Some TV Themes can be annoying but many can be very catchy. I’m listing my top 10 on two posts. There are so many that narrowing it to ten was almost impossible. I’ve stuck with older ones for the post. I left out cartoons…
10. WKRP – One of my favorite shows of the late 70s…not only did I like the theme song but the closing song.
And the closing
9. Barney Miller – Every bass player learns this one.
8. Rockford Files – The theme song made me want to watch the show.
7. Gilligans Island – I know every word and may have heard this theme more than Stairway to Heaven…and that is saying alot.
6. Hawaii Five-O – One of the ultimate themes… love the tidal wave.
This song still sounds fresh today. Got To Get You Into My Life was on Revolver released in 1966. It was not released as a single at the time. Any other band would have released it as a single.
In 1976 it was released as a single and peaked at #7 in the Billboard 100…not bad for a song that was 10 years old. It was released off of the horribly packaged compilation album Rock and Roll Music. Capital Records seemed to forget The Beatles represented the 60s, not the 50s that the album cover represented. They probably wanted to capitalize on the 50s revival that was going on at the time… Bad Choice.
I owned this album and Hey Jude Again for my first exposure to the Beatles.
There is a 5 piece horn section on this recording that sounds great. Paul McCartney has said the song was about pot…
“’Got To Get You Into My Life’ was one I wrote when I had first been introduced to pot. I’d been a rather straight working-class lad but when we started to get into pot it seemed to me to be quite uplifting. It didn’t seem to have too many side effects like alcohol or some of the other stuff, like pills, which I pretty much kept off. I kind of liked marijuana. I didn’t have a hard time with it and to me it was mind-expanding, literally mind-expanding.”
“So ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’ is really a song about that, it’s not to a person, it’s actually about pot. It’s saying, ‘I’m going to do this. This is not a bad idea.’ So it’s actually an ode to pot, like someone else might write an ode to chocolate or a good claret. It wouldn’t be the first time in history someone’s done it, but in my case it was the first flush of pot.”
From Songfacts
This beatific love song is actually about marijuana. Paul McCartney cleared this up in his 1998 book Many Years From Now when he explained that it was not about a particular person, but his desire to smoke pot. “I’d been a rather straight working-class lad but when we started to get into pot it seemed to me to be quite uplifting,” he said.
There are no obvious drug references in the song, so it appears to be about a guy who is blissfully in love:
Ooh, then I suddenly see you
Ooh, did I tell you I need you
Every single day of my life
A British rock group called Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers released this song as a single around the same time it appeared on the The Beatles Revolver album. Bennett & The Rebel Rousers were an opening act for The Beatles on their European tour in early 1966; since there were no plans to release “Got To Get You Into My Life” as a single, Paul McCartney encouraged them to record it and produced the session.
Revolver appeared on August 5, 1966 and the Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers version of this song showed up on the UK chart for the first time on August 17, rising to #6 on September 21. It ended up being the biggest hit for the group, which made #9 in 1964 with “One Way Love.”
Session musicians played trumpets and sax. It was the first time horns were used in a Beatles song.
Earth, Wind & Fire recorded a funky new version for the 1978 movie Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Beatles producer George Martin was in charge of the music, and the soundtrack was a success, but the movie, which starred Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees and Aerosmith, was a huge flop. Earth, Wind & Fire’s version of this hit #9 in the US.
The first group to chart with this song was Blood, Sweat & Tears, whose horn-heavy version made #62 in the summer of 1975. The Beatles version wasn’t issued as a single until 1976, when Capitol Records issued it in America backed with “Helter Skelter.”
This version went to #7 in July that year, becoming the first Beatles song to chart in the US since 1970. Later in 1976, Capitol issued “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” which made #49.
John Lennon thought this was some of McCartney’s best work.
In the ’60s, Joe Pesci was an aspiring singer known as Joe Ritchie. He recorded a version of this that can be found on Rhino’s “Golden Throat” Series. His version merits the “Stick to Acting” award. >>
This song rarely licensed for movies or TV. The only time the Beatles rendition was used in a film is the 2015 movie Minions, where it plays under the end credits. In 2009, a version by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs appeared in the Eddie Murphy movie Imagine That, and in 2013 Kurt Hummel and Chris Colfer sang it on the “Love, Love, Love” episode of the TV series Glee.
Got To Get You Into My Life
I was alone, I took a ride I didn’t know what I would find there Another road where maybe I Could see another kind of mind there Ooh, then I suddenly see you Ooh, did I tell you I need you Every single day of my life
You didn’t run, you didn’t hide And had you gone, you knew in time We’d meet again for I had told you Ooh, you were meant to be near me Ooh, and I want you to hear me Say we’ll be together every day Got to get you into my life
What can I do, what can I be When I’m with you I want to stay there If I’m true I’ll never leave And if I do I know the way there Ooh, then I suddenly see you Ooh, did I tell you I need you Every single day of my life Got to get you into my life
I was alone, I took a ride I didn’t know what I would find there Another road where maybe I Could see another kind of mind there Ooh, then I suddenly see you Ooh, did I tell you I need you Every single day
I watched a few episodes this weekend. The show has a local connection for me because of Frank Sutton.
