Peace Train

On this day in 1971, Cat Stevens released "Peace Train," which became his first U.S. Top-10 hit.



Peace Train
Now I've been happy lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately,
dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be,
some day it's going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again

Now I've been smiling lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train

Yes, peace train holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train

Come Sail Away

On this date in 1977, the American band Styx released the ballad, "Come Sail Away."

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen (1949-) was born on this day in Freehold, New Jersey and continues to be vibrant and relevant and a cultural figure. Here is U2's Bono inducting Bruce into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fameon March 15, 1999.:

John Lennon

On this day in 1980, John Lennon signed with Geffen Records. Here's a portion of his last interview:

All Along the Watchtower

On this day in 1968, Jimi Hendrix released All Along the Watchtower:



Lyrics:
"There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.

Lyrics by Bob Dylan (1968)

Born to Run

On this day in 1975, Bruce Springsteen released the single "Born to Run." Springsteen live at Hammersmith Odeon, 1975.



In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
and strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
'Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wildgirl
I want to know if love is real

Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight
In an everlasting kiss
The highway's jammed with broken heroes
on a last chance power drive
Everybody's out on the run tonight
but there's no place left to hide
Together Wendy we'll live with the sadness
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul

Someday girl, I don't know when, we're gonna get to that place
Where we really want to go and we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us--baby we were born to run

Long Way From Happiness

On this day 1997, VH1 aired "Storytellers" live for the first time. From The House Of Blues in New Orleans, Elton John performed "Long Way From Happiness":

Atom Heart Mother

On this day in 1971, Pink Floyd performed "Atom Heart Mother" at Switzerland's Classical Music Festival. Here's the band performing songs from the album in St. Tropez, France, 1970:

My Generation

On this day in 1967, The Who performed "My Generation" on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. A defining moment in television and music history, Keith Moon's kick drum exploded at the end of the song, causing chaos and permanently damaging Pete Townshend's hearing. Here's the classic:

O Sole Mio

On this day in 1920, Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) completed his final recording session with Victor Records. Here is the maestro singing "O Sole Mio":




Lyrics:
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole,
n'aria serena doppo na tempesta!
Pe' ll'aria fresca pare gia na festa...
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole.

Ma n'atu sole
cchiu bello,
oje ne'.
'o sole mio
sta 'nfronte a te!

Quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne,
me vene quase 'na malincunia;
sotto 'a fenesta toia restarria
quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne.

Reba McEntire

On this day in 1998, Country music singer Reba McEntire received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Here's a video of the event:

Getting Better

On this day in 1995, Paul McCartney's hand written lyrics for "Getting Better" by the Beatles sold for $249,000 at a Sotheby's auction.

Tupac Shakur

On this day in 1996, American rapper Tupac Shakur died six days after he was shot in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas strip. Here's an MTV news clip reporting the death:

Wonderwall

On this day in 1996, at the height of their fame, British rock band Oasis canceled their U.S. tour citing "internal differences." Here's the 1995 music video for their hit, "Wonderwall":

Runaway

On this day in 1995, singer Janet Jackson made history with "Runaway," the first single by a woman to debut in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100:

Cherry Cherry

On this day in 1966, singer-songwriter Neil Diamond scored his first chart song, "Cherry Cherry" Here he is performing the song in Sydney, 1976:

Soul Man

On this day in 1967, Sam & Dave released "Soul Man."