Day: December 20, 2021

When John Lennon went into the Hit Factory in New York to record what became the first single from his and Yoko Ono’s return to public life, the Double Fantasy album, the rock’n’roll flavor of the track was so strong that he himself referred to it as the “Elvis Orbison” song. Its upbeat, optimistic spirit was in cruel contrast to what we all know happened just after its release. On the chart of December 20, 1980, “(Just Like) Starting Over” became a posthumous UK No.1.

At the time of John’s brutal and shocking murder on December 8, the single was on its way down the UK charts. It had entered at No.30 in November, his first appearance on the bestsellers in his home country since the reissue of “Imagine” in 1975. “Starting Over” climbed to No.20, then No.13, then No.8, its apparent peak, falling to No.10 and No.21 just before those fateful events near the Dakota Building where John and Yoko lived in New York.

As is so often the case when such a huge figure in music leaves us, the commercial and cultural impact of John’s passing was dramatic. The song raced straight to No.1 the following week, and then earlier in 1981, “Imagine” itself reemerged for a four-week run at the top.

Listen to the best of John Lennon on Apple Music and Spotify.

“(Just Like) Starting Over” then became the last US No.1 single of 1980 and Lennon’s second solo chart-topper there, after 1974’s “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night.” It stayed at the summit throughout January, in a five-week run that was almost like a vigil for the irreplaceable talent the world had lost. For millions of people, the contrast between John’s death and the infectious optimism of the comeback single he left behind was hard to bear.

Buy or stream “(Just Like) Starting Over” on the 2020 John Lennon compilation GIMME SOME TRUTH. The Ultimate Mixes.

Mike Oldfield has always been chiefly an album artist, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had several moments of glory on the singles chart. One of them was not just his first UK Top 5 single, but has become a part of the sound of Christmas in his home country. The jaunty instrumental “In Dulci Jubilo” entered the British bestsellers on December 20, 1975.

Oldfield had been part of the singles scene only once before, when “Mike Oldfield’s Single (Theme From ‘Tubular Bells’)”, as it was idiosyncratically titled, reached No.31 in 1974. This time, the multi-instrumentalist was going specifically for the Yuletide market with his distinctive version of a Christmas carol that had its origins in the 14th century.

“In Dulci Jubilo” (sometimes spelt “dulce”) translates as “in sweet rejoicing.” The song, usually with words (originally from a combination of German and Latin), was popular throughout Europe in various incarnations through the centuries. There were two separate 19th century translations of the lyrics into English, firstly by composer Robert Lucas de Pearsall and then by priest, scholar and hymn-writer John Mason Neale.

Officially a double A-side

Oldfield recorded his version specially for the Virgin Records single release, which came out officially as a double A-side. “On Horseback,” the closing track from his then just-released third album Ommadawn, was listed alongside it. The single debuted on the UK chart at No.42. The album, which held at No.16 that week, climbed back into the Top 10 at No.9 on the final chart of the year.

Listen to the best of Mike Oldfield on Apple Music and Spotify.

Although it had a festive air, “In Dulci Jubilo” wasn’t a Christmas melody as such, so its appeal spread well into the new year of 1976, when it peaked at No.4 in mid-January, as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” came towards the end of its run at No.1.

The experience was such a success that Oldfield repeated it the following year with another instrumental single for the Christmas market, “Portsmouth.” That was an even bigger hit, reaching No.3 and winning a silver disc. Both hits were added to the Mercury Records reissue of Ommadawn in 2010.

Buy or stream “In Dulci Jubilo” on The Playlist – Christmas Hits 2015.

When Tangerine Dream released their first live album, Ricochet, towards the end of 1975, the German progressive pacemakers were basking in the success of two career-shaping studio releases of the previous 18 months or so, Phaedra and Rubycon. Now was the perfect time both to let their fans relive the experience of seeing the band in concert, and to send newcomers a message about their power as a performing unit.

The album went into the UK chart on December 20 that year, and although (like many live albums) it was a more modest seller than its predecessors, it was warmly welcomed by Tangerine Dream’s army of followers. It debuted at its peak position of No.40, in a week in which easy listening artists ruled the British market, with Perry Como’s 40 Greatest Hits at No.1 and Jim Reeves’ 40 Golden Greats at No.3, separated only by Queen’s A Night At The Opera. In fact, Ricochet was the only new entry on the Top 40 that week.

