Friday, September 11, 2009

Forgotten Singles for Saturday 12 September 2009

Some options for Saturday 12 September
The Beatles The pop music world's most successful group had their first million-sellers in 1963 but they didn't break into the American market until the following year.
SHE LOVES YOU, UK#1(4) from 12 September and again for 2 weeks from 28 November 1963. In chart terms, this was the Beatles’ biggest hit, staying in the Top 50 for 33 weeks (36, if you add its brief re-entry in 1983). It sold over a million copies in Britain alone, and until the follow-up, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, sold even more, it was the biggest-selling record ever in Britain.
Past Masters 1 The big fourth single, the song which epitomized the rush of Beatlemania and gave birth to the fervent (but quickly overused) catchphrase "yeah yeah yeah" US#1(2) from 21 March 1964, 15 weeks in Top 100 – from 25 January)
Playd Wednesday 17 September 2008

Elvis Presley
SHE'S NOT YOU
The 40th million-seller for the King of Rock 'n' Roll was written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Doc Pomus and was not linked to any movie. MONSTER HIT in N.Z. and UK#1(3) from 13 September 1962 and US#5, 10 weeks in Top 100 from August 1962. Elvis completed a round dozen of UK No. Ones with his 4th chart-topper in as many releases, equaling his own record set 15 months earlier. This was one of a dozen or so titles recorded at the RCA Nashville Studios on 19 March 1962. The majority of those recordings made their way onto the ‘Pot Luck’ album which was a healthy album seller for Presley in the last half of 1962. (Tracks included ‘Suspicion’, which like ‘Wooden Heart’, was lost by RCA as a possible single)
Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller had been asked by Elvis’ publisher, Freddy Bienstock, to come up with some new country flavoured material for this session, and they produced “She’s Not You” together with Doc Pomus.
Playd Tuesday 16 September 2008

The Small Faces
ALL OR NOTHING
, UK#1(1), 15 September 1966 Moderate Hit in N.Z.
The nattily dressed Small Faces were led by former child star Steve Marriott (b. 30 Jan 1947). Marriott was later to admit he could barely play guitar in the early days of the group, but despite that he and fellow Small Faces, Ronnie Lane (b. 1 Apr 1946), Ian MacLagan (b. 12 May 1946) and Kenny Jones (b. 16 Sep 1948), provided the only real competition to the Who in the mid-60s.
Playd Monday 29 September 2008

The tease
A UK#1(1), 15 September 1966 Moderate Hit in N.Z. The nattily dressed group were led by a former child star who was later to admit he could barely play guitar in the early days of the group, but despite that he and fellow members provided the only real competition to the Who in the mid-60s.

4 Seasons
*SHERRY. US#1(5) from 15 September 1962, 14 weeks in Top 100 and MONSTER HIT in N.Z.

Helen Reddy
*DELTA DAWN US#1, 15 September 1973

Three Dog Night
BLACK AND WHITE
US#1, 16 September 1972, also US Adult Contemporary #1 for 1 week. Los Angeles Pop-rock group formed in 1968 featuring lead singers Danny Hutton, Cory Wells and Chuck Negron. Disbanded in the mid-1970s. Re-formed in the mid-1980s.
An influential American Folk singer named Earl Robinson wrote this in 1954 with lyricist David Arkin (who is the father of actor Alan Arkin). The song is about racism, and was inspired by a US Supreme Court ruling that segregation in public schools is illegal. The original Folk song (but not Three Dog Night's version) includes the line, "Their robes were black, their heads were white" which refers to the judges.
When Three Dog Night recorded this, it came at a time when civil rights was a big issue in America. The message of racial equality was emphasized by their use of a children's choir in the repeated chorus during the closing moments of the song.
The two paragraphs above from
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4268

Frank Sinatra
THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN
. UK#1(3) from 17 September 1954 This Academy Award winning song, written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, became the first major hit for Frank Sinatra in England. It entered the British charts one week after his 'Young At Heart' but that only lasted one week.
Playd Monday 1 September

Pat Boone
*Ain't That A Shame, #1(2) from 17 September 1955 The composer's version was also a million-seller, the 10th for Fats Domino but, it only made #10 on the Pop charts. Monster Hit in N.Z.

Chubby Checker
*THE TWIST US#1(2) from 13 January 1962, 21 weeks in Top 100. The Twist first entered #1 position for 1 week 19 September 1960. MONSTER HIT in N.Z.
Spent a total of 39 weeks in the US charts from 1960 and 1962.

Bobby Vee
*Take Good Care Of My Baby Liberty [USA] MONSTER HIT
US#1(3) from 18 September 1961, 15 weeks in Top 100 (8th Top No 1 of 1961)

Freda Payne
BAND OF GOLD*. UK#1(6) from 19 September 1970. US#3 in 1970, 20 weeks in Top 100 from 25 April. Detroit born 19 September 1945 and sister of The Supremes’ Scherrie Payne. Attended the Institute of Musical Arts. To New York in 1963. Performed with Pearl Bailey, Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones. First recorded for Impulse in 1965 and hosted the syndicated TV talk show ‘For You Black Woman’ in the early 1970s. Produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland, Payne later made it to #33 with “Deeper And Deeper”, then came “Cherish What Is Dear To You” in 1971 her last UK chart entry. In the US she had one of the major protest songs about the Vietnam War, with “Bring The Boys Home”. * Might be a Coast track but not played on a regular basis that I recall.

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