On this day in 1977, Fleetwood Mac released the single “Dreams” (March 24)
Songwriter Stevie Nicks recalled, "I sat down on the bed with my keyboard in front of me.
I found a drum pattern, switched my little cassette player on and wrote 'Dreams' in about 10 minutes.
Right away I liked the fact that I was doing something with a dance beat, because that made it a little unusual for me."
When Nicks played the song to the rest of the group, "They weren't nuts about it. But I said 'Please! Please record this song, at least try it.' Because the way I play things sometimes... you really have to listen."
The band recorded the basic track the following day.
Producer Ken Caillat made an eight bar drum loop of Mick Fleetwood's drumming to create what he called a "deep hypnotic effect".
He also remarked later:
"It’s funny, but when people talk about the classic rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie and they point to this one song, I’m always amused that they’re talking about a drum loop."
The song from the blockbuster “Rumours” LP went on to be Fleetwood Mac’s only US #1, and also went to #1 in Canada, #8 in the Netherlands, #16 in New Zealand, #19 in Australia, #22 in Belgium, #24 in the UK, and #33 in Germany.
In late 2020, the song experienced a widespread resurgence in popularity, and was exposed to a new generation, as a result of a viral TikTok video created by Nathan Apodaca, subsequently re-entering the national music charts in various countries, including the Spotify and Apple Music charts.
“Dreams" was ranked #9 on Rolling Stone's 2021 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Click on the link below to watch this classic live:
Happy Birthday today to the legendary Elton John, who was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in London, England, on this day in 1947 (March 25)
One unique individual, talented piano player, and above all, one of the best showmen and song composers of all time; hugely influential over a career spanning decades.
Half of one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in music history with lyricist Bernie Taupin, they came up with timeless hits like “Candle in the Wind", US #1 single "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", “I'm Still Standing", "Sad Songs (Say So Much)", “Tiny Dancer", "Crocodile Rock", “Honky Cat”, “Don’t Go Breaking my Heart”, “Your Song”, and "Rocket Man".
John is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide.
He has more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including nine #1 singles in the UK and nine in the US, as well as seven consecutive #1 albums in the US.
His 1973 album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and his first “Greatest Hits” compilation are among the official best-selling albums worldwide.
His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", a rewritten version of his 1974 single in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chart single of all time.
According to Billboard in 2019, John is the top solo artist in US chart history (third overall), and the top Adult Contemporary artist of all time.
In 2021, Elton John became the first solo artist with UK Top 10 singles across six decades.
Elton has received five Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards; including for Outstanding Contribution to Music; two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony Award, a Disney Legends Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him 49th on its list of 100 influential musicians of the rock and roll era.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
His life and music career was dramatised in the successful 2019 biopic “Rocketman”.
Click on the link below to watch the classic “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”:
On this day in 1979, The Bee Gees single “Tragedy” went to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (March 24)
Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote this song and "Too Much Heaven" in an afternoon off from making the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie, in which they were starring.
In the same evening, they wrote "Shadow Dancing", which was performed by little bro Andy Gibb (and reached #1 in the US).
In the US, it was the fifth of six consecutive number-ones, tying the record with Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles for most consecutive number-ones in the US.
It also topped the charts in the UK, Canada, Spain France, New Zealand, Ireland, and Italy, and went to #2 in Australia, South Africa, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, #3 in Belgium, #4 in the Netherlands and Norway, and #6 in Sweden.
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1979, the Frank Zappa LP “Sheik Yerbouti” debuted on the Billboard 200 Album Chart at #102 (March 24)
The double album mostly made up of live material recorded in 1977 and 1978, is Zappa's biggest selling album with over 2 million units sold worldwide.
Frank Zappa was never one to shy away from controversy, and this album is no different, with some of his most satirical and controversial lyrics…
“Bobby Brown" was banned from US airplay due to its sexually explicit lyrics; “I Have Been in You" pokes fun at Peter Frampton's 1977 hit "I'm in You" while emphasizing the lyrics’ explicit meaning; and “Dancin' Fool", a Grammy nominee, became a somewhat popular dance song, despite being an actual parody of disco music.