Most unusually for a live record, which would traditionally include an artist’s best-known material with perhaps a handful of newer material, the LP consisted of precisely two tracks, parts 1 and 2 of the title. Just as notably, the release was turned around very quickly, because most of the record was taken from a performance by the band at Fairfield Halls in Croydon only a few weeks earlier, on October 23, with some audio from a show in France.

Listen to uDiscover Music’s Tangerine Dream Best Of playlist.

Reflecting their well-established British following by this stage, this was at the end of an extensive UK tour throughout October that had visited Birmingham, Oxford, Glasgow, Sheffield and many other cities. The night before the Croydon date, Tangerine Dream had performed at Olympia in London.

The performance features the three-piece Tangerine Dream line-up of the time, of Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann. Ricochet not only sounds remarkably fresh today, but well ahead of its time in the field of electronic experimentation that the band excelled in.

Buy or stream Ricochet.

For all of his recurring problems with drugs and alcohol and the collapse of his marriage, the Hank Williams of late 1952 could do little wrong among his legions of fans. It was the year that produced such undisputed classics as “Honky Tonk Blues,” “Jambalaya (On The Bayou),” “Settin’ The Woods On Fire” and “You Win Again.”

That summer, frail and ill, Williams was at Castle Studio in Nashville recording a song that he and co-writer Fred Rose gave a deliberately jokey, irreverent title. Sadly, it was to become poignant within weeks. “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” entered the country charts on December 20, 1952. Twelve days later, at the age of just 29, Hank Williams was dead.

The lyric and tone of the song would have been amusing if they didn’t soon become associated with tragedy. “My distant uncle passed away and left me quite a batch,” sang Hank, “and I was livin’ high until the fatal day a lawyer proved I wasn’t born, I was only hatched.”

A posthumous No.1

The MGM single thus became the last in an all-too-short career that almost immediately assumed iconic proportions. En route to a gig in Canton, Ohio on New Year’s Day, 1953, his heart, worn down by the years of abuse he had put his body through, simply gave out. Some three weeks later, “I’ll Never…” became Hank’s eighth country No.1.

Listen to uDiscover Music’s Country Music In 20 Songs playlist.

The truth is that Williams’ popularity was so widespread that the would probably have gone to the top anyway, and indeed his next three posthumous singles — the double-sided “Kaw-Liga” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “Take These Chains From My Heart” — were all chart-topping songs too. Rose himself passed away at the end of 1954; fittingly, he and Hank joined Jimmie Rodgers as the first three inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame, when it was founded in 1961.

Buy or stream “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” on 40 Greatest Hits.

Il Divo singer Carlos Marín has died at the age of 53, his bandmates confirmed today (December 19) in a statement.

The star was rushed to hospital this week and was reportedly in intensive care, although the reason for his admission and his cause of death have yet to be officially confirmed.

“It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marín, has passed away,” the group wrote on Twitter this evening. “He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There will never be another voice or spirit like Carlos.

“For 17 years the four of us have been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together, and we will miss our dear friend. We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace. With Love — David, Sebastien and Urs.”

For 17 years the four of us have been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together, and we will miss our dear friend. We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace. With Love — David, Sebastien and Urs

— Il Divo (@ildivoofficial) December 19, 2021

Il Divo formed in 2003 after being put together by Simon Cowell and combined opera with pop music. The four-piece group went on to sell over 30million copies of their records worldwide and went gold and platinum 160 times in 35 countries.

Marín was born in Germany in 1968, but was raised in Spain. He recorded his first album when he was just eight years old and spent his adolescence successfully competing in music competition TV shows like Gente Joven and Nueva Gente, as well as performing with orchestras on live TV.

Before joining Il Divo, the singer held roles in musicals like Les Misérables, Grease, Peter Pan and more, and sang on the soundtracks of films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and the Spanish version of Cinderella.

In 2011, Marín held his own solo show in Madrid, continuing to hold his own concerts in Mexico, Spain, the US, South America and Japan in the following years. He released eight studio albums with Il Divo and two solo studio records in his career.

Tributes have begun to be paid to Marín, with singer Michael D. Xavier writing: “So so sad to hear @ildivoofficial singer Carlos Marín has passed away. My heart goes out to his friends and family. His beautiful voice will live on in their fantastic albums.”

So so sad to hear @ildivoofficial singer Carlos Marin has passed away.
My heart goes out to his friends and family. His beautiful voice will live on in their fantastic albums.

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