It’s a lovely sunny autumnal day in 2024 as we write this. Let’s use music to transport us back to March, 1966…
Songs of the month
[new] “634-5789” – Wilson Pickett
[new] “19Th Nervous Breakdown” – Rolling Stones
“At The Scene” – Dave Clark Five
[new] “Baby Scratch My Back” – Slim Harpo
“Ballad Of The Green Berets” – S/Sgt. Barry Sadler
[new] “Bang Bang” – Cher
“Barbara Ann” – Beach Boys
“Batman Theme” – Marketts
“California Dreamin'” – Mamas & Papas
“Call Me” – Chris Montez
“Crying Time” – Ray Charles
[new] “Daydream” – Lovin’ Spoonful
“Don’t Mess With Bill” – Marvellettes
“Elusive Butterfly” – Bob Lind
“Going To A Go-Go” – Miracles
[new] “Homeward Bound” – Simon & Garfunkel
[new] “Husbands & Wives” – Roger Miller
“I Fought The Law” – Bobby Fuller Four
“I See The Light” – Five Americans
[new] “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – B.J. Thomas
[new] “It’s Too Late” – Bobby Goldsboro
“Lightnin’ Strikes” – Lou Christie
“Listen People” – Herman’s Hermits
[new] “Little Latin Lupe Lu” – Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
[new] “Love Makes The World Go Round” – Deon Jackson
[new] “Magic Town” – Vogues
[new] “My Baby Loves Me” – Martha & The Vandellas
“My Love” – Petula Clark
“My World Is Empty Without You” – Supremes
[new] “Nowhere Man” – Beatles
[new] “One More Heartache” – Marvin Gaye
[new] “Secret Agent Man” – Johnny Rivers
[new] “Shake Me Wake Me” – Four Tops
[new] “Soul And Inspiration” – Righteous Brothers
[new] “Sure Gonna Miss Her” – Gary Lewis & The Playboys
“The Cheater” – Bob Kuban & The In-Men
“These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” – Nancy Sinatra
[new] “This Old Heart Of Mine” – Isley Brothers
[new] “Time Won’t Let Me” – Outsiders
“Uptight” – Stevie Wonder
[new] “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog” – Norma Tanega
“What Now My Love” – Sonny & Cher
“When Liking Turns To Loving” – Ronnie Dove
[new] “Woman” – Peter & Gordon
“Working My Way Back To You” – Four Seasons
“You Baby” – Turtles
“Zorba The Greek” – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
[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 The London Evening Standard published an interview with John Lennon of The Beatles, in an article headlined “How Does a Beatle Live? John Lennon Lives Like This”. One of the topics covered was his religious views, and the article, syndicated in papers worldwide, made little impact at first, including Lennon’s statement that “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first— rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.” But when the article appeared in the teen magazine Datebook in July, however, Lennon’s statement proved a backlash against the popular British group in advance of their American tour.
Here’s a bizarre interview where a member of the KKK denounce the evil Beatles…
On the 23rd, for the first time in 400 years, the spiritual leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England met openly, as Pope Paul VI received the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, in Rome. The following day, they issued “The Common Declaration”, pledging to inaugurate between their followers “a serious dialogue which, founded on the Gospels and on the ancient common traditions, may lead to that unity in truth, for which Christ prayed”
And on the 29th, in what one author would later describe as “a psychiatrist’s worst nightmare”, University of Texas student Charles Whitman confided to the University Health Center staff psychiatrist, Dr. Maurice D. Heatly, about a recurring fantasy of “going up on the Tower” (the observation deck of the 30-story Main Building that overlooked the campus) “and shooting people”. Dr. Heatly scheduled Whitman for a follow-up appointment, but prescribed no medication. Four months later, on August 1, the former U.S. Marine would use his sniper training and shoot 42 people, 15 of them fatally, in addition to five others murdered earlier in the day.
It wasn’t the first warning sign missed, several years earlier in 1962, he remarked to a fellow student, “A person could stand off an army from atop of [the Main Building’s clock tower] before they got him.”
What’d Sadie think?
Just as we see the charts begin to be filled with the “counterculture” we see the tension in society as its “Ballad Of The Green Berets” by S/Sgt. Barry Sadler that is number 1 for the whole month…keeping the iconic “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” by Nancy Sinatra from the top. The pro-military song was a patriotic song, written by an actual Staff Sergeant, at a time that protests against the Vietnam war were beginning to grow.
Loved ’em
- “634-5789′ – Wilson Pickett
- “19Th Nervous Breakdown” – Rolling Stones
- “Bang Bang” – Cher
- “Daydream” – Lovin’ Spoonful
- “Homeward Bound” – Simon & Garfunkel
- “My Baby Loves Me” – Martha & The Vandellas
- “Nowhere Man” – Beatles
- “Shake Me Wake Me” – Four Tops
- “This Old Heart Of Mine” – Isley Brothers
- “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog” – Norma Tanega
Not the most obvious track, certainly not as classic as many of the others, to do a deep dive on but “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog” by Norma Tanega turns out to be extremely important.
Firstly, the weird title, “Tanega’s impetus for the song came from living in a New York City apartment building that did not allow dogs; instead she owned a cat which she named “Dog” and took for walks.” Ok!
But off the back of this successful song, “In 1966, Tanega traveled to England to promote her music. Her tour included a performance on the ITV program Ready Steady Go!, where she met British pop singer Dusty Springfield. After Tanega returned to the U.S., Springfield made many transatlantic calls to her and accrued a large phone bill. On a visit to New York, Springfield entered a romantic relationship with Tanega. They returned to England and lived together for five years. The couple took up residence in London’s Kensington district, where Tanega continued to paint and play music. Springfield recorded many of Tanega’s songs.”
Quite the cat dog tale!
Liked ’em
- “Baby Scratch My Back” – Slim Harpo
- “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – B.J. Thomas
- “It’s Too Late” – Bobby Goldsboro
- “Love Makes The World Go Round” – Deon Jackson
- “Magic Town” – Vogues
- “One More Heartache” – Marvin Gaye
- “Secret Agent Man” – Johnny Rivers
- “Time Won’t Let Me” – Outsiders
- “Woman” – Peter & Gordon
Leave ’em
- “Husbands And Wives” – Roger Miller
- “Little Latin Lupe Lu” – Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
- “Soul And Inspiration” – Righteous Brothers
- “Sure Gonna Miss Her” – Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.