Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Music History Today: January 18, 2023

January 18, 1975: Barry Manilow had his first Number 1 hit when "Mandy" reached the top of Billboard's Hot 100.

Scott English wrote and recorded "Brandy" in 1971. His version was a hit in the UK.

Barry Manilow Mandy single cover art 

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In the three years between English's and Manilow's recordings, Looking Glass's "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was a Number 1 hit in 1972. When Clive Davis suggested that Manilow record the track, the singer changed the title to "Mandy" to avoid confusion. 

Read more: Wikipedia

January 18, 1964: Jan and Dean had their first of seven US hit songs in 1964 when "Drag City" peaked at Number 10 on Billboard. It borrowed heavily from their 1963 hit "Surf City." 


January 18, 1969: Dusty Springfield released the album Dusty in Memphis.

There are three hits on the Dusty in Memphis LP: “Son of a Preacher Man,” “Don’t Forget About Me,” and “The Windmills of Your Mind.”

Dusty in Memphis album cover 

The lead single,  “Son of a Preacher Man,” is as down-home as Dusty gets. It has an intro that’s funky, a vocal that’s almost dirty. 
Read more: Rolling Stone

January 18, 1975: The Jeffersons debuted on US television with the intro "Movin' On Up" by Ja'net Du Boise. In 2019 Jennifer Hudson performed a rousing rendition of the theme song on ABC TV's Live in Front of a Studio Audience.

The Jeffersons TV show poster

January 18, 1986: Elton John entered Billboard's Hot 100 on the way to Number 7 with "Nikita."

In Elton John's "Nikita," a Westerner falls in love with an East German citizen he cannot meet because he is not allowed to cross the Berlin Wall. Though the song appears to be about a woman, Nikita in Eastern Europe can also be a man's name. George Michael sang backing vocals on this track. 
Read more: Songfacts

Mandy
Barry Manilow

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