Toppermost of the Poppermost - UK Number Ones : part 2 - The 1960s

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Love both of these Elvis tracks. Little Sister/Get Back from the early Vegas period clearly demonstrates just how good he was in a period that idiots decry as some amorphous seventies disaster.

Heck yes. That clip also features Elvis getting an electric shock from his microphone. It has it all!

I made sure to feature the original mono single version here - which stomps all over the stereo LP version (where is the frigging BASS!!)

MONO BALLS RULE!!

That didn't go unnoticed, daf! The stereo versions sound so weedy compared to the fat mono balls originals.

[Satchmo Distel]

Regarding the news items, the US starting to dip its toes into Vietnam might be one answer to when the 60s really began, although this Elvis classic is really Elvis remembering how to be good, thus a throwback to 1956-58.

[daf]

Regarding the news items, the US starting to dip its toes into Vietnam might be one answer to when the 60s really began

And this, of couse :

11 November : Adulterous couple ride a dung cart through Staphorst, Netherlands

[daf]

Give me the moonlight, Give me the girl, And leave the rest to . . .

130.  Frankie Vaughan - Tower Of Strength



From : 3 – 23 December 1961
Weeks : 3
Flip side : Rachel

In early 1957, his version of "The Garden of Eden", reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart.

He continued to make regular trips into the charts over the next few years with a string of singles, including :
1957 : Man On Fire / Wanderin' Eyes (#10)  /  Got-Ta Have Something In The Bank, Frank (#8)  /  Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (#8) 
1958 : Can't Get Along Without You / We're Not Alone (#11)  /  Kewpie Doll (#10)  /  Wonderful Things (#22)  /  Am I Wasting My Time On You (#25) 
1959 : That's My Doll (#28)  /  Come Softly To Me (#9)  /  The Heart Of A Man (#5)  /  Walkin' Tall (#28)
1960 : What More Do You Want (#25)  /  Kookie Little Paradise (#31)  /  Milord (#34)

Managed at this time by former journalist and theatrical agent Paul Cave, Vaughan stayed in the United States for a time to make a film with Marilyn Monroe, Let's Make Love (1960), and was an actor in several other films, but his recordings were never chart hits in the US, with the exception of "Judy", which reached No.100 on the US chart in August 1958.

In 1961, Vaughan hit No. 1 in the UK again, with "Tower of Strength". The follow up saw him jumping on the latest dance craze bandwagon in early 1962, with 'Don't Stop-Twist!' (#22). But "Hercules" made little impact on the chart - struggling to #42 in October.

1963 began well, when "Loop De Loop" reached #5 in January, and "Hello Dolly" was a Top 18 hit in June 1964, but with the rise of Beat Music and "The Tottenham Sound" led by The Dave Clark Five, his next few singles all failed to chart, including : 'Susie Q'  (1964)  /  'Someone Must Have Hurt You A Lot' (1965)  /  'The Happy Train' (1965)  /  'Wait' (1965)  /  'Cabaret' (1966)

Finally in 1967 he returned to the Top 10 with "There Must Be A Way". He had two more Top 40 singles - "So Tired" (#21) in November 1967, and his final chart entry was "Nevertheless", which reached #29 in March 1968.

The first few series of 'The Morecambe & Wise Show' (on the BBC) saw singer Frankie Vaughan as the butt of their jokes (on one memorable occasion a decrepit be-suited character shuffled on stage only to be announced as "Frankie Vaughan's Son") -  and the singer began to take exception to being treated in this way and had a lawyer's letter drawn up addressed to the BBC. The answer to this turned out to be very simple; the premise of the joke was simply transferred over to Morecambe's friend Des O'Connor who memorably was the butt of many unkind jokes for several years, culminating in his appearance on both the 1975 and 1976 Christmas Specials to much acclaim.

In 1985, Vaughan starred in a stage version of 42nd Street at Drury Lane in London, opposite his old friend Shani Wallis who appeared in their first film together, 'Ramsbottom Rides Again'. After a year, he nearly died of peritonitis and had to leave the cast. 

In 1994, he was one of a few to be honoured by a second appearance on This Is Your Life, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel. Vaughan had been a subject of the show previously in April 1970 when Eamonn Andrews surprised him at the Caesar's Palace nightclub in Luton.

