Today In Oldies 12/31/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies.......ringing out 2010 with 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's music news!

• To ring in the new year, here are five legendary performances of "Auld Lang Syne" (click here for video)
• The TV special re-enacting Michael Jackson's autopsy will not be happening
• Paula Abdul.....singer.....dancer......MENSA member?!?!?!
• After 20 years, a rocker is headed to divorce court
• The man who was once rock's biggest Baby goes returns to his roots for a new album

Oldies On TV

• Madonna - Ellen DeGeneres (syndicated; check local listings)
• Bono & The Edge, more - New Year's Eve With Carson Daly (NBC)
• Rick Springfield, more - All American New Year's Eve (Fox News)
• Daryl Hall, John Oates, Smokey Robinson, Todd Rundgren, Jose Feliciano, more - Live From Daryl's House: A New Year's Eve Special (WGN America)

The Gift Of Music

This week, Everything Oldies will spotlight hit songs written by one music superstar and performed by another.  In some cases, the writer of the song had the artist in mind when putting pen to paper, and in others, they had someone else in mind when the song was written and were advised to keep it for themselves.  In any case, the artist made it his (or her) own and fully realized the writer's vision.

Today, we celebrate songs written by someone who has received every possible award and honor known to man.  We certainly don't have to tell you that Paul McCartney might be one of the world's most brilliant songwriters from his Beatles, Wings, and solo days, but he also wrote several hits for other artists!  We'll also take a look at one song originally written for someone else but eventually kept by the Fab Four, a wise decision since it became their biggest hit. 

• McCartney wrote a song for the 1969 Peter Sellers film The Magic Christian, but it doubled as a statement about the financial trouble surrounding The Beatles' Apple Corps business venture.  McCartney's original demo of the song can be heard on the Beatles' "Anthology" CD, but the song ended up in the hands of one of the first groups signed to Apple Records.  They wanted to put their own take on it, but McCartney insisted that it be done just as he had done it on the demo.  They obeyed, and as a result, Badfinger had their first hit!

• Riding the wave of the British Invasion, it certainly didn't hurt Peter Asher that Paul McCartney was dating his sister Jane during the Beatles' heyday.  As a result, he and John Lennon wrote Asher and his partner, Gordon Waller, a song that became a smash on both sides of the Atlantic for Peter and Gordon.....

• Paul originally wrote this song for Aretha Franklin.  Wisely, he decided to keep it and let The Beatles record it.  Otherwise, The Fab Four would have been denied one of their biggest hits!  

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

On New Year's Eve 1967, Sonny and Cher were informed that their invitation to appear at the next day's Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California had been rescinded.  What was the reason?

Check back Monday @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

What 70's album holds the record for taking the longest amount of time from its initial release to hit #1?

Answer: Taking more than a year from its initial release (58 weeks), Fleetwood Mac's self-titled 1975 album

Today In Oldies 12/30/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies......where your favorites from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's are still making news!

• Sir Elton John explains how he chose the name for his new baby
• Yoko Ono is on hand to unveil another shrine to her husband
• Paul McCartney is honored at the Kennedy Center (click here for video)
• The favorites of the Baby Boomers and Generation X still packed 'em in in concert in 2010
• USA Today looks at how the Baby Boomers helped shape music and pop culture
• Michael Jackson's "people" think a TV re-enactment of his autopsy shouldn't take place
• Meanwhile, the defense attorneys in his case will claim he killed himself
• A 60's and 70's legend continues to rock us (gently) thanks to a little help from his much younger friends
• Daryl Hall talks about the gigs at his house that have become a Web sensation and the love for Hall & Oates

The Gift of Music

This week, Everything Oldies will spotlight hit songs written by one music superstar and performed by another.  In some cases, the writer of the song had the artist in mind when putting pen to paper, and in others, they had someone else in mind when the song was written and were advised to keep it for themselves.  In any case, the artist made it his (or her) own and fully realized the writer's vision.

Today, we look at songs written by any combination of the three members of The Bee Gees.  The Saturday Night Fever era which made them superstars was also a very prolific period in their career, when at least 5 songs they composed became hits for other artists in addition to their own string of hits. 

• A one hit wonder was born when a song Barry and Robin Gibb wrote for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack ended up not being used.  They gave it to previously unknown Australian singer Samantha Sang, and with the help of Barry on background vocals, she gained her 15 minutes of fame!

• Since Barry Gibb had the Midas touch writing songs for movies, he tried his hand at it again after Saturday Night Fever, and the results were exactly the same!  Although it had a very definite Disco feel and sound, it was the title song for a soundtrack to a period musical.  Audiences didn't mind one bit that a song that was 100% 70's was featured in a movie about the 50's.  He wrote it with a particular artist in mind, and that artist gladly agreed to record it........making it the second solo #1 song for Frankie Valli.......

• Co-written by all three Bee Gees as an R&B song, and originally intended for Marvin Gaye, this one became a Country classic instead.  Hitting #1 in 1983, it would be 17 years before another Country song topped the Billboard Hot 100.  It won an American Music Award and was voted Top Country Duet of All Time in a 2005 CMT viewer poll.  Proving that two heads are better than one, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton turned a song meant for Marvin Gaye into a classic.........

