On this day in 1973, the Neil Diamond live double album “ Hot August Night” peaked on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart at #5 (February 17)
The album is a recording of a Diamond concert on August 24, 1972, one of ten sold-out concerts that Diamond performed that month at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
“Hot August Night” is one of the biggest selling albums of all time in Australia, where it spent 29 weeks at #1 on the album charts during 1973 and 1974.
This makes it equal 5th for the most weeks at #1, tying with Delta Goodrem's 2003 album “Innocent Eyes”.
“Hot August Night” was the number one charting album in Australia for the 1970s, entering the Australian album charts in late 1972 and still charting in the top 20 in 1976.
It was the #1 album of 1973 and the #3 album of 1974. It re-entered the Australian top 10 in 1982, then had another chart run in 1991-92 peaking at #21.
The album also went to #1 in New Zealand, #3 in Canada, and #5 in the US.
Click on the link below to watch his rendition of “Cracklin’ Rosie” forty years later at “Hot August Night III” in 2012:
On this day in 1973, the Lou Reed single “Walk on the Wild Side” debuted at #92 on the Billboard Hot 100 (February 17)
The song from his landmark solo album, “Transformer” was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson and released as a double A-side with another Lou Reed classic: “Perfect Day".
The song’s lyrics were controversial and shocking to many at the time, referencing oral sex, transgender people, drugs, and prostitution, and described the journey to New York City of some of the real people in Lou Reed’s life.
These people were some of Velvet Underground manager and visual pop art icon Andy Warhol’s “superstars” from his New York studio, The Factory, a well-known gathering place that brought together an eclectic bunch of intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, artists, Hollywood celebrities, musicians and wealthy patrons.
It has gone down in rock history as one of Reed’s signature and most recognizable songs, peaking at #10 in the UK, #13 in Ireland, #15 in the Netherlands, #16 in the US, #18 in Canada, and #100 in Australia.
After Lou Reed’s death in 2013, the song charted again around the world, climbing to #13 in France, #7 in Italy, and #21 in Spain.
The baritone saxophone solo played over the fadeout of the song is performed by Ronnie Ross, who had taught David Bowie to play the saxophone during Bowie's childhood.
The famous “and the colored girls go” backing vocals are sung by Thunderthighs, a vocal group that included Dari Lalou, Karen Friedman, and Casey Synge.
The absolutely iconic ascending and descending bass hook was played by the esteemed Herbie Flowers, who by the end of the 1970s had played bass on an estimated 500 hit recordings by the likes of Bowie, Elton John, Melanie, Bryan Ferry, Cat Stevens, George Harrison and Paul McCartney.
He also played bass on “Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds”.
Click on the link below to watch “Walk on the Wild Side”:
On this day in 1984, the Cyndi Lauper LP “She’s So Unusual” debuted on the UK Albums Chart at #51 (February 18)
In 1978, Lauper formed the band Blue Angel, who signed a recording contract with Polydor Records; however, their debut album, “Blue Angel”, was a commercial failure.
The band parted ways after firing their manager, who sued Lauper for $80,000 and forced her into bankruptcy.
Lauper went on to work in retail stores, waitressing, and also singing solo in many New York night clubs, and it was here she caught the eye of David Wolff.
He became her manager and subsequently got her signed to Portrait Records, (a subsidiary of Epic Records), who went on to release this, her debut solo LP.
Lauper co-wrote four songs on “She's So Unusual”, including the hits "Time After Time" and "She Bop".
While recording her hit single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun", Lauper found the original lyrics to be misogynistic, so she rewrote the song as an anthem for young women.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" became a worldwide hit, and her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Time After Time" became her first #1 hit on the chart and experienced similar success worldwide, while the next two singles “She Bop" and "All Through the Night" also peaked in the US Top 5.
This made Cyndi Lauper the first female singer to have four Top 5 singles on the Hot 100 from one album.
“She's So Unusual” is still her best-selling album to date and one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s.
It went on to peak at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed in the chart's Top 40 for a massive 65 weeks.