Vaughan was created an OBE in 1965, a CBE in 1996, and as a resident of High Wycombe had been a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Buckinghamshire since 1993. He was an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University.

Despite frequent bouts of ill-health, Vaughan continued performing until shortly before his death from heart failure in Oxford in 1999, aged 71.

"Tower of Strength" was written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard and originally performed by Gene McDaniels. The song reached No. 5 on both the US Billboard chart and the R&B chart in 1961.

Frankie Vaughan released a version as a single that peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1961.

Gloria Lynne released an answer song entitled "You Don't Have to Be a Tower of Strength" in 1961.

Other Versions include : Paul Raven (1961)  /  Paul Rich (1961)  /  Ray Garnett (1961)  /  "Toute ma vie" by Orlando (1962)  /  "Carolin Carolin" by Gerd Böttcher (1962)  /  "Stai lontana da me" by Adriano Celentano (1962)  /  "Torre poderosa" by Adriano Celentano (1963)  /  Bobby Vee (1966)  /  Browning Bryant (1969)  /  Pearl Bailey (1970)  /  Bunny Walters (1972)  /  Rooty Hill (1973)  /  Lance Pierce (2008) 

On This Day :

3 December : The Beatles meet Brian Epstein for the first time at NEMS (record shop)
9 December : "From the Second City" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 87 performances
9 December : Tanganyika gains independence from Britain, takes name Tanzania
9 December : "Let It Ride" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 68 performances
12 December : Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of war crimes in Israel
12 December : Daniel O'Donnell, singer, born in Kincasslagh, County Donegal, Ireland
12 December : Amateur radio satellite Oscar 1 launched with military Discoverer 36
13 December : "The Young Ones" directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Cliff Richard premieres in London
13 December : The Beatles sign a formal agreement to be managed by Brian Epstein
16 December : Bill Hicks, stand-up comedian, born in Valdosta, Georgia, USA
16 December : "Evening with Yves Montand" closes at John Golden Theatre, NYC after 55 performances
17 December : Sara Dallin, (Bananarama), born in Bristol, England
18 December : EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
21 December : US President Kennedy & British PM MacMillan meet in Bermuda
23 December : Carol Smillie, TV presenter, born in Glasgow, Scotland

[kalowski]

Heck yes. That clip also features Elvis getting an electric shock from his microphone. It has it all!

I know we're supposed to say "The Sun Sessions" but Elvis 68-71 is my favourite period by far.

[Satchmo Distel]

Vaughan's single Hercules was a tribute to Steptoe and Son's horse.

His son Frankie Prawn had an unsuccessful underwater singing career.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I know we're supposed to say "The Sun Sessions" but Elvis 68-71 is my favourite period by far.

Same here. That's when he was at his zenith.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Vaughan's single Hercules was a tribute to Steptoe and Son's horse.

His son Frankie Prawn had an unsuccessful underwater singing career.

Vaughan also recorded this stirring tribute to the ring-a-ding town of Stockport.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKG8SSSAvPQ

[daf]

Oh god yes - how did I forget THAT one - Best thing he ever did!

Love all those oddball Public information singles - like Max Bygraves' Decimalisation.

Didn't TV's Kojak record one about Northampton? - or am I thinking of this :
Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Not forgetting Brucie's I'm Backing Britain! It was nice of the Beach Boys to provide backing vocals, wasn't it? Hands across the ocean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT8LsRVN7C4

[daf]

I'd chuck in Ronnie Corbett's 'It's all Going Up-Up-Up' at this point too, but can't find a trace of it online!

(as well as the bass-drum-thumping chorus, I remember Danny Baker singling out the reference to "wallies" in the lyrics with approval)

[bigfatheart]

A few months ago I was absolutely obsessed with Adriano Celentano's 'Stai lontana da me', particularly this video, where his Italian Elvis - or Shakin' Stefano, if you will - antics straddle the fine line between 'genuinely brilliant and exhilarating' and 'hilariously naff' nicely. Compared to that version the Vaughan recording feels a bit flat, but I do still like it. For a song that's all about a bloke being too weak to stand up for himself, the chorus does sound like a pair of enormous testicles bouncing around.

