5 FEBRUARY
Featured Events
2018 Paul Simon announces his final tour, the Homeward Bound Tour.More
2012 The Super Bowl XLVI halftime show becomes the most-watched television event in history, at 118 million views. Performing artists include Madonna, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, and Cee Lo Green.
2008 On the day of the Super Tuesday primary elections in America, luminaries from across many genres of music (country - not so much) voice their enthusiastic support for Barack Obama, who wins big in the primaries on his way to the White House.More
1988 The John Hughes film She's Having A Baby debuts in US theaters. Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern star as a young married couple whose lives are about to be upended by the birth of their first child. The soundtrack features Kate Bush's heart-wrenching ballad "This Woman's Work," written and recorded expressly for the movie.More
1983 Continental shift: "Africa" by Toto replaces "Down Under" by Men At Work at #1 in the US.
1948 Actor Christopher Guest, known as Alan Barrows of the fictional folk trio The Folksmen and Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap, is born in New York City. The mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap tells us Tufnel was born in Squatney, London.
1929 Hal Blaine, the famous session drummer coined the term "Wrecking Crew" for the prolific group of Los Angeles studio musicians, is born in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
5 FEBRUARY
In Music History
2024 Toby Keith dies at 62 after a battle with stomach cancer. He wrote or co-wrote most of his 20 #1 Country hits, including "How Do You Like Me Now!?" and "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)."
2023 Beyoncé wins four Grammys, breaking the record for most all-time Grammy wins with 32. There's also a 50 years of hip-hop celebration, and the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, given to... Dr. Dre.
2012 The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" is mashed with Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" for a special Budweiser commercial that airs during Super Bowl XLVI.
2009 R&B/blues singer-songwriter Piney Brown dies at age 87.
2008 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who taught Transcendental Meditation to The Beatles and The Beach Boys, dies in his sleep at age 90. Paul McCartney calls him "a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of the world and the cause of unity."
2008 Lenny Kravitz releases his eighth studio album, It Is Time For A Love Revolution, which peaks at #4 in the US.
2007 Apple Computers settles a long-standing legal battle with Apple Records, the label set up by The Beatles. The companies have disputed the rights of the computer maker to sell music under the Apple name.
2006 A 29-year-old man is shot to death near a video shoot for rapper Busta Rhymes in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York. The man worked as a bodyguard at Kiss the Cactus Productions, where the video for Rhymes's "Touch It" was being filmed.
2005 "Helena" by My Chemical Romance peaks at #33 on the Hot 100. It's the alt rock band's first big crossover hit.
2000 Powered by a sample of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "Rise" by Gabrielle goes to #1 in the UK.
1998 Elton John and Stevie Wonder perform at the White House for US President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
1998 Tim Kelly (guitarist Slaughter) dies in a car accident in Arizona at age 35.
1992 New Kids On The Block appear on The Arsenio Hall Show to address accusations made by Gregory McPherson, their former music director, that they didn't sing on their albums. McPherson later recants the allegations.
1990 Hasbro introduces the New Kids On The Block dolls, which come with personal interview cassettes. It's one of many marketing opportunities for the group, who also sell phones, buttons, and fanny packs.
1981 Joni Mitchell is inducted into Canada's Juno Hall of Fame.
Drones And Lady Gaga Star At Halftime Show
2017Lady Gaga opens the Super Bowl halftime show with a verse from "God Bless America," followed by the song Woody Guthrie wrote as a parody, "This Land Is Your Land."
"Get excited to see something that you haven't seen before," she says leading up to the show. On game day, she delivers, starting her performance from the top of the stadium in Houston. The country is divided politically, as Donald Trump has recently taken office and roiled his opponents with moves to limit immigration. Gaga doesn't do anything overtly political, but by mashing up "God Bless America," "This Land Is Your Land" and the Pledge of Allegiance, she certainly makes a statement. Her opening bit goes: God bless America, land that I love Stand beside her and guide her Through the night with the light from above This land is your land This land is my land This land was made for you and me One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all Then she takes a leap, dropping to the field, supported by two cables that allow her to do some aerial maneuvers (a la Pink) while she sings "Poker Face." Her inclusion anthem "Born This Way" follows, then renditions of "Telephone," "Just Dance," "Million Reasons" and "Bad Romance." Gaga's bevy of backup dancers are with her on the ground, but for the rooftop section, she's backed by 300 drones that form an American flag and later, a Pepsi logo. Due to FAA regulations and the complexity of the stunt, these bits were pre-recorded. Her performance is impressive, but the New England Patriots pull off a more remarkable feat. Down 28-3 in the third quarter, they come back to win.
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