The album also went to #1 in Canada, #3 in Australia and New Zealand, #4 in Norway, #5 in Japan and Austria, #6 in South Africa, #8 in Switzerland, #14 in Italy, #16 in the UK, and #19 in the Netherlands.
“She’s So Unusual” helped Cyndi win Best New Artist at the 1985 Grammy Awards, and also received nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"), and Song of the Year (for "Time After Time").
“She's So Unusual” was ranked at #184 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2020.
In 2019, the Library of Congress selected “She's So Unusual” for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The iconic front cover of “She's So Unusual” was photographed on Henderson Walk in Coney Island, New York, in front of a closed-down wax museum, in the summer of 1983 by the legendary Annie Leibovitz, with Lauper wearing a vintage red prom-style dress that she purchased at the vintage clothing shop where she used to work, Screaming Mimi's.
She is also seen holding a bouquet of flowers which were purchased from a vendor on the boardwalk at the time of the shoot.
The cover won Janet Perr the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1985.
The video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", featuring professional wrestler Captain Lou Albano, won the inaugural award for Best Female Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, and made Lauper an MTV staple.
Click on the link below to watch “Time After Time”:
On this day in 1979, the Blondie single “Heart of Glass” debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at #84 (February 17)
Debbie Harry said that "Heart of Glass" was, along with "Rapture," the song she was proudest of having written.
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein wrote an early version of "Heart of Glass", called "Once I Had a Love", in 1974–75.
This earlier version was initially recorded as a demo in 1975.
The song had a slower, funkier sound with a basic disco beat. For this reason the band referred to it as "The Disco Song".
Harry recalled “‘Heart of Glass' was one of the first songs Blondie wrote, but it was years before we recorded it properly.
We'd tried it as a ballad, as reggae, but it never quite worked"
Producer Mike Chapman helped crystallize the song from the “Parallel Lines” LP, and turn it into a worldwide hit.
The song with the pulsing synth line driving it on went to #1 in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and was Top 5 in the Netherlands, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Belgium.
The song’s disco stylings displeased many of Blondie’s hard core fans from their early post-punk days, seeing the band as “selling out”.
Interestingly though, despite "Heart of Glass" being known as “the disco song”, it was not a hit in New York City's traditional discothèques such as Studio 54, Xenon and Crisco Disco, and reached only #58 in Billboard's Disco Top 80 chart.
"Heart of Glass" ranked at #66 in the UK's official list of biggest selling singles of all-time, with sales of 1.32 million copies.
It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a recording of "qualitative or historical significance" in 2015.
In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the song #138 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
Click on the link below to watch the clip:
On this day in 1980, the Steve Forbert single “Romeo’s Tune” debuted on the Australian charts at #99 (February 18)
The catchy hit from the LP “Jackrabbit Slim” reached #8 in Canada, #10 in South Africa, #11 in the US, and #13 in Australia.
The distinctive piano lick on "Romeo's Tune" was done by former Elvis Presley pianist Bobby Ogdin, a well-known Nashville session piano player.
Fun fact: Forbert also had a cameo appearance in Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" video, playing her boyfriend.
Click on the link below to watch his classic “Romeo’s Tune” live:
On this day in 1980, The Police single “Walking On The Moon” debuted on the Australian charts at #76 (February 18)
The second single from their second album (“Reggatta de Blanc”) was their second #1 hit in the UK, and also went to #1 in Ireland, #8 in the Netherlands, #9 in Australia and France, #12 in New Zealand, #16 in Belgium, #20 in Spain, and #65 in Canada.
Sting has said that he wrote the song when he was drunk one night after a concert in Munich. The following morning, he remembered the song and wrote it down:
“I was drunk in a hotel room in Munich, slumped on the bed with the whirling pit when this riff came into my head.
I got up and started walking round the room, singing 'Walking round the room, ya, ya, walking round the room'.
That was all.
In the cool light of morning I remembered what had happened and I wrote the riff down.
But 'Walking Round the Room' was a stupid title so I thought of something even more stupid which was 'Walking on the Moon'.”
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1991, Daryl Braithwaite’s single “The Horses” debuted on the Australian charts (February 18)
"The Horses" is a song written by the fabulous Rickie Lee Jones, and Walter Becker from Steely Dan.