[machotrouts]

Surely the liveliest song about social anxiety ever written. If I'd just read the lyrics and didn't bother listening to it, I'd have it down as weedy, whingey, Eddie Fisher-y, but god no, it's an eruption of big fat stomping horns absolutely fucking FARTING all over the place. Barmy and brilliant. Vaughan's vocals going absolutely ham all over it, too – I don't think any of the covers come close. Can't believe I apparently call things "barmy" now.

'Rachel' an impressive entry in the Bond-themes-that-somehow-predate-Bond-films canon, too. Lots going on all round here.

[machotrouts]

Not forgetting Brucie's I'm Backing Britain!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT8LsRVN7C4

This is Soviet propaganda.

[daf]

My Huckleberry Hound, it's . . .

131.  Danny Williams - Moon River



From : 24 December 1961 – 6 January  1962
Weeks : 2
Flip side : A Weaver Of Dreams

Danny Williams was born on 7 January 1942 in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Williams won a talent contest at the age of 14 and joined a touring show called Golden City Dixies that played throughout South Africa. In 1959, the show came to London where Williams impressed EMI's Norman Newell, who signed the young singer to a recording contract.

He was to spend most of his life in the United Kingdom, where at first he made a few moderately successful singles - 'We Will Never Be As Young As This Again' (#44), and "The Miracle Of You' (#41) - before scoring a number one hit with his cover version of "Moon River" in 1961. To this day, it remains his most famous record which he re-recorded for his third self-titled album Danny Williams, issued in the UK by Contour Records in 1972.

The follow-up, Jeannie, reached #14 in January 1962. In March he appeared as himself (singing 'Who Can Say') in the Michael Winner film 'Play It Cool', alongside Billy Fury (as pop singer Billy Universe), Helen Shapiro, Shane Fenton, Lionel Blair, Bernie Winters and record producer Norrie Paramor.

In April 1962 he scored a #8 chart hit with "The Wonderful World of the Young", and 'Tears', a #22 hit, followed in July of that year.

In 1963, Williams joined a 20-city tour which starred Helen Shapiro and featured the Beatles as a support act on the bill; like many other ballad singers of the day, he was swept away by the new beat group era - his last chart placing in the Sixties was 'My Own True Love' which stalled at #45 in March 1963.

Williams had no more major British hits, even though "White on White" became popular abroad reaching #9 in the US in 1964.
He continued to record for HMV until 1967 while working the nightclub circuit. In 1968, he had a nervous breakdown and was declared bankrupt two years later.

He resumed his singing career in the early 1970s, achieving a Top 30 success with "Dancin' Easy" in 1977 - based on the Martini advert "Anytime Anyplace Anywhere". The follow up, 'I Hate Hate' failed to make the chart.

In the early 1990s, he recorded for the Prestige label and, in 1994, starred in a Nat "King" Cole tribute show. Scripted and narrated by Elliot Brooks, this was taken by Williams on several more British tours.

After the collapse of apartheid in 1990, Williams returned to South Africa on several occasions, but continued to live in Britain.

He died of lung cancer, on 6 December 2005, at the age of 63.

"Moon River" was composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

It became the theme song for Andy Williams, who first recorded it in 1962 (and performed it at the Academy Awards ceremony that year). He sang the first eight bars of the song at the beginning of each episode of his eponymous television show.

The song's success was responsible for relaunching Mercer's career as a songwriter, which had stalled in the mid-1950s because rock and roll had replaced jazz standards as the popular music of the time.

Mercer and Mancini wrote the song for Audrey Hepburn to sing in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The lyrics, written by Mercer, are reminiscent of his childhood in Savannah, Georgia, including its waterways. As a child, he had picked huckleberries in summer, and connected them with a carefree childhood and Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Although an instrumental version is played over the film's opening titles, the lyrics are first heard in a scene where Paul "Fred" Varjak (George Peppard) discovers Holly Golightly (Hepburn) singing the song, and accompanying herself on the guitar, while sitting on the fire escape outside their apartments.

There was an eruption of behind-the-scenes consternation when a Paramount Pictures executive, Martin Rackin, suggested removing the song from the film after a tepid Los Angeles preview. Hepburn's reaction was described by Mancini and others in degrees varying from her saying, "Over my dead body!" to her using more colorful language to make the same point.

An album version was recorded by Henry Mancini and his orchestra and chorus (without Hepburn's vocal), released as a single, it became a number 11 hit in December 1961.

Danny Williams had a hit version of the song that reached number one in the UK in the final week of 1961.

