The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era: Songs That Changed the World--"Survivor" by Destiny's Chld

I try to feature the studio recordings of these songs that you are familiar with.  In this case, the incredible live performance is worth it.  The audience reaction tells it all how important this song is.

"Survivor"

by Destiny's Child

Written by Anthony Dent, Beyoncé Knowles, Mathew Knowles*




Now that you're out of my life
I'm so much better
You thought that I'd be weak without you
But I'm stronger
You thought that I'd be broke without you
But I'm richer
You thought that I'd be sad without you
I laugh harder
You thought I wouldn't grow without you
Now I'm wiser
Though that I'd be helpless without you
But I'm smarter
You thought that I'd be stressed without you
But I'm chillin'
You thought I wouldn't sell without you
Sold 9 million

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

Thought I couldn't breathe without
I'm inhaling
You thought I couldn't see without you
Perfect vision
You thought I couldn't last without you
But I'm lastin'
You thought that I would die without you
But I'm livin'
Thought that I would fail without you
But I'm on top
Thought it would be over by now
But it won't stop
Thought that I would self destruct
But I'm still here
Even in my years to come
I'm still gon be here

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm wishin' you the best
Pray that you are blessed
Bring much success, no stress, and lots of happiness
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gon blast you on the radio
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gon lie on you and your family
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gon hate on you in the magazines
('m better than that)
I'm not gon compromise my Christianity
(I'm better than that)
You know I'm not gon diss you on the internet
Cause my mama taught me better than that

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

(Beyonce)
Oh (oh) oh (oh)...

After of all of the darkness and sadness
Soon comes happiness
If I surround my self with positive things
I'll gain prosperity

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

This Date in Rock Music History: December 10

1949:  Fats Domino recorded his first songs for Imperial Records, including "The Fat Man", which later became his nickname.

1961:  After their first live concerts in south England, the Beatles returned to Liverpool for a show at Hambleton Hall.
1961:  James Brown performed at the Evergreen Ballroom in Lacey, Washington.
1961:  The Beatles and Brian Epstein reached an informal managerial agreement, on the condition that Epstein would get the group a recording contract.
1963:  Donny Osmond made his debut with the Osmonds on The Andy Williams Show on NBC.
1964:  The Beatles scored their sixth #1 in the U.K. with "I Feel Fine".

1965:  The Warlocks changed their name to the Grateful Dead and played their first concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco, California.
1965:  Bob Dylan was at the Community Concourse Theatre in San Diego, California.
1966:  The Supremes continued to have the #1 R&B song for a third week with "You Keep Me Hangin' On".




1966:  "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys made the final climb to #1.  Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" came in second with the previous #1 "Winchester Cathedral" from the New Vaudeville Band at #3.  Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels remained fourth with "Devil With A Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" and the Supremes' former #1 "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was fifth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Peter & Gordon with "Lady Godiva", the Hollies shot up from 13 to 7 with "Stop Stop Stop", Roger Williams and "Born Free", Martha & the Vandellas had another Top 10 with "I'm Ready For Love" and Frank Sinatra moved from 15-10 with "That's Life".
1967:  The Steve Miller Blues Band signed with Capitol Records for an unprecedented $750,000.  Shortly after, the group dropped "Blues" from its name.
1967:  The Byrds performed the first of eight nights at Whisky-A-Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

1967:  One of the great early tragedies of the Rock Era occurred on this date.  Otis Redding, who had just recorded the song "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay", died when his tour plane, carrying his band the Bar-Kays, crashed into Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin at 3:28 p.m.  He was just 26 years old.

1968:  Led Zeppelin performed at the Marquee Club in London.  But tickets cost you $7 apiece.
1971:  Davy Jones of the Monkees was a guest on the television show The Brady Bunch on ABC.

1971:  Frank Zappa was pushed from a stage in London by the jealous boyfriend of a Zappa fan.  Zappa spent several months recovering in a wheelchair from a broken leg and ankle and a fractured skull.  Don't know why anyone would like Zappa enough to cause all that but then that's just me.
1973:  The CBGB Club opened in the lower east side of New York City.  The club would later host Blondie, the Talking Heads, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the B-52's, Television, Patti Smith, the Ramones, and many others.
1976:  Paul McCartney & Wings released the triple live album Wings Over America.
1976:  Billy Idol's new group Generation X debuted live at the Central College of Art and Design in London.
1977:  The Bee Gees ruled for the third week on the Adult chart with "How Deep Is Your Love".

