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Song of the Day #6,507: ‘Blue Bayou’ – Linda Ronstadt

Continuing my look at the albums of 1977…

I’ve been considering a Linda Ronstadt deep dive for awhile now, and I’m finally ready to commit. Something about her eighth studio album, Simple Dreams, charmed me enough to send me back through the rest of her catalog. Stay tuned for the details in future weeks.

In the meantime, I’ll sing the praises of this album, the best-seller of Ronstadt’s career and, at the time, the second best-selling album by any woman (after Carole King’s Tapestry). It even knocked Rumours from the #1 spot after 29 straight weeks.

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Song of the Day #6,506: ‘In the City’ – The Jam

Continuing my look at the albums of 1977…

1977 was a great year for debuts. Here’s just a small sample of artists who dropped their first album that year: The Clash, 38 Special, Iggy Pop, George Thorogood, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The Sex Pistols, Steve Winwood, Teddy Pendergrass, Peter Gabriel, Eddie Money, Reba McEntire, and Cheap Trick.

Add to that list the English rock band The Jam, whose In the City kicked off a successful six-year run that produced 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the UK.

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Song of the Day #6,505: ‘Little Queen’ – Heart

Continuing my look at the albums of 1977…

Prior to the Decades series, my knowledge of Heart was limited to the synth-pop of the band’s self-titled 1985 album, which featured the hits ‘These Dreams,’ ‘What About Love,’ and ‘Never.’

I was surprised by the band’s debut, 1976’s Dreamboat Annie, when I covered it as part of that year’s Decades roundup. I expected hard rock and got a much quieter, folksier album peppered with some heavy-hitters.

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Song of the Day #6,504: ‘Just a Song Before I Go’ – Crosby, Stills & Nash

Continuing my look at the albums of 1977…

I always expect to know Crosby, Stills & Nash’s music better than I do. When the band’s third studio album, CSN, showed up on lists of notable 1977 releases, I figured it would feature several familiar tracks. But only first single ‘Just a Song Before I Go’ rang a bell.

The folk rock supergroup, both with and without Neil Young, has had a profound impact on American music, but very little impact on me. So I welcomed the chance to hear a bit more of their music.

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Song of the Day #6,503: ‘Manic Monday’ – The Bangles

The week of April 26, 1986, offered up a bonanza of 80s musical goodness atop the Billboard Hot 100.

In the top spot for the second straight week was Prince’s ‘Kiss,’ followed by Robert Palmer’s ‘Addicted to Love’ and Pet Shop Boys’ ‘West End Girls.’ Now there’s a trio of songs that simultaneously take you back several decades but still work like gangbusters today.

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