On this day in 1980: John Lennon was shot five times by 25 year old Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota apartment building in New York City where John and Yoko lived. Chapman had been waiting for Lennon outside the Dakota apartment since mid-morning and had asked for (and freceived) an autograph from Lennon earlier […]
This Day In Music, December 7th
On this day in 1985: Mr. Mister started a two week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Broken Wings’. It was released in June 1985 as the lead single from their second album ‘Welcome to the Real World.’ The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 7, 1985, where […]
This Day In Music, December 6th
On this day in 1986: Peter Cetera went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “The Next Time I Fall”, a duet with Amy Grant. The song was written by Bobby Caldwell and Paul Gordon. It was recorded by Cetera and Grant for Peter Cetera’s 1986 album ‘Solitude/Solitaire.’ It reached #1 on both the […]
This Day In Music, December 5th
On this day in 1987: Belinda Carlisle went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’. The ex Go-Go’s member’s first and only solo #1. The song was released as the lead single from her second solo album ‘Heaven on Earth’ on September 14, 1987, and it reached #1 on […]
This Day In Music, December 4th
On this day in 1980: Prince played the first night on his 31 date Dirty Mind North American tour at Shea’s in Buffalo, New York. After being told by his managers he couldn’t wear spandex pants without any underwear, Prince began performing in a long trench coat, black high heeled boots and leggings, and bikini brief […]
This Day In Music, December 3rd
On this day in 1986: Judas Priest were sued by two families, alleging that the band was responsible for their sons forming a suicide pact and shooting themselves after listening to Judas Priest records. The parents and their legal team alleged that a subliminal message of ‘do it’ had been included in the Judas Priest […]
This Day In Music, December 2nd
On this day in 1983: MTV aired the full 14-minute version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video for the first time. Now regarded as the most influential pop music video of all time, in 2009, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receive […]
This Day In Music, December 1st
On this day in 1983: Neil Young was sued by Geffen Records because his new music for the label was ‘not commercial in nature and musically uncharacteristic of his previous albums’. His latest album Everybody’s Rockin’ featured a selection of rockabilly songs (both covers and original material) which ran for just 25 minutes, Young’s shortest […]
This Day In Music, November 30th
On this day in 1982: Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ album was released. ‘Thriller’ was Jackson’s sixth studio album. Reunited with ‘Off the Wall’ producer Quincy Jones, Jackson was inspired to create an album where “every song was a killer”. With the ongoing backlash against disco, Jackson moved in a new musical direction, incorporating pop, post-disco, rock and funk. ‘Thriller’ foreshadows […]
This Day In Music, November 29th
On this day in 1980: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘Double Fantasy’ album was released. Though initially poorly received, the album is notable for its association with Lennon’s murder three weeks after its release, whereupon it became a worldwide commercial success, and went on to win the 1981 Album of the Year Grammy at the […]