THE SATURDAY SURVEY: January 18th, 1965

THE CHART:

Well, the three most likely records to go all the way to #1 placed 1, 2, 3 on this week's chart ... with Petula Clark leap-frogging to the top from #4 with her classic hit "Downtown," written by our good Forgotten Hits buddy Tony Hatch.

The Searchers come in at #2 with their remake of "Love Potion Number Nine" while The Righteous Brothers continue their climb ... they'll get there eventually ... with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," this week's #3 Record, up from #5.

Shirley Ellis makes an impressive ten point move into The Top Ten this week with "The Name Game" ... while The Kinks leap fourteen places to #15 with their second US Hit, "All Day And All Of The Night."

Sam Cooke, who we lost a few weeks back, climbs to #24 (up from #41) with "Shake" ... and Dobie Gray moves up sixteen spots with "The In-Crowd," which now sits at #39.

Two of this week's biggest movers remain a couple of my personal favorites from this era ...

"This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis and the Playboys is up 29 spots to #35 ... and "I Go To Pieces" by Peter and Gordon cracks The Top 40 for the very first time with another move of 29 places.

The top debut this week belongs to those Jersey Boys, The Four Seasons, as "Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye" premiers at #60.

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

1/18/65 – Paul Simon drops out of law school to become a full-time musician

Also on 1/18, The Rolling Stones record “Play With Fire” and “The Last Time” at an RCA Studio in Hollywood, California

Also on 1/18, Barbra Streisand and Bobby Darin sing for Lyndon Johnson’s presidential inauguration.

 

It was quite the gala concert celebration.  Johnson had just won the election by the biggest landslide vote in history.

 

Streisand's archive page states that Alfred Hitchcock acted as Master of Ceremonies.  In addition to Bobby Darin singing “Mack the Knife,” the evening featured a comic monologue by Woody Allen.  Also present were Johnny Carson ... and Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews, who joined together to perform a song medley.  

 

The comedy team of Nichols and May performed ... as did the stunning Ann-Margret ...

 

And ballet was represented by Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev ...  

 

And Carol Channing, whose own show, Hello, Dolly!, closed for the evening so she could appear, sang “Hello, Lyndon!” for the President. 

 

In addition, Harry Belafonte and Barbra Streisand each sang solo. (According to "Variety," Barbra's set list for The President included “Happy Days Are Here Again,” “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home” and “Don't Rain On My Parade.”)

 

I searched YouTube but couldn't find any footage.  Still, even without The Village People, this must have been quite the night for celebration.  (kk)