While feeling creative and to prove this theory, I'm devising this letter with hints of pop song titles. The object is for the readers to guess the full song titles or singers.
Just before the Beatles sang about doing something with your hand I Want to Hold Your Hand-Beatlesand singing about who she loves She Loves You-Beatles, Bobby Vinton dominated January of 1964 with a song about "something he kept doing over and over" (hint!)There! I've Said It Again-Bobby Vinton. The year 1963 had ended with us hearing the Singing Nun's song Dominique-The Singing Nun on the radio nearly every time we turned it on. Nearly every time (there, I've said it again)!
After the Fab Four's song about not being able to buy something Can't Buy Me Love-Beatles, we heard Louis Armstrong singing, "Hello", to some girl Hello, Dolly!-Louis Armstrong. While we were all trying to figure out the next song title about "Love Me something (rhymes with "true") Love Me Do-Beatles", the Dixie Cups were in a chapel Chapel of Love-The Dixie Cups, the 4 Seasons liked a doll Rag Doll-4 Seasons, the Beatles had quite a day's night A Hard Day's Night-Beatles and the Animals were in some peculiar house House of the Rising Sun-The Animals. Roy Orbison couldn't keep his eyes off a woman Oh, Pretty Woman-Roy Orbison, Manfred Mann sang a catchy little diddy Do Wah Diddy Diddy-Manfred Mann, and the Beatles ended the year singing about how they each felt I Feel Fine-Beatles.
The next year started out with Petula Clark being somewhere other than a shopping mall Downtown-Petula Clark, two brothers singing about losing a feelin' You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'-The Righteous Brothers, and Gary Lewis and his band flashing something around This Diamond Ring-Gary Lewis and the Playboys. The Beatles were doing something more than seven days a week Eight Days a Week-Beatles; while the Supremes were giving us advise in the name of something Stop! In the Name of Love-The Supremes and some British chaps were singing about somebody's lovely daughter Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter-Herman's Hermits.
By this time the Beatles had a ticket to do something Ticket to Ride-Beatles, while the Beach Boys needed help from some girl (hint: it wasn't Barbara Ann) Help Me Rhonda-Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones couldn't get something (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction-The Rolling Stones, and somebody declared that he was not the first Henry I'm Henry VIII, I Am-Herman's Hermits. By August, Sonny & Cher were calling each other babes U; while the Beatles were crying for assistance Help!-Beatles, and then failed to sing about tomorrow Yesterday-Beatles.
The Stones wanted each of us to get off of something of theirs Get Off My Cloud-The Rolling Stones, while the Supremes must have been listening to Beethoven or Mozart I Hear a Symphony-The Supremes, and the Byrds (not Hitchcock's) were quoting the Bible Turn! Turn! Turn!-The Byrds.
Simon and Garfunkel began 1966 with some very quiet sounds The Sounds of Silence-Simon and Garfunkel. Some group sang about being able to work it out We Can Work It Out-Beatles, while Lou Christie stayed away from trees while he sang Lightnin' Strikes-Lou Christie. Frank's daughter sang a song about footwear These Boots Are Made for Walkin'-Nancy Sinatra, and for 5 weeks, a song about some fighting men in the special forces became RCA's fastest-selling single of all time and the number one single of 1966 The Ballad of the Green Berets-S/Sgt. Barry Sadler.
The Mamas & Papas were doubly concerned about one particular day of the week Monday, Monday-The Mamas and the Papas, the Liverpool boys wanted to change their occupations to writers Paperback Writer-Beatles, Nancy's father was singing about strangers Strangers in the Night-Frank Sinatra, and Tommy James & the something or others were describing something their baby does (shortly thereafter, nearly every "Yankee" could do it) Hanky Panky-Tommy James and the Shondells. Some Neanderthal guys started singing about a thing which wasn't tame Wild Thing-The Troggs. The Monkees arrived on the music scene by taking the last train Last Train to Clarksville-The Monkees, while we were treated to a song in December of 1966 about a cathedral (sounding like something out of the roaring 20's) Winchester Cathedral-The New Vaudeville Band.
The year ended on some good vibrations Good Vibrations-Beach Boys, while the Monkees were no longer skeptics I'm a Believer-The Monkees. The next year, started out with kind of a drag Kind of a Drag-The Buckinghams, but the Beatles picked it up by telling about "a barber's shop showing photographs of every head he's had the pleasure to know Penny Lane-Beatles." Nancy and Frank got together for a duo Somethin' Stupid-Nancy and Frank Sinatra, while the Beatles finished 1967 by telling us about all we need All You Need Is Love-Beatles as well as what they answer when you say, "Goodbye Hello Goodbye-Beatles."
The year 1968's only number one hit from the Beatles was number one for nine weeks. Many consider this long song their best hit Hey Jude-Beatles. (It was Billboard's number two song of the 60's behind Chubby Checker's famous song The Twist-Chubby Checker).
I could go on and on, but I don't wish to bore those of you who find popular music so offensive. I believe I've proven my theory to those who are open to persuasion. And anyway, we've had these "Moments To Remember" (sung in 1955 by who?) Moments to Remember-Four Lads. Could you name most of the 52 songs in this letter?
--Kenneth J. Wolf #48 (11/29/95)