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

What 70's album holds the record for taking the longest amount of time from its initial release to hit #1?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers were a Motown act who had a minor hit with "Does Your Mama Know About Me" in 1965.  That song was co-written by the group's guitarist who later became part of a wildly successful comedy duo.  Who is he?

Answer: Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong)

 

 

Today In Oldies 12/29/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies.....your one stop 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's music news shop!

• The Beatles are a hit on Broadway! 
• Billboard takes a look back at the Oldies legends who left us in 2010
• How does it make Susan Boyle feel knowing her fans are Monkees?
• The latest victim of an internet death hoax is a Queen!
• Could the last group to resist reunion fever FINALLY give in for one night?  One of their members thinks so!

The Gift Of Music

This week, Everything Oldies will spotlight hit songs written by one music superstar and performed by another.  In some cases, the writer of the song had the artist in mind when putting pen to paper, and in others, they had someone else in mind when the song was written and were advised to keep it for themselves.  In any case, the artist made it his (or her) own and fully realized the writer's vision.

Today, we celebrate the songs of a true musical genius who became hits for others, and one of his own that he kept for himself after initially writing it for someone else.  Stevie Wonder has shared his wealth of songs with several artists over the years, with smash hits as a result. 

• Stevie once surprised the group Rufus (featuring Chaka Khan) with a song he had written for them.  Chaka wasn't fond of it and told him "no thanks".  He wouldn't leave without giving them a song they liked to record, and he essentially wrote this one on the spot in the studio after asking Chaka Khan for her astrological sign.  The result was a hit bigger than anything either artist imagined........

• Smokey Robinson's only #1 hit w/ The Miracles came from an idea Stevie Wonder had, which he presented to Smokey at a Motown Christmas party.  Smokey liked it but suggested a new theme since what he heard sounded like a circus.  You can probably see where this is going........

• One of Stevie Wonder's biggest hits was one he originally wrote for and planned to give to someone else.  He was impressed with the music of ex-Yardbirds guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck and wrote this song for him.  Stevie's manager wisely told him he had a smash hit and would be better off keeping it for himself.  He listened, and the result is a classic........

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers were a Motown act who had a minor hit with "Does Your Mama Know About Me" in 1965.  That song was co-written by the group's guitarist who later became part of a wildly successful comedy duo.  Who is he?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

The legendary Chess record label changed their name in 1965 to avoid confusion with another British label.  What was their new name?

Answer: Cadet Records

Today In Oldies 12/28/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies.......the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's all in one place!

• Sir Elton John becomes a father!
• A look into the crystal ball that is 2011 shows lower concert ticket prices!
• Madonna helps those in need for the holidays
• Did Bob Dylan really order 178 pizzas in Amherst, Massachusetts last month?
• One of Harold Melvin's Blue Notes has passed
• Which of your favorite Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2 greats have new CDs in stores and online today?

Oldies On TV

• Paul McCartney, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, James Taylor, Willie Nelson, Steven Tyler, Kris Kristofferson, more - Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)

The Gift Of Music

This week, Everything Oldies will spotlight hit songs written by one music superstar and performed by another.  In some cases, the writer of the song had the artist in mind when putting pen to paper, and in others, they had someone else in mind when the song was written and were advised to keep it for themselves.  In any case, the artist made it his (or her) own and fully realized the writer's vision. 

Today, we take a look at three songs written by the most prolific hitmaker of the 80's......Prince.  Not only did he hit the Billboard Top 10 more than any other artist with his own songs in the 80's, a song he wrote hit #1 and two more were Top 5 smashes for other artists!

• A song from Prince's second album in 1980 was a relatively low key affair when the Purple One did it himself.  The Pointer Sisters had also covered it in 1982, but their version was not released as a single.  It became a Top 5 hit in 1984 with ramped up production values, an all-star cast of musicians lending a hand (including Stevie Wonder on harmonica) and an intro that left no doubt in anyone's mind who was performing it this time.........

• Prince originally wrote and recorded this song as a duet for one of his "protege" acts, Apollonia 6.  He eventually chose not to include it on that album, and two years later, he offered it to another all-female band he liked, giving it to them under the pseudonym "Christopher".  While rumors that he offered the song because of his romantic interest in the group's lead singer led to tension within the band, it became the song that made them superstars and contained a message that connected with the public and their often hectic lives........

• Prince had a stable of female solo artists and groups he mentored to stardom in the 80's.  One got her start by providing background vocals on his song "Erotic City", which became a dance club sensation.  He originally wrote her first hit for another "protege" act, Apollonia 6.  Upon learning that the leader of that group, Apollonia Kotero, had no intention of staying in the group beyond her contractual obligation as his female co-star in the 1984 film Purple Rain, he then offered it to Sheila Escovedo, who became a star as Sheila E.  It launched her career, established her as a virtuoso percussionist, and became a Top 10 hit...........

