Well! This newsletter nearly didn’t make it to press… I somehow managed to deleted the “4xlife” directory on my desktop without noticing and emptied the virtual trash ‘n’ all. That folder holds all the data and code that generates the playlists and this blog post template. Luckily I had 95% of it backed up so it was only the work of an hour to recreate the rest. But, lesson learnt (for the umpteenth time in this life).
Anyway, all fixed so now we can hear from November, 1965 sounded like!
Songs of the month
“A Lover’s Concerto” – Toys
[new] “A Taste Of Honey” – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
“Ain’t That Peculiar” – Marvin Gaye
“But You’re Mine” – Sonny & Cher
“Do You Believe In Magic” – Lovin’ Spoonful
[new] “England Swings” – Roger Miller
“Everybody Loves A Clown” – Gary Lewis & The Playboys
“Everyone’s Gone To The Moon” – Jonathan King
“Get Off My Cloud” – Rolling Stones
“Hang On Sloopy” – Mccoys
[new] “Hang On Sloopy” – Ramsey Lewis Trio
“Hungry For Love” – San Remo Golden Strings
[new] “I Can Never Go Home Anymore” – Shangri-Las
[new] “I Found A Girl” – Jan & Dean
[new] “I Got You (I Feel Good)” – James Brown
[new] “I Hear A Symphony” – Supremes
“I Knew You When” – Billy Joe Royal
“I Want To” – Joe Tex
[new] “I Will” – Dean Martin
[new] “I’m A Man” – Yardbirds
“Just A Little Bit Better” – Herman’s Hermits
“Keep On Dancing” – Gentrys
[new] “Let Me Be” – Turtles
“Let’s Hang On” – Four Seasons
“Liar Liar” – Castaways
[new] “Make It Easy On Yourself” – Walker Brothers
“Make Me Your Baby” – Barbara Lewis
[new] “Make The World Go Away” – Eddy Arnold
[new] “May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” – Jimmy Dickens
[new] “My Baby” – Temptations
[new] “My Girl Has Gone” – Miracles
[new] “Not The Lovin’ King” – “Dino Desi & Billy”
[new] “Over And Over” – Dave Clark Five
“Positively 4Th Street” – Bob Dylan
“Rescue Me” – Fontella Bass
[new] “Round Every Corner” – Petula Clark
[new] “Run Baby Run” – Newbeats
“Say Something Funny” – Patty Duke
[new] “Something About You” – Four Tops
“The ‘in’ Crowd” – Ramsey Lewis
“Treat Her Right” – Roy Head
[new] “Turn Turn Turn” – Byrds
[new] “Where Do You Go” – Cher
[new] “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” – Johnny Rivers
“Yesterday” – Beatles
“You’re The One” – Vogues
[new] “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” – Silkie
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
Choosing what to include in this history section is often a conundrum, there’s some quite significant stuff happening historically, but to be honest I tend towards the pop-culture and tech stuff that gives more a flavour of what it was like to live at the time. One thing I definitely avoid, but always note as I scroll through a month’s history, is the ongoing number of plane crashes!
On the 8th the soap opera “Days of Our Lives” was broadcast for the first time, on NBC television in the United States. Starring Macdonald Carey as “Dr. Thomas Horton, well-known and respected cardiologist and leading citizen in the small community of Salem”, the daytime serial would continue to this day through nearly 15 thousand episodes! I used to enjoy watching it when off sick from school – not a lot of other options in New Zealand back then.
On the 13th British theatre critic Kenneth Tynan broke a taboo by saying “fuck” on a live television broadcast, touching off a debate in the British press about morality, censorship and social mores. Tynan was a guest on the late night show on BBC-3 when moderator Robert Robinson asked him whether, if theatrical censorship were abolished, he would allow a play depicting sexual intercourse. Tynan replied, “Oh, I think so, certainly. I doubt if there are very many rational people in this world to whom the word ‘fuck’ is particularly diabolical or revolting or totally forbidden.” Telephone calls to BBC tied up its switchboards, four resolutions were introduced in the House of Commons condemning Tynan and the BBC, and most of the British press responded with outrage. Still a little 1950s-esque then, 1965!
Relevant to today’s economy, on thr 17th the term “stagflation” was used for the first time, by British MP Iain Macleod, as a portmanteau of the words “stagnation” and “inflation”. Macleod was speaking to the House of Commons about the British economy, noting that “We now have the worst of both worlds— not just inflation on the one side or stagnation on the other side, but both of them together. We have a sort of ‘stagflation’ problem.”
What’d Sadie think?
Two weeks at the top for “Get Off My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones then two for “I Hear A Symphony” by the Supremes.
Loved ’em
- “I Can Never Go Home Anymore” – Shangri-Las
- “I Got You (I Feel Good)” – James Brown
- “Let Me Be” – Turtles
- “I’m A Man” – Yardbirds
- “Something About You” – Four Tops
- “Turn Turn Turn” – Byrds
It’s looking, sounding and feeling very hippy ’60s as we get into the second half of the decade. Check this video of The Byrds performing their classic song in December, 1965:
I’ll admit total ignorance to the fact that most of the lyrics are are taken almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) by the original song-writer Pete Seeger. He apparently composed “Turn! Turn! Turn!” in 1959 in response to a letter from his publisher,
“Pete,” it read, “can’t you write another song like ‘Goodnight, Irene’? I can’t sell or promote these protest songs.”
Now, there’s a protest!
Liked ’em
- “A Taste Of Honey” – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
- “England Swings” – Roger Miller
- “Hang On Sloopy” – Ramsey Lewis Trio
- “I Found A Girl” – Jan & Dean
- “I Hear A Symphony” – Supremes
- “I Will” – Dean Martin
- “Make It Easy On Yourself” – Walker Brothers
- “May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” – Jimmy Dickens
- “My Baby” – Temptations
- “My Girl Has Gone” – Miracles
- “Not The Lovin’ King” – “Dino Desi & Billy”
- “Over And Over” – Dave Clark Five
- “Round Every Corner” – Petula Clark
- “Run Baby Run” – Newbeats
- “Where Do You Go” – Cher
- “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” – Silkie
Leave ’em
- “Make The World Go Away” – Eddy Arnold
- “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” – Johnny Rivers
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.