All activity is cultural activity. A church is a smile…a walk is as profound as a system of judging. – Imamu Amiri Baraka (formerly Leroi Jones).*
Sometimes when you feel like life is an endless series of “to do” lists, it is essential to relax and try to rejuvenate yourself. Short of running off to a spa for two months, let me distract you with a frivolous list of pop songs from 1960 through 1982, my arbitrary cut-off date, and also, roughly, the “classic rock” timeframe. The original point of this endeavor was to record favorite music for my morning exercise routine. I started out with haphazard lists of favorite pop songs, in no particular order. I went back to a collection of 60s songs (five cassette tapes worth) some friends and I had taped forty years ago for a “60s” party at my house. Then I went through my record albums and CDs to see what I had missed. This list is, therefore, a highly selective and personal choice, some of my favorites from those two decades — from bubblegum pop to fevered and overwrought love songs to down home boogying. It’s dance music, seduction music, music about love in all its forms, and social commentary. The list and some of the videos strike me now as alternately hilarious and poignant.
I’m by no means the first to say that the Black influence on American and world music in general, as it evolved from its West African roots, is immeasurable and unquestioned. Rock and roll was already in existence by the late 1940s, and was derived from gospel, blues, jazz, r & b, folk, and country. From Motown to funk to the British Invasion to heavy metal, psychedelic rock, disco, hip hop, rap, punk, grunge, to today’s versions, rock has progressed, paying tribute to its forebears, and changing course every few years depending on the cultural climate and inclinations of our society. The early and continuing influence of Black musicians impacted the many musicians who followed in their footsteps and continues to this day; serious musicians acknowledge their indebtedness. I will leave it to the music and cultural historians to fill in the details and write the histories.
When I escaped the clutches of my family, my horizons broadened considerably, musical horizons included. By the early 70s I was already deep into an intense blues phase which drifted over to the jazz side by the 80s, along with a heavy does of world ethnic music by the 90s. Even though my musical tastes have changed over the years, I remain faithful to the early songs of my youth. Each generation of young people has its own music which they will always fondly remember. For example, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the Nirvana hit, does absolutely nothing for me but obviously resonated with millions of kids in 1991, whereas I very much like the 2016 Chris Cornell version of “Nothing Compares to You,” Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 hit. Popular music is a reflection of personal taste, and the selection allowing for personal choice is endless.
Rock and pop music is by its very nature appealing to the young — easy to like and dance to with rhythmic, melodic lines, its fiery calls for political action, its rebellious countercultural musings, but above all, its focus on every aspect of sex and love. Certain kinds of romantic songs were a sure-fire way to seduce someone. In whatever form pop/rock takes, young people have been captivated by its appeal to their sense of self, their sense of rhythm, and their appreciation for the lyrics and the performers. It strikes a chord to which you can return time and time again. It becomes an indelible part of your youth and young adulthood, and you can listen to it as a much older person and re-live and savor again that particular moment in your life.
I tried to find as many live performances as close to the release date of the featured song as possible, but was not always successful due to copyright issues, scarcity of video itself, or terrible video and sound quality. Even so, there are several blurry videos. You’ll notice that many of these videos didn’t embed, thus the links. Live performances are instructive — the musicians are much less constrained in behavior, but the sound quality of the studio recordings is always superior.
