The number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of April 19, 1975, was "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John. The British rock artist was still riding high with a string of hit singles with this song becoming his fourth number one song on the US chart and held this position for two weeks.
"Philadelphia Freedom" was originally written by John with his musical collaborator, Bernie Taupin to pay tribute to tennis player, Billie Jean King as she was playing with the Philadelphia Freedoms, a part of a charter franchise of the World Team Tennis in 1974. Taupin could not really find a way to write a song about tennis so he went on to convey a message that was uplifting and somewhat patriotic. The song is also dedicated in part to the feeling of "the Philadelphia sound" which was the soul music of writer-producers Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell. In fact, John would later perform "Philadelphia Freedom" on "Soul Train" on May 17. 1975, making him the second White artist to appearance on the r&b music program following Gino Vannelli who was on about four months earlier.
Tiffany, the teenage shopping mall pop star, with her cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' 1967 hit, "I Think We're Alone Now" was the number one song on the US pop chart during this week, twenty years later from when that band originally charted with the song.
Tiffany Darwish was born and raised in Norwalk, CA, and began singing at the age of four. By ten, she was performing in country music venues. And it was during this time Tiffany was discovered by singer, Hoyt Axton who took her to Nashville where she began to sing professionally. This lead to an appearance on the early talent competition program, "Star Search" in 1985 where Tiffany placed second. She would met George Tobin, a record producer, who signed the teenager to a recording contract and became her manager.
Tiffany's self-titled debut was released in 1987 and the first single, "Danny" failed to chart. Tobin came up with a publicity stunt as a way to appeal to young fans. Tiffany would embark on a concert tour at shopping malls across the country. And the plan worked with Tiffany's second single reaching the top of the pop chart at the age of sixteen. With the ballad, "Could've Been" (which also reached number one on the chart) and another hit cover with a reworking of the Beatles' "I Saw Him Standing There", Tiffany's album sold over four million copies and made the teenager a star.
But in the middle of all of this success, Tiffany was drawn in to a legal battle between Tobin and her parents over her career and earnings. This would be resolved and Tiffany released her follow-up album, "Hold an Old Friend's Hand" in 1988. Despite another top-ten hit, "All This Time", the album was a disappointment and Tiffany's career began to cool down.
Her subsequent albums failed to chart but she has kept busy over the years, appearing in film and reality television. Tiffany still records and tours, releasing a country album in 2011 and last year, the now forty-nine year old performer updated her first hit with a rock & roll arrangement. Here is Tiffany's original video and the 2019 version of "I Think We're Alone Now":
Bread was an American soft-rock band who enjoyed a height of popularity throughout a large part of the 1970's with such songs as "If", "Baby I'm-a-Want You", "Everything I Own" and "It Don't Matter To Me". But the group reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart only once and that was with their breakout single, "Make It With You" which hit number one during this week fifty years ago.
David Gates was a singer/songwriter from Oklahoma and met fellow musician, Leon Russell playing around local clubs in the Tulsa area. They both decided to head out to Los Angeles to try their luck there. While Russell would forge his own musical path, Gates kicked around playing with a few bands before meeting bass guitarist, Robb Royer and guitar/keyboardist, Jimmy Griffin, who were also a songwriting team. The trio came together to form a band called "Bread" and signed with Elektra Records in 1969.
Bread's first single, "Dismal Day" had a dismal outcome, failing to chart. Session drummer, Jim Gordon briefly joined the band during the recording of Bread's 1969 self-titled debut album and touring appearances. But Mike Botts, a drummer Gates had previously worked with, was asked to become a permanent member when Gordon had a scheduling conflict.
With their second album, "On The Waters", Bread would achieve their first hit with the sensual ballad, "Make It With You". The single (written and sung by Gates) would find worldwide success, ranking number thirteen on the songs of 1970 chart and selling well over a million copies.
By 1973, Bread experienced what many rock groups have gone through when they have immediate success; the difficulties and stress of the recording/touring grind and the intense clash of egos would ultimately lead to the break-up of the band. The label would express a desire for another Bread album in 1976. And with enough time having passed so the members could put aside their differences, they were able to make that happen.
