Music History Today: January 15, 2022

January 15, 2000: Christina Aguilera's "What a Girl Wants" took the top in the US music chart.

What a Girl Wants" was the first track recorded for the self-titled Christina Aguilera album in June 1998.

 

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After the decision was made to release it as the second single the label called for a second recording of the track. This cut second was finished in September 1999 after the success of her debut single "Genie in a Bottle", with Aguilera's label wanting to produce a similar tone. 

Read more: Wikipedia

January 15, 1966: Frank Sinatra moved into the American Top 40 with "It Was a Very Good Year."

Ervin Drake’s “It Was a Very Good Year” was originally recorded by Bob Shane of The Kingston Trio in 1961, but it was Frank Sinatra’s rendition in 1965 that won Best Vocal Performance. The song became Sinatra’s first number one single on The Adult Contemporary chart and reached number 28 on The Billboard Hot 100. 

Read more: Songwriters Hall of Fame

January 15, 1972: "Hurting Each Other" by The Carpenters appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. 

Gary Geld and Peter Udell wrote this song in 1965.

The Carpenters

Many artists recorded it before The Carpenters including Rosemary Clooney and Ruby & the Romantics. It was released as a single in December of 1971 from the album A Song for You. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Read more: Classic Rock History

January 15, 1983: Musical Youth debuted on the American Top 40 chart with "Pass the Dutchie."

There's a common misconception that Musical Youth's number one hit in 1982, Pass the Dutchie, is a song about cannabis, when in fact the song is about extreme poverty; the 'dutchie' in the lyrics refers to a type of pot used for cooking. It's an easy mistake to make though because the song Pass the Dutchie is actually a cover version of a song released just one year earlier called Pass the Koutchie by the Mighty Diamonds, which was indeed a song all about cannabis. 

Read more: Medium

January 15, 1994: Billy Joel had another hit when "The River of Dreams" entered the Top 40 charts in the US.

"The River of Dreams" a very spiritual song where Joel, who identifies himself as an atheist, includes some biblical imagery, including the line, "Through the valley of fear," which is a reference to Psalm 23:4 - "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Joel also says that the river is a religious image.\ 

Read more: Songfacts

What a Girl Wants
Christina Aguilera