Tag: 1960s

The Supremes | The Happening

“If the Beach Boys’ ‘Good Vibrations‘ was a ‘pocket symphony,’ as it was so masterfully marketed, then the Supremes’ classic singles were pocket melodramas,” (Stereogum). “Those songs were heavily and fascinatingly orchestrated in their own ways, but the arrangements, nimble and groundbreaking as they might’ve been, were there to serve the stories. The Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team found simple, direct ways to write about complicated feelings — heartbreak, elation, faint embers of hope. And Diana Ross sang those songs with poise and sensitivity, maintaining her composure even as she subtly hinted at huge and overwhelming feelings.

For years, the Supremes were an absolute machine. They cranked these songs out with a terrifying efficiency, and almost all of them hit their marks. And maybe that’s why ‘The Happening’ stands out in the group’s catalog. It’s a rare miss, a song that deviates from the plan and goes all the way awry. It’s the moment where everything falls apart … ‘The Happening’ sounds like exactly what it is: a cynical tie-in with a bad movie. But it doesn’t sound like a Supremes song — even though, in some literal sense of the term, it’s the last Supremes song.” Nonetheless, the track hit #1 in 1967, if only for one week!

The tune modulates up a half-step while trying its darnedest to be a light-hearted and goofy part of its “crime/comedy” genre.

Bobby Darrin + Judy Garland | That Lonesome Road

Taken from the December 29, 1963 episode of The Judy Garland Show, “That Lonesome Road” was one of many music numbers from that evening’s offerings, which were produced among some difficult times for Garland and for all of the United States. “Show 14 lacks a little of the sparkle of other episodes, but this is hardly surprising when you consider that Judy should really have been resting during the time it was filmed,” (JudyGarlandProject). “The taping occurred in the aftermath of President Kennedy’s assassination. However, rather than take time off, it appears that Garland worked harder than ever following the death of her friend.

… Looking back on the entire series, over fifty years after it was broadcast, one can only be astounded at the huge achievement that it was, and still is. American seasons are lengthy, and here we have 26 episodes, each of nearly one-hour running times. Not only do they star the ‘World’s Greatest Entertainer’ but also a roll-call of the some of the great singers of the twentieth century, including Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, and Barbra Streisand. These shows will be around long after all of us have gone, and amen to that.”

Bobby Darin, an eventual inductee into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, was an established pop star and movie actor by the time of his guest appearance on Garland’s show. Converting Darin’s well-known tune “That Lonesome Road” into a duet for the episode, the two vocalists change keys at 0:58 and 1:40.

The Choir | It’s Cold Outside

“The Choir was a garage rock band largely active in the greater Cleveland (Ohio) area from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s. Originally called the Mods, their largest commercial success came with the release of their first single ‘It’s Cold Outside’ in December 1966. The song (is) considered to be a classic of the garage rock era … The Choir is well known for containing three of the four original members of The Raspberries (all except lead singer Eric Carmen).”

A Cleveland Scene interview with one of the band’s members, Randy Klawon, details the city’s surprisingly active music scene during the late 1960s: ” … We played a show with the Who at the Music Hall in 1967. It was Herman’s Hermits and the Who. We were on that bill. I was 12 feet in the wings from [guitarist] Pete Townshend. I saw [drummer] Keith Moon throw his kit into the orchestra pit. It was amazing. Everybody saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. As these bands toured America, the Choir was on a lot of those shows. We were on the same bill with the Dave Clark Five and the Yardbirds and all kinds of bands.”

“It’s Cold Outside” starts in D major and shifts up to E major at 2:04.


Rhetta Hughes | Best Thing You Ever Had

” … soul vocalist Rhetta Hughes seemed about ready to move into the spotlight in 1969, when her remake of the Doors’ ‘Light My Fire’ made the R&B Top 40,” (AllMusic). “But she never sustained any momentum, with the next song ‘Angel Man’ flopping for Aria, and Hughes was soon back on the supper club circuit, opening for such comedians as Bill Cosby.”

AllMusic didn’t quite catch all of Hughes’ resumé, which included substantial musical theatre. She was featured in Dreamgirls, Amen Corner, Paris Lights, and other productions on Broadway, national tours, and off-Broadway. She was also nominated for a 1984 Tony award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical in Amen Corner, according to Broadway World.

“Best Thing You Ever Had” (1968) features multiple textbook half-step modulations, starting at 0:35. Others follow at 1:07 and 1:39.

The Mamas + The Papas | Monday, Monday

“While awaiting the release of ”California Dreamin’,’ band member Denny Doherty was prodding songwriter John Phillips to come up with some new material,” (Songfacts). “Phillips said he would come back in the morning with ‘a song with universal appeal.’ Ignoring the sarcastic comments from the group members, Phillips came up with ‘Monday, Monday’ (1966). It’s about the lousy feeling that comes with the end of the weekend and beginning of another workweek.

This was the first Hot 100 chart-topper with a day in the week in the title, and the only one with ‘Monday.’ (‘Manic Monday’ by the Bangles and “Rainy Days And Mondays” by the Carpenters both stalled at #2.) … Denny Doherty, who sang lead on this song, thought very little of ‘Monday Monday’ when they recorded it. ‘Nobody likes Monday, so I thought it was just a song about the working man,’ he said. ‘Nothing about it stood out to me; it was a dumb f–kin’ song about a day of the week.’ As you can imagine, he was taken by surprise when the song became a huge hit. Doherty wasn’t alone in his incredulity: Mama Cass and Michelle Phillips didn’t like the song either, and John Phillips claimed he had no idea what the song meant.”