"Lost Without Your Love" would be Bread's sixth studio album and the title track would be their final top-ten hit in 1977. However, while on road to support the album, all those previous personal tensions would flair back up and by the end of the tour, the band was once again toast.
The number one during this week back in 1970 was "War" by Edwin Starr. This soulful protest song held this spot for three weeks in the US and had struck a chord with the American public due to the growing opposition to the war in Vietnam.
While this would become Starr's signature song, "War" was not originally recorded by this Motown artist. The Temptations had first recorded a version, written by the label's staff writers, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, for their 1970 album, "Psychedelic Shack". The title track had been the only single released (which made it to number seven on the US pop chart and number two on the soul chart) and many fans had requested "War" to be released as well. However, Motown did not want one of their top-tier artists associated with a potentially controversial song and the group was also apprehensive to the idea of this song as a single. Whitfield, who had produced the track, decided that another artist should re-record the song.
Whitfield approached Starr (born Charles Edwin Hatcher), a less prominent performer with the label who had one significant hit, "Twenty-Five Miles" (which reached number six on the pop chart in 1968) and then decided to go with a bigger, more explosive production than the Temptations' version. Starr's take was an immediate hit and would be one of the first protest songs to find major pop success with Billboard ranking it at number five of the songs of 1970.
While Starr would not enjoy another big hit, he would continue to record and perform. Starr moved to England in 1973 and later had a couple of disco hits, "(Eye To Eye) Contact" in 1978 and "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio" in 1979 with both reaching the top-ten in Britain. Starr would long be admired in England's Northern soul circuit before he passed away there in 2003 at the age of sixty-one. Have a listen to the still timely song of "War" by Edwin Starr:
I had never previously heard the Temptations' version of "War" and so as a bonus, here is that group's take of this classic song:
Forty years ago, disco ruled the airwaves and during this week Lipps, Inc.'s "Funkytown" was on top of the pop charts. This single, which reached number one in an impressive twenty-eight different countries, held this spot for four weeks in the US and remains one of the songs that best represents this dance craze.
This band was created by Steven Greenberg who was a Minnesota musician who wanted to jump on the disco bandwagon. He managed to get the attention of Casablanca Records with his song, "Rock It" which had been a local hit. Greenberg was signed to the label, the song was released nationally and reached the top twenty on the US Disco chart which prompted Casablanca to allow him to make an album. He assembled several session musicians and vocalist, Cynthia Johnson to make up Lipps, Inc.
"Funkytown", from the debut album, "Mouth To Mouth", was an instant hit and would be the group's only charting pop song in America. The only other significant hit for Lipps, Inc was a dance cover of Ace's 1975 hit, "How Long" which charted in a few countries including the US Dance. After Lipps Inc.'s third album "Designer Music", Johnson left the band and was replaced by Margie Cox and Melanie Rosales. There would be a final album, "4" in 1983 before Lipps, Inc. disbanded two years later. Let's get lost in the carefree time of dancing in a disco with "Funky Town":
The Australian rock band, Pseudo Echo did a cover of "Funkytown" in 1986. While it was intended to be more of a fun spoof, this group's version would also became a major international smash, reaching number six in America and number one in their native country, just like the original version. This would be Pseudo Echo's only significant hit and as a bonus, here is their dance-rock take of "Funkytown":
The number one song in the U.S. during this week back in 1990 was "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles. This would become the only major hit for the Canadian singer with this bluesy rock tune paying loving tribute to the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley.
She was born Alannah Byles in 1958 on Christmas Day in Toronto, Canada and the daughter of William Douglas Byles, an early pioneer in the country's broadcasting industry. Her childhood was focused on learning to write and play music. At eighteen, Byles began to pursue a career in music, performing with bands doing rock covers and polishing up her own original material. After changing her surname to "Myles", she managed to get her demos in the hands of executives at Atlantic Records and was signed to the label in 1987.
While working on songs for her debut album, songwriter, Christopher Ward (who was Myles' boyfriend at the time) was inspired during his trip to Memphis by a bus filled with Elvis Presley fans riding to Graceland. He brought a song idea to Myles' producer, David Tyson and made a demo with Myles. However, the record label would give the song to American country singer, Robin Lee to record. Myles still went ahead and made her own version of "Black Velvet" for her album.
