As we head into the shortest day of the year down under in 2024, let’s turn our ears back to July, 1966 to hear some warm sounds of summer…
Songs of the month
“A Groovy Kind Of Love” – Mindbenders
“Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” – Temptations
[new] “Along Comes Mary” – Association
“Barefootin'” – Robert Parker
“Cool Jerk” – Capitols
“Crying” – Jay & The Americans
“Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind” – Lovin’ Spoonful
“Dirty Water” – Standells
“Don’t Bring Me Down” – Animals
“Double Shot” – Swingin’ Medallions
“Girl In Love” – Outsiders
“Green Grass” – Gary Lewis & The Playboys
[new] “Hanky Panky” – Tommy James & The Shondells
[new] “Happy Summer Days” – Ronnie Dove
“He” – Righteous Brothers
“Hold On I’m Comin'” – Sam & Dave
[new] “Hungry” – Paul Revere & The Raiders
“I Am A Rock” – Simon & Garfunkel
[new] “I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love” – Petula Clark
[new] “I Saw Her Again” – Mamas And Papas
[new] “I Want You” – Bob Dylan
[new] “Lil Red Riding Hood” – Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs
“Little Girl” – Syndicate Of Sound
[new] “Love Letters” – Elvis Presley
[new] “Mother’s Little Helper” – Rolling Stones
[new] “Muddy Water” – Johnny Rivers
“Oh How Happy” – Shades Of Blue
“Opus 17” – Four Seasons
[new] “Over Under Sideways Down” – Yardbirds
“Paint It Black” – Rolling Stones
“Paperback Writer” – Beatles
[new] “Please Tell Me Why” – Dave Clark Five
“Popsicle” – Jan & Dean
“Rain” – Beatles
“Red Rubber Ball” – Cyrkle
[new] “See You In September” – Happenings
[new] “Somewhere My Love” – Ray Conniff
“Strangers In The Night” – Frank Sinatra
[new] “Summer In The City” – Lovin’ Spoonful
[new] “Sunny” – Bobby Hebb
[new] “Sweet Dreams” – Tommy Mclain
[new] “Sweet Pea” – Tommy Roe
“Sweet Talking Guy” – Chiffons
[new] “The Land Of Milk And Honey” – Vogues
“The More I See You” – Chris Montez
[new] “The Pied Piper” – Crispian St. Peters
[new] “The Work Song” – Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass
[new] “They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa” – Napoleon Xiv
[new] “This Door Swings Both Ways” – Herman’s Hermits
[new] “Trains And Boats And Planes” – Dionne Warwick
“When A Man Loves A Woman” – Percy Sledge
[new] “Where Were You When I Needed You” – Grass Roots
[new] “Wild Thing” – Troggs
[new] “You Better Run” – Young Rascals
“You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” – Dusty Springfield
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On their way back home after their Asian concert tour, The Beatles arrived in India on July 5th for the first time, after having experimented with Indian instruments such as the sitar.
On the 11th “The Newlywed Game”, a TV game show described by one reviewer as “four newlywed couples answering questions which reveal how much or how little they know about each other”, premiered in the USA. TV critic Rick Du Brow of United Press International generally praised the show and its host, Bob Eubanks, as “quite pleasant and unpretentious” but said that the questions asked of the wives and husbands “weren’t exactly life and death matters.” …welcome to modern TV sir!
Then on the 27th, for the first time in 58 years, liquor was legally served in Mississippi, the last of the United States to have repealed its prohibition laws. Quite the dry spell!
What’d Sadie think?
“Strangers In The Night” by Frank Sinatra is the first number one of the month, then we have “Paperback Writer” by the Beatles, “Hanky Panky” – Tommy James & The Shondells for two weeks and finally newcomer, “Wild Thing” by the Troggs.
Loved ’em
- “Hanky Panky” – Tommy James & The Shondells
- “I Want You” – Bob Dylan
- “Love Letters” – Elvis Presley
- “Mother’s Little Helper” – Rolling Stones
- “Summer In The City” – Lovin’ Spoonful
- “Sunny” – Bobby Hebb
- “Wild Thing” – Troggs
Song of the week has to be “Wild Thing” by the Troggs. Which, I did not realise, was a cover. The original was composed for a band called “the Wild Ones”… which is wild? Too wild perhaps as it failed to chart and The Troggs version become the definitive take and hit.
Apparently Chucken, Alden fron the Wild Ones, later said that he regretted not performing the song in the same way as the composer (Chip Taylor’s demo). The solo in the middle of the song was performed by the recording engineer using his hands as a whistle. This sound was subsequently imitated by the Troggs in their version using an ocarina… (A little fact for Nintendo fans.)
Liked ’em
- “Along Comes Mary” – Association
- “Happy Summer Days” – Ronnie Dove
- “Hungry” – Paul Revere & The Raiders
- “I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love” – Petula Clark
- “I Saw Her Again” – Mamas And Papas
- “Over Under Sideways Down” – Yardbirds
- “Please Tell Me Why” – Dave Clark Five
- “See You In September” – Happenings
- “Sweet Dreams” – Tommy Mclain
- “Sweet Pea” – Tommy Roe
- “The Land Of Milk And Honey” – Vogues
- “This Door Swings Both Ways” – Herman’s Hermits
- “Trains And Boats And Planes” – Dionne Warwick
- “Where Were You When I Needed You” – Grass Roots
- “You Better Run” – Young Rascals
Leave ’em
- “Lil Red Riding Hood” – Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs
- “Muddy Water” – Johnny Rivers
- “Popsicle” – Jan And Dean
- “Somewhere My Love” – Ray Conniff Singers
- “The Pied Piper” – Crispian St. Peters
- “The Work Song” – Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass
- “They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa” – Napoleon Xiv
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.