Up-to-dates

It’s feel positively summery here this weekend as we tune our ears back to July, 1963. But first you might want to listen to June, 1963 as we were delayed in listing and posting the blog on that month with Sadie and Mum being away last weekend.

Songs of the month

“18 Yellow Roses” – Bobby Darin
[new] “Abilene” – George Hamilton Iv
“Birdland” – Chubby Checker
[new] “Blowin’ In The Wind” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
“Blue On Blue” – Bobby Vinton
[new] “Candy Girl” – Four Seasons
“Come And Get These Memories” – Martha And The Vandellas
“Da Doo Ron Ron” – Crystals
[new] “Denise” – Randy And The Raindrops
[new] “Detroit City” – Bobby Bare
[new] “Devil In Disguise” – Elvis Presley
[new] “Don’t Say Goodnight And Mean Goodbye” – Shirelles
“Easier Said Than Done” – Essex
[new] “Falling” – Roy Orbison
[new] “Fingertips” – Little Stevie Wonder
“First Quarrel” – Paul And Paula
[new] “Hairy The Harry Ape” – Ray Stevens
“Hello Stranger” – Barbara Lewis
[new] “Hopeless” – Andy Williams
“I Love You Because” – Al Martino
“It’s My Party” – Lesley Gore
[new] “Judy’s Turn To Cry” – Lesley Gore
[new] “Just One Look” – Doris Troy
“Memphis” – Lonnie Mack
[new] “More” – Kai Winding
“My Summer Love” – Ruby And The Romantics
[new] “My True Confession” – Brook Benton
[new] “No One” – Ray Charles
[new] “Not Me” – Orlons
“On Top Of Spaghetti” – Tom Glazer & Do-Re-Mi Childern’s Chorus
[new] “On Top Of Spaghetti” – Tom Glazer And The Do-Re-Mi Childern’s Chorus
“One Fine Day” – Chiffons
“Pride And Joy” – Marvin Gaye
[new] “Ring Of Fire” – Johnny Cash
“So Much In Love” – Tymes
“Still” – Bill Anderson
“String Along” – Rick Nelson
“Sukiyaki” – Kyu Sakamoto
“Surf City” – Jan And Dean
“Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer” – Nat King Cole
“Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” – Rolf Harris
[new] “Till Then” – Classics
[new] “Wipeout” – Surfaris
[new] “Without Love” – Ray Charles
“You Can’t Sit Down” – Dovells

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On July 1 “ZIP” codes were introduced in the United States, as the U.S. Department of the Post Office kicked off a massive advertising campaign that included the cartoon character “Mr. ZIP”, and the mailing that day of more than 72,000,000 postcards to every mailing address in the United States, in order to inform the addressees of their new five digit postal code.

On the 16th in Seattle, five men began a 30-day engineering test of life support systems for a crewed space station in The Boeing Company space chamber. Designed and built for NASA’s Office of Advanced Research and Technology, the chamber was first in the U.S. to include all life-support equipment for a multi-person, long-duration space mission (including environmental control, waste disposal, and crew hygiene and food techniques). In addition to the life support equipment, a number of crew tests simulated specific problems of spaceflight. Five days into the 30-day test, however, the simulated mission was halted because of a faulty reactor tank.

And on the 24th John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, hosted a group of American high school students who were part of the Boys Nation event sponsored by the American Legion, including 16-year-old Bill Clinton, who would become the 42nd U.S. President in 1993. Clinton would later use a film clip of him shaking hands with Kennedy as part of his 1992 campaign.

What’d Sadie think?

Two weeks at the top for “Easier Said Than Done” by Essex before “Surf City” by Jan And Dean takes the top for the rest of the month.

Loved ’em

Some classics this month. Like Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. I will admit I did not know that it wasn’t the original, written by Cash’s eventual second wife, June Carter Cash, and Merle Kilgore, it was originally recorded as “(Love’s) Ring of Fire” by June’s sister, Anita Carter, on her 1963 album Folk Songs Old and New.