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

The legendary Chess record label changed their name in 1965 to avoid confusion with another British label.  What was their new name?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Although Dick Clark has become synonymous with New Year's Eve on ABC, a different network originated his New Year's Rockin' Eve TV special in 1972.  On which network did it first appear on December 31, 1972, and which band received star billing in the title that first season?

Answer: The first New Year's Eve extravaganza featuring Dick Clark had the name of the host of the pre-taped musical segments from Los Angeles ahead of the title.........which was Three Dog Night's New Year's Rockin' Eve, on NBC. 

Today In Oldies 12/27/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies.....our stockings are stuffed with Oldies news! 

• An 80's R&B music legend (and Rick James protege) passes away over the weekend
• So does the bassist for another band big in the 80's
• A formal pardon for Jim Morrison in Florida doesn't satisfy the surviving members of The Doors
• Which late music superstar provided inspiration for Oprah?
• Two legends will show up at Daryl Hall's house for New Year's Eve
• Which 60's superstar will be a busy man in 2011?
• The British Elvis will do Motown for his next album

The Gift of Music

This week, Everything Oldies will spotlight hit songs written by one music superstar and performed by another.  In some cases, the writer of the song had the artist in mind when putting pen to paper, and in others, they had someone else in mind when the song was written and were advised to keep it for themselves.  In any case, the artist made it his (or her) own and fully realized the writer's vision. 

Today, we take a look at three songs by a guy with a strong track record of writing songs that became timeless classics for other artists throughout the 70's and 80's...........Bruce Springsteen.

• The first single from Bruce Springsteen's debut album "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J." was a flop for The Boss himself, but his trash turned out to be treasure in 1977 for someone else, providing him with his only taste of life at the top of the charts as a singer or songwriter.  It also provides one of the most commonly misheard and misquoted lyrics in pop music history.  Officially, the line reads "revved up like a deuce/another runner in the night".  Springsteen's false start as a star became Manfred Mann's first chart hit in 9 years, and it remains a classic today........

• Originally written for Elvis Presley, who died before shortly after a demo was sent to him by Springsteen, this song was first recorded by a friend of Bruce's, Robert Gordon.  Springsteen himself was tangled in a legal battle at the time this was written and couldn't record his own songs, although a live version can be found on his "Live 1975-85" box set and on his recently released CD of outtakes from his 1979 album "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" called "The Promise".  The Pointer Sisters made it a smash, taking it to #2 in 1979.......

• Just as The Ramones were becoming stars on the punk rock scene in the late 70's, lead singer Joey Ramone met Bruce Springsteen and asked him to write a song for them.  The song he came up with explored a typical Springsteen theme at the time.....wanderlust.  This one had a twist, however, with the main "character" in the song ultimately longing for a stable life.  Upon hearing a demo for the first time, Springsteen's manager, Jon Landau, advised him to keep it for himself.  He did, and the result was his first Top 5 pop hit as an artist in 1981.....

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Although Dick Clark has become synonymous with New Year's Eve on ABC, a different network originated his New Year's Rockin' Eve TV special in 1972.  On which network did it first appear on December 31, 1972, and which band received star billing in the title that first season? 

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess! 

Wednesday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Did The Beatles ever officially release a Christmas song?

Answer: Yes, but it was 28 years after it was originally recorded and released to fan club members only.  "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" was recorded in 1967 and offered via the Beatles' fan club.  It did not become available to the general public until its inclusion as the B-side of the 1995 single "Free As A Bird" from the first "Beatles Anthology". 

Today In Oldies 12/22/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies......all the Oldies news you need for the holidays!

• The road The Beatles made famous has been officially protected
• A member of The Band is home from the hospital
• A Senator declared a shrine to one of rock's greatest live bands "wasteful"
• Rolling Stone picks the greatest rock n' roll Christmas songs
• Several notable names heard on Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2 will receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards

 

A Shot At The Title......Christmas (and Bing Crosby) Edition

Last week, Everything Oldies put a spotlight on songs which had different titles than the ones we came to know and love.  Christmas songs are no exception, and in this case, we take a look at two which became standards by none other than Mr. Christmas Song himself, Bing Crosby. 

• Written by the legendary songwriting team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for the 1951 Bob Hope film The Lemon Drop Kid, this song's original title came from the "tinkling" of the Salvation Army bells outside stores at Christmas.  When Livingston came home, wrote the song, and performed it for his wife the first time, she was shocked that he would give a song a title with a bathrooom connotation.  He discarded the song temporarily, but he and Evans eventually came back to it after playing around with other ideas and being unable to find anything that fit.  The first recorded version of the song was done by Bing Crosby (w/ Carol Richards) a year after being included in the movie, by which time "Tinkle Bells" was given the more appropriate title of............

