Classic Hits

Bon Jovi has reached a new milestone on YouTube. The video for the band’s classic track “Livin’ On A Prayer” has surpassed 1 billion views.

“Livin’ On A Prayer” was released in October 1986 and was the second hit single from their third album, Slippery When Wet.

The video, directed by Wayne Isham, was shot September 17, 1986, at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It features the band rehearsing and performing; at one point, frontman Jon Bon Jovi flies over the crowd with the help of a harness.

“Livin’ On A Prayer” is one of many videos that predate the existence of YouTube to have landed 1 billion views. Others include Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” which reached 1 billion in July 2018, and their track “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” which reached the milestone in October 2019. In addition, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” reached 1 billion views in July 2019.

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Bonnie Raitt has announced some new tour dates for 2023, including her first Canadian shows since 2017. 

The new leg of the Just Like That… tour, featuring special guest Royal Wood on select dates, kicks off September 2 in Victoria, British Columbia. Bonnie will play 11 shows in Canada, including dates in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto. 

The tour also includes some U.S. shows, with the tour wrapping October 11 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Presale tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, with the public sale set for February 3. A complete list of tour dates can be found at BonnieRaitt.com. 

Meanwhile, Raitt has a chance to add to her already huge Grammy hall this weekend. The singer, who has already won 10 Grammys, is up for four awards, including Song of the Year for her tune “Just Like That.” The 2023 Grammy Awards air Sunday on CBS live from Los Angeles.

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On this day, January 30, 1969 …

The Beatles gave their final public performance on Apple Records’ rooftop in London. In 42 minutes, the band, which was joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, did nine takes of five songs — “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909” and “Dig A Pony” — before the police pulled the plug.

The concert happened while the band was recording what would become their album Let It Be. It was released May 8, 1970, almost a month after the band’s breakup. 

Footage from the concert was used in the 1970 documentary Let It Be. In 2021, the entire performance was shown in the Disney+ documentary The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson.

The nearly eight-hour docuseries, which was co-produced by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon and George Harrison’s widows, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, used footage from the original 1970 documentary. The series went on to win five Emmys, including Best Limited Documentary Series.

In January 2022 the full rooftop concert was released to streaming services as a standalone album, Get Back- The Rooftop Performance.

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Producer Rick Rubin thinks Paul McCartney doesn’t get enough credit when it comes to his bass playing. In fact, in a new interview he claims Sir Paul is the best bass player out there.

“I thought about how everything I’ve seen, Beatles-related, is either about the songwriting or Beatlemania,” Rubin said in an interview with MOJO, according to NME. “Paul McCartney the bass player, or Paul McCartney the musician, because he plays everything – that’s a little story told.” He adds, “You just think of him as Beatle Paul, yet in my opinion, he is the best of all bass players, he’s number one.”

Rubin, who worked with McCartney on the 2021 Hulu mini series McCartney 3, 2, 1, adds that he also admires McCartney’s simple songwriting style. 

“What blew my mind was when he sat at the piano and he started showing me how to write a song. He was saying, ‘See, you could [do] it like this,'” Rubin says, “and what he was showing me was the simplest thing, but then he starts moving his fingers around slightly, and all of a sudden it evolves into ‘Hey Jude’ or ‘Let It Be.’”

He notes, “He’s using this technique that any child could do, then it morphs into one of the greatest songs of all time!”

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Dolly Parton continues to share bits of information on her upcoming rock album, which is due out in the late spring/early fall. She tells USA Today it will feature 28 tracks, with a mix of covers and originals. She’s also revealed a bit more on who will be joining her on what songs. 

Among the originals on the album will be a song called “What Has Rock ‘n Roll Ever Done For Me” with Stevie Nicks, which Dolly describes as “a cute little song.” There’s also an unnamed original with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.

She’s also rerecorded the Dolly classic “My Blue Tears” with Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon. 

“I was so excited because I could just hear his voice on it. He has that beautiful high voice and it’s an Irish-sounding love song with bagpipes,” she says. “It’s a love song about when a fella goes off to war and leaves his sweetheart behind and she cries her lonely blue tears and he’s on the other side crying his lonely blue tears. It’s a big range that Simon will be great at.” 

In addition to the already announced “Let It Be” cover with Paul McCartney, Dolly will be covering the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Long As I Can See the Light” with John Fogerty and Journey’s “Open Arms” with Steve Perry. She’s still hoping to get Annie Lennox and Cher on a cover of the Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” 

Dolly’s also trying to get Mick Jagger to join her, joking that if it doesn’t happen, “I’ll kick his bony a** when I see him!”

