So pull up a beanbag chair, turn on your lava lamp and take a trip back to a groovier time!
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February 2016 February 29: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American rock band The Monkees with "Daydream Believer" (1967)
Johnny K's Fun Facts:
Written by the late John Stewart (1939 - 2008) shortly before he left
the American folk and pop music group, Kingston Trio, was originally
turned down by the We Five and Spanky and Our Gang before being offered
to the Monkees. It was the Monkees' last number one hit in the U.S.
Canadian singer Anne Murray had a hit with the song in 1979; her version
reached number three on the U.S. country singles chart and number
twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been recorded by others
including a 1971 version by Stewart himself.
February 28: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #6 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#9 U.K. Singles chart) here is British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, humanitarian and education philanthropist Cat Stevens with "Morning Has Broken" (1971)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: "Morning Has Broken" is a popular and well-known Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and is set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune known as "Bunessan" (it shares this tune with the 19th century Christmas Carol "Child in the Manger"). It is often sung in children's services. Writing credit for "Morning Has Broken" has occasionally been erroneously attributed to Stevens, who popularized the song abroad. The familiar piano arrangement on Stevens' recording was composed and performed by Rick Wakeman, a classically trained keyboardist best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes. Since 1978, Stevens has been known as Yusuf Islam after becoming a Muslim in 1977.
February 27: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American rock band Three Dog Night with "Black and White" (1972)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written in 1954 by David I. Arkin and Earl Robinson, and with earlier versions recorded by Pete Seeger in 1956 followed by Sammy Davis Jr. in 1957, the most successful recording of the song was the pop version by Three Dog Night. The song was inspired by the United States Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education that outlawed racial segregation of public schools. This ruling paved the way for integration and was a major victory of the Civil Rights Movement. Three Dog Night was unique in that the group had three lead vocalists: Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and the late Cory Wells (1941 - 2015). "Black and White" was one of the few hits for Three Dog Night on which Hutton sang the lead vocals.
February 26: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor, the late Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009) with "Black or White" (1991)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell, "Black or White" reached the #1 spot on the Billboard charts in just three weeks of its release making it the fastest chart topper since The Beatles' "Get Back" also reached the top position on the charts in just three weeks in 1969. Along with Jackson, the music video also featured Macaulay Culkin, Tess Harper, and George Wendt. The video was directed by John Landis, who previously directed Thriller. It was choreographed by Vincent Paterson.
February 25: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #3 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is Canadian-American rock group Steppenwolf with "Magic Carpet Ride" (1968)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Formerly known as The Sparrow, the group was formed in late 1965 in Toronto, ON and was prominent in the hard rock/psychedelic music scene from 1968 to 1972. the group's name was inspired by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse's 1927 novel of the same name. The band finally rocketed to worldwide fame after their third single "Born to Be Wild" was released in 1968, as well as their version of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher" (both of these tunes were used prominently in the 1969 counterculture cult film Easy Rider) however "Magic Carpet Ride" stayed in the charts for 16 weeks, longer than any other Steppenwolf song. The lyrics "I like to dream, right between my sound machine" were inspired by a hi-fi home stereo system band frontman John Kay bought with royalties from his first album.
February 24: Today's "Way Back Play Back" was the #1 song on this date back in 1974; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer, songwriter, actress and filmmaker Barbra Streisand with "The Way We Were" (1974)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman (lyrics) and Marvin Hamlisch (music), "The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, a romantic drama film, starring Streisand and Robert Redford. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three non-consecutive weeks in February 1974 and was named the #1 pop hit of the year. Instrumental backing was provided by L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew.
February 23: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #4 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American power pop band Tommy Tutone with "867-5309/Jenny" (1981)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: According to interviews withg members of the band, the song is based on a real girl named Jenny who was the Buffalo Chief of Police's daughter. The song became so popular that people in the United States to this day dial this telephone number and ask for Jenny as a prank. Regarding the famous number, "We had people threatening to sue us. It was the Buffalo Chief of Police's daughter's number in New York," said Tommy Tutone lead singer Tommy Heath. A common misconception is that Tommy Tutone is the name of the lead singer; it is actually the name of the band. Tommy Heath is the lead singer. The name of the band developed from its original name, Tommy and the Tu-tones, to merely Tommy Tutone.
