ABBA releases "Knowing Me, Knowing You" 1977

ABBA released Knowing Me, Knowing You, the third single from their fourth studio album Arrival February 14, 1977.  It was one of their biggest hits and one of their best songs.  Billboard ranked it #4 on its list of top 15 ABBA songs. Rolling Stone ranked it as #2 on their list of top 25 ABBA songs.

The Andrews Sisters "Rum And Coca-Cola" reaches #1 1945

Rum and Coca-Cola, composed by Lionel Belasco and lyrics by Lord Invader, was recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1944 and went to #1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, February 10, 1945.  I didn't realize how the song alludes to US soldiers debauching young women on the island of Trinidad.  The song hints at how women prostituted themselves for the soldiers:

Since the Yankee came to Trinidad

They got the young girls all goin' mad

Young girls say they treat 'em nice

Make Trinidad like paradise

The song goes on to say:

From Chicachicaree to Mona's Isle
Native girls all dance and smile
Help soldier celebrate his leave
Make every day like New Year's Eve

The Andrews Sisters were asked about the song's lyrics, but they said they were given the song the day before they recorded it, and didn't have a chance to give the lyrics much thought.  Many radio stations in the US refused to play the song since it mentions 'rum' in the title.  

Despite the boycott, Rum and Coca-Cola stayed at #1 for seven weeks.  

Glenn Miller records "Tuxedo Junction" 1940

Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded Tuxedo Junction February 5, 1940 in New York.  His was the most successful recording and it reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1940.  It sold 115,000 copies in the first week.

The song was written by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash, with lyrics by Buddy Feyne.  Tuxedo Junction was written as an instrumental, but the composers sent it to lyricists to see who could write the best words for it.  Hawkins preferred Buddy Feyne's lyrics.

It was released in 1939 and reached #7 on the American pop charts. Tuxedo Junction has been covered by numerous artists including the Andrews Sisters,  Ella Fitzgerald, and the Manhattan Transfer.

"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" wins Academy Award 1947

On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe, written by Harry Warren with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 19th ceremony, March 13, 1947.  It is one of my favorites from this era but I had no idea it won an Oscar!

It was featured in the movie The Harvey Girls and performed by Judy Garland with Ray Bolger(!) among others as backup.

Johnny Mercer's recording with the Pied Pipers as backup last sixteen weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at #1.  At one point in 1945, three versions of the song were on the chart simultaneously:  Mercer, Bing Crosby and Judy Garland.

The Pointer Sisters release "Automatic" 1984

My girls the Pointer Sisters released Automatic, the second single from their album Break Out, January 13, 1984. Ruth provided the lead vocal, featuring her wonderful contralto voice.  June and Anita provided the backing vocals.  Automatic reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Billboard ranked it #94 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

Maureen McGovern's "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure reaches #1 1973

Maureen McGovern's performance of The Morning After from The Poseidon Adventure reached #1 on the Billboard charts August 4, 1973 and stayed there for two weeks.  It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in March 1973.

Glenn Miller records "Pennsylvania 6-5000" 1940

Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded one of their best-selling singles, Pennsylvania 6-5000. April 28, 1940.  It was released in June and rose to Top 5 on the Billboard charts.  It became a big band standard and was covered by many other artists including the Andrews Sisters and Meco.  The Carol Burnett Show included it in her tribute to Glenn Miller in a 1976 episode.  It was featured in an episode of the Muppet Show in 1979.

"Trio" by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt wins Album of the Year 1987

Trio, the collaboration of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, took home Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards April 6, 1987. The album was released March 2 of that year and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and stayed there for 5 consecutive weeks. 

Trio also won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Village People release "Macho Man" 1978

The Village People released their second studio album Macho Man, February 27, 1978.  The single of the same name reached #25 in September, becoming their first charting hit.  Key West, the second single from the album reached #4 on the Billboard Dance Chart.

The album has been certified platinum with 1M sales in the US.

