How can two songs be the number one song in the country today in 1956? Do a Google search for the words “B side”:
(Those songs, by the way, were the first Elvis recorded with his fantastic backup singers, the Jordanaires.)
Today in 1962, the Beatles made their debut with their new drummer, Ringo Starr, following a two-hour rehearsal.
The number one song today in 1965:
Three years later, the singer of the number one song in Britain announced …
Today in 1976, Chicago released what would become its first number one single, to the regret of all true brass rock fans:
Today should be a national holiday. That is because this group first entered the music charts today in 1969, getting three or four chart spots lower than its title:
That was the same day the number one single predicted life 556 years in the future:
Today in 1975, the Bee Gees hit number one, even though they were just just just …
The number one album today in 1973 …
… was the number one selling rock box set until 1986, and remains the best selling four-album set of all time.
Today in 1970, after Joe Cocker dropped out due to illness and unable to get Jimi Hendrix, promoter Bill Graham (possibly at Hendrix’s suggestion) presented Chicago in concert at Tanglewood, a classical music venue in Lenox, Mass.:
I would have loved to go to this concert, but I was 5 years old at the time.
The number one song today in 1973:
The number one R&B song today in 1979:
Today in 1980, AC/DC released “Back in Black,” their first album with new singer Brian Johnson, who replaced the deceased Bon Scott:
Two anniversaries today in 1965: The Beatles’ “Beatles VI” reached number I, where it stayed for VI weeks …
… while the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” was their first number one single:
Today in 1975, Chicago released its fifth album:
We begin with a song that was set on this date (listen to the first line):
The number one song today in 1955 was probably played around the clock by the first top 40 radio stations:
Anniversary greetings to David Bowie and Iman, married today in 1992:
One strange anniversary in rock music: Today in 1968, Paul McCartney and Jane Asher attended a concert of … Andy Williams:
Eleven years later, not McCartney, but Elton John became the first Western artist to perform in the Soviet Union.
Four years later, David Bowie’s suggestion reached number one:
Readers know how I feel about the band Chicago.
I mentioned here last week while compiling my own list of Chicago favorites that Chicago had two concerts next week, in Madison Sunday and in Appleton Tuesday.
I have three tickets to Sunday night’s show. I will be going for the fourth time, after the Dane County Coliseum in Madison in 1987, the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds in 1997, and the EAA in Oshkosh in 2010. The house trumpet and trombone player will be going for their first time.
As you can imagine, I’m pretty amped about this. So maybe some concert music is appropriate here:
Over the last year between the 50th anniversary of Chicago’s forming and its first album, “Chicago Transit Authority,” various music publications have come out with their definition of the top songs in Chicago history.
Between that and Chicago’s upcoming appearances in Madison May 12 and Appleton May 14, I figured I’d create my own list, based only on my own musical preferences (so note the paucity of ballads, even though some people mistakenly believe Chicago does nothing but ballads) and nothing else. (Which, you might notice, are generally based on how the song sounds, not the words or whatever message the song is intended to have.)
First, the less-than-top-10, not necessarily in order of enjoyment:
Number 10 is arguably Chicago’s first song — the first track from their first album:
Number nine is from the ’80s:
Number eight is from their first album, CTA for short:
Number seven is the first Chicago song I remember being a Chicago song:
Number six is from “Hot Streets”:
Number five comes from “Chicago III”:
Number four …
… and number three come from CTA:
Number two, from “Chicago II,” is a song about writing a song:
And number one …
… and, well, number 1A …
… since “Make Me Smile” and “Now More Than Ever” are the first and last movements of “Ballet for a Girl from Buchannon.” (“Colour My World” was in our wedding.)
Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 