It was 50 years ago, today: part 2

Today, we continue with the presentation of the UK top 50 singles, 50 years ago. Here we go!

No 35: 1969 was definitely the year of the movie "Easy Rider". It was a smash hit, grossing $60 million worldwide from a filming budget of no more than $400,000. More importantly, it legitimized the counterculture - and was one of the films that brought about the change from old-time Hollywood spectacles to a more mature cinema, in step with the times. The movie had a killer song soundtrack, which was also a smash hit.

The song most associated with the film is Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild, which we find at #35, already having peaked at #30 in the UK. It did much better across the ocean, peaking at #1 in Canada and at #2 in the US. AllMusic's Hal Horowitz described as "a roaring anthem of turbo-charged riff rock" and "a timeless radio classic as well as a slice of '60s revolt that at once defines Steppenwolf's sound and provided them with their shot at AM immortality." It is sometimes described as the first heavy metal song, and the second verse lyric "heavy metal thunder" marks the first use of this term in rock music.

No 34: Early In The Morning was an international hit; a top 10 or a top 20 hit in most international markets. Vanity Fare was the act responsible.

No 33: The Beatles rarely gave another artist co-credit for appearing on their songs. So, it was quite an event when Billy Preston was co-credited on their #1 smash hit, Get Back. Here are the Beatles on their surprise rooftop concert:

No 32: Cliff Richard is the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley. One of the 67 songs of his to reach the UK top 10, Big Ship was currently resting at #32:

No 31: Now, here's a remarkable song: Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to the music of the French song Comme d'habitude co-composed, co-written (with Jacques Revaux) and performed in 1967 by Claude François. The song was a success for a variety of performers including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. Sinatra's version of My Way spent 75 weeks in the UK Top 40, a record which still stands. This week, 50 years ago, it was found at #31:

No 30: L'amour est bleu (English title: Love Is Blue) is a song whose music was composed by André Popp, and whose lyrics were written by Pierre Cour, in 1967. Bryan Blackburn later wrote English-language lyrics for it. First performed in French by Greek singer Vicky Leandros (appearing as Vicky) as the Luxembourgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967, it has since been recorded by many other musicians, most notably French orchestra leader Paul Mauriat, whose familiar instrumental version (recorded in late 1967) became the only number-one hit by a French lead artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in America. The Dells recorded a medley of Love Is Blue with I Can Sing a Rainbow. It peaked at #15 in the UK.

No 29: Introduced by its songwriter, Kenny Rankin on his 1967 debut album Mind Dusters, Peaceful was recorded by Bobbie Gentry for her 1968 album Local Gentry. A 1969 single recording by Georgie Fame reached #16 in the UK that summer. In 1972, Helen Reddy recorded the song, which peaked at #12 in the US. This is the Georgie Fame version:

Georgie Fame was one of the best male solo singers of the 60s in the UK. As a bonus, here's my favorite song of his, Yeh Yeh:

No 28: Frozen Orange Juice was the follow up to Peter Sarstedt's monster hit, Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? It peaked at #10 in the UK.

No 27: Country music superstar Jim Reeves died when his plane crashed in 1964. Yet, he had as many hits posthumously as he did when he was alive. When Two Worlds Collide was one of his numerous posthumous hits:

No 26: We've heard Tommy Roe on the first part of this presentation. At #26, on its way down after making it all the way to the top, is his biggest hit of the late 60s, Dizzy:

No 25: Love Affair was a London-based pop and soul group. Their final UK top 10 hit was Bringing On Back The Good Times:

No 24: Oh Happy Day is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of an 18th-century hymn by clergyman Philip Doddridge. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching #4 on the US Singles Chart, #1 in France, Germany, and the Netherlands and #2 in the UK, Canada, and Ireland. It has since become a gospel music standard.

No 23: Living in the Past is a song by British progressive rock group Jethro Tull. It is one of the band's best-known songs, and it is notable for being written in the unusual 5/4 time signature. The 5/4 time signature is quickly noted from the beginning rhythmic bass pattern. The song peaked at #3 in the UK.

