If February 3 marks “the day the music died,” then I humbly suggest that February 4 be known as “the day the music came back.” With the exception of 1959, when the world was still reeling from the painfully fresh news of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, February 4 has historically been a fantastic day for musical releases. (Especially if you have my specific music taste, which I believe is universal enough that you might.)
I know plenty of factors go into February releases. A late winter release gives a song time to marinate and climb the charts ahead of the warm weather season, and it breaks up what can otherwise be a dreary time of year, post-winter holidays and pre-Memorial Day weekend. But based on these five releases alone, I would argue that there seems to be a special kind of magic around the fourth of February.
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‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac
Kicking off this exceptional, non-chronological list of music released on February 4 is Fleetwood Mac’s magnum opus, Rumours, which came out in 1977. The band’s second album to feature recent additions Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham would prove to be their most ubiquitous, thanks to classic cuts like “Dreams”, “Go Your Own Way”, and “You Make Loving Fun”. Rumours is peak 1970s mellow rock and remains a beloved album today, 49 years after its debut.
‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton
Three years before Rumours would take over rock ‘n’ roll radio, Dolly Parton was enjoying crossover success with her thirteenth album, Jolene, released on February 4, 1974. The title track unsurprisingly topped the Billboard Country Songs chart and broke into the Hot 100 at No. 60. This album also features Parton’s original version of “I Will Always Love You”, long before The Bodyguard or Whitney Houston’s breathtaking cover took the song to a whole new level.
“Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John
Now, to music released on February 4 as singles: I’ll start with Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets”. The British rock pianist released this track with “Harmony” as its B-side in 1974, the same day Parton put out “Jolene”. I’m not saying I wish that I was my age now in 1974 for a myriad of reasons, but I’m also not not saying that. For someone who loves groovy country and glamorous piano rock, February 4 was a decidedly good day that year.
“Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks
Proving my theory that there’s something in the air on February 4 is Stevie Nicks’ single release of “Edge of Seventeen”. Her signature song was the third single off her debut solo album, Bella Donna, which came out the previous year. “Outside the Rain” served as the single’s B-side. Although it’s hard to imagine the song not breaking into the Billboard Top 10 given its ubiquity now (it was just shy at No. 11), I’d say the enduring nature of “Edge of Seventeen” makes up for the chart slight.
“Us and Them” by Pink Floyd
And finally, I’ll conclude my list of exceptional February 4 music releases with a personal favorite: “Us and Them” by Pink Floyd. The psychedelic pioneers released the song as a single from Dark Side of the Moon in 1974. (Maybe the moral of this story is that 1974, specifically, had the truly incredible February 4.) In any case, this calming breath of fresh air is one of my favorite moments in Dark Side, although it’s technically the transition from this to “Any Colour You Like” that really scratches my brain in a good way.
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns