THE #1 SONG 50 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

....I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher!! Cher, the legendary goddess of entertainment, has been making hits since your parents were kids and is still kicking ass. I Got You Babe was the debut single from the debut album by Sonny & Cher and it hit #1 on August 14, 1965 and stayed for three hippie-loving, tree-hugging weeks. It is LEGENDARY, y'all!! It's considered one of the greatest duets in pop music history and certainly started Cher's road to superstardom. It's hard to believe that Cher could have had a hit 50 years ago, but there you have it. Here is the #1 song from 50 FUCKING YEARS AGO today, I Got You Babe. Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY/HUMPDAY: CHER IS 69 TODAY!

Is it possible? Is Cher really 69....and on a Humpday? Ha!!! Priceless. All of us gay boys have surely made out or at least sexy danced in a club to our fair share of Cher tunes, so it's fitting that the iconic goddess turns 69 today, letting us celebrate Humpday with some of her sexiest hits. Cher is not only one of the most successful and legendary performers in music, film and television, she helped many a young man, both gay and straight, come to terms with their own sexuality. Whether through her low cut Bob Mackie gowns and barely-there costumes or living vicariously through her penchant for younger men, Cher has given us all a little taste of the sexual revolution she lived through. Here are some of Cher's sexiest hits from across her remarkable SIX DECADE career. This bitch is still kicking it, y'all. All hail Cher!!!! Happy Humpday!!

NEW MUSIC: SIA COVERS 'CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

Beautiful. Sia has done it again. For the new disaster flick San Andreas, Sia has done a gorgeous cover of the 1965 folk classic California Dreamin' by The Mamas and the Papas. Keeping the moody feel of the original but adding lush orchestrations and her unique vocal quality to make it her own, this rendition quite moving. Take a listen below.

JONI MITCHELL FOUND UNCONSCIOUS, RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

Legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell was found unconscious in her Los Angeles home and rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital. She is currently in intensive care where the latest reports claim she is awake and in good spirits. There is no word on what, if any, ailments the 71 year-old Canadian singer has, but she is undergoing tests and last December told Billboard that she had a rare skin condition which kept her from performing. The folk icon has had many hits on the Hot 100 in the 60s, 70s and 80s including Help Me, Chelsea Morning and Big Yellow Taxi. Let's keep Joni in our thoughts today and send out all the good vibes possible. Here are a couple of gems from this beloved lady.

THE #1 SONG 50 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

....Stop! In The Name of Love by The Supremes. Before she became Ms. Ross, Diana was just a skinny young girl who lead The Supremes to massive chart success. Stop! In The Name of Love was the girl group's fourth consecutive #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and they would go on to have eight more after that, making them one of the most successful girl groups -- or any kind of group -- of all time. Classic girl group harmonies and moves highlight the clip below and you can tell that Diana and the girls are comfortable in front of the camera. Stop! hit #1 on March 27, 1965 and stayed for two weeks. So here is the #1 song from before pretty much anyone reading this blog was even born, Stop! In The Name of Love by The Supremes.

BARBRA STREISAND TOPS THE BILLBOARD ALBUM CHARTS FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE DECADE!!!

Barbra Streisand doesn't need to do anything, thank you very much. Babs could sit back and polish those exquisite nails with $100 bills all day and still make more money than you. She doesn't feel like it though. She would rather put out an album of duets, called Partners, and crush the competition (namely that douchebag Chris Brown, whose new album X will debut at #2) by hitting #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the 10th time in her career selling a whopping 196,000 albums. Streisand now holds the record for posting a #1 album on the chart for SIX CONSECUTIVE DECADES!! What? Yes, her first #1 album, People, was in 1964 followed by 1974's The Way We Were, 1976's A Star Is Born, 1978's Greatest Hits: Vol. 2,  1980's Guilty, 1985's The Broadway Album, 1993's Back To Broadway, 1997's Higher Ground, 2009's Love Is The Answer and now Partners. She is tied for the most #1 albums in third place with Elvis and Bruce Springsteen, only bested by The Beatles, who have 19, and Jay-Z, who has 13. Work, Babs!! You get to hear Barbra call Babyface by his real name and say "Waiting to Exhale" in the most Barbra way imaginable, as if we'd never heard of it before. CLASSIC DIVA!! Here is the trailer for the making of Partners which is now available everywhere!!

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: MELANIE C - SUDDENLY MONDAY

Truly one of the happiest of Happy Monday Songs you can imagine. Mel C has always rocked it out on her own since Spice Girls broke up in 2000. Yes, they broke up 14 years ago. They had some mini-reunions, but....anyway, I digress. Melanie C, a.k.a. Sporty Spice, recorded  Suddenly Monday for her 1999 debut solo album Northern Star, but it was never released as a single. TRAGEDY! A throwback to those glittery songs of the 60s like Happy Together or God Only Knows, this song ALWAYS puts a smile on my face. There was no video for Suddenly Monday, but that's okay, just listen to it and make your Monday a better place, y'all. Or don't and be a sourpuss all day. Your choice. I'm not the police. LOVE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHER!!

