Hey Kent -
I'm wondering if the folks on Forgotten Hits can help out with this one:
For one week in 1966, five of the top 10 songs were written by the Motown team of Holland - Dozier - Holland. What week was that and what were the songs?
It might take a back issue of Billboard to figure this one out, but it's quite a chart feat and I'd love to see the Top 10 that week.
Be Well,
Carl Wiser
www.songfacts.com
I can't find any such week in 1966 where this occurred ... I even checked 1965 just to be sure (because, in MY mind, that was an even MORE prolific year for Holland - Dozier - Holland) ... but I can't find ANY instance in which these guys had written five of the nation's top ten songs ... not on Billboard's POP chart anyway. (Unfortunately, I have no way of checking their R & B Chart ... and I suppose this COULD have happened there ... but those aren't typically the statistics quoted here or in the general media.)
While much has been made of the time The Beatles occupied the top five spots on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart back in 1964, a feat NEVER accomplished before or since (they only wrote FOUR of those Top 5 Hits ... the other track was their remake of "Twist And Shout"), the chart statistic that's often overlooked is the fact that Barry Gibb wrote and produced five Top Ten Hits for a single week in 1978 ... TWICE!!!
He first accomplished this feat on the chart dated February 25th ... when "Stayin' Alive" (#1), "Love Is Thicker Than Water" (#2), "Emotion" (#5), "Night Fever" (#8) and "How Deep Is Your Love" (#10) were all firmly planted in The Billboard Top Ten.
Three of those hits ("Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever" and "How Deep Is Your Love") were recorded by Barry and his brothers Robin and Maurice as The Bee Gees ... "Love Is Thicker Than Water" was a hit for their baby brother Andy Gibb ... and "Emotion" would ultimately peak at #3 for Samantha Sang.
Incredibly, "How Deep Is Your Love" would spend FOUR WEEKS at the #10 Spot as it was working its way DOWN the charts! (It was #1 for two weeks beginning with the chart dated December 24, 1977.) When it finally fell out of The Top Ten the week of March 11th, Barry Gibb had to settle for only FOUR of the Top Ten Hits for a couple of weeks ... until "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman broke into The Top Ten on March 25th, giving him FIVE Top Ten Hits again.
And, if THAT'S not impressive enough, consider this ...
A Barry Gibb composition / production topped The Billboard Hot 100 for FIFTEEN straight weeks during this stretch: "Stayin' Alive" was #1 for four weeks before it was knocked out of the top spot by "Love Is Thicker Than Water" (which held down the #1 position for the next two weeks) before being displaced by "Night Fever", which stayed #1 for the next EIGHT WEEKS before it was bumped out of the top spot by "If I Can't Have You". It would take Paul McCartney and Wings' #1 Hit "With A Little Luck" to break the streak on May 20th! (Even The Beatles and Elvis never accomplished THIS trick!)
This is not to in ANY way diminish the success of the songwriting team of Holland - Dozier - Holland ... during their career, the trio have written 70 Top Ten Hits, including 20 #1 Records ... yet, incredibly, have NEVER won a Grammy Award for their efforts! (In 1998, they were awarded an "honorary" Trustees Grammy Award for their songwriting accomplishments.) kk
If you're like me, you probably thought Neil decided to re-record his 1962 #1 hit, but as a 1975 slow version. However, while correct, it was actually crafted for Lenny Welch, modeled after his "Since I Fell For You" biggest hit. While Lenny's version did manage to crack the US Top 40 charts in 1970, it's not well known.
Seldom did Neil play piano on his hits.
Here's Neil Sedaka's demo of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, 1968 -
Demo recorded at Dick Charles Studio, NY, 09-23-1968 ... http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/breakinup.mp3
It appears Varese Sarabande released Neil's "Rainy Day Bells" demo on CD.
Was it Stereo or Monophonic?
Thanks!
Best,
John
I leave your Neil Sedaka / "Rainy Day Bells" query up to the stereo experts on the list. (I don't think I even have a copy of the Varese Sarabande CD you're referring to ... after I bought the 4 Import CD Box Set, I think I had more by Neil than I could ever even listen to ... honestly, too many foreign language recordings for my taste ... I just like the hits!)