It was originally performed by Jones on her 1989 album “Flying Cowboys”.
While not released as a single, the original version did appear in the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire” and was also included on the film's soundtrack.
Daryl’s cover version has gone on to become an absolutely huge song in Australia.
It’s still played everywhere there in pubs, clubs, parties, at karaoke, at major sporting events, more than thirty years later…..and it’s guaranteed to have the crowd all singing along to the chorus with gusto!
In May 2016, while celebrating the 25th anniversary of the song peaking at #1 in Australia, Daryl Braithwaite said:
“I would never have thought that 25 years down the track, 'The Horses' – a song that I heard quite by accident and then recorded, would be liked by so many people for so many different reasons.
And for this I am eternally grateful.
I am sure that Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker could never imagine how endearing the song would and has become."
Margaret Urlich provided the female vocals on the recording but chose not to appear in the music video due to other work commitments.
A model, Gillian Mather, lip-synced Urlich's voice for the music video.
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1991, Divinyls self-titled LP debuted on the Australian charts (February 18)
“Desperate” is the favourite of many Divinyls fans, but this one was the band's most commercially successful, peaking at #5 in Australia and #15 on the US Billboard 200, and featuring their biggest-selling single, "I Touch Myself", which reached #1 in Australia, #4 in the US and #10 in the UK.
Click on the link below to watch “I Touch Myself”:
On this day in 1978, the Blondie single “Denis” debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #50 (February 18)
Blondie’s cover of the 1963 hit “Denise” by American doo-wop group Randy & the Rainbows, used the masculine form of the name in French, with a silent "s".
Debbie Harry sang a verse with partly improvised French lyrics to justify the name and gender change, which was initially going to be cut, but she insisted on keeping it, so the verse stayed.
"Denis" was the only single released in the US from the LP “Plastic Letters” (with "I'm on E" as the B-side) though it never charted.
The song did go all the way to #1 in the Netherlands and Belgium, #2 in the UK (where it was kept off the top spot by Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”), #3 in Ireland, #9 in Germany, #10 in Austria, and #12 in Australia.
Click on the link below to watch:
The album is a recording of a Diamond concert on August 24, 1972, one of ten sold-out concerts that Diamond performed that month at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
“Hot August Night” is one of the biggest selling albums of all time in Australia, where it spent 29 weeks at #1 on the album charts during 1973 and 1974.
This makes it equal 5th for the most weeks at #1, tying with Delta Goodrem's 2003 album “Innocent Eyes”.
“Hot August Night” was the number one charting album in Australia for the 1970s, entering the Australian album charts in late 1972 and still charting in the top 20 in 1976.
It was the #1 album of 1973 and the #3 album of 1974. It re-entered the Australian top 10 in 1982, then had another chart run in 1991-92 peaking at #21.
The album also went to #1 in New Zealand, #3 in Canada, and #5 in the US.
Click on the link below to watch his rendition of “Cracklin’ Rosie” forty years later at “Hot August Night III” in 2012:
On this day in 1973, the Lou Reed single “Walk on the Wild Side” debuted at #92 on the Billboard Hot 100 (February 17)
The song from his landmark solo album, “Transformer” was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson and released as a double A-side with another Lou Reed classic: “Perfect Day".
The song’s lyrics were controversial and shocking to many at the time, referencing oral sex, transgender people, drugs, and prostitution, and described the journey to New York City of some of the real people in Lou Reed’s life.
These people were some of Velvet Underground manager and visual pop art icon Andy Warhol’s “superstars” from his New York studio, The Factory, a well-known gathering place that brought together an eclectic bunch of intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, artists, Hollywood celebrities, musicians and wealthy patrons.
It has gone down in rock history as one of Reed’s signature and most recognizable songs, peaking at #10 in the UK, #13 in Ireland, #15 in the Netherlands, #16 in the US, #18 in Canada, and #100 in Australia.
After Lou Reed’s death in 2013, the song charted again around the world, climbing to #13 in France, #7 in Italy, and #21 in Spain.
The baritone saxophone solo played over the fadeout of the song is performed by Ronnie Ross, who had taught David Bowie to play the saxophone during Bowie's childhood.
