60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
11/12/66 – Riots on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip serve as the inspiration for Buffalo Springfield's guitarist Stephen Stills’ song “For What It’s Worth,” which will become the band’s biggest hit single early next year. They would record the tune next month (on December 5th)
The title reportedly came about when Stills presented the song to the powers that be at Atlantic Records …
Stills told Ahmet Ertegun, head of the label, in a very off the cuff manner, "I have this song here, for what it's worth, if you want it." Ertegun interpreted that to be the song's title ... and later added the parenthetical subtitle "Stop, Hey, What's That Sound" in order to help the song be more easily recognized (since the words "for what it's worth" don't appear anywhere within the song. Why would they? It wasn't the intended title of the song!) Regardless, it ultimately peaked at #7 on the national charts.
11/12/66 – The Monkees’ debut album reaches the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart … and will stay there for the next 13 weeks (until it is knocked out of first place by The Monkees' SECOND album, “More Of The Monkees,” which will rule the roost for the next 31 weeks!) Take THAT, Ella Langley!!!
Interesting side note ...
It's a well known fact that Stephen Stills auditioned for a role on The Monkees' television show. Although the producers liked him and felt that he was talented, they DIDN'T like the fact that he had such bad teeth. They thought it might be an offensive turn-off to the young viewers they were targeting as their "core" audience.
When they told Stills why he was being turned down for the role, Stephen simply replied "That's OK, I understand ... but I have a roommate who looks just like me ... and his teeth are fine." So Stills went back to his crib and sent his roommate, who just happened to be a guy named Peter Tork, down to audition for the television series. Tork got the part and soon was playing in the second most popular band in the world!
(I have always maintained that if Stephen Stills had made the cut ... and presented his song "For What It's Worth" to the powers that be in Monkeeland ... it would have likely been rejected as not being "Monkees music," much as many of Michael Nesmith's songs were being turned down ... OR they would have accepted it ... and then given it to Micky to sing!)
Boy, how different history could have been!
[don'tcha just love it when all this stuff comes together?!?!?]
