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Post by raliverpool on Jan 24, 2022 19:50:50 GMT 1
only one week at #50 for this song in the UK. In the US, #33 as a B-side to Leah. In my chart #3. ^ Plus it was also #1 in Australia.
Funny enough, I nearly did a Top 35, as you've mentioned 2 of the 5 songs I just missed out on using:
The five in question were:
Barbara Lynn - You'll Lose A Good Thing USA #8 (a female left hand guitarist & R&B singer with her only Top 40 pop crossover hit. In truth better than Shelley Fabares, but I decided to use that to show the actress pop star hit song cross over happened way before the 1980s)
Mary Wells - The One Who Really Loves You USA #8 (pre My Guy) Ben E King - Don't Play That Song (You Lied) USA #11 (The original of the Aretha Franklin classic, which also earned a pile of royalties after the title track of Madonna's 1986 album was found guilty of partially ripping it off) Ray Charles - Unchain My Heart USA #9 (I think it pales compared to his other 2 big 1962 hits I Just Can't Stop Loving You; & You Don't Know Me) Roy Orbison - Workin' For The Man USA #33 UK #50
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 12:42:17 GMT 1
Now onto 1963 today, and I'm going up to 35 tracks which is a bit of an uneven number, but I could not leave off the five tracks I left off the equivalent in 1962....
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 12:46:30 GMT 1
35 The Crystals - He's Sure The Boy I Love USA #11
Another Mann-Weil penned number, arranged by Jack Nitzsche performed by The Wrecking Crew, produced by Phil Spector. The song was originally recorded by The Blossoms (fronted by Darlene Love) but credited to The Crystals.
After discovering that Spector had once again discredited The Blossoms from their recording and given their song to The Crystals, Darlene Love got into a confrontation with Spector. Similarly, The Crystals were angry at Spector for having them sing another song on tour that was not theirs. Cynthia Weil, who co-wrote the song with her husband Barry Mann was unaware that Darlene Love had sung on the USA #11 (R&B #18) track. To sound like Love, lead singer of the Crystals La La Brooks rehearsed the introduction of "He's Sure the Boy I Love" in a Californian accent.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 12:52:36 GMT 1
34 Peter Paul & Mary (covering Bob Dylan) - Don't Think Twice It's All Right USA #9
The song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, recorded on November 14 that year, and released on the 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and as the b-side of the Blowin' in the Wind single. The song was covered by several other artists, including Peter, Paul and Mary as the flip side of their double A side single ... a cover of Bob Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind. It peaked at USA #9 for the New York folk trio.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 12:56:35 GMT 1
33 The Orlons - South Street USA #3
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania R&B group early 1963 USA #3 (R&B #4) hit was written by Dave Appell and Kal Mann. The same year it was covered by Brian Poole & The Tremeloes but failed to reach the UK top 50.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:01:29 GMT 1
32 Brook Benton - Hotel Happiness USA #3
The South Carolina born smooth R&B singer hit USA #3 (R&B #2) with the Nat King Cole meets Smokey Robinson song written by Leon Carr and Earl Shuman. It would be his last USA top 20 hits for 7 years (1970 USA #4 Rainy Night In Georgia)
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:04:59 GMT 1
31 Barbara Lewis - Hello Stranger USA #3
This Atlantic soul number reached USA #3 (R&B #1) for the Salem, Michigan born singer. This would be her first & biggest hit. But she did trouble the USA chart 8 further times during the 1960s.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:09:41 GMT 1
30 Little Stevie Wonder - Fingertips (Part 2) USA #1
Written and composed by Wonder's mentors, Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, "Fingertips" was originally a jazz instrumental recorded for Wonder's first studio album, The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie. The live version of the song was recorded in 1963 during a Motortown Revue performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Containing only a few stanzas of improvised lyrics, "Fingertips" is essentially an instrumental piece, meant to showcase Wonder's talents on the bongos and the harmonica.
The edit point that begins "Part 2" of "Fingertips" is when Wonder shouts "Everybody say 'yeah!'" (later sampled by Chaka Khan "I Feel For You"), initiating a call-and-response exchange with the audience.
