Putting a cap on 1962.
20 - "Wolverton Mountain," Claude King
Louisianan King had 20 Top 40 country hits, and his only #1 on that chart was also his one major pop hit. It's the tale of a man who is determined to marry a woman whose (lips are sweeter than honey) who lives on a mountain with her father. Unfortunately, that father, a man named Clifton Clowers, is "handy with a gun and a knife," and he knows when a stranger is approaching his property because "the bears and the birds" tell him. In spite of this, the song's narrator is determined to climb that mountain and risk his life for love. Interestingly enough, there was a real Clifton Clowers who lived on a mountain in Arkansas, and his nephew co-wrote this song with King to immortalize him. I'm not sure if he had a daughter, or how he parented her if he did. But I do know that Claude King just passed away in March at the age of 90. R.I.P., you romantic mountaineer you.
19 - "Don't Play That Song (You Lied) Ben E. King
The ex-Drifter picked up another of his early-60s hits with this soulful plea for someone to stop playing the tune that reminds him of an ex-lovers deception. The arrangement is somewhat similar to "Stand By Me," but that doesn't detract from it. Aretha Franklin did a cover of this that we encountered in 1970. I'm not going to choose between the two versions.
18 - "Sharing You," Bobby Vee
Born Robert Velline in Fargo, North Dakota, Vee was only 15 when he and a band he quickly cobbled together were asked to fill in for Buddy Holly at the show in Minnesota that he, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper were flying to when their plane crashed. After getting a good reception at that show, Vee got a record deal, and soon afterward began a run of hits that peaked with the 1961 #1 "Take Good Care of My Baby." On this song, Vee gives a typically teen idolly performance on a song about how he's with a girl he knows is two-timing him, but he just can't let her go. It's okay, but there are other songs of his that I know that are better. "Rubber Ball," for instance.
17 - "A Steel Guitar and a Glass of Wine," Paul Anka
The Anka-Man was nearing the end of his first run of hits when he charted with this song about that time-honored method of getting over heartbreak: drinking alcohol and listening to sad music. This was better than I expected. The arrangement was pretty peppy, but I still felt the pain. Good stuff.
16 - "Roses are Red (My Love)," Bobby Vinton
The son of a Pittsburgh bandleader, Vinton signed a record deal in 1960 after completing a stint in the army. But his early records didn't sell, and the label was close to dropping him when he recorded a song he found on the company's reject pile about a guy's unsuccessful attempts to win a girl with a version of a cliched poem that apparently dates back to the 16th Century. He took the promotion of the single into his own hands by arranging for the record to be delivered, along with a dozen roses, to hundreds of radio disc jockeys. The result was a song that topped the charts for four weeks and launched The Polish Prince's career. It's not the greatest song, but Bobby sells it, particularly the melancholy on the last verse when he meets his old loves young daughter and tells her mother that boys will be writing love poems in her yearbook someday. Sentimental, but just shy of sappy.
15 - "Follow That Dream," Elvis Presley
And here we start getting into the heart of Elvis' Hollywood period, when he was starring in two to three movies a year and most of his recordings were soundtracks to those films. This fun, short rockabilly shuffle about positivity came from a movie where Elvis fights for his family's right to squat on a piece of land near a highway. Yeah, doesn't sound great to me either. Haven't seen it, don't plan to. But the song's all right.
14 - "Lovers Who Wander," Dion
Bronx native Dion DiMucci first found stardom in the 50s with the doo-wop group The Belmonts, then had even more success after going solo in 1961. He'd go to #1 with "Runaround Sue," and picked up seven more Top Tens, including this song that sounds a lot like that record. Lyrically, this is more along the lines of "Heartbreak Hotel," except the place Dion ends up seems a lot happier. Okay, but you're better off just listening to "Runaround Sue."
13 - "The One Who Really Loves You," Mary Wells
In June of 1961, Wells became the first female solo singer on Motown Records to hit the Pop Top 40 with a song called "I Don't Want to Take a Chance." A year later, she scored her first Top Ten with this single, a calypso-flavored warning to a man not to pay attention to other girls (whom she mentions by name as Susie, Jenny, Millie, and "Silly Lilly"), who are "filling (his) head with jive," and focus all his attention on her, the one who truly cares for him. Honestly, I don't really know any other of Wells' hits besides "My Guy," but this makes me feel like her other songs would be well worth investigating.
12 - "Al Di La," Emilio Pericoli
Italian singer Pericoli had his only American hit with this romantic ballad in his native language, whose title translates to "Beyond." It became popular in America after Pericoli performed it in a movie called Rome Adventure. Nothing special to these ears, but the guy seems like a good singer.
11 - "Snap Your Fingers," Joe Henderson
Henderson, from Gary, Indiana (a town that would become famous in the music world a few years later for a certain family act), had mainly recorded gospel music before hitting the pop Top Ten with this slow groover on which he pledges that he will be there for the woman he loves whenever she gives him the slightest indication that he's welcome. Henderson's voice is deep, cool and smooth, and the jazzy arrangement is a winner. Sadly, he'd only have a couple more minor hits before dying of a heart attack at the very young age of 27. I could have used a few more decades of that voice.
It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's the Top Ten.
10 - " Second Hand Love," Connie Francis
Connie's penultimate pop Top Ten was this country ballad about how she's not the preferred choice of her beloved. More crying material, heartbrokenly delivered. At least she got happier on her final Top Ten, "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N."
9 - "That's Old Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be)," The Everly Brothers
Phil and Don's final Top Ten about romancing a girl in a more traditional way "in a modern changing world." This inclueds holding hands at the movies, carving initials in a tree, and sipping ice cream sodas while listening to the jukebox. Old-fashioned, yes, but the usual snappy harmonies and catchy melody from the boys. Dig it.
8 - "Cindy's Birthday," Johnny Crawford
L.A. kid Crawford's showbiz career began in 1955, at the age of 9, when he was the one of the original Mouseketeers on TV's Mickey Mouse Club. Three years later, after being downsized, he moved into the role of Chuck Connors' son on the Western series The Rifleman. Late in that show's run, he began a recording career that spawned four hits, the biggest of which being the first, this teenybopper story about how he has no time for TV, dancing, or even school, because he's busy writing a song for this Cindy on her special day. If you want to imagine what a Justin Bieber song would sound like if he were around 50 years ago, take a listen to this.
7 - "Playboy," The Marvelettes
Six months after giving Motown its first pop #1 with "Please Mr. Postman," these ladies had their second Top Ten with this number about "Runaround Sue"'s male equivalent. There's a cool rasp to singer Gladys Horton's voice on this. A forgotten Motown gem.
6 - "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance," Gene Pitney
Connecticut native Pitney scored his first Top Ten with this tale of a timid, bookish sort who bests a notorious outlaw in a gunfight. It was inspired by, but not used in, a hit Western that starred John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Lee Marvin. Pitney uses his voice to convey the drama expertly, and I like the violin parts that I can only describe as "Country and Middle Eastern." A clear classic.
5 - "Stranger On the Shore," Mr. Acker Bilk
Born in 1929 with the given name Bernard, Bilk had worked in a cigarette factory, served with the British military in the Middle East, and became a blacksmith before he began to start having success playing the clarinet. In 1961, he wrote and recorded an instrumental called "Jenny," named after his newborn daughter, but after it was retitled and used as the theme for a BBC TV show, it became a massive U.K. hit, and eventually crossed the Atlantic to become the first U.S. charttopper by a British artist in ten years. It's a sleepy tune, evocative of lazy summer nights. I'm sure you've all heard it somewhere sometime. It just...exists. And as you may know, it would take much less than ten years for Britain to have their next American #1.
4 - "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'," Johnny Tillotson
Tillotson, a Floridian who had broken through the previous year with the #2 hit "Poetry in Motion," turned the rare trick of cracking the Top Ten on the pop, country and R&B charts with the same record, this self-penned account of heartbreak. A good weepie, but one that would probably be more effective in the hands of a better singer.
