Music History Today: October 5, 2021

October 5, 1991: Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch took over at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart with "Good Vibrations."

Marky Mark is Mark Wahlberg, who has acted in the movies Boogie Nights, Three Kings, and Planet Of The Apes. 

Mark Wahlberg

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Before he was an actor, he released two rap albums. This is his first single and by far his biggest hit. Rumor has it that Wahlberg gets very upset if you even mention to him his days as a rap singer or the nickname "Marky Mark." 

Read more: Songfacts

October 5, 1957: Elvis Presley entered Billboard's Hot 100 chart well within the Top 20 section, at Number 15, with "Jailhouse Rock."

"Jailhouse Rock" was featured in the Elvis Presley movie of the same name, where Elvis plays a wrongly accused convict who becomes a star when he gets out.

Elvis Presley

The film, which is considered one of the best of his 31 movies, is famous for the scene where Elvis performs this song in an elaborate dance number taking place in prison. 

Read more: Songfacts

 

October 5, 1968: Aretha Franklin peaked at Number 10 on Billboard's chart with "I Say a Little Prayer."

The female vocals are a crucial component to Aretha Franklin's "Say a Little Prayer." They were performed by a group called The Sweet Inspirations, which were comprised at the time of Cissy Houston, Estelle Brown, Myrna Smith and Sylvia Shemwell (Houston is Warwick's aunt, and Whitney Houston's mother). Their contribution gave the song a powerful gospel sound and made the chorus pop. 

Read more: Songfacts

 

October 5, 1974: John Lennon entered Billboard's top 40 section with "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night." 

This very upbeat John Lennon song has a simple message: do what works for you. It was his first US number 1 hit as a solo artist; he had another with "(Just Like) Starting Over," which topped the chart in 1980 after his death. 

Read more: Songfacts

 

October 5, 2002: "The Game of Love" by Santana entered the US music chart.

Gregg Alexander, who records as The New Radicals ("You Get What You Give") wrote "The Gane of Love" with Rick Nowels, whose co-writes include "Standing Still" for Jewel and "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" for Belinda Carlisle. Alexander recorded a demo, and the song sat around for about a year until Nowels' manager sent the song to Clive Davis, head of Arista Records, when Santana was looking for songs. 

Good Vibrations
Marky Mark