Tag Archives: Barry McGuire

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Song of the Day #6,272: ‘Eve of Destruction’ – Barry McGuire

The week of September 7, 1965, saw a couple of all-time classics atop the Billboard Hot 100 in The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone.’

In the #3 spot was the protest song ‘Eve of Destruction,’ written by P.F. Sloan and performed by Barry McGuire. This was the only Top 40 hit of McGuire’s career and one of only three singles he landed on the Hot 100. This song was a giant killer — two weeks later it leap-frogged Dylan’s masterpiece and unseated The Beatles to secure #1.

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Song of the Day #5,190: ‘California Dreamin” – Barry McGuire

Here’s an interesting case of a band kinda sorta covering itself.

Before the iconic, wistful pop song ‘California Dreamin” was a top five hit for the Mamas and the Papas, it was recorded by singer-songwriter Barry McGuire for a 1966 album titled This Precious Time. The song was written by John and Michelle Phillips in 1963 while they were in a band called The New Journeymen, a precursor to the Mamas and the Papas.

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