3 - "Palisades Park," Freddy Cannon
Frederick Picarello, Jr. of Lynn, Massachussetts, made his first minor impression on the charts at age 17 when he played guitar on the 1956 #24 pop hit "Ka-Ding-Dong" by The G-Clefs. Three years later, he scored two Top Tens of his own with "Tallahassie Lassie" and "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans." He releases several singles after that, but he wouldn't return to the Top Ten for another three years, when he hit it big again with this song whose sound and lyrics are evocative of an old-school amusement park, what with references to Ferris wheels and Tunnels of Love, as well as a rollercoaster sound effect and an organ riff that brings to mind a stroll through the midway. A cool little oldie, written by none other than game show mastermind/alleged CIA assassin Chuck Barris. I would never dream of gonging this.
2 - "The Stripper," David Rose and His Orchestra
London-born, Chicago-raised composer and bandleader Rose wrote music for radio and television for many years, and had brief marriages to actresses Martha Raye and Judy Garland. But he's probably best known for this instrumental that has accompanied many a bump-and-grind routine since an MGM Records office boy found it among a bunch of unreleased Rose tapes and decided to use it as the B-side for a son called "Ebb Tide." As sometimes happens, the B-side became the hit, and it went to #1. It's a sultry, almost seedy jazz number, and one could certainly picture imagining women removing clothing to its strains even without knowing the title. It's become ingrained in pop culture, but still, the fact that a song with that title was so big back then amazes me, which is why I'm giving it this week's Uneasy Rider.
And the toppermost of the poppermost 51 years ago was...
1 - "I Can't Stop Loving You," Ray Charles
The late legend had his final pop Number One with this cover of a 1958 Don Gibson hit, taken from Ray's smash LP Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. His amazing, heartbreaking performance bridged the gap between C&W and R&B, and considering the tone of the times, this made a statement, intentional or not. The blues are universal, and great music is great music.
Three down, seven to go. See you next time in 1963.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
June 23, 1962 Part One
So here we are in June of 1962. During this month, Brazil won the World Cup, the French Foreign Legion left Algeria, and what may have been the only successful escape in the history of the Alcatraz Federal Penetentiary took place (the three men escaped the prison building and then left the island on a makeshift raft, but it is unclear whether or not they successfully crossed San Franciso Bay to the mainland). But if those guys did survive and eventually acquired a radio, these are the songs they may have heard.
40 - "Mashed Potato Time," Dee Dee Sharp
This Philadelphian, born Dione LaRue, scored a handful of hits in the early 60s, all relating to dance crazes like the one named after a popular tuber-based side dish. On this fun soul number, Sharp claims that the step was invented by "a guy named Sloppy Joe," and suggests three songs suitable for doing it to: The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," The Marvelettes "Please Mr. Postman," and Gary U.S. Bonds' "Dear Lady Twist." And no, I've never tried to do this dance. Can't rule out doing so someday, though.
39 - "Bristol Twistin' Annie," The Dovells
More Philly dancing, this from a group that had scored a hit the previous song about a dance popular in a certain City of Brotherly Love suburb, the "Bristol Stomp." On their third Top 40 hit, they return to Bristol to tell the tale of Annie, who despite having "the shape of Rin Tin Tin," "a face like my Uncle Ben," "hips like Big Bad John," and "legs like Short Sad Sam," is quite a popular girl when she's doing The Twist. An odd little token of the time.
38 - "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," The BlueBelles (The Starlets)
The credit on this song may be confusing, but there's a reason. See, there was a Chicago girl group called The Starlets, and in 1961, they recorded a song for a local label called "Better Tell Him No." Later that year, after the group performed a show in Philadelphia, the owner of a label there gave them the chance to record a couple of songs, including this R&B metaphor for giving up on romance. "Better Tell Him No," eventually cracked the Top 40 for the Chicago label, so when the Philadelphia label wanted to release their own Starlets recordings, they decided the safest course of action would be to credit it to one of their own groups, The BlueBelles. So the BlueBelles were credited with the hit, which reached #15. In the two years that followed, the group performed on two minor Top 40 hits, but they would have their biggest hit in 1975 with a little song called "Lady Marmalade" under the name Labelle. Another strange pop story.
37 - "The Crowd," Roy Orbison
The golden-throated Texan had one of his lower-charting, but certainly not lesser, hits with another mini pop-opera about how hanging out with his social peers just isn't the same when one particular special someone isn't among them. The man knew how to give voice to heartbroken longing.
