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 song of the day was a hit for two different R&B artists. The song is “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” and it was written by Betty Nelson, the wife of Ben E. King, and Ahmet Ertegun. (Probably all by Betty; it wasn’t unusual for the producer to take co-songwriting credit back in those days.) The first recording…
Today’s classic song of the day is “Wake Up Everybody” by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, with Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. Released as a single in November of 1975, this tune peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, #15 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “Wake Up Everybody” was…
It’s Valentine’s Day, so today’s classic song of the day is all about falling in love. The song is “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” by the Spinners, released on the Atlantic label in November of 1972. Early the next year, the single peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Cash Box Top100, and #1…
When Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland (AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland, AKA H-D-H) left Motown over a royalty dispute in 1968, they formed their own record label. Actually, they formed two labels, Hot Wax and Invictus. They signed a bunch of new or newish artists to those labels and kept working their magic, turning out hit after hit. One of the…
Stevie Wonder is one of our generation’s great treasures. His string of albums from 1972’s Music of My Mind to 1976’s Songs in the Key of Life is one of the most impressive accomplishments in the history of popular music. Today’s classic song of the day wasn’t part of that historic group of masterpieces, but came just before it. The…
We’re travelling back in time to Philadelphia in the mid-70s for today’s classic song of the day. The song is “Mighty Love” by the Spinners; it was released in December of 1973 and, early the next year, climbed all the way to #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. “Mighty Love” was written…
Today’s classic song of the day is a classic piece of Philly Soul with a lyrical nod to that rock ‘n’ roll music. The song is “Rockin’ Roll Baby” by the Stylistics; released as a single on Avco Records in October of 1973, this track went to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “Rockin’…
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland (AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland, AKA H-D-H) were a songwriting/production team responsible for dozens of huge hits for Motown artists in the ’60s. They left Motown in 1968 after a long-simmering dispute over profit-sharing and royalties. They subsequently moved across town to form their own record labels, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, and nurture a…
Today’s classic song of the day is an obscure soul banger that never gained a foothold on the pop charts but later got rediscovered by England’s Northern Soul scene. The song is “The Right Track” and it was recorded by soul singer Billy Butler. “The Right Track” was written by blues guitarist Johnny Jones and released, in 1966, on Chicago’s…