Dolly Parton's "9 To 5" reaches #1 1981

Goddess of country and pop music Dolly Parton successfully makes her crossover debut with her son 9 to 5, which rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in January and Billboard Hot 100 on February 21, 1981. She wrote for the movie of the same name with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.  Dolly became the second woman to top both country singles and Hot 100 with the same song.  (Jeannie C. Riley was the first in 1968 with Harper Valley PTA.)

It got her an Oscar nomination and four Grammy nominations.  She won for Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.  It has become an anthem for office workers across the U.S.  American Film Institute rated it #78 on its "100 years, 100 songs" list.

Happy birthday, Styx rocker Dennis DeYoung!

Dennis DeYoung, born February 18, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, is a founding member of the awesome rock band Styx, as well as their primary lead vocalist and keyboardist up until June 1999, when he left the band.  He wrote 7 of 8 of the band's Billboard Top 10 singles.

Styx found themselves in a state of limbo after Tommy Shaw left the band in 1984, so DeYoung went solo from 1984-89.  Styx reunited in 1990 and released Edge of the Century, with Show Me the Way, written by DeYoung being the biggest selling single from the album.

DeYoung tried his hand at acting between 1993-95.  He reunited with Styx in 1995 but left again in 1999 (this time for good) due to the musical and personal differences that had plagued the band in the early 1980s.

Patsy Cline releases "I Fall To Pieces" 1961

The Queen of country music, Patsy Cline released her first #1 hit I Fall to Pieces, January 30, 1961.  It was mainly ignored by radio stations at first, but soon found an audience.  It entered the Billboard Country charts in April and made a slow rise to #1, to #12 on the Billboard Pop chart and #6 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.  Cline proved that a female could have cross-over hits on both charts. 

The success of I Fall to Pieces gained Cline an invitation to  join the Grand Ol'  Opry.  Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #238 of the top 500 Songs of All Time.  RIAA ranked it as 107 on the list of Songs of the Century.

Helen Reddy's "Angie Baby" reaches #1 1974

Helen Reddy's eerie tune Angie Baby reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart December 28, 1974.  It also reached #1 on the Billboard Easy Listening and Billboard Cash Box Top 100.

Written by Alan O'Day, Angie Baby is about a young girl who is "touched", not mentally handicapped.  She doesn't have any friends and does not attend  school, so she finds solace in the songs on the radio.  Then a young man "with evil on his mind" visits Angie, but things do not go as he planned.  He disappears and becomes her "secret lover" although everyone thinks he died.

Reddy once said she has never disclosed the real meaning of the lyrics because she loves hearing all the theories listeners have come up with.  She also said  it was the only one of her songs she didn't have to push radio stations to play.

"Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles reaches #1 1960

Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930, Georgia On My Mind was first recorded the same year by Carmichael.  In 1931, Frankie Trumbauer reached the Top Ten with his recording, the first hit for the song.

But it wasn't until Ray Charles (born in Albany, Georgia) recorded it and released it in 1960 on his The Genius Hits the Road album that Georgia On My Mind reached #1, November 14, 1960.  In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine named Ray Charles' version of Georgia on My Mind as the 44th Greatest Song of All Time.

Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" certified Gold 1977

Released as a single from the album I Remember Yesterday in July 1977, I Feel Love by Donna Summer was certified Gold November 9, 1977.  It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 but reached the top in the UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

It is considered one of the most influential songs of all time and in 2011, Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important".

Take a look at how many different charts have acclaimed it for being necessary, indispensable, or just down-right awesome!