1977:  Debby Boone tied the existing Rock Era record held by Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife" when Boone's "You Light Up My Life" was #1 for a ninth week and Debby became the first artist to achieve the feat in consecutive weeks.  Crystal Gayle was #2 for a third week with "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" while the Bee Gees remained strong after 12 weeks with "How Deep Is Your Love".  Linda Ronstadt had one of her biggest career hits with "Blue Bayou" and right behind that was Ronstadt's "It's So Easy".  The rest of the Top 10:  Paul Nicholas and "Heaven On The 7th Floor", Rita Coolidge with the song written by Boz Scaggs--"We're All Alone", L.T.D. had song #8 with "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again", "Baby What A Big Surprise" fell to #9 for Chicago and Fleetwood Mac had their fourth Top 10 from Rumours--"You Make Loving Fun".
1980:  John Lennon was cremated at the Ferncliff Cemetery in New York City.
1983:  "Time Will Reveal" from DeBarge was the new #1 on the R&B chart.

1983:  Barbra Streisand achieved her 8th #1 and 48th hit among adults with "The Way He Makes Me Feel".

1985:  Chuck Negron was fired from Three Dog Night by the other two main members, Danny Hutton and Cory Wells.

1988:  Bill Harris of the Clovers died from cancer at age 63.

1988:  Metallica played the first of two nights at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California.

1990:  Janet Jackson captured eight Billboard Music Awards, including Best Pop and R&B Album (Rhythm Nation), Hot 100 Singles Artist and Top R&B Artist.  (Note:  some websites claim this was the first 'Billboard Music Awards'; ironically enough, even 'Billboard' gets it wrong.  The first 'Billboard Music Awards' show was televised from the Santa Monica Airport Hangar in Santa Monica, California in 1989, with George Michael winning four awards on the initial show.
Jackson, the 24-year-old sister of pop legend Michael Jackson, was named the year's No. 1 rhythm and blues artist, R&B albums artist, R&B singles artist and 'Hot 100' Singles Artist.)

1991:  50's disc jockey Alan Freed was awarded a star posthumously on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6381 Hollywood Boulevard.  (Note:  many websites claim this happened on December 3, but the official Alan Freed website managed by Freed's daughter states that the star was awarded on December 10.)

1994:  "Creep" by TLC took over at #1 on the R&B chart.
1996:  Faron Young ("Hello Walls") died of a self-inflicted gunshot at age 64 in Nashville, Tennessee.

1998:  Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette and Tracy Chapman performed at the Amnesty International Concert for Human Rights Defenders at Bercy Stadium in Paris, France.

1999:  Rick Danko, bassist of the group which called itself the Band, died in his sleep in Woodstock, New York one day after his 56th birthday.
1999:  Elvis Costello debuted songs that he had written for the musical The Delivery Man at a concert in London.
2000:  Tom Morello and Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine participated in a march supporting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Los Angeles.

2002:  The Oakwood Postal Station in Los Angeles was officially renamed the Nat King Cole Post Office.

2003:  Bobby Brown was charged with battery in Atlanta, Georgia three days after hitting wife Whitney Houston.
2003:  The California County Clerk confirmed that in fact Chris Martin of Coldplay  and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who didn't want people to know they were married, in fact were.  They were married on December 5 in Santa Barbara, California.
2003:  Beyonce and R. Kelly each won four awards at the Billboard Awards Show at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2003:  Alicia Keys' amazing The Diary of Alicia Keys sold over 600,000 copies to be the #1 album of the week.
2004:  James Brown announced that he had prostate cancer.
2004:  One of three RCA microphones used by radio station KWKH for Elvis Presley's appearances at the Louisiana Hayride from 1954-1956 was sold for $37,500.

2005:  Garth Brooks married Trisha Yearwood in Oklahoma.

2007:  Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years at the 02 Arena in London.  Original members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were joined by drummer Jason Bonham, son of the late John Bonham.
2008:  In today's edition of Inmates Run Rap Music, DMX was back where he belonged (behind bars) in Miami, Florida.  He failed to appear in court to face charges of drug possession, identity theft and animal cruelty.
2008:  Judy Collins received the Champion Award in New York City from ASCAP (the American Society of Composers and Publishers) for music "in the service of vital causes dedicated to a better world".

