It’s getting sweltering hot in December of 2024, so let’s go listen to the cool sounds of July, 1968…
Songs of the month
“Angel Of The Morning” – Merrilee Rush
[new] “Autumn Of My Life” – Bobby Goldsboro
“Choo Choo Train” – Box Tops
[new] “Choo Choo” – Box Tops
[new] “Classical Gas” – Mason Williams
“D.W. Washburn” – Monkees
[new] “Don’t Take It So Hard” – Paul Revere And The Raiders
[new] “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” – Mama Cass
[new] “Face It Girl It’s Over” – Nancy Wilson
[new] “Grazin’ In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
“Grazing In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
[new] “Hello I Love You” – Doors
[new] “Here Comes The Judge” – Pigmeat Markham
“Here Comes The Judge” – Shorty Long
“How’d We Ever Get This Way” – Andy Kim
[new] “Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Donovan
“I Love You” – People
[new] “I’m A Midnight Mover” – Wilson Pickett
“Indian Lake” – Cowsills
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – Rolling Stones
“Lady Willpower” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
“Licking Stick” – James Brown
“Macarthur Park” – Richard Harris
“Mony Mony” – Tommy James And The Shondells
[new] “Mrs Robinson” – Simon And Garfunkel
“Mrs. Robinson” – Simon And Garfunkel
“Never Give You Up” – Jerry Butler
[new] “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” – Status Quo
“Reach Out Of The Darkness” – Friend And A Lover
“She’s A Heartbreaker” – Gene Pitney
[new] “Sky Pilot” – Eric Burdon And The Animals
[new] “Some Things You Never Get Used To” – Diana Ross And The Supremes
[new] “Stay In My Corner” – Dells
“Stoned Soul Picnic” – 5Th Dimension
[new] “Sunshine Of Your Love” – Cream
“The Good The Bad And The Ugly” – Hugo Montenegro
“The Horse” – Cliff Nobles And Co.
“The Look Of Love” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“Think” – Aretha Franklin
“This Guy’s In Love With You” – Herb Alpert
[new] “Tip-Toe Through The Tulips” – Tiny Tim
[new] “Turn Around Look At Me” – Vogues
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Joe Simon
“Yummy Yummy Yummy” – Ohio Express
[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 “Yellow Submarine”, a psychedelic animated film that was inspired by a 1966 song of the same name, premiered at the London Pavilion. The Beatles had a cameo appearance, but their animated characters were voiced by other actors (John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Peter Batten and Paul Angelis). Most critics enjoyed the animation style, although TIME magazine would later describe the film as “too square for hippies and too hip for squares.”
Then the next day, Intel which would become one of the world’s leading computer semiconductor manufacturing companies, was founded by two engineers who had worked at Fairchild Semiconductor, Robert Noyce and Gordon E. Moore in Mountain View, California. They initially called the company and given the name “N M Electronics, Inc.”, then soon changed it to “Intelcorporation” before settling on a shorter and more memorable name, Intel, derived from a combination of the words integrated and electronics and suggestive of the word “intelligence”.
Then on the last day of the month, the popular British TV situation comedy Dad’s Army, based on life in World War II for members of the Local Defence Volunteers (the Home Guard), was launched on BBC1 as a six-part series. It would prove so successful that it would run for nine years, with 80 episodes. Some fond childhood memories watching this one in the ’80s!
What’d Sadie think?
It’s two weeks at the top for “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert then two for “Grazing In The Grass” by Hugh Masekela.
This week Sadie was heard to remark, “What is this? this is dope!” about Pigmeat Markham’s “Here comes the judge” (indeed it is!) and asked for “Hello I Love You” by Doors to be “put on the list”.
The former sounds every bit like a piece of early hiphop and i’m surprised I hadn’t come across it before. Apparently it’s based on Markham’s skit from a TV sketch show, you can watch a small piece here.
It’s also not only song by that name on the chart, as Shorty Long also have a song with that title, apparently inspired by the show but in quite a different style.
Loved ’em
- “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” – Mama Cass
- “Hello I Love You” – Doors
- “Here Comes The Judge” – Pigmeat Markham
- “Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Donovan
- “Mrs Robinson” – Simon And Garfunkel
- “Some Things You Never Get Used To” – Diana Ross And The Supremes
- “Sunshine Of Your Love” – Cream
Liked ’em
- “Autumn Of My Life” – Bobby Goldsboro
- “Choo Choo” – Box Tops
- “Don’t Take It So Hard” – Paul Revere And The Raiders
- “Face It Girl It’s Over” – Nancy Wilson
- “Grazin’ In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
- “I’m A Midnight Mover” – Wilson Pickett
- “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” – Status Quo
- “Sky Pilot” – Eric Burdon And The Animals
- “Stay In My Corner” – Dells
- “Turn Around Look At Me” – Vogues
Leave ’em
- “Classical Gas” – Mason Williams
- “Tip-Toe Through The Tulips” – Tiny Tim
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.