Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Let’s kick off a week of solo tunes by former Beatles with one of the first out of the gate, John Lennon’s “Instant Karma!” Released in February of 1970, before the Beatles technically broke up, “Instant Karma!” went all the way to #3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, #5 on the UK Singles Chart,…
Sixty-two years ago today, on November 29, 1963, Parlophone Records released the single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to record-buying audiences in the UK. The record had more than a million copies advance ordered and debuted on the British charts at number-two. (Number-one that week was another Beatles tune, “She Loves You.”) It took just two weeks for “I…
Today’s classic songs of the day are both sides of a two-sided single released by the Beatles in February of 1967. The songs are “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane,” and they offer a kind of mirror image view into the songwriters’ youth. “Strawberry Fields Forever” was written by John Lennon (but attributed to Lennon-McCartney, as were all their Beatles-era…
Today’s classic song of the day is a Beatles song that the Beatles didn’t record. The song is “Bad to Me” and it’s one of the first songs written by a Beatle that was given to another artist to record. That artist was Billy J. Kramer, who recorded it with his band the Dakotas. Their single, released in July of…
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,…
In our continuing examination of the four Beatles’ post-Beatles solo careers, today’s classic song of the day is John Lennon’s “Imagine.” This may be the best-known and most popular of all the lads’ solo work, one that has become a bit of an anthem for peace, love, and understanding. John Lennon first started writing “Imagine” back in January of 1969,…
Today is Christmas Eve and we need to spread all the love we can. That’s makes today’s classic song of the day a perfect one—it’s the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love,” which was a global hit back in 1967. John Lennon wrote this one (although, like all their tunes, it was credited to both him and Paul McCartney) for…
Today’s classic Christmas song of the day was written and performed by former Beatle John Lennon, along with his wife, Yoko Ono, and the group of musicians they called the Plastic Ono Band. On this record, the Band consisted of Nicky Hopkins on piano, chimes, and glockenspiel; Teddy Irwin, Hugh McCracken, Chris Osbourne, and Stuart Scharf on various guitars; Klaus…
Today is election day in these barely United States of America, the day that, at least in theory, gives ultimate power to everyday people throughout the country. It’s fitting, then, that today’s classic song of the day is “Power to the People” by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band. John Lennon wrote “Power to the People” and released it…