Music History Today: March 7, 2022

March 7, 2009: The All-American Rejects made it to Number 4 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with "Gives You Hell."  

"Gives You Hell" was written by Nick Wheeler and Tyson Ritter of the band The All-American Rejects. 

(sign up to follow by email)

Ritter stated the song "is about this asshole, it's a dude who will never know it's about him. It's kind of this tongue-in-cheek way of looking at someone you hate, whether it's your mom, for some reason, or it's your teacher at school, or it's your boss at work." 

Read more: Wikipedia

March 7, 1964: Jan and Dean entered Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart with "Dead Man's Curve."

"Dead Man's Curve" by Jan and Dean details a teen street race gone awry. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Jan and Dean

It was part of the teenage tragedy song phenomenon of that period, and one of the most popular such selections of all time. 

Read more: Wikipedia

March 7, 1970: Badfinger had their first entry into the American Top 40 chart with "Come and Get It." 

Badfinger

Actually written by Beatle Paul McCartney for movie The Magic Christian in 1969, Badfinger’s “Come And Get It” was their first ever hit single under the Apple Records label created by the Beatles that reached #7 on the US Billboard charts in 1970. 

Read more: Society of Rock

March 7, 1987: Peter Gabriel's "Big Time" peaked at Number 8 in the US.

Peter Gabriel has described "Big Time" as "a satirical story about a basic human urge... success." This song tells the story of a man from a small town who grows to be larger than life. The ending is heavily processed as Gabriel's voice gets deeper and deeper, creating a sense of size until it ends cold. 

Read more: Songfacts

March 7, 1992: Richard Marx moved into the American Top 40, from Number 50 to 38 with "Hazard."

The music for one of Richard Marx's best known songs, "Hazard,"  came to him in the middle of the night as he slept.

Richard Marx

He woke up with the complete melody in his head and knew it wasn't a love song or party song. It was dark and cinematic, so Marx decided to try to write the lyrics as a murder mystery. It became a #1 song in 14 countries and still resonates with people. 

Read more: Author Learning Center

Gives You Hell
All-American Rejects