It’s feel positively summery here this weekend as we tune our ears back to July, 1963. But first you might want to listen to June, 1963 as we were delayed in listing and posting the blog on that month with Sadie and Mum being away last weekend.
Songs of the month
“18 Yellow Roses” – Bobby Darin
[new] “Abilene” – George Hamilton Iv
“Birdland” – Chubby Checker
[new] “Blowin’ In The Wind” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
“Blue On Blue” – Bobby Vinton
[new] “Candy Girl” – Four Seasons
“Come And Get These Memories” – Martha And The Vandellas
“Da Doo Ron Ron” – Crystals
[new] “Denise” – Randy And The Raindrops
[new] “Detroit City” – Bobby Bare
[new] “Devil In Disguise” – Elvis Presley
[new] “Don’t Say Goodnight And Mean Goodbye” – Shirelles
“Easier Said Than Done” – Essex
[new] “Falling” – Roy Orbison
[new] “Fingertips” – Little Stevie Wonder
“First Quarrel” – Paul And Paula
[new] “Hairy The Harry Ape” – Ray Stevens
“Hello Stranger” – Barbara Lewis
[new] “Hopeless” – Andy Williams
“I Love You Because” – Al Martino
“It’s My Party” – Lesley Gore
[new] “Judy’s Turn To Cry” – Lesley Gore
[new] “Just One Look” – Doris Troy
“Memphis” – Lonnie Mack
[new] “More” – Kai Winding
“My Summer Love” – Ruby And The Romantics
[new] “My True Confession” – Brook Benton
[new] “No One” – Ray Charles
[new] “Not Me” – Orlons
“On Top Of Spaghetti” – Tom Glazer & Do-Re-Mi Childern’s Chorus
[new] “On Top Of Spaghetti” – Tom Glazer And The Do-Re-Mi Childern’s Chorus
“One Fine Day” – Chiffons
“Pride And Joy” – Marvin Gaye
[new] “Ring Of Fire” – Johnny Cash
“So Much In Love” – Tymes
“Still” – Bill Anderson
“String Along” – Rick Nelson
“Sukiyaki” – Kyu Sakamoto
“Surf City” – Jan And Dean
“Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer” – Nat King Cole
“Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” – Rolf Harris
[new] “Till Then” – Classics
[new] “Wipeout” – Surfaris
[new] “Without Love” – Ray Charles
“You Can’t Sit Down” – Dovells
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On July 1 “ZIP” codes were introduced in the United States, as the U.S. Department of the Post Office kicked off a massive advertising campaign that included the cartoon character “Mr. ZIP”, and the mailing that day of more than 72,000,000 postcards to every mailing address in the United States, in order to inform the addressees of their new five digit postal code.
On the 16th in Seattle, five men began a 30-day engineering test of life support systems for a crewed space station in The Boeing Company space chamber. Designed and built for NASA’s Office of Advanced Research and Technology, the chamber was first in the U.S. to include all life-support equipment for a multi-person, long-duration space mission (including environmental control, waste disposal, and crew hygiene and food techniques). In addition to the life support equipment, a number of crew tests simulated specific problems of spaceflight. Five days into the 30-day test, however, the simulated mission was halted because of a faulty reactor tank.
And on the 24th John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, hosted a group of American high school students who were part of the Boys Nation event sponsored by the American Legion, including 16-year-old Bill Clinton, who would become the 42nd U.S. President in 1993. Clinton would later use a film clip of him shaking hands with Kennedy as part of his 1992 campaign.
What’d Sadie think?
Two weeks at the top for “Easier Said Than Done” by Essex before “Surf City” by Jan And Dean takes the top for the rest of the month.
Loved ’em
Some classics this month. Like Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. I will admit I did not know that it wasn’t the original, written by Cash’s eventual second wife, June Carter Cash, and Merle Kilgore, it was originally recorded as “(Love’s) Ring of Fire” by June’s sister, Anita Carter, on her 1963 album Folk Songs Old and New.
Then there is the rush of surf songs to come out, with “Wipeout” by the Surfaris. Apparently in composing b-side for their song “Surfer Joe” one of the band members suggested introducing the song with a cracking sound, imitating a breaking surfboard, followed by a manic voice babbling, “ha ha ha ha ha, wipe out”.
- “Abilene” – George Hamilton Iv
- “Blowin’ In The Wind” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
- “Candy Girl” – Four Seasons
- “Falling” – Roy Orbison
- “Just One Look” – Doris Troy
- “Ring Of Fire” – Johnny Cash
- “Wipeout” – Surfaris
Then there is “Blowin’ in the Wind” which has been recorded by Bob Dylan in July ’62 but not released until his album “Golden Folk Hits” in May ’63. But it was this Peter,Paul and Mary that first made it famous globally. It was first covered by the Chad Mitchell Trio, but their record company delayed release of the album containing it because the song included the word death, so the trio lost out to Peter, Paul and Mary, who were represented by Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman.
Liked ’em
- “Denise” – Randy And The Raindrops
- “Detroit City” – Bobby Bare
- “Devil In Disguise” – Elvis Presley
- “Don’t Say Goodnight And Mean Goodbye” – Shirelles
- “Fingertips” – Little Stevie Wonder
- “Hopeless” – Andy Williams
- “Judy’s Turn To Cry” – Lesley Gore
- “More” – Kai Winding
- “My True Confession” – Brook Benton
- “No One” – Ray Charles
- “Not Me” – Orlons
- “Till Then” – Classics
- “Without Love” – Ray Charles
Leave ’em
- “Hairy The Harry Ape” – Ray Stevens
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.