"And I don't know if I'm ever coming home."  Does this lyric ring a bell?

The Monkees hit #1 on this date in 1966 with Last Train To Clarksville, the group's first number one song.  The song was about someone who was soon to leave for the Vietnam war, although most of the legions of Monkee fans had no idea it was. Bubblegum anyone?

On this date in 1983, Billy Joel hit #1 with a song that was initially written about his supermodel girlfriend, but when the video was recorded it featured another one of the world's most glamorous models. Uptown Girl stayed at #1 for five weeks.  It was written about Australian model Elle Macpherson, whom Joel had been dating.  When the time came to record the video, Joel was dating model Christie Brinkley, his soon to be wife. Piano players get all the girls.

Also on this date in 1983, Topper Headon of The Clash was arrested for being drunk while walking his dog on a public street in London.  Sounds like everyone probably had to pee.

The song came from the Tom Cruise flick Cocktail, and once you hear it, it drills it's way into your brain and stays there until you want to go screaming off a cliff at Acadia.  Kokomo by the Beach Boys hit #1 on this date in 1988, and if you watch the video below you'll end up humming the song to yourself until a week from this Saturday.  Stay away from bridges until it goes away.

Thirty minutes before the Righteous Brothers were to hit the stage in Kalamazoo, Bobby Hatfield was found dead in his hotel room in 2003.  The singer who had teamed up with Bill Medley to record such great classics like "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and"Unchained Melody" was 63.  The autopsy results showed that he died of acute cocaine toxicity. Read back over time and you'll find that many rockers have died in hotel rooms; John Entwistle, Leon Wilkeson, and Robert Palmer among others.  Rockers should spend the night in the RV.

In 2010 the Keith Richards' autobiography called "Life" went to #1 on the New York Times best seller's list.  The Rolling Stones guitarist who has lived in Connecticut for many years was very proud of the accomplishment, and also that he remembered enough of his life to produce 564 pages of text.

Life
Life by Keith Richards, Little Brown Company Publishing
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The funeral for one of the greatest rock bass players ever was held on this date in 2014 when Jack Bruce was laid to rest.  Bruce was best know for teaming up with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker to form Cream back in the mid-sixties. Bruce, from Scotland, passed away from liver disease.  Cream had reunited in 2005 for a series of concerts in both London and New York.

And today is Bryan Adams birthday, the Canadian rocker turns 56. Adams will rock the Bangor Waterfront this coming July.  He's also the I-95 Artist of the Day!

 

 

 

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