The show ran from 1964 to 1969 and was a spinoff from The Andy Griffith Show. The character of Gomer Pyle was portrayed by Jim Nabors and he left The Andy Griffith Show in the 4th season in an episode entitled Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer was a naive country boy from Mayberry North Carolina who joined the Marines and Andy went with him for the induction and helped the clueless Gomer get accepted. Frank Sutton played quick tempered Sgt Carter who would be tormented by Gomer Pyle for five seasons. I would watch the show as a kid and I thought Sgt Carter was mean to Gomer…as an adult I could understand if Carter would have choked him.
The show was a major hit. It never placed lower than 10 in the Neilson ratings. In 1969 Jim Nabors wanted out because he wanted to do a variety show. No one could understand why he wanted out of a hit show but he wanted to be in a program where he could sing, dance, and do different bits.
CBS offered Nabors a variety show so he was happy. They also offered Frank Sutton his own show Sergeant Carter–USMC. It would employ a black recruit who, unlike Gomer, would always be one step ahead of the Sergeant. It could have been a big hit but he turned it down because he felt like he did everything he could do with the character.
Sutton ended up co-starring with Nabors on his variety show and Sutton worked well in the comedy bits but was not a dancer or singer. CBS told Nabors he had to fire Sutton but Nabors refused and the show was canceled.
The local connection with Sutton is he was born in Clarksville Tennessee, a few miles from where I live. Sutton appeared in movies and shows from the 50s thru the 70s. The Twilight Zone, Have Gun Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Route 66 and many more.
He took acting in East Nashville High School and graduated in 1941.
After high school, Sutton returned to Clarksville to become a radio announcer. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and served in the South Pacific, taking part in 14 assault landings. Sutton was a sergeant who served from 1943–1946 in the 293rd Joint Assault Signal Company. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart; he had been medically rejected by the Marine Corps.
Frank, a heavy smoker, would only live to be 50. He would die of a heart attack in 1974 just a few months shy of his 51st birthday. In 2017 a statue of Frank Sutton was unveiled in Clarksville Tn. Here is a link to the story of the unveiling. Statue of Frank Sutton in Clarksville.
This is an interview with Frank Sutton that was never published around the time of the variety show.
Musically this is a sing-along song but the lyrics are full of social satire and anger. The Kinks record company Pye did not release this song in the UK at the time because they wanted harder songs like “You Really Got Me.” It was released in other countries and peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100 in 1965.
I first heard this song on a Kinks complication album along with “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” and The Kinks earlier songs. A Well Respected Man marked a turning point in Davies’s writing from rock/punk to more satirical, character-driven songs.
From Songfacts
Kinks frontman Ray Davies wrote this song after the group’s 1965 tour of the United States. The tour did not go well, with infighting, fatigue and a conflict with the musician’s union that kept them from performing in the country for another four years.Davies recovered from the tour with a vacation at the English resort town of Torquay, Devon. There, a wealthy hotel guest recognized him and asked Ray to play a round of golf. Far from being flattered by the invitation, he took great offense. “I’m not gonna play f–king golf with you,” he told him. “I’m not gonna be your caddy so you can say you played with a pop singer.”
Dense with lyrics describing the pretentious gentleman born to good fortune, Ray Davies says this was the first “word-oriented” song he wrote.
A Well Respected Man
Cause he gets up in the morning, And he goes to work at nine, And he comes back home at five-thirty, Gets the same train every time. ‘Cause his world is built ’round punctuality, It never fails.
And he’s oh, so good, And he’s oh, so fine, And he’s oh, so healthy, In his body and his mind. He’s a well respected man about town, Doing the best things so conservatively.
And his mother goes to meetings, While his father pulls the maid, And she stirs the tea with councilors, While discussing foreign trade, And she passes looks, as well as bills At every suave young man
‘Cause he’s oh, so good, And he’s oh, so fine, And he’s oh, so healthy, In his body and his mind. He’s a well respected man about town, Doing the best things so conservatively.
And he likes his own backyard, And he likes his fags the best, ‘Cause he’s better than the rest, And his own sweat smells the best, And he hopes to grab his father’s loot, When Pater passes on.
‘Cause he’s oh, so good, And he’s oh, so fine, And he’s oh, so healthy, In his body and his mind. He’s a well respected man about town, Doing the best things so conservatively.
And he plays at stocks and shares, And he goes to the Regatta, And he adores the girl next door, ‘Cause he’s dying to get at her, But his mother knows the best about The matrimonial stakes.
