Friday, February 17, 2023

Music History Today: February 18, 2023

February 18, 1994: Reality Bites opened in US theaters, featuring Lisa Loeb's runaway hit "Stay (I Missed You)."

Reality Bites movie poster
(sign up to follow by email)
Lisa Loeb's friend, Ethan Hawke, brought "Stay" to the attention of Ben Stiller, who used it in his movie, Reality Bites. It was a huge break for Loeb, who did not have a record deal at the time. Before it became a hit, Loeb performed the number at her shows. It was one of her most requested songs. 
Read more: Songfacts
February 18, 1967: Herman's Hermits entered the US music chart with "No Milk Today."
Future 10cc member Graham Gouldman wrote Herman's Hermit's song, "No Milk Today. " The Hermit's first single to employ an orchestra, it was released as a single in the UK in 1967, peaking at Number 7. In America, it was first released as the B-side of "There's a Kind of Hush" in 1967, but "Milk" also became a hit, reaching 35 in April. 
Read more: Songfacts

February 18, 1978: The Talking Heads had their first Billboard Hot 100 entry with "Psycho Killer."
"Psycho Killer" started when Talking Heads' lead singer David Byrne decided to write something in the vein of Alice Cooper, whose shock rock was all the rage.

Talking Heads

This was a turning point for Byrne because he realized there was an audience for his eccentric tunes. He considered it a "silly song" at the time, but there was no question it connected with audiences. 
Read more: Songfacts

February 18, 1984: Queen entered the US singles chart at Number 65 with "Radio Ga-Ga." 
Roger Taylor wrote "Radio Ga-Ga" as a critique of radio stations, which were becoming commercialized and playing the same songs repeatedly.

Queen Radio Ga-Ga- single cover

He was inspired after watching MTV and noticed that lots of kids were watching the channel instead of listening to the radio. The video is based on the 1926 movie Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang. Queen had to pay the German government to use clips of it in the video. 
Read more: Songfacts

February 18, 1989: "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was Not Was entered the Top 40 section of the US singles chart.
"Walk the Dinosaur"'s amusing video, and insanely catchy chorus helped it gain fame in the early days of MTV and its show Liquid Television. It also got some play in the Spike & Mike festivals. But its star would have faded by now if it hadn't been re-discovered in the 2000s and become an Internet meme. 
Read more: Songfacts

Stay
Lisa Loeb

No comments:

Post a Comment