This Day in Music
On this day in music, May 26, 1969, newlyweds John Lennon and Yoko Ono commenced their second week-long “bed-in” at Montreal’s Hotel La Reine Elizabeth. Based on the idea of a “sit-in,” the engagement was meant as a form of protest, promoting world peace amid the Vietnam War. During their time at the hotel, the pair welcomed members of the press, as well as a variety of high-profile guests – several of whom participated in the June 1 recording of “Give Peace a Chance.” The couple held their first bed-in in March at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, following their wedding.
In 1973, singer-songwriter Carole King played a free concert to roughly 100,000 fans at New York’s Central Park. The Brooklyn-born artist, who was readying to release her fifth album, Fantasy, considered the homecoming show as a gift to her fans. Joni Mitchell, Jack Nicholson, and Faye Dunaway were all in attendance, as King performed some of her biggest hits to date, including “Beautiful,” “It’s Too Late,” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”
In 1990, for the first time in US chart history, female artists held the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100. Madonna’s “Vogue” topped the chart, followed by Heart, Sinead O’Connor, Wilson Phillips, and Janet Jackson.
In 1964, Marianne Faithfull recorded the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards-penned “As Tears Go By.” The melancholy tune, which featured Jimmy Page on guitar, was an international hit for Faithfull, landing in the UK and Canadian Top 10, and the US Top 40. The Rolling Stones would also release a top-selling version of the song in 1966.
In 1984, Deniece Williams, who began her career as a backing vocalist for Stevie Wonder, had her own moment to shine when “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” began a two-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared in the blockbuster film Footloose.
BORN ON MAY 25
1904: George Formby
1920: Peggy Lee
1926: Miles Davis
1940: Levon Helm (The Band)
1946: Mick Ronson
1948: Stevie Nicks
1949: Hank Williams Jr.
1964: Lenny Kravitz
1972: Alan White (Oasis)
1981: Isaac Slade (The Fray)