36 - "Where Are You," Dinah Washington
Born Ruth Lee Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Washington scored numerous R&B hits throughout the 40s and 50s, and began her best run on the pop charts with the 1959 Top Ten "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." Her entry here is a version of a song from a 1937 movie musical called Top of The Town. It's not much of a song, but Dinah's cool, jazzy take elevates it. Sadly, it would be her last Top 40, as she would die of a drug overdose in 1963, at age 39.
35 - "Twistin' Matilda," Jimmy Soul
Soul, born James McCleese, had his first hit with this song that isn't some sort of dance-craze take on a certain Australian folk song, but rather a R&B number about how the title lady stole all his money and moved to Las Vegas. There's a bit of a Carribbean flavor to both the arrangement and Soul's vocals, and that would come more to the fore on his next hit, the #1 smash "If You Wanna Be Happy." After that, however, he failed to follow up with more hits, and frustrated by this, he joined the Army. And no, I have no idea if he ever married, and I'm not even going to speculate on his hypothetical wife's appearance.
34 - "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" Dee Dee Sharp
Sharp managed to score two hits singing about the same dance. On this one, she tells her dancing partner that she wants more from their relationship than just having fun on the floor. Romance, apparently, is the "gravy" that will bond them as a couple. It shouldn't make sense, but it does. But even if it didn't, who cares?
33 - "Theme from Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight)," Richard Chamberlain
In the early 60s, there were not one but two popular TV series about young, idealistic medical professionals. One of them was Dr. Kildare, whose title character was played by Chamberlain, whose good looks made him somewhat of a teen idol. And as he could sing, he was given the chance to record this ballad about wishing for love, which not coincedentally was set to the tune of the theme to his TV show. Chamberlain sings all right, but it's just bland, square pop. He would have only one other Top 40 hit, a cover of "Love Me Tender." I am genuinely afraid to hear that one. I'll skip it.
32 - "Soldier Boy," The Shirelles
The second and last #1 for these ladies was this pledge of fidelity to a young military man, no matter how long he's shipped out for. Simple theme, executed perfectly. And love that twangy guitar solo.
31 - "I'll Never Dance Again," Bobby Rydell
More Philadelphia representation, this time from Rydell, showing up here for the third year in a row with this vaguely tango-ish declaration not to cut a rug with anyone but his beloved. Decent enough teen heartthrob fodder.
30 - "The Wah-Watusi," The Orlons
Guess where this three-woman, one-man vocal combo hailed from? Why Philadelphia, of course. And guess what this song's about? You'd never believe it, but it's about a dance craze that's "made for romance" and is superior to The Twist, The Fly, and The Mashed Potato. John Travolta and Uma Thurman did it to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell." This song's all right too. But clearly, there are some recurring themes this week.
29 - "Having a Party," Sam Cooke
The Mississippi-born, Chicago-raised soul legend broke through in 1957 with the #1 "You Send Me." He never topped the pop chart after that, but he did pick up 28 more Top 40s. including this celebration of a bash that featured Coke, popcorn, and dancing to good tunes on the radio. 51 years in the future, Sam made me want to join him at this party, which is more than I can say for that cover version Rod Stewart did. Another gem from a true icon who would unfortunately be shot to death two years later.
28 - "Theme from Ben Casey," Valjean
Besides Dr. Kildare, the other big prime time hospital drama in 1962 followed the exploits of a heroic young surgeon. Unlike Richard Chamberlain, however, series star Vince Edwards' singing career didn't amount to anything (though he did try), so the only hit associated with the show was an instrumental version of the theme performed by Oklahoma pianist Valjean Johns (his real name, apparently). And in case you were wondering, Edwards and Chamberlain didn't like each other, and apparently had a nasty confrontation in New York's Central Park in 1964. I think that's kind of cool, really. And in the fight between singles spawned by their shows, Chamberlain's may have charted higher, but I like this one better.
27 - "So This is Love," The Castells
The second of two mid-level Top 40 hits by this California vocal quartet was this square-ass love song. They sound like a tamer version of The Association, and as you may know, I quite dislike The Association. This must be the kind of record America's teenagers quickly put on the turntable to replace a more "objectionable" song just as their parents were coming home from bridge club or wherever parents went back then.