Then there is the rush of surf songs to come out, with “Wipeout” by the Surfaris. Apparently in composing b-side for their song “Surfer Joe” one of the band members suggested introducing the song with a cracking sound, imitating a breaking surfboard, followed by a manic voice babbling, “ha ha ha ha ha, wipe out”.

• “Abilene” – George Hamilton Iv
• “Blowin’ In The Wind” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
• “Candy Girl” – Four Seasons
• “Falling” – Roy Orbison
• “Just One Look” – Doris Troy
• “Ring Of Fire” – Johnny Cash
• “Wipeout” – Surfaris

Then there is “Blowin’ in the Wind” which has been recorded by Bob Dylan in July ’62 but not released until his album “Golden Folk Hits” in May ’63. But it was this Peter,Paul and Mary that first made it famous globally. It was first covered by the Chad Mitchell Trio, but their record company delayed release of the album containing it because the song included the word death, so the trio lost out to Peter, Paul and Mary, who were represented by Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman.

Liked ’em

• “Denise” – Randy And The Raindrops
• “Detroit City” – Bobby Bare
• “Devil In Disguise” – Elvis Presley
• “Don’t Say Goodnight And Mean Goodbye” – Shirelles
• “Fingertips” – Little Stevie Wonder
• “Hopeless” – Andy Williams
• “Judy’s Turn To Cry” – Lesley Gore
• “More” – Kai Winding
• “My True Confession” – Brook Benton
• “No One” – Ray Charles
• “Not Me” – Orlons
• “Till Then” – Classics
• “Without Love” – Ray Charles

Leave ’em

• “Hairy The Harry Ape” – Ray Stevens

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

Spring has sprung down under of 2023 as we tune our ears back to June of 1963…

Songs of the month

[new] “18 Yellow Roses” – Bobby Darin
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Four Seasons
“Another Saturday Night” – Sam Cooke
[new] “Birdland” – Chubby Checker
[new] “Blue On Blue” – Bobby Vinton
“Can’t Get Used To Losing You” – Andy Williams
[new] “Come And Get These Memories” – Martha And The Vandellas
“Da Doo Ron Ron” – Crystals
[new] “Easier Said Than Done” – Essex
“El Watusi” – Ray Barretto
[new] “Every Step Of The Way” – Johnny Mathis
[new] “First Quarrel” – Paul And Paula
“Foolish Little Girl” – Shirelles
[new] “Hello Stranger” – Barbara Lewis
“Hot Pastrami” – Dartells
“I Love You Because” – Al Martino
“I Will Follow Him” – Little Peggy March
[new] “If My Pillow Could Talk” – Connie Francis
“If You Wanna Be Happy” – Jimmy Soul
“It’s My Party” – Lesley Gore
“Killer Joe” – Rocky Fellers
[new] “Let’s Go Steady Again” – Neil Sedaka
“Losing You” – Brenda Lee
[new] “Memphis” – Lonnie Mack
[new] “My Summer Love” – Ruby And The Romantics
[new] “On Top Of Spaghetti” – Tom Glazer & Do-Re-Mi Childern’s Chorus
[new] “One Fine Day” – Chiffons
“Pipeline” – Chantays
[new] “Poor Little Rich Girl” – Steve Lawrence
[new] “Pride And Joy” – Marvin Gaye
“Prisoner Of Love” – James Brown
“Puff The Magic Dragon” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
“Pushover” – Etta James
“Reverend Mr. Black” – Kingston Trio
[new] “Shut Down” – Beach Boys
[new] “So Much In Love” – Tymes
“Still” – Bill Anderson
[new] “String Along” – Rick Nelson
“Sukiyaki” – Kyu Sakamoto
[new] “Surf City” – Jan And Dean
“Surfin’ Usa” – Beach Boys
“Take These Chains From My Heart” – Ray Charles
[new] “Take These Chains” – Ray Charles
[new] “The Good Life” – Tony Bennett
“The Love Of My Man” – Theola Kilgore
“This Little Girl” – Dion
“Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer” – Nat King Cole
[new] “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” – Rolf Harris
“Two Faces Have I” – Lou Christie
[new] “Wildwood Days” – Bobby Rydell
“You Can’t Sit Down” – Dovells

