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Today we hit October 4th, 1965, and according to wiki:
Pope Paul VI made the first visit ever by the Roman Catholic Pontiff to the United States, appearing for a Mass before 90,000 people at New York's Yankee Stadium...
...where the Pontiff hit a 2-run single past Ed Brinkman to give the Yanks a 4-2 win over the Washington Senators. It was not enough, however, to lift the scuffling Yanks out of 6th place, seeings at it was the day after the campaign ended.
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| "I believe it is in the best interests of this show to point out that the Pope did NOT play baseball in Yankee Stadium, on the 4th of October or any other date. This story is totally fictitious." |
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| (Now see, Pope Francis DID pitch... albeit underhanded.) |
So here the thing: I got the idea the other night for a feature called 'Song of September'. I went back and pointed out all the Martin Era 2.0 top fives of September, on both Cashbox AND Billboard, added them together, and came up with the ME2.0's Greatest Songs of September! I hope to do this for each month, given time and memory capacity, but I have at least done it THIS time. First, let me give honorable mentions to the songs that were the best for their year, but didn't make the top 20. They would be: The Beatles and Help! in 1965, Jeannie C Riley's Harper Valley PTA in '68, Donny Osmond's Go Away Little Girl in '71, Gilbert O'Sullivan's Alone Again Naturally in '72, Andy Kim's Rock Me Gently in '74, along with the winners of 1975-6-7, Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy, Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music, and the Emotions' Best Of My Love. Having covered that, here are the first five (or so) Songs of September:
20- Supremes, You Can't Hurry Love (1966). They had the same points but won the tie-breaker with Blue Velvet and Delta Dawn.
19- Edwin Starr, War (1970). Because of factors we've discussed on other such efforts of mine, the '70s score low, and this is one of only 2 to make top 20. Thus obviously this is the 1970 top song.
18- My Boyfriend's Back, Angels (1963). The year winner over Blue Velvet.
17- Tommy Roe, Sheila (1962). Not the year-winner, and good, since I don't like it all that much.
16- My Prayer, the Platters (1956). Just nipped for the top by- well, you'll see.
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All right, time for the Panel List, and... Nardole, I don't see Roy Orbison...
N: Ah, well, he left muttering something about, "that damned 'big o' joke again..."... I could give him a call...
Nah, I guess I'll handle it. Whoodathunkit, he's so sensitive? Anyway, we have 19 contestants from 69 stations, so....
The one-vote wonders start off with Jonathan Martin's Everyone's Gone To The Moon at #66.
The Guess Who, Chad Allen version, get a Canadian vote for a song that only got to #125 on BB, Hey Ho, What You Do To Me.
One of three Panelists for the Beatles, Ringo singing Act Naturally was at #33.
Fontella Bass at #58 with Rescue Me...
The UK #1, Ken Dodd's sentimental ballad Tears gets a vote.
As does a second Beatles tune, Help! which was fading at #7.
The UK's #5 song also gets a vote, Manfred Mann's If You Gotta Go, Go Now.
And the UK's #3, which would debut here next week, the Stones and Get Off My Cloud.
Finally, Sonny and Cher with Baby Don't Go at #10.
Here, though, let's take a musical interlude and listen to the first debut on the M10 at #10. Two weeks ago, this song was the #63 in '63; it would make about #46 eventually, but here I make the rules. At #10, Barbara Lewis from 1963...
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Here's the next 5 of the Songs of September...
15- Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye (1973). The high water mark for the 70's on the list.
14- Honky Tonk Women, Rolling Stones, 1969. Came in second to REDACTED (spoilers, sweetie!)
13- Hound Dog, Elvis Presley (1956). Yup, he beat out the Platters. But STILL not the top song!
12- The Twist, Chubby Checker (1960). Alas, good for 2nd place that year.
11- Sherry, Four Seasons (1962). And it got my vote!
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Son, you're gonna have this Panel gig all messed up purty soon. Best let me do the also-rans.
Why not? We should pay you for something around here...
WATCH IT. So the 2-vote songs are the Toys with A Lover's Concert-o...
Con-CER-to...
Whatever. It's at #29. Then we got the Vogues and You're The One at #47...
An' then the good people in the Old World chipped in 2 votes for the Rolling Stones an' I Can't Get No Satisfaction, which was done here in July.
Finally, We Five an' You Wuz On My Mind...
'WERE' on my mind...
Whatever. It's at #2. Back to you!
Which leaves us with yet another blowout race- the winner lapped the other three combined! Choose from:
The Beatles and Yesterday at #4...
Man, if it's them again, I want a vacation week!
Talk to Bellbottom. The REST of the choosers...