2010:  The original handwritten lyrics of "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan sold for $422,500 at an auction in New York City.

Born This Day:
1941:  Chad Stuart of Chad & Jeremy was born in Windermere, Cumbria, England.  (Note:  many websites incorrectly spell Chad's name as Stewart; his name was Chad Stuart.)
1941:  Ralph Tavares of the group Tavares ("Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" was born in Waterbury, Connecticut.  (Note:  websites are all over the map regarding Ralph's place of berth--some list it as the Cape Verde Islands, others as New Bedford, Massachusetts, still others as Providence, Rhode Island.  Ralph's parents are from the Cape Verde Islands, and the family lived in both New Bedford and Providence, but the book 'First Legends of Disco:  40 Stars Discuss Their Careers in Classic Dance Music' by James Arena clears up the confusion by featuring an interview with brother Arthur "Pooch" Tavares, who said that his father, being a musician, moved around a lot, and that Ralph was born in Waterbury.  As soon as everyone reads the Calendar* on 'Inside The Rock Era', we'll all be on the same page.)
1941:  Kyu Sakamoto, the first artist from Japan to ever have a #1 song ("Sukiyaki" from 1963), was born in Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan; died in a plane crash that killed 520 people on August 12, 1985.  (Note:  many websites show his birth as November 10--according to the 'BBC' and other reputable sites, Kyu was born on December 10.)
1946:  Walter Orange, drummer of the Commodores

1946:  Gloria Loring, who wrote the television themes for Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life and had a #1 with Carl Anderson ("Friends And Lovers"), was born in New York City.
1946:  Ace Kefford, guitarist of the Move, was born in West Moseley, England.

1948:  Jessica Cleaves of Friends of Distinction, a vocalist who has also worked with Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament and Funkadelic, was born in Los Angeles; died May 2, 2014.
1954:  Tom Coyne, mastering engineer for the Rolling Stones, the Four Seasons, Taylor Swift, Dionne Warwick, Kool and the Gang, Adele, Billy Ocean, Bruno Mars, Frankie Valli, Mark Ronson and the Weeknd, died April 12, 2017 from multiple myeloma in Morristown, New Jersey.  Coyne won six Grammys in his career among 18 nominations.
1957:  Paul Hardcastle ("Nineteen" from 1985) was born in London.
1966:  Timothy Christian Riley, drummer of Tony!  Toni!  Tone!, was born in Oakland, California.
1971:  Scot Alexander, bassist of Dishwalla ("Counting Blue Cars", was born in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii.
1974:  Meg White, drummer of the White Stripes, was born in Grosse Point Farms, Michigan. (Note:  many websites show her birthplace as Detroit, but according to the book 'The White Stripes and the Sound of Mutant Blues' by Everett True, White was born in Grosse Point Farms, a suburb of Detroit.)

The Best Christmas Songs of All-Time--December 10

Other sources will give lists of The Best Christmas Songs of All-Time; this site actually lets you hear them so you can see which ones you like the most.  We have 150 of them and six more are featured below!

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"

by Bing Crosby

Bing's version was recorded in 1951.  With his deep baritone voice, if Bing said it, it was true!

 "Let It Snow"

by Diana Krall

This gifted Canadian singer-songwriter has taken the world by storm, becoming the top-selling jazz artist of all-time.  Her signature nightclub-type voice and keyboard skills have won acclaim the world over.  She gives this favorite a nice touch.

 

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

by Nat King Cole

This popular hymn first appeared in the 1739 collection Hyms and Sacred Poems by Charles Wesley but it is not the one we hear today.  Wesley's tune is much more somber.  George Whitefield, Wesley's co-worker, changed the opening lyrics from "Hark!  how all the welkin rings" to the one we hear today.  Then in 1840, Felix Mendelssohn composed a cantata and it is this cantata, adapted by William H. Cummings to fit the lyrics of "Hark!  The Herald Angels Sing", that we are familiar with.


Nat King Cole gives us the signature version of this song.