‘Cause he’s oh, so good, And he’s oh, so fine, And he’s oh, so healthy, In his body and his mind. He’s a well respected man about town, Doing the best things so conservatively.
A garage band song released in the wake of the Beatles… It was written by written by guitarist Ron Elliott. They were as among the first wave of San Francisco groups to make the Charts. Laugh Laugh resembled the British Invasion songs that were dominating the charts at the time.
At the height of the band’s popularity, the Beau Brummels were seen as teen idols. The band appeared on several television productions such as American Bandstand, Shindig!, Hullabaloo and the cartoon series The Flintstones (as the animated version of themselves, the Beau Brummelstones). They appeared in movies as well, such as Village of the Giants andWild, Wild Winter.
“Laugh, Laugh” became the Beau Brummels’ first hit, peaking at #15 on the Billboard 100 in 1965.
Laugh Laugh
I hate to say it but I told you so, don’t mind my preachin’ to you I said “don’t trust ’em, baby” now you know You don’t know ev’rything there is to know in school. Wouldn’t believe me when I gave advice, I said that he was a tease If you want help you better ask me now So be sincere, convince me with a “pretty please”
Laugh, laugh, I thought I’d die It seemed so funny to me Laugh, laugh you met a guy who taught you how it feels to be Lonely, oh so lonely
Don’t think I’m bein’ funny when I say you got just what you deserve I can’t help feeling you found out today You thought you would, you could, you had a lot of nerve
Won’t say I’m sorry for the things I said. I’m glad he packed up to go You kept on braggin’ he was yours instead Found you don’t know ev’rything there is to know
Laugh, laugh, I thought I’d die It seemed so funny to me Laugh, laugh you met a guy who taught you how it feels to be Lonely, oh so lonely
Before I go I got to say one thing, don’t close your ears to me Take my advice and you find out that he Is just another guy who’ll cause you misery Don’t say you can’t get any boy to call, do be so smug or else You’ll find you can’t get any boy a’tall You’ll wind up an old lady sittin’ on the shelf.
Laugh, laugh, I thought I’d die It seemed so funny to me Laugh, laugh you met a guy who taught you how it feels to be Lonely, oh so lonely
It’s hard to believe this voice was coming out of a teenager… An 18-year-old Alex Chilton was singing this song with the Box Tops. The song peaked at #2 in the Billboard 100, #15 in the UK, and #3 in Canada. The band was successful with 10 songs in the top 100, 2 top ten songs and a number 1 (The Letter). The Box Tops were formed in Memphis in 1967. The most famous member would be future Big Star member Alex Chilton.
A bizarre personal story…a one in a million shot…Back in the 90s, I was trying to call a musician that was recommended but I dialed a wrong number and talked to Gary Talley the guitar player for the Box Tops for a good 45 minutes. He laughed and told me that I at least reached a guitar player but in Nashville, my odds were good getting one with any number. He was really cool and we talked about guitars and his touring etc… He was giving guitar lessons at the time. He told me that other people have called him looking for Garry Tallent the bass player for Bruce Springsteen.
Cry Like a Baby was recorded at American Studios in Memphis, which was run by Chips Moman, who produced the album. Spooner Oldham played keyboards on the track in addition to co-writing it.
The Box Tops still tour with members Gary Talley and Bill Cuningham.
From Songfacts
This was written by Dewey “Spooner” Oldham and Dan Penn, whose other credits together include the hits “I’m Your Puppet” (a hit for James and Bobby Purify), “It Tears Me Up” (a hit for Percy Sledge) and “A Woman Left Lonely.” In our interview with Spooner Oldham, he told the story: “Dan Penn was producing The Box Tops, he had produced a #1 record called ‘The Letter.’ He recorded that in Memphis when he and I were both living there. So he calls me one day and says, ‘Spooner, will you help me try to write a song for Alex (Chilton) and the Box Tops?’ He says, ‘People have sent me some songs, but I don’t think any of them really fit. This record company’s been after me about three weeks for a follow-up single.’ And I said, ‘Sure, I’ll try to help write a song for you.’ We got together in the studio one evening with our little notes of our five or ten best ideas or titles. We each pulled one out and they eventually ended up in the garbage.
The next morning, we were getting tired and decided to call it quits. So we locked the doors, turned out the lights in the studio, turned off the instruments. Went across the street to the little café – name was Porky’s or something like that – and ordered breakfast. I remember I was putting my head on the table. There was nobody in there, I don’t think, but us and the cook. And I tiredly put my head on the table, my arms under my head, just for a few seconds. Then I lifted my head up and looked at Dan, and because I felt sorry that he needed another record and we were no help to each other that evening, I said, ‘Dan, I could just cry like a baby.’ And he says, ‘What did you say?’ And I said it again. He says, ‘I like that.’ So unbeknownst to me, we had a song started. By the time we walked across the street back to the studio, we had the first verse written. When we got in, he turned on the lights and the recorder, and I turned on the Hammond organ. He got his guitar out, and we put on a quarter-inch 90-minute tape, and we finished the song, just recorded a demo.
