Continued from Page 1
SHELLEY FABARES
Johnny Angel (2:14) - This moderate-paced song opens with Shelley and backup singers singing a round of the title. Whatever attracts the narrator to Johnny, she has such a crush on him that she turns down other guys' requests for dates.
THE FIFTH ESTATE
Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead (2:05) - This marching tune features various instruments, including a piano, horns, and a flute. The title lines are the only ones I can make out; the rest of the time the instruments drown out the guys' voices. But the subject of this song is the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz; now she is dead, and the people celebrate by ringing bells.
LARRY FINNEGAN
Dear One (3:00) - This song is slow for the first 12 seconds but fast the rest of the time. A tambourine plays on every other beat. The narrator waits every morning by his front door for the mail to come, hoping to receive a letter from his girlfriend. One morning he does get one, but one telling him she's found someone new. The first time Larry sings the message, a female voice speaks it over his voice.
THE FIVE AMERICANS
Western Union (2:33) - This very fast song begins with an 8-second organ solo fading in. The narrator wakes up one morning to receive a telegram from his girlfriend--she has called off their relationship. In the first verse he sings about her, but in the second verse he sings TO her. In the last verse he resolves to move to another town where he can find a new love. I like the frequent "da da da da" scat singing and the organ interlude.
THE FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND
Signs (4:00) - The whole song is fast, but the 23-second intro seems a bit faster than the rest of the song. This is a protest song against various signs, including the banning of hippies from the workplace, the threat to shoot trespassers on sight, and the requirement of shirt, tie, and membership card to eat at a banquet. In the last verse, the narrator, having come to a church to pray, has no money to tithe, so instead he writes a little sign of his own, thanking God for thinking about him.
THE FLAMINGOS
I Only Have Eyes For You (3:15) - This slow, 12/8 song is apparently sung to a woman named Gertrude, since I hear the backup singers constantly singing that name. Whatever the sky or other people may look like, the narrator doesn't see them, nor does he distinguish a garden from a crowded street. All he ever sees is Gertrude.
THE FLARES
Foot Stomping (2:15) - The first few measures resemble an excerpt from James Brown's "Night Train." Instruments and sound effects include a sax, an organ, and actual stomping of feet. Everyone of all ages, get out and have a good time. It's easy to dance; just stomp your feet! The final, fading 5 seconds consist of a foot-stomp solo.
THE FLYING MACHINE
Smile A Little Smile For Me (2:57) - This moderately slow song starts with a 5-second bass solo. Then other instruments enter, including drums, a tambourine, and a horn that plays somberly. A girl named Rose Marie cries because lover left her some time ago. The narrator tells her not to believe the lover's empty promise of coming back someday. She should forget about him, smile for the narrator, and move on with her life.
The Game Of Love (2:06) - The tempo is moderate. The song opens with a 4-second drum solo. Other instruments include guitars and a tambourine. I like the bass voices that repeat the word "love." The narrator tells the girl that a man and a woman exist for the purpose of loving each other; by saying so, he implies that the purpose of the narrator is to love the girl, and vice versa.
THE MINDBENDERS (without Wayne): A Groovy Kind Of Love (1:57) - This song is moderately slow. I like how the drums roll between the first and second beats of each measure. Guitar licks are audible in the parts where the guys don't sing. You'll even hear chimes if you listen closely enough. After the chorus is sung the second time, the key rises a half-step. Whenever the narrator feels sad, he has only to look at his girlfriend to feel better. When they kiss, he shivers. These are among the reasons their kind of love is groovy.
Sea Cruise (original version 2:43; 1990s stereo version 2:39) - This moderately fast song opens with the sounds of bells ringing, water rippling, and a boat tooting. A boat even zooms by during each singing of the chorus and during fadeout. Instruments include horns. Normally, the narrator doesn't like begging, but he's willing to kneel this time to get his girlfriend to accompany him on a voyage. I also have a version by Herman's Hermits and one by John Fogerty.
THE FORTUNES
You've Got Your Troubles (I've Got Mine) (3:21) - The tempo is moderately fast. Horns play in the right speaker; all other instruments play in the left. The narrator is so despondent after being dumped by his own girlfriend that he appears not to care that his buddy lost his. He really does have sympathy; it's just hard to show it when he's crying himself. From 2:30 to 2:42, the lead singer sings in the right speaker over the voices of the whole group.
Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again (2:47) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, features a celesta or some similar instrument. The narrator is experiencing his latest episode of depression which he has felt off and on since his girlfriend left him. His tears fall like rain, he always sees her face, and he has dreams of her that can never come true. Long-gone happy times were like Sundays; now every day is a gloomy Monday for him.
THE FOUNDATIONS
Build Me Up Buttercup (2:52) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. Instruments include horns and an organ. The narrator's "buttercup" builds up his hopes only to break his heart later. She breaks promises to come to his house or call him. Still, his love for her remains strong, and he begs her to stop breaking his heart and start treating him right. The key changes during the last 15 seconds.
Baby Now That I've Found You (2:34) - This moderate-paced song features horns and handclaps. The narrator begs his girlfriend not to leave him. Before he met her he was lonely; since then his whole world has revolved around her. She may not need him, but he needs her too much to let her go.
FREDDY AND THE DREAMERS
I'm Telling You Now (2:07) - The tempo is moderately fast. The key rises half a step after the middle instrumental. The girl may not think the narrator is sincere now, but he will tell her for many days and many years that he loves her.
A Little You (2:09) - This song has a similar tempo to the previous song and also opens with similar guitar strums. "There's a little truth in every lie...there's a little good in every bad," and there's a little positive in every other negative. But all the narrator wants is a little of the girl to whom he's singing.
FRIEND AND LOVER
Reach Out Of The Darkness (3:06) - The tempo is moderate. Featured instruments include a tambourine, a harpsichord, and a drum that resembles the winding of a music box. This duo were husband and wife in real life. He sings the two verses, in one of which he tells people not to be afraid to love. Together they sing the bridge, in which the title is sung three times. But my favorite part is the chorus, where first she sings two lines alone, then both of them sing those same lines.
THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR
I Fought The Law (And The Law Won) (2:17) - In this moderately fast song, both the regular drums and the cymbal drums accent the second and fourth beats. I like the guitar licks, and also the drum roll that plays when Bobby sings the line, "A robbin' people with a six gun." The narrator does it because he is broke and apparently can't seem to find a legitimate way to make money. Anyway, he ends up going to jail and breaking rocks. Going to jail meant leaving his girlfriend, whom he now misses a lot.
GALLERY
It's So Nice To Be With You (2:34) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, features chimes. The narrator loves everything his girlfriend says and does. He finds it nice to know that she will please him, give him a shoulder to cry on, and be around when he needs her.
THE GANTS
Road Runner (2:17) - This moderately fast song opens with an 8-second solo of rapid guitar licks. Other instruments include a tambourine. The title and the "beep beeps" were probably inspired by the Roadrunner in Bugs Bunny cartoons, whose foe is Wile E. Coyote. In this case, the narrator, a drag racer, brags, "You can't catch up with me." That line also sounds like "You can't GET TOUGH with me." Either way, he claims to be the fastest driver of them all.
GALE GARNETT
We'll Sing In The Sunshine (2:58) - This moderately slow song features a harmonica and a flute. The narrator, having been warned by her father about the dangers of love, refuses to stay forever with the man to whom she's singing. But she offers him just one year of singing in the bright, warm weather with him.
THE GENTRYS
Keep On Dancin' (2:09) - A drum roll kicks off this fast song. My favorite part is when the song temporarily fades out, then comes back in with another drum roll. The narrator never seems to tire of dancing; he encourages his girlfriend to show him how she dances.
STAN GETZ AND ASTRUD GILBERTO
The Girl From Ipanema (2:45) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate, and the drums are subdued. Other instruments include a piano and a saxophone. Listen closely, and at the beginning you'll hear scat singing by Stan; Astrud sings the rest of the song. As the title character walks along the street, every man who sees her sighs. One man, wishing to give his heart to her, smiles at her, but she doesn't notice.
JIMMY GILMER AND THE FIREBALLS
Sugar Shack (1:59) - The tempo is fast. The instruments sound interesting. One sounds like a bass sax, another like a flute. The narrator enjoys the coffee served at the shack, but he's going there because he is in love with the woman who runs the shop. He says in the third verse that she's his wife, but I wonder--have they been married throughout the song, or did they get married sometime between the second and third verses? BTW, that one word in the first verse is not "expresso," it's ESpresso.
