Welcome to the on-again-off-again Summer of December 2023, where we find ourselves jumping in our time machine and transporting back to March, 1964…
Songs of the month
“A Fool Never Learns” – Andy Williams
“Abigal Beecher” – Freddy Cannon
[new] “Bird Dance Beat” – Trashmen
[new] “Blue Winter” – Connie Francis
“California Sun” – Rivieras
[new] “Can’t Buy Me Love” – Beatles
“Dawn” – Four Seasons
[new] “Don’t Let The Rain Come Down” – Serendipity Singers
“Fun Fun Fun” – Beach Boys
[new] “Glad All Over” – Dave Clark Five
“Good News” – Sam Cooke
[new] “Hello Dolly” – Louis Armstrong
“Hey Little Cobra” – Rip Cords
[new] “Hi-Heel Sneakers” – Tommy Tucker
“I Love You More And More Every Day” – Al Martino
[new] “I Love You More And More Everyday” – Al Martino
“I Only Want To Be With You” – Dusty Springfield
“I Saw Her Standing There” – Beatles
“I Want To Hold Your Hand” – Beatles
[new] “I Wish You Love” – Gloria Lynne
[new] “It Hurts Me” – Elvis Presley
[new] “It’s In His Kiss (Shoop Shoop Song)” – Betty Everett
“Java” – Al Hirt
[new] “Kissin’ Cousins” – Elvis Presley
[new] “My Bonnie” – Beatles With Tony Sheridan
[new] “My Heart Belongs To Only You” – Bobby Vinton
“Navy Blue” – Diane Renay
[new] “Needles And Pins” – Searchers
[new] “Oh Baby Can’t You Weep” – James Brown
“Oh Baby Don’t You Weep” – James Brown
“Penetration” – Pyramids
“Please Please Me” – Beatles
“See The Funny Little Clown” – Bobby Goldsboro
“She Loves You” – Beatles
[new] “Stay” – Four Seasons
“Stop And Think It Over” – Dale And Grace
[new] “Suspicion” – Terry Stafford
“Talking About My Baby” – Impressions
“The Shelter Of Your Arms” – Sammy Davis Jr.
[new] “The Way You Do The Things You Do” – Temptations
[new] “Twist And Shout” – Beatles
“Um Um Um Um Um Um” – Major Lance
“Who Do You Love” – Sapphires
“You Don’t Own Me” – Lesley Gore
[new] “You’re A Wonderful One” – Marvin Gaye
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On March the 13th a classic cautionary tale in “not wanting to get involved” happened when the murder of Kitty Genovese took place outside her apartment building in the upper-middle-class neighborhood of Kew Gardens in the New York borough of Queens and resulting in the coining of the psychological concept of “the bystander effect”. More recent studies have indicated the actual events of that night were distorted to fit the theory.
On the 17th what would become known as the “domino theory” became the basis for American policy on Vietnam, after U.S. President Johnson approved National Security Action Memorandum 288 and the recommendations made to him by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. “We seek an independent non-Communist South Vietnam,” McNamara wrote, adding that “unless we can achieve this objective… almost all of Southeast Asia will probably fall under Communist dominance”.
On the 28th, not long after they’d taken over the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, wax likenesses of The Beatles were put on display in London’s Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The Beatles were the first pop stars to be displayed at the museum.
Then on the 20th the classic game show “Jeopardy!”, created by Merv Griffin, made its debut in the U.S., appearing on the NBC television network.
What’d Sadie think?
The month belongs, again, to the Beatles. Two weeks for “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and then two for “She Loves You” at the top. We also see the return of Elvis to the charts, who had recently finished his military service.
But it really belongs to Sadie, as ever, who delighted in changing the lyrics of various songs this week. “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah” became “oh no! no! no!” and other less repeatable twists. Bless!
Loved ’em
- “Can’t Buy Me Love” – Beatles
- “Hello Dolly” – Louis Armstrong
- “It’s In His Kiss (Shoop Shoop Song)” – Betty Everett
- “The Way You Do The Things You Do” – Temptations
- “Twist And Shout” – Beatles
Liked ’em
- “Blue Winter” – Connie Francis
- “Don’t Let The Rain Come Down” – Serendipity Singers
- “Glad All Over” – Dave Clark Five
- “Hi-Heel Sneakers” – Tommy Tucker
- “I Love You More And More Everyday” – Al Martino
- “I Wish You Love” – Gloria Lynne
- “It Hurts Me” – Elvis Presley
- “Kissin’ Cousins” – Elvis Presley
- “My Bonnie” – Beatles With Tony Sheridan
- “My Heart Belongs To Only You” – Bobby Vinton
- “Needles And Pins” – Searchers
- “Oh Baby Can’t You Weep” – James Brown
- “Stay” – Four Seasons
- “Suspicion” – Terry Stafford
- “You’re A Wonderful One” – Marvin Gaye
Leave ’em
- “Bird Dance Beat” – Trashmen
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.