Other Versions include : Jerry Butler (1961)  /  The Lennon Sisters (1962)  /  The Four Lads (1962)  /  Vince Guaraldi Trio (1962)  /  Perry Como (1962)  /  Bobby Rydell (1962)  / Ben E. King (1962)  /  Ann-Margret (1962)  /  Duane Eddy (1962)  /  Xavier Cugat (1962)  Dick & Deedee (1962)  /  Pat Boone (1963)  /  Judy Garland (1963)  / Connie Francis (1963)  /  Count Basie (1963)  /  Nancy Wilson (1963)  /  Patti Page (1963)  /  Paul Anka (1963)  /  Bobby Hackett (1963)  /  Billy Eckstine (1963)  /  The Four Freshmen (1963)  /  Eydie Gorme (1963)  /  Jim Reeves (1964)  /  Dizzy Gillespie (1964)  /   Ace Cannon (1964)  /   Frankie Avalon (1964)   /  Quincy Jones (1964)  /  Frank Sinatra (1964)  /  Liberace (1984)  /  Louis Armstrong (1964)  /  Bobby Darin (1964)  /  Trini Lopez (1965)  /  Duke Ellington (1965)  /  Bobby Vinton (1965)  /  Eartha Kitt (1965)  /  Sarah Vaughan (1965)  /  Brook Benton (1965)  /  The Lettermen (1966)  /  Boots Randolph (1966)  /  Lena Horne (1966)  /  Santo & Johnny (1966)  /  Johnny Mathis (1968)  /  Shirley Bassey (1968)  /  Klaus Wunderlich (1968)  /  Mr. Acker Bilk (1968)  /  Aretha Franklin (1969)  /  Herb Alpert & The Marijuana Brass (1969)  /  Rolf Harris (1969)  /  The Bob Crewe Generation (1969)  /  Manuel and the Music of the Mountains (1969)  /  Edward Woodward (1971)  /  Lovelace Watkins (1971)  /  Pino Calvi (1974)  /  disco time! Fausto Papetti (1976)  /  Ricky King (1978)  /  Tonny Eyk (1978)  /  Richard "Groove" Holmes (1982)  /  Mason Williams (1984)  /  Willie Nelson (1988)  /  Barbra Streisand (1991)  /  R.E.M. (1992)  /  Morrissey (1994)  /  Afghan Whigs (1996)  /  Vic Damone (1997)  /  Cliff Richard (2001)  /  Westlife (2004)  /  Dr. John (2006)  /  Tony Christie (2006)  /  Paul Potts (2010)  /  Funki Porcini (2010)  /  The Puppini Sisters (2011)  /  The Honey Trees (2011)  /  Eddi Reader (2014)  /  Bill Tyers (2014)  /  Anton du Beke (2017)  / Hank Marvin (2017)

On This Day :

27 December : "Subways are for Sleeping" premieres at St James Theater NYC
29 December : Jim Reid, (The Jesus and Mary Chain), born in East Kilbride, Scotland
31 December : "Irma La Douce" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 527 performances
1 January : Ari Up, (The Slits), born Ariane Daniela Forster in Munich, Germany
1 January : The Beatles didn't pass the audition : Decca turn them down
4 January : Martin McAloon, (Prefab Sprout) born in Newcastle upon Tyne

[purlieu]

Good to hear Elvis back to form again.

Frankie Vaughan - nice big dynamic song, enjoyed that, lots of energy and melody. More of this please, early '60s.

Danny Williams - oh fuck you then, early '60s.

[machotrouts]

Fellow label execs – the version of 'Moon River' everybody knows hasn't been released as a single. We need to capitalise on this by confusing the public with a singer whose name is just a shuffled phoneme away. Do we have anyone on our roster named "Raudey Hepburn"?

I can't be too cynical about this. It's a fine song and he sings it very finely. I figured if a song I knew very well only got to #1 performed by a rando I've never heard of – currently knocked off the first 3 pages of Google results for his name by a Love Island contestant – that it must be a bit of a cheap knock-off, a premonition of the Hugo Montenegros to come, but I immediately got a feeling of "oh, so this is the proper version" when I listened to it. His voice is so soft and lulling, he makes Audrey Hepburn sound like Fatman Scoop. I played Andy Williams after and had a genuine moment of "ooft, who's this rough bloke bellowing in my ear" before I reacclimatised.