If you are moved to add names and songs to the list, please do so. Let me say that I was never a heavy metal fan which is indicated by the absence of those groups. My son made many valiant attempts, but I was also never a rap aficionado. Despite the gaps, I hope you enjoy seeing some of these names again and remembering the songs — a trip down memory lane if nothing else.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5e2RmmMAdpVmLVxdqCiDa7?si=krbhX3O_Rumi7GYEpIB7gg&nd=1
1 9 6 0
Joan Baez
Silver Dagger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX-QApWIXs4
The Everly Brothers
Cathy’s Clown
Mark Dinning
Teen Angel
Roy Orbison
Only the Lonely
Paul Anka
Puppy Love
The Ventures
Walk, Don’t Run
Fats Domino
Walking to New Orleans
Bobby Vee
Devil or Angel
Elvis Presley
It’s Now or Never
Ray Charles
Georgia on My Mind
1 9 6 1
The Shirelles
Will You Love Me Tomorrow ** AND Dedicated to the One I LOve
Dion
Runaround Sue
Patsy Cline
I Fall to Pieces
Del Shannon
Runnaway
Ricky Nelson
Travelin’ Man
The Miracles
Shop Around
The Drifters
Please Stay
Ben E. King
Stand By Me
Roy Orbison
Running Scared
Dee Clark
Raindrops
The Shirelles
Dedicated to the One I Love
Connie Francis
Where The Boys Are
Ray Charles
Hit The Road Jack
1 9 6 2
The Contours
Do You Love Me?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3zJZ2d4cis
The Sensations
Let Me In
Neil Sedaka
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
The Marvelettes
Playboy
Duane Eddy
Dance with the Guitar Man
The Kingston Trio
Where Have All the Flowers Gone
The Isley Brothers
Twist and Shout
Joey Dee and the Starliters
Shout
Elvis Presley
Can’t Help Falling in Love
Mary Wells
You Beat Me to the Punch
Chubby Checker
The Twist
The Shirelles
Soldier Boy
Dee Dee Sharp
Mashed Potato Time
Dion
The Wanderer
The Everly Brothers
Crying in the Rain
Peter, Paul and Mary
If I Had a Hammer
Shelley Fabares
Johnny Angel
The Four Seasons
Sherry
The Crystals
He’s a Rebel
1 9 6 3
The Kingsmen
Louie Louie
Jan and Dean
Surf City
The Chiffons
He’s So Fine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHx4hk7H51o
Bobby Vinton
Blue Velvet
The Ronettes
Be My Baby
Freddie Scott
Hey Girl
Lesley Gore
It’s My Party
Franki Valli and the Four Seasons
Walk Like a Man
Odetta
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
The Cascades
Rhythm of the Rain
Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs
Sugar Shack
The Rooftop Singers
Walk Right In
Martha and the Vandellas
(Love is Like a) Heatwave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAvq_gimOto
Duane Eddy
Gunsmoke
Bobby Darrin
You’re the Reason I’m Living
1 9 6 4
Beach Boys
Fun, Fun, Fun AND Warmth of the Sun
The Kinks
All Day and All of the Night
Mary Wells
My Guy
Dionne Warwick
Anyone Who Had a Heart
Simon and Garfunkel
The Sounds of Silence
The Beau Brummels
Laugh, Laugh
Jerry and the Pacemakers
How Do You Do It
Barbara Streisand
People
Joe Hinton
Funny (How Time Slips Away)
Sam Cooke
A Change is Gonna Come
Chuck Berry
No Particular Place To Go
James Brown
I Got You (I Feel Good)
Ian & Sylvia
You Were On My Mind
The Temptations
Get Ready
The Beatles
If I Fell
The Righteous Brothers
You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
The Animals
The House of the Rising Sun
1 9 6 5
The Beatles
In My Life
The Rolling Stones
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
The Ronettes
Be My Baby
The Temptations
My Girl
The Who
My Generation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjN5uHRIcjM
The Byrds
Turn, Turn, Turn
The Kinks
Set Me Free
Martha and the Vandellas
Nowhere To Run AND Dancing in the Street
The Beatles
Yesterday
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Tracks of My Tears
Them (Van Morrison)
Mystic Eyes
The Lovin’ Spoonful
Do You Believe in Magic?