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Les Inrockuptibles	France	1000 Indispensable Songs	2006	*
		1000 Necessary Songs	2015	*
Volume		200 Records that Changed the World	2008	*
Musikexpress	Germany	The 700 Best Songs of All Time	2014	134
Rolling Stone		The 500 Best Songs of All Time	2004	458
Spex		The Best Singles of the Century	1999	*
NPO Radio 2	Netherlands	Top 40 Songs by Year 1969-2000	2013	18
Panorama	Norway	The 30 Best Singles of the Year 1970-98	1999	1
BBC	United Kingdom	Pop on Trial, Top 50 Songs from the 1970s	2008	*
Robert Dimery		1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download	2010	*
The Guardian		1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear	2009	*
		A history of modern music	2011	*
IDJ Magazine		The 50 Greatest Dance Singles	2004	37
Mixmag		The 100 Best Dance Singles of All Time	1996	12
Mojo		The 100 Records That Changed the World	2007	96
Gary Mulholland		This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock	2002	*
Muzik		The 50 Most Influential Records of All Time	2003	*
NME		The 100 Best Songs of NME's Lifetime	2012	79
		The 100 Best Songs of the 1970s		6
		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2014	3
Q		The 50 Most Exciting Tunes Ever	2002	44
		100 Songs That Changed the World	2003	36
		The 1001 Best Songs Ever		*
		The 1010 Songs You Must Own	2004	*
		Top 20 Singles from 1970-1979		3
		The Ultimate Music Collection	2005	*
Paul Roland		CD Guide to Pop & Rock, 100 Essential Singles	2001	*
Uncut		The 100 Greatest Singles from the Post-Punk Era		11
		100 Rock and Movie Icons	2005	68
Blender	United States	Standout Tracks from the 500 CDs You Must Own	2003	*
Dave Marsh, Kevin Stein		The 40 Best of the Top 40 Singles by Year	1981	15
Michaelangelo Matos		Top 100 Singles of the 1970s	2001	4
Pitchfork		The Pitchfork 500	2008	*
		The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s[25]	2016	4
PopMatters		The 100 Best Songs Since Johnny Rotten Roared	2003	38
Rolling Stone		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2004	411
		40 Songs That Changed the World	2007	*
Time		The All-Time 100 Songs	2011	*
Treble		The Top 200 Songs of the 1970s	2012	14
(*) designates lists that are unordered.

Bobby Pickett "Monster Mash" reaches #1 1962

Bobby "Boris" Pickett's Monster Mash reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 October 20, 1962.  Released August 25, it has become an annual favorite for Halloween ever since.  Pickett had been performing with his band the Cordials and did an impression of Boris Karloff one night during a performance.  The audience loved it and band members encouraged him to do more with it.  Thus, Monster Mash was born.

"Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen reaches #1 1980

Queen's rock classic Another One Bites the Dust reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 for three weeks in 1980, October 4-18.  It spent 13 weeks in the Top Five, and 15 weeks in the Top Ten.  It remained on the charts for 31 weeks, more than any other single in 1980.

It is ranked as #34 on Billboard's All Time Top Songs and has sold over 7 million copies.  The song won an American Music Award for Favorite Rock Single.

"You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees hits #1 1976

The Bee Gees released Children of the World, their fourteenth studio album in September 1976, but released the single You Should Be Dancing earlier, in June.  September 4, 1976, the single made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.

A year later, it was featured in the movie Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta.  It was their third #1 Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.

Edwin Starr's "War" reaches #1 1970

War was originally recorded by the Temptations but then Motown was pressured to release it as a single.  Songwriter Norman Whitfield (with Barrett Strong) re-recorded it with Edwin Starr and released it in June 1970.  It became a smash hit and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of August 29, 1970 and stayed there for three weeks.

War, an anti-Vietnam War song, is the most successful song of Starr's career and is the best known protest song. 

Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1970.  Starr received a Grammy nomination for War in 1971 for Best R&B Male Vocal.  His version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Glenn Miller records "In The Mood" 1939

Glenn Miller and his orchestra entered the RCA studios in New York City on August 1, 1939, and recorded one of the best-known, most-beloved instrumentals of all time, In the Mood. 

In the Mood was an arrangement by Joe Garland (African-American composer and arranger) based on a pre-existing melody and Andy Razaf (African-American composer and lyricist) wrote the lyrics.  Edgar Hayes and his orchestra recorded In the Mood first in 1938, and featured bari saxophones instead of tenor saxes. 

Garland sold his arrangement to Artie Shaw in 1938, who did not record it but did perform it in a concert.  The audience was under-whelmed.

Miller bought the tune in 1939, who played with the arrangement for a while, before recording on August 1.

It became an instant hit and stayed at the top of the Record Buying Guide for 13 weeks and the Billboard charts for 30 weeks. 

Glenn Miller's recording of In the Mood was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1983.