A weekend spent at the parks of Auckland kicking around with Sadie, so it must be spring in 2023! But let’s head back to March 1963, after what was by all accounts the coldest winter on record for the UK, to hear what it sounded like..
Songs of the month
“Alice In Wonderland” – Neil Sedaka
[new] “All I Have To Do Is Dream” – Richard Chamberlain
[new] “Baby Workout” – Jackie Wilson
“Blame It On The Bossa Nova” – Eydie Gorme
[new] “Boss Guitar” – Duane Eddy
[new] “Butterfly Baby” – Bobby Rydell
“Call On Me” – Bobby Bland
“Cast Your Fate To The Wind” – Vince Guaraldi Trio
[new] “Do The Bird” – Dee Dee Sharp
[new] “Don’t Set Me Free” – Ray Charles
“Fly Me To The Moon” – Joe Harnell Orchestra
“From A Jack To A King” – Ned Miller
[new] “Greenback Dollar” – Kingston Trio
[new] “He’s So Fine” – Chiffons
“He’s Sure The Boy I Love” – Crystals
“Hey Paula” – Paul And Paula
[new] “Hitch Hike” – Marvin Gaye
[new] “I Wanna Be Around” – Tony Bennett
“In Dreams” – Roy Orbison
[new] “Laughing Boy” – Mary Wells
[new] “Let’s Limbo Some More” – Chubby Checker
[new] “Let’s Turkey Trot” – Little Eva
“Little Town Flirt” – Del Shannon
“Mama Didn’t Lie” – Jan Bradley
“One Broken Heart For Sale” – Elvis Presley
“Our Day Will Come” – Ruby And The Romantics
“Our Winter Love” – Bill Pursell
“Rhythm Of The Rain” – Cascades
“Ruby Baby” – Dion
“Send Me Some Lovin'” – Sam Cooke
[new] “South Street” – Orlons
“The End Of The World” – Skeeter Davis
“The Gypsy Cried” – Lou Christie
“The Night Has A Thousand Eyes” – Bobby Vee
[new] “Twenty Miles” – Chubby Checker
“Up On The Roof” – Drifters
“Walk Like A Man” – Four Seasons
“Walk Right In” – Rooftop Singers
“What Will Mary Say” – Johnny Mathis
“Wild Weekend” – Rebels
“You’re The Reason I’m Living” – Bobby Darin
“You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” – Miracles
[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 5th In Camden, Tennessee, 30-year-old country music superstar Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash along with fellow performers Harold “Hawkshaw” Hawkins, 41, and Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas, 49, and their manager, Randy Hughes, who was piloting the Piper Comanche airplane. At 4x life this somewhat closer to the 1959 death of The Big Bopper in a similar plane crash… but either way, small planes seemed like a thing to avoid for stars of the time surely?
Then the next day in the UK, Great Britain’s longest, coldest winter in the 20th century started to come to an end, with the ground being snow-free for the first time since the blizzard over the Christmas period. Many places saw their first frost-free night of the year and since before Christmas.
On the 22nd The Beatles released their first album, Please Please Me… which I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot of very soon.
What’d Sadie think?
Three weeks at the top for “Walk Like A Man” by the Four Seasons before a week at the top for “Our Day Will Come” by Ruby And The Romantics.
During the sessions that produced the recording of catchy, but toxically masculine, “Walk Like a Man”, the fire department received an emergency call from the Abbey Victoria Hotel (the building that housed the Stea-Phillips Recording Studios). As producer Bob Crewe was insisting upon recording the perfect take, smoke and water started to seep into the studio; the room directly above the studio was on fire, but Crewe had blocked the studio door. He continued recording until firemen used their axes on the door and pulled Crewe out….
Loved ’em
- “All I Have To Do Is Dream” – Richard Chamberlain
- “Baby Workout” – Jackie Wilson
- “Do The Bird” – Dee Dee Sharp
- “He’s So Fine” – Chiffons
- “Let’s Limbo Some More” – Chubby Checker
Liked ’em
- “Boss Guitar” – Duane Eddy
- “Butterfly Baby” – Bobby Rydell
- “Don’t Set Me Free” – Ray Charles
- “Greenback Dollar” – Kingston Trio
- “Hitch Hike” – Marvin Gaye
- “I Wanna Be Around” – Tony Bennett
- “Laughing Boy” – Mary Wells
- “Let’s Turkey Trot” – Little Eva
- “South Street” – Orlons
- “Twenty Miles” – Chubby Checker
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.