"Black Velvet" by Myles was released first in Canada in 1989, reaching the top-ten on the pop chart. After the song was released to the rest of the world by 1990, "Black Velvet" become a major international top-ten hit, peaking at number one in four countries, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US. Myles would win the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the song and the Canadian Juno Award for Single of the Year.
Robin Lee's version of "Black Velvet" was released two months after Myles' and also found some success, charting at number twelve on the BillboardHot Country Songs.
This song has remained the biggest hit for Myles in the US although she would later have three more top-ten singles in her native Canada including her first number one song there, "Song Instead of a Kiss" in 1992.
And as a bonus, here is Robin Lee's more country version of "Black Velvet":
Simon & Garfunkel held the number one position on the pop charts during this week in 1970 with "Bridge Over Troubled Water". This single would remain in this top spot for a total of six weeks and has become the duo's signature song. Written by Paul Simon, he was inspired by the line, "I'll be your bridge over deep water if you trust me" from the spiritual "Mary Don't You Weep" made famous by the Swan Silvertones with their 1958 recording. Simon had convinced Art Garfunkel to sing the song alone although his partner felt that Simon's vocal on the demo was far more effective.
The almost five-minute length of "Bridge" was considered problematic as most pop songs at the time were no longer than three minutes. But the duo's label, Columbia went ahead and released the complete version to radio and successfully broke that unwritten rule. "Bridge Over Trouble Water" became ranked as the number one song of 1970 by Billboard magazine and would win Simon & Garfunkel Grammy Awards for Record and Song of The Year.
This song is certainly one of Simon & Garfunkel's biggest hits and has been covered by many artists over the years. One of the most notable versions was by Aretha Franklin who completely reworked "Bridge" by delivering a full-on gospel rendition. Franklin's take also became very successful, reaching number one on the r&b chart, number six on the pop chart, selling over two million copies and won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance.
Here is a live version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from Simon & Garfunkel during their 1981 New York performance in Central Park:
And as a bonus, here is Aretha doing a stirring live version of "Bridge" in 1971 in Switzerland:
"Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes reached the top of the U.S. pop chart during this week back in 1979 and would remain there, becoming the last number one song of the decade.
Holmes was born David Goldstein in Northwich, Cheshire, England to an American father and British mother. When he was six, the family moved to the States to Nanuet, New York where David began to pursue music, learning to play several instruments. By the time he was twenty, he had become a sought after session musician where he worked on record production, wrote jingles and songs and scored feature films.
Holmes soon went to work as a solo artist and recorded his debut album, "Widescreen" which was released in 1974. While it was not much of a success, it did catch the attention of Barbra Streisand who asked him to help write and produce some tracks on her 1975 album, "Lazy Afternoon". This lead to Holmes producing for other artists and releasing more solo albums. But his own material continued to fail to chart.
It was not until his fifth studio album, "Partners in Crime" that Holmes had a breakthrough with the single, "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" which would become a worldwide hit. "Escape" is a classic story-song about a man, bored with his marriage, deciding to put out a personal ad in search of a new lover. He proceeds to rattle off a list of what he's searching for including someone who likes that sweet cocktail. And if you have never heard the song, I won't spoil the ending but let's just say that the woman our protagonist meets during the secret rendezvous is someone he knows very well. Holmes had another top-ten hit from the album with, "Him" but that would bring a quick end to his pop music success.
He soon turned his attention to the theater and wrote the book for the musical, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" in 1985. The play would win Holmes two Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. He continued to create for the stage with original shows, "Say Goodnight, Gracie" and "Accomplice"; a play based on "A Time To Kill and musical versions of "Robin and The 7 Hoods", "The First Wives Club" and "The Nutty Professor".
Enjoy this live version of Rupert Holmes performing his number one smash, "Escape":
Gloria Estefan had the number one song in the U.S. during this week back in 1989 with "Don't Wanna Lose You". This was the debut single from the album, "Cuts Both Ways" which was the first record to only feature her name after years of fronting the Latin band, Miami Sound Machine.
At this point, Estefan was one of the biggest pop artists in the world and this album (which would go on to sell over four million copies) would help keep her at the top. This classic love ballad, written by Estefan, would become one of her most popular songs, reaching the top-ten in seven countries and earning the Cuban-born singer a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Estefan even recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, "Si Voy a Perderte" which also reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart.