26 - "Johnny Get Angry," Joanie Sommers
Buffalo-born Sommers was mainly known as a singer of jazzy pop standards, but her only major Top 40 single was this teen-friendly trifle on which she laments that her boyfriend doesn't go crazy with rage when she pretends to break up with him or dances with other boys. She'd rather that he acted like "a cave man" and "let (her) know that you're the boss." Some pretty unenlightened sexual politics going on there, but as anyone whose watched Mad Men knows, those were still in full force at the time. And for some reason, there's what sounds like a kazoo solo on this. Okay, but probably best forgotten.
25 - "Teach Me Tonight," George Maharis
When I saw the name, I thought this was the guy who played the leader of the Sharks in the movie of West Side Story. But I came to learn that that was George Chakiris. This is a different actor of Greek ancestry, one who was best known for his role as Buz on the TV show Route 66. At the height of his popularity, he scored his only hit with this cover of a jazz-pop standard that's been recorded dozens of times since it was published in 1953. Maharis does okay with this tune that compares a lovers' rendezvous to a session between a student an a teacher. He's hardly Sinatra, but he's fine. Probably in the low middle of the pack of all the versions ever put to tape.
24 - "I Love You," The Volumes
The only hit for this Detroit vocal group was this nice bit of romantic doo-wop. It definitely sounds like one of the records that influenced The Four Seasons. The lead singer's falsetto on this could be what Frankie Valli aspired to.
23 - "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)," Chuck Jackson
Pittsburgh-based soul singer Jackson accumulated 14 R&B Top 40s between 1961 and 1975, but only two cracked the pop equivalent. The most successful of the pair was this Burt Bacharach-cowritten ballad about knowing the end of a relationship is near. During my 80s run, we encountered the cover version Ronnie Milsap took to #14 twenty years after this. Ronnie did fine, but the original tops it for genuine, sincere evocation of heartbreak. Great stuff.
22 - "Village of Love," Nathaniel Mayer and The Fabulous Twilights
Detroit's Mayer was 18 when he picked up his only Top 40 hit with this wailing soul invitation for a lover to accompany him to the title burg, which is apparently located in Arkansas. I couldn't find any information about who the Fabulous Twilights were, but I do know that in the 2000s, Mayer had a bit of a career revival, and he had cultivated a new generation of fans until he was unfortunately felled by a series of strokes that led to his death in 2008.
21 - "Walk on the Wild Side ," Jimmy Smith and The Big Band
Smith, a jazz organist from the Philadelphia area (appropriately enough to end this entry), had his only Top 40 hit on this instrumental recording (with a band led by saxophonist Oliver Nelson) of the title song from the film version of Nelson Algren's 1956 novel about the seedy side of New Orleans. The movie is notable for being one of Jane Fonda's first big-screen roles. The song, as performed by Smith and co., is quite interesting, starting off with jingling bells and then going into gritty, bluesy jazz. The kind of thing you put on when you want to feel cool in that swaggering, Rat Pack-ish way.
In Part Two: an extremely protective father, an unlikely gunfigher, and a tune meant to accompany the work of ecdysiasts.
40 - "Mashed Potato Time," Dee Dee Sharp
This Philadelphian, born Dione LaRue, scored a handful of hits in the early 60s, all relating to dance crazes like the one named after a popular tuber-based side dish. On this fun soul number, Sharp claims that the step was invented by "a guy named Sloppy Joe," and suggests three songs suitable for doing it to: The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," The Marvelettes "Please Mr. Postman," and Gary U.S. Bonds' "Dear Lady Twist." And no, I've never tried to do this dance. Can't rule out doing so someday, though.
39 - "Bristol Twistin' Annie," The Dovells
More Philly dancing, this from a group that had scored a hit the previous song about a dance popular in a certain City of Brotherly Love suburb, the "Bristol Stomp." On their third Top 40 hit, they return to Bristol to tell the tale of Annie, who despite having "the shape of Rin Tin Tin," "a face like my Uncle Ben," "hips like Big Bad John," and "legs like Short Sad Sam," is quite a popular girl when she's doing The Twist. An odd little token of the time.
