Friday, March 20, 2015

The First Day Of Spring

Well, that's what the calendar says anyway!!!  Headlines today about an arctic blast in the northeast may prove otherwise for some of our readers!

Here in Chicago, we'll probably see the mid-50's.  I thought we'd celebrate "Spring Fever" ('cause after this winter, I can't WAIT for it to get nice out again ... and STAY nice out!!!) by looking back at some of the #1 Hits on this date over the past 60 years.

This week's #1 Record in Billboard has been holding that position for the past eleven weeks ... and it is, without question, one of the best songs out there in a long, long while.

Harkening back to the sounds of 1965 and 1975 ... the James Brown Funk Era ... Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars have TOTALLY captured the sound and feel of this era ... which means they'll probably be sued by Marvin Gaye's family any day now!

Give a listen to UPTOWN FUNK ... #1, First Day Of Spring, 2015 ...



20 Years Ago Today ... March 20th, 1995 ... found Madonna topping the chart with her latest, TAKE A BOW.  This record spent SEVEN weeks in the #1 Spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart.



Flashback 25 Years Ago Today ... March 20th, 1990 (God that's SO hard to believe!!!) ... and you'll find JANET JACKSON wrapping up her third and final week on top of the chart with ESCAPADE.



30 Years Ago Today, REO Speedwagon found themselves in a similar position, enjoying a three week run on top with CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING, one of those songs we still hear all the time here in Chicago.



Step into the time machine and set the dial to March 20, 1980, and you'll find Queen topping the chart with their rockabilly revival hit CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE, another guaranteed daily airplay track some 35 years later.



March 20th, 1975 found The Doobie Brothers on top with their first #1 Hit, BLACK WATER.  (They'd hit #1 again five years later with What A Fool Believes).



On March 20th, 1970, Simon and Garfunkel were enjoying the biggest hit of their careers when BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER topped The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart for six straight weeks.  The duo split up shortly afterwards, figuring they could NEVER top the success of this record.



Those of you who follow our weekly chart feature 50 YEAR FLASHBACK on Monday Mornings will see that next week (on our chart from WRIT in Milwaukee), "Eight Days A Week" is the #1 Record.  It also topped Billboard Magazine's Pop Singles Chart on March 20, 1965, their latest US Hit to do so.  (EIGHT DAYS A WEEK was not released as a single back home in England.)



55 Years Ago Today, March 20th, 1960, we were treated to one of the longest running #1 Records of the '60's when Percy Faith's THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE" spent one of its nine weeks on top of the chart at #1.



And finally, flashing back to March 20th, 1955 ... 60 Years Ago Today ... it was The McGuire Sisters and their version of SINCERELY that held down the #1 position.  (Music certainly has come a long way since then!!!)



And there you have it ... our First Day Of Spring Flashback!!!