Friday Five: February 1965

5. “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin” by the Righteous Brothers
A classic love song that sat atop the Hot 100 at #1 for two weeks in February, the same month it peaked at #2 on the R&B charts. The contrasting vocal talents of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield are never more beautifully combined. It was their signature tune for decades to come, though not all due to their talents. The brilliant Phil Spector was behind the boards as producer. He and song writing duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil penned the song. It’s a rich example of Spector’s “wall of sound” trademark, but also two brilliant lyricists crafting a song for an amazing vocal duo.

4. “It Ain’t Me Babe” by Johnny Cash
You gotta love a remake of a Bob Dylan song charting in the country charts only a year after the man himself released it. The remake here is by the Man in Black, Mr. Johnny Cash. Sung as a duet with his future wife June Carter Cash, and made into a up-tempo number, the song has a different feel to be sure, but the lyircal power of it still packs a punch. Topped out at #4 in this month.

3. “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” by Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye is one of my favorite artists of all time. Part of that love rests on his evolution over a three decade career. This classic peaked at #3 on the R&B charts (stalled by the success of “My Girl” and the cross-over hit by the Righteous Brothers). Written by Holland, Dozier, and Holland, with music courtesy of the Funk Brothers, it was Gaye’s biggest selling single up to that point.

2. “Shotgun” by Jr. Walker & The All Stars
It hit #2 on the R&B charts in February, on its way to the top spot the next month. It’s one of those songs that uses only one chord throughout, but it has a lot of “accents” from the bass, organ, a touch of guitar flutter, and an amazing sax performance by J.r Walker himself. James Jamerson (bass) and Benny Benjamin (drums) from the illustrious Funk Brothers play on this Berry Gordy produced hit.

1. “My Girl” by the Temptations
Written and produced by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, with music performed by the Funk Brothers, and lead vocals by David Ruffin (his first with the group), this song was the first chart topper for the vocal group who helped define the Motown sound. It’s a simple (and almost sappy) love song but the strength of the instrumentation and the vocals elevate it to a classic. It dominated the R&B charts, holding the #1 position for six weeks (one week in January, one week in March, and all weeks in February), and it later hit the top spot on the Hot 100 for one week.

Friday Five: February 1964

February 1964 was the start of Beatlemania. So let’s start there…

5. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles
I wish I was alive in 1964 (and old enough to remember) to have gone through cultural phenomenon that was the arrival of The Beatles in the US.  It all started here, with the song that hit #1 on February 1 and stayed there for the next seven weeks. It was the Fab Four’s first US #1.  They landed in the US on February 7 and made history with their appearance on Ed Sullivan (they were so big that Sullivan had them on again that same month!).  In March they’d knock themselves out of the top spot when “She Loves Me” started a two-week run at #1.  It was replaced by “Can’t Buy Me Love” which stayed on top for five more weeks. In total, The Beatles had the #1 song in the country for all of February, March, April, and one week of May.

4. “Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um” by Major Lance
Honestly, I’ve never heard this song before. I haven’t even heard of this song before. But it was #1 on the R&B charts when the Beatles hit the top of the pop charts, so it deserves at least a mention. After listening, I think it was misnamed. Should have been “Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm.”

3. “Harlem Shuffle” by Bob and Earle
A classic tune that really didn’t do much for the mainstream music audiences of 1964.  It only made it to #44 on the hot 100.  But it had some life on the R&B charts, where it peaked at #3.  It didn’t do much upon it’s release in the UK either, but upon its re-release in 1969 it became a top 10 hit in the UK.  The Rolling Stones famously re-made the song in 1986.

2. “Talking About My Baby” by the Impressions
A simply wonderful song by one of the most-under-rated vocal groups of the era.  The Impressions were such a sweet sounding vocal group, with a deep arsenal of talents (including Curtis Mayfield).  This song, a much smaller hit than their bigger tunes, peaked at #2 on the R&B charts.

1. “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen
Wikipedia has a short history of the song, which is important to know.  The Trashmen were a Minneapolis-based garage band. The song peaked at #4 on the pop charts in February 1964. It’s about as raw and frenetic as any song you could imagine. It’s such a nice contrast to hear something like this——a big step in the continual emergence of surf rock that’s also such a messy thing compared to the typical pop traditions of the day——making a huge splash. Maybe the messiness is kind of a harbinger of the coming of The Beatles who are way cleaner in every way but whose edges reflect at least a bit of the core of something like this.