February 22: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American pop duo Captain & Tennille with "Love Will Keep Us Together" (1975)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: The song written by American pop/rock singer & composer, Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, first recorded by Sedaka himself in 1973. It was the husband-and-wife duo, Captain & Tennille's cover version, with instrumental backing by L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew, that made the song a worldwide hit and becoming on of their signature songs. Tennille paid tribute to Sedaka's welcome return to music-business success with her ad lib of "Sedaka is back" in the outro while she was laying down her own background vocals for the track. The song was the biggest hit of 1975.
February 21: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #14 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#47 U.K. Singles chart) here is English actor and singer Murray Head (with the Trinidad Singers) with "Superstar" (1969)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: "Superstar" is the title song from the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar which was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Released as a single in 1969 before the album was completed, "Superstar" was sung by Head with the Trinidad Singers. The song is sung by the spirit of Judas Iscariot who asks Jesus a series of questions, such as why Jesus chose to come to Israel in 4 BC when it had no "mass communication" as opposed to modern times, whether Jesus had planned his own death, whether Jesus knew beforehand that his death would become famous and whether Buddha and Prophet Muhammad were his equals. It is dominated by Judas repeatedly apologizing for asking questions. Jesus does not respond to any of the questions. "Superstar" is perhaps the best-known song from this production.
February 20: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #7 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#4 U.K. Singles chart) here is British rock band Badfinger with "Come and Get It" (1970)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Badfinger evolved from an earlier group called The Iveys that was formed in 1961 and were the first group signed by the Beatles' Apple record label in 1968 (as The Iveys). Written and produced by Paul McCartney for the 1969 film The Magic Christian starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, "Come and Get It" became the group's first release under the name of Badfinger, in reference to "Bad Finger Boogie"; an early working title of Lennon–McCartney's "With a Little Help from My Friends" (as John Lennon had hurt his forefinger on a piano and was using only one finger). George Harrison would later state that the band was named for Helga Fabdinger, a stripper the Beatles had known in Hamburg. McCartney recorded a solo demo of the song in July 1969, when he arrived early for a Beatles recording session for the Abbey Road album and was insistent that Badfinger perform the song exactly as the demo.
February 19: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer and actress Britney Spears with "...Baby One More Time" (1998)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Originally written for American group Backstreet Boys and R&B group TLC as "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (who rejected it), the title was revised to "...Baby One More Time" as record producers were concerned that the words "Hit Me" would condone domestic violence. The song was then offered to Spears who claimed that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit record. An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick, portrays Spears as a student from a Catholic high school, who starts to daydream that she is singing and dancing around the school, while watching her love interest from afar. In 2010, the music video for "...Baby One More Time" was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music, in a poll held by Canadian entertainment news website, Jam!. In 2011, "...Baby One More Time" was voted the best music video of the 1990s.
February 18: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #7 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American rock band Cheap Trick with "I Want You to Want Me" (1977)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Although "I Want You to Want Me" is the band's biggest selling single, it didn't even chart in the U.S. upon is original release on their second album In Color in 1977. Inspired by the abundance of pop songs at the time, writer Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the band, had the idea to do an over-the-top pop song with a heavy metal sound. It wasn't until after the song went #1 in Japan, which paved the way for Cheap Trick's famous concerts at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo in April 1978 that were recorded for the group's most popular album, Cheap Trick at Budokan, that a live version of "I Want You to Want Me" was released; this version was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing sales of one million records.