• This holiday classic dates back to the 19th century, with words and music by James S. Pierpont in 1857.  It was originally written for a Thanksgiving Day church service in Savannah, Georgia but quickly spread among the congregation and shared as a Christmas song.  The first known recording of the song came with the Edison Male Quartette some 42 years later in 1898.  Bing Crosby was the first artist to put it on the charts in 1943, and its most successful chart incarnation came with a #1 (Adult Contemporary) rendition from American Idol contestant Kimberly Locke in 2006.  It also has the distinction of being the first song played in space, performed on harmonica as part of a prank by the astronauts on the Gemini 6 mission.  The song that was copyrighted in 1857 as "One Horse Open Sleigh" is one we sing often today as..........

 

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Did The Beatles ever officially release a Christmas song?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess! 

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Two Billy Joel songs have doubled as TV show theme songs over the years.  Name both of them.

Answer: "My Life" was the theme for the ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies" (starring a very young Tom Hanks), and "You May Be Right" for the early 90's CBS sitcom "Dave's World"

 

Today In Oldies 12/21/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies.......where Santa comes for Oldies news

• A legendary record label impresario recalls not being impressed upon first hearing a band of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers
• Another 60s music legend and Hall of Famer recounts his journey to the top 
• Did a Rolling Stone just drop a hint that a tour may be in the works next year?
• Broadway's Million Dollar Quartet takes in a Stray Cat
• Who will be serenading this year's Miss America contestants in Las Vegas?
• Your favorite artists from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s have new CDs in stores

Oldies on TV

• Bette Midler - Regis and Kelly - syndicated (check local listings)
• Los Lobos - Conan - TBS (11:00 p.m. Eastern/10:00 p.m. Central)

Behind The (Christmas) Music

This week, Everything Oldies tells the stories behind the classic pop Christmas songs and albums you've come to know and love.  From the original titles of some of your favorite Yuletide standards to the story of how unforeseen bad timing kept a classic 60's Christmas album from being fully appreciated upon its release, we hope you enjoy the tales that go along with the songs that have made Christmas merrier for many years.....

• When is a Christmas Song NOT a "Christmas Song"? 

A 1984 song that has become a holiday classic is a Christmas song in title only.  In spite of being just a failed relationship song that happens to reference Christmas, it has become as big as many established Christmas songs that revolve around the season and its traditions.  In the 26 years since its first release, it has been covered by more than 70 artists across all musical genres!  It is the biggest selling single, holiday or otherwise, of all time in the UK to never reach #1.  While it was not a chart hit in the U.S., it has become a staple around the holidays on radio stations who play continuous Christmas music.  Ironically, what was conceived as a charity single to benefit an organization for Ethiopian famine relief was kept out of the #1 slot in Britain by another all-star Christmas charity single written by the organization's founder. 

Wham! was the most dominant pop group on the British charts in the 80's, and George Michael wrote a song about a failed relationship referencing the Christmas season as a charity single.  It was expected to be in a battle for the #1 spot on the British chart at the time with another hot pop act at the time, Frankie Goes To Hollywood.  The song Michael wrote, "Last Christmas", was indeed involved in a race to the top of the charts, but from an unexpected competitor and one with which Wham! had some involvement.  "Last Christmas" was a smash, hitting #2 on the British pop charts and ultimately selling over a million copies, but the song which kept it from reaching the pinnacle was also a charity single.  Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof formed an all-star choir known as Band Aid, featuring most of the superstars on the British music scene from the era, including members of Culture Club, Genesis, Duran Duran, Bananarama, U2, and Kool and the Gang.  Wham! had also participated, with George Michael doing a few solo lines in the song.  Geldof's song, "Do They Know It's Christmas", garnered much of the attention due to its starpower and became the holiday song that year.  With proceeds from "Last Christmas" also benefitting African famine relief, millions were raised from sales of the two singles alone to fight hunger.  In fact, Wham! had the last laugh, eventually raising more money via "Last Christmas" than Band Aid thanks to subsequent annual re-releases of the song until Wham!'s breakup in 1987. The song actually was a much bigger smash worldwide than "Do They Know It's Christmas?", hitting #1 in Ireland and Top 10 in several countries around the globe. 

Along with the charitable benefits of "Last Christmas", it clearly struck a chord with the Gen X crowd.  It has been covered dozens of times since Wham! had a hit with it, being done by current chart topping acts such as Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and the cast of Glee.  You certainly don't have to listen too long to hear the Christmas song that isn't really a Christmas song on the radio this time of the year........

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Two Billy Joel songs have doubled as TV show theme songs over the years.  Name both of them.

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

"Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" began as a promotional vehicle for what now defunct department store chain?

Answer: Montgomery Ward

 

Today In Oldies 12/21/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies.......where Santa comes for Oldies news

• A legendary record label impresario recalls not being impressed upon first hearing a band of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers
• Another 60s music legend and Hall of Famer recounts his journey to the top 
• Did a Rolling Stone just drop a hint that a tour may be in the works next year?
• Broadway's Million Dollar Quartet takes in a Stray Cat
• Who will be serenading this year's Miss America contestants in Las Vegas?
• Your favorite artists from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s have new CDs in stores

Oldies on TV

• Bette Midler - Regis and Kelly - syndicated (check local listings)
• Los Lobos - Conan - TBS (11:00 p.m. Eastern/10:00 p.m. Central)

Behind The (Christmas) Music

This week, Everything Oldies tells the stories behind the classic pop Christmas songs and albums you've come to know and love.  From the original titles of some of your favorite Yuletide standards to the story of how unforeseen bad timing kept a classic 60's Christmas album from being fully appreciated upon its release, we hope you enjoy the tales that go along with the songs that have made Christmas merrier for many years.....