"All I Want for Christmas"

by Spike Jones

We have hymns, Christmas carols, new songs and also a few novelty ones thrown in as well.  Donald Yetter Gardner, a music teacher in Smithtown, New York, wrote this song after asking his second grade class what they wanted for Christmas and noticing almost all hat at least one front tooth missing as they answered in a lisp.  Gardner then wrote the song in 30 minutes.


The song was published in 1948 after an employee of Witmark music company heard Gardner sing it at a music teachers conference.  Later that year, Spike Jones recorded the song with lead vocal by George Rock.

"Jingle Bell Rock"

by Bobby Helms

The first rock Christmas song is this one right here.  It was written by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe and released by Bobby Helms in 1957.  It thus became the first rock Christmas song to become a standard, hitting #1 in 1957 despite being released just two days before Christmas.  It has since reappeared on the charts six more times and is second to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" in sales among Christmas songs.

"Silent Night"

by the Temptations

Featuring the great bass voice of Melvin Franklin and David Ruffin's super-high tenor voice, the Temptations give a great treatment to this holiday favorite.

The Best 150 Christmas Songs of All-Time, Part Two

Here are the songs you need to keep up to date with The Best Christmas Songs of All-Time*.  There is so much material being released daily on the blog to keep up.  We are presenting six songs per day complete with a brief history of the song, why it is included, and a video as well.  We began December 1 so here you have the next batch, including a link to Part One of our special.  Thus, the list now includes 48 of The Top 150* (Click on each date to listen to the songs from that day.)


December 5:

"Christmas Time Is Here"

by Vince Guaraldi Trio

"Santa Baby"

by Eartha Kitt

"Go Tell It on the Mountain"

by Dolly Parton

"Blue Christmas"

by Elvis Presley

"Deck the Halls"

by Nat King Cole

"Silent Night"

by Garth Brooks

December 6:

"Away in a Manger"

by Anne Murray

"Here Comes Santa Claus"

by Gene Autry

"Perhaps Love"

by John Denver & Placido Domingo

"Sleigh Ride"

by the Carpenters

"Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth"
Bing Crosby & David Bowie

"The Little Drummer Boy"

by Bob Seger

December 7:

"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

by the Weavers

"Sleigh Ride"

by the New Christy Minstrels

"Oh Holy Night"

by Celine Dion

"Ding Dong Merrily on High"

by Roger Whitaker

"Mistletoe and Holly"

by Frank Sinatra

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

by Andy Williams

December 8:

"Ring Christmas Bells"
by Ray Conniff & the Singers

"The Prayer"
by Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli

"A Marshmallow World"
by Johnny Mathis

"The First Noel"
by Kenny G

"Winter Wonderland"
by Aretha Franklin

"Silent Night"
by Perry Como

Part One:  December 1-4:

This Date in Rock Music History: December 9

1957:  Smooth Sam Cooke remained at #1 on the R&B chart for a third week with "You Send Me".
1961:  The Beatles paid their dues at the Palais Ballroom in Aldershot, England before 18 people, as the show had not been promoted well by Sam Leach.  Leach thought he had booked the group in London, but Aldershot was a small military town 37 miles from London.  Leach had paid the local newspaper with a check, but they only took cash for new customers and Leach hadn't provided them any contact number.  To add insult to injury, a neighbor called the police, and when the group emerged from the Ballroom, they were told to "leave town and never return".  With nowhere to go, the Beatles drove to London and played a set at the Blue Gardenia Club in Soho in the early morning hours.  All this difficulty, and they still became the most successful music act the world has ever known. 
1961:  The Marvelettes maintained their hold on the R&B chart for the fifth straight week with "Please Mr. Postman".
1961:  Jimmy Dean remained at #1 on the Easy Listening chart for a seventh week with "Big Bad John".

 
1962:  Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, took George Martin, future producer of the group, to the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England to see the group perform.
1962:  The Supremes released their debut album Meet the Supremes.  (Note:  some websites claim that the release was in 1963, or even March 9 of 1961.  According to the 'BBC' and other credible sources, the correct date of release is December 9, 1962.)
1963:  Rolf Harris ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport") was a guest on To Tell the Truth on CBS-TV.






1964:  The Kinks released the single "All Day And All Of The Night".













