THROWBACK THURSDAY
Welcome back to Throwback Thursday! Each week I compile a playlist of songs, and a list of notable events from this week in music history. Today, I bring to you a playlist full of some of the most iconic artists, from David Bowie to Elvis Presley. Our songs this week tap into several genres, and there is undoubtedly a song for everyone.
We open our playlist with The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses”, which was a part of their 1971 album Sticky Fingers. Initially, the band did not think the song was worthy of release, however upon revisiting it after a year, they made the decision to reconsider it. This worked out greatly for the band, along with fans around the world, who consider this song to be one of The Rolling Stones’ best.
“Wild Horses”- The Rolling Stones (1971)
“Be the One”- Hootie & the Blowfish (1996)
“The Good Stuff”- Kenny Chesney (2002)
“Free Fallin’”- Tom Petty (1989)
“Rock ‘n Roll With Me”- David Bowie (1974)
“Sentimental Journey”- Ringo Starr (1970)
“And Then There Were None”- Exodus (1985)
“Devils & Dust”- Bruce Springsteen (2005)
“Viva Las Vegas”- Elvis Presley (1964)
“We Ain’t Much Different”- Lynyrd Skynyrd (1997)
Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” is featured on this week’s playlist as track four, and is one of the most famous songs of Petty’s career. It is the opening track of the singer’s debut solo album, Full Moon Fever, which was released in 1989. The song is highly regarded, and has one of the most recognizable melodies. “Free Fallin’” has also become an extremely popular cover song, most famously by John Mayer and Stevie Nicks, the latter of which had a close friendship for several decades.
“Sentimental Journey” is the title track of Ringo Starr’s debut solo album, following the Beatles’ breakup in 1970. After John Lennon announced he would be departing from the band, Starr started to record his own music the year prior. Because of his limited songwriting experience, Ringo Starr chose to record a compilation of standards that reminded him of his youth. Although there were wavering reviews on the album itself, it still charted in the top ten in the United Kingdom.
The penultimate track on this week’s playlist is none other than “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley. The song was recorded by Elvis for his film of the same title, and it has since become one of his most famous songs, despite never being performed live. There are several versions that are as highly regarded as Elvis’, from bands including ZZ Top and Dead Kennedy. In April of 1977, Elvis would make his last-ever music recordings at a session in Michigan, following his concert that same night.
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “We Ain’t Much Different” is the final song on our playlist this week, and it is off of their Twenty album. The band’s ninth studio album was released in 1997, to mark twenty years since the plane crash that three band members tragically lost their lives in. The song itself touches upon change, and what it brings to our lives– in addition to the future.
In other musical history news, there have been a number of events that have happened this week in the past that will undoubtedly go down in history.
It was in April of 1961 that Bob Dylan made his recording debut. Dylan played the harmonica for Harry Belafonte’s “Midnight Special”, and the singer made fifty dollars.
Additionally, Pink Floyd’s record Dark Side of the Moon hit number one on the Billboard Albums chart in 1973. Although it only held the number one spot for a single week, the album would go on to hold the record for most weeks on the chart, with more than 800 million.
Lastly, on April 28, 2003, Apple launched the iTunes store, which was the first successful music download app. Two years prior, the first iPod was introduced, and along with the iTunes store, music became widely accessible to Apple users around the world.
Join us next week for a brand new playlist with blasts from the past from your favorite artists and bands!