Sonny and Cher
I Got You Babe
Bob Dylan
Like a Rolling Stone AND Ballad of a Thin Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ucJmVonAc
Chuck Berry
It Wasn’t Me
Little Richard
I Don’t Know What You’ve Got But It’s Got Me
Nina Simone
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Joan Baez
Diamonds and Rust
The Four Tops
Baby I Need Your Loving
The Supremes
Stop! In the Name of Love
Fontella Bass
Rescue Me
The Righteous Brothers
Unchained Melody
Wilson Pickett
The Midnight Hour
1 9 6 6
The Rolling Stones
Lady Jane
Jimi Hendrix
Purple Haze
Mamas and the Papas
California Dreamin’
The Rolling Stones
Under My Thumb
The Supremes
I Can’t Help Myself
Percy Sledge
When A Man Loves a Woman
Peter, Paul and Mary
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Leonard Cohen
Suzanne
The Outsiders
Time Won’t Let Me
Donovan
Sunshine Superman
Syndicate of Sound
Little Girl
Swinging Medallions
Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)
Question Mark and the Mysterians
96 Tears
Left Banke
Walk Away Renee
The Temptations
I Know I’m Losing You AND Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzUM4lS4N2I
Ray Charles
No Use Crying
Sam & Dave
Hold On, I’m Comin’
The Supremes
You Keep Me Hanging On
Cannonball Adderley Quintet
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (jazz, not pop, but I always liked it)
Buffalo Springfield
For What It’s Worth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5JCrSXkJY
Jr. Walker & the Allstars
How Sweet It is (To Be Loved By You)
Otis Redding
Try a Little Tenderness
The Beatles
Eleanor Rigby
The Byrds
8 Miles High
1 9 6 7
Aretha Franklin
Respect AND You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman***
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykxuu8LNluY
Jefferson Airplane
Somebody to Love AND White Rabbit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myVzaR8cmDA&t=47s
The Animals
San Francisco Nights
Stevie Wonder
I Was Made to Love Her
James Brown
Cold Sweat
Procul Harum
A Whiter Shade of Pale
The Righteous Brothers
You’ve Lost That Loving’ Feelin’
The Moody Blues
Knights in White Satin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs4RG9u8IVU
Scott McKenzie
San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers in Your Hair)
Moby Grape
Omaha
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Incense and Peppermints
Country Joe and the Fish
Feel Like I’m Fixing to Die Rag
Leonard Cohen
So Long Marianne
The Four Tops
Reach Out I’ll Be There AND Standing in the Shadows of Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EaflX0MWRo
The Doors
Soul Kitchen
Jimi Hendrix.
The Wind Cries Mary AND Foxy Lady AND Hey Joe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5nkYQo6XcU
The Turtles
Happy Together
Jackie Wilson
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher
Smokey Robinson
The Tears of a Clown
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
The Beatles
A Day in the Life
The Rolling Stones
Ruby Tuesday
The Byrds
My Back Pages
1 9 6 8
The Beatles
Let It Be AND Hey Jude
Otis Redding
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTVjnBo96Ug
Creedance Clearwater Revival
Proud Mary
Blue Cheer
Summertime Blues
Cream
White Room
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXUHb_l-1HU
Aretha Franklin
Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet, Sweet Baby) AND Think AND Ain’t No Way
Sly & the Family Stone
Dance to the Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHaDc82w6OM
The Band
The Weight
Jimi Hendrix
Voodoo Child
The Rose Garden
Next Plane to London
The Grass Roots
Midnight Confessions
The American Breed
Bend Me, Shape Me
Canned Heat
On the Road Again
Etta James
I’d Rather Go Blind (blues, but a favorite)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZt1xKtPbUQ
Townes Van Zandt
Waitin’ Around To Die
The Doors
Touch Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrDsSPtZOu4
Steppenwolf
Born To Be Wild
Taj Mahal
Leaving Trunk
Randy Newman
I Think It’s Going To Rain Today
Edwin Hawkins Singers
Oh Happy Day
James Brown
Say It Out Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud
Rolling Stones
Jumpin’ Jack Flash AND Street Fighting Man AND Sympathy for the Devil
Stevie Wonder
For Once in My Life