1964:  "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles exceeded one million in sales in the U.K. in just its second week.
1965:  The Christmas classic A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on CBS-TV.
1967:  Jim Morrison was arrested onstage in New Haven, Connecticut and charged with breach of peace and resisting arrest.
1967:  The Beatles topped the U.K. chart with "Hello Goodbye".

                 "I Say a Little Prayer" was #4 on this date, and it's gotten better since then...

1967:  The Monkees prevailed for the second week at #1 with "Daydream Believer" with the Cowsills ("The Rain, The Park & Other Things") and Strawberry Alarm Clock ("Incense And Peppermints") remaining at #2 and #3, respectively.  Dionne Warwick's new song "I Say A Little Prayer" was up to 4 while Gladys Knight & the Pips were at 5 with "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".  The rest of the Top 10:  One of the top songs of the year, "To Sir With Love" was sixth, followed by the new Top 10 for Smokey Robinson & the Miracles--"I Second That Emotion", the Beatles flew past everyone from 45 to 8 with "Hello Goodbye", Diana Ross & the Supremes notched their eighth consecutive Top 10 (and 14th out of their last 15 releases) with "In And Out of Love" and Victor Lundberg's "An Open Letter To My Teenage Son" came in #10.



1968:  Tommy James & the Shondells released the single "Crimson And Clover".
1968:  The Supremes and the Temptations combined for the television special TCB (Takin' Care of Business) on NBC.
1972:  Pete Townshend, guitarist of the Who, was a narrator for the orchestral performance of Tommy at the Rainbow Theatre in London that starred Roger Daltrey, Richie Havens, Steve Winwood and actor Peter Sellers and featured the London Symphony Orchestra.
1972:  "Clair" reached #1 on the Adult chart for Gilbert O'Sullivan.






1972:  The solid album Seventh Sojourn by the Moody Blues rose from #5 to #1.  All Directions by the Temptations was #2 followed by the new album from Stanley, Idaho's Carole King, Rhymes & Reasons.  Cat Stevens' former #1 Catch Bull At Four tumbled to 4 and Yes also stumbled with Close to the Edge.  The rest of the Top 10:  The "Superfly" Soundtrack, Phoenix by Grand Funk Railroad at #7, Santana remained at #8 with Caravanserai, Al Green entered the Top 10 with I'm Still In Love With You and newcomers Seals & Crofts saw their album Summer Breeze move from 13-10.
1972:  A new song was captivating music lovers--"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon moved from #99 to #60 on this date.

         
        
                  America had another Top 10 hit...

1972:  One of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*--"I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy, moved into the #1 spot, passing "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" by the Temptations.  Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes lurked nearby with "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and Johnny Nash's smash "I Can See Clearly Now" was still at #4.  The rest of a good Top 10:  "You Ought To Be With Me" by Al Green, Billy Paul with "Me And Mrs. Jones", Albert Hammond moved to 7 with "It Never Rains In Southern California", America at #8 with "Ventura Highway", Gilbert O'Sullivan found the Top 10 with "Clair" and the great soul group the Stylistics reached the list with "I'm Stone In Love With You".

1974:  George Harrison released the first album on his new record label Dark Horse--Dark Horse.









1974:  Grand Funk released the single "Some Kind Of Wonderful".

1974:  Styx re-released the single "Lady" (it had originally been released in 1972.)
1974:  John Lennon was a guest in the booth during a National Football League game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football on ABC television. 
1976:  John Lennon bought a painting by Renoir for half a million dollars.
1977:  The Carpenters hosted the special The Carpenters At Christmas on ABC-TV.
1978:  Boney M reached #1 in the U.K. with their remake of the 1957 Harry Belafonte song "Mary's Boy Child".





1978:  Al Stewart made it five weeks at #1 on the Adult chart with "Time Passages".
1978:  Newcomer Nicolette Larson moved from 76 to 51 with "Lotta' Love".









