Mashed Potato Time - The Ronettes

Mashed Potato Time - The Ronettes

2:27

single, 1964

Written by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe

This song was originally released by Dee Dee Sharp in 1962.  It refers to the dance craze of the time, and incorporates the melody of the Mavrelettes' 1961 hit "Please Mr. Postman," and refers to that song in the lyrics (with a clever two-syllable rhyme: "They dance alone or in a big boss line / And they discovered it's the most, man / The day they did it to Please Mr. Postman").  The Marvelettes in turn covered the song in 1962.  This energetic girl-group version was credited to the Crystals but, according to online sources, is actually an unreleased performance by the Ronettes.  Another fun fact: Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash," released a few months after the original, was written in part as a parody of Dee Dee Sharp's record, even copying the "whaa-oo" backing vocal.

Wendy - The Beach Boys

Wendy - The Beach Boys

2:22
All Summer Long, 1964

Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love

Despite being a casual fan of the Beach Boys all my life, more or less, I've never heard this one, which hit #44 on the Billboard Charts.  It's one of those songs in which the guy mopes because his girl left him.  "I never thought a guy could cry / 'Til you made it with another guy."  In the fine tradition of dumped dudes of any era, the narrator casts aspersions on Wendy's new beau: he's a liar, his future looks dim.  But as I've said before, there's never any accountability in these songs.  It's a decent early Boys track, though I find the high organ notes a little jarring.

Ferry Cross the Mersey - Gerry & the Pacemakers

Ferry Cross the Mersey - Gerry & the Pacemakers

2:24

Ferry Cross the Mersey, 1964

Written by Gerry Marsden

This song was produced by George Martin.  It's a soft, slow ballad and a love letter to the loves shores of England, where people are accepting and smiling.  Huh.  I guess maybe it was different back then?  "So ferry 'cross the Mersey / Cause this land's the place I love / And here I'll stay."  It's more than a bit corny, but the shimmering strings and woodwinds, no doubt arranged by Martin, give it a sweet and tender vibe.

Hi Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker

Hi Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker

2:48
single, 1964

Written by Tommy Tucker

Despite decades of listening to Dylan's "I Shall be Free No. 10" and its lines "I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on / Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun / I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist / And my wig-hat was falling in my face," I had no idea until recently that they were cribbed from this song's "Put on your high-heel sneakers, baby / Wear your wig-hat on your head." Dylan also took inspiration from this song for his "shadow boxing" verse on the same song. Tucker sings here, "Put on your red dress, baby / Lord, we′re goin' out tonight / And bring along some boxin' gloves / In case some fool might wanna fight," apparently referring to his early years as amateur prize fighter. This song also inspired Sugar Pie DeSanto's "Slip-In Mules."  In an unrelated note, Tucker's birth name was Robert Higginbotham, which I think he should have stuck with.

Les Cheveux Dans Le Vent - Brigitte Bardot

Les Cheveux Dans Le Vent - Brigitte Bardot

1:40

B.B., 1964

Written by G. Bourgeois, J.-P. Calvet, and J.-M. Rivière

Brigitte Bardot est morte aujourd'hui.  Je ne connais bien sa musique, mais on ne peut nier son influence dans les domaines du cinéma, de la musique, des droits des animaux et, bien sûr, comme « la plus belle femme de monde, » de la mode.  Cependant, ses opinions sur les immigrés et le mouvement droit en Europe on ne peut pas non plus nier.  Cette chanson rebondit joyeusement sur un rythme de percussions rapide. En moins de deux minutes, la chanson capture une idée très années 60 de la liberté : mouvement, jeunesse, désir, tout semble filer à la même vitesse que le tempo. La production est simple mais efficace, laissant l'énergie primer sur la sophistication.  La voix féminine de Bardot évoque la joie lorsqu'elle chante qu'elle met trop de temps à trouver l'amour : « J'ai beau chercher dans mon cœur / Le chemin qui mène à toi / L'hiver a fané mes fleurs / Tu es toujours loin de moi. »  La chanson, sinon Bardot elle-même, évoque une époque, une attitude, une icône.

Love For Christmas - The Gems

Love For Christmas - The Gems

2:50

single, 1964

Written by Billy Davis

Not the Felix Gross song of the same name that I featured yesterday, this is a girl-group R&B song featuring bright harmonies slinking between sharp horn stabs.  Lyrically, it covers the same topic: I don't want anything else for Christmas, just your love will do: "You don't have to have a beard of white / To make my Christmas bright / Cause dolls and toys delight girls and boys / Only you can bring me joy."  Minnie Ripperton's impressive vocals bring warmth and elasticity to the melody, giving the song a buoyant richness that belies its brevity.  It really ought to be a seasonal classic.