It was during the tour for "Cuts Both Ways" that would seriously alter the singer's life. While on her tour bus near Scranton, PA., a semi-truck crashed in to it during a snowstorm which left Estefan critically injured. The accident required emergency surgery and titanium rods were implanted in her to stabilize her vertebral column. It took almost a year of painful physical therapy but Estefan made a full recovery and went back on the road to finish the tour.
Jennifer Lopez first got our attention as a back-up dancer on the television comedy series, "In Living Color" before moving on to the movies and impressing us with roles in "Selena", "Out of Sight" and "Anaconda".
But by 1999, Lopez decided she wanted to be a pop singer. She released her debut album, "On The 6" and her first single, "If You Had My Love" was the number one song during this week in the U.S. twenty years ago. The song was written by LaShawn Daniels, Cory Rooney, and producer, Rodney Jerkins. Michael Jackson had originally showed interest in recording the tune but ultimately decided it should be sung by a female vocalist. That's how it landed with Lopez and "If You Had My Love" went on to reach the top-ten worldwide and selling over a million copies.
And this year, the ageless Lopez turns fifty in July. She is in the middle of a birthday celebration with a concert tour called, "It's My Party" which covers all of her hits from the last two decades with some inventive revisions.
For this Number One Flashback, we are going back to 1969 when the song that topped the chart during this week was "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" by the 5th Dimension. This was a melody of two songs from the 1967 stage musical, "Hair" that was written by James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot. This "Champagne Soul" group (which featured Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson) had seen the show and loved it and wanted to record the song, "Aquarius". Their producer, Bones Howe however didn't feel there was enough there to do just that one song. So he came up with the idea of combining the record with another tune from the show, "Let The Sunshine In".
This song became an instant success reaching the number one spot in the U.S. for six weeks and sold over a million copies. "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" would win the 5th Dimension two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group.
Lady Gaga has impressed audiences and critics alike with her exceptional performance of an aspiring singer last year in the fourth movie version of "A Star Is Born". She has won several critics awards and might even be nominated next week and could potentially win an Oscar. This Number One Flashback looks back when Lady Gaga's early breakthrough single, "Just Dance" was on top of the U.S. Billboard chart this week in 2009. She co-wrote the song with Akon (who had his own successful music career) and RedOne who also produced the track and her first number one song helped kick off her amazing journey as an international pop superstar.
Much like the character she played, Stefani Germanotta struggled for years trying to make her career happen. She paid her dues by playing numerous small gigs around New York City and passing around her demos before actually getting a record deal with Def Jam Records. However, she was dropped a few months later.
Discouraged but not giving up, she was inspired by the Queen song, "Radio Ga Ga" and took on the name "Lady Gaga". She teamed-up with performance artist, Lady Starlight who helped her develop a stage persona and they performed together, most notably at the 2007 Lollapalooza music festival. Gaga got a publishing deal with Sony and began writing songs for the label's hot pop acts. After hearing Gaga sing, Akon was quite impressed. He began using her as a vocal guide on his demos and eventually helped her get a new recording contract. She later met RedOne and he worked on some tracks for her debut album on Cherrytree Records. The album, "The Fame" was released in 2008 and was met with some resistance from radio stations saying the record was too dance-oriented and underground. But Lady Gaga was confident that there was an audience for her music and the rest is history.
During this week back in 1978, "You Needed Me" by Canadian singer, Anne Murray topped the U.S. pop chart. While this touching ballad was hardly her first appearance in America as she had reached the country chart several times and had a top-ten pop hit previously with "Songbird" in 1970, this was seen as a comeback for Murray and the song became the biggest hit of her career, even making it to the top-forty in the UK and the Netherlands.
Murray was born and raised in the coal-mining town of Springhill, Nova Scotia. As a young girl, she became interested in music, learning the piano and taking singing lessons. She performed in talent shows at high school but went to college and studied physical education. After graduation, Murray later taught PE at a high school for a year.
In 1966, Murray was encouraged to audition for a part in a CBC variety program, "Singalong Jubilee" and won a spot on the show. Brian Ahern, the musical director of the series, took an interest in the career of the young singer and together they went to Toronto to record her first album.