February 17: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #2 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer-songwriter Lobo with "I'd Love You to Want Me" (1972)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Born Roland Kent Lavoie, he is best known by his stage name Lobo, which is Spanish for wolf, that he adopted in 1971 and proceeded to score several U.S. Top 10 hits in the early 1970s. "I'd Love You to Want Me" was the singer's highest charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
February 16: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #3 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#11 U.K. Singles chart) here is Scottish folk pop duo The Proclaimers with "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" (1988)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Composed of twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid, The Proclaimers came to public attention when an Inverness-based fan sent their demo to the English band the Housemartins, who were impressed enough to invite the Proclaimers on their 1986 United Kingdom tour. The exposure of the tour won them a January 1987 appearance on the British pop music television programme The Tube. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" was mainly written by Craig Reid in mid-1987 while waiting to travel to a Proclaimers concert in Aberdeen. Reid recalled, "I can remember sitting at the piano and the chords just came to me. I reckon I wrote the whole thing in 45 minutes. I knew that it was a good song, maybe even a single, but I had no idea how popular it would become." Reid has said that the band's earnings from the song are about five times the rest of their catalogue combined. Becoming their signature song, it charted in the U.S. and Canada following its appearance in the film Benny & Joon in 1993.
February 15: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #12 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#12 U.K. Singles chart) here is English singer-songwriter, musician and producer Nick Lowe with "Cruel to Be Kind" (1979)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: In 1979, Lowe, a noted figure in U.K. pub rock, power pop and new wave, married country singer Carlene Carter, daughter of fellow country singers the late Carl Smith (1927 - 2010) and the late June Carter Cash (1929 - 2003) and stepdaughter of the late Johnny Cash (1932 - 2003). The video to "Cruel to Be Kind" was one of the first music videos aired on MTV, and is a combination of actual footage of Lowe's wedding to Carter (they needed someone to do it, so the director stepped in), as well as a humorous re-enactment of the wedding, featuring Carter as herself, Dave Edmunds as their limo driver, Terry Williams as the photographer, Billy Bremner as the baker, and Jake Riviera (Nick's manager at the time) as the best man. Both the wedding (certain parts) and video were shot on August 18, 1979 at the Tropicana Motel in West Hollywood. All family stayed there for the wedding, as well as the reception (slightly featured in the video). Filming for the video took so long, that Lowe was actually late to the wedding. Lowe's marriage to Carter lasted until 1990.
February 14: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #4 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon with "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (1969)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Rivaling the success of her signature song, the 1965 "What the World Needs Now is Love" (written by Hal David, Burt Bacharach), DeShannon's self-penned "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" became her highest-charting hit in the States. DeShannon was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period and although she has not produced any further Top Ten singles of her own, her songs have been covered by other artists who have converted them into hits. DeShannon co-wrote "Bette Davis Eyes" with Donna Weiss which went on to become a worldwide #1 single for Kim Carnes in 1981.
February 13: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #5 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is Gibraltarian/British singer, songwriter and record producer Albert Hammond with "It Never Rains in Southern California" (1972)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Hammond, who had previously co-founded the British vocal group the Family Dogg (which scored a UK Top 10 hit with "A Way of Life" in 1969) and Mike Hazlewood, the song chronicles the struggles of an actor who moves out to California to pursue a career in Hollywood but does not have any success and deteriorates in the process. Instrumental backing was provided by Los Angeles session musicians from the Wrecking Crew, a loose-knit circle of top studio session musicians whose services were constantly in demand during their heyday in the 1960s and early 1970s, playing behind many popular recording artists such as Jan & Dean, Sonny & Cher, Barry McGuire, the Mamas & the Papas, Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra. In the UK the song is perhaps the quintessential example (alongside The Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music") of a turntable hit: A song which, although very frequently played and requested on radio, never makes it into the charts.
February 12: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; peaking at #2 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American R&B duo Calloway with "I Wanna Be Rich" (1990)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Brothers Reginald and Vincent Calloway formed their own eponymous group, Calloway, in the late 1980s after writing songs and forming bands as teenagers, including Midnight Star, a synth-funk outfit that hit big in the early 1980s. Having grown up around music with a father who played the trumpet, an uncle who played keyboards, and an aunt who sang opera, the brothers eventually left Midnight Star to focus on solo work and achieved their biggest success as Calloway with "I Wanna Be Rich." Although released in late 1989, the song peaked on the charts in May, 1990.