The Carpenters
We’ve Only Just Begun
Judy Collins
Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Glen Campbell
Wichita Lineman
1 9 6 9
Joe Cocker
Dear Landlord
Three Dog Night
Eli’s Coming AND Easy to be Hard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9y6pXcIl20
Arlo Guthrie
Coming into Los Angeles
Bob Dylan
Lay Lady Lay
It’s a Beautiful Day
White Bird
Marvin Gaye
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZnrZnFSlWU
The 5th Dimension
Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
The Rolling Stones
Honky Tonk Women AND Gimme Shelter AND You Can’t Always Get What You Want
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef9QnZVpVd8
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Spinning Wheel
Jr. Walker and The All Stars
What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
The Archies
Sugar, Sugar
The Band
I Shall Be Released (written by Bob Dylan) AND Up On Cripple Creek AND The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jREUrbGGrgM&list=RDjREUrbGGrgM&start_radio=1
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Helpless AND Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Captain Beefheart
My Human Gets Me Blues
Roberta Flack
The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
The Hollies
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
Janis Joplin
Summertime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFYLtWjsvnE
Diana Ross & the Supremes
Someday We’ll Be Together
Sly and the Family Stone
Everyday People
Stevie Wonder
My Cherie Amour
David Bowie
Space Oddity
1 9 7 0
Derek and the Dominos & Eric Clapton
Layla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW1Pdm3XsCk
The Beatles
Let It Be
Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground
Sweet Jane
The Grateful Dead
Casey Jones
Tina Turner
I’ve Been Loving’ You Too Long
Rare Earth
Get Ready AND (I Know) I’m Losing You
The Five Stairsteps
O-o-h Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY2fr13ibFc
Eddie Holman
Hey There Lonely Girl
B.B. King
The Thrill is Gone (blues, but a classic)
James Taylor
Fire and Rain
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Woodstock
Santana
Evil Ways
Chicago
Make Me Smile
Eric Burdon & War
Spill the Wine
The Jackson 5
I’ll Be There
Stevie Wonder
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUj9frKY46E
Van Morrison
Into the Mystic AND Caravan
Nina Simone
Who Knows Where the Time Has Gone
Bob Dylan
If Dogs Run Free
Cat Stevens
Wild World
Three Dog Night
Mama Told Me Not To Come
Three Dog Night
Joy to the World
1 9 7 1
Joni Mitchell
Carey AND A Case of You
Led Zeppelin
Stairway to Heaven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbhCPt6PZIU
Janis Joplin
Get It While You Can
Rod Stewart
Maggie May
Carole King
Will You Love Me Tomorrow AND Way Over Yonder AND You’ve Got a Friend
John Denver
Take Me Home, Country Roads AND Sunshine on My Shoulders
Al Green
Tired of Being Alone
The Rolling Stones
Brown Sugar. AND Wild Horses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNaqBBjrIZw
Marvin Gaye
What’s Going On
Bill Withers
Ain’t No Sunshine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CICIOJqEb5c
Sammi Smith
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Stevie Wonder
If You Really Loved Me
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Mr. Bojangles
Donny Hathaway
A Song For You
Rodriguez
I Think Of You
Gil Scott-Heron
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Van Morrison
Tupelo Honey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hco9bCh7Nes
Loggins & Messina
Danny’s Song
Leonard Cohen
Famous Blue Raincoat
Little Feat
Willin’
The Carpenters
Superstar
John Prine
Angel from Montgomery
The Beatles
Imagine
The Carpenters
Superstar
1 9 7 2
Chuck Berry
Reelin’ and Rockin’
The Chi-Lites
Oh Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaBC5BUh3BM
The Staple Singers
I’ll Take You There
Bill Withers
Lean On Me
The Main Ingredient
Everybody Plays the Fool
Elton John
Rocket Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_QZe8Z66x8
Chicago
Saturday in the Park
Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway
Where is the Love
Carly Simon
You’re So Vain
The Doobie Brothers
Listen to the Music
Don McLean
American Pie