And there's a bit of poignancy in it being sung by an African immigrant whose travels landed him in 1950s Britain. Not sure you'll find the rainbow's end here my Huckleberry mate.

Proud of the physical achievement of staying awake to send this post after listening to a million different Moon Rivers. Best is Danny Williams, worst is either Perry Como or Anton Du Beke, if we need that establishing. Might I add that, after seeing the names in close proximity to one another, it took me several minutes to realise "Lovelace" is probably not pronounced to rhyme with "Liberace". Yes I might add that.

[sevendaughters]

it's a lovely version of Moon River, not my favourite, but it gets it and as noted, gently political.

[daf]

Bouncing back on his Rubber Balls, it's . . .

131b. (NME 126.)  Bobby Vee - Take Good Care of My Baby



From :  29 December 1961 - 5 January 1962
Weeks : 1
Flip side : Bashful Bob

Robert Thomas Velline was born in Fargo, North Dakota on 30 April 30 1943, to Sydney Ronald Velline (a chef, pianist and fiddle player) and Saima Cecelia Tapanila, in a family of Norwegian and Finnish heritage.

Vee's career began in the midst of tragedy. On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper were killed in the crash of a V-tailed 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza airplane, along with the 21-year-old pilot, Roger Peterson. It crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa, en route to the next show on the tour itinerary, in Moorhead, Minnesota. Velline, then 15 years old, and a hastily assembled band of Fargo schoolboys (including his older brother Bill) calling themselves the Shadows volunteered for and were given the unenviable job of filling in for Holly and his band at the Moorhead engagement. Their performance there was a success, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Vee's career as a popular singer.

His first single, "Suzie Baby" was written by Vee with a nod to Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" and recorded for the Soma label, based in Minneapolis, in 1959.

His follow-up single, a cover of Adam Faith's UK number-one "What Do You Want?", charted in the lower reaches of the Billboard pop chart in early 1960. His fourth release, a revival of the Clovers' doo-wop ballad "Devil or Angel" (U.S. number six), brought him into the big time with U.S. buyers. His next single, "Rubber Ball" (1961, U.S. number six, Australia number one), made him an international star.

Vee's recording of "Take Good Care of My Baby" in the summer of 1961 went to number one on Billboard magazine's U.S. pop chart and number three in the UK Singles Chart. Known primarily as a performer of Brill Building pop material, he went on to record a string of international hits in the 1960s, including "More Than I Can Say" (1961, UK number 4), "Run to Him" (1961, US number 2; UK number 6), "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" (1963, US & UK number 3) and "Come Back When You Grow Up" (1967, US number 3).

Bobby's original band, The Shadows, backed him on the road, but changed their name to The Strangers upon learning of the UK band The Shadows who backed Cliff Richard. He also recorded, in 1961, a version of the song "Lollipop", originally by Ronald & Ruby, which also became a success. Vee had a total of ten hit singles in the UK, ending with "Bobby Tomorrow" (UK number 21) in 1963.

In 1963, Vee released a tribute album on Liberty Records called 'I Remember Buddy Holly'. In the liner notes, he recalled Holly's influence on him and the events surrounding Holly's death, describing how he had looked forward to attending the concert, how the local radio station put out a call for local talent to fill after the disaster, and how Vee's recently-organized, group, modeled on Holly's style, had to make up a name (the Shadows) on the spot.

In 1963, American Bandstand signed Vee to headline Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars national U.S. tour which was scheduled to perform its 15th show on the night of November 22, 1963 at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas until suddenly the Friday evening event had to be cancelled moments after U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated that afternoon while touring Dallas in an open car caravan.

Vee was also a pioneer in the music video genre, appearing in several musical films and in the Scopitone series of early film-and-music jukebox recordings.

Early in Vee's career, a musician calling himself Elston Gunn briefly toured with the band. This was Robert Allen Zimmerman, who later went on to fame as Bob Dylan. Dylan's autobiography mentions Vee and provides complimentary details about their friendship, both professional and personal. In a concert at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota, on July 10, 2013, Dylan said he had been on the stage with many stars, but that none of them were as meaningful as Vee. He said Vee was in the audience and then played Vee's hit "Suzie Baby" with emotion. Dylan also recalled that Vee "had a metallic, edgy tone to his voice and it was as musical as a silver bell." Vee remembered that the musician he knew as Gunn (Bob Dylan) "played pretty good in the key of C."

