Sunday, January 29, 2012

44 Years Ago Today


If you turned on your radio on January 29th, 1968, you were likely to hear "Chain Of Fools" by Aretha Franklin, "Woman, Woman" by The Union Gap, "Nobody But Me" by The Human Beinz, "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles, "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees, "I Second That Emotion" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, "Dock Of The Bay" by Otis Redding and "Baby, Now That I've Found You" by The Foundations.  

Turn on your radio today and, with the wide variety of music scattered across the dial, odds are you'll hear most ... if not all ... of these songs again, some 44 years later. 

Forgotten Hits has always stressed the fact that this music is "Timeless" ... it's just as powerful (and just as popular) today as it was back then ... and new people are discovering this music each and every day.

This hasn't always been the case.  Imagine turning on your radio on January 29th, 1968, and having the deejay flash back to 44 years earlier ... odds are pretty good that there wasn't a station on the planet successfully playing the music of 1924 ... or very many listeners craving to hear those long-forgotten songs from "the good ol' days". 

I offer this up as proof again that this music will never die.  Cliched as it is, it not only represents "The Soundtrack Of Our Lives" ... but it has also become the soundtrack to the lives of each generation to come along since. 

Other favorites from 44 years ago today?  The #1 Record in the Country was "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers.  It had just displaced "Judy In Disguise" by John Fred and His Playboy Band in the top spot.  Rounding out the Top Ten were Chicago's own American Breed with "Bend Me, Shape Me", The Classics IV with their breakthrough hit "Spooky", the biggest instrumental hit of the year, "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat, "I Wish It Would Rain" by The Temptations and the stunning Lettermen medley of "Goin' Out Of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You."  (By the way, the #11 Record that week was another Chicago-based hit, "Susan" by The Buckinghams.) 

Oldies staples like "Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys (Linda Ronstadt's first chart hit), "Itchycoo Park" by The Small Faces, "Darlin'" by The Beach Boys and "Simon Says" by The 1910 Fruitgum Company played side-by-side with Forgotten Hits like "Skip A Rope" by Henson Cargill, "Tomorrow" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock, "Bottle Of Wine" by The Fireballs and "Zabadak" by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tish! 

Timeless Music ... remembered today in Forgotten Hits!
kk