The next day or two in the morning Alex Chilton came in. I was so tired and weary I didn’t know what we had, if anything. I played the little tape demo to him and he smiled and reached out his hand, shook my hand, so I knew he liked it, anyway. And then we got in the studio and recorded it shortly, I think that day.”
In the tale of this song, a man previously took for granted the love of his caring, faithful girlfriend. He regrets how terribly he had treated her now that she’s left him. He now cries every time he sees her or even thinks of her.
This song is notable for its electric sitar, which was provided by guitarist Reggie Young.
It wasn’t worth crying over, but this song stayed at US #2 for two weeks, kept out of the top spot by Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey,” which held the top spot for five weeks.
Cry Like A Baby
When I think about the good love you gave me I cry like a baby Living without you is driving me crazy I cry like a baby Well, I know now, that you’re not a plaything Not a toy, or a puppet on a string
As I look back on a love so sweet I cry like a baby Oh, every road is a lonely street I cry like a baby I know now that you’re not a plaything Not a toy, or a puppet on a string
Today we passed on the street, and you just walked on by how my heart just fell to my feet and like a fool I began to cry
Oh when I think about the good love you gave me I cry like a baby Living without you is driving me crazy I cry like a baby I know now,that you’re not a plaything I cry like a baby, cry like a baby
Every road is a lonely street I cry like a baby, cry like a baby Living without you is driving me crazy I cry like a baby, cry like a baby I cry, I cry, I cry
I’ve been posting some garage band songs lately…the style of this one is close. Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote this but intended it for Paul Revere And The Raiders. Boyce and Hart also wrote The Monkees hits “Last Train To Clarksville” and “Valleri.” The song peaked at #20 in the Billboard 100 in 1967. This was a B side to I’m A Believer.
The Monkees influenced many to pick up an instrument and want to be in a band. I am one of those people…I watched them in syndication and from them, I found The Beatles. They made it look fun and exciting…of course, they didn’t show the egos and the arguments but that is alright. Artists such as Michael Stipe and Andy Partridge have talked about how the Monkees influenced them.
The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame seems determined to keep them out which I think is wrong considering some of the bands that they have in there. The influence alone should get them in… Not to mention 20 songs in the Billboard 100, 6 top ten hits, and 3 number 1’s.
This is about a girl who walks all over a guy who decides he’s not going to take it any more.
Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz sang lead, and was the only Monkee to perform on the song. In their early years, The Monkees songs were usually recorded by top session musicians. The Monkees had a popular TV show where their songs (including this one) aired, which helped them climb the charts.
In their later years, The Sex Pistols performed this with Sid Vicious singing lead.
British group The Farm had their first hit with a 1990 remake of this called “Stepping Stone.”
Monkees keyboardist/bass guitarist Peter Tork on the song’s relevance: “The songs that we got [in the ’60s] were really songs of some vigor and substance. ‘(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone’ is not peaches and cream. It comes down hard on the subject, poor girl. And the weight of the song is indicated by the fact that the Sex Pistols covered it. Anybody trying to write ”60s songs’ now thinks that you have to write ’59th St. Bridge.’ [Sings] ‘Feeling groovy!’ Which is an okay song, but has not got a lot of guts. ‘Stepping Stone’ has guts.”
(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
I-I-I-I-I’m not your steppin’ stone I-I-I-I-I’m not your steppin’ stone
You’re trying to make your mark in society You’re using all the tricks that you used on me You’re reading all them high-fashion magazines The clothes you’re wearing, girl, they’re causing public scenes
I said, I-I-I-I-I’m not your steppin’ stone I-I-I-I-I’m not your steppin’ stone
(No!)
Not your steppin’ stone Not your steppin’ stone
When I first met you, girl, you didn’t have no shoes But, now you’re walking around like you’re front-page news You’ve been awful careful ’bout the friends you choose But, you won’t find my name in your book of “who’s-who?”
I said, I-I-I-I-I’m not your steppin’ stone (No, girl, not me!) I-I-I-I-I’m not your steppin’ stone
(No!)
Not your steppin’ stone I’m not your steppin’ stone
Not your steppin’ stone (step-step-steppin’ stone) Not your steppin’ stone (step-step-steppin’ stone) Not your steppin’ stone (step-step-steppin’ stone) Not your steppin’ stone (step-step-steppin’ stone)
No, girl, I’m not your steppin’ stone Not your steppin’ stone (step-step-steppin’ stone) Not your steppin’ stone (step-step-steppin’ stone)
I loved this book as a kid. When I see it I feel like I’m 7 again. The book came out in 1963. I did know some kids that the book really scared but I thought it was great. As a kid, it was entertaining and enlightening. The other reason I liked it? The leading character’s first name. When I grew up, “Max” was not a common name. If Max was in trouble…the entire school knew what Max they were talking about since I was the only one. It was nice sharing my name with a little boy who could tame monsters.
