Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Booker T. & The MG’s’ “Time Is Tight”
A simple, four-chord tune laid to tape with no overdubs, "Time Is TIght" is a consummate work of soul minimalism.
classic track
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Chubby Checker’s “The Twist”
There have been dance fads as long as people have danced to novelty records -- but few have had the enduring appeal of Chubby...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone”
It was the last track of the last session of the album...and it was the perfect way to end it.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say”
Ray Charles' best-known hit was first improvised on-stage to fill time at the end of a gig...and became legendary.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”
"Let's Get It On" embraces love and lust, the spiritual and the carnal fused together in an uplifting union. Recording it was not as...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: David Bowie’s “Five Years,” “Soul Love” & “Moonage Daydream”
The Ziggy Stardust album kicked off with a bang while also cementing David Bowie's career thanks to its tryptich of classic tracks.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”
By the time Neil Young rolled into Nashville to begin recording his Harvest album, he had already enjoyed several different careers as a musician.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm”
“When we first recorded ‘Riders on the Storm,’ it was a nice, light song—but when we got into mixing it is when it all...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”
Cyndi Lauper didn't want to record "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," but producer Rick Chertoff was sure it was a hit.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Del Shannon’s “Runaway”
A look at the writing and recording of Del Shannon’s Number One hit from 1961, “Runaway”
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”
While it wasn't a hit when first released, Randy Newman's sardonic "I Love L.A." has become an unofficial theme song for the City of...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Weird Al Yankovic’s “Eat It”
If Michael Jackson's "Beat It" is a classic, it stands to reason that Weird Al's parody, "Eat It" is one too—though it is entirely...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me”
Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark is exceptional among her greatest records as it has her one Top-10 pop hit, “Help Me.”
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: War’s “Low Rider”
War’s “Low Rider” is a song about a car—one of the coolest, most groove-y, sultry car songs ever, in fact.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Frank Zappa’s “Dancin’ Fool”
You can thank Disco for bringing Frank Zappa to the singles chart in the late 1970s with his first hit, “Dancin’ Fool.”
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Cherry Bomb”
John Cougar Mellencamp’s 1987 hit came from the classic album that reinvented his sound, 'The Lonesome Jubilee.'
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver”
In April 2009, at a party inside Capitol Studios in Hollywood honoring his late friend George Harrison, Gary Wright found himself chatting at a...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville”
Few songs have defined an artist, an era and an attitude quite like Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," released in January 1977.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”
Decades later, it's difficult to put into words just how bold and fresh and affecting those opening lines were in 1969.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”
Legendary producer Glyn Johns shares how The Who’s “Baba O’Riley" came together and became a classic rock staple.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Leo Sayer’s “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing”
Leo Sayer’s Number 1 Hit, With a Fresh Groove and Memorable Hook
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Smithereens’ “Behind the Wall of Sleep”
Pat DiNizio reworked the title of an H.P. Lovecraft short story, “Beyond the Wall of Sleep,” and the rest is rock history.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin”
In 1966, pop music was changing drastically, and so were The Moody Blues.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Track: Semisonic’s “Closing Time”
If it had not been for producer Steve Lillywhite, Semisonic’s "Feeling Strangely Fine" and its hit single “Closing Time” would never have seen the...
2016
Classic Tracks: Rockpile’s “Teacher Teacher”
Rockpile—Nick Lowe (lead vocals, bass), Dave Edmunds (lead vocals, guitar), Billy Bremner (backing vocals, guitar), and Terry Williams (drums)—had a classic track on their...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)”
James Taylor's cover of Marvin Gaye's 1964 hit was a hit itself, and with its relaxed, mellow vibe, how could it not be? However,...
2016
Classic Tracks: The Emotions’ “Best of My Love”
If The Emotions’ hit single “Best of My Love” sounds like a female version of Earth, Wind & Fire, that’s because it almost is....
2016
Classic Tracks: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “An American Dream”
The story behind “An American Dream," which put the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band back on pop radio after 10 years, was nothing less than...
2016
Classic Tracks: Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself”
The completed track was seven and a half minutes long, with a piano interlude that changed keys four times...how to cut it for radio?
2016
Classic Tracks: Journey’s “Open Arms”
VH-1 named it the greatest power ballad of all time, even though it only went to Number 2 on the Billboard charts. Here's how...
2016
Classic Tracks: REO Speedwagon’s “Roll With the Changes”
“Roll With the Changes” continues to be an REO Speedwagon fan favorite and a Midwestern mainstay—here's how it came into existence.
2016
Classic Tracks: Elton John’s “Honky Cat”
“Honky Cat” proved that John’s decision to record with his live band—bassist Dee Murray, drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone—was a good one.
2016
Classic Tracks: Elvis Costello’s “Veronica”
“We said, ‘Let’s do everything we can to make it undeniably great and infectious’; every decision was made to maximize that impact."
2015
Classic Tracks: Herb Alpert’s “Rise”
This is the story of a song that grew from the notion of Herb Alpert cutting his own disco record, but ended up being...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Christopher Cross’s “Ride Like the Wind”
“Ride Like the Wind,” and Christopher Cross’s Grammy history-making debut album, might not have happened if Cross hadn’t discovered in time that Michael Omartian...
2015
Classic Tracks: The Zombies’ “She’s Not There”
If one of the defining characteristics of a Classic Track is its immediate recognition, then The Zombies’ “She’s Not There” is as classic as...
2014
Classic Tracks: Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good”
Linda Ronstadt, producer Peter Asher, engineer Val Garay, session player Paul Stallworth and more recall the rollercoaster process of recording her trademark hit.
2013
Classic Tracks: “My Life,” Billy Joel
'The Stranger' was Billy Joel's breakthrough album, but it was the follow-up, '52nd Street,' which kicks off with "My Life" that cemented his...
2013
Classic Tracks: Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl”
Whether you label it power-pop, rock or AOR, Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" is a classic mix of a memorable hook, taut storytelling and producer...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set on You”
The last solo single by a Beatle to top the charts, George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On You" was an anomaly in that...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Bonnie Raitt’s “Thing Called Love”
The late, great engineer Ed Cherney discusses the recording of Bonnie Raitt’s rambunctious, John Hiatt-penned commercial breakthrough, “Thing Called Love.”
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”
A staple of Neil Young's live sets since 1989, "Rockin' in the Free World" remains as relevant as ever, simultaneously doling out catharsis and...