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Olivia Newton-John was honored at the G’Day USA Gala last weekend in Los Angeles. Her husband, John Easterling, shared a moving tribute to the legendary singer, who passed away in August at age 73.

“We shared a love and a happiness on an order of magnitude that I didn’t even think was possible,” Easterling shared, as reported by The Mirror. “For the past 15 years, I’ve been blessed to share the depth and the passion of her being.” He added, “Every day with Olivia was a bit of magic. Every day with Olivia was supernatural.”

Easterling, who was at the event with Olivia’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, called his wife “the most courageous and compassionate woman that I’ve ever known,” and explained why she chose to use her name to promote cancer research centers in both the U.S. and Australia.

“There’s an old adage that like attracts like, and Olivia knew that her voice and her huge profile of talents were a gift,” he said. “Her legacy continues as a joyful, healing spirit who is continuously focused on moving things, in her words, ‘into the love and the light.’”

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Paul McCartney has shared some never-before-heard music by the late guitarist Jeff Beck, who died earlier this month. The music was part of a pro-vegetarian campaign the pair worked on back in 1994. 

“With the sad passing of Jeff Beck – a good friend of mine, and a great, great guitar player – it reminded me of the time we worked together many years ago on a campaign for vegetarianism,” McCartney shares. “It’s great guitar playing, cause it’s Jeff!”

Beck’s message was previously used in a 13-part radio series called Oobu Joobu, which gave fans a glimpse of Paul’s world, including his vegetarianism campaigns. In the clip, Beck can be heard questioning why the rainforest is being cut down for cattle grazing, warning that since tropical plants are used for medicines and pharmaceutical needs, we could be risking missing out on a “possible discovery of a miracle cure just for a dollar fifth hamburger.”

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Barrett Strong, known for writing some of Motown’s biggest hits, passed away in Detroit Sunday at the age of 81, the Detroit Free Press reports. 

Strong is best known for co-writing and singing the Motown classic “Money (That’s What I Want),” which would be the label’s first hit. It went on to sell a million copies and was covered by the likes of The Beatles and others.

As a songwriter, Strong and producer Norman Whitfiled co-wrote some of Motown’s most classic tunes, many with The Temptations, including “Cloud Nine,” Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and others. He also co-wrote “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” for Gladys Knight and the Pips, “War” for Edwin Starr and more.

“Barrett was not only a great singer and piano player, but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield, created an incredible body of work, primarily with the Temptations,” Motown founder Berry Gordy shared in a statement. “Their hit songs were revolutionary in sound and captured the spirit of the times like ‘Cloud Nine’ and the still relevant ‘Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today).”

He adds, “My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. Barrett is an original member of the Motown family and will be missed by all of us.”

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The New York rock band Tempt recently released a cover of the Queen classic “We Will Rock You,” and now they are using it to raise money for one of Brian May’s favorite charities. 

May gave his blessing to the cover, saying in a press release, “I’m very honored that Tempt play ‘We Will Rock You,’ and with so much passion! -Tempt I’m all ears!” Now that it’s officially out, Tempt has announced they’re donating profits from the single to May’s Save Me Trust charity, which is dedicated to protecting the welfare and dignity of wild animals.

“Thanks TEMPT for rockin’ for wild animals,” May wrote on Instagram. “And for playing a damn good rendition of our ancient tune !!!” 

“Although I am an American, I spend a good deal of time with family in the UK countryside and honoring Sir Brian by supporting a UK initiative that he is involved with that also feels local and important to us gives the project extra meaning,” Tempt frontman Harrison Marcello shares in the release. “We hope that Queen fans everywhere will join us and donate and that fans in other countries will reach out to donate to causes that support wildlife in their part of the world.”

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It’s only two weeks until The Rolling Stones drop their new live album, GRRR Live!, and they’re sharing yet another track from it. The band just dropped the live performance of “Doom and Gloom” to streaming services. 

“Doom and Gloom” was the lead single from the band’s 2012 album, GRRR!, a compilation celebrating their 50th anniversary. At the time it was the first song the band recorded together in almost seven years.

GRRR Live!, dropping February 10, is a recording of The Stones’ December 15, 2012, concert at Newark’s Prudential Center, which was part of their 50 & Counting tour, celebrating their 50th anniversary. It features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Mick Taylor and The Black Keys. The album is now available for preorder.

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