1978:  Chic moved into the #1 position after just seven weeks with their great song "Le Freak".  Donna Summer's former #1 "MacArthur Park" refused to move while the previous #1--"You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond, lost its petals and fell to #3.  Canada's Gino Vannelli was up to #4 with his biggest hit "I Just Wanna' Stop".  The rest of the Top 10:  Ambrosia with "How Much I Feel", newcomer Alicia Bridges and "I Love The Nightlife (Disco 'Round)", Al Stewart at #7 with "Time Passages", Billy Joel edged up with "My Life", Dr. Hook had a hot song with "Sharing The Night Together" and Andy Gibb was one of the hottest artists ever out of the gate, registering his fifth consecutive Top 10 song to begin his career--"(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away".
1981:  Sonny Til, lead singer of the Orioles, who helped create doo-wop music, died at the age of 53 from heart failure complicated by diabetes.

1984:  The Jacksons performed for the final time at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
1988:  Michael Jackson's Bad tour was in full swing and on this night he began a nine-night run at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
1989:  It was such a bad time in music that a fake band, Milli Vanilli, had the #1 album Girl You Know It's True.  Among the albums that weren't strong enough to top the fake band:  Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block, Steel Wheels by the Rolling Stones, Pump by Aerosmith and Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue.
1989:  Luther Vandross added quality to the scene with "Here and Now", #1 on the R&B chart for a second week.

1989:  Billy Joel reached #1 for the third time in his career with his 11th Top 10 and 33rd career hit--"We Didn't Start The Fire".  Phil Collins moved up to challenge with "Another Day In Paradise" while Milli Vanilli's "Blame It On The Rain" dropped from #1.  Paula Abdul was at 4 with "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" and Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville were at #5 with "Don't Know Much".  The rest of the Top 10:  Soul II Soul with "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)", Richard Marx slipped with "Angelia", Taylor Dayne achieved her fifth consecutive Top 10 to begin her career "With Every Beat Of My Heart", the B-52's were moving out with "Love Shack" and Technotronic moved from 16-10 with "Pump Up The Jam".
1991:  Guns N' Roses played the first of three concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1992:  Bill Wyman, bassist of the Rolling Stones, quit the group after 30 years.
1994:  James Brown filed for divorce from his wife.

1995:  The Beatles song "Free As A Bird", the group's first new song in 25 years, debuted on a six-hour documentary on ABC featuring the group.

 "Not The Doctor", one of the great tracks on 'Jagged Little Pill'...

1995:  The impressive Anthology 1 by the Beatles debuted at #1 on the Album chart.  Fresh Horses by Garth Brooks also easily sailed past what competition there was to debut at #2.  Those sent Daydream, the new album by Mariah Carey, down to #3 after just eight weeks.  Christmas in the Aire (sic) by Mannheim Steamroller moved from 10 to 4, the "Waiting to Exhale" Soundtrack was #5 and Alanis Morissette was at #6 with Jagged Little Pill.  The rest of the Top 10:  R. Kelly tumbled to #7 with his self-titled album, Cracked Rear View from Hootie & the Blowfish was still at 8 after 72 weeks, the Smashing Pumpkins were down with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Alan Jackson was down to 10 after just five weeks with The Greatest Hits Collection.
1995:  Whitney Houston topped the R&B chart for a third week with "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)".
1998:  Nicole Appleton walked out of the BBC television show Later, saying she had quit the group.
2000:  U2 performed "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation" in their first-ever appearance on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.
2001:  Usher rose to the top of the chart with "U (sic) Got It Bad".
2003:  The road manager of Great White was indicted for involuntary manslaughter for a February fire at a Great White concert in Rhode Island.
2006:  Freddie Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers died of lung cancer in Southport, England at the age of 66.
2006:  Georgia Gibbs ("Dance With Me Henry") died from complications of leukemia in Manhatta, New York at age 87.
2008:  Toni Tennille of the Captain & Tennille cracked a femur, needing three titanium screws to repair her hip.

Born This Day:
1932:  Sam Strain, originally with Little Anthony & the Imperials and later a member of the O'Jays when William Powell left
1932:  Donald Byrd, trumpet player with the Blackbyrds ("Walking In Rhythm" from 1975), who also worked with Lionel Hampton, Cannonball Adderly, Thelonius Monk and Herbie Hancock, among others, was born in Detroit, Michigan; died February 4, 2013 in Dover, Delaware.
1932:  Junior Wells, blues singer and harmonica player who worked with Carlos Santana, Van Morrison and Bonnie Raitt and toured with the Rolling Stones in 1970, was born in Memphis, Tennessee; died January 15, 1998 in Chicago, Illinois after being in a coma from a heart attack the previous fall.

