This Week in Music History

December 19th, 1970 - Elton John's first US hit single, ‘Your Song’ enters the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It would peak at number eight in the US and seven in the UK. In a 1975 interview with Rolling Stone, John Lennon recalled, "I remember hearing Elton John's 'Your Song,' heard it in America—it was one of Elton's first big hits—and remember thinking, 'Great, that's the first new thing that's happened since we (The Beatles) happened.' It was a step forward. There was something about his vocal that was an improvement on all of the English vocals until then. I was pleased with it."

December 20th, 1968 – The Beatles sixth Christmas record ‘The Beatles’ 1968 Christmas Record’, was sent to fan club members in the UK and the US. It included the song ‘Nowhere Man’ sung by Tiny Tim.

December 21st, 1985 – Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’ album surpasses Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ becoming the second longest-lasting album on the Billboard Top 10. It would stay there for 79 weeks total and was only beaten by ‘The Sound of Music’ with Julie Andrews which lasted for 109 weeks.

December 22nd, 1963 – The Dave Clark Five scores their only No.1 single in the US with ‘Over And Over’.

December 23rd, 1972 – Former Grand Funk Railroad manager Terry Knight arrives at one of their concerts with a court order to seize $1M in money or assets. Police inform the ex manager that he couldn’t take anything until after the show.

December 24th, 1974 – James Taylor, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell get into the Christmas spirit by going around Los Angeles singing carols.

December 25th, 1954 – Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ entered the Billboard Pop chart for the eleventh time. Bing’s rendition has sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. It was the largest selling single in music history until it was surpassed by Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’.