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On June 3rd Pope John XXIII, 81, Italian Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church passed away. Here’s a news reel from that month…

On the 7th the Rolling Stones’ first single, “Come On”, was released in the UK, by Decca Records. The cover of “an obscure Chuck Berry ditty” would reach #21 on the British chart but not make it high enough into the Billboard US charts we mostly track here.

On June 12th The long-awaited film Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, had its worldwide premiere, in New York City. With a running time of 248 minutes, the epic historical drama lasted more than four hours. The production itself had run massively over time and budget, with plenty of other scandals like the reported affair between Taylor and Burton. The film ended up losing money because of production, distribution and marketing budgets in the equivalent of a $billion. Marketing alone was $44 million ($421 million in 2022 moneys).

The Telcan, the first system designed to be used at home for recording programs from a television set, was given its first demonstration. The system, shown in England in Nottingham, was seen to record programs onto a reel of videotape and then to play them back with “very fair video quality” on a 17-inch (430 mm) TV, could hold 30 minutes of programming, and had a suggested retail price of £60.

What’d Sadie think?

It’s two weeks at the top for “It’s My Party” by Lesley Gore before three for Kyu Sakamoto’s “Sukiyaki”. The latter was first released in Japan in 1961 but across the course of the next several years topped charts in many other counties to become one of the world’s best-selling singles of all time, selling over 13 million copies worldwide. The actual title is “Ue o Muite Arukō” (Japanese: 上を向いて歩こう, “I Look Up as I Walk”) and tells the story of a man who looks up and whistles while he is walking so that his tears will not fall, with the verses describing his memories and feelings.

The word sukiyaki doesn’t appear in the song’s lyrics, nor does it have any connection to them; it was used only because it was short, catchy, recognizably Japanese, and more familiar to English speakers as the name of a Japanese hot-pot dish with cooked beef…

Loved ’em

Setting aside the “two girls for every boy” lyric in “Surf City” by Jan and Dean it’s a fun song. I’d assumed it was the Beach Boys if i’ve heard it in the past, but not so. Except…kind of? The story, via Wikipedia,

The first draft of the song, with the working title “Goody Connie Won’t You Come Back Home”, was written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. While at a party with Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, Wilson played them “Surfin’ U.S.A.” on the piano. Berry and Torrence suggested that they do the song as a single, but Wilson refused, as “Surfin’ U.S.A.” was intended for the Beach Boys. Wilson then suggested that the duo record “Surf City” instead, demoing the opening, verse, and chorus. Wilson had lost interest in the song and believed he was never going to complete it himself.

And despite the actual Beach Boys song,”Surfin’ USA” being in the charts, “Surf City” was the first song to reach no. 1 in the usa.

• “Pride And Joy” – Marvin Gaye
• “Shut Down” – Beach Boys
• “Surf City” – Jan And Dean
• “Take These Chains” – Ray Charles

Liked ’em

• “18 Yellow Roses” – Bobby Darin
• “Birdland” – Chubby Checker
• “Blue On Blue” – Bobby Vinton
• “Come And Get These Memories” – Martha And The Vandellas
• “Easier Said Than Done” – Essex
• “First Quarrel” – Paul And Paula
• “Hello Stranger” – Barbara Lewis
• “If My Pillow Could Talk” – Connie Francis
• “Memphis” – Lonnie Mack
• “My Summer Love” – Ruby And The Romantics
• “On Top Of Spaghetti” – Tom Glazer & Do-Re-Mi Childern’s Chorus
• “One Fine Day” – Chiffons
• “Poor Little Rich Girl” – Steve Lawrence
• “So Much In Love” – Tymes
• “String Along” – Rick Nelson
• “The Good Life” – Tony Bennett
• “Wildwood Days” – Bobby Rydell

