On this day in 1980: ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ by The Boomtown Rats won the best pop song and outstanding British lyric categories at the 25th Ivor Novello Awards. Boomtown Rats lead singer Bob Geldof was inspired to write the song after reading about the tragic shooting spree when 16-year-old Brenda Spencer killed two people […]
Tag: 1981
This Day In 80s Music, May 2nd
On this day in 1981: Sheena Easton started a two week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Morning Train (Nine To Five).’ “9 to 5” (or “Morning Train”) was written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Sheena Easton in 1980, becoming her biggest hit. It peaked at #3 in the United […]
This Day In 80s Music, April 11th
On this day in 1981: Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli, co-star of the 1980s television hit, One Day at a Time. The two had met eight months earlier when Bertinelli’s brother took her to a Van Halen concert in Shreveport, Louisiana. Also on this day back in 1981: Hall & Oates started a […]
This Day In 80s Music, April 7th
On this day in 1981: Bruce Springsteen & The E. Street Band kicked off their first European tour in Hamburg, Germany. This was Springsteen’s first tour outside North America. The Tour was to promote their double album ‘The River.’ On this day in 1984: Kenny Loggins started his second of three weeks at #1 on […]
This Day In Music, March 28th
On this day in 1981: Blondie started a two week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Rapture’, the group’s fourth and final U.S. #1 and the first #1 song in the U.S. to feature rap lyrics, notable for name-checking hip-hop pioneers Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash. In January 1981, “Rapture” was […]
This Day In Music, March 21st
On this day in 1981: REO Speedwagon went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Keep On Loving You’, the group’s first top 40 hit and first #1 in the U.S. It would spend one week in the top spot. Kevin Cronin stated that he wrote “Keep On Loving You” as a more traditional […]
This Day In Music, March 14th
On this day in 1981: Dolly Parton returned to the #1 position on the U.S. singles chart with “9 To 5”. The song had been in the #1 position for a week in February (the 21st-27th) but then gave up the #1 position to Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love A Rainy Night” for two weeks. Here’s […]
This Day In Music, February 28th
On this day in 1981: Country music star Eddie Rabbitt crossed over to the Pop chart to score a U.S. #1 hit with ‘I Love a Rainy Night’. He had earlier written the Elvis Presley smash ‘Kentucky Rain’ before having a #5 hit with ‘Drivin’ My Life Away’. “I Love a Rainy Night” was 12 years […]
This Day In Music, February 25th
On this day in 1981: Winners at this year’s Grammy Awards included Bob Seger who won Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for ‘Against The Wind’, Pat Benatar won Best Rock Vocal Performance Female for ‘Crimes Of Passion’, Billy Joel won Best Rock Vocal Performance Male for ‘Glass Houses’, and […]
This Day In Music, February 22nd
On this day in 1981: One Hit Wonder Joe Dolce was at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with ‘Shaddap You Face,’ famously keeping the legendary Ultravox song, Vienna, out of the U.K. #1 slot. ‘Shaddap You Face’ went to #1 in 11 countries with over 35 different foreign language cover versions, selling over 4 […]