• When is a Christmas Song NOT a "Christmas Song"? 

A 1984 song that has become a holiday classic is a Christmas song in title only.  In spite of being just a failed relationship song that happens to reference Christmas, it has become as big as many established Christmas songs that revolve around the season and its traditions.  In the 26 years since its first release, it has been covered by more than 70 artists across all musical genres!  It is the biggest selling single, holiday or otherwise, of all time in the UK to never reach #1.  While it was not a chart hit in the U.S., it has become a staple around the holidays on radio stations who play continuous Christmas music.  Ironically, what was conceived as a charity single to benefit an organization for Ethiopian famine relief was kept out of the #1 slot in Britain by another all-star Christmas charity single written by the organization's founder. 

Wham! was the most dominant pop group on the British charts in the 80's, and George Michael wrote a song about a failed relationship referencing the Christmas season as a charity single.  It was expected to be in a battle for the #1 spot on the British chart at the time with another hot pop act at the time, Frankie Goes To Hollywood.  The song Michael wrote, "Last Christmas", was indeed involved in a race to the top of the charts, but from an unexpected competitor and one with which Wham! had some involvement.  "Last Christmas" was a smash, hitting #2 on the British pop charts and ultimately selling over a million copies, but the song which kept it from reaching the pinnacle was also a charity single.  Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof formed an all-star choir known as Band Aid, featuring most of the superstars on the British music scene from the era, including members of Culture Club, Genesis, Duran Duran, Bananarama, U2, and Kool and the Gang.  Wham! had also participated, with George Michael doing a few solo lines in the song.  Geldof's song, "Do They Know It's Christmas", garnered much of the attention due to its starpower and became the holiday song that year.  With proceeds from "Last Christmas" also benefitting African famine relief, millions were raised from sales of the two singles alone to fight hunger.  In fact, Wham! had the last laugh, eventually raising more money via "Last Christmas" than Band Aid thanks to subsequent annual re-releases of the song until Wham!'s breakup in 1987. The song actually was a much bigger smash worldwide than "Do They Know It's Christmas?", hitting #1 in Ireland and Top 10 in several countries around the globe. 

Along with the charitable benefits of "Last Christmas", it clearly struck a chord with the Gen X crowd.  It has been covered dozens of times since Wham! had a hit with it, being done by current chart topping acts such as Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and the cast of Glee.  You certainly don't have to listen too long to hear the Christmas song that isn't really a Christmas song on the radio this time of the year........

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Two Billy Joel songs have doubled as TV show theme songs over the years.  Name both of them.

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

"Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" began as a promotional vehicle for what now defunct department store chain?

Answer: Montgomery Ward

 

Today In Oldies 12/20/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies......stuffing your stocking with Oldies news!

• Want a suit worn by John Lennon on the cover of a landmark album?  It's probably gonna cost you
• You'll never believe whose house might become a music school!
• Who's the latest group to have their music get the full Broadway musical treatment?
• What is it that's worrying Ronnie Spector these days?
• Blondie's Debbie Harry recalls a close encounter with a notorious serial killer

Behind The (Christmas) Music

This week, Everything Oldies tells the stories behind the classic pop Christmas songs and albums you've come to know and love.  From the original titles of some of your favorite Yuletide standards to the story of how unforeseen bad timing kept a classic 60's Christmas album from being fully appreciated upon its release, we hope you enjoy the tales that go along with the songs that have made Christmas merrier for many years.....

• An Unwanted 'Gift'

Brian Wilson calls it his favorite album of all time.  It has a spot on many critics' Top 10 list of the greatest albums ever recorded.  It ranks in the top half of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, holiday themed or otherwise.  So why was it a commercial flop upon its release, and to this day nowhere to be found among the best selling Christmas albums of all time?  The most likely culprit is a case of the most unfortunate timing in music history involving an event which forever changed a nation. 

In 1963, there was no name bigger among music producers and moguls in the pre-Beatles era than Phil Spector.  He had several #1 songs under his belt, and in addition to producing multiple artists and serving in executive capacities with other record labels, he also had his own label, Philles Records.  His perfection of the "Wall of Sound" production style featuring session musicians collectively known as the Wrecking Crew (including Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, Sonny Bono, and Leon Russell) had produced a string of chart hits, including 2 songs that are staples on Oldies radio years later ("Be My Baby" by The Ronettes and "He's A Rebel" by Darlene Love and The Blossoms).  Spector had put an emphasis on singles, eschewing the album format, but that would change when he decided to employ the full resources of Philles Records including its entire artist roster along with the "Wall of Sound" and the Wrecking Crew for what he thought would make record store cash registers ring and radio station turntables spin that Christmas season. 