The live version of "Fingertips" was released on May 21, 1963 as a two-part single, with Part 2 (with the encore) as the B-side. The 707 mono features "Sunset" and "Contract on Love". By August, the single B-side had reached the top of both the Billboard Pop Singles and R&B Singles charts. "Fingertips" was Motown's second number-one pop hit (following The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman"), and launched the then 13-year-old Wonder to prominence. The single's success helped Wonder's live album, Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius, reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, making him the youngest artist to accomplish that feat.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:16:02 GMT 1
29 Little Peggy March - I Will Follow Him USA #1
Pennsylvania born Margaret Annemarie Battavio. She recorded the song in early January 1963 and it was released on January 22, when she was only 14. March became the youngest female artist with a number-one hit, at 15, in late April 1963, a record that still stands for the Billboard Hot 100. The recording also reached number one in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, and Scandinavia. It failed to chart in the United Kingdom. It was a translation of the French song "Chariot" recorded a year earlier by Petula Clark: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGFd8lWWOxw
By 1963 Little Peggy March chart carer in the USA was over, yet she went on to become a bona fide chart star in Germany scoring 30 top 40 hits (usually in German) between 1964 & 1980.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:19:23 GMT 1
28 Major Lance - The Monkey Time USA #8
The Mississippi born R&B singer reached USA #8 (R&B #2) with his third single & first hit. The song written by Curtis Mayfield (who provides backing vocals), arranged by Johnny Pate produced by Carl Davis.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:25:24 GMT 1
27 Mary Wells - Two Lovers USA #7
"The Queen Of Motown" reached USA #7 (R&B #1) her third USA top ten hit in a row written & produced by Smokey Robinson (after 1962 "The One Who Really Loves You" USA #8 & 1962 "You Beat Me to the Punch" USA #9).
We all know her 4th USA top ten hit (My Guy USA #1 UK #5), but she left Motown Records under a cloud (An option in her recording contract let Wells terminate the contract at her discretion after she reached her twenty-first birthday on May 13, 1964. Encouraged by her ex-husband, Wells broke her Motown contract and signed with 20th Century Fox in hopes of higher royalties and possible movie roles), and Berry Gordy Jr used his influence with black radio stations to ensure subsequent airplay & success would be limited.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:28:22 GMT 1
26 Marvin Gaye - Pride And Joy USA #10
The USA #10 (R&B #2) single (his first top ten hit), co-written by William "Mickey" Stevenson, Gaye and Norman Whitfield, and produced by Stevenson, was considered to be a tribute to Gaye's then-girlfriend, Anna Gordy.
The song was also the third straight (and last) single to include Martha and the Vandellas in background vocals.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:31:07 GMT 1
25 Jackie Wilson - Baby Workout USA #5
The uptempo R&B dance number reached USA #5 (R&B #1). It was the title track of his 1963 album.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:34:49 GMT 1
24 Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters - Cry Baby USA #4
The West Virginia R&B Soul group located to Philadelphia in order to open their chart account with by far the most successful of their 10 USA hit singles (USA #4 R&B #1). If it sounds familiar it is because it was later covered by Janis Joplin.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:37:17 GMT 1
23 The Impressions - It's All Right USA #4
This much covered song was written by the group's lead singer, Curtis Mayfield. The single was the most successful chart entry of the group's career. "It's All Right" was one of two top-ten singles for the group on the Billboard Hot 100, and the first of six number ones on the Billboard R&B chart.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:40:12 GMT 1
22 Dion - Ruby Baby USA #2
This song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by the Drifters in 1956. This cover peaked at USA #2 for the New York singer Dion DiMucci. It also reached the top ten in Australia & Canada.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 13:44:09 GMT 1
21 Connie Francis - I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter USA #18 UK #48
This jaunty seasonal song was written by Mark Barkan with Hank Hunter. It was a top ten hit in Australia where it was summer. This might explain why Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi covered the song in 2008 taking it to UK #22.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 16:27:48 GMT 1
20 Betty Everett - You're No Good USA #51
The Mississippi born soul singer & pianist second single release was written by Clint Ballard Jr. It became her first hit single reaching USA #51. A year later the Merseybeat group The Swinging Blue Jeans took a cover of this song to UK #3 & the USA Top 30; whilst in 1975 Linda Ronstadt took the song to USA #1.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 16:34:07 GMT 1
19 The Beach Boys - In My Room USA #23
In their native country the Californian surf pop group were having hits from the get go in 1961. But I personally found them to be too generic of the whole surf/hot rod scene. This was the flip side of their 6th single the USA #6 "Be True to Your School"; but this USA #23 song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher, released on their 1963 album Surfer Girl; is now regarded as the first sign of Brian Wilson's more mature melancholic song writing style that would become more prevalent in the following 5 years.
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Post by raliverpool on Jan 30, 2022 16:40:30 GMT 1
18 The Drifters - On Broadway USA #9
This future standard was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil in collaboration with the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. A young Phil Spector played the distinctive lead guitar solo on the Drifters' recording which featured Rudy Lewis on lead vocals. 15 years later George Benson returned the song to the USA top ten.
In the UK it is known for Genesis borrowing elements of it for the title track of their 1974 The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway double album; and for this WTF TV performance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdyq9VGh1x4
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