Music History Today: July 31, 2021

July 31, 1999: "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera was the new Number 1 song in the US.

Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle,” written by David Frank, Steve Kipner & Pamela Sheyne, became the American pop singer’s signature track at the beginning of her career and was the song that lead her to international stardom. It is the first track from her self-titled debut album.

Christina Aguilera

The song started from the line “If you wanna be with me” which Sheyne came up with. The three writers carried on adding to the lyrics in a rapid fire songwriting session, with the main intention to be “to create a hit song”. They believed that a female should sing the song. Frank put Aguilera forward to record the track. Aguilera add the spoken hook to the song. 

Read more: Story of Song

July 31, 1965: Tom Jones peaked at Number 3 with "What's New Pussycat." 

The song “What’s New Pussycat,” which is performed by Tom Jones, was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. However, the big draw on this record was not the song, but the singer.

 Tom Jones

Tom Jones, born Thomas Jones Woodward in 1940 to a Welsh coal mining family, started singing at age 10. By 1960, to supplement his income as a construction worker, he had become the front man for a rock group called The Senators. One night in 1964, while playing club in South Wales, Jones was spotted by London-based manager Gordon Mills, who quickly removed him from the group and signed him as a client. He then took the young singer to London and named him Tom Jones: 

Read more: Pass the Paisley

 

July 31, 1976: Parliament made it to Number 15 with their hit "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk). "

"Tear the Roof off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk) was written by Parliament members Jerome Brailey, George Clinton, and Bootsy Collins. It's the definitive example of the P-Funk genre. In fact, we get the term "p-funk" from the collective Parliament-Funkadelic, managed by George Clinton. A few dozen other groups have since followed suit within this genre which they invented. 

Read more: Songfacts

 

July 31, 1982: "Somebody's Baby" by Jackson Browne debuted at Number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on this date.

Jackson Browne admitted he regretted ignoring his label president’s advice about his 1982 song “Somebody’s Baby,” because the executive turned out to be right.

Jackson Browne

The song, co-written with guitarist Danny Kortchmar, appeared on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe’s movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and became the highest-charting single of Browne's career to date. He disagreed with the label boss’s recommendation that he should add the track to his next album, which turned out to be 1983’s Lawyers in Love. “I said, ‘No.’ I wasn’t gonna,” Browne said, adding that his argument was that "it doesn’t have anything to do with the stuff I’m singing. ... But of course, he was right – I should have." 

Read more: Ultimate Classic Rock

 

July 31, 1993: "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by Tag Team hit its highest point, Number 2 on the US music chart.

As Tag Team, Cecil Glenn, aka DC the Brain Supreme, and Steve “Rolln” Gibson may be one-hit wonders, but oh, what a hit. The thumping bass, gleeful spirit, and endless chants of the title phrase have made 1993’s “Whoomp! (There It Is)” one of the most enduring party songs of the past 25 years. Inspired by an expression used by the dancers at the Magic City strip club, best friends Glenn and Gibson recorded the song with a loan from Glenn’s parents. 

Read more: Atlanta Magazine

Genie in a Bottle
Christina Aguilera