Featuring songs which had become traditional Christmas standards, Spector put a fresh spin on them for A Christmas Gift For You.  The first single, "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)", featured virtuoso vocals from Darlene Love.  Other highlights include the three songs contributed by The Ronettes ("Sleigh Ride", "Frosty The Snowman", and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus") and The Crystals' rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town".  With Spector's imprint and the Wrecking Crew's musical prowess, it appeared to be a combination that would be unstoppable on the radio and in record stores. 

So what went wrong that caused A Christmas Gift For You to be an epic failure at first?  It wasn't the marketing effort.  It certainly wasn't the lack of creativity.  It had everything to do with the release date of the album, set months before anyone would have any way of knowing the events that would unfold.  A Christmas Gift For You had only been on record store shelves for a few hours on its release date, Friday, November 22, 1963, when Walter Cronkite announced to the nation that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas, Texas.  The collective mood of the country was a very somber one for the holiday season in 1963, making celebrations muted.  Phil Spector's Christmas Gift wasn't what the country was ready for during this time of tragedy. 

Fortunately, the story of Spector's epic album has a happy ending.  It has been reissued in various formats almost a dozen times, and with each successive re-release its legend, and critical acclaim, has grown.  The combined sales of the reissues of A Christmas Gift For You total in the millions, and although none of them have sold enough to crack Billboard's list of the Top Christmas Albums of All Time, it has reached its potential comercially, and with the proliferation of wall-to-wall Christmas music formats on radio stations across the country, several of the singles from the album, including The Ronettes' "Sleigh Ride" and Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)", have become holiday standards in their own right.  Bruce Springsteen's classic rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" was inspired by The Crystals' rendition on the album, and U2's cover of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" was modeled closely after Darlene Love's.  Love performs the song each year on the Christmas episode of David Letterman's Late Show (scheduled this year for Dec. 23). 

Before he began killing girlfriends, Phil Spector was just another creative genius who gave us a Christmas masterpiece..........

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

"Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" began as a promotional vehicle for what now defunct department store chain?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Friday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Who was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums hit #1 on the Billboard album charts?

Answer: Donna Summer

 

Today In Oldies 12/17/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies stands for Oldies news!

• Aretha Franklin speaks for the first time about her health issues
• The band will be back together for one artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year
• A 70's star holds his annual fundraiser
• Which 80's star, in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, could be a judge on Simon Cowell's American version of The X Factor?
• Paul McCartney gets intimate to save a London club from extinction

A Shot At The Title

All this week, Everything Oldies will play "What if?", as we spotlight songs with their original working titles.  Imagine what a different world we'd live in if the most covered song of all time were The Beatles' classic, "Scrambled Eggs".....which was the original working title of......"Yesterday".  Enjoy the stories behind the titles.....and why they changed.

• This Doobie Brothers classic had several different names before it was officially recorded and released.  Lead singer and songwriter Tom Johnston explained that it began as a song with no real lyrics, merely providing filler on the group's set list in their early days playing live.  Names for the song included "Osborne" and "Parliament".  Upon signing with Warner Brothers Records, producer Ted Templeman heard the song and suggested they should cut it.  At that point, Johnston gave the song some lyrics built around a transportation theme, and the song with multiple names finally settled on a permanent one.......

• With this song, we can safely declare that not only would it have never been a #1 hit under its original title, it likely would have never received the first spin on a radio station turntable.  The song was born on New Year's Eve 1977, when two members of Chic, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, were denied entrance into New York's legendary Studio 54.  They were just beginning to break big, and at least two of their songs, "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "Everybody Dance", were staples of the club's playlist.  Dejected, they returned to Rodgers' apartment and began to write a song in protest of the club and what had happened.  In their furor, they began to chant "Ahhhh, f--- off!" as the basis for, and title of, the song.  Later that night, they wisely decided against naming the song "F-- Off" when Rodgers came up with "Ahhhhhh, freak out!"  Those were the first words of a song that became a smash that hit #1 three different times as.......

• Paul McCartney's song about a lonely old woman he encountered growing up in England was written with the working title "Miss Daisy Hawkins".  The title under which we know and love it is a combination of an actress's first name and the name of a wine and spirit shipping center.  According to Rolling Stone, when McCartney first played it for his neighbor, singer Donovan ("Sunshine Superman", "Mellow Yellow"), the lyrics were "Ola Na Tungee, blowing his mind in the dark with a pipe full of clay."  Bear in mind that many "mind expanding" substances were being used in those days.  The actress in question is Eleanor Bron.  The shipping center was named Rigby and Evens Ltd Wine and Spirit Shipper.  And the hit for The Beatles became............

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Who was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums hit #1 on the Billboard album charts?

Check back Monday @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Over the course of its 8-year run on TV, Solid Gold had a total of 5 different hosts.  Name three.

Answer: Dionne Warwick, Marilyn McCoo, Andy Gibb (co-host w/ McCoo), Rex Smith (co-host w/ McCoo), and Rick Dees

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Today In Oldies 12/16/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies.......No chit chat.  More Oldies news!

