Tag: 1960s

Dionne Warwick | Anyone Who Had a Heart

Dionne Warwick’s first US Top 10 single, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” (1964), was written by frequent Warwick collaborators Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Burt Bacharach, in Record Collector magazine, stated “‘It’s very rich, it’s very emotional. It’s soft, it’s loud, it’s explosive. It changes time signature constantly, 4/4 to 5/4, and 7/8 bar at the end of the song on the turnaround. It wasn’t intentional, it was all just natural. That’s the way I felt it.’

According to AllMusic, Bacharach “‘never bothered counting the bars, regarding seeing whether or not there were eight bars in the first section, etc. He once said: ‘I never paid any attention to a changed time signature. I think it was Dionne who told me the turn-around bar was in 7/8. She counted it out, and I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t intentional, that’s just the way it came out.'” (Songfacts).

The verses are in A minor; the choruses (first appearing at 0:26) are in Ab major. Similar to the unsettled meter, the modulations are anything but off-the-rack. “…more often than not, the key changes in Bacharach’s songs are so woven into the fabric of the song that the listener doesn’t even register that there is a shift in key,” (David Bennett Piano).

Eddie Bo | Hook and Sling

“Edwin Joseph Bocage, known to music lovers around the world as ‘Eddie Bo’, was born in New Orleans, raised in Algiers and the 9th Ward,” (EddieBo.com). “Having come from a family that is legendary in the traditional jazz community … after graduating from Booker T. Washington High School and spending time abroad in the Army, he returned to New Orleans to study composition and arranging at the Grunewald School of Music. It was here that Eddie Bo developed a unique style of piano playing and arranging that incorporated complex be-bop voicings, influenced by Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. His mother and Professor Longhair, whose playing styles were similar, were major influences on Bo as well.

In a career that spanned well over five decades, Eddie Bo made more 45s than any artist in New Orleans, other than Fats Domino. He produced records for Irma Thomas, Robert Parker, Art Neville, Chris Kenner, Al ‘Carnival Time’ Johnson and the late Johnny Adams … ” In terms of songwriting, he “demonstrated genius in the realm of contemporary New Orleans funk on the highly creative works ‘Hook and Sling’ and ‘Pass the Hatchet.'” Some of the awards Bo garnered during his career include the U.S. Congressional Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz + Blues, the New Orleans Jazz + Heritage Foundation Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the South Louisiana Music Association, and coverage in the PBS documentary on contemporary music along the Mississippi, River of Song.

Evoking a tow truck fleet capable of moving any vehicle, Bo’s “Hook and Sling,” released in 1969, is infused with New Orleans flavor. The groove was so good that the track was later sampled by the hiphop artist Everlast (formerly of House of Pain), then again by Kanye West, Common, Pusha T, Big Sean feat. Kid Cudi, and Charlie Wilson for the track “G.O.O.D. Friday” (WhoSampled.com). The tune shifts up a half step at 1:36.

Here’s the G.O.O.D. Friday sample:

Verdelle Smith | (Alone) In My Room

“Verdelle Smith had a minor hit on the US charts in 1966, ‘Tar and Cement’ (not to be confused with ‘Concrete and Clay,’ the hit for Unit 4 + 2 around the same time — a bigger hit in Canada and Australia).

‘(Alone) In My Room’ (distinct from the Beach Boys’ single ‘In My Room’), appeared on her one album for Capitol, produced by Marvin Holtzman. It’s an adaptation of a Spanish song by Joaquin Pieto, with English lyrics by Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance. Several covers of the song have appeared (by the Walker Brothers, Nancy Sinatra, and Marc Almond).

The organ introduction may make you think of Bela Lugosi, or Lon Chaney, Jr., if not J.S. Bach. The song is in 3/4, in B♭ minor. The verse is subdued, building to the chorus featuring a powerful vocal enhanced by strong brass. There’s another softly-sung verse, a break, then a modulation to a B minor at 1:47 with the brass leading the way. Then a wordless vocal line continues to the fadeout — all in a scant two minutes and 20 seconds.”

Many thanks to our regular contributor Paul for this submission!

