We’re travelling back to February, 1962 which is 58 years and 6 months before Sadie is born and 15 years before Thomas is. We missed sending out January, 1962‘s newsletter so go listen to that first if you’re completist!
Songs of the month
“A Little Bitty Tear” – Burl Ives
“Baby It’s You” – Shirelles
“Break It To Me Gently” – Brenda Lee
“Can’t Help Falling In Love” – Elvis Presley
[new] “Chip Chip” – Gene Mcdaniels
“Cottonfields” – Highwaymen
[new] “Cryin’ In The Rain” – Everly Brothers
[new] “Crying In The Rain” – Everly Brothers
“Dear Lady Twist” – Gary Us Bonds
[new] “Do-Re-Mi” – Lee Dorsey
[new] “Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You” – Connie Francis
“Duke Of Earl” – Gene Chandler
“Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen” – Neil Sedaka
[new] “Her Royal Majesty” – James Darren
[new] “Hey Baby” – Bruce Channel
[new] “I Know You Don’t Love Me No More” – Barbara George
“I Know” – Barbara George
[new] “I’m Blue” – Ikettes
“If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody” – James Ray
“Irresistable You” – Bobby Darin
[new] “Irresistable” – Bobby Darin
[new] “Let Me In” – Sensations
“Let There Be Drums” – Sandy Nelson
“Letter Full Of Tears” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
[new] “Midnight In Moscow” – Kenny Ball
“Moon River” – Henry Mancini
[new] “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back” – Charlie Drake
“Norman” – Sue Thompson
“Peppermint Twist” – Joey Dee And The Starlighters
[new] “Percolator” – Billy Joe And The Checkmates
“Run To Him” – Bobby Vee
[new] “Shadrack” – Brook Benton
[new] “She’s Everything” – Ral Donner
[new] “Smokey Places” – Corsairs
[new] “The Cajun Queen” – Jimmy Dean
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – Tokens
“The Twist” – Chubby Checker
“The Wanderer” – Dion
[new] “To A Sleeping Beauty” – Jimmy Dean
“Town Without Pity” – Gene Pitney
[new] “Tuff” – Ace Cannon
“Twist-Her” – Bill Black’s Combo
“Unchain My Heart” – Ray Charles
“Walk On By” – Leroy Van Dyke
[new] “What’s Your Name” – Don And Juan
“When I Fall In Love” – Lettermen
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On February the 5th, hours before the Beatles were scheduled to play at the Cavern Club, drummer Pete Best told his fellow musicians that he was ill and would be unable to appear. Determined not to cancel the show, the group called around for a replacement and Ringo Starr, whose group had the day off, appeared in Best’s place. A film of the band playing at the infamous club below.
On the 14th |A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy|, produced by CBS News and hosted by American First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and CBS reporter Charles Collingwood, was broadcast on US television. Attracting 46,000,000 TV viewers, or three out of every four households in America, it was the highest rated television program up to that time.
Not to be out done, on February 20 20 John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to be launched into orbit, as Mercury 6 lifted off from Cape Canaveral. An estimated 60 million persons viewed the launch on live television, beating Mrs Kennedy’s recent record!
What’d Sadie think?
Two weeks at number one for “Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee And The Starlighters before two weeks for “Duke Of Earl” by Gene Chandler.
Loved ’em
- “Crying In The Rain” – Everly Brothers
- “Hey Baby” – Bruce Channel
- “I Know You Don’t Love Me No More” – Barbara George
- “I’m Blue” – Ikettes
Liked ’em
- “Chip Chip” – Gene Mcdaniels
- “Do-Re-Mi” – Lee Dorsey
- “Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You” – Connie Francis
- “Let Me In” – Sensations
- “Percolator” – Billy Joe And The Checkmates
- “Shadrack” – Brook Benton
- “She’s Everything” – Ral Donner
- “The Cajun Queen” – Jimmy Dean
- “Smokey Places” – Corsairs
- “Tuff” – Ace Cannon
- “What’s Your Name” – Don And Juan
Leave ’em
So… wow! I am aging myself, or pointing out how desperately dated the ’80s were in New Zealand, by noting that they were still playing, “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back” during my childhood as I now remember it well. As wikipedia notes, “[it] is not exactly a paragon of political correctness, even by 1961 standards.”
I can only hope that the “black in the face” line was “blue in the face” in the version I heard but that hardly excuses all the other sins in the song. Though apparently this line was the racism-too-far for the BBC at the time who refused to play it until that line was changed. Please note I’ve included the original on this playlist. And in calling out this song I’m ignoring all sorts of other problematic lyrics in songs through-out these charts. But there we go…
- “Her Royal Majesty” – James Darren
- “Midnight In Moscow” – Kenny Ball
- “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back” – Charlie Drake
- “To A Sleeping Beauty” – Jimmy Dean
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.