38 - "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," The BlueBelles (The Starlets)
The credit on this song may be confusing, but there's a reason. See, there was a Chicago girl group called The Starlets, and in 1961, they recorded a song for a local label called "Better Tell Him No." Later that year, after the group performed a show in Philadelphia, the owner of a label there gave them the chance to record a couple of songs, including this R&B metaphor for giving up on romance. "Better Tell Him No," eventually cracked the Top 40 for the Chicago label, so when the Philadelphia label wanted to release their own Starlets recordings, they decided the safest course of action would be to credit it to one of their own groups, The BlueBelles. So the BlueBelles were credited with the hit, which reached #15. In the two years that followed, the group performed on two minor Top 40 hits, but they would have their biggest hit in 1975 with a little song called "Lady Marmalade" under the name Labelle. Another strange pop story.
37 - "The Crowd," Roy Orbison
The golden-throated Texan had one of his lower-charting, but certainly not lesser, hits with another mini pop-opera about how hanging out with his social peers just isn't the same when one particular special someone isn't among them. The man knew how to give voice to heartbroken longing.
36 - "Where Are You," Dinah Washington
Born Ruth Lee Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Washington scored numerous R&B hits throughout the 40s and 50s, and began her best run on the pop charts with the 1959 Top Ten "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." Her entry here is a version of a song from a 1937 movie musical called Top of The Town. It's not much of a song, but Dinah's cool, jazzy take elevates it. Sadly, it would be her last Top 40, as she would die of a drug overdose in 1963, at age 39.
35 - "Twistin' Matilda," Jimmy Soul
Soul, born James McCleese, had his first hit with this song that isn't some sort of dance-craze take on a certain Australian folk song, but rather a R&B number about how the title lady stole all his money and moved to Las Vegas. There's a bit of a Carribbean flavor to both the arrangement and Soul's vocals, and that would come more to the fore on his next hit, the #1 smash "If You Wanna Be Happy." After that, however, he failed to follow up with more hits, and frustrated by this, he joined the Army. And no, I have no idea if he ever married, and I'm not even going to speculate on his hypothetical wife's appearance.
34 - "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" Dee Dee Sharp
Sharp managed to score two hits singing about the same dance. On this one, she tells her dancing partner that she wants more from their relationship than just having fun on the floor. Romance, apparently, is the "gravy" that will bond them as a couple. It shouldn't make sense, but it does. But even if it didn't, who cares?
33 - "Theme from Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight)," Richard Chamberlain
In the early 60s, there were not one but two popular TV series about young, idealistic medical professionals. One of them was Dr. Kildare, whose title character was played by Chamberlain, whose good looks made him somewhat of a teen idol. And as he could sing, he was given the chance to record this ballad about wishing for love, which not coincedentally was set to the tune of the theme to his TV show. Chamberlain sings all right, but it's just bland, square pop. He would have only one other Top 40 hit, a cover of "Love Me Tender." I am genuinely afraid to hear that one. I'll skip it.
32 - "Soldier Boy," The Shirelles
The second and last #1 for these ladies was this pledge of fidelity to a young military man, no matter how long he's shipped out for. Simple theme, executed perfectly. And love that twangy guitar solo.
31 - "I'll Never Dance Again," Bobby Rydell
More Philadelphia representation, this time from Rydell, showing up here for the third year in a row with this vaguely tango-ish declaration not to cut a rug with anyone but his beloved. Decent enough teen heartthrob fodder.
30 - "The Wah-Watusi," The Orlons
Guess where this three-woman, one-man vocal combo hailed from? Why Philadelphia, of course. And guess what this song's about? You'd never believe it, but it's about a dance craze that's "made for romance" and is superior to The Twist, The Fly, and The Mashed Potato. John Travolta and Uma Thurman did it to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell." This song's all right too. But clearly, there are some recurring themes this week.
29 - "Having a Party," Sam Cooke
The Mississippi-born, Chicago-raised soul legend broke through in 1957 with the #1 "You Send Me." He never topped the pop chart after that, but he did pick up 28 more Top 40s. including this celebration of a bash that featured Coke, popcorn, and dancing to good tunes on the radio. 51 years in the future, Sam made me want to join him at this party, which is more than I can say for that cover version Rod Stewart did. Another gem from a true icon who would unfortunately be shot to death two years later.
