This Day in Music
On this day in music, June 8, 1996, The Fugees scored their first No.1 single in the UK with “Killing Me Softly.” Featured on the hip-hop group’s debut album, The Score, the track was an inspired cover of Roberta Flack’s 1973 hit, “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” incorporating samples from A Tribe Called Quest and 60s psych-soul band Rotary Connection. The song became Britain’s best-selling single of the year and catapulted the trio to international stardom, topping the charts in more than 20 countries, including the US. In addition to earning a Grammy in 1997, “Killing Me Softly” has since appeared on numerous rankings, including Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.
In 1985, Tears for Fears began a two-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their new wave classic, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The poignant track earned the British duo an award for Best Single at the 1986 BRITs.
In 1974, Dolly Parton went to No.1 on the Billboard country chart with “I Will Always Love You.” The ballad would return to the charts nearly two decades later when Whitney Houston covered it for the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, making it her signature hit.
In 1974, Bill Wyman became the first member of The Rolling Stones to release a solo album. The star-studded Monkey Grip featured contributions from Dr. John, Leon Russell, and Lowell George.
In 1991, new jack swing group Color Me Badd scored their sole UK No.1 hit with “I Wanna Sex You Up.” Despite controversy over its suggestive lyrics, the song peaked at No.2 in the US.
BORN ON JUNE 8
1940: Nancy Sinatra
1942: Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night)
1944: Boz Scaggs
1953: Bonnie Tyler
1960: Mick Hucknall (Simply Red)
1962: Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran)
1965: Rob Pilatus (Milli Vanilli)
