Song of the Day #5,565: ‘Baby Boy’ – Beyoncé feat. Sean Paul

Throwing back to the week of September 27, 2003, we find Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee hanging on to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Shake Ya Tailfeather,’ covered on the blog three weeks ago.

In second place is a song that was on its way to a nine-week run at #1 — Beyoncé’s ‘Baby Boy.’ This collaboration with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul was the second single from Bey’s debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. Her first solo single, ‘Crazy in Love,’ also made it to the top spot.

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Song of the Day #5,564: ‘Emotional Rescue’ – The Rolling Stones

Two years after top-seller Some Girls, The Rolling Stones marked the beginning of a new decade with 1980’s Emotional Rescue.

The 70s had been a strong decade for the band, despite a slump in the middle years. They started with two of their best albums and finished it with another, their biggest hit. In between were a trio of lesser releases that still had their share of memorable songs.

How would they make the transition to the 80s, a decade that proved to be a landmine for many successful 70s acts?

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Song of the Day #5,563: ‘Before They Make Me Run’ – The Rolling Stones

Fourteen years and 14 albums into their career, The Rolling Stones released their best-selling album ever. Why 1978’s Some Girls earned that honor is a bit of a mystery. It did produce two top ten hits (‘Miss You,’ which hit #1, and ‘Beast of Burden’) but otherwise doesn’t feature any songs a casual fan would know.

The album also came in the midst of a critical slump for the band, following three straight albums that failed to live up to their great work from the late 60s and early 70s. Some Girls shifted that conversation, and was hailed by many as The Stones’ best work since Exile on Main St.

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Song of the Day #5,562: ‘Hand of Fate’ – The Rolling Stones

Coming on the heels of guitarist Mick Taylor’s departure, The Rollings Stones’ 1976 album Black and Blue served as an audition for a replacement.

Guitarists featured on the album’s eight tracks include Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins and Ronnie Wood, though the likes of Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck also jammed with the band. Wood ultimately got the gig.

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Song of the Day #5,561: ‘Time Waits For No One’ – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones continued their torrid pace of (at least) an album a year, dropping It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll in October of 1974. The album was produced by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards under the pseudonym “The Glimmer Twins.” The pair would go on to produce or co-produce every subsequent Stones album.

This was the band’s final release to feature Mick Taylor on guitar. He left after a dispute with Jagger over songwriting credits. All of the album’s original tracks are credited to Jagger and Richards, while Taylor maintained he made significant contributions to several songs, including today’s SOTD. Taylor is behind the mesmerizing guitar solo that closes out this epic track.

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