A day late with the post this week – which is fitting as we were a day late making our way back from Europe to New Zealand this week after a lovely spot of Spring up north for a wedding. Cold back here in New Zealand, but not quite northern hemisphere winter cold, which would make this month’s crop of Xmas tunes feel more timely at least! Let’s head back to the end of 1961 to hear what it sounded like…
Songs of the month
“A Wonder Like You” – Rick Nelson
“Big Bad John” – Jimmy Dean
“Bristol Stomp” – Dovells
[new] “Can’t Help Falling In Love” – Elvis Presley
“Crazy” – Patsy Cline
[new] “Fool No.1” – Brenda Lee
“Goodbye Cruel World” – James Darren
[new] “Gypsy Woman” – Impressions
“Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” – Neil Sedaka
“Heartaches” – Marcels
[new] “I Don’t Know Why” – Linda Scott
[new] “I Know” – Barbara George
“I Love How You Love Me” – Paris Sisters
“I Understand” – G-Clefs
“In The Middle Of A Heartache” – Wanda Jackson
[new] “Jingle Bell Rock” – Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker
“Let There Be Drums” – Sandy Nelson
[new] “Let’s Twist Again” – Chubby Checker
“Moon River” – Henry Mancini
“Moon River” – Jerry Butler
[new] “Peppermint Twist” – Joey Dee And The Starlighters
“Please Mr. Postman” – Marvelettes
[new] “Revenge” – Brook Benton
[new] “Rock-A-Hula Baby” – Elvis Presley
“Run To Him” – Bobby Vee
“Runaround Sue” – Dion
“September In The Rain” – Dinah Washington
“The Fly” – Chubby Checker
[new] “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – Tokens
“The Twist” – Chubby Checker
[new] “There’s No Other” – Crystals
“This Time” – Troy Shondell
[new] “Til” – Angels
[new] “Tonight” – Ferrante & Teicher
“Tonight” – Ferrante And Teicher
“Tower Of Strength” – Gene Mcdaniels
[new] “Unchain My Heart” – Ray Charles
“Walk On By” – Leroy Van Dyke
[new] “Well I Told You” – Chantels
[new] “When I Fall In Love” – Lettermen
[new] “When The Boy In Your Arms” – Connie Francis
[new] “White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
“You’re The Reason” – Bobby Edwards
[new] “Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night” – Kenny Dino
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On the 4th President Kennedy authorized the U.S. Department of Defense to commence of Operation Ranch Hand, the defoliation of the jungles of South Vietnam. The first run was on January 12, 1962, and the last in February 1971…
On the 30th, more than 25 years after it had been written, the Fourth Symphony of Dmitri Shostakovich was first performed. The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kirill Kondrashin, played the symphony at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. The original score had been destroyed during World War II, but was reconstructed from sources discovered in 1960.
No video of that but in the in the video below American composer Leonard Bernstein thanks Shostakovich in 1959 while on a tour in Russia with the NY Philharmonic. (the bit where he calls “1941 the first year of the war” really galls!)
Then on the 31st, a favourite author and coiner of the term, “Generation X”, Douglas Coupland, is born at a NATO base in Baden-Söllingen, West Germany.
What’d Sadie think?
One more week for “Big Bad John” – Jimmy Dean before “Please Mr. Postman” by the Marvelettes has a single week at the top. Then it’s two for the classic “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens. Sadie loves to sing-a-long to that one naturally!
Loved ’em
- “Can’t Help Falling In Love” – Elvis Presley
- “Fool No.1” – Brenda Lee
- “I Know” – Barbara George
- “Jingle Bell Rock” – Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker
- “Let’s Twist Again” – Chubby Checker
- “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – Tokens
- “Unchain My Heart” – Ray Charles
Liked ’em
- “Gypsy Woman” – Impressions
- “I Don’t Know Why” – Linda Scott
- “Peppermint Twist” – Joey Dee And The Starlighters
- “Revenge” – Brook Benton
- “Rock-A-Hula Baby” – Elvis Presley
- “There’s No Other” – Crystals
- “Til” – Angels
- “Tonight” – Ferrante & Teicher
- “Well I Told You” – Chantels
- “When I Fall In Love” – Lettermen
- “Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night” – Kenny Dino
Leave ’em
- “When The Boy In Your Arms” – Connie Francis
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.