Continuing my look at the albums of 1976…
When I saw that Diana Ross released an album in 1976, I decided it had to make the cut this week. Through more than 6,000 Songs of the Day, I’ve never featured a solo song by Ross (though I’ve written about quite a few by The Supremes).
Ross’ seventh album, titled Diana Ross, came out in ’76. It was her second self-titled album (the first was her debut). She later released albums titled Diana and Ross, so she more than covered her bases.
Continuing my look at the albums of 1976…
If you buy into the theory that three great songs make a great album, Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle certainly fits the bill.
Best known for its trio of hits — ‘Fly Like an Eagle,’ ‘Take the Money and Run,’ and ‘Rock’n Me’ — Miller’s ninth album was his first to go multi-Platinum, following up on the breakout success of The Joker a few years earlier. It remains his most popular release.
Continuing my look at the albums of 1976…
My late 80s high school friend group was more into 70s rock bands than 80s pop and New Wave. Our favorites were The Who, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin.
That Led Zeppelin fandom, for me at least, spanned six albums: Led Zeppelin II, III, and IV, plus Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, and In Through the Out Door. 1976’s Presence never broke through.
The #1 song in America the week of April 13, 1985, was a charity single that sold more than 20 million copies, becoming the eighth best-selling single of all time worldwide. I’m referring, of course, to ‘We Are the World,’ a song conceived as a way to raise money for and awareness of the famine in Africa.
‘We Are the World’ was written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and performed by a laundry list of music stars. The song featured so many big names that it’s easier to list the major 80s icons who weren’t there: namely, Prince and Madonna.
Throwing back to the week of April 12, 1975, we find Elton John atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Philadelphia Freedom.’ This was John’s fourth #1 hit on the chart on his way to seven in his career.
This was the first song John and lyricist Bernie Taupin ever wrote as a standalone single. John wanted to honor his friend Billie Jean King, who had become an international voice for feminism after her defeat of Bobby Riggs in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match. The song was named for the Philadelphia Freedoms, King’s team in the World Team Tennis league.
Meet Me In Montauk 