Music History Today: May 22, 2021

May 22, 1976: "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney & Wings hit Number 1 in America.

Paul McCartney was very sentimental when he shared the story behind “Silly Love Songs.” “Over the years people have said, ‘Aw, he sings love songs, he writes love songs, he’s so soppy at times.’ I thought, Well, I know what they mean, but, people have been doing love songs forever,” McCartney told Billboard in 2001. 

Paul & Linda McCartney

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“I like ’em, other people like ’em, and there’s a lot of people I love — I’m lucky enough to have that in my life. So the idea was that “you” may call them silly, but what’s wrong with that?” McCartney’s response to his critics at the time, including his former bandmate John Lennon who criticized his love songs, was this song he wrote, “Silly Love Songs.” 

Read more: Rock Pasta

May 22, 1961: Ernie K-Doe reached the top spot on the Billboard chart with "Mother-In-Law."

“Mother-In-Law” is a perfectly lovely New Orleans R&B jam masquerading as a novelty song. 

Ernie K-Doe

Louisiana legend Allen Toussaint wrote and produced the song, and he also played its effortlessly rolling piano solo. Ernie K-Doe, a local institution who sang backup on a lot of other people’s records, was known as a larger-than-life showman, but his vocal on “Mother-In-Law” is a calm and graceful tenor, and it reminds me of the early reggae vocalists who came soon after.  

Read more: Stereogum

 

May 22, 1965: "Ticket To Ride" became The Beatles' eighth Number 1 US single.

The quintessential track “Ticket To Ride” from 1965’s Help! album is clearly one of the Beatles’ best-known songs, reaching the top of the charts in both the US and UK upon its release.

The Beatles 1965

Paul McCartney has said that “Ticket To Ride” references a British Railway ticket from a town called Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. John Lennon has his own version of the theme as well, saying that the song talks about a health card lugged around by prostitutes in Hamburg – where the band spent most of their early years – to prove that they were safe and free from diseases. 

Read more: I Love Classic Rock

May 22, 1982: "'65 Love Affair" by Paul Davis peaked at Number 6 on the US music chart.

“’65 Love Affair” entered the Hot 100 at #82 for the week ending February 27, 1982 and took almost three months to reach its peak of #6 . 

Paul Davis

That peak position was actually the best for any Paul Davis single, though “’65 Love Affair” only stayed on the chart for exactly half the number of weeks as “I Go Crazy”.  That was good enough, though, for Billboard to rank “’65 Love Affair” as the #39 song on its 1982 year-end chart. 

Read more: Forgotten Songs

 

May 22, 1976: Elvin Bishop maxed out at Number 3 in the US with "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." 

"Fooled Around and Fell in Love" is a song written and performed by blues guitarist Elvin Bishop. It appeared on his 1975 album, Struttin' My Stuff, and was released as a single the following year. Bishop does not sing lead vocals on the track; feeling that his gravelly voice wouldn't do the song justice, he invited vocalist Mickey Thomas, who was a background singer in his band at the time, to sing it. 

Read more: Wikipedia

Silly Love Songs
Paul McCartney & Wings