FORGOTTEN HITS: Monday Morning Memories

Monday, September 3, 2012

Monday Morning Memories

re: HAL DAVID:

Righting a couple of wrongs from our Sunday Comments Page:

The songwriting team of Hal David and Burt Bacharach broke through with TWO back-to-back hits in 1958, first with "The Story Of My Love", a cross-over hit for country superstar Marty Robbins (#1 Country, #30 Pop), followed my the aforementioned "Magic Moments" by Perry Como, B-Side to his monster hit "Catch A Falling Star" (and a #21 Hit in its own right.) Bacharach says (in hindsight) that NEITHER of these songs are typical of his song writing style ... but they were looking for a hit. (In fact, for a short while Bacharach and David mentored under the legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.) I erroneously credited those insightful lyrics of "The Blob" to Hal David when, in fact, they were written by Hal's older, far-more-prolific brother, Mack. In that same piece, I mentioned the 1964 Jack Jones hit "Wives And Lovers" ... we've certainly had our share of fun with this one over the years ... today perhaps as politically incorrect as Phil Spector's "He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss"!!! (kk)

Here ... in '60's Flashback style ... is our original "Wives And Lovers piece" from nearly a decade ago:

'60's FLASHBACK:

Listen carefully now, girls ... I'm talkin' to all of you young ladies out there ...

This here is your Mama talkin' ... and we ALL know how your Mama Knows Best.

When it comes to hookin' yourself a good man (and KEEPIN' him hooked) there is really only one sure-fire, fool-proof way to a man's heart ... and we ALL know that to get there, you usually have to start the journey a few inches LOWER than the heart-area!

You know what I'm talkin' about, girls ... the fastest way into a man's heart is to sneak in through the stomach and the groin ... and the one and only TRUE way to hold on to your man is to be a whore in the bedroom and a master chef in the kitchen! It's a proven fact ... you need to keep your man satisfied every minute of every day ... and in every way ... or he will most surely stray and slip away!

Dress to the hilts ... why, don't you know that there are girls at the office who'll do ANYTHING to snatch your man right out from under you ... and these girls be dressin' FINE! (Why do you think June Cleaver wore a dress and pearls for Thursday night dinner?!?!? And what do you think Wally and the Beav were REALLY talking about all night long while their parents were doing the bang-shang-a-lang in the bedroom next door?!?!? Of course, they actually had to push their two separate beds back together to DO the bang-shang-a-lang, but that's a DIFFERENT story!!!) You don't believe me??? How many OTHER parents do you know that openly called their boy BEAVER and then lovingly smiled at each other?!?!? Come on!!!

Girls, temptation is EVERYWHERE!!! You had better be prepared to spend a good amount of time down on all fours, scrubbing those floors on your hands and knees in the afternoon ... and then additional time, as necessary, this evening in that same position in the boudoir!

This certainly seemed to be the logic back in 1963 (and you can't tell me that SOME of you haven't heard this line of reasoning before) when JACK JONES cut the Top 15 Hit WIVES AND LOVERS.
For all that's been said about the Sexual Revolution of the '60's, the Women's Liberation Movement (hell, you girls were publicly burning your bras ... and even had your own cigarette there for a while!) and the great strides made for Equal Rights, JONES certainly came across as a chauvinistic pig when he recorded this track! (Who'd have thought that just a few years later he'd be recruiting and inspiring couples to take a cruise on THE LOVE BOAT?!?!?)

WIVES AND LOVERS was written by the dynamic duo of MOR music of the '60's, HAL DAVID and BURT BACHARACH and, while the melody is pure Burt, Hal David has just GOT to be regretting these lyrics since the moment he committed them to paper!

The title and song were inspired by the JANET LEIGH movie of the same name (although the song was written and recorded later and was not featured in the film) and, ironically, the original A-Side of the single was deemed to be TOYS IN THE ATTIC, the title song from yet another movie, starring DEAN MARTIN. (It was felt at the time that this would be the more likely vehicle to garner attention.)

