll Try Something New” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Released in April of 1962, this single went to #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on Billboard’s R&B chart—although you don’t hear it much on oldies radio today. “I’ll Try Something New” was written by Smokey Robinson and features…
Today’s classic song of the day was a hit for Neil Sedaka in two different versions in two different decades. The song is “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” and it was written by Mr. Sedaka and his songwriting partner Howard Greenfield. Neil Sedaka released the first version of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” in June of 1962. It…
Today’s classic song of the day is “I Can See Clearly Now,” and it was written, produced, and performed by Johnny Nash. Released in June of 1972, this single hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, as well as the Cash Box Top 100. (It topped the U.S. charts for four weeks straight.) The…
Today’s classic song of the day is that soul stomper from the immortal Jackie Wilson, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.” Released as a single in August of 1967 on Brunswick Records, this one hit #6 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 and reached #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “(Your Love Keeps Lifting…
Today’s classic song of the day is a mid-70s gem by the Climax Blues Band. The song is “Couldn’t Get It Right” and it was released as a single in February of 1977 in the U.S. (October of 1976 in the UK.). The song went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the Cash…
Today’s classic song of the day is another big one in the jazz-rock or horn rock genre. It’s “Go Down Gamblin’” from Blood, Sweat & Tears, the lead single from their BS&T;4 album. BS&T;4 (note the semicolon in the title) was a bit of a departure from Blood, Sweat & Tears’ previous albums, in that it featured more original tunes…
Today’s classic song of the day is Chicago’s “Make Me Smile.” This song was written by Chicago trombonist James Pankow’s seven-part “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” on 1970’s two-disc Chicago II album. It was part one of the suite, later reprised in part seven, “Now More Than Ever.” In fact, the single edit (what most of you know from…
All this week we’ve been looking at songs about different types of men. We end this trip with a song by the Beatles about a “Nowhere Man.” Released as a single in the U.S. in February of 1966, this one went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Cash Box Top 100. While credited to Lennon-McCartney,…
Today’s song about a specific type of man is all about “The Rubberband Man.” The Spinners released this one in August of 1976 and the single went to #3 on the Cash Box Top 100, #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “The Rubberband Man” is a wonderful slice of Philly Soul, written…
Here’s another classic song of the day about another type of man, a “Guitar Man.” This song, released by the group Bread in July of 1972, rose to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Like most (all?) of Bread’s big hits, “Guitar Man” was written, sung,…