Category Archives: throwback weekends

by

Song of the Day #5,615: ‘Keep On Truckin’ (Part 1)’ – Eddie Kendricks

The week of November 17, 1973, saw former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks in his second week at #1 with ‘Keep On Truckin’ (Part 1),’ an abbreviated version of an 8-minute album track.

Kendricks had left The Temptations on bad terms two years earlier, and received some musical shade from his former band through a song called ‘Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are).’ This song, his only solo #1, gave him some measure of revenge. Kendricks even name-drops his former band during the song’s final verses.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,614: ‘Deep Purple’ – Nino Tempo & April Stevens

Throwing back to the week of November 16, 1963, we find Nino Temple and April Stevens atop the Billboard Hot 100 with their recording of ‘Deep Purple.’

The original version of this song was composed by pianist Peter DeRose in the 1920s. It was recorded as an instrumental by many artists in subsequent decades (here’s a version with DeRose himself on piano). In 1938, lyricist Mitchell Parish added words to the composition, and it was reimagined as a doo-wop track.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,608: ‘Demons’ – Imagine Dragons

The 2013 installment of Throwback Weekends continues to annoy, as once again the majority of the top ten has been featured on the blog before. This is due to a combination of my having written about some of these songs at the time and the fact that the Billboard Top Ten was remarkably static that year.

I won’t list the songs in the top seven spots as I have in previous weeks. It’s the same roundup of Lorde, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Drake, Jay-Z and friends. All decent enough songs, but apparently the only songs worth hearing during the back half of that year.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,607: ‘Stand Up’ – Ludacris feat. Shawnna

Throwing back to the week of November 8, 2003, we find Beyoncé and Sean Paul holding on to the top spot with ‘Baby Boy,’ in the middle of a nine-week run for the song at #1.

Sitting just behind it, a month away from its own #1 berth, is Ludacris’ ‘Stand Up.’ This is the second single from the rapper’s fourth album Chicken-n-Beer, and would become his first to top the Hot 100.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,601: ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’ – Meat Loaf

The week of October 30, 1993, saw Mariah Carey hanging on to the top spot of Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘Dreamlover.’ It was the last of eight weeks that song would spend atop the chart.

Right behind it was a song that would ascend to #1 the following week and spend five weeks there: Meat Loaf’s ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).’ This was Meat Loaf’s first-ever #1 hit, and his last. He died last year at age 74.

Continue reading →