GAY HOLIDAY!!! The beloved, magnificent, glorious, talented, funny, genius goddess Cher is 68 today!!! I just saw Cher here in NYC on the 9th and she was absolutely every-fucking-thing!! I mean, you cannot keep a good diva down. Did you know that Cher is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of the past SIX DECADES??? GIRL! No signs of stopping, Cher even talked about her next tour during her show. She was spectacular, y'all! I uploaded a very short little clip of her floating above her fans HERE that you can take a look at. Cher has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, among several other honors. Without a doubt, Cher is one of the successful entertainers of all time, loved by generations of music and movie lovers. She's a living legend. Here are some of my favorite Cher songs and some movie clips. YAY!! Happy birthday, Cher!!!

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG: FREE ME - EMMA BUNTON

Emma Bunton may be known as Baby Spice, but she grew up real quick with her 2003 hit Free Me. Released in advance of Emma's second album of the same name, Free Me found the former Spice Girl serving up Bond girl sexy with a dash of 60s sass in a sensual, tropical video. Free Me and it's subsequent retro, Mowtown inspired album garnered so much positive attention in the UK, where the single hit #5 and the album hit #7, that it was released in the US and hit #4 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. I absolutely adore this song and the album as a whole, and Free Me is a no-brainer for a Humpday Sexy Song. So if you are in a frozen part of the country like I am, sit back and warm yourself up with the sexy sounds and hot beaches of Free Me by Emma Bunton.

REVIEW: BECK - MORNING PHASE

I'll admit, I have always been an admirer of Beck, but never a real fan. I have enjoyed his sense of fun in most of his music and the way he experiments with sound and genre. I usually take a listen to his albums when they come out, but have never really connected deeply to any of his music....until now. Beck's new album Morning Phase is absolutely gorgeous. It is teeming with strings, acoustic guitar and haunting melodies reminiscent of 60s and 70s psychelia. It's absolutely amazing. From the opening orchestration of Cycle it's obvious this is going to be a spectacular trip. Its slow, dreamy journey continues on through Morning, and Say Goodbye until the more upbeat, first single Blue Moon and it's pulsing drum and folksy guitar. Second single, Waking Light, is one of the most moving pieces of pop music I have heard in years. Chock full of sensuous harmonies and lyrically moving, Morning Phase is the best piece of modern day folk, psychedelic music since one of my all time favorite albums, Goldfrapp's 2008 album Seventh Tree, which by the way was released at almost the exact same time of year as Morning Phase. Coincidence? Yes. I don't think that means anything, but I thought I'd throw it in there anyway. Anyhoo, you MUST get Morning Phase. Pre-order it now on iTunes in anticipation of its February 25th release date and Blue Moon and Waking Light download immediately. It's a truly exciting and satisfying album. Listen to Waking Light below.

THE #1 SONG 50 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

The Loco-Motion by Little Eva. This song will never go away. So catchy. Of course if Little Eva was around today she'd be Lil' Eva and there would be a rap verse tagged on in the middle of this song, but I digress. Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the song hit #1 on August 25, 1962 and stayed for one week. Most people born after the 60s know this song because of the 1988 cover that was the first international hit by Kylie Minogue and launched her career. Little Eva did it first! Here she is performing the song on Shindig. Enjoy!

LANA DEL REY IS JACKIE KENNEDY & MARILYN IN NEW VIDEO...

Lana Del Rey is sure to stir up some attention with her new video for the fourth single from her excellent Born to Die album, National Anthem. The sultry singer takes the roles of both Jacqueline Kennedy and Marily Monroe, singing Happy Birthday, Mr. President pretty damn well, while JFK is portrayed by A$AP Rocky (I have no idea). Shot in a very retro-60's way, the video features some rose smelling, a lot of knee fondling, some very cute kids and a reenactment of a very famous assassination. I love the song, and it's fireworks and summer theme make it the perfect 4th of July-time single. The video is pretty brilliant as well. It's controversial, but also artistic and beautiful. What do you think?

REVIEW: THE BEACH BOYS - THAT'S WHY GOD MADE THE RADIO

From the opening piano/vocal track Think About the Days, you can tell EXACTLY who you are listening to; the glistening five part harmony, the melancholy tone, the sunny gleam over a slightly sad melody....The Beach Boys are back!! Their first full length album of original music since 1992's Summer in Paradise finds The Boys in more than fine form, with the classic lineup back together and updating their sound without losing their trademark beach groove. But don't worry, you're not going to find any guest rappers on this one, folks. Each member gets a lead vocal on the album. If you already love The Beach Boys, you will ADORE this, their 50th ANNIVERSARY ALBUM, That's Why God Made the Radio. If you don't, you're stupid. Just kidding. No, I'm not. The title song takes us right back to their 60s heyday. The perfection of the harmony is astounding really. Isn't It Time, with it's doo-wops in the background, makes you wanna grab your letter jacket and go parking. You'll find that feeling happening all over the place with songs like Spring Vacation and Daybreak Over the Ocean. Meanwhile, if you wondered where the Fleet Foxes got their sound, look no further than the masters of melancholic beauty in the sounds of the last three tracks on this record From There To Back Again, Pacific Coast Highway and Summer's Gone. I have been highly anticipating this album. I only recently, in the last couple of years, REALLY got into The Beach Boys (don't know why) but of course grew up knowing most of their songs. I mean, Kokomo was an 80s staple, right? This set is a real treat and shows that Brain Wilson and The Beach Boys can still make magic. Here is the super cute lyric video for the first single, That's Why God Made The Radio. It's kinda fabulous, y'all. Enjoy and go get this record when it comes out next Tuesday.