An animated film was made in 1975 and a feature-length movie in 2009. My son Bailey and I saw it and we enjoyed it together but he knew the book because he enjoyed it as well.
Where The Wild Things Are was written by Maurice Sendak about a boy named Max who “makes mischief” in his house and is sent to bed without supper all while wearing a wolf suit. His room is then transformed into a magic forest and Max sets off in his very own boat to the Land of the Wild Things.
Once there he tames the monsters by staring into their yellow eyes without blinking. Knowing they have met their master, they acclaim Max King of all Wild Things and celebrate their wildness together. When Max decides to return to where someone loves him best of all, the wild things try all their wiles to persuade him to stay, but he sails back into the warmth of his own room and finds supper waiting.
When the book came out some were not happy. Many psychologists thought that the book would be very traumatizing for young children. Sendak has said that the book was banned by libraries for a couple of years and then it started to be accepted and took off.
1960’s garage band music with a Psychedelic edge. This group came from Los Angeles first named The Sanctions and in 1966 renamed themselves to the Electric Prunes. The first two hit singles, “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)” and”Get Me To The World On Time.” were on their first album (The Electric Prunes).
The entire album and those two songs were recorded in late summer and the fall of 1966. They were released before Christmas of 1966 and climbed up the Billboard charts very slowly. The first hit, “Too Much To Dream” peaked in February of ‘1967 at #11 in the Billboard 100.
the song was written by Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz.
I had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)
Last night your shadow fell upon my lonely room I touched your golden hair and tasted your perfume Your eyes were filled with love the way they used to be Your gentle hand reached out to comfort me Then came the dawn And you were gone You were gone, gone, gone
I had too much to dream last night Too much to dream I’m not ready to face the light I had too much to dream Last night
The room was empty as I staggered from my bed I could not bear the image racing through my head You were so real that I could feel your eagerness And when you raised your lips for me to kiss
Came the dawn And you were gone You were gone, gone, gone
Oh, too much to dream Oh, too much to dream Too much to dream last night Oh, too much to dream
They were not considered the coolest British invasion band but a very popular and successful one. The song peaked at #13 in the Billboard 100 and #1 in the Uk in 1964. They had a total of nineteen songs in the Billboard 100, 11 top ten songs, and two number one hits. Hard to believe that the Who opened up for them in 1967 when the Who came to America.
This was Herman’s Hermits’ only song to reach #1 in the UK, where it remains their best-known song. After it hit, the band went on tour in America with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars and made inroads in that country, where they were welcomed as part of the British Invasion. In 1965, they had two Billboard 100 #1 hits: “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” and “I’m Henry The VIII, I Am.”
This song is a very good pop song.
From Songfacts
The prolific songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote this bubbly song, which is about meeting someone new and falling into puppy love. Goffin and King wrote popular songs for The Monkees, Aretha Franklin, The Crystals and many others.
This was originally recorded by Earl-Jean (real name Ethel McCrea), who had been the lead singer the R&B vocal group The Cookies. Her version, titled “I’m Into Somethin’ Good,” peaked at #38 in the US in August 1964.
The song became a British Invasion hit when producer Mickie Most heard Carole King’s demo and decided to cover it with a new British group, Herman’s Hermits. The band was fronted by 16-year-old John F. Kennedy lookalike Peter Noone, who had already appeared in the British TV soap Coronation Street. Released as the group’s first single, it went to #13 in America in December 1964, but proved wildly popular on their home turf, reaching #1 in the UK in September.
The youthful exuberance on this track is very real, as the band was very excited to be cutting a single. “On the record you can hear the enthusiasm of this band who believe that they were going to be heard on the radio,” lead singer Peter Noone said in his Songfacts interview. “When the record was on the radio, we thought we’d made it.”
Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, both future members of Led Zeppelin, played on some Herman’s Hermits songs, but not this one. Someone outside the band played the piano on this track, but other than that it was the actual band.
Peter Noone recorded a new version of this song for the 1988 movie The Naked Gun. Herman’s Hermits recorded for Cameo/Parkway Records, which was bought by Allen Klein, who as a result owned the rights to the songs Herman’s Hermits recorded for the label as well as tracks by The Animals, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and many others. Klein rarely allowed the songs he controlled to be used in movies.
