The first session of the recording of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” took place on November 22, 1967. A second session took place on December 7 of that year. The distinctive whistling at the end of the record was improvised by Otis Redding during recording, serving as a placeholder for a planned third verse that he never got to write before his passing in a plane crash on December 10.
The late great Otis Redding was born on this date in 1941. Lotsa Otis on today’s playlist.
If you’ve never heard the song “Bohemian Rhapsody,” I suggest you hit play on today’s playlist. It’s by a band called Queen from England. Their usual lead singer, Freddie Mercury, was born on this date in 1946.
“Will It Go Round In Circles,” Billy Preston’s second US number one single, was borne from a comment Preston made to his songwriting partner, Bruce Fisher, about having a song but no melody. From there the pair came up with lyrics about having a dance with no steps and added to those words a very catchy melody. A session that included pre-stardom guitar and bass players The Brothers Johnson brought the groove and the funk.
Billy Preston’s first time having his name appear at the top spot of the Hot 100 was in 1969 with “Get Back,” credited to The Beatles With Billy Preston. Following The Beatles’ breakup, Preston continued working with its members, including playing with George Harrison at the Concert for Bangladesh. Preston was the first artist to record Harrison’s My Sweet Lord,” which Harrison co-produced and later recorded himself.
“Will It Go Round In Circles” entered the Hot 100 at number 99. It reached the top ten eleven weeks later, at which time the number one song was Paul McCartney and Wings’ “My Love.” “My Love” was knocked from the top spot by George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” which was knocked from the top spot by “Will it Go Round In Circles.” The b-side of the Preston single was his cover of The Beatles’ song “Blackbird.”
The late Billy Preston was born on this date in 1946. A handful of his songs feature on today’s playlist.
The Bee Gees wrote “How Deep Is Your Love” at the Château d’Hérouville in France, where Chopin had stayed and played piano, though Chopin wasn’t involved in the recording of the song, as he was busy being dead. The song was intended for Yvonne Elliman, but Robert Stigwood, the producer of Saturday Night Fever, said “No, no way. Uh uh. Forget it.” The Gibb brothers took their song to number one, the first of 7034 number one hits (give or take) from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. HDIYL spent 17 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, a record at that time.
Bee Gee Barry Gibb was born on this date in 1946. A half dozen of his group’s hits are included on today’s playlist.
FUN FACT: The original lyrics to the song pictured were “Billy Joel is not my brother / He’s just some shlub who sang that the good die young / But he’s not my mother’s son.” Michael Jackson changed the words when Quincy Jones told him “That’s really stupid, Smelly.” (Note: I didn’t get this info from a reliable source, so take it with a grain of salt.)
Michael Jackson was born on this date in 1958. Lotsa Jackson on today’s playlist.
The Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” was a huge hit in 1975, but not everyone agreed with its message. Ian Curtis, the leader of Joy Division and a newlywed in 1975, was one of them. His composition “Love Will Tear Us Apart” could be seen as a response to the cheerful song, expressing his disillusionment with love and life. He took his own life in 1980, a month before his song was released as a single, on its way to becoming a classic.
Daryl Dragon, better known as The Captain, a nickname given to him by The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, was born on this date in 1942. A few of his duo’s hits are included on today’s playlist.
Hearing this band’s early demos, a friend remarked that they sounded like garbage. Voila! This band now had a name. (An alternate version of the origin of their name comes from a journal entry producer Butch Vig wrote as the band kept recording: “I hope that all this garbage will become something beautiful!”)
Garbage’s Shirley Manson was born on this date in 1966. The band is well-represented on today’s playlist.
