Yesterday Once More

11 Feb 2015

Posthumous Pop

Music

Hi Listeners

This week we are presenting a morbid but fascinating, phenomenon in pop music history – posthumous pop. These songs are songs which charted after an artist’s death. For example, in Britain, between 1959 and early 2000’s there have been 19 songs released posthumously which have reached No 1 on the charts. John Lennon was assassinated in December 1980 just after ‘Starting Over’ was released. After his death the song shot to No 1 on Billboard.

Similar fates happened to many of the artists featured this week. Patsy Cline died in a plane crash in March 1963 after which her song ‘Sweet Dreams’ was first released as a single and became a No 1 best seller and an all time favourite song. The same happened to Johnny Horton who died in a car crash in 1960. Shortly after “North To Alaska’ was released and became a No 1 hit. And so it goes. Perhaps the strangest story is about Jackie Wilson’s song ‘Reet Petite’ released when Jackie was alive in 1957 it was a modest success. Twenty nine years later (three years after his death) it was re-released and became No 1 in the UK.

Listen in this week for more fascinating stories and some great songs from great artists.

Playlist

• Starting Over – John Lennon
• Sweet Dreams – Patsy Cline
• Buffalo Soldier – Bob Marley
• North To Alaska – Johnny Horton
• Dock Of The Bay – Otis Redding
• She’s A Mystery To Me – Roy Orbison
• Loving You – Minnie Ripperton
• Reet Petite – Jackie Wilson
• Time In A Bottle – Jim Croce
• Three Steps To Heaven – Eddie Cochran
• Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin
• It Doesn’t Matter Any More – Buddy Holly

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