Roy Orbison | (Oh) Pretty Woman

Released by Roy Orbison in 1964 and co-written by Orbison and Bill Dees, “Oh, Pretty Woman” was later covered by Del Shannon, Al Green, Van Halen, Chris Isaak, Pomplamoose, and many others across multiple decades. Clocking in at less than three minutes, the tune became a #1 pop hit for Orbison in both the US and the UK. In fact, “in 1964, Orbison was the only American artist to have a #1 UK hit, and he did it twice — with ‘(Oh) Pretty Woman’ and ‘It’s Over'” (Songfacts).

“This was Orbison’s last big hit,” Songfacts continues. “His career faded fast, but was revived in the ’80s when prominent musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison cited him as an influence and invited him to join various projects. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and joined The Traveling Wilburys with Dylan, Tom Petty, Harrison and Jeff Lynne. As he was enjoying this career revival, he died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988 at age 52.”

Starting in A major, the chorus shifts to C major at 1:06 before reverting to the original key at 1:34; the pattern then repeats.

Tommy James + the Shondells | Crystal Blue Persuasion

“Some songs are written specifically for films or TV shows,” (American Songwriter) “Then there are those songs that seem like they’re tailor-made for just about any kind of filmed production. ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion,’ a mellow masterpiece from 1969 by Tommy James and the Shondells, falls into that latter category. … James proved to be a steady hitmaker for Roulette Records from the mid-60s on, deftly straddling the line between garage rock and bubblegum pop like few of his era. ‘As a songwriter, you’re always looking for interesting word combinations and stuff. And the title of this poem was Crystal Persuasion. I just thought that was a fascinating title. I had no idea what it meant, but it sounded very profound.’

Dozens of filmmakers have taken their turns interpreting “Crystal Blue Persuasion” pretty much since it first hit the Top 5 in 1969 … Tommy James is all right with all of it. ‘On Breaking Bad, it meant crystal meth,’ he laughs. ‘But I guess you take it where you can get it. I can’t believe the reach that song has had over the years. It’s really a magical little record …’”

The half-step modulation at 2:27 is preceded only by a hand percussion break — no surprise there, as the track had no drum set in its instrumentation. A feature probably intended for album listeners, as opposed to the radio audience, is a surprising double-time section at 3:36, which amps up the energy just as the volume fades; most DJs likely didn’t play the tune to the very end.

Harold Hopkins | Glamour Girl

RareSoulMan.com describes Harold Hopkins as “a mysterious artist with a sublime vocal style … Texas Northern Soul offering not one but two sides of slick finger-snapping … showcasing an expressive vocal … only recording this one record under the name Harold Hopkins.”

“Where most soul genres are named for either the region that the music where the music was created, or for the sound of the music, Northern Soul is named after where the music was played — in dance clubs in northern Britain,” (AllMusic). “During the early ’70s, once the Mods had run out of steam and prog rock was ruling the landscape, there were a handful of underground dance clubs that played nothing but ’60s soul records, and they weren’t any ordinary oldies. Instead, the DJs at these clubs were obsessive collectors, finding the most obscure American soul singles. Usually, these records sounded like Motown, Chicago soul, or New York soul, but they were records by unknown or underappreciated performers.”

“Glamour Girl” (1965) might not have received much notice, but it is quintessential mid-1960s soul nonetheless. The key change is at 1:40.


Steam | Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

“Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” (1969) was written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named “Steam”. It went all the way to #1 in late 1969. It was Billboard‘s final multi-week #1 pop hit of the 1960s, but also peaked at #20 on the soul chart. The track also went into the top 10 in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. By the beginning of the 21st century, sales of “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” had exceeded 6.5 million records, reaching multi-platinum record status (Rolling Stone).

“But in 1977, as legend has it, the organist for the Chicago White Sox, Nancy Faust, started playing it when opposing pitchers were yanked from the game. The crowds began to chant along with the music, and a great taunt was born. Now (it’s) the anthem of taunt, sung in many languages and many sports, among them politics,” (Washington Post).

Songfacts provides more detail: “When this song became a hit, an entire album was commissioned and a group created for it, also with the name ‘Steam.’ But DeCarlo wasn’t invited to tour with it, even though he had recorded it. Indeed, he “was asked not to reveal that it was him on the record, since there was a different singer performing it at live appearances.” DeCarlo tried to capitalize on the song’s success as he continued his musical career, but was unsuccessful.

