Time Machine co-ordinates VII-IX692556164677275

 

Today we hover over September 9th, and in one of our years this time, we have one of the biggest routs in history.  Sports? No.  Military? No again.  It was the vote in 1975 to see if the famous Gibraltar would stay British or turn Spanish.  Results?  British by 12,138 to 44.

Because "Conseguir un pedazo de la roca" screws up that nasty Liberace joke...

And here we go with Time Machine post 692, on our way to a concluding 700, and our Guest star today, with a little help from the Tardis' universal translator, is Domenico Modugno!

DM:  Hey, how ya doin?

Excuse me?

DM: Whaddya, got hearin' issues?

NARDOLE....

N:  Yes, sir?

The translator is set a few notches below "King's English", I believe...

N:  Yes, sir.  And somehow, it got stuck there....

Oh, nice.  I ask for a classical singer and get Tom DeFalco.  While I see if the setting is indeed irretrievable, listen to our debut at #10 this week.  With a second tune from the box set Feel Flows, here are the Beach Boys...

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Okay, so the setting is, indeed, stuck.  I apologize for my machine making you sound like a mafioso...

DM: Succede.  Whaddaya want me doin' anyway?

Well, this week I pulled my favorites from this week's top 20s in the years 1955, '61, '64, '67, '72, and '75.  Leaving out the ones that were on previous rounds, that gives us 16 songs. The Bottom two, by where they finished on their year's year-end chart, we save for other features; the top 4 become our finalists.  And right now, you get to read off the rest of the list.

DM:  Okay, I gotcha.  Lemme see da list.

So's we got these alphabetically, l'ho coperto.  

First is the Beatles from 1964 an' A Hard Day's Night...

Barry Manilow, from 1975 an' Could It Be Magical...

Den we got Roy Orbison an' Cryin' from '61...

Da Raspberries next wit' Go All Da Way from '72...

Da Animals wit' House O' Da Risin' Sun from '64...

(Whispering) Nardole, is it just me, or is the translation getting worse?

N:  Sorry, sir, Italian hasn't really caught on out in the galactic areas...

DM:  Johnny Denver an' I'm Sorry from '75...

Dat Elvis compagno wit' Little Sister from '61...

Da Four Paisanos an' Moments Ta Remember from '55...

Er, that's "the Four Lads"...

DM:  S'what I said!  Next, The Bee Gees an' Run Ta Me from 1972...

An' finally is Saturday In Da Park from 1972.

"People dancing, people laughing

A man selling ice cream

Singing Italian songs

Eh Cumpari, ci vo sunari

Can you dig it? (Yes, I can)"...

DM: Whadda hell is that?  It don' mean nothin'...

Yeah, I've heard that.  But they thought it sounded Italian...

DM:  Sounds Corsican to me.  Whaada, you wantin' Buonoparte on here instead?

Easy, trigger!  Why don't we play that second debut, at #9, from our old friends, Moon Taxi....

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Okay, so now, if you would, please give us the four finalists...

DM: Nessun problema!  Our 4 finalists are... drum roll, please...

Nardole:  Don't look at me...

DM:  Bobby Vee an' Come Back When Ya Grow Up from '67...

The Four Aces an' Love Is a Many-Spendored Thing from '55...

The Highwaymen an' Michael from 1961...

an' The Letter by da Box Tops from 1967!

And now, let's see what Horace Bellbottom has for us in the 6D feature...

HB:  All I can say is, thank God I need no translation!  Our story begins with the title track from a Paul Simon lp, Still Crazy After All These Years.  It was released as a single, surprisingly just grazing the chart at #40.  It was one of the songs on a prospective solo lp by Karen Carpenter, an album that Karen and producer Quincy Jones thought good enough to release, but the record company, its head Herb Alpert, and Karen's brother Richard did not.  Richard would finally remix and release the disc after his sister's passing.  But back then, the Quincy Jones connection brought another song into consideration; but this tune Karen herself rejected.  Written by Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Jones moved it on to another newly solo singer he was producing- Michael Jackson.  That song became the title track of his album, Off The Wall.

And how do we get from there to our target song, which was #11 this week in 1964 but did not get into the year's hot 100? Because Quincy Jones made his biggest hits producing multiple hits for two acts.  One was the aforementioned Mr Jackson.  The other was '60s star Leslie Gore, and the song in question was Maybe I Know.

In the meantime, our Overseas If You Please also comes from 1964, courtesy of the Dave Clark Five song, Because, also not making the year-end chart.  And the number ones this week in 1964:

UK:  You Really Got Me by the Kinks;

Canada: The House Of The Rising Sun;

New Zealand:  A Hard Day's Night;

and Australia: Also the Beatles, with I Should Have Known Better.

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All right, that brings it to yours truly and the M10 this week.  I...

DM:  Hey, I'm still here!  I should just stand here an' look good?

This translator is really getting on my nerves!  You'll do the final four reveal here in just a minute, comprendere?

DM: Si, I got it. Burn a guy fer askin', eh?

Just keep telling yourself, Chris, it's not him, it's the translator...

Anyway, this week's remaining M10...

8- Redspencer slips 4 with Big Deal...

7- The Ventures slip 2 with Theme From A Summer Place...

6- Bleachers hold with How Dare You Want More...

5- Black Pumas drop a pair with Wichita Lineman...

4- Up 2 for Weezer and Enter Sandman...

3- Zooming up 7 are Tom Morello and Phantogram with Driving To Texas...

2- And holding, Duran Duran with Chai and More Joy!

And a third week at #1 for...

...illuminatti hottie Sarah Tudzin and Buck Meek with u. v. v. p.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And no, still no idea what u v v p stands for....  Okay, Domenico, it's all yours!

DM: Grazie!  So's this is ranked by how dey finish on the year's end, so pay attention!

Bobby Vee, he come in at 15th in '67...

Da Highwaymen, dey come in at #8 in '61...

Da Aces, dey come in at #7 in '55....

But da winner, an' the number one song of 1967....

...da Box Tops an' The Letter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All right everybody!  Thanks Domenico, for being such a good sport, and next week we'll be 8 shows from the end!