1943:  Kenny Vance, singer and original member of Jay & the Americans, who also was music director for the movies Animal House and Eddie and the Cruisers and the popular television show Saturday Night Live beginning in 1980, was born in New York City.  (Note:  some websites claim that Vance was born in Brooklyn, but according to United Press International, was born in New York City.)  

1944:  Shirley Brickley of Orlons ("The Wah Wahtusi") was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died October 13, 1977 when she was murdered by an intruder in her home in Philadelphia.
1946:  Dennis Dunaway, bass guitarist with Alice Cooper, was born in Cottage Grove, Oregon.  (Note:  many websites list his birth year as 1948; it was 1946, according to the 'BBC' and other reputable sources.)
1950:  Joan Armatrading was born in Basseterre, St. Kitts. 
1954:  Jack Sonni, guitarist with Dire Straits, was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
1955:  Randy Murray, a member of Bachman-Turner Overdrive from 1991 to 2005

1957:  Donny Osmond, young singer of the Osmonds and a solo star, was born in Ogden, Utah.
1958:  Nick Seymour, bassist of Crowded House ("Don't Dream It's Over"), was born in Benalla, Victoria, Australia.
1968:  Brian Bell, songwriter and rhythm guitarist of Weezer, was born in Iowa City, Iowa.  (Note:  several sources claim Bell was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, but according to the book 'Musicians That Changed Sound:  Profiles of Four Musicians That Changed The Industry' by Jennifer Warner and Lora Greene, Bell was born in Iowa City and then moved to Knoxville with his family.)

1969:  Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers ("One Headlight"), and son of Bob Dylan, was born in New York City.
1970:  Zak Foley of EMF ("Unbelievable" from 1990), was born in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England; died January 3, 2002 at age 31 when he collapsed in Camden, London from a cocktail of drink and drugs and was dead when police arrived.  (Note:  several websites report his death as December 31, 2001 or January 2, 2002, but 'MTV' and 'Billboard" both reported that he died on Thursday, January 3, 2002.)  
1972:  Tre Cool (real name Frank Edwin Wright III), drummer of Green Day who joined in 1990, was born in Frankfurt, Germany.

Songs That Changed the World--The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era: "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night

While it's true that there are plenty of songs in the Rock Era that are nonsensical or without much content, when someone says there are no meaningful songs, point them to this music special on Inside The Rock Era, and have them listen to a few of these songs.

Another group that wrote music that matters, and Three Dog Night did some of the best songs ever written.  How can people be so heartless to not care about evil and social injustices against the poor?  They are also saying that if you are a good enough person to help right the wrongs of the world, be sure to help your friends around you also.

"Easy to Be Hard"
by Three Dog Night

Written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni.

How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be hard
Easy to be cold

How can people have no feelings
How can they ignore their friends
Easy to be proud
Easy to say no

Especially people who care about strangers
Who care about evil and social injustice
Do you only care about the bleeding crowd
How about a needy friend
I need a friend

How can people be so heartless
You know I'm hung up on you
Easy to be proud
Easy to say no

Especially people who care about strangers
Who care about evil and social injustice
Do you only care about the bleeding crowd
How about a needy friend
We all need a friend

How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be proud
Easy to say no
Easy to be cold
Easy to say no
Come on, easy to be mean
Easy to say no
Easy to be cold
Easy to say no
Much too easy to say no

The Best Christmas Songs of All-Time--December 9

We have five more great Christmas favorites for you right now:

Remembering John Lennon

Hard to believe it was 31 years ago that the world was shocked that John Lennon had been shot to death.  I remember that night vividly--I was about to sign on for my shift at KFXD here in Boise, Idaho when the news came.  Before starting my shift, I always tried to check the UPI wire for timely material.  Only that night, the old teletype was sputtering and bells were going off and then came the tragic news.  We immediately stopped normal programming and began playing Beatles and John Lennon music.

They always get the good people.  He was a visionary, an idealist, who was a position where he could do a lot of good for the world and he did.  He left us with so many great memories and was one of the great ones of the 20th century.  We love you John, we love what you stood for, we so loved the Beatles and your lifetime of work.

31 years later, we still Imagine all the people living in peace.  And you're not the only one.