Roy Head and the Traits with Treat Her Right at #8...
The McCoys and Hang On Sloopy at #1...
...and Barry McGuire and my favorite for this week, Eve Of Destruction at #3. Pick well, have fun!
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How about that second debut at #9? Returning to the M10 for the first time in a long time, here's French electro-pop band M83...
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Round three of the Songs of September- and they ALL won their years from here on...
10- Sugar Sugar, the Archies (1969). That's right, the Stones got beat by cartoon characters!
9- It's Now Or Never, Elvis Presley (1960). Elvis with a win over Chubby this time...
8- House Of The Rising Sun, the Animals (1964). Kinda surprising that the Beatles had such a bad show of September.
7- The Three Bells, The Browns (1959). Beating out Santo and Johnny's Sleepwalk.
6- Michael, the Highwaymen (1961). Beat out Bobby Vee's Take Good Care Of My Baby.
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Mr Haney and Goober- two of the funniest supporting characters in sitcom history. And how do they make it into a 6D post? Well, they (well, Pat Buttram and George Lindsay) were both on an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode called The Jar. Also in this episode was one William Marshall, an opera trained singer-come-actor who, perhaps unfortunately, is best remembered for the starring role in the "groundbreaking" blacksploitation flick Blackula. And here's where the music comes in. Playing themselves in said movie were an up-and-coming trio called, after much debate, the Hues Corporation- well before Rock the Boat made their name. They did three songs for the movie, and Gene Page scored the film. Who's Gene Page? Well, he's Billy Page's brother. And who's Billy Page? He produced said score. Oh, and he wrote a song some time back, that was sitting at #5 with no Panel love- Ramsey Lewis's take on The 'In' Crowd.
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Stat pack!
Well, with my favorite and the UK #1 already done, that leaves us with a few other places to stop. First, though, I need to mention that Meathead up there forgot one of the 2-vote songs. It never charted here by the local Australian act that got the vote, but it was charting at #91 by the Five Emprees, an act from Benton Harbor MI who were the Impressions- until Curtis Mayfield's Impressions threatened to get lawyers involved. The Australian act was MPD Limited, and the song was Little Boy Sad.
The big mover was a song right up Elvis's alley- Gerry Lewis and the Playboys' Everybody Loves A Clown...
HEY!
...which went from 74 to 39, a jump of 35.
Patty Duke scored the #101 with Say Something Funny; and the big debuts this week were the Four Seasons and Let's Hang On at #79, and Marvin Gaye with Ain't That Peculiar at #82.
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And the big wrap-up! First, the remaining M10...
Stranger Places falls from 2 to 8 for Joy Downer.
Also tumbling from 5 to 7 is the latest member of the all-time top ten- Geowulf's He's 31, now in a 9th place tie.
Dolly Parton, oh, and For King And Country, climb a quick 3 to #6 with God Only Knows...
Also up three are Silversun Pickups with Neon Wound.
A song I confess I didn't think would catch me quite this well, White Reaper's 1F, moves up 2 to #4
Saint Asonia hangs one more week at #3 with The Hunted.
Geowulf's other hit on this week's chart, Lonely, slides up 2 to #2.
And at #1 for a second week...
...The Explorer's Club and The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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And the final five of the Songs of September:
5- Tammy, Debbie Reynolds (1957)...
4- The Yellow Rose Of Texas, Mitch Miller (1955)...
3- Nel Blu Di Pinta Di Blu (Volare) Domenigo Modugno (1958)...
2- the song that beat out the Platters AND Elvis, could only be Elvis and Don't Be Cruel (1956)...
And the surprise shock winner.... at #1....
...Bobby Gentry's Ode To Billy Joe (1967)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the panel winner, with 49.3 % of the vote....
...the Beatles and Yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DAMN IT! DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, come on, you knew it would be them...
I'm still goin' on vacation next week...
Bellbottom: You would have to, anyway. They still have a restraining order over the Balogna Casserole incident...
So next week, the Fab Four and 1966!
I came and I remembered and now I leave because it is cold and wet here
ReplyDeleteI told you not to open the window...
DeleteThe amount of research you do is *amazing,* man... I don't know how you do it!!
ReplyDeletePS: Before I read the next line of the first two paragraphs, I mused how cool it would be to have the pope take the mound - and then it "happened!" :)
Well, one hour Friday, one hour during the week, and two hours typing...
DeleteHard to deny The Beatles! One of these days, I'm going to figure out everything that goes on in these posts. ☺ Until then, thanks for the music and memories.
ReplyDeleteIf you do, then I will have failed in my mission...
Delete