Sheldon Zoldan

This December, the Song of the Day is paying tribute to the singers, songwriters and musicians who died in 2023. Jimmy Buffett died September 1 in Sag Harbor, New York from Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare skin cancer. He was 76. Out of his massive trove of trop rock, we chose "Margaritaville" as the Song of the Day because it's the song that launched his entire enterprise.

Freddy Mercury told the public he had AIDS on November 23, 1991. He died one day later, November 24, from bronchial pneumonia due to AIDS complications. He was 45. The Song of the Day, "Somebody to Love," was said to be his favorite.

Long before Paul Simon’s "Graceland" album, South African music influenced American songs. Our Song of the Day, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” had its origins in South Africa three decades before it was released in the U.S. on November 17, 1961.

Some of the greatest songs ever written were inspired in minutes. “Uptown Funk” was not one of them.“Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars was released as a digital download November 10, 2014.

The Foo Fighters played in Cesena, population 97,000, on November 3, 2015, three months after receiving a video invitation. Among their play list was our Song of the Day "Learn to Fly."

Ben E. King was the first to have a hit with our Song of the Day, "Stand by Me." He co-wrote it and recorded it on October 27, 1960.

“Monster Mash” reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart for the first time on October 20, 1962. It stayed there for two weeks. The popular song was banned by BBC when it first came out because it was too "morbid." Isn't that the point?

Paul Simon has gone from teen hitmaker, to folk-singing duo, to solo act, to one of the 20th century’s greatest songwriters. Simon turns 82 today. He was born October 13, 1941.

One of Elvis Presley's signature songs and our Song of the Day, "Love Me Tender," was released on September 29, 1956. It quickly zoomed to number one the Billboard Hot 100, knocking "Hound Dog" off the top of the chart. The song's origins are equally interesting.

What a good friend “Friends” has been for the actors who starred in the popular show, which began its 10-year run on September 22, 1994. Each actor gets 2 percent of that syndication, or $20 million a year. The Song of the Day, 'I'll be there for you" was written by The Rembrandts. But the first band choice was R.E.M.