This week, we head to September 6th, 1961- and just when I thought I was going to have to settle for a collection of dumb events (looking at you, USSR, and your nuclear tests), I found a really cool one. It was about the Battleship USS North Carolina. It was a weapon of the age in WWII, being in many fierce battles- in the course of the war, Japanese radio announced SIX TIMES that they had sunk her- but she only ever took one torpedo hit, which she survived. But alas, they don't last forever, and we come in at the point she was about to be scrapped out:
After serving as a training vessel for midshipmen, NORTH CAROLINA was decommissioned 27 June 1947. In 1958 the Navy decided that it did not need the NORTH CAROLINA in the fleet. The ship was going to be sold and the new owners could melt down the ship to make other things like razors and cars. The citizens of North Carolina decided that the ship should be saved because it would make a wonderful memorial to honor the North Carolinians who died in service during World War II. Towing the ship from Bayonne, New Jersey, to Wilmington, purchasing land in Wilmington, and creating the Memorial required substantial funds.
Encouraged by the Battleship Committee which found saving the Ship to be both desirable and possible, Governor Terry Sanford appointed a Battleship Commission to raise funds. He selected Post 10 member and prominent entrepreneur Hugh Morton as the chairman.
The campaign included asking the state’s students to give 10 cents to save the Ship. If the school had 100 percent participation, then each student received a free admission ticket and the school’s name would appear on a plaque on board Ship. Money poured in from every school in the state. In the end 700,000 of North Carolina’s one million students contributed.
The statewide campaign successfully raised $330,000 to purchase, dredge and prepare a site and have the Ship towed from New Jersey. On September 6, 1961, during a formal ceremony in Bayonne, New Jersey, the Federal Government formally handed over the 35,000 ton Battleship to the State of North Carolina. She opened to the public on October 14, 1961.
(Story courtesy of the Battleship North Carolina website)
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This week, I'm going to lead off a rollicking TM with the 6D. Why, because, in the article I read about the victim- Bobby Lewis's iconic Tossin' And Turnin' at #6- it mentioned the song had placed 27th on the Billboard 50th anniversary all-time list. In going a step farther, I found that Billboard has just released a 60th anniversary list a mere 2 1/2 weeks ago- and we are going to countdown the top 20 Martin Era 2.0 songs on that list! Also, given that the list is 600 songs long, I have a special guessing game for you all! I went down the ENTIRE list, making lists, checking them twice- and I want to see if you can guess which of these categories contained the most songs on the list:
Loved it!
Hated it!
Who the heck is it?
or, "It was okay..."
And, Elvis is on the Panel Picks, and do we have another Iron Ceiling on the M10? Let's set sail, anchors away!
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Okay, so here's what I'm gonna do: You get five of that top 20 songs, and the lowest % of those four categories when I finish a section. Having just finished the intro, here are the first five songs from ME 2.0 off that BB 600 list:
20- Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack was at #102 on their list.
19- Hey, King, you were at #101 with Are You Lonesome To-Night?
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| Yeah? We'll it better not be the last time... |
Unfortunately, it is- but hey, you got the POTM, so that's even better!
Says you...
18- Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry, was at #93.
17- You're So Vain by Carly Simon was #92... sounds like someone I know...
16- Marvin Gaye at #84 with I Heard It Through The Grapevine.
And the lowest of the four categories? Thankfully that was the "I hate it!" group at 0.06%- which out of 600 songs is still 36, but it coulda been worse...
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Here, let's take a break with our new debut! Y'know, our very first chart has come up a lot lately, and one song from it was Riding In My Car by NRBQ- a legendary, long-lived band who has been a favorite of critics forever, but only ever charted once on BB. Now, another legendary band who can say the exact same thing joins the countdown this week at #10! With brand new music, I have here the new hit by nearly 50-year vets, the Rubinoos... but it's not on YouTube, dash it! However, go here, scroll down to the track list, and play track #2- January.
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| Just come back here and pretend you're watching the video... |
You're awful grouchy for someone just back from vacation? How was your trip outside the Musical Tardis?
Pretty dead, pretty dead...
Not surprised, sorry to hear it, though. So you get a 20 song, 44 station list...
Yeah, yeah, I know how it works, gimme the one-voters... We have an Aussie group called the Joy Boys with a tune called... does that say, "Smoky Mokes"?
Yes, yes it does. It was pretty good!
Uh-huh. Next we have the Don Shirley Trio with a tune called Waterboy at #45 on the BILLboard chart...
Gary US Bonds with School Is Out at #2... boy, that was some lousy timin', huh?
What's this crazy stuff? This here song don't even debut until the 7th of next month?
There's one in every bunch, at least...
Yeah, seems like. This time, it's the Stereos with I Really Love You.
Wink Martindale, who I see will one day be a game show host, has a song called Black Land Farmer at #85... Sure this wasn't a country station?
No, but it was Fargo, North Dakota...
Ahh.. So then, Troy Shondell ends up at #101 this week with This Time... I like him.
