December 2

2008: Britney Spears releases Circus.  The title track and Womanizer were hits.

2004: Snoop Dogg tops singles chart for the first time with Drop It Like It’s Hot, featuring Pharrell Williams.

2003: Alicia Keys releases her album The Diary of Alicia Keys.  The single is You Don’t Know My Name.

1998: Shania Twain memorable music video for That Don’t Impress Me Much debuts on Country Music Television.  Here’s a link to the official version: Video.

1995: The Guinness Book of World Records certifies that Ace of Base’s The Sign is the best-selling debut album of all time, with 19 million copies sold.

1990: Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Copland dies at ninety.  His famous compositions include Appalachian Spring and Fanfare for the Common Man, popularized by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

1983: Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video debuts on MTV. Even though it is more than thirteen minutes long,  It is a huge hit and initially MTV plays it every hour. The “making of” Thriller becomes the best-selling music video of all time.  Here’s a link to the official version: Video.

1981: The Broadway musical Dreamgirls, based on The Supremes, opens on Broadway. It later becomes a hit movie starring Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson.

1981: Singer Britney Spears is born.  Her #1s include Baby One More Time, Womanizer, 3 and Hold It Against Me.

1978: Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond’s You Don’t Bring Me Flowers is #1

1978: Singer Nelly Furtado is born.  Say It Right is one of her big hits.

1974: Carl Douglas’ Kung Fu Fighting, is #1.

1973: The Who are jailed overnight in Montreal following doing $6,000 worth of damage to their hotel suite after their show at the Forum. They spend six hours in jail and are ordered to pay a $2,100 fine.  Bass player John Entwhistle writes the song Cell Block Number Seven about the incident.

1972: Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain is released.

1972: The Temptations‘ Papa Was A Rolling Stone hits #1.

1967: The Monkees‘ Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones album is #1.  Pleasant Valley Sunday was the single.

1967: The Monkees‘ Daydream Believer is #1

1963: Dominique by The Singing Nun. (Sister Luc-Gabrielle) is #1. The song is about the founder of the Dominican order.

1957: Sam Cooke’s You Send Me is #1.

1952: Singer-songwriter Michael McDonald is born.  His hits with The Doobie Brothers and as a solo act include What A Fool Believes,Takin It To The Streets, Real Love, Minute By Minute and I Keep Forgettin’.

Songs Of The Day:

You’re So Vain (Carly Simon); You Send Me (Sam Cooke); Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Tempations); Cell Block Number Seven (The Who); Kung Fu Fighting (Carl Douglas); Womanizer (Britney Spears); Baby One More Time (Britney Spears); Daydream Believer(Monkees); Dominique (Singing Nun); What A Fool Believes (Doobie Brothers); I Keep Forgettin’ (Michael McDonald); Say It Right (Nelly Furtado); You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (Streisand/Diamond); Drop It Like It’s Hot (Snoop Dogg); That Don’t Impress Me Much (Shania Twain); Pleasant Valley Sunday (Monkees)