Leave ’em

• “Every Step Of The Way” – Johnny Mathis
• “Let’s Go Steady Again” – Neil Sedaka

“Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” by Rolf Harris is a difficult one to rate. Sonically its a very catchy-fun tune, and it had enormous presence in popculture through several decades. But the last verse is outright racist and then there are those revelations about Harris’ conduct. So… we’ll leave it down here. And take the edge off with one of the least controversial aspect of the song, “Harris originally offered four unknown Australian backing musicians 10% of the royalties for the song in 1960, but they decided to take a recording fee of £28 among them because they thought the song would be a flop.”. Oops!

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It’s 57 years and 3 months before Sadie is born and 13 years and 9 months before Thomas is… yep, we’re listening to the tunes of May, 1963 this week.

Songs of the month

[new] “Ain’t That A Shame” – Four Seasons
[new] “Another Saturday Night” – Sam Cooke
“Baby Workout” – Jackie Wilson
“Can’t Get Used To Losing You” – Andy Williams
“Charms” – Bobby Vee
[new] “Da Doo Ron Ron” – Crystals
[new] “Days Of Wine And Roses” – Andy Williams
“Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad” – Cookies
[new] “El Watusi” – Ray Barretto
“Foolish Little Girl” – Shirelles
“He’s So Fine” – Chiffons
[new] “Hot Pastrami” – Dartells
[new] “I Love You Because” – Al Martino
“I Will Follow Him” – Little Peggy March
“If You Wanna Be Happy” – Jimmy Soul
[new] “It’s My Party” – Lesley Gore
[new] “Killer Joe” – Rocky Fellers
[new] “Linda” – Jan And Dean
[new] “Little Band Of Gold” – James Gilreath
“Losing You” – Brenda Lee
“Mecca” – Gene Pitney
“On Broadway” – Drifters
“Over The Mountain” – Bobby Vinton
“Pipeline” – Chantays
[new] “Prisoner Of Love” – James Brown
“Puff The Magic Dragon” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
[new] “Pushover” – Etta James
“Reverend Mr. Black” – Kingston Trio
[new] “She’s So Fine” – Chiffons
“South Street” – Orlons
[new] “Still” – Bill Anderson
[new] “Sukiyaki” – Kyu Sakamoto
“Surfin’ Usa” – Beach Boys
“Take These Chains From My Heart” – Ray Charles
“The End Of The World” – Skeeter Davis
[new] “The Love Of My Man” – Theola Kilgore
[new] “This Little Girl” – Dion
[new] “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer” – Nat King Cole
“Tom Cat” – Rooftop Singers
[new] “Two Faces Have I” – Lou Christie
“Watermelon Man” – Mongo Santamaria
[new] “You Can’t Sit Down” – Dovells
“Young And In Love” – Dick And Deedee
“Young Lovers” – Paul And Paula

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On may 5th, after 18 years of denial, the Soviet Union confirmed that it had recovered and identified the burned remains of Adolf Hitler on April 30, 1945. Marshal Vasily Sokolovsky, the Chief of Operations during the Battle of Berlin, publicly disclosed the details to American researcher Cornelius Ryan and allowed him unprecedented access to classified documents, and allowed him and English historian John Erickson to interview fifty top-ranking officials. Previously, the official Soviet position had been that of the Soviet commander, Georgy Zhukov, who had said, “We have found no body definitely identified as Hitler’s. For all we know, he may be in Spain or Argentina.”

