Music History Today: September 15, 2021

September 15, 1990: Wilson Phillips took over at Number 1 on the US music chart with "Release Me."

Written by the group, "Release Me" is about a woman who is trying to get over her ex, but he's not making it easy for her by coming around her door and asking for another chance. 

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If he would just let it go, they could both move on. This was the second single from their self-titled debut album, following "Hold On." Both songs went to #1 on both the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. The next to singles from the album were also hits, with "Impulsive" going to #4 on the Hot 100 and "You're In Love" giving them a third #1. 

Read more: Songfacts

September 15, 1945 : The film Along the Navajo Trail opened in theaters. Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers provided the soundtrack, including the song "Cool Water."

Bob Nolan wrote “Cool Water” as a poem while he was in high school in Tucson, Arizona. He added the music years later when he founded The Sons of the Pioneers. It was a hit through 1940 and 1941.

“Cool Water” quickly became a country-western standard, it evokes a cowboy’s lonely ride across the arid desert. The thirsty cowboy eagerly asks his mule if he can see the big green tree where the water is running free but he realizes that it’s a mirage. 

Read more: Country Thang Daily

 

September 15, 1962: Gene Pitney enters the Billboard Hot 100 single's chart at Number  68 with "Only Love Can Break a Heart."

"Only Love Can Break a Heart" was written by Hal David (words) and Burt Bacharach (music) and appears on Pitney's second album Only Love Can Break a Heart. 

Gene Pitney

Pitney had enjoyed some success as a songwriter prior to breaking through as a performer in his own right. He wrote the songs "Hello Mary Lou", "Rubber Ball", and "He's a Rebel", the last a number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit for The Crystals in 1962. 

Read more: Wikipedia

 

September 15, 1973: Tony Orlando & Dawn made it to the Top 10 with "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose." 

“Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose” is a 1973 song by the American pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn. The song was written by Irwin Levine (lyrics) and L. Russell Brown (music). Levine and Brown had also penned other Tony Orlando and Dawn hit songs, including "Knock Three Times" and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree." 

Read more: Wikipedia

September 15, 1979: Foreigner made big move, from Number 65 to 50, with "Dirty White Boy."

"Dirty White Boy" was the lead single from Head Games, which was the third Foreigner album.  

 

It  was a bit controversial, since race was still a fairly taboo subject in popular music. The album didn't reach the highs of their first two releases and didn't produce any Top 10 singles, but it still eventually sold over 5 million copies. 

Read more: Songfacts

  

Release Me
Wilson Phillips