Celebrating Ringo Starr’s birthday on today’s playlist with a few of his selections.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-21-23
“This is a song I wrote for my first album. It was the only song I ever wrote that was a Top 10 hit. It wasn’t for me, it was for a group called Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. They were a great band, but they changed the lyrics. And it pissed me off. Because I have a big ego. And I wanted to hear my words coming out of the radio. But they had a hit, so I was happy about that. But what they did was, they took out one of my lines and they put in one of their own. And their line became one of the most misunderstood lines of all time. In my version, the line went: ‘Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night.’ A deuce is a 1932 Ford Coupe, a very hot car back in the day. But they changed it to: ‘Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, you know the runner in the night.’ Now that makes no sense. But that’s OK, because it rhymed. But then people started to mishear that line. And they misheard it as: ‘Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche, another rumor in the night.’ A douche is not a car. It’s a feminine hygiene product. And it doesn’t even rhyme! So I don’t know how they got that. But that’s what people heard. And that’s what they’ve been singing for 40 years.” – Bruce Springsteen
Manfred Mann was born Manfred Lubowitz on this date in 1940. A few of his hits are on today’s playlist.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 8-2-23
Though Shirley Owens usually sang lead on recordings by The Shirelles, on the group’s cover of The 5 Royales’ “Dedicated to the One I Love,” member Doris Coley sings the lead vocals. Though Cass Elliot is the Mama that usually sang lead on recordings by The Mamas and the Papas, on the group’s cover of The Shirelles’ cover of The 5 Royales’ “Dedicated to the One I Love,” member Michelle Phillips sings the lead vocals. Something about this song….
The late Doris Coley was born on this date in 1941. On today’s playlist are several hits from The Shirelles that feature Coley’s lead vocals.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 12-29-22
Today’s playlist celebrates the December 29 birthdays of The Band’s Rick Danko, The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Jim Reid, The Crystals’ Barbara Alston, Marianne Faithfull, The Offspring’s Dexter Holland, UGK’s Pimp C, Propellerheads’ Alex Gifford, Wild Cherry’s Robert Parissi, Brand Nubian’s Sadat X, GQ’s Emanuel Rahiem Leblanc, Augie March’s Glenn Richards, Yvonne Elliman, and Mary Tyler Moore; and the December 30 birthdays of Del Shannon, Patti Smith, Bo Diddley, Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne, The Monkees’ Davy Jones, The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith, Peter Paul and Mary’s Noel Paul Stookey, Skeeter Davis, Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay, London Grammar’s Hannah Reid, BTS’s V, The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz, Tracey Ullman, Dave Stewart, John Hartford, and Russ Tamblyn.
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Throwback Thursday: 1961
The years between 1958 and 1963 are often thought of as a sleepy time for rock and roll, a quiet time between the genre’s initial burst onto the charts and the onslaught of the British Invasion. However, lots of great records were charting during those years. Check out this playlist of thirty hits from 1961 for proof.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (9-18-20)
Inspired by the September 18 birthdays of Dizzee Rascal, Frankie Avalon, Ricky Bell, the Jayhawks’ Mark Olson, Dodgy’s Nigel Clark, Noname, Jimmie Rodgers, Xzibit, Wu-Tang Clan’s Cappadonna and The Human League’s Joanne Catherall.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (7-26-20)
Inspired by the July 26 birthdays of The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, Queen’s Roger Taylor, The Crystals/Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans’ Darlene Love, Dobie Gray and Brenton Wood.
Throwback Thursday – 1961
From 1958 to 1960, Ben E. King was the lead singer of The Drifters, scoring hits with “There Goes My Baby,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment” and “I Count the Tears.” He suggested to the group’s manager, George Treadwell, that they record the spiritual tune “Stand by Me Father,” but Treadwell turned him down. King also asked Treadwell for a greater share of the group’s royalties. Again, Treadwell turned him down. King said goodbye.
King left the group after recording just thirteen songs with them. He soon made the top ten as a solo act with 1961’s “Spanish Harlem.”
Around that time, King was working on a song based on “Stand by Me Father.” He had some lyrics and a melody. He finished the lyrics with his producer, Jerry Leiber. Leiber’s songwriting/production partner, Mike Stoller, added some chords behind the melody, as well as a bass line.
Per Leiber, it’s that last addition that makes Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” a classic. “The lyrics are good, King’s vocal is great. But Mike’s bass line pushed the song into the land of immortality. Believe me – it’s the bass line.”
“Stand By Me” kicks off this week’s Throwback Thursday playlist, spotlighting hits from 1961.
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