Lenny Welch DID, in fact, release Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" in 1970 and it reached #32 on the Cash Box Chart ... it would be his last Top 40 Hit. Two years later it made The Top 40 again when it was recorded by The Partridge Family (#25, 1972) before Neil took it back into The Top Ten with his own slowed-down remake of his 1962 chart-topper. (I will admit to TOTALLY loving Sedaka's ballad remake when I first heard it ... I thought it was an INCREDIBLE reinterpretation of a rock and roll classic ... and I apparently wasn't alone ... not only did it reach #7 nationally, but it was a #2 smash here in Chi-Town, too.)
Other charted renditions of this include The Happenings (#46, 1968) and, if you bend the rules a little bit, The American Comedy Network, who did a Top 100 Parody called "Breaking Up Is Hard On You", lampooning the phone industry, that reached #70 back in 1984. (And, of course, we recently featured yet ANOTHER parody, titled "Waking Up Is Hard To Do", recorded by a bunch of singing anesthesiologists!!! lol) kk
I remember this song (L. David Sloane by Michelle Lee) being played on WIND in Chicago in the 60s when I was but a wee lad (like 7 or 8 years old). I seem to remember it being a different voice, though, more like Brenda Lee or Lulu, but the memory of a 7 year old can be a bit off, I guess. Always wondered who sang this song, and what the title was ... all I remember was the words sounded like a woman really dissing or emasculating a man ... which, even at age 7, I would have understood because that's what my mother was like. Guess that's why the song always stuck in my head, especially the line "be a really big man for once in your life" because that's very close to the kind of verbal abuse I received from my mother as a child and teenager. Googled the lyrics every now and then for a few years before I finally got a hit at your web site. Thanks for solving my mystery! It helps to know my memories are fairly accurate.
R. McPatrick
Always kind of an obscure favorite of mine, we've featured "L. David Sloane" a couple of times now on the website ... here's the link YOU found (for any OTHER interested readers) and another clip of the tune (for anybody too lazy to back track! lol) kk
Click here: Forgotten Hits: L. David Sloane
Thanks! It's just one of those things it helps to hear to know I didn't imagine the whole thing ;) Do you happen to know if there was another version of that song, perhaps an earlier one?
R. McPatrick
None that I'm aware of ... at least not as a "hit" single ... of course, that's not to say that some other artist didn't cover this as an LP track or something ... but this is the best KNOWN version. (kk)
I like Joni James!!!
Joni James - There Must Be A Way - 1959
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/mustbeaway.mp3
Pretty voice!!!
Attract her into FH with your magnetic personality!! :-)
Thanks!
Best,
John
There's a brand new "Best Of Joni James" CD set available through Collectors' Choice Music ... 2 CD's of ALL the hits. (Talk about your Forgotten Hits!!! Joni hit The National Top 40 thirteen times between 1952 and 1961 ... but when's the last time you heard ANY of them???)
"There Must Be A Way" went to #28 in Cash Box back in 1959 ... and her biggest hit was her chart debut ... "Why Don't You Believe Me" topped The Billboard Pop Best Sellers Charts for four weeks back in 1952. And, knowing what a stereo junkie you are, you might be interested to know that Collectors' Choice Music also claims that Joni's 45 release of "There Goes My Heart" was also the very first stereo pressing EVER of a single! (kk)
Click here: Collectors' Choice Music
Hi Kent,
Love your Forgotten Hits page.
Hope you can help me find this forgotten hit.
I am tying to locate a song.
I need the artist and title (mp3 if possible).
The song is from the 50's I think.
A kind of doo wop slow ballad. Words are:
"We met in a dream ... your arms open wide ...
and there in that dream ... what a sweet surprise."
Does this ring a bell?
Thanks for your help
Vinny B.
laffing goose productions
Well, I'm no doo-wop expert ... but we've got quite a few on our team. Let's see what they come up with! (kk)
re: THE DAVE CLARK FIVE:
Kent,
Love your website!
Thought I’d ask a question about the Dave Clark Five with a local Illinois angle.
