Ed Sheeran “Bad Habits” released

Bad Habits Ed Sheeran

Writer(s): Ed Sheeran, Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid (see lyrics here) Released: June 25, 2021 First Charted: July 3, 2021 Peak: 2 BB, 12 BA, 11 AC, 17 A40, 111 UK, 14 CN, 12 AU, 24 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 3.6 UK, 11.15 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 806.18 video, 1819.87 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Ed Sheeran was born in England in 1991. He released his first solo album in 2011. A decade later, Equals (=), marked his fifth time to ascend to the top of the UK album charts and fourth time atop the U.S. charts. The lead single, “Bad Habits,” was his eighth chart topper in the UK. It also topped the charts in 27 other countries and was the best selling song of the year in the UK. “The moody song” SF is “part ballad and part dance track.” Sheeran is “in a deep internal conflict about his bad habits. His unhealthy lifestyle, such as nighttime drinking and partying, is leading him to make some poor choices, which le later regrets.” SF He addressed his drinking when his first daughter was on the way. Sheeran’s wife, Cherry, expressed concern about him being too drunk to drive her to the hospital safely when she was ready to give birth. WK Originally Sheeran had a slower, acoustic song in mind as the album’s lead single. However, when Covid-19 restrictions were beginning to be lifted in England in 2021, he thought, “I don’t know if the world needs a depressing, sad, slow acoustic song when [the country is] opening up.” WK He inserted a “dancy vibe” into the song to make it a more “upbeat dance tune.” SF The video for the song was compared to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” WK The video was also inspired by the American TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. WK Sheeran portrays a vampire in a hot pink suit. He and other monsters attack people during the night. He said he chose vampires as a way to “play on the nature of habits in a fantastical way.” WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/13/2024; last updated 10/14/2024.

50 years ago: David Bowie’s Career Takes Off – Thanks to Men Landing on the Moon

Space Oddity David Bowie

Writer(s): David Bowie (see lyrics here) Released: July 11, 1969 First Charted: August 16, 1969 Peak: 15 US, 17 CB, 11 GR, 10 HR, 1 CL, 1 CO, 12 UK, 16 CN, 9 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.77 UK, 1.02 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 121.03 video, 284.35 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: July 20, 1969 marked one of the greatest achievements of mankind when American astronauts walked on the moon. The event was televised throughout the world, with an estimated 600 million people watching. In the U.K., the BBC’s coverage included a song called “Space Oddity” by a then fairly-unknown David Bowie. Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, he crafted a “haunting ballad about alienation” TC in which Major Tom is a “disillusioned astronaut cutting off all contact with the planet Earth.” DT The song was Bowie’s first single with Mercury Records following his split from Deram Records. He’d been releasing music for five years with the King Bees, the Manish Boys, as Davy Jones with the Lower Third, and under the name David Bowie. However, he’d failed to achieve any chart success until “Space Oddity” reached #5 in 1969. A reissue in 1975 went all the way to #1. An early version appeared in Bowie’s Love You Till Tuesday promotional film. The song alluded to the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and lampooned the British space program. He recorded a new version in anticipation of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The song was produced by Gus Dudgeon (who later worked with Elton John on the similar-themed “Rocket Man”) HL after Tony Visconti said no. Visconti went on to work with Bowie on numerous albums, but thought “Space Oddity” was too gimmicky. TB It ended up celebrated as “one of Bowie’s finest narrative songs.” TB In the U.S., Bowie hit the Billboard Hot 100 with “Changes,” “Starman,” and “The Jean Genie” before “Space Oddity” hit #15 after a 1973 reissue. The 1968 album, Man of Words, Man of Music, from which the song originated, was rechristened Space Oddity and charted in 1972 after Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars had introduced American audiences to Bowie. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for David Bowie TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 333-4. HL Michael Heatley and Spencer Leigh (1998). Behind the Song: The Stories of 100 Great Pop & Rock Classics. Blandford Books: London, UK. Pages 128-9. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 134. SJ Bob Shannon and John Javna (1986). Behind the Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. Warner Books, Inc.: New York, NY. Page 36. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 37. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Pages 114-5. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/20/2011; last updated 4/13/2023.

Today in Music (1969): The Beatles hit #1 with “Get Back”

Get Back The Beatles with Billy Preston

Writer(s): John Lennon, Paul McCartney (see lyrics here) Released: April 11, 1969 First Charted: April 23, 1969 Peak: 15 US, 15 CB, 11 GR, 14 HR, 1 CL, 16 UK, 16 CB, 14 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 5.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 12.5 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: In 1968, the Fab Four “often resented each other’s company and there were few days when all four musicians worked happily together.” KL Despite being one of their most acclaimed works, their 1968 self-titled album (generally known as The White Album) showcased a band not so much for their united efforts, but for their individual talents. To try to prevent imploding as a band, they made a conscious effort to “get back to Chuck Berry riffs for some barnstorming rock ‘n’ roll.” KL Paul McCartney wrote “Get Back” with the line “get back to where you once belonged” intended as “a message to himself and the other Beatles.” KL John Lennon suggested recording the next album live in the studio absent overdubbing and technical wizardry. FB Paul proposed they film the recording, which was slated a two-part TV documentary that got abandoned. FB George Harrison walked out of the sessions on January 10, but was rejuvenated after seeing an old friend, organist Billy Preston, performing with Ray Charles. The Beatles knew Preston from their early days in 1962 when he backed Little Richard. They invited him to spend the next two weeks with them, FB which included contributing the spontaneous organ solo for “Get Back.” SF He and Tony Sheridan, whom the Beatles backed on some early recordings, are the only people to be billed on records alongside the Beatles. Preston said, “I didn’t even know until the record was out that they had put my name on it. It was something that I could have never asked for or no manager could negotiate, just something they felt for me.” FB The Beatles famously performed the song on January 30, 1969, for their “rooftop” concert in which they their instruments to the top of the roof of the Apple studio to play what ended up being their last live performance. KL Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Beatles FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 254. KL Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 150. SF Songfacts Related Links: First posted 3/17/2021; last updated 9/19/2023.