“Sheik Yerbouti” went to #4 in Sweden, #5 in Norway, #6 in Austria, #10 in Germany, #21 in the US and the Netherlands, #32 in the UK, #36 in New Zealand, and #52 in Australia.
Click on the link below to watch “Bobby Brown”:
This week in 1990, Touchstone Pictures released the movie “Pretty Woman”, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts (March 23)
The soundtrack was a ripper, with songs from the likes of Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Roxette, and, of course, The Big O.
It went triple platinum in the US, and went on to sell more than nine million copies worldwide.
The title of the movie was taken from the 1964 Roy Orbison song, which exposed it to a new generation.
The iconic song by the legendary Orbison was a #1 around the world, including the US, the UK and Australia, and got a new lease of life as the title track and theme song of the smash hit movie.
Orbison posthumously won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his live recording of "Oh Pretty Woman" on his HBO television special Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night.
In 1999, the song was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and was named one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 224 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
On May 14, 2008, The Library of Congress selected the song for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Click on the link to watch the song “Pretty Woman”, with scenes from the movie:
On this day in 2004, The Waifs released the EP “Bridal Train” (March 25)
The song is all about the bride trains that ran from Perth to Sydney and Brisbane in 1945 and 1946 to allow Australian war brides to join their husbands in the United States.
The Waifs songwriter Vikki Thorn explained the song:
"Yeah, my grandmother was a war bride, after the Second World War.
She met Bob Cain, he was an American sailor. And they met in Perth, and after a very brief engagement, married and then he was sent away.
She received a telegram at about midnight one night, saying eh pack your things, there’s a train, ah the US Navy is chartering a train to take ah war brides to Sydney, and from Sydney you can board a ship, and we’ll take you to America to be with your husbands, and I just wonder how those women must have felt as they were journeying across their country possibly for the last time you know to go and live in this, in this new place and you know with children, and you know I was…I get a bit emotional still when I sing that song.”
In Australia, the song was ranked #54 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.
The song “Bridal Train” also won first prize in the 'Folk' category, as well as the overall first prize, in the 2006 USA Songwriting Competition.
Although she’s not a war-bride, this is one of my wife’s favourite songs….
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1984, a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal reported to Mr Vernon for weekend detention at Shermer High School (March 24)
“The Breakfast Club”
The John Hughes coming-of-age classic starred Brat Packers Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy.
It’s since transcended cult status, and is probably the quintessential film of its genre, still nostalgically popular almost 40 years later.
Music wise, the film is inexorably linked to the Simple Minds single “Don’t You Forget About Me” which features in the iconic final scene, punctuated by Judd Nelson punching the air with his fist, as the credits roll….
It was released as a single thirteen days later, and surfed the film’s wave of popularity, going all the way to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100…
Click here to watch a clip of “Breakfast Club” scenes to this classic song:
This week in 1985, the Limahl single “The NeverEnding Story” debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at #87 (March 23)
The classic 80s title song from the English version of the 1984 film “The NeverEnding Story” was written and produced by Giorgio Moroder.
The combination of Limahl and Giorgio Moroder proved to be a hugely commercially successful one, as the single was a hit around the world.
It peaked at #1 in Spain, Norway and Sweden, #2 in Italy, South Africa, Germany and Austria, #3 in Denmark, Switzerland and Portugal, #4 in the UK and Ireland, #6 in Australia, #7 in France, and #17 in the US.
The song featured in 2019 in the final episode of the third season of the Netflix series “Stranger Things”, and interest in "The NeverEnding Story" surged; viewership of the original music video had increased by 800% within a few days according to YouTube, while Spotify reported an 825% increase in stream requests for the song, exposing it to a new generation of listeners…
Click on the link below to watch the clip:
This month in 1980, the Elvis Costello LP “Get Happy!!” debuted on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart at #35 (March 22)
It’s a massive album of 20 songs, and like its predecessor “Armed Forces”, was commercially successful, charting at #2 in the UK, and #11 on the US Billboard 200 Album Chart.
It also went #6 in Sweden, #9 in New Zealand, and Top 40 in Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Squeeze guitarist Chris Difford named the album as an inspiration, stating, "Get Happy!! was a big album for me.
I just loved the lyrics. I loved the performances on that record. It’s brilliant."
Costello commented on the album on Radio One, saying:
“We just changed direction completely.
