Music History Today: December 22, 2021

December 22, 1984: "Careless Whisper" by Wham!, featuring George Michael, is the highest new entry, at Number 37, on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.

George Michael co-wrote 'Careless Whisper' with his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley. The pair had written it together while developing as artists in 1981 in Watford, when they were aged just 17.

George Michael

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George said in his autobiography Bare: "I was on my way to DJ at the Bel Air when I wrote 'Careless Whisper'. I have always written on buses, trains and in cars. It always happens on journeys. With 'Careless Whisper' I remember exactly where it first came to me, where I came up with the sax line." 

Read more: Smooth Radio

December 22, 1962: Little Eva peaks at Number 12 in the US with a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby."  

December 22, 1973: Gregg Allman debuted on the American Pop singles chart with "Midnight Rider."

"Midnight Rider" is a song by the American rock band the Allman Brothers Band. It was the second single from their second studio album, Idlewild South.

Gregg Allman

While the original Allman Brothers release of the song did not chart, "Midnight Rider" was much more successful in cover versions. Gregg Allman's solo version of the song, released in 1973, was its biggest chart success; it was a top 20 hit in the U.S. 

Read more: Wikipedia

December 22, 1979: "I Don't Want to Talk About It" by Rod Stewart begins its run up the US singles chart.

“I Don’t Want to Talk About It” was only six years old when it reached number one in the UK singles chart, yet already it felt like a song from a lifetime before.

Rod Stewart

The song had been written by Danny Whitten, who recorded it as the closing track on the first side of the debut album by his group Crazy Horse in 1971, but it was Rod Stewart who made it a hit. 

Read more: Life of a Song

December 22, 2001: The new top single in the US is Nickelback's "How You Remind Me."

In 2013, readers of Rolling Stone voted Nickelback the second worst band of the ’90s in an online poll, sandwiched right between Creed and Limp Bizkit. At first blush, this placement felt unfair and anachronistic to me. While Nickelback did release two albums in the ’90s, they didn’t make much of an impact in America until their 2001 album Silver Side Up and the hit single “How You Remind Me.” 

Read more: Stereogum

Careless Whisper
George Michael