THROWBACK THURSDAY
Happy April, and welcome back to Throwback Thursday! Each week, I handpick a playlist showcasing songs that were released in previous years during this week, as well as discuss some historic musical moments of that time frame as well. Today, I come to you with ten songs of varying genres, decades and artists– from Joni Mitchell to Bruce Springsteen.
This week in 1974, ABBA became an overnight sensation when their single “Waterloo” won the Eurovision Song Contest. The Swedish band went on to have extreme commercial success, and became one of the best selling music groups in history. Similarly, Billy Joel scored his first top 40 hit during the same week, with his iconic song “Piano Man,” which would soon become a nickname for the American musician.
In April 1971, Carly Simon played her first ever show as a solo artist at the Troubadour, an iconic venue in Los Angeles. Simon opened a show for Cat Stevens. This was just the beginning of a friendship turned into a relationship for the two, who went on to write songs about each other in their individual music.
Lastly, in April 1978, The Police released their hit song, “Roxanne” in the U.K.. Initially, the song didn’t do great due to BBC Radio 1’s refusal to play it— however, The Police toured the United States the following year, making the song more popular, and it eventually became their first hit. This week, “Roxanne” serves as the closing song on our playlist.
Our playlist starts off with Bruce Springsteen’s “Better Days,” Lucky Town, his tenth studio album. “Better Days” is the epitome of a classic rock song, adorned with catchy guitar riffs and Springsteen’s trademark rasp.
“Better Days”- Bruce Springsteen (1992)
“Johnny B. Goode”- Chuck Berry (1958)
“Shine A Light”- The Rolling Stones (2008)
“To Play Some Music”- Journey (1975)
“Big Yellow Taxi” - Joni Mitchell (1970)
“Lonely No More”- Rob Thomas (2005)
“Harbor Lights” - Bruce Hornsby (1993)
“Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)”- Diana Ross (1970)
“Crying In The Chapel”- Elvis Presley (1965)
“Roxanne” - The Police (1978)
Next, we’re stepping back a few decades with Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” This song quickly became a hit, and has been repeatedly featured on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. “Johnny B. Goode” is also considered one of the most recognizable songs in history, and when Berry at the ceremony of his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, he sang the hit backed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Towards the middle of our playlist, we have one of my favorites, “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell. “Big Yellow Taxi” was included in Mitchell’s 1970 album Ladies of the Canyon, and has become an extremely popular song, most notably by the Counting Crows in 2002. The song was written while Mitchell was on a trip to Hawaii, and she looked out her window to see a lack of nature, and instead a parking-lot that stretched out a great distance.
“Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” is the eighth song in our list this week, written and performed by Diana Ross, shortly following her departure from The Supremes. The song peaked at 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and became one of Ross’ most popular songs to date.
Our penultimate track this week is none other than Elvis Presley’s cover of “Crying In The Chapel.” The song was originally written by Artie Glenn, and was released in 1953— however the most successful version is Elvis’, whose version peaked at number 3 in the United States.
As mentioned, the song that closes our playlist is another favorite of mine, “Roxanne” by British rock band the Police. Following its success, and that of the Police, “Roxanne” has been featured on their greatest hits albums, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
Join us next week for a brand new playlist with blasts from the past from your favorite artists and bands!