• The Queen of Soul is home and "in great spirits"  
• How will Michael Jackson's "new CD" perform its first week in record stores?
• A legendary record producer and artist laments the boom of iTunes and the death of album liner notes 
• Rock's most famous groupie speaks out.....and says her kind gets a bad rap
• Who were the most notable snubs among this years Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class.....and why?

Oldies on TV

• Stevie Wonder - Tavis Smiley - PBS (check local listings)
• Paul Simon - The Colbert Report - Comedy Central (11:30 Eastern/10:30 Central)

A Shot At The Title

All this week, Everything Oldies will play "What if?", as we spotlight songs with their original working titles.  Imagine what a different world we'd live in if the most covered song of all time were The Beatles' classic, "Scrambled Eggs".....which was the original working title of......"Yesterday".  Enjoy the stories behind the titles.....and why they changed.

• The title of this one hit wonder, originally written as an ode to influential British singer/songwriter Nick Drake, was originally titled "Morning Lasted All Day".  Their record label was less than enthused with the song, feeling it needed more drums.  The band refused to change it, but did give it a different title.  The retitled song became a Top 10 hit for the Dream Academy.  The title became.....

• This early disco classic began with the name "Drive Talking".  Producer Arif Mardin suggested a name change to play to teenage sensibilities of the time, so a word used to indicate slang was substituted for "drive", and the song became a smash.  The Bee Gees took "Drive Talking" all the way to the top of the charts in 1975 as.......

• Originally a B-side, this song began its life as "That's What I Like".  While the A-side got some airplay, the B-side eventually became a smash and one of the most played songs of 1958.  Its legend would grow even bigger with the death of the artist on The Day The Music Died.  We know "That's What I Like" better as..........

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Over the course of its 8-year run on TV, Solid Gold had a total of 5 different hosts.  Name three. 

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess! 

What do Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones all have in common?

Answer: Each one died at the age of 27.  Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison also have something else in common, having all passed in 1970. 

 

Today In Oldies 12/15/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies.......Oldies news first! 

• First up on the agenda for Sony's 10 album megadeal w/ the late Michael Jackson......a reissue of one his his classics
• How did the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees react to the news that they were in?  We get it straight from the source with Dr. John, Alice Cooper, Darlene Love, and Neil Diamond!
• Levon Helm is hospitalized
• Remember the rather bizarre pairing of Bing Crosby and David Bowie that produced "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy" for a TV special in 1977?  It's parodied by two Hollywood heavyweights here. 
• Daryl Hall's internet series comes to real TV New Year's Eve! 
• Here's a look at this week's new (and reissued) CD releases from many of the folks heard each day @ Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2

Oldies On TV

• Natalie Cole - Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir - PBS (check local listings)
• Barbra Streisand - Larry King Live - CNN (9:00 Eastern/8:00 Pacific)
• Roger Waters - Conan - TBS (11:00 Eastern/10:00 Central)
• Ronnie Spector - Late Show With David Letterman - CBS (11:35 Eastern/10:35 Pacific)
• Annie Lennox - Late Night With Jimmy Fallon - NBC (12:35 Eastern/11:35 Pacific)

A Shot At The Title

All this week, Everything Oldies will play "What if?", as we spotlight songs with their original working titles.  Imagine what a different world we'd live in if the most covered song of all time were The Beatles' classic, "Scrambled Eggs".....which was the original working title of......"Yesterday".  Enjoy the stories behind the titles.....and why they changed.

• The title of this 1959 hit was changed due to the founder of the record label of which it was released (which was founded by a Seattle DJ for the sole purpose of distributing music made by a single act) thinking the original title would be too suggestive, thus turning off AM radio DJs.  So "Come Softly" became a smash for The Fleetwoods as..........

• Omnipresent 80's musical maven Phil Collins was in the process of producing and playing drums on the debut solo album of one of the lead vocalists for Earth, Wind, and Fire.  He approached bassist Nathan East and mentioned that the album lacked a hit single.  They set out to remedy that by playing around with a piano riff in the studio with the singer adding the words "Choosy Lover" over it.  Realizing they had a hit, Collins agreed to join the up and coming artist on the finished version, further enhancing the chances of the song being a hit.  It was a Top 5 smash for Philip Bailey once "Choosy Lover" morphed into...........

• Singer/songwriter Walter Egan had a rough outline of a song he planned to call "Don't Turn Away Now".  He had some of the biggest names in music at the time behind his debut album, including co-producer Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks providing background vocals.  He developed a crush on Nicks, and the song evolved to be about her.  He developed a metaphor about the attraction between two people, and "Don't Turn Away Now" became.........

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

What do Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones all have in common?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

What was the first #1 song under Billboard's Hot 100 chart format?

The answer is below.......and it happened on August 4, 1958

 

Today In Oldies 12/14/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies......your Oldies news authority!