The story goes that BURT BACHARACH was so incensed over his song being delegated to the B-Side that he went back into the studio to recut the track with pop vocal crooner VIC DAMONE. Deejays around the country, however, were sharp enough to flip the record over and it was JACK JONES who enjoyed a #12 showing with WIVES AND LOVERS. (TOYS IN THE ATTIC, by the way, peaked at #92!)

Kent,
Of all the songs that Hal David wrote or co-wrote, I can't believe that the one you posted is the one that you aDOREd the most. Why, you must be Zanie!
Larry

Just look at the lyrics to "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?"

Write them out for your readers to reflect upon ... and perhaps the words to What The World Needs Now ...

He would have been recognized no matter WHEN he existed; having a drink with Shakespeare, consulting with the Bible editors, playing cards with Irving Berlin, or being covered by The Beatles - makes no difference. Hal David would have left an indelible mark no matter where or when he lived - We are just so lucky he did it in OUR midst; with what appeared to be a calm soul with nary an irritation.

He spoke for so many, Dionne, B.J., Jackie, Dusty, but I think Dionne was his best whisper to the world in that she understood so well; it seemed as if she had written those words, every nuance was exactly where it should have been.

What an amazing talented, original man he was walking this earth - Our loss is only in his physical being because his words will warm this Earth as long as it exists.

But that's another problem altogether ...

@l k%per

Great idea ... and I'm going to add "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" to that list ... some of the most clever lyrics ever written ... and, from what I understand, they knocked that one out in a little over an hour because it was decided that the musical they were working on, "Promises, Promises", needed a duet for a particular scene. In fact, Bacharach was in the hospital with what would turn out to be pneumonia ... so David jotted down some quick ideas and read them to Burt over the phone. Hal David says it's the fastest melody he's EVER seen Burt Bacharach create ... before or since! (kk)

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE
(Lyrics by Hal David; Music by Burt Bacharach)

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross,
Enough to last till the end of time.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need another meadow
There are cornfields and wheat fields enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine
Oh listen, lord, if you want to know.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.

DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE?

(Lyrics by Hal David; Music by Burt Bacharach)

Do you know the way to San Jose?
I've been away so long. I may go wrong and lose my way.
Do you know the way to San Jose?
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose.

L.A. is a great big freeway.
Put a hundred down and buy a car.
In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star
Weeks turn into years. How quck they pass
And all the stars that never were
Are parking cars and pumping gas

You can really breathe in San Jose
They've got a lot of space. There'll be a place where I can stay
I was born and raised in San Jose
I'm going back to find some peace of mind in San Jose.

Fame and fortune is a magnet.
It can pull you far away from home
With a dream in your heart you're never alone.
Dreams turn into dust and blow away
And there you are without a friend
You pack your car and ride away

L.A. is a great big freeway.
Put a hundred down and buy a car.
In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star
Weeks turn into years. How quck they pass
And all the stars that never were
Are parking cars and pumping gas

I've got lots of friends in San Jose
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Can't wait to get back to San Jose.

I'LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN

(Lyrics by Hal David; Music by Burt Bacharach)

What do you get when you fall in love?
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
That's what you get for all your trouble
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again

What do you get when you kiss a guy?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
After you do, he'll never phone ya
I'll never fall in love again
Dontcha know that I'll never fall in love again?

Don't tell me what it's all about
'cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
Out of those chains, those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you

What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
So far at least until tomorrow
I'll never fall in love a- gain
No, no, I'll never fall in love again

Ahh, out of those chains, those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you

What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
So far at least until tomorrow
I'll never fall in love a- gain
Dontcha know that I'll never fall in love a- gain
I'll never fall in love a- gain

re: AND, SPEAKING OF AL KOOPER ... :

Good interview with Al Kooper. Enjoyed it. We were playing in New York when Al Kooper was there with The Blues Project. We saw them at Café Au Go Go a couple of times.

