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Song of the Day #5,554: ‘Jigsaw Puzzle’ – The Rolling Stones

It took five years and 11 albums for The Rolling Stones to truly hit their stride. All of their output prior to late 1968 was very good, and included moments of true greatness, but Beggars Banquet was the band’s first masterpiece.

The Stones responded to the lukewarm reception of their psychedelic rock effort Their Satanic Majesties Request not just by returning to basics, but by churning out their most memorable batch of songs yet. Instant classics ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ and ‘Street Fighting Man’ lead the charge but this is an album full of gems.

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Song of the Day #5,553: ‘She’s a Rainbow’ – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones’ desire to keep up with the Joneses bit them in the ass with their second release of 1967.

Their Satanic Majesties Request was a foray into psychedelic rock spurred by the ecstatic reaction to The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Even the cover art seemed like a nod to, or a knock-off of, their counterpart’s groundbreaking concept album.

But while Sgt. Pepper was a smash hit, this album left both fans and critics scratching their heads.

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Song of the Day #5,552: ‘Delta Dawn’ – Helen Reddy

Today’s Throwback Weekend song comes from the week of September 15, 1973, when Helen Reddy’s ‘Delta Dawn’ topped the Hot 100 for a single week as part of its eight-week run in the top ten.

The song had previously been recorded by Bette Midler and Tanya Tucker, with the latter scoring a top ten hit on the Country chart. But Reddy, adding choir-like background vocals, was the first to score a major crossover hit with the track.

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Song of the Day #5,551: ‘My Boyfriend’s Back’ – The Angels

Throwing back to the week of September 14, 1963, we find The Angels on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their only top ten hit, ‘My Boyfriend’s Back.’

This simple tale of promised revenge was inspired by a conversation overheard by co-writer Bob Feldman. A teenaged girl was rejecting the advances of an unwanted suitor, unaware that her dismissal would result in a massive hit. I wonder how many women of the era believed they might have been that girl.

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Song of the Day #5,550: ‘Who’s Been Sleeping Here?’ – The Rolling Stones

In 1967, The Rolling Stones released their last album to receive different versions in the U.S. and UK. That record, Between the Buttons, continued their move away from R&B infused rock and toward the more experimental sounds of their peers.

That means a little Beatles here, a little Kinks there, a little Dylan on today’s SOTD, and a generally more fussed-over sound than they were known for.

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