I said, 'Let's just play these songs as if we were a soul band, Booker T and the MGs, so we had a particular time frame in terms of arrangements.
It was based on Stax and Motown around 1965 to 1968, but played by these maniacs who had just been flying around the world for two years, and going nuts."
It was placed at #11 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.
Click on the link below to watch “New Amsterdam”:
On this day in 1977, Emerson, Lake & Palmer released the LP “Works, Vol. 1” (March 25)
An eclectic double album where each of the band members composed and recorded a side, with the fourth side written and performed collectively as ELP.
Side 1 features Keith Emerson's Piano Concerto No. 1, a three-movement work for piano and orchestra.
Emerson performs on a Steinway grand piano with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Mayer, who assisted on the orchestral arrangements.
It’s brilliant…
He said shortly after the album release:
“I've squeezed every ounce of myself into that thing. And I feel very satisfied."
Side 2 is the Greg Lake side, and consists of acoustic ballads, all of which were written by Lake and Peter Sinfield.
Side 3, the Carl Palmer side, includes a remake of "Tank" from the band's self-titled debut album released in 1970, with orchestral accompaniment and minus the drum solo.
“L.A. Nights" features Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh on lead and slide guitar and scat vocals.
Two arrangements of classical pieces are included: Two-Part Invention in D minor, BWV 775 by Johann Sebastian Bach and a piece titled "The Enemy God Dances With the Black Spirits", an excerpt of the 2nd movement of the Scythian Suite by Sergei Prokofiev.
Side 4 features two group performed pieces. What became ELP’s signature song, “Fanfare for the Common Man", is an adaptation of the same-titled piece by American composer Aaron Copland.
The expansive 13 minute epic “Pirates" originated from a piece Emerson had written for a cancelled film version of Frederick Forsyth’s book The Dogs of War, which was adapted into a rollicking tale of a pirate crew on the high seas…
The album peaked at #5 in Italy, #6 in Australia, #9 in the UK, #10 in Germany, #11 in Austria and Norway, #12 in the US, #13 in Japan, and #17 in Canada and the Netherlands.
This is the most well known song off the album live in Montreal:
Songwriter Stevie Nicks recalled, "I sat down on the bed with my keyboard in front of me.
I found a drum pattern, switched my little cassette player on and wrote 'Dreams' in about 10 minutes.
Right away I liked the fact that I was doing something with a dance beat, because that made it a little unusual for me."
When Nicks played the song to the rest of the group, "They weren't nuts about it. But I said 'Please! Please record this song, at least try it.' Because the way I play things sometimes... you really have to listen."
The band recorded the basic track the following day.
Producer Ken Caillat made an eight bar drum loop of Mick Fleetwood's drumming to create what he called a "deep hypnotic effect".
He also remarked later:
"It’s funny, but when people talk about the classic rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie and they point to this one song, I’m always amused that they’re talking about a drum loop."
The song from the blockbuster “Rumours” LP went on to be Fleetwood Mac’s only US #1, and also went to #1 in Canada, #8 in the Netherlands, #16 in New Zealand, #19 in Australia, #22 in Belgium, #24 in the UK, and #33 in Germany.
In late 2020, the song experienced a widespread resurgence in popularity, and was exposed to a new generation, as a result of a viral TikTok video created by Nathan Apodaca, subsequently re-entering the national music charts in various countries, including the Spotify and Apple Music charts.
“Dreams" was ranked #9 on Rolling Stone's 2021 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Click on the link below to watch this classic live:
Happy Birthday today to the legendary Elton John, who was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in London, England, on this day in 1947 (March 25)
One unique individual, talented piano player, and above all, one of the best showmen and song composers of all time; hugely influential over a career spanning decades.
Half of one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in music history with lyricist Bernie Taupin, they came up with timeless hits like “Candle in the Wind", US #1 single "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", “I'm Still Standing", "Sad Songs (Say So Much)", “Tiny Dancer", "Crocodile Rock", “Honky Cat”, “Don’t Go Breaking my Heart”, “Your Song”, and "Rocket Man".
John is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records worldwide.
He has more than fifty Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including nine #1 singles in the UK and nine in the US, as well as seven consecutive #1 albums in the US.
His 1973 album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and his first “Greatest Hits” compilation are among the official best-selling albums worldwide.
His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", a rewritten version of his 1974 single in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chart single of all time.
According to Billboard in 2019, John is the top solo artist in US chart history (third overall), and the top Adult Contemporary artist of all time.
In 2021, Elton John became the first solo artist with UK Top 10 singles across six decades.
Elton has received five Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards; including for Outstanding Contribution to Music; two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony Award, a Disney Legends Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him 49th on its list of 100 influential musicians of the rock and roll era.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
His life and music career was dramatised in the successful 2019 biopic “Rocketman”.
Click on the link below to watch the classic “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”:
On this day in 1979, The Bee Gees single “Tragedy” went to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (March 24)
Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote this song and "Too Much Heaven" in an afternoon off from making the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie, in which they were starring.
In the same evening, they wrote "Shadow Dancing", which was performed by little bro Andy Gibb (and reached #1 in the US).
In the US, it was the fifth of six consecutive number-ones, tying the record with Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles for most consecutive number-ones in the US.
It also topped the charts in the UK, Canada, Spain France, New Zealand, Ireland, and Italy, and went to #2 in Australia, South Africa, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, #3 in Belgium, #4 in the Netherlands and Norway, and #6 in Sweden.
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1979, the Frank Zappa LP “Sheik Yerbouti” debuted on the Billboard 200 Album Chart at #102 (March 24)
The double album mostly made up of live material recorded in 1977 and 1978, is Zappa's biggest selling album with over 2 million units sold worldwide.
Frank Zappa was never one to shy away from controversy, and this album is no different, with some of his most satirical and controversial lyrics…
“Bobby Brown" was banned from US airplay due to its sexually explicit lyrics; “I Have Been in You" pokes fun at Peter Frampton's 1977 hit "I'm in You" while emphasizing the lyrics’ explicit meaning; and “Dancin' Fool", a Grammy nominee, became a somewhat popular dance song, despite being an actual parody of disco music.
“Sheik Yerbouti” went to #4 in Sweden, #5 in Norway, #6 in Austria, #10 in Germany, #21 in the US and the Netherlands, #32 in the UK, #36 in New Zealand, and #52 in Australia.
Click on the link below to watch “Bobby Brown”:
This week in 1990, Touchstone Pictures released the movie “Pretty Woman”, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts (March 23)
The soundtrack was a ripper, with songs from the likes of Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Roxette, and, of course, The Big O.
It went triple platinum in the US, and went on to sell more than nine million copies worldwide.
The title of the movie was taken from the 1964 Roy Orbison song, which exposed it to a new generation.
The iconic song by the legendary Orbison was a #1 around the world, including the US, the UK and Australia, and got a new lease of life as the title track and theme song of the smash hit movie.
Orbison posthumously won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his live recording of "Oh Pretty Woman" on his HBO television special Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night.
In 1999, the song was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and was named one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 224 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
On May 14, 2008, The Library of Congress selected the song for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Click on the link to watch the song “Pretty Woman”, with scenes from the movie:
On this day in 2004, The Waifs released the EP “Bridal Train” (March 25)
The song is all about the bride trains that ran from Perth to Sydney and Brisbane in 1945 and 1946 to allow Australian war brides to join their husbands in the United States.
The Waifs songwriter Vikki Thorn explained the song:
"Yeah, my grandmother was a war bride, after the Second World War.
She met Bob Cain, he was an American sailor. And they met in Perth, and after a very brief engagement, married and then he was sent away.
She received a telegram at about midnight one night, saying eh pack your things, there’s a train, ah the US Navy is chartering a train to take ah war brides to Sydney, and from Sydney you can board a ship, and we’ll take you to America to be with your husbands, and I just wonder how those women must have felt as they were journeying across their country possibly for the last time you know to go and live in this, in this new place and you know with children, and you know I was…I get a bit emotional still when I sing that song.”
In Australia, the song was ranked #54 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.
The song “Bridal Train” also won first prize in the 'Folk' category, as well as the overall first prize, in the 2006 USA Songwriting Competition.
Although she’s not a war-bride, this is one of my wife’s favourite songs….