Several internet sites report that the DC5 played a place called Skaters Junction in Peru, Illinois, on June 19th, 1966.
While I certainly have nothing against the fine people of central Illinois …
What in the world were the Dave Clark Five doing at a place called Skaters Junction at the height of their career?
I did find this on a Peoria blog, dated Jan, 2007 …
Probably the saddest venue for a big name group was … The Dave Clark Five, playing in a roller rink in Peru, IL. This was in the spring of 1966. I won a free ticket from WIRL and they loaded up a school bus with all us winners and we were about the only people that showed up. The show was right on the rink floor, with about a hundred folding chairs in front of them. I was no more than ten feet from the band.
Very interesting! Thought maybe some of your readers might know more about this.
Dave
Hoffman Estates
While I consider myself to be a MAJOR Dave Clark Five fan, I never got to see the band back in the day ... too young at the time. This website lists EVERY appearance The DC5 made in The United States, 1964 - 1967 ... and, sure enough, Skater's Junction is absolutely on the list.
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Scrapbook Memories
Not sure of ANY of the circumstances ... looks like they played The Arie Crown Theater nearly every time they came to Chicago-proper ... and sad to hear that only a handful of fans showed up to see them.
I don't know that I would describe 1966 as "the height of their career" for The Dave Clark Five ... although the year started with their first (and only) #1 Hit still on the charts ("Over And Over") ... and they would go on to place five more songs on the pop chart that year ("At The Scene", #13; "Try Too Hard", #10; "Please Tell Me Why", #18; "Satisfied With You",#50 and "Nineteen Days", #45) their career had tapered off enough by this point that most fans and deejays considered 1967's Top Ten Smash "You Got What It Takes" (#7) a bit of a "comeback" record for the group. Unfortunately, it would prove to be their last Top Ten Hit.
I consider myself to be one of the fortunate ones who caught Mike Smith's U.S. Tour right before his accident. I can honestly say, without a moment's hesitation, it was WITHOUT QUESTION one of the BEST shows I have EVER seen in my entire life! Smith was in FINE voice as he traced his rock and roll roots all the way back to the beginning and then played a virtual Dave Clark Five Hit List, along with many more of his personal favorites.
Maybe some of our local readers can shed some light on this??? Meanwhile, you'll find a few DC5 Tour Program photos on our "Scrapbook Memories" Page on the OTHER Forgotten Hits Web Page:
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Scrapbook Memories
re: ELVIS AND THE COLONEL:
Hi Kent -
I met Elvis in Las Vegas around 1970 and, as you'll see, I got his and Roy Orbison's autograph on the International Hotel souvenir program. I also met Colonel Parker and asked him to sign it but I've never been able to find out what he actually wrote!
Can you help?
Thanks,
Davie Allan
www.davieallan.com
P.S. I also sent this to the "Elvis Expert" mentioned on your website.
Well, I can't read it either ... but it's probably some type of standard greeting he would sign on things so maybe somebody out there knows ... or can read this!
(It's all Greek ... or would that be Dutch ... to me!!!)
GREAT photo! (We've also added it to our "Scrapbook Memories" Page!)
If the Elvis Expert ever gets back to you, please let us know.
And, when you have a moment, I would LOVE to get a review of this show from you! Thanks, Davie! (kk)
(click to enlarge photo)
And, speaking of The Elvis Expert, I just got this note from Cory Cooper ... sounds like he's doing a radio show this evening that you can listen to live online. Here's the info:
Kent,
Here's some info about a radio show I'm on this Thursday at 6:00 PM PST with Elvis Decoded author, Patrick Lacy. The show is hosted by music author, R. Gary Patterson and Stephen Wren.
You can listen to the show live at www.PopOdysseyRadio.com
Thanks,
Cory Cooper
Thursday, October 28th @ 8 PM / CST - 9 PM / EST - 6 PM / PST
By the way, Cory also told me that HE thinks Colonel Parker's signature says "Lindsey Colonel P" ... not quite sure what that MEANS ... Elvis and Roy signed to "LINDA and Davie" ... and we'll probably never really know for sure ... but that's HIS "Elvis Expert" opinion. What do YOU guys think??? (kk)
