Music History Today: December 16, 2022

December 16, 1989: Aerosmith moved into the top 40 section of Billboard's Hot 100 with "Janie's Got a Gun."

"Janie's Got a Gun" by Aerosmith is about a girl who shoots her father because he is sexually abusing her.

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The video depicted a girl killing her father, and the subsequent crime scene. One of the most cinematic videos ever to hit MTV, it was directed by David Fincher, who would later direct the movies Se7en, Alien III and Panic Room. 

Read more: Songfacts

December 16, 1957: Elvis Presley's Elvis Christmas Album hits Number 1 in America. 

Elvis' Christmas Album is split between rockers and bluesy numbers like "Santa Claus Is Back in Town," "Blue Christmas," and "Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me," perennials like "White Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and "Silent Night," and straight-ahead gospel favorites like "I Believe," "Peace in the Valley" and "Take My Hand, Precious Lord. 

Read more: Allmusic

 

December 16, 1967: The Lemon Pipers released the single "Green Tambourine."

Shelley Pinz wrote the words to "Green Tambourine" after reading a newspaper article about an elder UK street musician who used a tambourine to collect money as he performed in front of a bank. The music to this song was written by Paul Leka, whose other claim to fame is the song "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." 

Read more: Songfacts

December 16, 1970: The movie Love Story,  starring  Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal, was released. The soundtrack won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

December 16, 1989: Billy Joel went to Number 1 on the US album chart with his 11th studio release, Storm Front. The album featured one of Joel's three Number 1 hits, "We Didn't Start the Fire," a fast-paced song mentioning some of the significant historical events that took place in his time.

Janie's Got A Gun
Aerosmith