Before Allen Klein’s death in 2009, Peter Noone explained to the Forgotten Hits newsletter how this song ended up in The Naked Gun: “They wanted to use the song in the movie. Klein declined because he knew he would have to account to somebody (e.g. Paramount). As he hates to account to anyone, because he can’t cheat and lie, he had to say no. The producers and writers contacted me with their story and I said, ‘I can make a copy exactly like the original and nobody will be able to tell the difference.’ When it was done, we decided you couldn’t tell the difference so we took off the guitar and replaced it with a whahhoo machine so Klein wouldn’t say it was the original. It’s a tragedy that Klein and his witless children stop all the product they control from being in movies so they can steal ALL the money. A question: Have any songs under the Klein families’ control ever been used in movies, commercials, TV shows? Doesn’t anyone ever wonder why? Surely there would be one Herman’s Hermits song, one Animals song. One song from a Cameo / Parkway artist, one Sam Cooke song, just one, that would work in a motion picture?”
The hand claps on this song were done into the same microphone where Peter Noone was recording his vocal. They aren’t always in time to the beat, but that’s part of the appeal of the recording, as it’s unrefined, but jubilant.
Donny Osmond recorded this when he was 13 for his second album To You With Love, Donny in 1971. Other artists to record it include Graham Parker and The Surfaris.
In late 2005, this was used in a commercial for Yogurt Blast Cheerios.
I’m Into Something Good
Woke up this mornin’ feelin’ fine There’s somethin’ special on my mind Last night I met a new girl in the neighbourhood, whoa yeah Somethin’ tells me I’m into something good (Somethin’ tells me I’m into somethin’)
She’s the kind of girl who’s not too shy And I can tell I’m her kind of guy She danced close to me like I hoped she would (she danced with me like I hoped she would) Somethin’ tells me I’m into something good (Somethin’ tells me I’m into somethin’)
We only danced for a minute or two But then she stuck close to me the whole night through Can I be fallin’ in love She’s everthing I’ve been dreamin’ of She’s everthing I’ve been dreamin’ of
I walked her home and she held my hand I knew it couldn’t be just a one-night stand So I asked to see her next week and she told me I could (I asked to see her and she told me I could) Somethin’ tells me I’m into something good (somethin’ tells me I’m into somethin’) (Somethin’ tells me I’m into somethin’, ahhh)
I walked her home and she held my hand I knew it couldn’t be just a one-night stand So I asked to see her next week and she told me I could (I asked to see her and she told me I could) Somethin’ tells me I’m into something good (somethin’ tells me I’m into somethin’) Somethin’ tells me I’m into something good (somethin’ tells me I’m into somethin’) To something good, oh yeah, something good (somethin’ tells me I’m into somethin’) To something good, something good, something good
Saturday night we had some guests over and we all played Yahtzee. It was the first time I’d played it since the 1980s at least. I had a good time and looked up the history of the game.
In 1954 a wealthy anonymous Canadian couple, who called it The Yacht Game invented the game to play aboard their yacht. They would invite friends and teach them. In 1956 they went to toy maker Edwin S. Lowe to make some games for their friends as Christmas gifts. Edwin liked the game so much that he wanted to buy the rights to it. The couple sold the rights for the amount of making them a 1000 games.
When Edwin released it on the market it did not do well in it’s first year. The game could not be explained easily in an ad. It had many nuances and interesting things about it and they can only be understood if the game was actually played.
Finally, Edwin tried a different approach. He started to have Yahtzee parties hoping to spread the news about the game by word of mouth. That started to work and Yahtzee got extremely popular. During Lowe’s ownership alone, over forty million copies of the game were sold in the United States of America as well as around the globe
In 1973 Milton Bradley Company bought the E.S. Lowe Company and in 1984 Hasbro, Inc. acquires the Milton Bradley Company and the game.
The origins of the game came from the Puerto Rican game Generala and the English games of Poker Dice and Cheerio. Another game, Yap, shows close similarities to Yahtzee.
Betty really belts out this song. The song peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100 and #34 in the UK in 1964. I have heard this song most of my life but never knew who sang it.
This was written by Rudy Clark, whose credits include “Good Lovin'” and “Got My Mind Set On You.” Like “The Shoop Shoop Song,” the original artist didn’t fare very well on those, but cover versions were very successful “Good Lovin'” was first released by The Olympics in 1965, but it was The Young Rascals 1966 cover that went to #1. “Got My Mind Set On You” was originally by James Ray in 1962, but George Harrison’s 1987 cover was the hit, also going to #1.
Everett was reluctant to record this song at first and was urged by Calvin Carter, her producer to do so. She felt that the song would flop.
From Songfacts
How can you tell if a guy loves you? His eyes can deceive, and you certainly can’t trust what he says, so the only way to for sure is with his kiss, which acts as a kind of truth serum for love, according to this song.
Merry Clayton, a onetime Raelette who can be heard on the Rolling Stones song “Gimme Shelter,” was the first to release this song, issuing it in 1963. Ramona King from the doo-wop group The Fairlanes was the next to release it, but it wasn’t until Everett’s 1964 cover that the song finally hit.