No 22: My Cherie Amour is one of Stevie Wonder's 60s' gems. It peaked at #4 both in the US and the UK.

No 21: The Four Tops' What Is a Man failed to make a big impression in the US - it peaked at #53. It did better in the UK, peaking at #16.

No 20: Cilla Black was a good friend of the Beatles so it was no surprise that her single Conversations was produced by George Martin. The single peaked at #2 in New Zealand, at #5 in Ireland, and at #7 in the UK.

No 19: Time Is Tight is an instrumental recorded by Booker T. & The MG's for the soundtrack to the 1968 film, "Uptight", directed by Jules Dassin. It was released as a single and became one of the biggest hits of the group's career, peaking at #7 R&B and #6 Pop in the US. In the UK it peaked at #4.

No 18: Both Donovan, as well as the Jeff Beck Group, were hot commodities at the time. They teamed together to record Donovan's composition Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot). It reached #12 in the UK and #36 in the US. It was Donovan's final top 40 entry in either country.

No 17: Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' is a song written by Joey Levine and Ritchie Cordell and performed by Crazy Elephant. It reached #12 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in 1969.

No 16: Make Me An Island, written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, was a big international hit for Irish pop singer Joe Dolan. It peaked at #3 in the UK and at #2 in South Africa, Ireland, and Belgium.

That's it, for today. Soon, we'll have the third and final part of this presentation. Until then, take care!

It was 50 years ago, today: part 1 & The Latest Statistics

When I was younger, the expression "50 years ago, today" was an abstract concept that trigered my imagination. Now, the era resides in my memory palace, being a part of my childhood. Same with the music of that time. The late 60s and early 70s produced some of the best music around. And a big part of it adorned the charts. So today, we are looking back to the UK singles charts (the top 50 in particular) and discover (or remember) what was happening then.

No 50: Jackie Wilson was a tenor with a four-octave range, a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul, and was considered a master showman and one of the most dynamic singers and performers in pop, R&B, and rock & roll history. His hit (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher was released in 1967 in the US (#6 Hot 100, #1 R&B) but it was released in the UK two years later, peaking at #11. This week it was on the way out. Rita Coolidge's cover was also a huge hit in 1977.

No 49: One of Simon & Garfunkel's best as well as one of their most popular songs was The Boxer: a song built like a short story, whose chorus audaciously consisted of a repeated "Lie La Lie". Having already peaked at #6 in the UK, it too was on the way down.

No 48: Tom Jones was, then, at the top of his game. Love Me Tonight was one of his numerous UK top 10 hits:

No 47: Fairport Convention are probably Britain's most celebrated folk-rock group. Their albums had always been successful but their success on the singles chart was limited. Their only top 20 hit was this curiously attractive version of Bob Dylan's If You Gotta Go, Go Now, in French:

No 46: Speaking of, Bob Dylan has once named Smokey Robinson among his favorite poets. This statement was spinned by a Motown publicist called Al Abrams as Dylan calling Robinson "America's greatest living poet". This was legitimately considered to be a Dylan quote until recently. I'm sure Bob enjoyed it immensly. Smokey too. The Tracks of My Tears was one of the best and biggest hits that Smokey Robinson had with the Miracles. A top 10 hit in the UK.

No 45: Before Fleetwood Mac became the supergroup we all know in the 70s, they were a British blues-rock group fronted by the amazing guitarist Peter Green. Need Your Love So Bad was first recorded by Little Willie John, as it was written by his older brother. 50 years ago, today, the Fleetwood Mac version debuted in the top 50. It would go as high as #31.

No 44: Tommy Roe's biggest hits were Sheila and Dizzy. Heather Honey was the follow-up single to Dizzy. It peaked at #24, being Roe's last hit single in the UK.

No 43: Love Man was a part of a series of posthumous releases by Atco Records after Otis Redding's mainstream reputation skyrocketed in the wake of his 1967 death. It was produced by Steve Cropper and featured Booker T. and the M.G.'s.

