Today in 1065, Westminster Abbey was consecrated. On today's "A Classical Day in the Life," we visit upon those luminaries who are buried or otherwise memorialized in the Abbey from Henry Purcell to Noel Coward.

It was on this day in 1974 that Barry Manilow scored his first number one hit with "Mandy." Is the song really about Manilow's dog? Is Mandy any relation to Brandy? On this installment of "A Day in the Life," we get to the bottom of the origin of the song.

It was on this day in 1993 that Mr. Blobby, one of the most annoying songs ever recorded, regained the number one spot on the UK charts. On today's "A Day in the Life," hear this musical abomination and learn who perpetrated such awfulness upon the world.

Today in 1955, Santa Claus's annual trek around the globe was first tracked by the Continental Air Defense Command, or CONAD, the predecessor to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD. On today's "A Day in the Life," discover how this annual holiday tradition began and how it continues today.

Today in 1951, Gian Carlo Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors" was broadcast live across the United States from NBC Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center. The opera tells the story Amahl, a young boy living in Bethlehem around the time of the birth of Jesus. On today's "A Classical Day in the Life," learn more about the televised opera that became a bit of a holiday tradition in the middle part of the 20th century.

On this day in 1938, music impresario John Hammond hosted the first of two concerts at Carnegie Hall titled "From Spirituals to Swing." On today's "A Classical Day in the Life" we hop from the holy roller hymns of Mitchell's Christian Singers to Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Count Basie Orchestra.

It was on this day in 1814 that Andrew Jackson led a group of soldiers in the Night Attack of December 23rd, a prelude to the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Nearly 150 years later, a high school history teacher commemorated the events of the battle in a song that would eventually become a worldwide hit.

In this episode of Critical Karaoke we explore the confluence of Music and Literature with Novelist and Said the Gramophone music blogger Sean Michaels and Novelist Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket. We talk about playlists, nightcaps, Magnetic Fields and, of course, accordions.

It was on this day in the year 2000 that Joel and Ethan Coen's "O Brother Where Art Thou" opened in theaters across North America. In today's "A Day in the Life," we explore the role that the distinctive soundtrack played in the film.

Today in 1789 the Viennese Society of Musicians premiered Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A major. Tour the four movements of the piece and learn more about Anton Stadler, the clarinetist who played the premiere and for whom Mozart originally composed the work on today's "A Classical Day in the Life."