A busy week last week, so we didn’t get to writing the blog post till late, you can find April 1966 here, before tuning into the sounds of May of that year below…
Songs of the month
“A Groovy Kind Of Love” – Mindbenders
“A Sign Of The Times” – Petula Clark
[new] “Backstage” – Gene Pitney
“Bang Bang” – Cher
[new] “Barefootin'” – Robert Parker
[new] “Come On Let’s Go” – Mccoys
[new] “Cool Jerk” – Capitols
“Daydream” – Lovin’ Spoonful
[new] “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind” – Lovin’ Spoonful
“Eight Miles High” – Byrds
“Frankie And Johnny” – Elvis Presley
“Gloria” – Shadows Of Knight
“Good Lovin'” – Young Rascals
[new] “Green Grass” – Gary Lewis & The Playboys
“How Does That Grab You Darlin'” – Nancy Sinatra
[new] “I Am A Rock” – Simon & Garfunkel
[new] “I’ll Take Good Care Of You” – Garnet Mimms
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – B.J. Thomas
[new] “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” – James Brown
“Kicks” – Paul Revere & Raiders
“Leaning On The Lamp Post” – Herman’s Hermits
[new] “Let’s Start All Over Again” – Ronnie Dove
[new] “Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart” – Supremes
[new] “Love’s Made A Fool Of You” – Bobby Fuller Four
“Message To Michael” – Dionne Warwick
“Monday Monday” – Mamas & Papas
[new] “Nothing’s Too Good For My Baby” – Stevie Wonder
[new] “Oh How Happy” – Shades Of Blue
[new] “Paint It Black” – Rolling Stones
“Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35” – Bob Dylan
“Rhapsody In The Rain” – Lou Christie
[new] “Road Runner” – Junior Walker & All Stars
“Secret Agent Man” – Johnny Rivers
“Shapes Of Things” – Yardbirds
“Sloop John B” – Beach Boys
“Soul And Inspiration” – Righteous Brothers
[new] “Strangers In The Night” – Frank Sinatra
[new] “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” – Chiffons
[new] “The A Team” – S/Sgt. Barry Sadler
[new] “The More I See You” – Chris Montez
[new] “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” – Walker Brothers
“This Old Heart Of Mine” – Isley Brothers
“Time Won’t Let Me” – Outsiders
“Together Again” – Ray Charles
“Try Too Hard” – Dave Clark Five
“When A Man Loves A Woman” – Percy Sledge
[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 17th Bob Dylan and the Hawks (later The Band) performed at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester. Dylan was booed by the audience because of his decision to tour with an electric band, the boos culminating in the famous “Judas” shout. Three years earlier, in his protest song “With God on Our Side”, Dylan had sung “Through many a dark hour/I’ve been thinking about this/That Jesus Christ/Was betrayed by a kiss/But I can’t think for you/You’ll have to decide/Whether Judas Iscariot/Had God on his side”.
Brilliant video of some youth of the day decrying the new Dylan sound below. (Fair enough, ‘I like the old Kanye’ too lads…)
And in more hippie-milestones on the 20th, Zal Yanovsky and Steve Boone, of the American folk-rock band the Lovin’ Spoonful, were arrested in San Francisco for possessing marijuana, marking the first time members of a popular music act were busted for possessing illegal drugs.
Then the next day, in Northern Ireland, the Protestant Ulster Volunteer Force issued its “declaration of war” against the Roman Catholic Irish Republican Army, a statement that appeared in Belfast newspapers. “From this day we declare war against the IRA”, UVF Chief of Staff William Johnston wrote. “Known IRA men will be executed mercilessly and without hesitation. We will not tolerate any interference from any source and we solemnly warn the authorities to make no more speeches of appeasement.”
Since starting this project I’ve actually received my Irish Citizenship, and will not this was not the country’s proudest day…
What’d Sadie think?
It’s a good three weeks at the top for the great “Monday Monday” by the Mamas & Papas before Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman” takes the spot.
Loved ’em
Some more classics this month but none more so than “Paint it Black” by the Stones, for many reasons a notable release in the hippie-era, not-least at the first popular song to feature a Sitar.
Then there’s James Browns’ “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” – which I’ll admit has one more “Man’s” than I realised in the title and which, more importantly, Rolling Stone magazine characterized (fairly!) as “biblically chauvinistic”. I’d like to think the tune has aged well, but the lyrics haven’t… except for how much they seem to echo some of the terrifying rhetoric one sees on X these days. Do better 2024!
- “Green Grass” – Gary Lewis & Playboys
- “I Am A Rock” – Simon & Garfunkel
- “I’ll Take Good Care Of You” – Garnet Mimms
- “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” – James Brown
- “Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart” – Supremes
- “Paint It Black” – Rolling Stones
- “Road Runner” – Junior Walker & All Stars
- “Strangers In The Night” – Frank Sinatra
- “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” – Walker Brothers
- “The More I See You” – Chris Montez
Liked ’em
- “Backstage” – Gene Pitney
- “Barefootin'” – Robert Parker
- “Come On Let’s Go” – Mccoys
- “Cool Jerk” – Capitols
- “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind” – Lovin’ Spoonful
- “Love’s Made A Fool Of You” – Bobby Fuller Four
- “Oh How Happy” – Shades Of Blue
- “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” – Chiffons
- “The A Team” – S/Sgt. Barry Sadler
Leave ’em
- “Let’s Start All Over Again” – Ronnie Dove
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.