Al Green
Let’s Stay Together AND Love and Happiness
Looking Glass
Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqTE7aNjZQ
Stealers Wheel
Stuck in the Middle
1 9 7 3
The Allman Brothers Band
Midnight Rider
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Midnight Train to Georgia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwbmufPphP0
The Three Degrees
When Will I See You Again
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Free Bird
Seals & Croft
Diamond Girl
Marvin Gaye
Let’s Get It On
Stevie Wonder
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
King Harvest
Dancing in the Moonlight
Steely Dan
Do It Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=perdOoQYHgI
Al Green
Call Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ8pzPvki-4
Derek & The Dominos
Bell Bottom Blues
Bob Dylan
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCV84dTevX0
Orleans
Dance With Me
The Carpenters
Yesterday Once More
1 9 7 4
Harry Chapin
Cats in the Cradle
Bob Marley
Woman No Cry
Jimmy Buffet
Come Monday
Tom Waits
(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night
Maria Muldaur
Midnight at the Oasis
The Sylistics
You Make Me Feel Brand New
Joni Mitchell
Help Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTT54TEbolE
Elton John
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Chicago
Call on Me
Al Green
Take Me to the River
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEasxe8hDs4
Joe Cocker
You Are So Beautiful
Barry White
Can’t Get Enough of Your Love
1 9 7 5
Captain and Tennille
Love Will Keep Us Together
Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
Guy Clark
Old Time Feelin’
Joan Baez
There But For Fortune
Led Zeppelin
Kashmir
Aerosmith
Walk This Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL4uESRCnv8
Earth, Wind and Fire
Shining Star
Eagles
Best of My Love
James Taylor
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Orleans
Dance With Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-IXJLgRnvs
The Three Degrees
When Will I See You Again
The Band
It Makes No Difference AND Ophelia
Bruce Springsteen
Born To Run
Barry White
What Am I Gonna Do With You
The Isley Brothers
This Old House of Mine (Is Weak for You)
1 9 7 6
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Night Moves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Q9jX_g95g
Boston
More Than A Feeling
Tom Waits
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Parliament
Give Up the Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)
Seals & Croft
Get Closer
Hall and Oates
Sara Smile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z1mLkh4Dfw
Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody
Chicago
If You Leave Me Now
Elvin Bishop
Fooled Around and Fell in Love
Commodores
Sweet Love
Paul Simon
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Abba
Dancing Queen
1 9 7 7
Jackson Brown
The Road
Bee Gees
How Deep Is Your Love AND More Than a Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpqqjU7u5Yc
Fleetwood Mac
You Make Loving Fun AND Dreams
Joan Armatrading
Willow
Rod Stewart
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-lgTVdRAoM
Abba
Dancing Queen
Johnny Rivers
Swayin’ To the Music (Slow Dancing)
Heatwave
Boogie Nights
The Emotions
Best of My Love
Teddy Pendergrass
And If I Had
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
The Closer I Get to You
1 9 7 8
The Grateful Dead
Fire on the Mountain
Commodores
Three Times a Lady
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4dl6JSf-bc
Donna Summer
Last Dance
Van Halen
Runnin’ With the Devil
Bee Gees
Night Fever
Billy Joel
Just the Way You Are
Kansas
Dust in the Wind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNp6y7aYa-s
Randy Newman
Short People
Jackson Brown
Running on Empty
Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks
Whenever I Call You Friend
Little River Band
Reminiscing
Joe Walsh
Life’s Been Good
Van Morrison
Crazy Love
1 9 7 9
The Eagles
I Can’t Tell You Why
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH0yqkm81IQ
Prince
I Wanna Be Your Lover
Ry Cooder
I Think It’s Going To Work Out Fine
Donna Summer
Hot Stuff AND Bad Girls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPlV2dzXWCw
Village People
Y.M.C.A.