On the 10th author Maurice Sendak, working on his first book for children, made the decision to abandon his original title, “Where the Wild Horses Are”, after concluding that horses were too difficult to draw, and changed the characters in the book to friendly monsters. The book, “Where the Wild Things Are”, would become a Caldecott Medal winning bestseller and launch Sendak’s career…

Then on May 20th The Coca-Cola Company announced its first diet drink, “TaB cola”, with “one calorie per six-ounce serving” made with saccharin instead of sugar. I can’t find the launch advert for this but a Coke ad from 1963 below is gold…

What’d Sadie think?

Two weeks apiece for “I Will Follow Him” by Little Peggy March and then “If You Wanna Be Happy” by Jimmy Soul at the top of the charts.

Loved ’em

• “Da Doo Ron Ron” – Crystals
• “Ain’t That A Shame” – Four Seasons
• “Mecca” – Gene Pitney
• “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer” – Nat King Cole

Liked ’em

• “Days Of Wine And Roses” – Andy Williams
• “El Watusi” – Ray Barretto
• “Hot Pastrami” – Dartells
• “I Love You Because” – Al Martino
• “It’s My Party” – Lesley Gore
• “Killer Joe” – Rocky Fellers
• “Little Band Of Gold” – James Gilreath
• “Prisoner Of Love” – James Brown
• “Pushover” – Etta James
• “Sukiyaki” – Kyu Sakamoto
• “The Love Of My Man” – Theola Kilgore
• “This Little Girl” – Dion
• “Two Faces Have I” – Lou Christie
• “You Can’t Sit Down” – Dovells

Leave ’em

• “Still” – Bill Anderson

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It’s nearing Q4 2023 as we head back to surf the sounds of April, 1963…

Songs of the month

“All I Have To Do Is Dream” – Richard Chamberlain
“Baby Workout” – Jackie Wilson
“Blame It On The Bossa Nova” – Eydie Gorme
[new] “Can’t Get Used To Losing You” – Andy Williams
[new] “Charms” – Bobby Vee
“Do The Bird” – Dee Dee Sharp
[new] “Don’t Be Afraid Little Darlin'” – Steve Lawrence
[new] “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad” – Cookies
“Don’t Set Me Free” – Ray Charles
[new] “Follow The Boys” – Connie Francis
[new] “Foolish Little Girl” – Shirelles
“He’s So Fine” – Chiffons
“Hey Paula” – Paul And Paula
[new] “I Got What I Wanted” – Brook Benton
“I Wanna Be Around” – Tony Bennett
[new] “I Will Follow Him” – Little Peggy March
[new] “If You Wanna Be Happy” – Jimmy Soul
“In Dreams” – Roy Orbison
“Laughing Boy” – Mary Wells
“Let’s Limbo Some More” – Chubby Checker
[new] “Losing You” – Brenda Lee
[new] “Mecca” – Gene Pitney
[new] “Mr. Bass Man” – Johnny Cymbal
[new] “On Broadway” – Drifters
“One Broken Heart For Sale” – Elvis Presley
“Our Day Will Come” – Ruby And The Romantics
“Our Winter Love” – Bill Pursell
[new] “Out Of My Mind” – Johnny Tillotson
[new] “Over The Mountain” – Bobby Vinton
[new] “Pipeline” – Chantays
[new] “Puff The Magic Dragon” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
[new] “Reverend Mr. Black” – Kingston Trio
“Rhythm Of The Rain” – Cascades
“Ruby Baby” – Dion
[new] “Sandy” – Dion
“South Street” – Orlons
[new] “Surfin’ Usa” – Beach Boys
[new] “Take These Chains From My Heart” – Ray Charles
“The End Of The World” – Skeeter Davis
[new] “Tom Cat” – Rooftop Singers
“Twenty Miles” – Chubby Checker
“Walk Like A Man” – Four Seasons
[new] “Watermelon Man” – Mongo Santamaria
“What Will Mary Say” – Johnny Mathis
“Wild Weekend” – Rebels
[new] “You’re The Reason I’m Livin'” – Bobby Darin
“You’re The Reason I’m Living” – Bobby Darin
[new] “Young And In Love” – Dick And Deedee
[new] “Young Lovers” – Paul And Paula

[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 4th The Beatles performed at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, UK, for a fee of £100, having accepted a personal request from schoolboy David Moores, a fellow Liverpudlian (and later chairman of Liverpool F.C.)

