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 classic Christmas song of the day is “Frosty the Snowman,” all about that jolly happy soul who came to life one winter’s day. The song was written by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson way back in 1950. Rollins had previously written “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” and other songs, primarily for country artists like Gene Autry, Hank Snow, George…
Today’s classic Christmas song of the day is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” It was written in 1934 by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. The song was first recorded by banjo player Harry Reser and His Orchestra in 1934, but became a huge hit when recorded by Eddie Cantor later that year. Tons of artists have recorded “Santa…
Today’s classic song of the day is one of Phil Spector’s last Wall of Sound productions, “Black Pearl” by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates. Released in April of 1969, the song hit #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #8 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “Black Pearl” was written by Toni Wine and Irwin…
This week we’re highlighting the work of legendary drummer Hal Blaine and some of the hundreds of hits on which he’s played. We’re starting with today’s classic song of the day, “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes. “Be My Baby” was written by the team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (with additional credit to producer Phil Spector, as was…
Today is Christmas Day and our twelfth and final day of twelve days of classic Christmas songs, and what better song for this special day than Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” This Christmas classic, written for the movie Holiday Inn, is the world’s best-selling single of all time, with more than 100 million copies sold to date. The version of “White…
It’s Christmas Eve, the eleventh day of our twelve days of classic Christmas songs, and our classic Christmas song of the day is my very favorite Christmas song of them all, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is a near-perfect track that defines the season for me and features some of the best…
Today is the ninth day of twelve days of classic Christmas songs, and our classic Christmas song of the day is “Sleigh Ride.” This classic was a hit for multiple artists, most notably Johnny Mathis and, in a much more contemporary version, the Ronettes. “Sleigh Ride” was composed by Leroy Anderson (who also wrote “The Syncopated Clock,” which you might…
Today’s classic Girl Group songs of the day are “People Say” and “Chapel of Love,” both by the Dixie Cups. We’ll start with “People Say,” which was released on Red Bird Records in July of 1964. This one peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the R&B Singles chart. Billboard magazine placed “People Say” at #53…
Continuing our appreciation of the late Cynthia Weil, today’s classic song of the day is “Uptown,” by the Crystals. It’s one of the earliest Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil collaborations, released in 1962. It was a hit for Phil Spector’s Philles Records, hitting #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Cash Box Top 100. “Uptown” is a ostensibly a…