On this day in 1985, the Uncanny X-Men single “50 Years” debuted on the Australian charts (May 20)
The second single from the popular Melbourne band's debut studio album “‘Cos Life Hurts” peaked at #4 on the Kent Music Report, becoming their first Top 5 single.
At the Countdown Australian Music Awards of 1985, which were held in April 1986, Uncanny X-Men were nominated for Most Popular Australian Group, and “50 Years” co-songwriter and lead singer Brian Mannix for Most Popular Male Performer.
Click on the link below to watch:
This week in 1982, the Foreigner single “Juke Box Hero” debuted on the Australian charts at #84 (May 17)
The track written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones was one of the popular songs from their massive 1981 album “4”, but was not a massive chart hit in its own right.
It only went Top 10 in South Africa (#7), and elsewhere went to #24 in Germany, #26 in the US, #39 in Canada, #48 in the UK, and #53 in Australia.
But although the physical 45 sold fewer than 500,000 copies, "Juke Box Hero" has been certified platinum by the RIAA for over a million digital downloads.
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw ranked "Juke Box Hero" as Foreigner's all time greatest song, stating that "for anyone who has ever been on the wrong side of a sold-out concert, "Juke Box Hero" will touch a chord."
The song tells the story of a boy unable to purchase a ticket to a sold-out rock concert. Listening from outside in the rain, inspired by the “one guitar" he has an epiphany, leading him to buy a guitar learning to play it, and becoming a "Juke Box Hero" himself.
He later encounters another fan in the rain outside the stage door at one of his concerts, who reminds him of himself and how it all began…
Mick Jones told Songfacts that the song was inspired by an actual fan who stood waiting outside an arena for about five hours in the rain. Impressed by his dedication, Jones decided to take him in and give him a glimpse of what happens backstage at a concert.
Alternatively, on July 19, 2016, Lou Gramm said on the Brother Wease radio show in Rochester, that the song was about him waiting outside the Rochester War Memorial to see Jimi Hendrix but the show was sold out.
According to Gramm, this is his favorite Foreigner song.
Click on the link below to watch:
Ramones lead singer Joey Ramone was born Jeffrey Ross Hyman in Queens, New York, on this day in 1951 (May 19)
The future US punk icon was a fan of the Beatles, the Who, David Bowie, and the Stooges among other bands, particularly oldies and the Phil Spector-produced "girl groups".
His idol was Keith Moon of the Who.
Hyman took up the drums at 13, and played them throughout his teen years before picking up an acoustic guitar at age 17.
Co-founder of the Ramones, he was originally the band’s drummer, but soon took to the mike and with his towering presence and unique vocal stylings, became a frontman of punk legend...
Despite initially achieving only limited commercial success at the time, the Ramones were one of the pioneers of punk, and one of the most influential bands of all time.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility in 2002, a little over a year after Joey’s death.
In 2011, the Ramones were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and were ranked #26 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
He passed away after a long battle with lymphoma, aged just 49.
His solo album “Don't Worry About Me” was released posthumously in 2002, and features the single "What a Wonderful World", a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard.
MTV News claimed: "With his trademark rose-colored shades, black leather jacket, shoulder-length hair, ripped jeans and alternately snarling and crooning vocals, Joey was the iconic godfather of punk."
Click on the link below to watch “Blitzkrieg Bop”:
On this day in 1979, the Supertramp LP “Breakfast In America” went to #1 on the US Billboard 200 Album Chart (May 19)
Supertramp’s sixth studio album became their biggest-selling one, with more than 4 million copies sold in the US, more than 3 million in France (the fourth ever best-selling album), and more than 20 million worldwide.
It went to #1 in the US, and stayed there for six weeks, also hitting #1 in Norway, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and France, #2 in Sweden and Japan, and #3 in the UK.
The album also won two Grammy Awards.
In Australia,Triple M listeners voted “Breakfast in America” #43 in the "100 Greatest Albums of All Time".
One of the most memorable and instantly recognizable album covers of all time has actress and singer Kate Murtagh dressed as a waitress named "Libby" from a diner, as a Statue of Liberty figure holding up a glass of orange juice on a small plate in one hand (in place of the torch on the Statue), and a foldable restaurant menu in the other hand.
In the background, the New York skyline is made with breakfast utensils, condiments, etc…
The album produced four hit singles: "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger", "Take the Long Way Home" and the title track.