The next day the Soviet Union accepted an American proposal to establish a Moscow–Washington hotline so that the leaders of the two nations could communicate directly with each other in order to avoid war. Originally, the hot line was a teletype system rather than a direct voice line.

Then on the 8th at the 35th Academy Awards ceremony, Lawrence of Arabia won the Best Picture Oscar. Gregory Peck won Best Actor for To Kill a Mockingbird, while Anne Bancroft won Best Actress for portraying Helen Keller’s teacher in The Miracle Worker.

What’d Sadie think?

3 weeks at the top for “He’s So Fine” by the Chiffons before newcomer “I Will Follow Him” by Little Peggy March rounds out the month.

Loved ’em

Our favourite song from April, 1963… wasn’t actually meant to be on our charts. Due to a error in the script that builds our youtube music playlists – “I Wish I Were a Princess” by (Little) Peggy March appeared. Unlike “I Will Follow Him” which peaked at number 1, this tune by the 15-year old singer, only rose as high as number 32. (Our cut-off for inclusion is number 30 on the charts) But Sadie absolutely loved the tune and it has been on repeat all weekend back here in 2023. So happy error!

• “Surfin’ Usa” – Beach Boys
• “Can’t Get Used To Losing You” – Andy Williams
• “Foolish Little Girl” – Shirelles
• “Puff The Magic Dragon” – “Peter Paul And Mary”
• “I Will Follow Him” – Little Peggy March
• “If You Wanna Be Happy” – Jimmy Soul
• “Losing You” – Brenda Lee
• “On Broadway” – Drifters
• “Take These Chains From My Heart” – Ray Charles

Liked ’em

• “Charms” – Bobby Vee
• “Don’t Be Afraid Little Darlin'” – Steve Lawrence
• “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad” – Cookies
• “Follow The Boys” – Connie Francis
• “I Got What I Wanted” – Brook Benton
• “Mecca” – Gene Pitney
• “Mr. Bass Man” – Johnny Cymbal
• “Out Of My Mind” – Johnny Tillotson
• “Over The Mountain” – Bobby Vinton
• “Pipeline” – Chantays
• “Sandy” – Dion
• “Tom Cat” – Rooftop Singers
• “Watermelon Man” – Mongo Santamaria
• “You’re The Reason I’m Livin'” – Bobby Darin
• “Young Lovers” – Paul And Paula

Leave ’em

• “Reverend Mr. Black” – Kingston Trio
• “Young And In Love” – Dick And Deedee

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

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?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGndepUSJ8

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.

It’s 57 years and 6 months before Sadie is born and exactly 14 years before Thomas is. How are we already getting so close to my own birth? Either time is passing at 4x speed or I’m getting old…but both? 😉 Let’s hear what February, 1963 sounds like!