February 11: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #8 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#1 Canadian Singles chart) here is Canadian rock music trio The Stampeders with "Sweet City Woman" (1971)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Appearing on The Stampeders debut album Against the Grain, the song is noted for featuring a banjo as a primary instrument, which is also mentioned in the lyrics: "The banjo and me, we got a feel for singing." When asked which came first, the banjo lick or the actual lyric, Stampeders founding member and writer of the song Rich Dodson states, "It was a catchy lick I just loved, and I thought I had to write something to this. We were a country rock band from Calgary in the big city of Toronto. It was just so exciting to be here. We pretty much moved here in '66. It encompasses all the excitement of coming to Toronto, the big city, the land of R&B."
February 10: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer Gloria Gaynor with "I Will Survive" (1979)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: As a disco number, the song was unique for its time by virtue of Gaynor's having no background singers. And, unlike her first disco hits, the track was not pitched up to make it faster and to render Gaynor's recorded voice in a higher register than that in which she actually sang. Most disco hits at the time were heavily produced, with multiple voices, overdubs and adjustments to pitch and speed. "I Will Survive" had a much more spare and "clean" sound. The song has become something of an anthem of female emancipation.
February 9: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #3 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American new wave band The B-52's with "Love Shack" (1989)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Becoming the band's biggest selling single, the song drew inspiration from a cabin located around Athens, Georgia (where the band originated), complete with tin roof, where the band conceived "Rock Lobster", a single from their first album. B-52's singer Kate Pierson lived in the cabin in the 1970s which existed until 2004, when it burned down. "Tin roof...rusted," wailed by lead singer Cindy Wilson, was originally an outtake added to the track, and is perhaps the song's most memorable line. Fred Schneider also provides some memorable lines, including his notable boast of having a Chrysler that is "as big as a whale" and "seats about twenty". It has come to mean many things to different listeners. The song was a comeback of sorts following the band's decline in popularity in the early 1980s coupled with the death of their guitarist, Ricky Wilson, in 1985.
February 8: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American popular music vocal group The 5th Dimension with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (1969)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written for the 1967 musical Hair (which became an anthem the hippie counterculture and sexual revolution of the 1960s) by James Rado & Gerome Ragni (lyrics), and Galt MacDermot (music), the medley of two songs was released as a single in 1969 by The 5th Dimension, whose repertoire of pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera and Broadway was referred to as "Champagne Soul." The lyrics of this song, which became one of the most popular songs of 1969, were based on the astrological belief that the world would soon be entering the "Age of Aquarius", an age of love, light, and humanity, unlike the current "Age of Pisces". The exact circumstances for the change are "When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars." This change was presumed to occur at the end of the 20th century; however, astrologers differ extremely widely as to when. Their proposed dates range from 2062 to 2680.
February 7: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#1 U.K. Singles chart) here is English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and music and film producer, the late George Harrison (1943 - 2001) with "My Sweet Lord" (1970)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Harrison's first release as a solo artist following the break up of the Beatles, "My Sweet Lord" topped charts worldwide and was the biggest-selling single of 1971 in the U.K. and was the first #1 single by an ex-Beatle. The song's lyrics reflect Harrison's often-stated desire for a direct relationship with God, expressed in simple words that all believers could affirm, regardless of their religion. Written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna, while at the same time intending the lyrics to serve as a call to abandon religious sectarianism through his deliberate blending of the Hebrew word hallelujah with chants of "Hare Krishna" and Vedic prayer, Harrison's work became the centre of a heavily publicized copyright infringement suit, due to its similarity to the 1963 song "He's So Fine" by the New York girl group the Chiffons. Claiming to have used the out-of-copyright Christian hymn "Oh Happy Day" as his inspiration for the song's melody, Harrison was found to have subconsciously plagiarized the earlier tune, a verdict that had repercussions throughout the music industry.
