Talkin Music with Jack – Let’s Talk about the Music of the 60’s

TALKIN MUSIC

It’s Been Awhile

By Jack Coll

May 30, 2018

Let’s Talk About the Music of the 1960’s,

And Take a Little Quiz Along the Way.

     Well it’s been a while since I wrote about music.  Music is and has been a big part of my life.  When I hear a song from my childhood, like most people it takes me back, usually stirring a pleasant memory or two.  Over the years I’ve attended hundreds of concerts, well, I don’t really know about hundreds but I’ve certainly attended more than a hundred concerts.

     I’m a teenager of the 1960’s, and I’ve enjoyed the pop tunes of the decade, everyone from the one-hit wonders to the Doors, Jimi and Janis.  So with that in mind and if you’re game, let’s run a pop-quiz on some 1960’s music lyrics, and a few entertaining tid-bits where you get to say, “Hey, I didn’t know that.”

Can you give me the next sentence of the song, the title and the artist of this song?

NUMBER ONE

Monday morning feels so bad

Ev’rybody seems to nag me

Comin’ Tuesday I feel better

Even my old man looks good

Wed’sday just don’t go

Thursday goes to slow

????????????????????????

How-bout-it, did you get it.  Check below for the answer.

Here’s another one, can you give me the next sentence to the song, the title and the artist of this song.

NUMBER TWO

A fine little girl, she waits for me,

Me catch the ship across the sea.

I sailed the ship all alone,

I never think how I’ll make it home

????????????????????????????

I’m sure you know that song!

AND NOW!  A few one hit wonders from the 1960’s:

1966 ? (Question Mark) & The Mysterians—96 Tears

1967  Bob Crew—Music To Watch Girls By  (Pepsi commercial)

1968  The Human Beinz—Nobody But Me (recorded by the Isley Brothers in 1962)

1968  The Fireballs—Bottle of Wine

1963  Randy & The Rainbows—Denise

Answer for NUMBER ONE

Monday morning feels so bad

Ev’rybody seems to nag me

Comin’ Tuesday I feel better

Even my old man looks good

Wed’sday  just don’t go

Thursday goes to slow

I’VE GOT FRIDAY ON MY MIND

     The Easybeats recorded “Friday On My Mind” in 1967, the song rose to number 16 on the Billboard pop charts.  The Easybeats were an Australian band that cut six albums, one of them was recorded at Abby Road Studios.  The Easybeats used Shel Talmy who produced albums with The Who and The Kinks.  David Bowie covered the song in in 1977 and Bruce Springsteen performed the song while on tour in Australia.

Answer for NUMBER TWO

A fine little girl, she waits for me,

Me catch the ship across the sea.

I sailed the ship all alone,

I never think how I’ll make it home

LOUIE LOUIE, OH NO NO NO,

ME GOTTA GO, YEA YEA YEA YEA

YEA BABY

LOUIE LOUIE, OH BABY, WE GOTTA GO

     Louie Louie was written by Richard Berry in 1955 and tells the story in the first person of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lady love. The Kingsmen hit version of the song was recorded in 1963 and was quickly banned throughout the country for foul lyrics.  The Kingsmen version was the subject of an FBI investigation that ended without prosecution.  Ironically, the recording notably includes the drummer yelling “F&%K” after dropping his drumstick at the 0:54 mark.  Berry sold the rights to the song to Flip Records in 1959 for $750.00.

Let’s try another two songs and see if you can give me the next line in the song along with the title and artist.

NUMBER THREE

In the chilly hours and minutes

Of uncertainty, I want to be

In the warm hold of your loving mind

To feel you all around me

And to take your hand, along the sand

???????????????????????????

SOUND FAMILIAR?

NUMBER FOUR

You never care

For secrets I can find

For you I’m just an ornament

Something for your pride

Always running, never caring

That’s the life you live

Stolen minutes of your time

Were all you had to give

And I think

It’s gonna be alright

Yeah

The worst is over now

????????????????

Before we get to the answers for number three and four, how about a couple more one hit wonders from the 1960’s.

1967  Arthur Conley—Sweet Soul Music

1965  The Beau Brummels—Laugh Laugh

1966  The Knickerbockers—Lies

1969  Crazy Elephant—Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’

1969  Smith—Baby It’s You

Answer for NUMBER THREE

In the chilly hours and minutes

Of uncertainty, I want to be

In the warm hold of your loving mind

To feel you all around me

And to take your hand, along the sand

AH, BUT I MAY AS WELL TRY AND CATCH THE WIND

     Donovan had his first Top Ten hit with “Catch The Wind” in the summer of 1965.  His full name is Donovan Phillip Leitch and he had a string of hits to follow throughout the 1960’s.  A number of his hits included:

Colour’s

Universal Soldier

Sunshine Superman

Mellow Yellow

Hurdy Gurdy Man

     Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Song Writers Hall of Fame in 2014.