Vee continued performing live until 2011 when diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In 2011, friends and family contributed to his final new recordings which were eventually released as The Adobe Sessions on February 3, 2014. On April 29, 2012, Vee announced publicly that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and consequently would withdraw from the music business. On October 24, 2016, Vee died from complications of the disease at the age of 73.

Take Good Care of My Baby" was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.

While searching for material for Bobby Vee to record, Vee's producer Snuff Garrett heard a demo of Carole King singing "Take Good Care of My Baby". Garrett told publisher Don Kirshner that he wanted the song for Vee, but he believed the song needed an introductory verse. Garrett met with Carole King, and the introductory verse of Vee's version was written.

Among the musicians on the record were Barney Kessel, Tommy Allsup, and Howard Roberts on guitar, Clifford Hills on bass, Robert Florence on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums, while Sid Sharp did the string arrangements. The Johnny Mann Singers sang backup.

Bobby Vee released "Take Good Care of My Baby" as a single on July 20, 1961, spending 15 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 1 on September 21, 1961, and spending three weeks in that position. The song became a major hit internationally as well, reaching No. 1 in Canada, New Zealand

In the UK it reached No. 1 on the NME charts, and No. 3 on the 'Record Retailer' chart during Danny Williams' second week at the "official" top-spot.

Vee re-recorded the song as a ballad in 1972. He released it under his real name, Robert Thomas Velline, on his 1972 album 'Ain't Nothing Like a Sunny Day', and as a single in 1973. However, it is his original version, along with Bobby Vinton's, that remain as staples of oldies radio stations.

An answer song, titled "I'll Take Good Care of Your Baby", was recorded by Ralph Emery. It was released as a single in 1961.
Another answer song, titled "You Should Know I'm Still Your Baby", was recorded by Sammi Lynn and released as a single on Sue Records in 1961.
The original song's composer, Carol King, also recorded an answer song (to her own song!) : "He Takes Good Care of Your Baby"

Other Versions include :  Bobby Stevens (1961)  /  "Veille sur mon amour" by Richard Anthony (1961)  /  Dion (1961)  /  The Beatles (1962)  /  Johnny Hallyday (1962)  /  "Waarom noem je mij nog baby?" by De Dom Dolly's (1962)  /  Adam Faith (1963)  /  Gary Lewis & The Playboys (1966)  /  "Aime-la comme je l'aime" by Pierre Lalonde (1966)  /  Bobby Vinton (1968)  /  Donny Osmond (1972)  /  Svenne & Lotta (1973)  /  "Spænding i luften" by Lecia & Lucienne (1974)  /  "Ønsk mig bare held og lykke" by Keld & The Donkeys (1975)  /  "Hän on ollut rakkain" by Gulliver (1978)  /  "Paß gut auf auf mein Mädchen" by Tom Forster (1980)  /  Smokie (1980)  /  "Ta tillvara lyckans stunder"  by Matz Bladhs (1983)  /  The Boppers (1990)  /  Frankie Valli (2007)

[purlieu]

Yeah that's a fun enough one. He looks about 12.

[machotrouts]

Cuck! Soy boy! Bashful Bobby Beta!

You can definitely tell this one's come from the Will You Love Me Tomorrow stable. It's not quite as much of a loss to the canon chart. I find the pronunciation of "baby" one of the more nauseous pronunciations of "baby" in pop music, and there's some stiff competition there. I don't think it's Bobby Vee specifically, I think it's written that way as a sort of sonic grimace. It makes sense. I just personally don't like hearing that much "y" in a baby. Only one "y" per baby please.

[Satchmo Distel]

These two also wrote "He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss"

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

These two also wrote "He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss"

They could turn their hand to anything. Domestic abuse? One night stands? Psychedelia? Goffin and King were your go-to couple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T75ZbWpiPIc

Who knows if they ever did take LSD, but The Porpoise Song by The Monkees is one of the greatest lysergic pop songs you ever will hear.

This song did not reach # 1.

[famethrowa]

I'm Tommy Vee, from Brighton.

And I'ma whip ya ass.

[daf]

Once in Every Lifetime, Comes a Twang like this, it's . . .