Songs of the month

[new] “Alice In Wonderland” – Neil Sedaka
[new] “Blame It On The Bossa Nova” – Eydie Gorme
[new] “Call On Me” – Bobby Bland
[new] “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” – Vince Guaraldi Trio
“Cinnamon Cinder” – Pastel Six
“Don’t Make Me Over” – Dionne Warwick
“Everybody Loves A Lover” – Shirelles
[new] “Fly Me To The Moon” – Joe Harnell Orchestra
“From A Jack To A King” – Ned Miller
“Go Away Little Girl” – Steve Lawrence
“Half Heaven Half Heartache” – Gene Pitney
[new] “He’s Sure The Boy I Love” – Crystals
“Hey Paula” – Paul And Paula
“Hotel Happiness” – Brook Benton
“I Saw Linda Yesterday” – Dickey Lee
“I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter” – Connie Francis
[new] “In Dreams” – Roy Orbison
“It’s Up To You” – Rick Nelson
“Limbo Rock” – Chubby Checker
“Little Town Flirt” – Del Shannon
“Loop De Loop” – Johnny Thunder
[new] “Love Makes The World Go ’round” – Paul Anka
[new] “Mama Didn’t Lie” – Jan Bradley
“My Colouring Book” – Kitty Kallen
“My Colouring Book” – Sandy Stewart
“My Dad” – Paul Petersen
[new] “One Broken Heart For Sale” – Elvis Presley
[new] “Our Day Will Come” – Ruby And The Romantics
[new] “Our Winter Love” – Bill Pursell
[new] “Proud” – Johnny Crawford
[new] “Rhythm Of The Rain” – Cascades
[new] “Ruby Baby” – Dion
[new] “Send Me Some Lovin'” – Sam Cooke
“Tell Him” – Exciters
“Telstar” – Tornados
[new] “The End Of The World” – Skeeter Davis
[new] “The Gypsy Cried” – Lou Christie
“The Night Has A Thousand Eyes” – Bobby Vee
“Two Lovers” – Mary Wells
“Up On The Roof” – Drifters
[new] “Walk Like A Man” – Four Seasons
“Walk Right In” – Rooftop Singers
[new] “What Will Mary Say” – Johnny Mathis
[new] “Wild Weekend” – Rebels
[new] “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 the 19th Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” was published, a landmark event in the Feminist Movement in the United States and globally. An interview with her from 1964 below.

Then on the 22nd another iconic female character came into the public consciousness with the birth of Pebbles Flintstones in an episode of the eponymous cartoon called “The Blessed Event”.

Then on the 28th american comedian Lenny Bruce was convicted by a jury in a Chicago municipal court on charges of obscenity arising from his profanity-laced performance at the Gate of Horn nightclub on December 5. Fuck that.

What’d Sadie think?

A week at the top spot for “Walk Right In” by the Rooftop Singers before its three in pole position for Paul and Paula with “Hey Paula”.

Loved ’em

A truly classic Roy Orbison song in the charts this month, “In Dreams”. To quote wikipedia, “The song has a unique structure in seven musical movements in which Orbison sings through two octaves, beyond the range of most rock and roll singers.”.

Perhaps I’m more familiar with it from it’s 1980’s revival, “It gained notability again in 1987 when Orbison released a re-recorded anthology of his greatest hits; the year prior David Lynch had used the song provocatively in his neo-noir Blue Velvet, helping to revive Orbison’s career.”

• “In Dreams” – Roy Orbison
• “Mama Didn’t Lie” – Jan Bradley
• “Ruby Baby” – Dion
• “The End Of The World” – Skeeter Davis
• “Walk Like A Man” – Four Seasons
• “Wild Weekend” – Rebels

Liked ’em

• “Alice In Wonderland” – Neil Sedaka
• “Blame It On The Bossa Nova” – Eydie Gorme
• “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” – Vince Guaraldi Trio
• “Fly Me To The Moon” – Joe Harnell Orchestra
• “He’s Sure The Boy I Love” – Crystals
• “Love Makes The World Go ’round” – Paul Anka
• “One Broken Heart For Sale” – Elvis Presley
• “Our Winter Love” – Bill Pursell
• “Proud” – Johnny Crawford
• “Rhythm Of The Rain” – Cascades
• “Send Me Some Lovin'” – Sam Cooke
• “The Gypsy Cried” – Lou Christie
• “Our Day Will Come” – Ruby And The Romantics

Leave ’em

• “What Will Mary Say” – Johnny Mathis
• “You’re The Reason I’m Living” – Bobby Darin

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.