On August 13th 1964, Manfred Mann were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’, the bands first of three UK No.1’s. The song which was written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich was originally recorded in 1963 by the American vocal group The Exciters.
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Today Music’s History
On April 16 1994, Prince had his first UK No.1 with ‘The Most Beautiful Girl In The World’, (his 37th single release). It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol. “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” released in various forms on the 1994 remixes EP The Beautiful Experience and later on his seventeenth album, The Gold Experience (1995). The song was a worldwide hit and established Prince’s ability to succeed commercially under his new name, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold by the RIAA and sold 700,000 copies domestically. However, the song was his last top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 during his lifetime.
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Today in Music’s History
On June 23rd 1990, Elton John had his first UK solo No.1 single with ‘Sacrifice / Healing Hands’ after achieving over 50 previous UK hits and 6 chart toppers in the US. “Sacrifice” was written by John and Bernie Taupin, from John’s 22nd studio album, Sleeping with the Past (1989). It was first released in October 1989 as the second single from the album.
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Blur announce new album
Blur are to release their first album in eight years. The ‘Parklife’ group will bring out ‘The Ballad of Darren’, their first record since 2015’s ‘The Magic Whip’ on 21 July. The first track from the record, ‘The Narcissist’ is out now, ahead of the band’s four intimate warm-up gigs this month, which kick off with a hometown show at Colchester Arts Centre on Friday, May 19th 2023.