Furv

The Fifth Estate

re: AND, SPEAKING OF '60's FLASHBACKS ... :

We just recovered over 2500 lost Forgotten Hits files dating all the way back to 2003 ... (now that's what I call a productive weekend!!!) Honestly, it feels like we've hit the motherlode! Over time, we'll sort through all of this ... and bring you classic pieces from yester-year that you may have missed back in the day when Forgotten Hits was distributed strictly as an emailed newsletter ... or simply forgotten about all together. (I think we'll find some real gems here, just glancing over the file names.) Stay tuned for updates. (And yes, Frank B, this includes The Bobby Darin Series!!!) kk

re: LABOR DAY TOP 20:

Kent ...

I know you don't care about it ... but maybe your readers would like to know how it turned out.
20 = Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
19 = My Girl - Temptations
18 = Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
17 = More Than A Feeling - Boston
16 = Maggie May - Rod Stewart
15 = Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees
14 = Get Down Tonight - K C & Sunshine Band
13 = Piano Man - Billy Joel
12 = Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
11 = December, 1963 ( Oh What A Night ) - Four Seasons
10 = Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
9 = American Pie - Don McLean
8 = Don't Stop Believing - Journey
7 = Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
6 = Your Song - Elton John
5 = Respect - Aretha Franklin
4 = Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
3 = Sherry - Four Seasons
2 = Hotel California - Eagles
1 = Hey Jude - Beatles
Number 14 surprised me the most. K C and the Sunshine Band recently had a free concert in one of our parks. I think that influenced the vote.
Frank B.

Well ... since you asked ... let me tell you how many times I turn off each and every one of these songs each and every week ... here is MY interpretation of The Top 20:

#20 - 15 times a week; #19 - 12 times a week; #18 - 6 or 7 times a week; #17 - EVERY TIME IT COMES ON ... which is AT LEAST 25 times a week; #16 - DITTO ... I turn this off EVERY time it comes on ... which is also at least 25 times a week; #15 - I will listen to this one ALMOST every time ... yeah, it's played out and over-used ... but there's still something magical about this track ... you almost can't help but feel good when it comes on; #14 - Almost every time it comes on ... which is probably close to 20 times a week; #13 - EVERY TIME IT COMES ON - for me, this has become one of the most boring and repetitive songs on the radio for me ... and the truth is, it just wasn't that big a hit to begin with in the first place; #12 - Another one I'll listen to MOST of the time ... unless I'm button-pushing just to see what else is on, I'll pretty much listen to most of Michael Jackson's stuff; #11 - EVERY time it comes on ... another 25 times a week ... and that's a shame because I have always loved this song ... but radio over-saturation has completely RUINED this song for me. The only time I'll listen to it all the way through today is if I'm sitting in the audience for a "Jersey Boys" performance!; #10 - I'll turn this one off about half the time it comes on ... which means I still get to hear it 11 or 12 times a week; #9 - EVERY TIME IT COMES ON ... and this will remain the case until the end of time ... I don't EVER need to hear this song again ... EVER!!!; #8 - Another song that's been ruined for me ... it's gotta be the most-played song on radio today ... in fact, I've gotten SO sick of THIS song, that I find it hard to listen to ANYTHING by Journey now ... and that's just wrong!!!; #7 - About half the times it comes on ... which still gives me about 8-10 listens per week; #6 - Honestly, I don't hear this one that much anymore ... so I'll typically let this one play; #5 - Another one that radio has ruined for me ... an incredible record that I have a hard time listening to anymore; #4 - EVERY TIME IT COMES ON ... this is the one that Scott Shannon likes to refer to as "Kent Kotal's favorite song" on The True Oldies Channel ... thankfully he only says that once or twice out of the 66 times he plays it each week; #3 - I still like "Sherry" ... there are SO many GREAT Four Seasons songs that DON'T get played ... why do they have to play the same three or four over and over and over again ... they've been done to death!; #2 - This was once my all-time favorite Eagles song ... but oversaturation has ruined this one for me, too. Have you noticed how nowadays you hear the "live" / "Hell Freezes Over" version almost as often as you hear the original studio hit? Maybe all the big-wig, high-paid consultants think that this is one way to break up the monotony ... here's a hint: It's not working, guys!!! We turn THIS one off, too!; #1 - Was there ever any doubt that this one would come in at #1? And here's a twist ... I can still listen to The Beatles' original version every now and then ... because it's The Beatles ... and because it really is a great record. But Paul McCartney has ruined this song for me ... I don't EVER need to see or hear him perform it live again ... because it's been the EXACT SAME live performance each and every time for the past 30 years now ... the most cliched, over-blown version imaginable. He's done it to death. It's time to put this one away for a few years ... give it a rest ... and then maybe we'll appreciate hearing it again ... because it really IS a great song ... you've just done it to the point that there's no affection left. You have drained every last drop of affection out of me that I once held for this song. (kk)