The album, "What About Me" was released in 1968 and became a modest success in Canada. But it was Murray's second album, "This Way is My Way" the following year with the top-ten single, "Snowbird" that helped propel her to international acclaim. Other hits followed that appeared on both the pop and country charts including "Danny's Song", "Cotton Jenny", "Shadows In The Moonlight", "Walk Right Back" and covers of the Beatles' "You Won't See Me" and the Monkees' "Daydream Believer".
"Shadow Dancing" was Andy Gibb's third consecutive number one single on the U.S. pop chart during this week back in 1978. The youngest of the famous Gibb brothers (who were Barry, Maurice and Robin but you may know them better as the Bee Gees) who together wrote this classic dance song.
Robert Stigwood, who was the Bee Gees' manager at the time, signed an eighteen year old Gibb to his label, RSO Records in 1976 after hearing his demos. His debut album, "Flowing Rivers" was released the following year and was an immediate success with his first two singles, "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" reaching the top of the pop charts. And his good looks caught the attention of young girls around the world and made Gibb a teen idol.
"Shadow Dancing", which was also the title of his second album, spent a total of seven weeks at number one, sold over a million copies and became Billboard's number one song of the year.
Success continued for Gibb with another hit studio album, stage performances on Broadway, a two-year hosting gig on the television music program, "Solid Gold" and a high profile romance with actress, Victoria Principal. But the intense pressures of fame at such a young age may have contributed to his serious substance abuse problem which lead to his career and relationships to crumble apart.
Gibb had attended several drug rehabilitation programs over the years and by 1987, he thought he had finally won the battle. With his brothers' help, he was attempting a music comeback and recorded several tracks for an upcoming album. But six days after his 30th birthday on March 10th 1988, he complained of chest pains while in London and would later pass away from complications of an inflammation of the heart muscle which was probably damaged by his years of severe drug abuse.
Let's enjoy Andy Gibb at the height of his powers with this performance of his number one hit tune:
Fifty years ago this week, "Mrs. Robinson" by the folk-rock duo, Simon & Garfunkel was the number one song in America. It is closely associated with the hit 1967 romantic-comedy drama, "The Graduate" which it was included in the movie and soundtrack in a partial form. A full version of "Mrs. Robinson" was not recorded until after the film was released.
Theater turned movie director, Mike Nichols had been a fan of Simon and Garfunkel and decided he wanted to use their music for his upcoming second film, "The Graduate".
Paul Simon had written a couple of original songs for the movie but Nichols wasn’t impressed with them and asked if he had anything else. He played a song that he had been working on but not yet completed called "Mrs Roosevelt". The director loved it and soon the song was changed to the name of the character in the film and "Mrs. Robinson" was born. Although it was heavily used to promote the movie, the single was not officially released until almost three months after the movie came out.
"Mrs. Robinson" was not eligible for an Academy Award nomination as it wasn't written expressly for the movie but it did go on to win two Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary-Pop Performance Vocal by a Duo or Group and Record of The Year. This is considered to be one of the first rock songs to win this prestigious prize.
This song and their popular 1968 album, "Bookends" made Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel one of the biggest acts of the day. But their relationship had always been contentious and complicated and the duo broke-up for the first time not long after the release of the biggest album in their career, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in 1971. Simon and Garfunkel would reunite for recordings and tours off and on many times since then (including a free concert in Central Park in 1981 that was seen by over a half a million people) yet it would often end in an acrimonious manner. The last time they staged a major tour was in 2010 but Garfunkel was suffering from serious vocal issues and they had to cancel the remaining shows. Simon has recently stated that it's unlikely they will ever perform together again as he's retiring from live performing this year and for the basic fact that the duo just don't get along.
Let's listen to Simon and Garfunkel in less difficult times with their number one hit:
The number one song on the U.S. pop chart twenty years ago this week was "Too Close" by Next. This sexy crossover hit, which spent five nonconsecutive weeks on top, also reached this position on the r&b chart.
The group is made-up of Robert "R.L." Huggar and brothers, Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweet" Brown who came together in Minneapolis in 1992. They were first known as "Straightforward" before coming up with "Next" after Naughty By Nature member, Kay Gee helped them get signed to his label with Arista Records.
