Seven Top 40 song titles
that make you go, “Huh?”
Aha!
It took only a moment to discover something a little unique to offer you for
the final month of 1968. Let’s go
all-music this month—no, not Christmas/Holiday music; there are enough Silver Bells*
floating in the air. Think instead, the standard vintage radio music chart 50 Years Ago this Month … with a twist.
(*Bob Hope & Marilyn Maxwell in The Lemon Drop Kid, 1951. Wonderful!)
(*Bob Hope & Marilyn Maxwell in The Lemon Drop Kid, 1951. Wonderful!)
Perusing
this month’s Featured
Radio Survey—WRIT/Milwaukee’s
Top 40—I was struck by the number of unusual and ambiguous song titles that
punctuated the list.
Most
of the time, record labels prefer song titles to be immediately understood by
the public and preferably strike an emotional chord. December 23, 1968 seemed to buck the norm with 7 song title oddities
out of the top 40. Oh, there are a few others that if you saw them for the
first time, make you wonder what they could possibly be about: “Crimson &
Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells, and “Till,” a sentimental tune by The
Vogues, are such. But nothing like these (in
order of chart position):
1) “Abraham, Martin & John”
by Dion, hit
WRIT’s #1 spot in December 1968 and
stayed there for a couple of weeks. Think you don’t know anyone by those names?
History proves you knew them—Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy (and Robert F. Kennedy not named in title, but
in verse). The song’s tribute to four of history’s revered architects of social
change became a career revival for Dion. ♪ But
it seems the good they die young ♪
4) “Bang Shang a Lang,” a simple love song (♪ My heart went bang shang a lang ♪), somehow made it to the top ten, despite its animated (yes,
fictional, as in not real) garage band. The Archies starred
in a Saturday morning TV show based on the Archie
comic book series, with a significant attachment to Pop radio! Former Boston DJ Norm Prescott, was one of three founding owners of Filmation Associates which
produced the show for CBS. While “Bang” was their debut single, you’ll likely
recall a more popular “Sugar, Sugar” the following year.
9) “Chewy Chewy” (no, not from Star Wars!) is a
seriously sugary pop tune wrapped up in pseudo sex. Ohio Express dedicated 1968-70 to
light on lyrics and heavy on innuendo. ♪ Baby
a living box of candy wrapped up so very fine ♪ is about the least sexual
lyric I could quote from “Chewy.” It’s fun to read the lyrics from some of the
‘60s songs now, and wonder … did they really say that?! Heehee. Which of course, is nothing compared to today’s
sexually, violently, explicit hip hop fare. (Sorry, can’t call it “music.”)
Ohio Express’s swinging door of artists and session musicians fashioned a vague
anomaly in an era of well-defined, iconic bands. By most accounts only Tim Corwin
remained a constant. Wiki’s depiction
attempts to untangle the confusion.
15) “Not Enough Indians” by … surprisingly … Dean Martin. Oh, how he’d be vilified on
Twitter today! ♪ There's too many chiefs and
not enough Indians around this house ♪ And before you go
23) “Battle Hymn of the Republic” was certainly not a “new” song, considering its inception during the Civil War more
than a hundred years prior. Andy Williams,
famously known for his theme song, “Moon River,” gave this battle
cry a popular lift. We were not in short supply of patriotism in 1968—however,
given the national strife of the Vietnam War, it held our patriotism a bit closer. ♪ He has sounded from the trumpet that shall never call retreat ♪
25) “1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero” is not the standard Top 10 fare of love
found, love lost, or plain ol’ lust. Bobby Russell
sings a catchy tune dedicated to the praise of the neighborhood nice guy. You
would know Russell best as a country and pop songwriter, penning such hits for
others as, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” (1973, then-wife, Vicki Lawrence) and “Honey” (1968, Bobby
Goldsboro). Like novels, lyrics are
often based in truth. Was “Hero” a personal touch? ♪ Christmas time, he took | 'Em
down to see the floats ♪ … just one reason he
was a hit with the local kids.
… and
last but not historically least …
33) “Vance”
is another tribute tune that makes you think; especially if you remember the
era. While Roger Miller
performs the spoken/tuneful song with reverence in his deep, meaningful voice,
the lyrics eventually lead you down a path that ends in vintage reality. It’s a perfect example of what was once thought a man had to do to be a man—a principle that we’d like
to think, no longer applies. (Sadly again, see hip hop comment above.) ♪ And it did my heart so much good when Vance
hit ole Smitty … But he had finally
made a stand and he'd become a self made man ♪ “Vance” dropped off the
chart at this point.
Hope
you’ve enjoyed December 1968 50
Years Ago this Month’s reverie of eclectic Top 40 song titles, and BFYP’s whole year of
retro memories. I do it for you … looking forward to what 2019 &
1969 will bring …
Featured Radio
Survey: WRIT/Milwaukee
“Merry Christmas from the Good Guys,” December
23, 1968. Take a gander at the relatively “normal” tunes on the chart and rev
up your memories to recall … 50 Years
Ago This Month. That awesome day
when …
Celebrate DECEMBER 1968 and … Rock On!
Share on Twitter: @BlastFromPastBk
LinDee Rochelle is a writer
and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published
two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past
series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll
Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll
Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon, … The Psychedelic Seventies!
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