Click on the link below to watch “Goodbye Stranger” live in Paris:
This week in 1980, the Peter Gabriel single “Games Without Frontiers” debuted on the Australian charts at #93 (May 19)
The song from his self-titled LP became Gabriel's first top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #4, and – tied with 1986's "Sledgehammer" – his highest-charting song in the UK.
It also went to #3 in Ireland, #7 in Canada, #44 in Australia, and #48 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Another great track from the creative genius Gabriel, with lyrics that many interpret as anti-war, but definitely along the theme of adults acting like children.
That’s Kate Bush singing the ethereal backup vocals "Jeux Sans Fronteires” (not “She’s so popular” which features in many “mis-heard song lyrics” lists)...
Click on the link below to watch the video:
Bass player, keyboard player, and vocalist, Dusty Hill was born Joe Michael Hill in Houston, Texas, on this day in 1949 (May 19)
Hill was the bass player for legendary rock band ZZ Top for more than 50 years.
He connected first with ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard in Dallas bands Warlocks, the Cellar Dwellers, and American Blues.
Dusty and Beard later moved to Houston, where they joined guitarist-vocalist Billy Gibbons of the Houston psychedelic band Moving Sidewalks, to form ZZ Top.
They went on to have success in the 70s with songs like "La Grange" and "Tush", and then in another career phase became MTV staples in the 80s with tracks like "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs".
ZZ Top went on to release 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide, winning three MTV Video Music Awards, with Dusty Hill one of the three cornerstones of their success.
Hill passed away in his sleep at the age of 72 on 29 July 2021.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of ZZ Top in 2004….
Click on the link below for “Tush”:
On this day in 1975, the Eagles released the single “One of These Nights” (May 19)
The Don Henley/Glenn Frey title track from their LP of the same name, the song became their second single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart after "Best of My Love" and also helped propel the album to the #1 spot.
In a 1975 interview with Phonograph Record, Frey explained: "It's like, puttin' things off... Everybody I'm sure has said, 'One of these nights I'm gonna...' Gonna drive back to that restaurant an' take that waitress in my arms, whatever.
Find that girl, make that money, buy that house. Move to that country. Any of that stuff. Everyone's got his ultimate dream, savin' it for 'someday.' And 'someday' is up to you."
The song also went to #5 in New Zealand and the Netherlands, #8 in Belgium, #13 in Canada, #23 in the UK, and #33 in Australia.
Click on the link below to watch:
The second single from the popular Melbourne band's debut studio album “‘Cos Life Hurts” peaked at #4 on the Kent Music Report, becoming their first Top 5 single.
At the Countdown Australian Music Awards of 1985, which were held in April 1986, Uncanny X-Men were nominated for Most Popular Australian Group, and “50 Years” co-songwriter and lead singer Brian Mannix for Most Popular Male Performer.
Click on the link below to watch:
This week in 1982, the Foreigner single “Juke Box Hero” debuted on the Australian charts at #84 (May 17)
The track written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones was one of the popular songs from their massive 1981 album “4”, but was not a massive chart hit in its own right.
It only went Top 10 in South Africa (#7), and elsewhere went to #24 in Germany, #26 in the US, #39 in Canada, #48 in the UK, and #53 in Australia.
But although the physical 45 sold fewer than 500,000 copies, "Juke Box Hero" has been certified platinum by the RIAA for over a million digital downloads.
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Matt Wardlaw ranked "Juke Box Hero" as Foreigner's all time greatest song, stating that "for anyone who has ever been on the wrong side of a sold-out concert, "Juke Box Hero" will touch a chord."
The song tells the story of a boy unable to purchase a ticket to a sold-out rock concert. Listening from outside in the rain, inspired by the “one guitar" he has an epiphany, leading him to buy a guitar learning to play it, and becoming a "Juke Box Hero" himself.
He later encounters another fan in the rain outside the stage door at one of his concerts, who reminds him of himself and how it all began…
Mick Jones told Songfacts that the song was inspired by an actual fan who stood waiting outside an arena for about five hours in the rain. Impressed by his dedication, Jones decided to take him in and give him a glimpse of what happens backstage at a concert.
Alternatively, on July 19, 2016, Lou Gramm said on the Brother Wease radio show in Rochester, that the song was about him waiting outside the Rochester War Memorial to see Jimi Hendrix but the show was sold out.
According to Gramm, this is his favorite Foreigner song.
Click on the link below to watch:
Ramones lead singer Joey Ramone was born Jeffrey Ross Hyman in Queens, New York, on this day in 1951 (May 19)
The future US punk icon was a fan of the Beatles, the Who, David Bowie, and the Stooges among other bands, particularly oldies and the Phil Spector-produced "girl groups".