The song has spanned decades with more successful cover versions. In 1975, Linda Lewis reached #107 US; James Taylor’s younger sister, Kate Taylor, hit #49 US in 1977; Cher took it to #33 US in 1991. Her version also hit #1 in the UK.
The song received its name on account of backup vocals that sing, “shoop shoop shoop…” These gibberish words are heard every time the line, “If you wanna know if he loves you so,” is sung.
Everett’s version stood out in large part because of the xylophone solo – something you don’t hear very often in a pop song.
This was Everett’s third single and her first Top 40 hit. Her first failed to chart and her second single (“You’re No Good,” later covered by Linda Ronstadt) climbed only to #51 on the Hot 100. Everett recorded for Vee Jay Records, a Motown competitor.
The backup vocals were provided by a local female group from Chicago called the Opals.
Cher recorded her version for the 1990 film Mermaids, which she starred in along with Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. Both Cher’s version and Everett’s version are featured in the film, but Cher’s is the only version featured on the soundtrack. >>
Cher’s version was produced by Peter Asher, a longtime Beatles associate who produced most of James Taylor’s and Linda Ronstadt’s hits. In a Songfacts interview with Asher, he explained: “The song was already chosen. They were going to sing it in the movie anyway and they just wanted a proper record version for the end titles.
That one I cut without Cher’s input entirely. I just did it the way I thought she should do it. I had one conversation with Cher about the key, and that was it. And then she showed up and it was all done. She liked it, luckily.”
Salt-N-Pepa got their shoop on in 1993 for their song “Shoop.” In 1995, Whitney Houston appropriated the Shoop for her song “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” which was a massive hit from the movie Waiting To Exhale.
Linda Rondstadt sometimes performed this song, and sang it on an episode of The Muppets, with Kermit the Frog the object of her affection.
Betty Everett – The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)
Does he love me, I want to know How can I tell if he loves me so
(is it in his eyes) Oh no, you’ll be deceived (is it in his eyes) Oh no, he’ll make believe If you want to know if he loves you so It’s in his kiss (that’s where it is, oh yeah)
(or is it in his face) Oh no, it’s just his charm (in his one embrace) Oh no, that’s just his arm If you want to know if he loves you so It’s in his kiss (that’s where it is) Oh oh, it’s in his kiss (that’s where it is)
Oh oh oh, kiss him and squeeze him tight And find out what you want to know If it’s love, if it really is It’s there in his kiss
(how ’bout the way he acts) Oh no, that’s not the way And you’re not listenin’ to all I say If you want to know if he loves you so It’s in his kiss (that’s where it is) Oh yeah, it’s in his kiss (that’s where it is)
Whoa oh oh, kiss him and squeeze him tight And find out what you want to know If it’s love, if it really is It’s there in his kiss
(how ’bout the way he acts) Oh no, that’s not the way And you’re not listenin’ to all I say If you want to know if he loves you so It’s in his kiss (that’s where it is) Oh yeah, it’s in his kiss (that’s where it is) Oh oh, it’s in his kiss (that’s where it is)
This is one of my favorite pop songs of the 1960s. The vocals are reminiscent of the Beach Boys. It’s a sunny and bright song musically about a guy writing to his girl…in prison. The song doesn’t express or explain why she is in prison just that he will be with her when her stay is over.
The song is arranged beautifully. with the vocal only arrangements, You can hear Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney’s influence on this recording. Chris White’s (Zombies bass player) bass playing is phenomenal in this song.
It is on the album Odessey and Oracle, one of the best albums of the sixties. The hit song on the album is Time of the Season but it is full of great songs. It charted a year after it was released at #95 in the Billboard 200 album charts in 1969. The song/album would be on my desert island list.
Rod Argent (Zombies keyboard player) talks about recording the album: We didn’t think, “Oh, we have to do something like Pet Sounds,” but I think it did inspire us. There wasn’t any attempt to copy the elements that were in there so much as the creativity of it and the feeling of pushing pop music forward into different spaces than it had been before. I think Pet Sounds was an indirect influence, as it was on Sgt. Pepper. Since then, Paul McCartney’s said the same thing; they felt they had to do something similar.
This uptempo pop symphony is about a guy writing to his girlfriend, who is in prison. The group’s main songwriter Rod Argent recalled in Mojo Magazine February 2008: “It just appealed to me. That twist on a common scenario, I just can’t wait for you to come home to me again.”
This was released as the first single from the Odessey And Oracle album in the UK, but it didn’t make the charts, which surprised vocalist, Colin Blunstone. He said in his Songfacts interview, “It’s a wonderfully crafted song. I think it’s got an incredible lyric, wonderful chord sequence and a great melody – it’s just got everything.”
