The Bubblegum Votes are really starting to come in now ...
So let's kick things up another notch with these comments from Tommy Roe ... considered by many to be The KING of Bubblegum!!!
(Naturally, we had to ask him what some of HIS favorite bubblegum songs were ... and once again, I told him, “Don’t be shy about naming some of your own tunes … and Tommy did exactly that!)
Hi Kent –
Below you will find my list of FAVORITE BUBBLE GUM HITS
I could list many more, but this is a snap shot of some of my favorite songs and artists. (Of course, Tommy has always been a favorite of mine! HA! HA!) …
Rock On …
T
# 1 – Dizzy – Tommy Roe
# 2 – Jam Up And Jelly Tight – Tommy Roe
# 3 – Sweet Pea – Tommy Roe
# 4 – Hooray For Hazel – Tommy Roe
# 5 – I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles
# 6 – Love Me Do – The Beatles
# 7 – She Loves You – The Beatles
# 8 – Do You Want To Know A Secret – The Beatles
# 9 – Yummy Yummy Yummy – The Ohio Express
#10 – Chewy Chewy – The Ohio Express
#11 – Daydream Believer – The Monkees
#12 – I’m A Believer – The Monkees
#13 – Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
#14 – ABC – The Jackson Five
#15 – With A Girl Like You – The Troggs
#16 – Hanky Panky – Tommy James and the Shondells
#17 – I Think We’re Alone Now – Tommy James and the Shondells
#18 – Mony Mony – Tommy James and the Shondells
#19 – This Diamond Ring – Gary Lewis and the Playboys
#20 - Lightnin’ Strikes – Lou Christie
Tommy toured with The Beatles in England … and then was one
of their opening acts the first time The Fab Four played here in The States in
Washington, DC. Tommy picked THREE of their early songs for his Top 20 List ... and Ron Dante, another Bubblegum Mega Star, selected "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" for HIS list of favorites!!! What are some of YOURS??? (kk)
We were flippin’ thru YouTube the other night and stumbled across this one …
Always enjoy hearing Kasenetz-Katz produced bubblegum stories since I am friends with a member of Prof Morrison's Lollipop, who was basically a local Lincoln/Omaha R&B band, the Coachmen, who changed their name to PML when their manager got them signed to KK. Although their hit "You Got The Love" was more like The Shadows of Knight's "Shake" in the fact that it was mostly snotty rock and also slightly bubblegum, I suppose. PLUS, "You Got The Love" was basically a rewrite by Joey Levine of an early ‘67 unreleased Monkees song, finally heard by the pre-fabs in the 2010's on their CD "Good Times."
From The Monkees "Good Times" CD 2016: Gotta Give It Time
Prof Morrison, 6 months later: Professor Morrison's Lollipop You Got The Love
As to the first bubblegum songs, I can see where Frank Jeckell might push "Simon Says" as the first bubblegum song and it likely was the first on Buddah. The thing is, it's hard to pinpoint what MAKES a bubblegum genre.
One might think along Frank's thinking that lyrics as simple and kid-like as "Simon Says" is the backbone, but the music and way a song is sung and performed is also very important.
Some people pinned the bubblegum moniker on the Monkees AFTER the genre was created over a year later, BUT no one called any songs bubblegum in late 1966, IMO. The genre today is used as loosely as then unknown terms such as "Yacht Rock," or "Northern Soul." It's like the "Wrecking Crew" moniker never existing back then, but today covers most west coast "created" rock backgrounds made by backup or studio players out west. My girlfriend even thought the Cryan’ Shames "I Wanna Meet you" was bubblegum when she heard it 20 years ago. NOW, I think that if the Monkees would be considered bubblegum, I could hear her point. Never even considered such before. I still don’t put it in that category, tho.
Well before "Simon Says" and the plethora of Buddah bubblegummers appeared, I would dig into "Sweet Pea" and "Hooray for Hazel" by Tommy Roe or even Cyrkle's "Red Bubber Ball in 1966 or 1967's "Snoopy" songs, the Innocence's "There's Got To Be A Word" and "Mairzy Doats" or FH'er's Fifth Estate "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead," or even the Cowsills??? Those all a year before Buddah's great bubblegum hits in many cases.
Personally, I will not go with what I would consider today, but choose what I think I would have chosen as bubblegum in 1970 when I made my all-time chart based totally on points earned on my weekly personal charts. I was 14 then, so more likely to be correct bubblegum choices as a kid.
1. Jelly Jungle - Lemon Pipers
2. Love Grows - Edison Lighthouse
3. Gimme Dat Ding - Pipkins (bubblegum or no?)
4. Snoopy Vs Red Baron - Royal Guardsmen
5. Yummy Yummy Yummy - Ohio Express
6. Indian Lake - Cowsills
7. 1-2-3 Red Light - 1910 Fruitgum Company
8. Sugar, Sugar - Archies
Above all were in my Top 100 All-Time Hits. Below are from 101 on down all-time:
9. Red Bubber Ball - Cyrkle (REALLY? Well, think about those lyrics and keyboard sound)
10. Down At Lulu's - Ohio Express
11. Laura - Newbeats
12. Dizzy - Tommy Roe
13. Cowboy Convention - Ohio Express
14. Bubblegum Music - Rock & Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Company of Philadelphia, 19141
15. Hooray For Hazel - Tommy Roe
16. She's Ready - Spiral Staircase
17. I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight - Boyce & Hart
18. Simon Says - 1910 Fruitgum Company
19. Little People - McCoys (actually a #2 hit in Wichita on KLEO in the summer of ‘66!)
20. Popsicle - Jan & Dean (another 1966 item that fits)
All of those were in my All-Time Top 300 in 1970 as a fairly new TEENAGER charting my own faves weekly. ALL reached #1 or #2 on my weekly charts!
Clark Besch
When Buddah Records announced their new brand of music as "Bubblegum Music," it set the tone for some of the hits specifically released on their label ... and artists like The Lemon Pipers, The Ohio Express and The 1910 Fruitgum Company all rose to the top of the charts with this new brand of pop music aimed at the pre-teen audience with very catchy and simple choruses and chord structures. Prior to the term being coined, most of us would have probably considered the music of artists like The Monkees, The Partridge Family, The Archies, etc., as "Teeny-Bopper Music" ... but once the bubblegum label existed, records before and since have been lumped into this category. (I will say this ... we've received over 4000 votes now and the artists list is all over the board!)
That's why we didn't set any ground rules ... the whole idea behind this poll is to determine what YOU GUYS consider bubblegum music. And once the final list is compiled, we think you'll be surprised by just who is included!
Keep sending in your votes ... we're putting together a couple of radio countdowns ... and even and episode of The History Of Rock And Roll right now, dedicated to the genre ... so let's have some fun with this. (As usual, there seem to be some clear-cut, obvious leaders ... but we're getting votes for songs and artists we've never even heard of before ... so it's been a learning experience for us as well ... and once we decide to close the polls, we'll be sure to feature some of these little-known tracks as survey "extras.")
Some GREAT choices here … have YOU voted yet??? (kk)
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