132.  Cliff Richard and The Shadows - The Young Ones



From : 7 January – 17 February 1962
Weeks : 6
Flip side : We Say Yeah
bonus : Behind the Scenes

Following his fourth number one, "I Love You", in December 1960, Cliff released four Top 5 singles in 1961 -
March : 'Theme For A Dream' (#3)  /  April : 'Gee Whizz It's You' (#4)  /  June : 'A Girl Like You' (#3)  /  October : 'When The Girl In Your Arms Is The Girl In Your Heart' (#3)

In May 1961 it was announced that a 21-year-old actress from London's East End, Annette Robinson, would be the female co-star of Cliff Richards new film, but within weeks the part was given to Carole Gray, a dancer from Bulawayo in Rhodesia, while Robinson was given the smaller role of Barbara. When Carole Gray sings in the film, it is actually the voice of Grazina Frame, who also provided the singing voice for Lauri Peters in Cliff Richard's next film Summer Holiday, and had a few singles out under the name Grazina in the early 60s including 'Lover Please Believe Me' (1962), 'Another Like You' (1963), and 'Stay Awhile' which was released as a flexi-disc from Give-a-Disc magazine in 1964.

'The Young Ones' was directed by Sidney J. Furie and featuring Cliff Richard, Robert Morley as his character's father, Carole Gray as his love interest, and The Shadows as his band. The screenplay was written by Peter Myers and Ronald Cass, who also wrote most of the songs. Herbert Ross choreographed the dance scenes.



The story is about a youth club member, and aspiring singer, Nicky and his friends, who try to save their club in London's West End from an unscrupulous millionaire property developer Hamilton Black, who plans to tear it down to make room for a large office block.

This was Cliff Richard's third film, following Serious Charge and Expresso Bongo. Producer Kenneth Harper hired Sidney J. Furie as director and Ronald Cass and Peter Myers as writers, and during a meeting in Harper's flat, the four agreed to borrow the storyline of the film musical Babes In Arms (1939), where youngsters Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland put on a show with their friends to raise money.

The film was originally intended to feature the Shadows in acting roles, but it was decided that more professional young actors needed to be cast instead, so the roles originally intended for Hank Marvin and Jet Harris were given to Richard O'Sullivan and Melvyn Hayes, while the Shadows themselves appear only as non-speaking band members.

A number of actresses were considered to be Cliff Richard's co-star. An early suggestion from the film's choreographer Herbert Ross was a New York performer named Barbra Streisand. Harper flew to New York and saw her in a show, but did not think that she was suitable. Another early consideration was the German actress Heidi Bruhl, while Richard himself in an interview expressed an interest in engaging the very young Helen Shapiro for the role.

The standing set constructed for this film remained in situ for well over a decade, featuring in many television productions filmed at Elstree throughout the 60s and early 70s including The Avengers, The Saint, The Baron, UFO and The Protectors.

In the film, a medley of songs known as the "Vaudeville routine," framed by the song "What D'You Know, We've Got A Show," is performed by Nicky and his friends. The entire sequence was recorded in one day (9 August 1961) at the Abbey Road studios, London. While session singers - the Mike Sammes Singers - were used on the album, the film version deployed the actors. As Victor Rust describes it:
"having broken into the dilapidated Finsbury Park Theatre, the members of the youth club, initially despondent, pick up the props, wardrobe, scenery and lighting, and enter into an extensive song and dance routine that features slapstick routines, jokes, songs and dancing".

The film was produced by the Associated British Picture Corporation and shot at their Elstree Studios. It had its World Premiere on December 13, 1961 at the Warner Theatre in London's West End.

"The Young Ones" was written by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, and was the title song to the 1961 film The Young Ones and its soundtrack album.

With advance orders of over 500,000, it was released in January 1962 on the Columbia (EMI) label and went straight to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, the first British single to do so. It held that position for six weeks and spent 20 weeks in the chart. It has sold 1.06 million copies in the UK, and 2.6m worldwide.

The soundtrack album was produced by Norrie Paramor, with music by Ronald Cass and Stanley Black. The album topped the UK Albums Chart for six weeks (with another eleven weeks at number two) and charted for 42 weeks in total, and became the first UK soundtrack to sell more than one million copies in total, combining UK and international sales.

