Aretha Franklin holds down the #1 spot with "Respect" this week. In fact, The Top Five songs in America ALL hold their positions from the week before: "I Got Rhythm" by The Happenings is at #2, "Groovin'" by The Young Rascals holds at #3, "Release Me" by Engelbert Humperdinck stands tough at #4 and "Creeque Alley" by The Mamas and the Papas remains at #5. ("Mirage" by Tommy James and the Shondells also holds the #10 position from the week before.)
In between there is little movement in The Top Ten .. "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be" by Paul Revere and the Raiders is up a notch from #7 to #6, "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane climbs two places from #9 to #7, "She'd Rather Be With Me" by The Turtles breaks into The Top Ten for the first time, moving from #14 to #8 and "All I Need" by The Temptations moves up three places from #12 to #9.
The rest of The Top 40 shapes up like this … "Little Bit O'Soul" by The Music Explosion jumps ten spots from #22 to #12, "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" by Spanky and Our Gang climbs from #27 to #13, "Seven Rooms Of Gloom" by The Four Tops is up eight spots from #23 to #15 and "Windy" by The Association continues to make big strides up the chart, this week climbing 24 places from #40 to #16. (It's a sure-fire #1 Record!)
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli continues to climb, this week from #34 to #20, "Let's Live For Today" by The Grass Roots is up 18 spots from #39 to #21, "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" by The Fifth Estate moves up 12 places from #35 to #23,"Come On Down To My Boat" by Every Mother's Son, jumps 13 spots to #24 (from #37), "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell move ups 11 places from #42 to #31, "New York Mining Disaster, 1941" by The Bee Gees climbs 20 spots from #52 to #32, Johnny Rivers' latest hit, a remake of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' hit "The Tracks Of My Tears", is up 21 places from #57 to #36 (it'll be a hit again for Linda Ronstadt in another decade … a good song is a good song is a good song!), while "Sound Of Love" by The Five Americans moves up 11 places (from #48 to #37) and "San Francisco" by Scott McKenzie is beginning to look like the hit The Mamas and the Papas gave away as it climbs from #65 to #39, a jump of 26 spots.
The Monkees complete their run in the #1 spot on the album chart as "More Of The Monkees" notches its 18th and final week at the top of the chart.
Convicted Murderer Richard Speck is sentenced to death by electric chair today for the murder of eight student nurses here in Chicago on July 14, 1966. The thought of Speck running loose on the streets of Chicago after committing such a heinous crime terrorized the city until his capture three days later. I vividly remember photos of his "Born To Raise Hell" tattoo being shown in newspapers and on television. (You can read our 50th Anniversary coverage of this terror-inducing event here: http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2016/07/50-years-ago-today.html)
A six day war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Egypt (then known as The United Arab Republic), Syria and Jordan, began today. A cease fire was signed on June 11th after over 20,000 Arab soldiers were killed. (Israel claimed less than one thousand casualties)
