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 10/27/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies.....spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of Oldies news!

• Madonna expands her business empire
• We don't yet know who will be in charge of Michael Jackson's estate, but we now know who won't be
• Keeping it in the Jackson family, Janet says she's not about to walk the aisle soon
• For the second time, health forces Aretha Franklin offstage
• They seem like odd bedfellows, but just exactly how did Elton John and Rush Limbaugh get along when Elton played Rush's wedding recently?
• Just in time to capitalize on his 70th birthday, new never before seen photos of John Lennon are released

Where In The World Is.......Norman Greenbaum?

If you're gonna be a one hit wonder, make sure that one hit is big enough that you'll never have to work again if you don't care to.  That's the route Norman Greenbaum took, and his one hit is one of the most played songs of all time from radio to commercials to movies to TV! 

Born in Malden, Massachusetts, Norman Greenbaum studied music at Boston University.  His first taste of national success came in 1968 with a novelty record done under the name Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band.  "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago" peaked at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100.  A year later, success came while Greenbaum was watching TV. 

You probably don't know this about "Spirit In The Sky" until now, but the inspiration for the song came from two music legends.  The song has an overtly Christian message, which is interesting considering that Norman Greenbaum is Jewish.  He wrote it after watching country music icons Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton performing a religious song on Wagoner's 60's TV show.  After experimenting with a "jug band" sound for the song as well as a folk rendition, he finally hit upon the sound that created a smash thanks to producer Erik Jacobsen.  "Spirit In The Sky" had an exceptionally long shelf life that spanned almost a year on the American and British charts, peaking at #3 in the U.S. and topping the UK survey.  It sold more than 2 million copies in the U.S. along and became Reprise Records' biggest single ever, eclipsing the success of the label's two marquee acts, The Kinks and label founder Frank Sinatra!  It also didn't hurt that the song had friends in high places, as none other than John Lennon sang its praises in an otherwise angry and defiant post-Beatles breakup interview in Rolling Stone. 

As big as "Spirit In The Sky" became, however, success couldn't be sustained for Norman Greenbaum.  Follow up singles failed to register, and he was eventually dropped by Reprise Records.  By 1980, he was out of the music business entirely and reinventing himself as a cook around several northern California restaurants.  He was broke and as far removed from music stardom as one could possibly be. 

Things finally began to turn around for Norman Greenbaum thanks to the producers of a long-forgotten 80's movie.  The folks who were making a movie starring Ally Sheedy called Maid To Order included "Spirit In The Sky" on the soundtrack.  For the past 20 plus years, the song has shown up in a steady stream of TV commercials and movie soundtracks in addition to being a staple on oldies-based radio stations.  It has returned Norman Greenbaum to the point where he was able to escape the restaurant business and live solely off the royalty checks from "Spirit In The Sky".  He has built a website that is an homage to his one hit, and you can visit it by clicking here.

Here's the song that Norman Greenbaum is living off of these days.........

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

"Hungry Heart" was Bruce Springsteen's first Top 5 hit in 1981, but he originally wrote it for someone else.  To which band did he intend to give "Hungry Heart" before being advised by his manager to keep it?

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

From which 80's classic did Michael Jackson later admit to "borrowing" the beats for "Billie Jean"?

Answer: According to Daryl Hall and John Oates, he confessed to lifting the beats for "Billie Jean" from their #1 smash.........."I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)"