And let's not forget Ron Smith's Labor Day Top 500 ... for years now, radio stations have compiled (by way of listeners' votes) lists of The Top 500 Favorites ... typically, these countdowns have run over Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends.

Ron Smith (www.oldiesmusic.com) has been compiling these lists since 1997 on his website. (Beginning in 2005, it became a bi-annual countdown ... so the most recent results posted are the 2011 Survey ... but it gives you a pretty good idea what the listeners most want to hear.)

Click here: Oldies Music - Labor Day 500

re: ONE HIT WONDERS:

Speaking of One Hit-Wonders, there seems to be disagreement on which record really WAS the biggest hit. I always thought Zager and Evans', "In the Year 2525" was the champ, but later, it was Debby Boone's, "You Light Up My Life" that knocked the duo out of the top spot. Well, tell me if I'm wrong. If we are talking about the Top 40, and ONLY the Top 40, Debby Boone's hit would be on top, but if we are talking about the Hot 100, and songs that charted, Zager and Evans' hit would be king of the one-hit wonders, as Debby had a couple of songs that made the Hot 100, but not the Top 40, so she would be disqualified. What think you?

John LaPuzza

I asked Rich Appel how he went about compiling his list of The Top 100 One Hit Wonders which was, by the way, based on The Top 40 Charts of Billboard and Cash Box Magazine.

Here's how the list was compiled:

* To qualify, an artist had to have - or sing on - just one national top 40 hit.

* Rank was based on a point system I devised years ago (and just unearthed!), weighted along with whether a song hit #1 on BB or CB, weeks at #1, total weeks on top 100 and if the song still stands the test of time based on a rank of current airplay (2012 to date).

Rich Appel

I can tell you this ... because Rich's list went through 1999, there are a few songs near the top that may come as surprises to many of the oldies fans on our list. I was surprised, too, by a couple of the lower showings, especially for songs that were really big hits when first release and have clearly stood the test of time ever since. (The most obvious one to me, of course, was "Vehicle", since Rich featured The Ides Of March track "One Hit Wonder" as sort of his "theme song" for this whole countdown. "Vehicle" was a #2 national hit ... and I'll bet I still hear it at least twenty times a week now ... yet it placed at #77 in The Top 100 One-Hit Wonders countdown.)

As for your two inquiries, both records finished near the top ... and I will tell you that Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" placed higher than Zager and Evans' "In The Year 2525" by four places ... but NEITHER one of these came in at #1. Watch for an announcement later this week when we post Rich's final results on our other Forgotten Hits website. By the way, Rich Appel is doing a One Hit Wonders recap broadcast later this afternoon (beginning at 3:00 Eastern Time) ... you can tune in to listen live here: http://wrnjradio.com/streaming

re: CAMEO / PARKWAY ARTISTS:

Chubby Checker ,the Trampps and Charlie Gracie are doing a free concert in Wildwood tonight, but it looks like rain :(

Eileen

re: THE ROLLING STONES:

They played Dublin on Sept. 3, 1965 and Belfast on Sept. 4.

Last week we told you about the New York Film Festival debut of Charlie is my Darling - Ireland 1965 that chronicles the music and mayhem that was the Stones on the road in Ireland back then. (Pasted below is the original concert poster art.)