Sunday in New York - Bobby Darin

Sunday in New York - Bobby Darin
2:30

From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie, 1964

Written by Carroll Coates & Peter Nero, 1963

This song was written for a romantic comedy film of the same name (which was itself based on a stage play).  Darin belts out the optimistic lines with his usual confident cheeriness: "If you've got troubles / Just take them out for a walk / They'll burst like bubbles / In the fun of a Sunday in New York."  The song assures us that love is just around the corner, that maybe you'll see the face of the love your life reflected in a shop window, that time will stop, your new life in love begins.  It's a vision of New York as benevolent matchmaker, bustling but tender, glamorous without menace.  The band is just fine, with bright brass accents punctuating the verses, but it's Darin's warm voice that carries the song and invites you to share its sunny outlook.

Zoot Suit - The High Numbers

Zoot Suit - The High Numbers

1:59

single, 1964

Written by Peter Meaden

The High Numbers are actually the Who, temporarily renamed by their first manager, Meaden.  The song is a copy of the 1963 song "Misery" by the R&B group the Dynamics.  After this tailor-made-for-Mod single failed to take off, the Who took their name back, fired Meaden, and then proved definitively that they didn't need him by writing "I Can't Explain."  So this is a justifiably forgotten dead end in the Who story, but it's not bad. The track rides a primitive, stomping beat with a noodling guitar break that hints at Townshend's restless energy, even if it's boxed in by the concept. Lyrically, it's nothing more than a celebration of a flashy guy's immaculate clothes: identity expressed entirely through cut, stripe, and swagger.  I'm charmed, though, by the slang. "So all you tickets I just want you to dig me / With my striped zoot jacket that the salts can plainly see." Is being a "ticket" an insult? Is a "salt" an authority figure, a square, or just any outsider?  The ephemeral fruit-fly life of this movement almost makes it worth bringing the jargon back.

Something's Coming - Vic Damone

Something's Coming - Vic Damone

2:28

On the Street Where You Live, 1964

Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

This song is from West Side Story.  I haven't heard the original, so I can't compare it.  I like Damone's suave baritone, which makes the song sound confident and brisk rather than uneasily hopeful, as the lyrics might suggest.  I like the sprightly tempo and how it quickens and slows between verses.  It's got a classy, warm vibe, a showcase big band song.  It's akin to Sinatra's "Luck Be a Lady," in that the narrator's desperate manufactured optimism ("I got a feeling there′s a miracle due / Gonna come true, coming to me") seems to be a thin veneer under which lies high anxiety.

Slip-In Mules - Sugar Pie DeSanto

Slip-In Mules - Sugar Pie DeSanto

2:48

single, 1964

Written by Tommy Tucker and Billy Davis

This blues swing number was written as an answer song to Tucker's own blues classic "Hi-Heel Sneakers."  It's celebrating the comfortable low-heel shoe, which the narrator wears to match her beau's spats and calfskins.   "Ain't wearing no high-heel sneaker / Cause they hurt my toes so bad."  DeSanto's bluesy growl, the blues guitar lines, and tinkling piano all bring a lot of fire to this otherwise kind of silly song.  Her Fun fact: DeSanto's birth name was Peylia Marsema Balinton.  Imagine that on a marquee!

Mathilde - Jacques Brel

Mathilde - Jacques Brel

2:35

Ces gens-là, 1964

Written by Gérard Jouannest and Jacques Brel

Delivered in near-hysterical declamations as the music swirls to a mad crescendo, this song is about the return of the titular Mathilde, an event which apparently fills him with dread.  He knows that her presence means he will be lost again, even as he must go to her.  "Toi la servante toi la Maria / Va tendre mon grand lit de draps / Mathilde m'est revenue / Amis ne comptez plus sur moi / Je crache au ciel encore une fois."  Brel's vocal accurately captures the inner emotional turmoil of the man driven to despair by this kind of love that is akin to madness.  

Dang Me - Roger Miller

Dang Me - Roger Miller

1:48

Roger And Out, 1964

Written by Roger Miller

Like most of Miller's material, this is a humorous novelty song, with Miller providing a silly "boop bup bup brrr" chorus.  Lyrically, it's the plaint of a goofus who's out with the boys, leaving his wife at home, and getting up to no good.  Miller claimed he wrote the song in four minutes, and the first run-through at the studio, with veteran session players, is the version that made it to the pressing.  If you have tolerance for lines like "They say roses are red, and violets are purple / Sugar's sweet and so is maple surple," you'll get a chuckle out of this.