Starting in F# major, the tune features some brief harmonic sidesteps along the way, but doesn’t modulate in earnest until 1:41, when it shifts up to G# major.

Bobby Vinton | Mr. Lonely

“Mr. Lonely” was the last #1 single released by American singer Bobby Vinton, and the only one that wasn’t a cover.

Vinton wrote the song while serving in the army, and the lyric depicts a solider who is missing home. Epic Records initially gave the song to Buddy Greco to record, but his rendition didn’t crack the top 50 on the charts; when Vinton included the track on his greatest-hits collection in 1964, it quickly became a hit and remained his favorite recording.

The tune begins in E and modulates up to F at 1:26.

The Dukes of September | Who’s That Lady (live)


The Isley Brothers recorded “That Lady” twice. Songwriters Ronald, O’Kelly, and Rudolph Isley, the original family trio, released the first version in 1964.

Besides the sweet vocals, the prominent features of the song are the insistent cowbell (!), and the supporting horn riff towards the end.

But it was the Isleys’ 1973 version that made the song famous (Billboard #6 that year). By then, younger brother Ernie Isley had joined the group, and it’s his fuzzed-out guitar that’s the hook in that version. For that release, the lyrics were embellished, and the superior recording quality reflects the improved technology of the day. Neither of the Isleys’ versions featured a key change, however!

Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan), Michael McDonald (of the Doobie Brothers), and Boz Scaggs toured as The Dukes of September from 2010 to 2012, playing hits from their own bands and some of their own favorites, like the song here. Guitarist Jon Herington, who had recorded and toured with Steely Dan, manages to capture the flavor of Ernie Isley’s solo in this performance at Lincoln Center in 2012.

In the Dukes’ version, there’s a half-step modulation at 2:36 — although this shift seems bigger due to an interruption of the groove, some unexpected kicks, and flourishes from the horn section.

Al Wilson | The Snake

“In this song, Wilson sings about a woman who finds a worn-down snake on the streets. She takes him in and cares for him, but instead of showing gratitude, he bites her. She is understandably upset, but he reminds her that she knew he was a snake when she took him in,” (Songfacts).

“Wilson was a popular soul singer who had his biggest hit in 1973 with ‘Show And Tell,’ produced by Johnny Rivers, who signed Wilson to his Soul City record label (and) is known for his 1966 hit ‘Secret Agent Man.’ In 2008, ‘The Snake’ was used in British TV commercials for Lambrini Perry,” a pear cider!

The horn-drenched r+b track, released on Wilson’s 1968 album Searching for the Dolphins, shifts up a half step at 1:37 and again at 2:21.

The Kinks | All Day and All of the Night

“With its thumping power chords and shredding solo, ‘All Day And All Of The Night’ – recorded in September 1964 – is often cited as the jump-off point for punk and hard rock,” (LouderSound) “But early Kinks were a band forged by American rock’n’blues. Their third single, “You Really Got Me,” which borrowed heavily from The Kingsmen’s Louie Louie, made No.1 in the UK in 1964. The distorted guitar riff by Ray’s brother Dave was a revelation. But it was the follow-up that really created the metal/punk blueprint. ‘The one that started it was All Day And All Of The Night,’ Ray Davies explains.

The secret to The Kinks’ early guitar sound was Dave Davies’s brainwave of slashing the speaker cones of his amp with a razor. ‘As it vibrated, it produced a distorted and jagged roar,’ he commented later … Record label Pye, however, weren’t too enamoured with The Kinks’ latest sound, and initially rejected the song for being ‘too working class.’ … Whatever its social standing, ‘All Day And All Of The Night’ was a ferocious blast of rock’n’roll. It gave The Kinks their second major hit and cemented them in the US as one of the key bands of the British Invasion. “

Contributor JB adds: “Listening to The Kinks with fresh ears, nearly 60 years after they first hit the charts, it’s amazing how far ahead of their time they were.  If they had come along in the ’80s, they would absolutely have been in the vanguard of the grunge movement. But because they came up during the British Invasion and their sound wasn’t as melodic as the Beatles (or even the Stones, on albums like Flowers), they were relegated to the second tier.”

After starting in an uptuned G minor, there’s a shift to D minor for the first chorus at 0:28, reverting to the original key at 0:42 for the next verse and the pattern continues from there.

Ashes | Is There Anything I Can Do

The Ashes were a southern California pop group that formed in the mid-1960s. The group had two principal songwriters, guitarist John Merrill and bassist Alan Brackett (album liner notes). The star of the group was singer Barbara Robison, who had a clear and powerful voice, featured on “Is There Anything I Can Do?” The group’s drummer, Spencer Dryden, would later join the Jefferson Airplane.

The Ashes released only two singles before breaking up. But the core of the group, Merrill, Bracket, and Robison, would go on to form The Peanut Butter Conspiracy (which is either the worst or the best band name ever); they recorded two albums for Columbia and a final album for the independent Challenge label.

Barbara Robison continued her singing career after PBC broke up. Sadly, she didn’t recover from a collapse she suffered during a performance in 1988.

“Is There Anything I Can Do” (1966) was written by singer Jackie DeShannon and Nick DeCaro. The version in this video is from an unreleased demo acetate. The final released version features additional instrumentation by those studio stalwarts, The Wrecking Crew.

The tune is in a noticeably up-tuned E major. At 1:35, there’s a half-step shift up to F that sounds like the start of a sustained modulation, but actually serves as a very prominent sub-V (a relatively rare feature in pop). The song soon drops back to the starting key. The same jarring rise/fall pattern is repeated later.