Easy Money
Rickey Lee Jones
The Knack
My Sharona
The Doobie Brothers
What a Fool Believes
Earth, Wind & Fire
After the Love Has Gone
Toto
Hold the Line
Sister Sledge
We Are Family
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMVe_HcyP9Y
Dire Straits
Sultans of Swing
Frank Zappa
Watermelon in Easter Hay
1 9 8 0
Bob Marley
Could You Be Loved
Blondie
Call Me
Pink Floyd
Another Brick in the Wall
Michael Jackson
Rock With You
The Spinners
Working My Way Back To You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snWHvcWsybM
Christopher Cross
Ride Like the Wind
The Manhattans
Shining Star
Supertramp
Take the Long Way Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mng17n7Wl4
Pat Benatar
Heartbreaker
Bruce Springsteen
The River AND Hungry Heart
Abba
The Winner Takes It All
1 9 8 1
Diana Ross
Endless Love AND Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Kenny Rogers
Lady
Kool and the Gang
Celebration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M
REO Speedwagon
Keep On Loving You
Smokey Robinson
Being With You
Marvin Gaye
Sexual Healing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjlSiASsUIs
The Go Gos
We Got the Beat
Men At Work
Who Can It Be Now
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Crimson and Clover
The Rolling Stones
Waiting for a Friend AND Start It Up
1 9 8 2
Juice Newton
Queen of Hearts
Blondie
Rapture
The Pointer Sisters
Slow Hand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbk29JZdl5A
John Lennon
Woman
Foreigner
Waiting for a Girl Like You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUNJc22MAb8
Commodores
Lady (You Bring Me Up)
Pat Benatar
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Christopher Cross
Arthur’s Theme
Neil Diamond
Hello Again
The Police
Don’t Stand So Close To Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_Q8t4RpJc
Alabama
Feels So Right
Survivor
Eye of the Tiger
Huey Lewis & The News
Do You Believe in Love
A Flock of Seagulls
I Ran (So Far Away)
Stevie Wonder
Do I Do AND That Girl
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Wasted On the Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg-Qdrr3XSk
Elton John
Blue Eyes
Everybody
Madonna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCeo3R546r4
Karla Bonoff
Wild Heart of the Young AND Personally
Peter, Paul and Mary
Would You Like to Learn to Dance
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5e2RmmMAdpVmLVxdqCiDa7?si=krbhX3O_Rumi7GYEpIB7gg&nd=1
AT LAST, THE END.
P.S. Many, many thanks to my friend and blog czar, Eric, who has been a patient teacher and adviser for lo these last seventeen months and counting, and kudos to my granddaughter, Adina, for getting the Spotify playlist up and running.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
- I first saw this quote in Michael Ventura’s Shadow Dancing in the USA and thought it apropos.
** Co-written by Carole King who later released her version in 1971.
*** Another Carole King song.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Top post image: Photo by James J. Kriegsmann, New York, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
What a lot of work to compile this! I love it!
I’d love the links to purchasing these songs — what a playlist that would be! –any chance I can talk you into it?
Ellen
Thanks, Ellen. I think a free list can be compiled on Spotify. I’ll look into it soon.
Hi Ruth, I am writing to thank you for your Ruth With a View blogs, which I’ve been enjoying for the past year. They’re remarkably well written and very interesting, but your latest, the Pop/Rock Music Roundup, was particularly meaningful to me since the time period involved basically covered the years in which I grew up, became an adult, and experienced many of the most significant developments of my life. In 1960, I was in junior high – in 1982, I had started my career and was on the verge of marriage, home ownership and fatherhood. Throughout this time period, music was the one aspect of my life that was a constant source of inspiration and joy, and, for that, I have always been grateful.
So, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to share some of the thoughts and memories which your blog has caused to come flooding back to me.