Friday Five: February 1963

5. “Up on the Roof” by the Drifters
Another gorgeously written song by husband and wife duo Carol King and Gerry Goffin, one that really captures some of the feelings of youth. The Drifters made some great music in their day. This isn’t their best but it’s a reflection of all the things they did so well——sweet melodies, rich instrumentation, and great vocals.  This one is carried by the one-of-a-kind voice of Rudy Lewis, who would die the next year of an overdose at the age of 27. It peaked at #5 in February 1963.

4. “Walk Like a Man” by The Four Seasons
Frankie Valli’s falsetto voice is contrasted with the lyrics——”Walk like a man, talk like a man”——but there’s so much goodness happening here that I think it’s easy to miss the irony and just get sucked in to the mix of sounds.  I’m a big fan of the drums at the start with their signature harmony work emerging into the tune. It peaked at #3 in February before hitting the top spot the following month.

3. “Two Lovers” by Mary Wells
Mary Wells played a big part of in defining the “female sound” in early Motown. Her smoky voice and reserved but skilled vocal choices are her hallmark. She reached the top of the R&B charts with this hit, written by Smokey Robinson. It’s one of those clever lyrical ballads with an ending that’s a surprise twist.

2. “You Really Got a Hold on Me” by The Miracles
If I knew more about music I’m sure I could say something intelligent about what’s going on in this song. Musically it has this drag that feels almost too real and too un-sanitized to be part of the “Motown sound,” something I associate as being black music packaged for white audiences.  There’s something so compelling and sexy about this song. Smokey Robinson is a master of the art and those skills are certainly front and center in this R&B chart-topper.

1. “You Are My Sunshine” by Ray Charles
It topped the R&B charts in January 1963 and was working its way back down the charts in February. It’s a familiar song——one of the most recorded in music history——but when Ray Charles gets a hold of it it sound like something we’ve never heard before. His small changes in phrasing and in music——he turns it into a R&B song AND gives us a big band interlude AND gives us the vocal wonderment of the Raelettes——make this hard not to find interesting on some level. It’s the lead track off his second volume of Modern Sounds in Country Western Music, a historic pair of albums mixing white music and black music at the height of the Black Freedom Struggle.

Friday Five: February 1962

5. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley
If you’re an Elvis fan, it’s one of the greatest love songs ever recorded. The King started the month at #2 on the pop charts with this ballad, which is where it topped out. It was from the soundtrack to Elvis’ favorite of his movies——Blue Hawaii——where it shared musical space with other timeless classics.

4. “I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More)” by Barbara George
Barbara George started the month at #1 on the R&B charts with this, her first and biggest hit. There’s something irresistibly early 60s about the sound, both musically and vocally.

3. “The Twist” by Chubby Checker
I think the twist is the biggest dance move of the 60s. Hell, it might be the biggest of the century. Chubby Checker made it that way with his cover of Hank Ballard’s 1959 tune. Chubby Checker hit the #1 spot with it the first time in 1960. Two years later he’d do it again when “The Twist” topped the pop charts at the start of 1962. By February it was on the decline at #3 but it’s who can deny that remarkable achievement.

2. “Baby It’s You” by The Shirelles
Two weeks in a row and we have something from The Shirelles. I don’t know what it is about this song but, as a kid, it always sounded elegant to me. It might be the vocal harmonies and the interjection of “sha-la-la-la-la” at just the right time. Maybe it’s the echo effect. Now, it’s the graceful elements mixed with the harsher elements (rough lead vocals at the start, crazy organ in the middle) that attract me. The tune peaked at #3 on the R&B charts in February 1962.

1. “Duke of Earl” by Gene Chandler
I wasn’t alive in the 60s but, from my outsider’s position,  this is easily one of the greatest songs of the decade.  It’s probably in my top 100 of all-time. It’s flawless and iconic. One of those perfect creations that becomes synonymous with its time.  It topped both the pop and R&B charts in February 1962.