Thursday, June 17, 2021

Music History Today: June 18, 2021

June 18, 1983: "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" by Culture Club topped out at Number 2 on the US music chart.

"Time (Clock of the Heart)" was released as a stand-alone single in most of the world and as the second single from their debut album Kissing to Be Clever in North America. It followed on the heels of the band's global #1 hit, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me."

Culture Club
Culture Club

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In a retrospective review of the song, Allmusic journalist Stewart Mason wrote: "Of all of Culture Club's early hits, Time (Clock of the Heart) has probably aged the best. Boy George drops the cryptic self-mythology long enough to deliver a tender, heartfelt lyric on lost love." 

Read more: Wikipedia

June 18, 1973: The Stories released the single "Brother Louie."

A multi-racial British soul-funk band (Hot Chocolate) writes a song about an interracial couple. It’s a hit in the UK, but it goes nowhere in America. 

Stories single  Brother Louie

Then a white American rock band (Stories) records the same song, and it’s nothing like anything else they’ve released. The white band’s cover of the song goes to #1, and then they never score another hit again. Meanwhile, the British soul-funk band, who have become huge stars in the UK, go on to have a nice little run in the US. That’s the story of “Brother Louie.” 
Read more: Stereogum

 

June 18, 1977:  Kenny Rogers' crossover hit "Lucille" made it to Number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

"Lucille" was Kenny Rogers' first hit as a country singer just a year after he left his rock band The First Edition for a run as a solo artist.

Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers

The story of the song started way back in 1958 when he was visiting his father in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A local TV station was broadcasting the story of a man whose life had left him and he was filled with heartbreak. As the story goes, the man said, "You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille, with four hungry children and a crop in the field. We had some good times and we had some bad times..." The words stuck with Rogers and he decided that there was a song behind that pain. 

Read more: Wide Open Country

June 18, 1988: "Together Forever" by Rick Astley tops the US Billboard singles chart.

After the oaken-voiced young potato-face Rick Astley reached #1 on both sides of the Atlantic with his debut single “Never Gonna Give You Up,” Astley’s songwriting and production team Stock-Aitken-Waterman figured they had a formula. 

Rick Astley
Rick Astley

While working on Astley’s debut album Whenever You Need Somebody, the three of them decided that they didn’t have a song that sounded enough like “Never Gonna Give You Up.” They set out to write another cheery uptempo love song that would bang home Astley’s whole moony nice-guy image. With “Together Forever,” that’s exactly what they did. “Together Forever” became another trans-Atlantic smash. Once again, the formula worked. 

Read more: Stereogum

June 18, 1994: Ace Of Base peaked at Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with "Don't Turn Around."

"Don't Turn Around" was written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by Tina Turner as the B-side to the single "Typical Male" in 1986. In 1993, Swedish pop group Ace of Base recorded a minor-key version of "Don't Turn Around" for their US debut album, The Sign. It was the follow-up to their very successful single, "The Sign" and was also included on the re-release of Happy Nation the same year. 

Read more: Wikipedia

 

Time (Clock Of the Heart)
Culture Club

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