History as you’ve never seen it: a journey in time through the albums, concerts and events that made history—this week in music. This week: George Harrison’s stabbing, Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged live concert, the movie Love Actually and more!
November 13: Terrorists Attack at Le Bataclan in Paris
In 2015, a series of terrorist attacks were taking place all over Europe. One of the most notorious ones is the one that involved blues-rock band Eagles of Death Metal in Paris, France. In 2015, the band was performing their song “Kiss the Devil” at a sold-out show at Le Bataclan when the venue was attacked. Terrorists, armed with automatic rifles, grenades and explosive suicide vests, killed 90 people that night.
November 14: “Love Actually” Exists
On this day in 2003, the movie Love Actually opened in theatres. The love comedy included musical moments and scenes, such as Hugh Grant dancing to the Pointer Sisters’ “Jump (For My Love)” and Emma Thompson crying over Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” The movie also included the Christmas remake of Wet Wet Wet’s “Love Is All Around.”
November 15: George Harrison was Stabbed
It was late 1999 when Liverpool native Michael Abram broke into ex-Beatle George Harrison’s home and stabbed him. On this day in 2000, Abram was found not guilty by reason of insanity at Oxford Crown Court. Abram was soon after confined to a mental hospital for an indefinite period of time.
November 16: The End of an Era
On this day in 2008, MTV’s Total Request Live ended after 10 seasons. The season and TV series finale took place with a three-hour special, presenting multiple guests, including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Eminem and Britney Spears. Spears’ single, “…Baby One More Time,” was the last song to take the top spot on the show, charting as one of the top 10 most iconic music videos.
November 17: The Woman in Me
In 1995, Shania Twain dropped her second album, The Woman in Me. In anticipation of the album, the singer dropped eight singles, including “Any Man of Mine,” “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” She also dropped the album title track, “The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You).”
The album immediately grabbed the public’s attention, and was soon certified Diamond, selling over 10 million copies.
November 18: Nirvana Go Acoustic at the MTV Unplugged Concert in New York
On this day, Nirvana recorded one of the most famous and successful live albums ever. It was 1993 when the Seattle grunge band recorded their own performance for the famous MTV Unplugged TV series. The concert took place in New York, where the band enchanted thousands of fans with an acoustic performance, as per usual on the show, with 14 songs. These also included iconic covers: David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World” and Meat Puppets’ “Lake Of Fire.” Both of the covers went on to become more successful than the original versions, and surely helped the live album become the epitome of the show, imperfections and all.
November 19: Coda, Led Zeppelin’s Music “Tail”
After John Bonham’s death on September 25th, 1980, Led Zeppelin decided to break up, stating that the band couldn’t continue without a member. However, today in 1982, the group dropped their final studio album, Coda, a collection of unused songs recorded before the drummer’s death. The album didn’t include any chart-topping hits, but certainly brought back to life, for the last time, the band’s original sound.
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