The tune starts with a distinctive vibes feature on the intro, followed by the iconic chant chorus, right out of the gate (C minor). The first verse (C major) runs from 0:17 – 0:48; the chorus then returns in the original key and the pattern holds throughout.

Claudine Longet | L’Amour Est Bleu (Love is Blue)

“Although French chanteuse Claudine Longet recorded a series of bewitchingly ethereal albums which are much revered by today’s aficionados of smooth, sophisticated ’60s pop, among the general public her career as a performer was ultimately dwarfed by the events of her personal life,” (AllMusic).

Longet’s version of “L’Amour Est Bleu” went to #28 on the US pop charts upon its release in 1968. Written by French composers André Popp and Pierre Cour, it was originally Luxembourg’s entry in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. In 1968, French national Paul Mauriat’s instrumental version went to #1 in the US, making it the biggest ever seller of a Eurovision Song Contest song in America, and the first US #1 hit by a French artist.

After a start in B minor, 0:54 brings a transition to B major just before the chorus. The original key returns at 1:17; the pattern continues throughout.

Claudine Longet | I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You

Claudine Longet has had a career as a dancer, actress, and singer; born in France, she’s lived in the US since she was a teenager. She recorded several albums, mostly for A&M, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was married to middle-of-the-road singer Andy Williams for several years, appearing on some of his recordings. After they divorced, infamously, she was convicted of negligently shooting and killing her boyfriend, Olympic skier “Spider” Sabich. After that tragedy and its lurid media coverage, she stayed out of public view.

The song here, “I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You,” was written by Margo Guryan expressly for Longet. Producer Tommy LiPuma asked her to write a Christmas song without the usual trappings of snow, mistletoe, and so on. A&M issued the song as a single in 1968, backed with (wait for it) “Snow,” written by Randy Newman. 

Guryan started her career writing songs and lyrics in the jazz tradition. Her songs were recorded by the likes of Chris Connor, Dizzy Gillespie, and Harry Belafonte; she wrote the lyrics to Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman”. After hearing the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds”, the story goes, she decided to write pop songs. She recorded one sunshine pop album, “Take a Picture”, in 1968, for Bell. The album did not do well, but became something of a cult favorite in the 1990s and 2000s, particularly in Japan. After that album, she recorded occasional singles, and wrote “Chopstick Variations”, a piano education book. Margo Guryan died earlier this year (2021) at the age of 84.

The song starts out in G, with a bridge in A. At 1:45, the verse modulates to A-flat. (You can find Margo Guryan’s own version of the song here, recorded as a demo. Her voice is remarkably like Claudine Longet’s. No modulation in her version, though.

Thanks to regular MotD contributor Paul Steckler for this submission!

The Beatles | And I Love Her

First time contributor Galen Cruess, in his submission of The Beatles’ 1964 hit “And I Love Her” from the album A Hard Day’s Night, writes: “It’s a unique acoustic song sung and written mostly by Paul McCartney that reflects his more ballad-like songs. Elements like George Harrison’s introductory riff, arpeggiated chords during the verses, and Ringo’s use of bongos and clavés give the song a different sound that is only heard in a few other Beatles songs, such as ‘Til There Was You’ and ‘Michelle.'”

“Before the soundtrack to (the movie) A Hard Day’s Night burst on the scene, Paul’s songwriting was mostly encompassed within the framework of writing ‘eyeball to eyeball’ (as Lennon would call it) with John in collaborative efforts,” (BeatlesBooks.com). “When he did faction off to write by himself, the songs would be rockers, such as ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love.’ His reputation as a ‘balladeer’ began with the inclusion of ‘And I Love Her’ on the movie soundtrack album. This soft, acoustic sentimental love song stuck out like a sore thumb and made everyone take notice of what this long-haired British rock group was capable of.”

After a start in F# minor the key raises a half step to B minor at 1:30 with George Harrison’s solo on classical-style nylon string acoustic guitar. The tune ends on a striking major chord (piccardy third).