After the release of their debut album, "Rated Next", the first single, "Butta Love" became a top-five hit on the r&b chart but their follow-up was the trio's breakthrough. "Too Close" is simple enough; a grooving jam abut a couple having a good time, dancing very close together until all that friction causes an inopportune "rise" in the gentleman. The song would become Next's biggest chart success with the single selling over two million copies in America alone. Although they would reach the top-ten again in 2000 with "Wifey" (and land at number-one on the r&b chart), Next would break-up after the release of their third album, "The Next Episode" in 2002 due to internal conflicts.
But Next reunited in 2011 and began work on new music. However, the completed album was never released. The group has finally made an official comeback with a new single, "Want It" that was dropped just last month. For now, let's go back and listen to this classic from Next:
Today's number one flashback, "Together Again" by Janet Jackson held the top spot during this week back in 1998. This poignant dance track pays loving tribute to lives lost to AIDS and was the second single off her critically acclaimed concept album, "The Velvet Rope". The song would become Jackson's eighth of ten career number one U.S. singles and would enjoy two weeks in this position.
Here is a little-seen music video directed by Elizondo, Jr. of a remix of the song which turns it to a sensual ballad with Jackson clearly singing about wanting to reunite with a lover:
This Number One Flashback happened the week I had just turned five years old back in November of 1967. "To Sir, With Love" by Scottish singer and actress, Lulu reached the top of the U.S. pop chart and remained there for five weeks. It also became the number one pop single of the year according to Billboard and sold over one million copies.
At the age of fifteen, Lulu (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) was the lead singer with the group, the Luvvers and they reached the top-ten of UK pop charts with a cover of the Isley Brothers' hit, "Shout" in 1964. Not long after, she left the group and went solo to become one of the biggest-selling British female singers of the 1960's.
Lulu made her acting debut with the 1967 film, "To Sir, With Love" which starred Sidney Poitier. The actor plays a teacher who arrives at a secondary school in a rough area in the East End of London where the students drove the last teacher out with their disruptive behavior and outrageous pranks. But Mr. Poitier is not having it and tries another effective approach to have these kids come around. Lulu appears as "Babs" and at the end of the film, she performs the moving title song to reflect all of the students' deep appreciation for their teacher.
This is one of my all-time favorite songs so it's probably appropriate to play this classic tune by my fellow Scorpio today on my birthday. Enjoy:
I can't believe it but it's been forty years since "Best of My Love" by The Emotions landed at number one on the pop chart during this week. This enduring classic, written by Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire, spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, won the group a Grammy for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group and the single would sell over a million copies.
The Emotions, made up of the Hutchinson sisters, Jeanette, Sheila and Wanda, hail from Chicago and began singing together professionally in 1962 as teens. Their first taste of success came when their single, "So I Can Love You" reached the soul chart in 1969. After their record label, Volt folded in 1975, the trio met Maurice White and he took an interest in the group. He got them signed to his label, Columbia and began work on an album. Their first project together, "Flowers" was released in 1976 and the singles, "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" and the title track, became big hits on the soul chart. But it was the follow-up album, "Rejoice" that gave the Emotions' the biggest smash of their careers. Their last major chart appearance would be providing backing vocals on Earth, Wind & Fire's 1979 top-ten hit, "Boogie Wonderland".
The Emotions still occasionally perform together, with younger sister, Pamela filling in for Jeanette. Enjoy this rare live appearance of the group performing their hit on "The Midnight Special" show back in 1977:
U2are in the middle of a thirty anniversary tour in celebration of their 1987 album, "The Joshua Tree". This critically acclaimed record, produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, reached number one in over twenty countries, won two Grammy Awards including Album of The Year, sold over twenty-five million copies and, most importantly, turned the band in to full-fledged rock superstars.
This number one flashback is "With or Without You", the first single from the album which stayed in this position for three weeks and became U2's first number one hit in the U.S. Bono wrote the lyrics that details his struggles with being a rock musician and a family man and how he can, ultimately, manage to be both. With his inspired vocals and The Edge's electrifying guitar work, the song builds to an intensity that makes this rock ballad soar to an incredible height. The follow-up single from "The Joshua Tree" , "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" also made it to top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