FAVORITE MUSIC FESTIVAL/CONCERT
Monterey Pop Festival 1967 – this was quite an adventure (which would be foolish and dangerous to undertake today) which I will spare you the details of, but here are the highlights: I hitchhiked alone (and without concert tickets) from Los Angeles to the Monterey County Fairgrounds to attend the 3 day event. After arriving, the stranger who had picked me up in the middle of a pitch-black night on coastal Highway 1, somewhere near San Simeon, I think, handed me tickets for the Saturday and Sunday evening concerts – and due to the exceptional sound system, I was able to enjoy the music from all five concerts even though I was not inside the arena for three of them. The Sunday evening finale included sets by Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin), Buffalo Springfield, The Who, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and The Mamas & the Papas, among others. Monterey Pop was an epic, seminal event which inspired and influenced all the festivals which followed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_Pop_Festival
LEAST FAVORITE CONCERT
Altamont Free Concert 1969 – The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, and The Grateful Dead decided they wanted to stage a free concert in December of ’69. They invited Santana, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to join them at the Altamont Speedway in Livermore, CA. Sounded like a great idea (the nearly 300,000 attendees thought so too), but, in the end, due to penny pinching and extremely poor planning, they ended up with an epic, unmitigated disaster. One of the worst decisions was to get the Hells Angels motorcycle club to provide security in exchange for $500 worth of beer. This contributed to drunken fighting near and/or on the stage, musicians being beaten by the Angels, The Dead refusing to play due to deteriorating crowd behavior, frequent stoppage of the performances, a spectator being stabbed to death by one of the Angels, etc. A writer in Rolling Stone Magazine called the Altamont concert “rock and roll’s all-time worst day.” I thought it was also the definitive end of the “peace and love” movement – the Sixties ending with a bang. The Maysles brothers made a 1970 documentary film featuring the concert called Gimme Shelter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Free_Concert
FAVORITE MUSIC DOCUMENTARY FILMS
The Wrecking Crew 2015 – this film is the story of the legendary studio musicians whose contributions to popular recorded music, during the late fifties and well into the 80’s, were simply amazing. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Righteous Brothers, Phil Spector/Motown, The Byrds*, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, and hundreds of others, owe much of their success to the creative brilliance of these musicians.
The Wrecking Crew Official Trailer 1 (2015) – Documentary HD – YouTube
20 Feet from Stardom 2013 – a portrayal of some of the many backup singers who toiled anonymously to round out the sound of much of our favorite music. A lucky few became stars in their own right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt85KGaheWU
FAVORITE MUSIC THEMED MOVIES
The Commitments 1991 – this fictional story about a young, white Irish soul band was not a commercial success, but has since developed a cult following due to its quirky humor and fabulous soundtrack.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Commitments_(film)
Bohemian Rhapsody 2018 – this movie about the band Queen and its brilliant lead singer, Freddie Mercury, was beautifully done with spectacular video and audio, especially when experienced at an Imax theater.
FAVORITE MUSICIANS PHOTOGRAPH
A Great Day in Harlem 1958 – photographer Art Kane’s masterpiece was taken after he invited about 60 of NYC’s best jazz musicians to come to Harlem, to commemorate the “Golden Age of Jazz”. The group included Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Thelonius Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Charlie Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Marian McPartland. Scheduled for 10am, several musicians arrived too late to be included in the photograph. Nevertheless, it has inspired many copycat photos all around the world. (In 2007, close to 300 local jazz musicians gathered on the steps of Seattle’s City Hall to be photographed by Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Daniel Sheehan in an homage to Kane’s photo.) A film about the making of the photo came out in 1995 and was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary. The photo was a key plot point in Steven Spieberg’s film The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6423123/A-great-day-Harlem-frame-iconic-1958-shoot-jazz-artists-published-time.html
Psychedelic Beatles 1967 – the celebrated New York fashion and portrait photographer, Richard Avedon, travelled to London to take black and white photographs of each individual Beatle. After four months of work, four solarized color portraits and a wide-angle, composite b&w group portrait were released to the public to much acclaim. This happened before the era of digital photography and helped lead to the acceptance of modern photography as fine art.
https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Avedon-Richard-1923-First/dp/B07JL81CRH
FAVORITE MUSIC POSTERS
Monterey Pop Festival 1967 – this gem designed by Tom Wilkes was printed in metallic inks on silver foil paper. A relatively small poster which gleams as much as my memory of the event itself.
https://www.bahrgallery.com/band-items/monterey-pop-festival-1967
Seattle Pop Festival 1969 – in spite of all the terrific mid-sixties psychedelic posters which came out of California, this piece created by Seattle artist, John Moehring, for the festival held in Woodinville, WA, is truly a standout. It’s quite beautiful and extremely rare.
