Music History Today: June 7, 2022

June 7, 2003: A cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" by Krokus entered the US Top 100 singles at Number 85. 

Krokus is a hard rock/heavy metal band from Switzerland.

Krokus

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They enjoyed success in North America during the 1980s. The band name Krokus is German for crocus, a flower common throughout Europe. 

Read more: Wikipedia

June 7, 1969: Blood, Sweat & Tears surged into the American Top 40, from Number 78 to 33, with "Spinning Wheel."

The "Spinning Wheel" is an intriguing metaphor for the cycles of events we go through in life. There is also carousel imagery in the line, "Ride the painted pony." This was inspired by a Joni Mitchell song called "The Circle Game," where Mitchell sings about seasonal cycles and brings in the carousel with the line, "The painted ponies go up and down." 

Read more: Songfacts

June 7, 1980: Ambrosia's "Biggest Part of Me" peaked at Number 4 on the US music chart.

Ambrosia decided to head towards mainstream pop music, creating some of the most memorable "yacht rock" songs ever made.

Ambrosia

David Pack, Joe Puerta, Burleigh Drummond and Christopher North had success prior to the release of One Eighty, but this was their breakout album that cemented them as '70s icons. In the late '70s and early '80s, there was a strong market for syrupy ballads. 

Read more: Songfacts

June 7, 1986: Madonna took over at the top of the US chart with "Live to Tell."

"Live to Tell," written and produced by Madonna & Patrick Leonard, was the first commercially released collaboration between the pair.

Madonna

 Leonard initially composed the music that evolved into Live To Tell for another film he had been invited to score for Paramount, titled Fire With Fire. The producers of the film passed on the theme.  Instead, the song was used to promote Sean Penn’s film At Close Range. 

Read more: Today in Madonna History

June 7, 1997: The Verve Pipe topped out on Billboard's Hot 100 at Number 5 with "The Freshman." 

On January 27th, 1997, Michigan-based band, The Verve Pipe, released its third single from their second studio LP, Villains. That song, “The Freshmen,” was a stone cold hit. The track helped Villains earn Platinum status. 

Read more: American Songwriter

School's Out
Krokus