History highlight:

Today in 1995, The Rembrandts released their third album, L.P., which features the hit single, “I’ll Be There for You,” best known as the theme from the long-running NBC sitcom, Friends. The success of the theme music sparked further interest in the Rembrandts’ back catalogue, including their 1990 hit, “Just The Way It Is, Baby.” The Rembrandts also enjoy a Minnesota connection: guitarist Phil Solem is from Duluth, Minnesota, and he was in the Minneapolis-based band T.H.R.U.S.H. alongside Michael Bland and John Fields.

Also, today in:

1964 - "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys was released. Thanks to the flip side, "Don't Worry, Baby," it went on to be their first No. 1 record.

1964 - Ella Fitzgerald became the first artist to have a hit with a Beatles cover when "Can't Buy Me Love" entered the U.K. chart.

1966 - A great Beatles single came out: "Paperback Writer," with "Rain" on the B-side. The latter was an early psychedelic effort, primarily the work of Lennon, featuring the band's first experiments with backwards tracking. There are different accounts of who first stumbled upon this effect (John Lennon or producer George Martin), but the most entertaining account comes from Lennon, claiming he accidentally loaded the tape backwards while "stoned out of [his] mind." A total of three promotional clips were filmed for "Rain," featuring collage-like cutting of the footage in a way that would become commonplace for countless music videos by the mid-1980s; looking back, George Harrison remarked, "So I suppose we invented MTV" (with the clips).

1969 - The Who released their fourth album Tommy, which was the first album to be billed as a rock opera. The album went on to reach No. 4 on the album chart and sell 2 million copies in the U.S.

1970 - The Grateful Dead performed their first concert outside of North America, appearing at the U.K.'s Hollywood Rock Music Festival. Their set went on for four hours. A DVD and CD set of footage from the event was issued in 2010, featuring archive material from the Grateful Dead's set, and one number each from Free, Family, Screaming Lord Sutch, and Radha Krishna Temple along with a biographical booklet of the event.

1974 - George Harrison announced the formation of his record label Dark Horse Records. The label's first signing was Ravi Shankar.

1975 - Elton John released his ninth studio album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. It features "Someone Saved My Life Tonight."

1979 - Diana Ross released her tenth studio album, The Boss. It features the singles "The Boss," "No One Gets the Prize," and "It's My House."

1979 - Kiss released their seventh studio album, Dynasty. It features the singles "I Was Made for Lovin' You," "Sure Know Something," and "Charisma."

1979 - The Who's film biography "The Kids Are Alright" premiered in New York City. This film contained footage of the last concert they performed with Keith Moon.

1980 - The English Beat released their debut album, I Just Can’t Stop It. It features “Tears of a Clown” and “Mirror in the Bathroom.”

1980 - Roxy Music released their seventh studio album, Flesh + Blood. It features “Over You.”

1984 - The Bangles released their debut studio album, All Over the Place. It features “Going Down to Liverpool.”

1986 - Poison released their debut studio album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. It features the singles "Cry Tough," "Talk Dirty to Me," "I Want Action," and "I Won't Forget You."

1987 - The Doobie Brothers reunited for a Vietnam veterans benefit concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

1988 - Rod Stewart released his fifteenth studio album, Out of Order. It features the singles "Lost in You," "Forever Young," "My Heart Can't Tell You No," and "Crazy About Her."

1994 - Seal released his second self-titled album. It features “Kiss From a Rose” and “Prayer for the Dying.”

1994 - Pixies frontman Frank Black (AKA Black Francis, born Charles Thompson) released his second solo studio album, Teenager of the Year. The title is reportedly based upon an actual award Black received during his high school days in Massachusetts. The album comes after Pixies broke up in 1992 and follows his self-titled solo debut in 1993. The 22-track Teenager of the Year was recorded with Eric Drew Feldman, former keyboardist for Pere Ubu and Captain Beefheart. It explores new songwriting styles beyond Black’s Pixies days and features the infectious single “Headache.”

1995 - Everclear released their second album, Sparkle and Fade. It features “Santa Monica,” “Heroin Girl,” and “Heartspark Dollarsign.”

1995 - The Beastie Boys released the Root Down EP.

1995 - Chris Isaak released his fifth studio album, Forever Blue. It features “Somebody’s Crying.”

1995 - Squirrel Nut Zippers released their first studio album, The Inevitable.

2000 - Eminem released his third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP. It features "The Real Slim Shady," "The Way I Am," and "Stan."

2000 - Catherine Wheel released their fifth studio album, Wishville. It features “Sparks Are Gonna Fly.”

2000 - During an interview on KROQ in Los Angeles, Billy Corgan revealed that the Smashing Pumpkins would be calling it quits following the fulfillment of prior contractual agreements.

2000 - Noel Gallagher walked out on his band Oasis during a European tour.

2000 - Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and DJ Kid Koala as Deltron 3030 released their self-titled debut album. It features “Time Keeps On Slipping” and “3030.”

2006 - Dixie Chicks released their seventh studio album, Taking the Long Way. It features the singles "Not Ready to Make Nice," "Everybody Knows," and "The Long Way Around."

2006 - The king of Sweden presented the surviving members of Led Zeppelin with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm, recognizing them as "great pioneers" of rock music.

2011 - Foster the People released their debut studio album, Torches. It features the singles "Pumped Up Kicks," "Helena Beat," "Call It What You Want," and "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)."

2011 - Lady Gaga released her third studio album, Born This Way. It features the singles "Born This Way," "Judas," "The Edge of Glory," "You and I," and "Marry the Night."

2012 - Sigur Rós released their sixth studio album, Valtari. It features the singles "Ekki múkk" and "Varúð."

Birthdays:

Artie Shaw was born today in 1910.

Rosemary Clooney was born today in 1928. 

Robert Moog, inventor of the synthesizer, was born today in 1934. 

Tiki Fulwood, drummer for Parliament and Funkadelic, was born today in 1944. 

Danny Klein, bassist for the J. Geils Band, is 79. 

Radiohead drummer Philip Selway is 58. 

Matt Flynn, Maroon 5 drummer, is 55. 

Maxwell is 52. 

Singer-songwriter Jewel Kilcher (Jewel) is 51. 

Scott Raynor, original Blink-182 drummer, is 47.

Sarah Jarosz is 34.

Steve Lacy is 27. Lacy was born in Compton, California, in 1998. The multi-genre musician and playful producer started his career with alternative R&B collective, The Internet. At 19, he released his debut solo EP, Steve Lacy's Demo, featuring the hit "Dark Red." Lacy's latest release, Gemini Rights, earned a Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album, and the single "Bad Habit" rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, in part due to it soundtracking 400,000+ Tik Tok videos. Lacy has also co-written songs for Solange, Chloe x Halle, and Kendrick Lamar.  

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.