Click on the link below to watch:
On this day in 1984, a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal reported to Mr Vernon for weekend detention at Shermer High School (March 24)
“The Breakfast Club”
The John Hughes coming-of-age classic starred Brat Packers Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy.
It’s since transcended cult status, and is probably the quintessential film of its genre, still nostalgically popular almost 40 years later.
Music wise, the film is inexorably linked to the Simple Minds single “Don’t You Forget About Me” which features in the iconic final scene, punctuated by Judd Nelson punching the air with his fist, as the credits roll….
It was released as a single thirteen days later, and surfed the film’s wave of popularity, going all the way to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100…
Click here to watch a clip of “Breakfast Club” scenes to this classic song:
This week in 1985, the Limahl single “The NeverEnding Story” debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at #87 (March 23)
The classic 80s title song from the English version of the 1984 film “The NeverEnding Story” was written and produced by Giorgio Moroder.
The combination of Limahl and Giorgio Moroder proved to be a hugely commercially successful one, as the single was a hit around the world.
It peaked at #1 in Spain, Norway and Sweden, #2 in Italy, South Africa, Germany and Austria, #3 in Denmark, Switzerland and Portugal, #4 in the UK and Ireland, #6 in Australia, #7 in France, and #17 in the US.
The song featured in 2019 in the final episode of the third season of the Netflix series “Stranger Things”, and interest in "The NeverEnding Story" surged; viewership of the original music video had increased by 800% within a few days according to YouTube, while Spotify reported an 825% increase in stream requests for the song, exposing it to a new generation of listeners…
Click on the link below to watch the clip:
This month in 1980, the Elvis Costello LP “Get Happy!!” debuted on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart at #35 (March 22)
It’s a massive album of 20 songs, and like its predecessor “Armed Forces”, was commercially successful, charting at #2 in the UK, and #11 on the US Billboard 200 Album Chart.
It also went #6 in Sweden, #9 in New Zealand, and Top 40 in Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Squeeze guitarist Chris Difford named the album as an inspiration, stating, "Get Happy!! was a big album for me.
I just loved the lyrics. I loved the performances on that record. It’s brilliant."
Costello commented on the album on Radio One, saying:
“We just changed direction completely.
I said, 'Let's just play these songs as if we were a soul band, Booker T and the MGs, so we had a particular time frame in terms of arrangements.
It was based on Stax and Motown around 1965 to 1968, but played by these maniacs who had just been flying around the world for two years, and going nuts."
It was placed at #11 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.
Click on the link below to watch “New Amsterdam”:
On this day in 1977, Emerson, Lake & Palmer released the LP “Works, Vol. 1” (March 25)
An eclectic double album where each of the band members composed and recorded a side, with the fourth side written and performed collectively as ELP.
Side 1 features Keith Emerson's Piano Concerto No. 1, a three-movement work for piano and orchestra.
Emerson performs on a Steinway grand piano with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Mayer, who assisted on the orchestral arrangements.
It’s brilliant…
He said shortly after the album release:
“I've squeezed every ounce of myself into that thing. And I feel very satisfied."
Side 2 is the Greg Lake side, and consists of acoustic ballads, all of which were written by Lake and Peter Sinfield.
Side 3, the Carl Palmer side, includes a remake of "Tank" from the band's self-titled debut album released in 1970, with orchestral accompaniment and minus the drum solo.
“L.A. Nights" features Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh on lead and slide guitar and scat vocals.
Two arrangements of classical pieces are included: Two-Part Invention in D minor, BWV 775 by Johann Sebastian Bach and a piece titled "The Enemy God Dances With the Black Spirits", an excerpt of the 2nd movement of the Scythian Suite by Sergei Prokofiev.
Side 4 features two group performed pieces. What became ELP’s signature song, “Fanfare for the Common Man", is an adaptation of the same-titled piece by American composer Aaron Copland.
The expansive 13 minute epic “Pirates" originated from a piece Emerson had written for a cancelled film version of Frederick Forsyth’s book The Dogs of War, which was adapted into a rollicking tale of a pirate crew on the high seas…
The album peaked at #5 in Italy, #6 in Australia, #9 in the UK, #10 in Germany, #11 in Austria and Norway, #12 in the US, #13 in Japan, and #17 in Canada and the Netherlands.
This is the most well known song off the album live in Montreal:
