You Were On My Mind (1965)

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By: We Five, a 1960s folk rock quintet based in San Francisco, California.

They originally consisted of Michael Stewart, Beverly Bivens, Jerry Burgan, Peter Fullerton and Bob Jones.

Michael Stewart (born April 19, 1945, died November 13, 2002) was the founder of the group, and was the brother of John Stewart of the Kingston Trio (and the writer of the Monkees' "Daydream Believer".)

In 1965, We Five were signed to A&M Records, owned by Herb Alpbert, in response to the folk rock music trend. Their first album featured, as the title track, a re-arrangement (by Stewart) of an Ian and Sylvia song: "You Were on My Mind".

In February 1966 this song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Performance By A Vocal Group. Later that same year, after their second album, Make Someone Happy, lead singer Beverly Bivens left the group.

Michael Stewart later went on to produce Billy Joel's 1973 album Piano Man.

Chart position: #3 (US), #1 (US Easy Listening).

The Top Ten Songs: September 25, 1965 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "Eve of Destruction" (Barry McGuire)
2. "Hang On Sloopy" (McCoys) 
3. "You Were On My Mind" (We Five)
4. "Catch Us If You Can" (Dave Clarke Five)
5. "Help!" (Beatles)
6. "The 'In' Crowd" (Ramsey Lewis Trio)
7. "Like a Rolling Stone" (Bob Dylan)
8. "It Ain't Me Babe" (Turtle)
9. "Heart Full of Soul" (Yardbirds)
10. "Laugh At Me" (Sonny)
    

Written by: Sylvia Tyson (born Sylvia Fricker September 19, 1940 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada).

Tyson is a musician, performer, singer-songwriter and broadcaster. From 1959 to 1974, she was half of the popular folk duo Ian & Sylvia with former husband Ian Tyson.

Also by: Crispian St. Peters (born April 5, 1939, died June 8, 2010), whose version reached #2 (UK) in 1966. His biggest US hit was "The Pied Piper".

Originally by: Ian and Sylvia, on their 1964 album Northern Journey.

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A Taste Of Honey (1965)

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• Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - A Taste Of Honey (MP3)
• Martin Denny - A Taste Of Honey (MP3)

By: Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.

Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935 in Los Angeles, California) was a recording industry executive (he is the "A" of A&M Records, which he founded with Jerry Moss) and a recording artist.

Jerry Moss suggested that Alpert record an album with songs titled after food items. The result of that suggestion was the 1965 album Whipped Cream And Other Delights, the Tijuana Brass' fourth album and most popular release. Its opening track was "A Taste Of Honey".

"A Taste of Honey" was Alpert's second Top 10 hit (his first was "The Lonely Bull"), and the Whipped Cream album was #1 on the album charts for eight weeks and sold over 6 million copies in the United States.

In 1966 "A Taste of Honey" received four Grammies: Record of the Year, Best Instrumental Arrangement, Best Pop Instrumental Performance, and Best Engineered Recording (Non-Classical), which was given to engineer Larry Levine.

The "Whipped Cream" album cover is considered a classic pop culture icon. It featured model Dolores Erickson (who, at the time, was three months pregnant) covered in whipped cream (which was actually shaving cream).

Chart position: #7 (US), #1 (US Adult Contemporary).

The Top Ten Songs: November 27, 1965 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "I Hear A Symphony" (Supremes)
2. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (Byrds)
3. "1-2-3" (Len Barry)
4. "Let's Hang On" (Four Seasons)
5. "Get Off Of My Cloud" (Rolling Stones)
6. "Rescue Me" (Fontella Bass)
7. "A Taste Of Honey" (Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass)
8. "Ain't That Peculiar" (Marvin Gaye)
9. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (James Brown)
10. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" (Silkie)

Written by: Bobby Scott (music) and Ric Marlow (lyrics).

It was originally written as an instrumental theme to the play of the same name by Shelagh Delaney, which was made into a movie in 1961. The words were later added by lyricist Ric Marlow so that Tony Bennett could sing it.

Also by: Martin Denny, whose version won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Theme in 1961. (Denny is universally known as the founder of exotica music, a type of big band music with Latin rhythms and overtones of Pacific Ocean culture); The Beatles, for their first album, Please Please Me, with Paul McCartney on lead vocal; Allan Sherman, a comedic singer, as "A Waste of Money": "I styled my hair/Just like Cary Grant's/I bought a pair/Of those tight new pants/A waste of money/Household Finance took my pants."

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• Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - A Taste Of Honey (MP3)
• Martin Denny - A Taste Of Honey (MP3)

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Land Of 1000 Dances (1965) (1966)

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• Wilson Pickett - Land Of 1000 Dances (MP3)
• Cannibal And The Headhunters - Land Of 1000 Dances (MP3)

By: Wilson Pickett (born March 18, 1941 in Prattville, Alabama, died of a heart attack at the age of 64 on January 19, 2006 in Reston, Virginia.)

Wilson Pickett was an American soul singer who had over 50 charting US R&B hits, including "In The Midnight Hour", "Mustang Sally", "634-5789", "Funky Broadway" and "Land Of 1000 Dances".

Pickett was backed up by Stax Records veterans such as guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and drummer Al Jackson, Jr., who were all also members of Booker T. And The MGs.

Chart position: #6 (US), #1 (US R&B).

It was Pickett's third #1 US R&B hit and was his biggest pop hit ever. It sold over 1 millions copies.

The Top Ten Songs: September 21, 1963 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "You Can't Hurry Love" (Supremes)
2. "Sunshine Superman" (Donovan)
3. "Yellow Submarine" (Beatles)
4. "See You In September" (Happenings)
5. "Summer In The City" (Lovin' Spoonful)
6. "Land Of 1000 Dances" (Wilson Pickett)
7. "Sunny" (Bobby Hebb)
8. "Working In The Coal Mine" (Lee Dorsey)
9. "Bus Stop" (Hollies)
10. "Guantanamera" (Sandpipers)

Written by: Chris Kenner (born December 25, 1929 in Kenner, Louisiana, died of a heart attack at the age of 46 on January 25, 1975.)

Kenner also wrote and originally recorded such songs as "I Like It Like That" and "Something You Got".

According to tsimon.com, Kenner took the song to noted New Orleans record producer Allen Toussaint and recorded it in 1962. He was inspired by the traditional spiritual song "Children Go Where I Send Thee". It originally featured the following introduction: "I'm gonna take you, baby, I'm gonna take you to a place. The name of the place is the Land of a Thousand Dances." It charted near the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100, at #77.

Kenner was determined to make it a hit. He approached Fats Domino and persuaded him to record it, with the incentive of half the publishing rights and to be listed as co-writer. That version failed to chart.

Also by: Cannibal and the Headhunters, whose version reached #30 in 1965. They were one of the first Mexican-American rock groups to have a national hit.

According to lead singer Frankie Garcia, one the most memorable parts now associated with "Land Of 1000 Dances" was an accident:

"Now the original of that song, if you've ever heard it, is lyrics from beginning to end. Dances all the way through. Lots of lyrics. And on stage, I blacked out and couldn't remember the words. So I started ad-libbing, 'Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.'"

"After the show, the other musicians went 'What were you doing?' and I said 'I don't know.' And they said 'Well do it again, it sounded real good. Could you do it again?' Finally we got to where I could remember it, but didn't care about the words anymore. I just wanted to get to that 'Na na na na na.'"

Originally by: Chris Kenner, whose version reached #77 (US) in 1963.

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• Wilson Pickett - Land Of 1000 Dances (MP3)
• Cannibal And The Headhunters - Land Of 1000 Dances (MP3)

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Yesterday (1965)

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• Paul McCartney - Yesterday (Live) (MP3)

By: The Beatles.

Though it is credited to the group, the only Beatle on the song is Paul McCartney. He sang and played acoustic guitar with a string quartet.  Producer George Martin had said, "We can't put Ringo on it, it's too heavy…what about a classical string quartet?"

It was released on the soundtrack for the Beatles' 1965 film Help! Because "Yesterday" differed so greatly from their other songs, the other Beatles vetoed the song's release as a single in the UK.

It won the Ivor Novello award for Most Outstanding Song of 1965. 

On BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century (based on American radio and television airplay), "Yesterday" ranked #2 for having been played more than seven million times. 

In 2000, it ranked #1 on Rolling Stone & MTV's list of 100 Greatest Pop Songs.

 Chart position: #1 (US, 4 weeks).

"Yesterday" sold a million copies within the first 10 days of its release.

It also reached #1 in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Spain. It wasn't issued as a single in the UK until 1976 (when it reached #8.)

The Top Ten Songs: October 30, 1965 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "Yesterday" (Beatles)
2. "A Lover's Concerto" (Toys)
3. "Get Off Of My Cloud" (Rolling Stones)
4. "Keep On Dancing" (Gentrys)
5. "Everybody Loves A Clown" (Gary Lewis and the Playboys)
6. ""Treat Her Right (Roy Head)
7. "You're The One" (Vogues)
8. "Positively 4th Street" (Bob Dylan)
9. "Hang On Sloopy" (McCoys)
10. "1-2-3" (Len Barry)

Written by: Paul McCartney, though all Beatles compositions by McCartney and/or John Lennon are credited as "Lennon/McCartney".

McCartney has said the entire melody came to him in a dream one night.  Upon waking, he went to a piano and recorded the tune on a tape recorder to avoid letting it slip from his mind.  McCartney was concerned that he might have subconsciously plagiarised someone else's work.

McCartney said, "For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought If no one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it".

The initial working title was "Scrambled Eggs", which was used until something more suitable could be written.  The final lyrics were written on the back of an envelope, which is still owned by McCartney.

In July 2003, British musicologists stumbled upon remarkable similarities between the lyric and rhyming schemes of "Yesterday" and the popular song "Answer Me" (recorded by singers such as Frankie Laine and Nat "King" Cole,) leading to speculation that McCartney had been influenced by the song.

Others have speculated that McCartney subconsciously based "Yesterday" on Ray Charles' version of "Georgia On My Mind".  One claim goes even furthur back, to a 19th century Neapolitan song called "Piccere' Che Vene a Dicere".

Also by: Too many to list!

The Guinness Book of Records ranks "Yesterday" as the world's most recorded popular song ever written, with over 3,000 versions. A short list: the Supremes, Perry Como, Jan and Dean, Ray Charles, Floyd Kramer, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, Bill Medley, Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Michael Bolton, Boyz II Men, Tom Jones, Andy Williams, Tammy Wynette, the Smothers Brothers, Placido Domingo, Eddie Fisher, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Burl Ives, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Brenda Lee, the Letterman, Liberace, Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Lou Rawls, the Seekers, Frank Sinatra and the Temptations.

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• Paul McCartney - Yesterday (Live) (MP3)

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I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (1965)

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• The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch (MP3)

By: The Four Tops, formed in Detroit, Michigan (originally as The Four Aims) by lead singer Levi Stubbs (a cousin of Jackie Wilson,) Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton.

The Four Tops helped define the Motown Sound. Unlike other groups, they had a baritone (Levi Stubbs) as their lead singer; most groups of the time were fronted by a tenor.

The group was the main male vocal group for the songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted for the group a stream of popular hit singles, including two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There".

Levi Stubbs hated "I Can’t Help Myself" but Brian Holland insisted they do it. After recording two takes of the song, Stubbs was still upset, so Holland assured him they could re-record it the following day. There was no second try at it: take 2 was released as the single.

In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #415 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Motown Records quickly followed it with a song that was essentially a rewrite. It was humorously titled "It's the Same Old Song" (which reached #5 in the US.)

Chart position: #1 (US), #1 (US R&B), #26 (UK).

It was at #1 in the US for two non-consecutive weeks in June and July 1965.

It replaced "Back in My Arms Again" (by label-mates the Supremes,) was first replaced by "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Byrds,) then regained the top spot before being replaced by "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones).

The Top Ten Songs: June 19, 1965 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (Four Tops)
2. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Byrds)
3. "Wooly Bully" (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs)
4. "Crying in the Chapel" (Elvis Presley)
5. "Back in My Arms Again" (Supremes)
6. "Wonderful World" (Herman's Hermits)
7. "Help Me, Rhonda" (Beach Boys)
8. "Engine, Engine #9" (Roger Miller)
9. "For Your Love" (Yardbirds)
10. "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" (Patti Page)
    

Written by: Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr.

The song trio of Holland/Dozier/Holland also wrote and produced hits such as "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave", "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Baby I Need Your Loving", "You're a Wonderful One", "Dancing in the Street", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", "Stop! In the Name of Love", "Nowhere to Run", "Back in My Arms Again", "It's the Same Old Song", "I Hear a Symphony", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Standing in the Shadows of Love", "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)", "You Can't Hurry Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Bernadette", "Jimmy Mack", "Reflections", "Give Me Just a Little More Time", "Band of Gold", and many more.

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• The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch (MP3)

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Make the World Go Away (1965)

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• Eddy Arnold - Make The World Go Away (MP3)
• Ray Price - Make The World Go Away (MP3)

By: Eddy Arnold (born Richard Edward Arnold May 15, 1918 in Henderson, Tennessee, died following hip surgery May 8, 2008 in Franklin, Tennessee.)

Eddy Arnold had 145 songs on the country charts, 28 of them #1 hits, making him one of the most popular country singers in US history.

Eddy Arnold's version of "Make The World Go Away" was part of the Nashville Sound movement in country music. This was a development for country singers to create success in the pop music field, besides just the country field.

It was the beginning of the "crossover" market in country music. "Make the World Go Away" became one of the most popular recordings of the 1960s and became Eddy Arnold's signature song.

Chart position: #6 (US), #1 (US Country).

It was #1 on the Country chart for 3 weeks in December 1965.

The Top Ten Songs: December 25, 1965 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "Over and Over" (Dave Clark Five)
2. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (Byrds)
3. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (James Brown)
4. "Let's Hang On" (Four Seasons)
5. "The Sounds of Silence" (Simon and Garfunkel)
6. "Make the World Go Away" (Eddy Arnold)
7. "Fever" (McCoys)
8. "England Swings" (Roger Miller)
9. "I Can Never Go Home Any More" (Shangri-Las)
10. "We Can Work It Out" (Beatles)
    

Written by: Hank Cochran (born Garland Perry Cochran August 2, 1935 in Isola, Mississippi, died of pancreatic cancer July 15, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee.)

Hank Cochran wrote or co-wrote such songs as "I Fall to Pieces" (Patsy Cline, #1 US Country and #12 US Pop in 1961,) "She's Got You" (Patsy Cline, #1 US Country and #14 US Pop in 1962,) and "Ocean Front Property" (George Strait, #1 US Country in 1987.)

In 1974 Hank Cochran was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Also by: Elvis Presley, Donny and Marie Osmond, Martina McBride, Engelbert Humperdinck, Jimmie Rogers, Jim Reeves and Tom Jones.

Originally by: Ray Price, whose version reached #2 (US Country) and #100 (US Pop) in 1963.

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• Eddy Arnold - Make The World Go Away (MP3)
• Ray Price - Make The World Go Away (MP3)

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A Lover's Concerto (1965)

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• The Toys - A Lover's Concerto (MP3)
  

By: The Toys, a 1960s girl group whose members were Barbara Harris, Barbara Parritt and June Montiero.

They met while attending Woodrow Wilson High School in Jamaica, New York. They formed the singing group in 1961 and, with the help of Bobby Uri, a friend of theirs, started doing background vocals (as "The Charlettes") for several recording artists.

They were later discovered at a talent show by Eddie Chase, who in turn introduced the group to manager Vince Marc (who renamed them the Toys), who then introduced the group to songwriting duo Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell.

They were signed to Four Seasons producer/songwriter Bob Crewe's DynoVoice Records label, on which they released the 1965 album The Toys Sing "A Lover's Concerto" and "Attack!", which featured "A Lover's Concerto".

"A Lover's Concerto" was actually a lesser song in a group of four songs they were recording for release on that album. The first three were rehearsed and labored over in the studio by the girls for weeks, while "A Lover's Concerto" was both the last song and the only song recorded in one take!

The lead vocal on "A Lover's Concerto" was sung by Barbara Harris. The song is a Motown-esque arrangement, particularly in the style of the Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love". This is most noticeable in the intro bass line.

In the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, the titular music teacher explains idioms (the styles or techniques that are characteristic to a particular artist, period or medium) to his students by comparing Johann Sebastian Bach's "Minuet in G" to the Toys' "A Lover's Concerto".

Chart position: #2 (US), #4 (US R&B), #5 (UK).

In September 1965, the song sold over a million copies, which made it one of the biggest selling singles of 1965.

It was kept from #1 for two weeks in a row in the US by "Yesterday" (the Beatles) and "Get Off My Cloud" (the Rolling Stones).

The Top Ten Songs: October 30, 1965 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "Yesterday" (Beatles)
2. "A Lover's Concerto" (Toys)
3. "Get Off Of My Cloud" (Rolling Stones)
4. "Keep On Dancing" (Gentrys)
5. "Everybody Loves A Clown" (Gary Lewis and the Playboys)
6. ""Treat Her Right (Roy Head)
7. "You're The One" (Vogues)
8. "Positively 4th Street" (Bob Dylan)
9. "Hang On Sloopy" (McCoys)
10. "1-2-3" (Len Barry)
    

Written by: Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell.

Linzer and Randell wrote/co-wrote many 1960s top 20 hits, particularly for Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, including "Dawn (Go Away)", "Working My Way Back To You", "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me)", and (with Four Seasons producer/songwriter Bob Crewe) "Let's Hang On (To What We've Got)".

Originally by: German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach (born March 21, 1685, died July 28, 1750).

The melody was adapted from Bach's "Minuet in G", which first appeared in what is referred to today as the "Anna Magdalena notebook", a manuscript that Bach gave to his second wife Anna Magdalena Bach, filled with music written for keyboard and voice.

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We Can Work It Out (1965)

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• Paul McCartney - We Can Work It Out (MP3)

By: The Beatles.

The Beatles are perhaps the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful popular music bands in history. Their highly influential music and style revolutionized the music industry in the 1960s, and they continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements and role in the history of popular music.

"We Can Work It Out" was recorded on October 20 and 29, 1965, with Paul McCartney (born James Paul McCartney June 18, 1942) on vocal and bass, John Lennon (born John Winston Lennon October 9, 1940, died December 8, 1980) on vocal, rhythm guitar and harmonium, George Harrison (born February 24, 1943, died November 29, 2001) on backing vocals and tambourine and Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey July 7, 1940) on drums.

It was released as a "double A-sided" single with "Day Tripper", the first time both sides of a single were so designated in an initial release.

Chart position: #1 (US), three weeks, #1 (UK), five weeks.

It was their fastest-selling single, breaking the record held by "Can't Buy Me Love". It ranked #6 on Billboard's Top 100 songs of the year for 1966.

It was the last of six #1 US singles in a row, a record at the time. It was preceded by "I Feel Fine", "Eight Days a Week", "Ticket to Ride", "Help!", and "Yesterday".

It was preceded at #1 in the US by "The Sounds Of Silence" (Simon And Garfunkel) and succeeded by "My Love" (Petula Clark).

The Top Ten Songs: January 8, 1966 (US Billboard Hot 100).

1. "We Can Work It Out" (Beatles)
2. "The Sounds of Silence" (Simon and Garfunkel)
3. "She's Just My Style" (Gary Lewis and the Playboys)
4. "Flowers on the Wall" (Statler Brothers)
5. "Ebb Tide" (Righteous Brothers)
6. "Over and Over" (Dave Clark Five)
7. "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (James Brown)
8. "Five O'Clock World" (Vogues)
9. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (Byrds)
10. "Day Tripper" (Beatles)

Written by: John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Lennon and McCartney are two of the most popular composers and singers of popular music. Paul McCartney is listed in the Guinness World Records as the most successful composer in popular music history, with a record twenty-nine US number one singles (twenty of them with The Beatles, the rest with his group Wings and as a solo artist). McCartney has written/co-written credit on over 50 top ten hits, more than any other songwriter.

"We Can Work It Out" is one of the rare Lennon/McCartney collaborations that happened after they wrote their first hit singles in 1963.

In the 1998 biography Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, McCartney said, "I wrote it as a more uptempo thing, country and western. I had the idea, the title, had a couple of verses and the basic idea for it, then I took it to John to finish it off and we wrote the middle together. Which is nice: 'Life is very short. There's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend.' Then it was George Harrison's idea to put the middle into waltz time, like a German waltz. That came on the session, it was one of the cases of the arrangement being done on the session."

Also by: Stevie Wonder, whose version reached #13 (US) in 1971. It also earned Wonder a second Grammy Award nomination in 1972 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.


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• Paul McCartney - We Can Work It Out (MP3)

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