• British TV personality and America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan's new show on CNN hasn't even premiered yet......and already a major music superstar has been banned!  
• A superstar has been invited to play in what is currently a political hotbed.  Will he accept?
• Who didn't think much of one of his songs that became a #1 smash?
• Take it for what it's worth, but here's what is reported to be a leak containing the 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees....as always, as notable for who didn't get in as those who did
• Mick Jagger breaks his silence about his feelings toward Keith Richards' autobiography

 Oldies on TV

• Annie Lennox - Regis & Kelly - (syndicated, check local listings)
• Barbra Streisand - Good Morning America and Nightline - ABC
• Bette Midler - Late Night With Jimmy Fallon - NBC (12:35 a.m. Eastern/11:35 Pacific)

A Shot At The Title

All this week, Everything Oldies will play "What if?", as we spotlight songs with their original working titles.  Imagine what a different world we'd live in if the most covered song of all time were The Beatles' classic, "Scrambled Eggs".....which was the original working title of......"Yesterday".  Enjoy the stories behind the titles.....and why they changed.

• The first few copies distributed of this Beatles classic promoted it as being from a movie entitled "Eight Arms To Hold You".  That title, in fact, was supposed to have applied to both the single and the movie!  It was also originally written with a slower tempo by John Lennon, but was sped up to make it more palatable to radio.  The song originally called "Eight Arms To Hold You", with a much slower pace, became...........

• Another staple of American Oldies radio began with a much different title and lyrics.  The original theme of the song surrounded an interracial relationship, a taboo topic at the time of its release.  To make it more acceptable for radio airplay, the racial aspect was downplayed, and the title was changed.  While the line "makin' love in the green grass" was left in and still proved to turn off some radio stations, "Brown Skinned Girl" became better known as.............

• Songwriter Jim Vallance explains that this song's original title was "Best Days Of My Life".  Originally, it had only one reference to what eventually became the song's title.  He says that there were probably subconscious influences from the movie Summer of '42 and Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty", which contains the line "In '69 I was 21".  When it finally hit record stores and radio in 1985, it became a classic for Bryan Adams as...........

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

What was the first #1 song under Billboard's Hot 100 chart format? 

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess! 

Which artist pre-taped a 1976 appearance on Saturday Night Live about an hour before the broadcast due to being overcome with stage fright?

Answer: Carly Simon -- who kept it together via the magic of videotape long enough to perform "Half A Chance" and "You're So Vain" while being backed by Chevy Chase playing a cowbell (due to a member of her band being unable to perform)

Today In Oldies 12/13/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies stands for Oldies news! 

• Sir Paul puts a twist on one of his classics on Thursday night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
• He was also all over this week's Saturday Night Live!
• The Queen of Soul comes home from the hospital
• American Idol does The Beatles!.....and other changes for the upcoming season
• In other Fab Four related news, a judge drops the hammer on a website not named iTunes for selling digital downloads of Beatles songs
• And finally on the Fab Four front, who broke up The Beatles?  "Not me", says one of their longtime partners
• And the actual auction price of a set of handwritten lyrics by Bob Dylan is...................
• What would you pay for one of Eric Clapton's guitars?
• Carly Simon isn't taking the law into her own hands........she's taking Starbucks to court!
• Roberta Flack talks to AOL Music about a number of topics

Oldies on TV

• Stephen Bishop - Late Night With Jimmy Fallon - NBC (12:35 Eastern/11:35 Pacific)
  

A Shot At The Title

All this week, Everything Oldies will play "What if?", as we spotlight songs with their original working titles.  Imagine what a different world we'd live in if the most covered song of all time were The Beatles' classic, "Scrambled Eggs".....which was the original working title of......"Yesterday".  Enjoy the stories behind the titles.....and why they changed.

• A Motown classic that Berry Gordy helped write came about because Gordy was reminded of Frankie Lymon whenever he heard Michael Jackson.  Being the most expensive single ever recorded for Motown at that time, Gordy had a lot riding on it both personally and financially.  It didn't begin as a love song, but Gordy eventually reshaped it so it would be believable being sung by an 11-year-old.  The Jackson 5 made it a smash, and what began its life as "I Want To Be Free" became...........

• A song being included on the soundtrack to what would become an iconic 70's movie with the Brooklyn disco scene as a backdrop was originally supposed to carry the same title as the movie.  The problem was that same title had been used many times in the past, most notably as the title of a #1 hit just one year earlier.  Wisely, The Bee Gees decided to avoid confusion, and what began as "Saturday Night" turned into.........

• One of the most talked about songs of all time was conceived with a different title.  To this day, no one knows who the subject of the song is, and had the original title been kept, who knows if it would have been the hit it ultimately became?  If you look at the vinyl acetate demo copy of the song written and performed by Carly Simon, it reads "Ballad of a Vain Man".  Whether she's talking about Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty, or someone completely different, it became known, loved, and widely discussed as........

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

Which artist pre-taped a 1976 appearance on Saturday Night Live about an hour before the broadcast due to being overcome with stage fright?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Thursday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Which late rock guitar legend played on David Bowie's #1 hit "Let's Dance", which led to a solo record deal?

Answer: Stevie Ray Vaughan