Concertposterauction.com – Seattle Pop Festival 1969 AOR 3.6 John Moehring Poster w/Doors, Led Zeppelin
https://www.invisiblethemepark.com/2011/12/the-forgotten-woodstock-seattle-pop-festival-1969/
FAVORITE MUSIC RADIO SHOW
Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz – more than 700 episodes aired on NPR from 1978 to 2011. For decades, the renowned pianist and composer conversed and played improvisational jazz with hundreds of outstanding and well known musicians. Many of her shows can be found in NPR archives.
https://www.npr.org/series/15773266/marian-mcpartland-s-piano-jazz
MY “EVERGREEN” SONGS
These are the songs I’ve often felt compelled to listen to over the decades, to feed my soul and bring me a bit of pleasure, regardless of what might be happening in the rest of my life:
The Shirelles 1960 – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
The Beach Boys 1964 – Warmth of the Sun**
The Beatles 1965/1967 – In My Life / A Day in the Life
The Rolling Stones 1966/1967 – Under My Thumb / Ruby Tuesday
The Byrds* 1966/1967 – 8 Miles High / My Back Pages
Jefferson Airplane 1967 – Today / Comin’ Back to Me
Judy Collins 1968 – Who Knows Where the Time Goes
David Bowie 1969/1971 – Space Oddity / Changes
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young 1970 – Woodstock
Joni Mitchell 1970 – A Case of You
Queen 1975 – Love of My Life
Karla Bonoff 1982 – Wild Heart of the Young / Personally
Peter, Paul and Mary 1982 – Would You Like to Learn to Dance
*In September of 1965, Paige Wheeler and I were both freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Included as part of our orientation activities was a concert by The Byrds, held at our school’s beautiful outdoor amphitheater. The Byrds first album, featuring their folk rock smash hit, Mr. Tambourine Man (written by Bob Dylan), which reached number 1 in both the US and the UK, had debuted that summer – so I knew how the recorded version of the song sounded. To my utter disappointment, The Byrds live performance of that song, as well as another song from the album, was vastly inferior to the recorded versions. I now know why this happened: The Wrecking Crew had been hired to create the instrumental background for two of the album’s songs (Roger McGuinn was the only Byrd who had the ability to play with the studio musicians), over which was recorded the band’s vocals. At the time of the concert, The Byrds simply had not yet mastered a live performance of the song.
**On November 22, 1963, the then rising pop group, The Beach Boys, performed a concert in the farming community of Marysville, California, in spite of the fact that earlier that day President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas, TX. Immediately following the concert, Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Mike Love huddled to write a song that would honor the president and reflect their (and the nation’s) sadness and grief – and, yet, still incorporate a note of positivity. Brian Wilson has said that about once in a decade, an artist will produce a perfect piece which accurately captures their intentions and emotions – he felt Warmth of the Sun was one such song.
BTW: it was also at Occidental that I attended the LEAST MEMORABLE CONCERT of my life – a harmonium performance by Allen Ginsburg, the acclaimed poet and proud homosexual. At least I got to meet the bard and have a few conversations with him, even though it turned out to be a somewhat harrowing experience as it appeared he was hoping to recruit me to “switch teams.”
That’s all for now – and thanks again for your great list.
Laurence
Laurence, Thanks so much for your most interesting and observant comments. I’ve added your suggested songs to the list and have just finished watching The Wrecking Crew. As in 20 Feet from Stardom, the unsung heroes of music hits, in this case, the session players, were really essential ingredients to the making of a hit song. I love your reconstruction and reviews of these seminal events. Thank you.