Music History Today: November 20, 2021

November 20, 1993: Bryan Adams peaked at Number 7 on the Billboard Hot 200 single's chart with "Please Forgive Me."

"Please Forgive Me" was written by Adams and producer Robert Lange. The song has an instrumental intro, which is only found on the album version of the song.

(sing up to follow by email)

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the song "casts him in a familiar role: mournful romantic", and stated that the "guitar-framed rock ballad is an easy smash, thanks to Adams' friendly, world-weathered rasp, and an infectious chorus." He also described it as a "stately tune" and a "delicious hit of ear candy." 

Read more: Wikipedia 

November 20, 1965: Marvin Gaye made it to Number 8 in the US with "Ain't That Peculiar."

"Ain't That Peculiar" was written by Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin.  The single was Gaye's second U.S. million seller successfully duplicating its predecessor "I'll Be Doggone", from earlier in 1965 by topping Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart in the fall of 1965. 

Read more: Wikipedia

November 20, 1971: Richard Harris, the original singer of "Macarthur's Park," debuted on the charts with "My Boy."

What do you do after recording your debut album and landing a hit with "MacArthur Park," one of the longest, strangest (and in some circles, most loathed) songs to hit the Top 40 charts?

If you're Richard Harris, you follow it up with The Yard Went On Forever, a dense, nearly incomprehensible Jimmy Webb concept album, then you follow it up with My Boy, another difficult (and depressing) concept album. Harris himself came up with the storyline for this one. 

Read more: Allmusic

November 20, 1972: Elton John released "Crocodile Rock" in the US.

Elton John was not a new artist when he scored his first #1 with “Crocodile Rock.” He’d been around. He and eternal collaborator Bernie Taupin had started working together in 1967. 

 

Elton John

They’d started out writing pop songs for other people, including a losing 1969 Eurovision entry for Lulu. 1969 was also when John released Empty Sky, his debut album. By the time of “Crocodile Rock,” he was six albums in.  

Read more: Stereogum

November 20, 1976: "What Can I Say" by Boz Scaggs entered the US Top 100 list of singles.

Boz Scaggs wrote this with David Paich, who played keyboard on Silk Degrees and later became a key member of Toto. The song is about a guy who is trying to convince a girl to give him a chance. The song was the third single from the album, which was Scaggs' breakthrough. 

Read more: Songfacts

Please Forgive Me
Bryan Adams