Sinatra does it his way
1969
‘My Way’, a signature hit for the great Frank Sinatra, made the British Top 10 for the first time before re-entering the chart on eight different occasions between 1970-71.
Originally a French song titled ‘Comme D’Habitude’ (Its Usual), songwriter Paul Anka rewrote the lyrics in English and offered it to Sinatra who made it into a timeless classic.
Apparently Sinatra hated the song which he felt was self-effacing and self-indulgent although he appeared to relish singing it especially at the end part with the lyric’ “I did it my way”.
Led Zeppelin soars to the top of the charts
1969
At the height of the 60s music explosion, British rock icons Led Zeppelin made their first appearance on the UK album chart with their debut self-titled album that would spend a mammoth 71 weeks on the chart. It entered the US chart the following week.
The album was recorded in just 36 hours and is regarded as one of the most renowned debuts in rock music history.
The psychedelic blues of tracks like ‘Dazed and Confused’, ‘You Shook Me’ and ‘Communication Breakdown’, appealed to a whole generation of fans who also indulged in music being created at the time by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Cream.
Falco puts Austria on the pop music map
1986
Falco, whose real name was Johann Holzel, became the first ever Austrian singer to score a UK and US No 1 hit single with the song ‘Rock Me Amadeus.’
The idea behind the title was that classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the rock and roll superstar of his day.
It is estimated that Falco sold over 20 million albums and 15 million singles, which makes him the best selling Austrian singer of all time.
Falco died of severe injuries following a car crash he suffered on 6 February 1998.
May 10: Born this day, that year in music history
1946 - Donovan, Britain’s Bob Dylan
Eclectic Scottish singer, songwriter Donovan Phillips Leitch was born in Maryhill, Glasgow.
Donovan was often referred to as the British Bob Dylan because of the poetry in the lyrics, a comparison that he disliked.
But they would become friends and even made their UK Chart debut the same week, Donovan with ‘Catch The Wind’ and Dylan with ‘The Times They Are A Changing.’
‘Catch The Wind’, a song of unrequited love, was his biggest hit.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.
