Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Your forgotten late-60s pop song of the day is “Something in the Air,” by the group called Thunderclap Newman. It was a minor hit during the summer months of 1969, hitting #37 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the UK Singles chart. It’s a dreamy little ditty, all about the revolution being here. (In fact, the song…
Today’s little-known 1980s remake of a little-known 1970s pop song of the day is “Jimmy Loves Maryann” by Josie Cotton. This is a New Wavish remake of the second single from the band Looking Glass, which wasn’t near as big a hit as their previous “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” which was my Classic Song of the Day yesterday. The…
Your everybody-knows-it-and-loves-it early ’70s pop song of the day is “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass. This one is a classic that stood out in a year full of terrific pop hits. The song was released in May of 1972 and went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked it the #12 song…
Your forgotten late-60s soul song of the day is “Can I Change My Mind” by Tyrone Davis. This one was released in November of 1968 and went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot R&B Singles list. It’s a stellar example of Chicago soul in an era otherwise dominated by the masters of Motown in…
Your solo song from a member of the Go-Go’s of the day is “Rush Hour” by Jane Wiedlin. It was from her second solo album, Fur, and was her most successful solo single, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late July of 1988. It got lots of airplay on MTV, as you might imagine. Jane Wieldin was…
Your mostly forgotten horn-rock song of the day is “Pretty Lady,” by the also seemingly forgotten band, Lighthouse. Lighthouse was a Canadian band, kind of like Chicago or BS&T but with strings (two cellos and two violas) added on top of the horns (two trumpets, alto sax, and trombone, just like BS&T). This song was off their 1973 Can You…
Your Burt Bacharach song of the day is “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” It was written for the Bacharach/David musical, Promises, Promises, but made famous in a more radio-friendly version by Dionne Warwick that went to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The version from the Broadway musical is a lot more stripped down than the hit single, originally…
For the very first post in my classic songs blog, I’m not going to highlight a specific song but rather a specific songwriter: Burt Bacharach. Burt passed away this week, aged 94, and he deserves a special mention. Burt Bacharach was a legend, one of my musical heroes, and one of the most talented songwriters of the entire 20th century.…