The famous “and the colored girls go” backing vocals are sung by Thunderthighs, a vocal group that included Dari Lalou, Karen Friedman, and Casey Synge.
The absolutely iconic ascending and descending bass hook was played by the esteemed Herbie Flowers, who by the end of the 1970s had played bass on an estimated 500 hit recordings by the likes of Bowie, Elton John, Melanie, Bryan Ferry, Cat Stevens, George Harrison and Paul McCartney.
He also played bass on “Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds”.
Click on the link below to watch “Walk on the Wild Side”:
On this day in 1984, the Cyndi Lauper LP “She’s So Unusual” debuted on the UK Albums Chart at #51 (February 18)
In 1978, Lauper formed the band Blue Angel, who signed a recording contract with Polydor Records; however, their debut album, “Blue Angel”, was a commercial failure.
The band parted ways after firing their manager, who sued Lauper for $80,000 and forced her into bankruptcy.
Lauper went on to work in retail stores, waitressing, and also singing solo in many New York night clubs, and it was here she caught the eye of David Wolff.
He became her manager and subsequently got her signed to Portrait Records, (a subsidiary of Epic Records), who went on to release this, her debut solo LP.
Lauper co-wrote four songs on “She's So Unusual”, including the hits "Time After Time" and "She Bop".
While recording her hit single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun", Lauper found the original lyrics to be misogynistic, so she rewrote the song as an anthem for young women.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" became a worldwide hit, and her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Time After Time" became her first #1 hit on the chart and experienced similar success worldwide, while the next two singles “She Bop" and "All Through the Night" also peaked in the US Top 5.
This made Cyndi Lauper the first female singer to have four Top 5 singles on the Hot 100 from one album.
“She's So Unusual” is still her best-selling album to date and one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s.
It went on to peak at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed in the chart's Top 40 for a massive 65 weeks.
The album also went to #1 in Canada, #3 in Australia and New Zealand, #4 in Norway, #5 in Japan and Austria, #6 in South Africa, #8 in Switzerland, #14 in Italy, #16 in the UK, and #19 in the Netherlands.
“She’s So Unusual” helped Cyndi win Best New Artist at the 1985 Grammy Awards, and also received nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"), and Song of the Year (for "Time After Time").
“She's So Unusual” was ranked at #184 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2020.
In 2019, the Library of Congress selected “She's So Unusual” for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The iconic front cover of “She's So Unusual” was photographed on Henderson Walk in Coney Island, New York, in front of a closed-down wax museum, in the summer of 1983 by the legendary Annie Leibovitz, with Lauper wearing a vintage red prom-style dress that she purchased at the vintage clothing shop where she used to work, Screaming Mimi's.
She is also seen holding a bouquet of flowers which were purchased from a vendor on the boardwalk at the time of the shoot.
The cover won Janet Perr the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1985.
The video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", featuring professional wrestler Captain Lou Albano, won the inaugural award for Best Female Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, and made Lauper an MTV staple.
Click on the link below to watch “Time After Time”:
On this day in 1979, the Blondie single “Heart of Glass” debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at #84 (February 17)
Debbie Harry said that "Heart of Glass" was, along with "Rapture," the song she was proudest of having written.
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein wrote an early version of "Heart of Glass", called "Once I Had a Love", in 1974–75.
This earlier version was initially recorded as a demo in 1975.
The song had a slower, funkier sound with a basic disco beat. For this reason the band referred to it as "The Disco Song".
Harry recalled “‘Heart of Glass' was one of the first songs Blondie wrote, but it was years before we recorded it properly.
We'd tried it as a ballad, as reggae, but it never quite worked"
Producer Mike Chapman helped crystallize the song from the “Parallel Lines” LP, and turn it into a worldwide hit.
The song with the pulsing synth line driving it on went to #1 in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and was Top 5 in the Netherlands, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Belgium.
The song’s disco stylings displeased many of Blondie’s hard core fans from their early post-punk days, seeing the band as “selling out”.
