Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Music History Today: December 15, 2021

December 15, 1990: Bette Midler reached Number 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart with "From a Distance."

"From a Distance" was written in 1985 by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for HBO and writing songs in her free time. 

Bette Midler
Bette Midler

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Gold's friend, Christine Lavin, introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, who first recorded it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind. The song was covered a number of times, with the most successful being a version by Bette Midler which became a major hit in 1990. 
Read more: Wikipedia

December 15, 1962: Ray Stevens entered the US music chart, at number 77, with "Santa Claus is Watching You."

The Best of Ray Stevens is a collection of previously recorded songs by Ray Stevens. Three singles, "Santa Claus Is Watching You", "Butch Babarian" and "Bubble Gum the Bubble Dancer", make their first album appearance on this collection. "Santa Claus Is Watching You," was electronically re-recorded to simulate stereo. 
Read more: Wikipedia

December 15, 1974: The film Young Frankenstein was released, featuring an unusual song and dance routine.

Mentioning Young Frankenstein tends to conjure the image of Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle wearing top hats and tapdancing to Irving Berlin’s jazzy hit, “Putting on the Ritz.”

Young Frankenstein movie poster 

In the iconic scene, Wilder (playing Dr. Frederick Frankenstein) sings most of the song, and Boyle (as the monster) chimes in with the song’s hook: “Puttin’ on the Rizt!”  
Read more: Rare

December 15, 1984: Duran Duran peaked at Number 2 on the American singles chart with "The Wild Boys."

The idea for the song "The Wild Boys" came from longtime Duran Duran video director Russell Mulcahy, who wanted to make a full-length feature film based on the surreal and sexual 1971 novel The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead by William S. Burroughs. He suggested that the band might create a modern soundtrack for the film. 
Read more: Wikipedia

December 15, 1995: OMC released "How Bizarre." 

From 1995 to 1997, the single “How Bizarre” slowly made its way from the airwaves of New Zealand to TVs and radios across America, Europe, and beyond. Performed by an artist who called himself OMC, “How Bizarre” was the ultimate recipe for 90s pop deliciousness. 
Read more: U Discover Music

 

From a Distance
Bette Midler

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