That would figure, since he sounds just like you...
Bob Luman had a sorry, no charter with Private Eye...
Johnny Tillotson was #32 with Without... without what?
Nothing. Just Without.
Uh-huh. Bobby Edwards had You're The Reason at #70...
Timi Yuro was at #5 with Hurt...
Joe Dowell has a song I hit big with across the pond, Wooden Heart, at #4...
The Jive Five with My True Story was at #20....
Fred Darian had a war song called Johnny Willow at #86...
And... hey, really?
Yep, some station was playing a lot of Lawrence Welk's version of Ghost Riders... even though it wasn't a single! It was pretty good too! But before Mr Presley does the finalists, let's do another round of the ME 2.0 songs from the BB 600 all timers!
15- Sugar Sugar, the Archies, sat at #81.
14- The Fifth Dimension with Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In was their #73...
13- I'm A Believer by the Monkees at #62.
12- The Beatles, I Wan't To Hold Your Hand at #48.
I bet THEY got more'n one...
You'd win that bet! Finally this round, #11- Tommy Edwards and It's All In The Game at #47.
And the next lowest category? "I love it!" with 26.67 %.
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All, right, back to me with the finalists this week! Choose a winner from...
Take Good Care Of My Baby, Bobby Vee, at #3...
The Highwaymen with Michael, #1....
Dick an' DeeDee, The Mountain's High at #8...
Roy Orbison with a twofer- Candyman at #48, Crying at #18...
An' yours truly with (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame, at... #50?
New to the chart, my friend! So it's Bobby, the Highwaymen, D &D, Roy X 2, or you know who over here for the title. But now....
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Yep, another round of the ME 2.0's contribution to the 60th Anniversary BB all-time list!
10- Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Old Oak Tree, Tony Orlando and Dawn, at their #46.
9- Marvin Gaye again...
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| Waitaminit! HE gets two on here, an' I don't? |
8- Silly Love Songs, Wings, at #40.
7- Battle Of New Orleans, Johnny Horton, at #37, and...
6- the guy that started this, Bobby Lewis and Tossin' And Turnin', down to #36 this time.
And the next lowest category, as well as the winner, next time. Just okay, or who's that? Only 2 songs separate them!
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Stat Pack Time!
I think I would go with Bobby Vee and Take Good Care Of My Baby as the one I would have had at #1 this week. Next week, baby Chris will be able to vote!
In the meantime, King, you take the Big Mover with your Panelist flip side, Little Sister going up 35 spots from 59 to 24!
YESSS!
The #61 at '61 was another one of those lower-register Jackie Wilson songs that I think are so much better than the high-voice ones now heard on the oldies, called Years From Now.
Bobby Darin got the week's big debut with You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby at #71.
And that leaves us with a death-rock favorite of the day at #1 in the UK, Johnny Remember Me by John Layton.
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Before we take on the last of our business this week, let me do the rest of the M10...
Hey, lemme do them fer once!
Really? Yeah, why not?
Okay, so here's the songs that Chris likes this week:
This cat M.A.G.S. won't drop off the charts, his former #1 Drugs is in its 8th week droppin' to #9...
An' neither will this King Leg guy, he goes back up again, one place ta #8 in his 9th week with Runnin' Scared...
Status Quo, well, they maintain the status quo, holdin' at #7 with Liberty Lane...
I'm surprised you knew that word...
Son, back in MY day, we all hadda take Latin! Saint Asonia gets goin', up 4 to #6 with The Hunted...
I dunno what kinda girl calls herself Springtime Carnivore, but she moves up a spot ta 5 with Name On A Matchbook.
Aw, Mikaela Davis couldna hold onta the Iron Ceiling! She drops a spot to 4 with Other Lover.
Which means that scorchin' hot Joy Downer gets #3 with Stranger Places...
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| Can't argue with you there, King... |
An the top two stayed the same for week three, despite an all out assault by the former #1! Last Days in August holds the 2 spot fer the Orwells, but still at the top...
....Geowulf an' He's 31!! Say, how come you like that song so much?
Well, to be honest... it could have been me and my ex at that age for me...
'Nuff said... back to you.
All right, so we have three things to settle here. First off....
...the "who are you" songs (the ones I didn't know) beat the just okays, 33.83 % to 33.5%....
Secondly, the final five...
5- Theme From A Summer Place, Percy Faith, was their #23.
4- Rod Stewart was their #19 with Tonight's The Night...
3- The Beatles and Hey Jude, their #12...
2- Bobby Darin and Mack The Knife, their #3...
And their #1 is our #1....
And finally, the Panel Picks...
Well, no matter which Roy Orbison song you took, you got 4.5%- same with Dick and Dee Dee...
If you took Elvis for the 2-peat, you got 6.8%...
Crap! Gotta go call my bookie...
The Highwaymen got you 18.18%...
But your winner, with 31.81%...
Bobby Vee, Taking Good Care Of His Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next week, baby Chris and 1962!
Thank you for the momories brought to mind by thhis post
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