The number one British single today in 1958 was a cover of a song written in 1923:
The number one British album today in 1963 was the Beatles’ “Please Please Me,” which was number one for 30 weeks:
No comments on Presty the DJ for May 11
Category: Music
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You may remember a couple weeks ago I noted the first known meeting of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Today in 1963, upon the advice of George Harrison, Decca Records signed the Rolling Stones to a contract.
Four years to the day later, Stones Keith Richard, Mick Jagger and Brian Jones celebrated by … getting arrested for drug possession.
I noted the 54th anniversary May 2 of WLS in Chicago going to Top 40. Today in 1982, WABC in New York (also owned by ABC, as one could conclude from their call letters) played its last record, which was …
Four years later, the number one song in America was, well, inspired by, though not based on, a popular movie of the day:
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The number one single today in 1964 was performed by the oldest number one artist to date:
The number one single today in 1970:
The number one British single today in 1981:
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Today in 1954, the BBC banned Johnny Ray’s “Such a Night” after complaints about its “suggestiveness.”
The Brits had yet to see Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis.
The number one British single today in 1955:
Today in 1965, what would now be called a “video” was shot in London:
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The number one single today in 1966 was presumably played on the radio on days other than Mondays:
Today is the anniversary of the last Beatles U.S. single release, “Long and Winding Road” (the theme music of the Schenk Middle School eighth-grade Dessert Dance about this time in 1979):
The number one album today in 1977 was the Eagles’ “Hotel California”:
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The number one British album today in 1972 was a Tyrannosaurus Rex double album, the complete title of which is “My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair … But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows”/”Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages.” Really.
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Yesterday was 5/4 Day, which brings up the subject of songs with unusual time signatures, for those musically inclined.
Wikipedia has (surprise!) an exhaustive list, most of which is from the classical genre, many of which are songs and time signatures you’ve never heard of. For some songs you have heard of, there’s Dave Brubeck, author of perhaps the most famous 5/4 song …
… using nine-beat measures …
… and 11/4 …
… Nine Inch Nails with 10-beat measures …
… Dionne Warwick, who had a 10/4 measure in a verse and an 11/4 measure in the chorus of …
… Radiohead …
… and Jethro Tull (which has one of the most famous 5/4 songs) in 10/4 and 13-beat measures …
… the Allman Brothers Band, which started a song with two 11/4 measures …
… the Beatles, which combined 11/8, 4/4 and 7/8 in the bridge of …
… along with 29-beat parts in …
… the 13/16 theme of “The Terminator” …
… Genesis, which was turned on (again) by 13/8, 8/8 and 5/8 …
… and Frank Zappa, which includes 19/16 and 21/16 parts in …
Another of the most famous 5/4 songs, Lalo Schifrin’s theme to “Mission: Impossible” …
… was unfortunately dumbed down to 4/4 for the movies after the opening of the first movie:
Want some more?
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The number one single today in 1956 was this artist’s first, but certainly not last:
The number one single today in 1962:
I’m unaware of whether the soundtrack of “West Side Story” got any radio airplay, but since I played it in both the La Follette and UW marching bands, I note that today in 1962 the soundtrack hit number one and stayed there for 54 weeks:
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This is 5/4 Day, so …
Today in 1957, Alan Freed hosted the first prime-time rock and roll TV show — called, in a blast of original inspiration, “Rock ‘n Roll Show”:
The number one single today in 1961:
Today in 1970, Ohio National Guard soldiers shot and killed four Kent State University students, prompting this song:
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Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 