Interestingly though, despite "Heart of Glass" being known as “the disco song”, it was not a hit in New York City's traditional discothèques such as Studio 54, Xenon and Crisco Disco, and reached only #58 in Billboard's Disco Top 80 chart.
"Heart of Glass" ranked at #66 in the UK's official list of biggest selling singles of all-time, with sales of 1.32 million copies.
It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a recording of "qualitative or historical significance" in 2015.
In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the song #138 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
Click on the link below to watch the clip:
On this day in 1980, the Steve Forbert single “Romeo’s Tune” debuted on the Australian charts at #99 (February 18)
The catchy hit from the LP “Jackrabbit Slim” reached #8 in Canada, #10 in South Africa, #11 in the US, and #13 in Australia.
The distinctive piano lick on "Romeo's Tune" was done by former Elvis Presley pianist Bobby Ogdin, a well-known Nashville session piano player.
Fun fact: Forbert also had a cameo appearance in Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" video, playing her boyfriend.
Click on the link below to watch his classic “Romeo’s Tune” live:
On this day in 1980, The Police single “Walking On The Moon” debuted on the Australian charts at #76 (February 18)
The second single from their second album (“Reggatta de Blanc”) was their second #1 hit in the UK, and also went to #1 in Ireland, #8 in the Netherlands, #9 in Australia and France, #12 in New Zealand, #16 in Belgium, #20 in Spain, and #65 in Canada.
Sting has said that he wrote the song when he was drunk one night after a concert in Munich. The following morning, he remembered the song and wrote it down:
“I was drunk in a hotel room in Munich, slumped on the bed with the whirling pit when this riff came into my head.
I got up and started walking round the room, singing 'Walking round the room, ya, ya, walking round the room'.
That was all.
In the cool light of morning I remembered what had happened and I wrote the riff down.
But 'Walking Round the Room' was a stupid title so I thought of something even more stupid which was 'Walking on the Moon'.”
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1991, Daryl Braithwaite’s single “The Horses” debuted on the Australian charts (February 18)
"The Horses" is a song written by the fabulous Rickie Lee Jones, and Walter Becker from Steely Dan.
It was originally performed by Jones on her 1989 album “Flying Cowboys”.
While not released as a single, the original version did appear in the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire” and was also included on the film's soundtrack.
Daryl’s cover version has gone on to become an absolutely huge song in Australia.
It’s still played everywhere there in pubs, clubs, parties, at karaoke, at major sporting events, more than thirty years later…..and it’s guaranteed to have the crowd all singing along to the chorus with gusto!
In May 2016, while celebrating the 25th anniversary of the song peaking at #1 in Australia, Daryl Braithwaite said:
“I would never have thought that 25 years down the track, 'The Horses' – a song that I heard quite by accident and then recorded, would be liked by so many people for so many different reasons.
And for this I am eternally grateful.
I am sure that Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker could never imagine how endearing the song would and has become."
Margaret Urlich provided the female vocals on the recording but chose not to appear in the music video due to other work commitments.
A model, Gillian Mather, lip-synced Urlich's voice for the music video.
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1991, Divinyls self-titled LP debuted on the Australian charts (February 18)
“Desperate” is the favourite of many Divinyls fans, but this one was the band's most commercially successful, peaking at #5 in Australia and #15 on the US Billboard 200, and featuring their biggest-selling single, "I Touch Myself", which reached #1 in Australia, #4 in the US and #10 in the UK.
Click on the link below to watch “I Touch Myself”:
On this day in 1978, the Blondie single “Denis” debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #50 (February 18)
Blondie’s cover of the 1963 hit “Denise” by American doo-wop group Randy & the Rainbows, used the masculine form of the name in French, with a silent "s".
Debbie Harry sang a verse with partly improvised French lyrics to justify the name and gender change, which was initially going to be cut, but she insisted on keeping it, so the verse stayed.
"Denis" was the only single released in the US from the LP “Plastic Letters” (with "I'm on E" as the B-side) though it never charted.
The song did go all the way to #1 in the Netherlands and Belgium, #2 in the UK (where it was kept off the top spot by Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”), #3 in Ireland, #9 in Germany, #10 in Austria, and #12 in Australia.
Click on the link below to watch:
