Category: M’s Track of the Day

This was written by the group’s co-founders Bob Geldof and Johnnie Fingers and refers to the 1979 Cleveland Elementary School shooting in San Diego, when 16-year-old Brenda Spencer killed two … Continue readingBoomtown Rats: I Don’t Like Mondays

This great song was written by Iain Sutherland of the Sutherland Brothers duo and recorded with the band Quiver as Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. It was released in March 1976 … Continue readingEverly Brothers: Arms of Mary

This was released in 1971 and reached No 31 in Britain. It features drumming by 25 members of the Ingoma people in Burundi recorded in 1967, with a guitar and … Continue readingBurundi Steiphenson Black: Burundi Black

This was written by Jones and Otis Blackwell. It was released in December 1959 and in early 1960 got to No 2 in America and No 3 in Britain. In … Continue readingJimmy Jones: Handy Man

It was a toss-up which to headline between this and the Carl Perkins original, but there is only one King. Perkins (whom I had the privilege of meeting when I … Continue readingElvis Presley: Blue Suede Shoes

This is from 1987, so years too late for my usual range, but I love the voice, and it’s a great tune. It was written by Michael Ward and Rob … Continue readingAlison Moyet: Weak in the Presence of Beauty

This is the original of a song that proved successful for several performers. It was written by Clint Ballard Jr and released in 1963 by Dee Dee Warwick (sister of … Continue readingDee Dee Warwick: You’re No Good

This was written by Fred Tobias and Clint Ballard Jr and released in 1963 as the group’s third single. Like the previous two and the next one, it failed to … Continue readingBrian Poole and the Tremeloes: A Very Good Year for Girls

By 1976 most pop had got too serious for me, but this could have come from the 60s. It was written and sung by the group’s bass player Peter Cetera … Continue readingChicago: If You Leave Me Now

I can’t find out who wrote this. It was released in 1965 as the follow-up to the group’s No 1 hit Concrete and Clay the same year. https://am-records.com/2021/09/09/unit-4-2-concrete-and-clay/ It got to No 14 in … Continue readingUnit 4 + 2: (You’ve) Never Been in Love Like This Before