Other Versions include : Bobby Stevens (1962)  /  Cathy Carroll (1962)  /  "De tout mon cœur" by Les Guitares du Diable (1962)  /  "De tout mon cœur" by Orlando (1962)  /  "Ein junges Herz" by Peter Kraus (1962)  /  "Me nuoret" by Lasse Liemola (1962)  /  Barry Etris (1963)  /  "Kuulumme nuoriin" by Danny (1974)  /  Vivian Stanshall & Kilgaron (1976)  /  The Secret (1977)  /  Lockjaw (1977)  /  Angelic Upstarts (1979)  /  Menace (1980)  /  "Me nuoret" by Kirsi (1980)  /  Rick, Neil, Vyvyan & Mike (1982)  /  "Kaukana on eilinen" by Robin (1983)  /  "De unge år" by Grethe Ingmann (1985)  /  The Cliffters (1992)  /  Hank Marvin (1995)  /  "Zo jong en mooi" by Paul Severs (1995)  /  "Me nuoret" by The Steeples (1997)  /  "Me nuoret" by Taivalkunta Beat (2000)  /  Hans Edler (2009)  /  Lasse Johansen (2012)  /  Chris Warren (2014)  /  Eddie Vuittonet and The Time Travelers (2015)  /  a robot (2016)  /  Ken Mercer (2017)  /  The Bluejays (2018)  /  Eric (2019)  /  Rath Modify (2019)

On This Day :

9 January : Leroy Shield, composer (Laurel & Hardy), dies at 68
11 January : Volcano Huascaran in Peru erupts killing 4,000
12 January : Operation Ranch Hand begins - a US Air Force operation to spray South Vietnamese forests with Agent Orange
13 January : "Do Re Mi" closes at St James Theater NYC after 400 performances
14 January : Patricia Morrison, (The Sisters of Mercy), born in Los Angeles, California
16 January : Shooting begins on "Dr No" - the first James Bond film
17 January : Jim Carrey, actor, born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
19 January : "Snub" Pollard, Australian actor, dies of cancer at 72
20 January : "Kean" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 92 performances
23 January : British intelligence officer Kim Philby defects to USSR, the rotter!
24 January : 28 refugees escape from East to West Germany
24 January : Brian Epstein signs management contract with the Beatles
26 January : US launches Ranger 3, which misses Moon by 22,000 miles.
27 January : "Family Affair" opens at Billy Rose Theater NYC
28 January : Sam Phillips, musician, born in Glendale, California
30 January : Laughter epidemic begins at a girls' mission school in Kashasha, Tanganyika, goes on to affect 14 schools and over 1000 people
1 February : "New Faces of '62" opens at Alvin Theater NYC
4 February : "Gay Life" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 113 performances
6 February : Axl Rose, (Guns & Roses), born William Bruce Rose Jr. in Lafayette, Indiana
7 February : Garth Brooks, country singer, born Troyal Garth Brooks in Tulsa, Oklahoma
7 February : Eddie Izzard, surreal standup, born in The Colony of Aden, Yemen
7 February : US President JFK begins blockade of Cuba by banning all Cuban imports and exports.
10 February : USSR swaps spy Francis Gary Powers to US for Rudolph Abel
11 February : Beatles record "Please, Please Me"
11 February : Sheryl Crow, singer, born in Kennett, Missouri, USA

[famethrowa]

Shouldn't be afwaid

[Artie Fufkin]

Shouldn't be afwaid

Nice profile pic

[purlieu]

Shit.

[gilbertharding]

Is The Young Ones film the original source of the "Let's do the show right here!" trope, or what?

[daf]

I think most of those Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland team-up MGM films from the 30s/40s ended up with something like that - known as "Backyard Musicals".

Here's the "Let's put on a show" bit from Babes in Arms

The film concerns a group of youngsters trying to put on a show to prove their vaudevillian parents wrong and make it to Broadway.

He and his "pal" Mary Holden (Judy Garland) sell the school principal on the idea of forming a dance orchestra and putting on a dance to raise money.

The film, which features Fay Bainter and Virginia Weidler, was the third in the "Backyard Musical" series about kids who put on their own show. The movie ends with a minstrel show performed by the main cast in blackface (!!)

Danny (Rooney) decides to put on a show to "bring back the old west" and persuades the college Dean to buy the first ticket.