No 42: The Bee Gees were well on their way to becoming one of the defining superstars of the 60s and 70s. Tomorrow Tomorrow was a mid-sized hit for them, peaking at #23 in the UK.

No 41: Christine McVie was one of the key players in the 70s version of Fleetwood Mac. In 1969, she was still Christine Perfect and a member of the blues-rock group Chicken Shack. I'd Rather Go Blind, a song first recorded by Etta James in 1967, was a #14 UK hit for Chicken Shack.

No 40: One of Marvin Gaye's numerous hits in the 60s was Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby. First recorded by the Temptations in 1966, the song became Gaye's second most successful song in the 60s. 50 years ago, today, it debuted on the UK charts at #40.

No 39: The Isley Brothers were a seminal R&B group: they have been cited as having enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music". It's Your Thing was one of their biggest hits in the US (#2 Hot 100, #1 R&B). It didn't do as well in the UK, peaking at #30.

No 38: The Move were a rock group from Birmingham, England that were very influenced by the Beatles. Although bassist-vocalist Chris "Ace" Kefford was the original leader, for most of their career the Move was led by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Roy Wood. He wrote all the group's UK singles and, from 1968, also sang lead vocals on many songs, although Carl Wayne was the main lead singer up to 1970. The final line-up of 1972 was the trio of Wood, Bev Bevan and Jeff Lynne; together, they rode the group's transition into the Electric Light Orchestra. Soon after, Wood would form Wizzard. Curly was the follow-up single to the Move's only #1 hit in the UK, Blackberry Way. Curly peaked at #12 in the UK and Ireland.

No 37: Diana Ross and the Supremes had so many absolute classics in the 60s. No Matter What Sign You Are wasn't one of them - but it's enjoyable enough. It peaked at #37 in the UK, after peaking at #31 in the US.

No 36: Finally for today, here's the first hit song about nocturnal emissions. In 1968, Max Romeo wrote lyrics for the rhythm track of Derrick Morgan's Hold You Jack. Morgan, who was due to add his vocals to the track, ultimately turned it down, as did several other vocalists (including John Holt and Slim Smith), leading the producer to turn to Romeo to sing the lyrics he had written. The result was Wet Dream, produced by Harry Robinson and Junior Smith. Although the single was released in 1968, it did not start to sell until 1969. Already a hit in Jamaica, it entered the UK charts in May 1969 reaching 10 as its highest position in August 1969.

The song gained notoriety due to its lyrics of an explicit sexual nature. Despite Romeo's claims that it was about a leaky roof, it contained the lyric "give the fanny to me" and was banned from broadcast by several radio stations. It was only played twice by the BBC before being banned. When it moved into the charts, BBC radio DJs Tony Brandon, Tony Blackburn and Alan Freeman were instructed that they must only refer to the song as "a record by Max Romeo."

Despite the radio ban, the song was hugely popular in clubs, as well as with every high-school kid in the UK. It  ultimately became the biggest selling single of Pama Records' catalogue, selling over 250,000 copies. Interviewed in 2007, Romeo claimed to have started the sexual revolution. Asked why he had recorded the song, he replied: "The devil made me do it."

Now, it’s time for our statistics. As far as countries are concerned, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, and Cyprus suffered minor losses, while winners include the United States, Russia, Sweden, and India. Canada, Germany, and Australia kept their percentages stable.

Here are this week's Top 10 countries:

1. the United States

2. the United Kingdom

3. Russia

4. Germany

5. Canada

6. France

7. Australia

8. Sweden

9. Italy

10. India

Here are the other countries that graced us with their presence since our last statistics (alphabetically): Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Martinique, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Happy to have you all!

And here's the all-time Top 10:

1. the United States = 35.7%

2. France = 14.9%

3. the United Kingdom = 11.1%

4. Greece = 7.0%

5. Russia = 3.0%

6. Canada = 2.1%

7. Germany = 2.0%

8. Australia = 1.0%

9. Italy = 0.8%

10. Cyprus = 0.7%

That's all for today, folks. Till the next one!