The Floaters were an R&B group formed in 1976. Float On was their only hit. it became one of the biggest singles of the 1977 in the USA peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK and New Zealand it topped the chart. Group member James Mitchell got the idea for this song when it came to him in a dream. He jumped out of bed and hummed the tune into a tape recorder so he would remember it. The idea for the lyrics was to spotlight each member of the band, who introduced themselves with their name and astrological sign. The song was adapted in the early 1990s to advertise Cadbury’s Creme Eggs.
Category: Flashback
Boston, the self-titled debut album by “Boston” was released on this day in 1976 and ranks as one of the best-selling debut albums in history. It has been referred to as a landmark in ’70s rock. The album spawned three singles, “More Than a Feeling”, “Long Time”, and “Peace of Mind”, all of which made the U.S. singles chart. “More Than a Feeling” is ranked No. 212 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
On 23rd of August 1963 “She Loves You,” a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney was released as a single by The Beatles in the United Kingdom. It became the best selling UK single of all time until 1977 when that record was broken by Paul McCartney and Wings with “Mull of Kintyre,” the first single to sell over two million copies in the UK.
It went to number 1, that’s where. After three years without a big hit, The Supremes went all the way to the top in 1964. The song struck a chord in the United States, and the group would become the most successful chart-topping American popular music group of the 1960s. “Where Did Our Love Go” was the first of five Supremes songs in a row to reach number 1 (the others being “Baby Love”, “Come See About Me”, “Stop! In the Name of Love”, and “Back in My Arms Again”) The Supremes would land seven more number 1 hits, for a total of 12. And you thought big hair was an eighties thing….
On 20 August 1982, 40 years ago, Dexys Midnight Runners topped the UK chart. The band’s name was inspired by the amphetamine drug Dexedrine, which is commonly known as “Dexys.” The band itself steered away from drinking and drugs, saying nothing should interfere with their dedication to music. Come On Eileen was based on a true story. Eileen was a girl that Dexys lead singer Kevin Rowland grew up with. Their relationship became romantic when the pair were 13. The song also made it to number one in numerous other countries including the USA where it knocked Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean off the top spot. Much of the success for “Eileen” in America can be attributed to its video, which got constant airplay on MTV and remains one of the most memorable video clips of the era. Most videos at the time were slick productions featuring impossibly pretty people in exotic locations, making Dexys’ video was delightfully different, with the overall-clad band acting out the love story on a gritty street.
The Night Chicago Died by “Paper Lace was their follow-up to Billy Don’t Be a Hero and hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 this week in 1974. It also topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand. The song tells a story about the notorious gangster Al Capone and his men having a shootout out with the police. There has been plenty of debate as to whether or not the story is true. However the song’s co-writer, Mitch Murray, has stated that the song was a work of fiction.
On the 12th and 13th of August 1989 the two day Moscow Music Peace Festival was held at The Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Western Acts who appeared included Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Skid Row and The Scorpions. This was the first time that an audience had been allowed to stand up and dance at a stadium rock concert in the Soviet Union. Previous to this, people at all concerts had to be seated. Of course Russia’s own hard rockers “Gorky Park” also played.
British band 10cc released their first single,”Donna,” on this day in 1972. It was chosen by a BBC disc jockey as his Record of the Week, helping to launch it into the Top 30. The song peaked at number 2 in the UK. Every member of 10cc was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and producer. From 1972 to 1978 they released five consecutive UK top-ten albums and had big hit singles including the number 1s “Rubber Bullets,” “I’m Not in Love” and “Dreadlock Holiday.” Happy 50th birthday Donna.
On this day in 1982 American rock band Survivor topped the chart in the US with “Eye of The Tiger. The song was commissioned by actor writer and director Sylvester Stallone for the theme for the movie Rocky III after Queen denied him permission to use “Another One Bites the Dust”. Eye of The tiger was nominated for the 1982 Academy Award for Best Original Song and would become Survivor’s biggest hit spending six consecutive weeks at number 1 in the US while it also topped the chart in numerous other countries.
On this day in 1978 The Grease soundtrack hit number 1 in the USA. Despite being an American film about American teens rebelling against the American culture of the 1950s, the album was also a huge success in the UK where all of the singles except for Greased Lightning peaked in the Top 10 of the pop chart, with “You’re the One That I Want” dominating the number 1 spot for a record-breaking nine weeks, some months before the film had even been released.