We’re turning our ears back to August, 1963 which is 57 years before young Sadie was born. Let’s hear it!
Songs of the month
“Abilene” – George Hamilton Iv
“Blowin’ In The Wind” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
“Blue On Blue” – Bobby Vinton
[new] “Blue Velvet” – Bobby Vinton
“Candy Girl” – Four Seasons
[new] “Danke Schoen” – Wayne Newton
“Denise” – Randy And The Raindrops
“Detroit City” – Bobby Bare
“Devil In Disguise” – Elvis Presley
“Don’t Say Goodnight And Mean Goodbye” – Shirelles
“Easier Said Than Done” – Essex
“Fingertips” – Little Stevie Wonder
[new] “Frankie And Johnny” – Sam Cooke
[new] “Green Green” – New Christy Minstrels
[new] “Heatwave” – Martha And The Vandellas
[new] “Hello Muddah Hello Faddah” – Allan Sherman
[new] “Hey Girl” – Freddie Scott
“Hopeless” – Andy Williams
[new] “I Want To Stay Here” – Steve And Eydie
[new] “I Who Have Nothing” – Ben E. King
[new] “I Wonder” – Brenda Lee
[new] “If I Had A Hammer” – Trini Lopez
“Judy’s Turn To Cry” – Lesley Gore
“Just One Look” – Doris Troy
[new] “Make The World Go Away” – Timi Yuro
“Memphis” – Lonnie Mack
[new] “Mockingbird” – Inez Foxx & Charlie Foxx
“More” – Kai Winding
[new] “My Boyfriend’s Back” – Angels
“My True Confession” – Brook Benton
[new] “My Whole World Is Falling Apart” – Brenda Lee
“No One” – Ray Charles
“Not Me” – Orlons
[new] “Painted Tainted Rose” – Al Martino
“Pride And Joy” – Marvin Gaye
“Ring Of Fire” – Johnny Cash
“So Much In Love” – Tymes
“Sukiyaki” – Kyu Sakamoto
“Surf City” – Jan And Dean
[new] “Surfer Girl” – Beach Boys
[new] “The Monkey Time” – Major Lance
[new] “Then He Kissed Me” – Crystals
“Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” – Rolf Harris
“Till Then” – Classics
[new] “True Love Never Runs Smooth” – Gene Pitney
[new] “Twist It Up” – Chubby Checker
[new] “Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home” – Darlene Love
“Wipe Out” – Surfaris
[new] “You Can Never Stop Me Loving You” – Johnny Tillotson
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On August 3rd the Beatles performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool for the 275th, and final time, nearly 18 months after their first appearance on the club’s stage on February 9, 1961.
Then on the 8th “The Great Train Robbery” of 1963 took place at Ledburn, Buckinghamshire, England, when a gang of bandits halted a train ferrying mail between Glasgow and London. At 3:00 am, the group caused the train’s engineer to stop by activating the red signal and covering the green signal. When the train came to a halt, engineer Jack Mills and his assistant were overpowered, while others in the group boarded the first two coaches hauling mail and tied up the four employees on board. The group then uncoupled the engine and two coaches from the other ten cars on the train, and forced the engineer and assistant to move one mile down the line to the Bridego Bridge, where the mail bags were dropped into automobiles waiting beneath. The haul was estimated at £2,600,000 (at the time worth about $7,300,000; equivalent to £70 million or $87,500,000 in 2023).
And on the 28th at the 1963 “March on Washington”, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his I Have A Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an audience of at least 250,000 people.
What’d Sadie think?
It’s a mixed bag at the top this month with “So Much In Love” by the Tymes for a week then “Fingertips” by Little Stevie Wonder for three before “My Boyfriend’s Back” by the Angels hits the top spot.
Loved ’em
- “Blue Velvet” – Bobby Vinton
- “Danke Schon” – Wayne Newton
- “Heatwave” – Martha And The Vandellas
- “I Who Have Nothing” – Ben E. King
- “I Wonder” – Brenda Lee
- “My Boyfriend’s Back” – Angels
- “Surfer Girl” – Beach Boys
Track of the week is The Angel’s “My Boyfriend’s Back” – you just can’t get past those catchy handclaps. Apparently the track was originally intended as a demo for the Shirelles, but ended up being released as recorded by the Angels – lucky break!
In reading up on it I found an interesting project from Stereogum that i’d missed – Tom Breihan spent 8 years reviewing every number 1 from 1958 to today. Of this track he says,
Just as important: It’s a hell of a pop song, crisp and propulsive, built on jittery guitar stabs and handclaps that hit at the exact right instant. It’s a whole pop production, with vocal arrangements and bursts of horn, but it sounds urgent and fast. And it sounds joyous. There’s no anguish or fear in those hey-la backing vocals — just the mocking exultance of young women who are about to watch this asshole’s head get kicked in.
Liked ’em
- “Frankie And Johnny” – Sam Cooke
- “Green Green” – New Christy Minstrels
- “Hello Muddah Hello Faddah” – Allan Sherman
- “Hey Girl” – Freddie Scott
- “I Want To Stay Here” – Steve And Eydie
- “If I Had A Hammer” – Trini Lopez
- “Make The World Go Away” – Timi Yuro
- “Mockingbird” – Inez Foxx With Charlie Foxx
- “My Whole World Is Falling Apart” – Brenda Lee
- “The Monkey Time” – Major Lance
- “Then He Kissed Me” – Crystals
- “Twist It Up” – Chubby Checker
Leave ’em
- “Painted Tainted Rose” – Al Martino
- “True Love Never Runs Smooth” – Gene Pitney
- “Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home” – Darlene Love
- “You Can Never Stop Me Loving You” – Johnny Tillotson
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.