Music History Today: January 15, 2023

January 15, 2000: "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child moved into the top 40 section of Billboard's Hot 100 on its way to the top of the chart.

"Say My Name" by Destiny's Child is about a woman who wants to hear her boyfriend speak affectionately to her because she suspects he's in a room with another woman.

Destiny's Child

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She says, "When no one is around you, you say, 'Baby, I love you' Why are you playing games?" The track won Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group.  

Read more: Songfacts

January 15, 1965: Bob Dylan recorded "Maggie's Farm" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" at Columbia Recording Studios for the album Bringing It All Back Home.

"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a Bob Dylan "kiss off" song to someone identified only as "Baby Blue." 

Over the years, many critics and historians have made their case for who the "real" Baby Blue was. Folk musicians John Baez, David Blue, and Paul Clayton have all been floated as suspects, but it's amounted to nothing beyond loose conjecture. 

Read more: Songfacts

January 15, 1972: Don McLean's epic folk-rock ballad, "American Pie," began a four-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

According to Don McLean, "American Pie" was inspired by the death of Buddy Holly. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's album was also a considerable influence. McLean has said in numerous interviews that the song represented the turn from the innocence of the '50s to the darker, more volatile times of the '60s - both in music and politics. 

Read more: Songfacts

January 15, 1977: Al Stewart moved from Number 64 to 50 with "Year Of the Cat." It reached 8.

Alan Parsons produced Al Stewart's Year Of the Cat album.

 

Parsons had previously worked on the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon. In Vietnamese astrology, the Year of the Cat is also called the Year of the Rabbit. It comes every 12 Years, and it is supposed to be stress-free. 

Read more: Wikipedia

January 15, 1983: New wavers Men At Work began a four-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with "Down Under."

The "Land Down Under" is Australia. The quirky video became a massive hit on MTV. The network had been on the air for a year and had few videos. Men at Work didn't know much about MTV, but British and Australian bands had been making videos for some time.  

Read more: Songfacts

Say My Name
Destiny's Child