Answer to NUMBER FOUR

You never care

For secrets I can find

For you I’m just an ornament

Something for your pride

Always running, never caring

That’s the life you live

Stolen minutes of your time

Were all you had to give

And I think

It’s gonna be alright

Yeah

The worst is over now

THE MORIN’ SUN IS SHINNING

LIKE A RED RUBBER BALL

     The group called the Cyrkle charted two top 40 hits with “Red Rubber Ball” and “Turn Down Day,”  both in the summer of 1966.  The group was formed in Pennsylvania while attending Lafayette College in Easton.

     The band was originally called “The Rhondells” and was discovered and managed by Brian Epstein, best known as manager of the Beatles.  Epstein’s business partner, a New York Attorney Nathan Weill heard the band in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Labor Day in 1965.  Epstein became their manager and renamed them.  John Lennon provided the unique spelling of their name, which is in reference to the circular roundabout known as Center Square, located in downtown Easton.

     In the summer of 1966 The Cyrkle opened on fourteen dates for the Beatles during their United States tour.  On May 28, 1966 The Beatles played Dodger Stadium with Bobby Herb and the Ronettes as openers along with the Cyrkle.  The Cyrkle was also the opening act for the final Beatles concert held at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.

     The song “Red Rubber Ball” was co-written by Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkle and Bruce Woodley of the Seekers.  The band disbanded in late 1967. Band members Tom Dawes and Don Dannemann went on to become professional Jingle Writers.  Dawes went on to write the famous “Plop Plop Fizz Fizz” jingle for Alka-Seltzer.  Dannemann wrote jingles for Continental Airlines and Swanson Foods.  He penned the original 7up uncola song.

     Dawes produced two albums for the band Foghat and co-wrote the song “Wild Cherry.”  The Cyrkle’s drummer Marty Fried left the music business to attend law school and graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit and now works as a bankruptcy attorney in Detroit.  The Cyrkle’s keyboard player Earle Pickens is now a surgeon in Gainesville Florida.

Once again, can you guess the next line in the song, artist and song title?

NUMBER FIVE

Some folks are born made to wave the flag

Ooo, they’re red, white and blue

And when the Band plays “Hail ToThe Chief”

Ooo, they point the cannon at you, Lord

NUMBER SIX

Waiting for the train that goes home, sweet Mary

Hoping that the train is on time

Sitting downtown in a Railway Station

WELL, can you figure that one out?

Answers after a few more mentions of 1960’s one hit wonders

1965  Mel Carter—Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me

1967  Soul Survivors—Expressway (To your heart)

1962  Gene Chandler—Duke of Earl  ( He did have several other hits but remembered for this one)

1967  The Lemon Pipers—Green Tambourine

1961  Curtis Lee—Pretty Little Angel Eyes

1966  Count  Five Psychotic Reaction (Bet you can’t sing that one)

Answer to NUMBER FIVE

Some folks are born made to wave the flag

Ooo, they’re red, white and blue

And when the Band plays “Hail To The Chief”

Ooo, they point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain’t me, it ain’t me…I ain’t no senator’s son, no

It ain’t me, it ain’t me… I ain’t no fortunate one, no

     Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival was on the 1969 album “Willy and The Poor Boys.”  The band was made up of brothers John and Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford.  This song became an anti-war movement anthem that took John about 20 minutes to write this song.

     John was thinking about David Eisenhowser, grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhowser who married Julie Nixon, the daughter of President Nixon in 1968.  John noted that you would hear about the son of this senator or that congressman who was given a deferment from the military.

     Creedence went on to record several other hit songs that included “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Down on the Corner,” among others.

Answer to NUMBER SIX

Waiting for the train that goes home, sweet Mary

Hoping that the train is on time

Sitting downtown in a Railway Station

ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE.

     The song “One Toke Over The Line” recorded by Brewer and Shipley hit number 10 on the pop charts where it stayed for nearly three months in the spring of 1971.  The song is about drugs, especially marijuana.  A “Toke” is a puff from a marijuana cigarette or pipe.

     The incident that sparked this song happened in Kansas City, Missouri.  While waiting to go onstage at a coffee house Tom Shipley reported that he was given a block of hash and told to take two hits.  He ignored the advice and instead took three hits.  Shipley stated he went out of the dressing room and ran into Mike Brewer and Shipley said, “Jesus, Michael, I’m one toke over the line.”  The rest is history.

     Several years later Donna and I saw Brewer and Shipley in concert who opened for the Beach Boys, there was a lot of toking going on, good show.

We hope you got a few answers right and we hope we stirred a pleasant memory or two.

We also hope you enjoyed “Talkin’ Music,” perhaps we’ll run another one next week, see you then.

ROCK ON!