Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from yesterday and today
Today’s classic song of the day is one of the top songs of the modern era, period. It’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” written by Carole King (music) and Gerry Goffin (words). It was a hit in 1960 for the girl group the Shirelles, reaching #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100. It was…
On yesterday’s classic song of the day, James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” his friend and fellow songwriter Carole King played piano. That leads us directly to today’s classic song of the day, “Been to Canaan,” on which Ms. King also played piano, in addition to singing and writing it. Released in November of 1972, this one went to #24 on…
In honor of lyricist Toni Stern’s passing, today’s classic songs of the day are “Sweet Seasons” and “It’s Going to Take Some Time.” Ms. Stern wrote the lyrics for both of these tunes and her friend Carole King composed the music. Toni and Carole wrote “Sweet Seasons” for Ms. King’s 1971 album Music, the follow-up to her groundbreaking 1971 album,…
We continue our look at the year 1971 with one of the biggest hits from one of the year’s biggest albums, “It’s Too Late” by Carole King, from her landmark Tapestry album. Released as a single in April, “It’s Too Late” hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. Billboard ranked “It’s Too Late” and the…
Today’s nearly forgotten classic song of the day is “I Can’t Stay Mad at You” by Skeeter Davis. This single was released in August of 1963 and peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Singles chart, and #14 on the Hot Country Singles chart. “I Can’t Stay Mad at You” was written by…
Today’s classic Girl Group song of the day is the rather obscure “Please Don’t Wake Me” by an equally obscure group called the Cinderellas. Released in 1964 on the Dimension label, this one didn’t chart, although it should have; it’s a perfect example of the 1960s Girl Group sound. “Please Don’t Wake Me” was written by Cynthia Weil and Russ…
Today’s classic summer-themed song of the day is “Up on the Roof” by the Drifters. This true classic was released in September of 1962 and hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #4 on the R&B chart) early the next year. Rudy Lewis sang lead on the record, accompanied by fellow Drifters Tommy Evans, Gene Pearson, and Charlie Thomas.…
The last track on side two of Dusty in Memphis is the song “I Can’t Make It Alone.” Like three other songs on the album (“So Much Love,” “Don’t Forget About Me,” and “No Easy Way Down“), this one was written by the legendary Brill Building songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was produced by Jerry Wexler…
We’re still working through the tracks on Dusty Springfield’s legendary Dusty in Memphis album and now we’re on side two, near the end. The song is “No Easy Way Down,” written by the equally legendary team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. This is track 10, the next-to-last track on side two. Like many of the songs on this album,…