Fugue For Tinhorns - Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Dean Martin

Fugue For Tinhorns - Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Dean Martin

1:30

single, 1963

Written by Frank Loesser

The opening number from Guys and Dolls, of course, redone by three of the greatest voices of the era.  Singing over one another, they create a cavalcade of words, overlapping so you hear first one snatch of lyrics, then another.  And man, could Loesser — whose songs have been featured on this blog twice —write patter!  "And just a minute, boys / I've got the feed box noise / It says the great-grandfather was Equipoise."  It's charming, it's funny, it's even a little sad when you think how these tinhorns are so convinced of their slim chances to win big,

Deep River Blues - Doc Watson

Deep River Blues - Doc Watson

3:12

Doc Watson, 1964

traditional

A fatalistic low and slow folk gospel.  The narrator doesn't care how much it rains.  There's a hit of absurd humor when he says his gal reminds him of a water fowl when it rains, but mostly the song seems bleak.  "Now I'm gonna say goodbye, and if I sink, just let me die / 'Cause I got them deep river blues."  This song is a little-changed update of a 1933 song sung by the Delmore Brothers called "Big River Blues."

Merry Christmas, Baby - The Beach Boys

Merry Christmas, Baby - The Beach Boys

2:26

The Beach Boys' Christmas Album, 1964

Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love

The narrator of this song has just been dumped.  She doesn't think he'll be loyal to her.  But, he whines, why did she have to dump him at the height of the holiday season?  "I made my mistake but / I'm willing to wake up / And never mess around anymore / Oh why did we break up?"  Well, sire, I guess because you were a cad.  It's too late for you to plead now.  To make matters worse, he says that he'd be willing to get back together "just for Christmas."  This is a guy who likes being in a relationship more than he likes his girl.  Great vocals on this song, of course, but the instrumentation is pretty basic.

Toki's Theme - Dave Brubeck Quartet

Toki's Theme - Dave Brubeck Quartet

2:08

Jazz Impressions of Japan, 1964

Written by Dave Brubeck

A sprightly, toe-tapping melody, with, as the album says, vague hints of Eastern music here and there.  It also sounds like it could be the theme to a spy thriller on TV.  The alto sax is the main line here, highlighting Brubeck's elegant piano riffs.  It's lively, it's staccato, it's over too quickly, really.

Chantilly Lace - Nashville Teens

Chantilly Lace - Nashville Teens

3:09

single, 1964?

Written by J.P. Richardson

Despite their name, the Nashville Teens were English.  Here, they totally retool the Bopper's big hit and give it a glorious British Invasion garage rock makeover.  They use the telephone call conceit sparingly, upping the tempo and bringing in guitars, hard-hitting drums, and a blues-rock tone akin to Them or the Animals.  The piano is still there, giving it a boogie-woogie aspect, but the delivery is all rock snarl.

When You Walk in the Room - Jackie DeShannon

When You Walk in the Room - Jackie DeShannon

2:38

Breakin' It Up On the Beatles Tour!, 1964

Written by Jackie DeShannon

The narrator of the song finds it hard to express her love: "I close my eyes for a second and pretend it's me you want / Meanwhile I try to act so nonchalant."  But the wistful lyrics are belied by her bright, uptempo alto vocal delivery and a surging, chiming guitar sound.  It's got girl-group energy, but the effect is more Merseybeat via singer-songwriter.  Sort of at a crossroads between old-school vocal pop and new rocking pop.  It could be a Carole King number.  

Radio And TV - Everly Brothers

Radio And TV - Everly Brothers
2:12
Gone Gone Gone, 1964

Written by Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant

A poor man's lament, First World Problem-style.  "Lots of times I date my honey / When I'm runnin' short of foldin' money / And the radio and TV are free."  Why check out the movies or go water skiing when you can cuddle with your lady at home, free?  The gentle vibes of this hillbilly vocal go well with the tongue in cheek humor of the lyric.

Bar-B-Q - Wendy Rene

Bar-B-Q - Wendy Rene

2:29

single, 1964

Written by Larry Brown and Steve Cropper

Stax soul belter sings a paean to barbecue.  If there's a metaphor here, it's not readily apparent.  This really is about having some barbecue with family: "My old dog has got a bone / And he wants some barbecue."  It's a pretty rote, factory-made song, lyrically, and I don't get the sense that Rene brought any of herself into it, but she sure sings the heck out of it.