His idol was Keith Moon of the Who.
Hyman took up the drums at 13, and played them throughout his teen years before picking up an acoustic guitar at age 17.
Co-founder of the Ramones, he was originally the band’s drummer, but soon took to the mike and with his towering presence and unique vocal stylings, became a frontman of punk legend...
Despite initially achieving only limited commercial success at the time, the Ramones were one of the pioneers of punk, and one of the most influential bands of all time.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility in 2002, a little over a year after Joey’s death.
In 2011, the Ramones were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and were ranked #26 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
He passed away after a long battle with lymphoma, aged just 49.
His solo album “Don't Worry About Me” was released posthumously in 2002, and features the single "What a Wonderful World", a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard.
MTV News claimed: "With his trademark rose-colored shades, black leather jacket, shoulder-length hair, ripped jeans and alternately snarling and crooning vocals, Joey was the iconic godfather of punk."
Click on the link below to watch “Blitzkrieg Bop”:
On this day in 1979, the Supertramp LP “Breakfast In America” went to #1 on the US Billboard 200 Album Chart (May 19)
Supertramp’s sixth studio album became their biggest-selling one, with more than 4 million copies sold in the US, more than 3 million in France (the fourth ever best-selling album), and more than 20 million worldwide.
It went to #1 in the US, and stayed there for six weeks, also hitting #1 in Norway, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and France, #2 in Sweden and Japan, and #3 in the UK.
The album also won two Grammy Awards.
In Australia,Triple M listeners voted “Breakfast in America” #43 in the "100 Greatest Albums of All Time".
One of the most memorable and instantly recognizable album covers of all time has actress and singer Kate Murtagh dressed as a waitress named "Libby" from a diner, as a Statue of Liberty figure holding up a glass of orange juice on a small plate in one hand (in place of the torch on the Statue), and a foldable restaurant menu in the other hand.
In the background, the New York skyline is made with breakfast utensils, condiments, etc…
The album produced four hit singles: "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger", "Take the Long Way Home" and the title track.
Click on the link below to watch “Goodbye Stranger” live in Paris:
This week in 1980, the Peter Gabriel single “Games Without Frontiers” debuted on the Australian charts at #93 (May 19)
The song from his self-titled LP became Gabriel's first top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #4, and – tied with 1986's "Sledgehammer" – his highest-charting song in the UK.
It also went to #3 in Ireland, #7 in Canada, #44 in Australia, and #48 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Another great track from the creative genius Gabriel, with lyrics that many interpret as anti-war, but definitely along the theme of adults acting like children.
That’s Kate Bush singing the ethereal backup vocals "Jeux Sans Fronteires” (not “She’s so popular” which features in many “mis-heard song lyrics” lists)...
Click on the link below to watch the video:
Bass player, keyboard player, and vocalist, Dusty Hill was born Joe Michael Hill in Houston, Texas, on this day in 1949 (May 19)
Hill was the bass player for legendary rock band ZZ Top for more than 50 years.
He connected first with ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard in Dallas bands Warlocks, the Cellar Dwellers, and American Blues.
Dusty and Beard later moved to Houston, where they joined guitarist-vocalist Billy Gibbons of the Houston psychedelic band Moving Sidewalks, to form ZZ Top.
They went on to have success in the 70s with songs like "La Grange" and "Tush", and then in another career phase became MTV staples in the 80s with tracks like "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs".
ZZ Top went on to release 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide, winning three MTV Video Music Awards, with Dusty Hill one of the three cornerstones of their success.
Hill passed away in his sleep at the age of 72 on 29 July 2021.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of ZZ Top in 2004….
Click on the link below for “Tush”:
On this day in 1975, the Eagles released the single “One of These Nights” (May 19)
The Don Henley/Glenn Frey title track from their LP of the same name, the song became their second single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart after "Best of My Love" and also helped propel the album to the #1 spot.
In a 1975 interview with Phonograph Record, Frey explained: "It's like, puttin' things off... Everybody I'm sure has said, 'One of these nights I'm gonna...' Gonna drive back to that restaurant an' take that waitress in my arms, whatever.
Find that girl, make that money, buy that house. Move to that country. Any of that stuff. Everyone's got his ultimate dream, savin' it for 'someday.' And 'someday' is up to you."
The song also went to #5 in New Zealand and the Netherlands, #8 in Belgium, #13 in Canada, #23 in the UK, and #33 in Australia.
Click on the link below to watch:
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