The Rolling Stones -
Charlie is my Darling - Ireland 1965

World Premiere, September 29 at 7:00 PM at The 50^th New York Film Festival

ABKCO Films and the 50th New York Film Festival are proud to join in the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Rolling Stones by announcing the World Premiere of The Rolling Stones Charlie is my Darling - Ireland 1965 on Saturday, September 29th at 7:00 PM. An encore screening of the film will take place on Wednesday, October 3rd at 8:30 PM. Both screenings are scheduled for the Walter Reade Theatre.

What was once rumor is now fact as ABKCO Films presents a meticulously restored and fully-realized version of this first-ever, legendary but never released film. Shot on a quick tour of Ireland just weeks after the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” hit # 1 on the charts and became the international anthem for a generation, The Rolling Stones Charlie is my Darling - Ireland 1965 is an intimate, behind-the-scenes diary of life on the road with the young Stones. It features the first professionally filmed concert performances of the band and documents the early frenzy of their fans and the riots the band’s appearances inspired.

Charlie is my Darling is a rediscovered letter from a lost world. It has long been a holy grail of rock fans, surfacing in bits and pieces and tantalizing but frustratingly un-synched fragments. The band is shown traveling through the Irish countryside by train; dashing from cabs to cramped, basement dressing rooms through screaming hordes of fans. Motel rooms host impromptu songwriting sessions and familiar classics are heard in their infancy as riff and lyric are united.

This new 2012 version of the film with added never-before-seen footage was directed and restored by director Mick Gochanour and producer Robin Klein, the GRAMMY® Award winning team that brought the classic The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus to the screen. Charlie is my Darling’s dramatic and stunning concert footage – including electrifying performances of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “The Last Time” and “Time Is On My Side” – shows the band developing its musical style by blending blues, R&B and rock-n-roll riffs, and captures the spark about to combust into The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. Candid, off-the-cuff interviews are juxtaposed with revealing, comical scenes of the band goofing on one another as well as unsuspecting outsiders, and offers an unmatched look inside the day-to-day life of the Stones.

Originally directed by pioneering filmmaker Peter Whitehead and produced by Rolling Stones manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham, Charlie is my Darling is the lost preamble to a life captured on screen. Like no other band, the Rolling Stones repeatedly put themselves under the microscope, allowing the greatest filmmakers of our era – including Jean-Luc Godard, the Maysles, Robert Frank, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Hal Ashby and Martin Scorsese – inside their world. Charlie is my Darling is the invaluable frame: the unseen story of the band becoming the legend.

ABKCO Films will be making a major announcement regarding a nationally televised Broadcast Premiere in the next few weeks and has set Tuesday November 6^th as the commercial retail release date for The Rolling Stones Charlie is my Darling – Ireland 1965, the director’s cut, the producer’s cut and this new 2012 version will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and as part of a Super Deluxe Box Set.

Walter Reade Theater165 West 65th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam, upper level)
Monday – Friday: 12:30 p.m. – 15 minutes after the start of the last screening of the day.
Saturday and Sunday: 30 minutes prior to start of first screening of the day - 15 minutes after start of last screening of the day.
212.875.5601

Tickets | Film Society of Lincoln Center

re: FREE TONIGHT???:

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND TO EVERYONE!
(YES, WE ARE PERFORMING ON LABOR DAY EVENING AT LE JARDIN)
I just found out that our good buddy, great singer / pianist Al DeLeon took a little "Labor Day Journey" to the West Coast to see his family. In the meantime this week I'm sending you a fine video that my lovely
girlfriend Antoinette produced & edited together for my hit recording "THAT STRANGER USED TO BE MY GIRL." YOUTUBELINK>>>>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqTM5FKnSCw
I hope you'll enjoy our music video and if you're around and "moved" by the "illusive spirit of some erratic music and absurd entertainment", will try to stop by Le Jardin this Monday evening (LABOR DAY) to catch my distinctive patriotic piano / vocal performance. Some have deemed it "interesting" so you may not LOVE it, because at times it gets silly ... but I can promise you ... that you will NOT FALL ASLEEP!!!
DANCING IS NOT PROHIBITED!!!
(PLEASE TRY TO MAKE IT)
GOD BLESS... and THANKS!!!

Trade Martin