28 - "Theme from Ben Casey," Valjean
Besides Dr. Kildare, the other big prime time hospital drama in 1962 followed the exploits of a heroic young surgeon. Unlike Richard Chamberlain, however, series star Vince Edwards' singing career didn't amount to anything (though he did try), so the only hit associated with the show was an instrumental version of the theme performed by Oklahoma pianist Valjean Johns (his real name, apparently). And in case you were wondering, Edwards and Chamberlain didn't like each other, and apparently had a nasty confrontation in New York's Central Park in 1964. I think that's kind of cool, really. And in the fight between singles spawned by their shows, Chamberlain's may have charted higher, but I like this one better.
27 - "So This is Love," The Castells
The second of two mid-level Top 40 hits by this California vocal quartet was this square-ass love song. They sound like a tamer version of The Association, and as you may know, I quite dislike The Association. This must be the kind of record America's teenagers quickly put on the turntable to replace a more "objectionable" song just as their parents were coming home from bridge club or wherever parents went back then.
26 - "Johnny Get Angry," Joanie Sommers
Buffalo-born Sommers was mainly known as a singer of jazzy pop standards, but her only major Top 40 single was this teen-friendly trifle on which she laments that her boyfriend doesn't go crazy with rage when she pretends to break up with him or dances with other boys. She'd rather that he acted like "a cave man" and "let (her) know that you're the boss." Some pretty unenlightened sexual politics going on there, but as anyone whose watched Mad Men knows, those were still in full force at the time. And for some reason, there's what sounds like a kazoo solo on this. Okay, but probably best forgotten.
25 - "Teach Me Tonight," George Maharis
When I saw the name, I thought this was the guy who played the leader of the Sharks in the movie of West Side Story. But I came to learn that that was George Chakiris. This is a different actor of Greek ancestry, one who was best known for his role as Buz on the TV show Route 66. At the height of his popularity, he scored his only hit with this cover of a jazz-pop standard that's been recorded dozens of times since it was published in 1953. Maharis does okay with this tune that compares a lovers' rendezvous to a session between a student an a teacher. He's hardly Sinatra, but he's fine. Probably in the low middle of the pack of all the versions ever put to tape.
24 - "I Love You," The Volumes
The only hit for this Detroit vocal group was this nice bit of romantic doo-wop. It definitely sounds like one of the records that influenced The Four Seasons. The lead singer's falsetto on this could be what Frankie Valli aspired to.
23 - "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)," Chuck Jackson
Pittsburgh-based soul singer Jackson accumulated 14 R&B Top 40s between 1961 and 1975, but only two cracked the pop equivalent. The most successful of the pair was this Burt Bacharach-cowritten ballad about knowing the end of a relationship is near. During my 80s run, we encountered the cover version Ronnie Milsap took to #14 twenty years after this. Ronnie did fine, but the original tops it for genuine, sincere evocation of heartbreak. Great stuff.
22 - "Village of Love," Nathaniel Mayer and The Fabulous Twilights
Detroit's Mayer was 18 when he picked up his only Top 40 hit with this wailing soul invitation for a lover to accompany him to the title burg, which is apparently located in Arkansas. I couldn't find any information about who the Fabulous Twilights were, but I do know that in the 2000s, Mayer had a bit of a career revival, and he had cultivated a new generation of fans until he was unfortunately felled by a series of strokes that led to his death in 2008.
21 - "Walk on the Wild Side ," Jimmy Smith and The Big Band
Smith, a jazz organist from the Philadelphia area (appropriately enough to end this entry), had his only Top 40 hit on this instrumental recording (with a band led by saxophonist Oliver Nelson) of the title song from the film version of Nelson Algren's 1956 novel about the seedy side of New Orleans. The movie is notable for being one of Jane Fonda's first big-screen roles. The song, as performed by Smith and co., is quite interesting, starting off with jingling bells and then going into gritty, bluesy jazz. The kind of thing you put on when you want to feel cool in that swaggering, Rat Pack-ish way.
In Part Two: an extremely protective father, an unlikely gunfigher, and a tune meant to accompany the work of ecdysiasts.
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