How the Song Came to Be
Friend & Lover ‘Reach Out of the Darkness’: So Groovy Now
The peace-and-love message of the song resonated in 1968, a relic of its time.
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Medley Mania of 1981-82: ‘Stars on 45,’ The Beatles & More
A Dutch novelty act released a single that was a medley of songs, backed by a disco beat. The worldwide #1 hit spawned other singles from actual superstars.
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Queen’s Homage to Space Exploration, “’39”
The band’s guitarist, Brian May, can do many things well, one of which is to write songs. This one, about time travel, presaged his PhD in astrophysics
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The Yardbirds: ‘Heart Full of Soul’—Jeff Beck’s Guitar Was the Star
He suggested an alternate plan: to have his guitar basically take on the sitar’s role.
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Desmond Dekker’s ‘Israelites’—Admit It, You Don’t Know the Lyrics
Even as it found its way to the top 10 in the U.S. and several other countries, many listeners had no idea what this proto-reggae song was about.
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Why Bob Dylan Covered the Rick Nelson Hit ‘Garden Party’
“His voice was sort of mysterious and made you fall into a certain mood,” said Dylan of Nelson.
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‘Brandy’ by Looking Glass (It’s a Fine Song)
For one week only, in the summer of 1972, it was the best-selling, most often played single in the United States of America.
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When Liberace Was “Feelin’ Groovy”
The famed entertainer performed it on national television in 1968. Our look back at the song’s history. (Its composer, Paul Simon, hates it.)
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How Dr. Hook Got on the ‘Cover of the Rolling Stone’
A band records a song about its burning desire to make it to the cover of the leading music magazine. We’ve got the backstory. Do you know who wrote it?
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