Music History Today: May 20, 2020

May 20, 1968: The Beatles taped 23 new songs. Many of those would find their way to the White Album and Abbey Road." 

“We are going in with clear heads and hoping for the best,” an optimistic Paul McCartney announced as sessions for the Beatles‘ new album lurched forward in the late spring of 1968. 

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“We had hoped this time to do a lot of rehearsing before we reached the studios … but, as it happens, all we got was one day.” But the day in question, sometime toward the end of May, would be a remarkable one.  

Read more: Rolling Stone

May 20, 1957:  The Everly Brothers debuted with the first hit of their career, "Bye Bye Love." 

The Everly Brothers

Written by husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, "Bye Bye Love" had been pitched to -- and rejected by -- more than 30 artists before the Everly Brothers agreed to record it. It landed at No. 2 on the pop charts and No. 1 on both the country and R&B charts, becoming one of the most successful singles of the year. 

Read More: The Boot

May 20, 1978: Paul McCartney went to Number 1 on the US singles chart with "With A Little Luck." 

In the spring of 1978, the Bee Gees, at least in pure pop-charts terms, were the most successful band since the circa-’64 Beatles. In the early months of 1978, Barry Gibb wrote or co-wrote four #1 singles in a row, breaking a record that had been jointly held by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The fact that McCartney was the next songwriter to slide into #1 is a fun little curiosity. Too bad that’s the only fun thing about “With A Little Luck.”  

 Read more: Stereo Gum

May 20, 1983: The single "Every Breath You Take" by The Police was released.

It’s an understatement to say that ‘Every Breath You Take’’s reputation precedes it. The Police’s original recording became the biggest US and UK hit of 1983, with the track topping the US Billboard chart for eight weeks and heading up the UK Top 40 for a month. This deceptively pretty song concerning obsessive love has since yielded a plethora of industry awards.   

Read more: U Discover Music

While My Guitar Gently Weeps
The Beatles