Category: Music

The Three Degrees are a female Philadelphia soul and disco vocal musical group, formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. The trio, tagged by the media as ‘Prince Charles’s favourites’ in 1974, were the first girl group to top the UK Singles Chart since The Supremes in 1964. They are best known for their million selling 1974 hit song, “When Will I See You Again”.

Fayette Pinkney died on June 27, 2009, in Lansdale Hospital, Pennsylvania, after a short illness, at the age of 61.

(The Joshua tree, 1987)

With or Without You is the lead single from U2’s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. It has since become highly acclaimed as one of the bands most popular songs. Released as a single in March 1987, it became the groups first American #1 hit, spending three weeks at the top.

With or Without You features sustained guitar parts played by guitarist The Edge with a prototype of the Infinite Guitar, along with vocals by lead singer Bono and a bassline by bassist Adam Clayton. The song originated from a demo recorded in late 1985 that the group continued to work on throughout The Joshua Tree sessions.

The lyrics ostensibly describe a troubled relationship between two lovers, although the lyrics have been interpreted in religious contexts. The Washington Post interpreted the song as both an acerbic love song and a tune lamenting the moral contradictions one faces with their religious faith. Toby Creswell echoed these sentiments, saying it “can be read as a song about either marital romance or spiritual need”. Bono explained that the lyrics had romantic intentions, saying, “there’s nothing more revolutionary than two people loving each other. One, ’cause it’s so uncommon these days, and two, ’cause it’s so difficult to do.” In 1987, Bono explained that “And you give yourself away” lyric refers to how he sometimes feels exposed being in U2, and that his openness, both to the public and music press, can do damage to the group. Author Niall Stokes interpreted the line as encompassing the theme of “surrendering the ego” to one’s love and spiritual faith.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed the single at number 131 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Everytime You Go Away is a song written by Daryl Hall and covered by Paul Young. The original appeared on Hall & Oates’s 1980 album, Voices, although it was not released as a single.

Young’s version hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 27, 1985. It remains his only number-one hit and one of only two top 10 hits he had on the U.S. pop singles chart. It also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart for two weeks. The song peaked at No. 4 in the UK, Young’s home country.