Music History Today: April 4, 2022

April 4, 1998: "The Unforgiven II" by Metallica entered Billboard's Hot 100.

"The Unforgiven" by Metallica was released as the second single from their fifth album, known as The Black Album.

(sign up to follow by email)

Though one of the slower tracks on the album, its chord progression is distinctly one of the heaviest ballads featured on the album. "The Unforgiven II" appears on the album Reload as a sequel to "The Unforgiven." Both songs have similar musical themes. 

Read more: Wikipdia

April 4, 1964: Lesley Gore entered the American Top 40 single chart with "That's the Way Boys Are."

"That's the Way Boys Are" was Lesley Gore's fifth hit single. In late April 1964, with the British Invasion in full swing, "That's the Way Boys Are" peaked at no. 12 on the Hot 100; hits by UK acts The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five accounted for five of the singles in the Top Ten. 

Read more: Wikipedia

April 4, 1970:  Mountain debuted on Billboard's singles chart at Number 92 with "Mississippi Queen."

Mississippi Queen is an American rock classic done by the American rock band ‘Mountain’.

Mountain's Leslie West

It was the most successful single of the band hitting number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. It was one of the songs that made up the band’s debut album. The song, Mississippi Queen, has been recorded by several artists, including Ozzy Osbourne, who hit with the song in 2005. 

Read more: Society of Rock

April 4, 1981: The Climax Blues Band entered the American Top 40 with "I Love You."

"I Love You" was one of the Climax Blues Band's biggest hits. Derek Holt wrote the song and sang lead vocals after years of providing mainly background vocals. Despite being a huge commercial hit in both the U.K. and the United States, other band members purportedly disliked the tune. It even led to the eventual breakup of the band as other band members did not want to perform the track. 

Read more: Music Banter

April 4, 1987: "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" peaked at Number 3 for Genesis in the US Top 10 chart. 

Genesis was already three hits deep into the blockbuster Invisible Touch album when the band finally got around to making "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" the fourth single from the LP.

Phil Collins

With a running time of almost nine minutes, it wasn't exactly built for radio play. "People tend to say now we're just a commercial group who write pop songs, but 'Domino' and 'Tonight, Tonight, Tonight' are more like the old Genesis," Phil Collins told CREEM magazine in 1987. 

Read more: Rhino

The Unforgiven II
Metallica