February 6: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #8 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer-songwriter and guitarist Tony Joe White with "Polk Salad Annie" (1969)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by White, whose roots lie in the swamplands of Oak Grove, Louisiana, "Polk Salad Annie" describes the lifestyle of a poor rural Southern girl and her family. Traditionally, the term to describe the type of food highlighted in the song is polk or poke sallet, a cooked greens dish made from pokeweed. The term sallet is an old English word that means "cooked greens," not to be mistaken for "salad"; in fact, a great many cases of pokeweed poisoning result from this linguistic mistake. According to White, "Tastes alright too.. a bit like spinach."
February 5: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; peaking at #2 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer/songwriter and guitarist Meredith Brooks with "Bitch" (1997)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Brooks' signature song has frequently been falsely attributed to fellow singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette as there were close musical similarities between Morissette's work at the time in comparison with "Bitch." Morissette had no involvement in the recording of "Bitch" and has never covered the song herself however a possible source of confusion comes from the existence of Morissette's 2008 track "It's a Bitch (To Grow Up)", which is unrelated to Brooks's song but has a similar title and some similar lyrical themes. Brooks has stated that she finds the popular misconception used to be bother her but seems to have become just humorous. "Bitch" contains an un-credited drum sample of "Impeach The President" (1973) by The Honey Drippers, a song advocating for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon due to the then-ongoing Watergate scandal.
February 4: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #8 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#2 Canadian Singles chart) here is Canadian pop, country and adult contemporary music singer Anne Murray with "Snowbird" (1970)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written Canadian songwriter, the late Gene MacLellan (1938 - 1995), "Snowbird" launched Murray's career following her stint on the 1960s CBC musical variety television show Singalong Jubilee,and became a surprise hit on the U.S. charts as well as Canada. After the success of "Snowbird", she had a number of subsequent singles that charted both pop and country simultaneously and she became in demand for several television appearances in Canada and the U.S., eventually becoming a regular on the hit U.S. TV series The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Murray, who hailed from Springhill, NS, became the first Canadian female solo singer to reach #1 on the U.S. charts, and also the first to earn a Gold record for her signature song, "Snowbird."
February 3: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #40 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is British new wave performing and record production duo The Buggles with "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1979)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: With the theme of promoting technology while worrying about its effects the song relates to concerns about mixed attitudes towards 20th-century inventions and machines for the media arts with the lyrics referring to a period of technological change in the 1960s, the desire to remember the past and the disappointment that children of the current generation would not appreciate the past. Commercially, "Video Killed the Radio Star" was also a success and is well-remembered as the first music video shown on MTV in the United States at 12:01am on August 1, 1981 and the first video shown on MTV Classic in the UK on March 1, 2010.
February 2: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer and songwriter, Bill Medley, and American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, Jennifer Warnes, with "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (1987)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: With lyrics by Franke Previte and music composed by John DeNicola and Don Markowitz, the song was written for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing and was originally intended for for Donna Summer and Joe Esposito, but they turned it down. Although Medley, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers, also originally turned it down as his daughter McKenna was due to be born and he promised his wife he would be there with her, he was approached again after Warnes had indicated she would record the song if she could do the duet with him. Medley then agreed to do the recording, and with the release of the film has become one of the most played songs on the radio and became a worldwide hit.
February 1: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American new wave band Blondie with "Heart of Glass" (1979)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Almost immediately after its release, "Heart of Glass" became the subject of controversy because of its disco sound; at the time, Blondie was one of the bands at the forefront of New York's growing new wave music scene and were accused of "selling out" for releasing a disco song. Debbie Harry and Chris Stein wrote an early version of "Heart of Glass", called "Once I Had a Love", in around 1974, however they initially wrote it as a ballad and even tried it with a reggae sound. Exactly who decided to give the song a more pronounced disco vibe is subject to differing recollections however nonetheless the song was ultimately given the disco orientation that made the song one of the best-known Blondie recordings.