Blunstone was shocked by the song’s lack of popular appeal, as he thought it was a very commercial track. Soon after it stiffed, the band split up and Blunstone took a job in the Burglary Department of a London insurance office. Bassist Chris White admitted: “We tried to promote ‘Care Of Cell 44,’ but there was no positive reaction. It was downhill from then on.” However the band did have a surprise hit in America a year after their breakup when “Time Of The Season” peaked at #3.
Care of Cell 44
Good morning to you, I hope your feeling better baby Thinkin of me while you are far away Counting the days until they set you free again Writing this letter, hoping your okay Sent to the room you used to stay in every Sunday The one that is warmed by sunshine every day And we’ll get to know each other for a second time Then you can tell me about your prison stay
Feels so good your coming home soon
Its gonna be good to have you back again with me Watching the laughter play around your eyes Come up and getcha, saved up for the train fare money Kiss and make-up and it will be so nice
Feels so good your coming home soon
Walking the way we used to walk And it could be so nice Talkin the way we used to talk And it could be so nice
Its gonna be nice to have you back again with me Watching the laughter play around your eyes Come up and getcha, saved up for the train fare money Kiss and make-up and it will be so nice
I had forgotten about this song and band. The Knickerbockers were basically a Beatles knock-off band. This is not a great song by any means but at the time some people passed this off as a rare unheard Beatles track. For me and I’m sure many more, it is not too hard to tell this is not a Beatles track…but it’s a fun song.
The Knickerbockers were found Jerry Fuller in a bar in Albany, New York and he relocated them to Los Angeles and they soon became a popular club attraction.
This was their only top forty recording… it peaked at #20 in the Billboard 100 in 1966.
Lies
Lies, lies, you’re tellin’ me that you’ll be true Lies, lies That’s all I ever hear from you Tears, tears
I shed a million tears for you Tears, tears And now you’re lovin’ someone new Someday I’m gonna be happy
But I don’t know when just now Lies, lie-ies A-breakin’ my heart You think that you’re such a smart girl
And I’ll believe what you say But who do you think you are, girl To lead me on this way hey Lies, lies
I can’t believe a word you say Lies, lies Are gonna make you sad someday Some day you’re gonna be lonely
But you won’t find me around Lies, lie-ies A-breakin’ my heart Someday I’m gonna be happy
But I don’t know when just now Lies, lie-ies A-breakin’ my heart You think that you’re such a smart girl
And I’ll believe what you say But who do you think you are, girl To lead me on this way hey Lies (ah!), lies (yeah baby)
I can’t believe a word you say Lies, lies Are gonna make you sad someday Some day you’re gonna be lonely
But you won’t find me around Lies, lie-ies A-breakin’ my heart I said, baby, now (breakin’ my heart)
Oh, yeah, you’re still breakin’ my heart (breakin’ my heart)
The dynamic of the intro really works in this song. The wall of distortion and feedback starts and then it snaps into the song. It is incredibly catchy and bouncy for being a harder song. This song was on Steppenwolf’s “Second” album and the song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100 in 1968. I’ve always liked John Kays voice and he also has a great stage presence.
Steppenwolf had 13 songs in the Billboard 100 and 3 top ten hits. This was the second big hit for Steppenwolf. “Born To Be Wild” was released a few months earlier. They were on different albums, with “Born To Be Wild” on their first and this on their second, although this was released well before their second album came out.
From Songfacts
The group wrote this based on the bass line their bass player, Rushton Moreve, came up with. The only words he had written for it were, “I like my job, I like my baby.” Lead singer John Kay wrote the rest of the lyrics. He got inspired when he put the demo tape in a home stereo system he bought with the royalties from their first album. That’s where he came up with the line, “I like to dream, right between my sound machine.”
John Kay of Steppenwolf teamed up with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to do a 1988 rap-rock remake of this song. It was similar to the Run-D.M.C./Aerosmith mash-up of “Walk This Way,” which was released in 1986.
This song first appeared in a 1968 movie called Candy by the French director Christian Marquand. It starred Ewa Aulin, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Ringo Starr and Charles Aznavour. It’s an extremely strange movie, definitely of it’s time and kind of gives context to the song, intended or not. The movie was based on a popular counterculture novel.
In 2004, this was used in the “America Revolution” series of Chevy car commercials.
Magic Carpet Ride
I like to dream, yes, yes Right between the sound machine On a cloud of sound I drift in the night Any place it goes is right Goes far, flies near To the stars away from here
Well, you don’t know what We can find Why don’t you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don’t know what We can see Why don’t you tell your dreams to me Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes now Look inside now Let the sound Take you away
Last night I hold Aladdin’s lamp So I wished that I could stay Before the thing could answer me Well, someone came and took the lamp away
I looked Around A lousy candle’s all I found
Well, you don’t know what We can find Why don’t you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don’t know what We can see Why don’t you tell your dreams to me Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes now Look inside now Let the sound Take you away
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