DOBIE GRAY
Drift Away (original version 3:55; 1990s stereo version 3:55) - This song has a moderate tempo and guitar licks. The narrator always feels sad and confused and wonders why he does the things he does. The only remedy for his blues is music; rock 'n' roll lets him "drift away" from his problems.
R.B. GREAVES
Take A Letter Maria (original version 2:42; 1990s stereo version 2:44) - This fast song features a guitar and horns. One day the narrator, apparently a high-ranking executive at some company, tells his secretary Maria that he caught his wife in another guy's arms the night before. Having worked long work weeks just to make ends meet, he now realizes that all that work has cost him his marriage. He tells Maria to type a letter for his wife and send his lawyer a duplicate; the essence of the letter is that he's filing for divorce. In the last verse he asks Maria for a date. Such a request would not have had dire consequences in the 1960s, but nowadays it would constitute sexual harassment. Let the working male beware!
NORMAN GREENBAUM
Spirit In The Sky (4:03) - My favorite feature of this moderate-paced song is the guitar licks that drop in pitch just before the verses. The narrator is confident that when he dies he will end up in "the place that's the best," i.e., heaven. But I'm skeptical about the line "I've never been a sinner, I never sinned." We ALL sin sometimes; that's what makes us human. We just have to ask for (and do what it takes to earn) forgiveness.
LARRY GROCE
Junk Food Junkie (original version 3:05; 1990s stereo version 3:02) - The tempo is moderate. The instruments are drums, guitars, and a tambourine. Apparently this is a live recording, since every now and then I hear people laughing, cheering, and clapping. During the day and in front of his friends, the narrator eats healthy foods. In the middle of the night, when he's by himself, he eats and drinks stuff like Big Macs, Twinkies, and Dr. Pepper.
HAMILTON, JOE FRANK AND REYNOLDS
Don't Pull Your Love (2:43) - In this moderately slow song, a tambourine plays on every second and fourth beat. Other instruments include horns. The narrator begs his girlfriend not to abruptly end their relationship take an airplane out of town. He wonders whether the ring he recently gave her means anything to her. "Don't leave me drownin' in my tears," he pleads.
Fallin' In Love * (3:11) - This song has a similar tempo to the previous one. When the narrator met the girl, he knew fate had planned for him to fall in love with her. Now she holds the key to his happiness and his love for her grows every day.
ALBERT HAMMOND
It Never Rains In Southern California (3:39) - This moderate-paced song features a piano, a flute, and orchestral strings. The narrator, having flown to California seeking a movie or TV career, has found neither and his homesick. Yes, it does rain in California; in fact, it POURS. I like the rhyming pattern "California" and "warn ya."
THE HAPPENINGS
See You In September (2:28) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator's girlfriend is about to leave for a summer vacation. He begs her to write him often and beware of the summer moon. He wonders whether he'll see her again in the fall or he'll lose her to some guy she might meet while she's away.
Although I Got Rhythm charted higher, I seldom hear it on the radio.
MAJOR HARRIS
Love Won't Let Me Wait (original version 5:30; 1990s stereo version 3:45) - This slow song features a sax, tick-tock drums, and string instruments. The narrator feels such burning desire for intimacy, he begs the woman to say yes. In reply, a female voice softly says "yes"; that same voice also lets out breathy moans and groans that become more frequent as the song progresses.
ROLF HARRIS
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport (3:04) - The tempo is fast. That percussion sounding like rubber is a wobble board (flexible wooden board, a meter long, half a meter wide, 2mm thick). The last two verses are sung slowly and with some tension to show the pain with which the Australian rancher says his last words. I have mixed feelings about the "Let me Abos go loose" verse; it seems racist against Aborigine people, yet I'm glad that the unfortunate souls in this setting are about to go free.
BOBBY HEBB
Sunny (2:44) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, features horns and a vibraphone. The narrator's life was sad and rainy until his girlfriend, Sunny, came into his life. He is thanking her for all the sunshine and happiness she has given him.
THE HIGHWAYMEN
Cotton Fields (2:11) - The tempo is moderate. The instrumentation is simple: drums and a guitar. The narrator sings of his infancy "in them old cotton fields back home." Actually, Texarkana, the city on the Texas-Arkansas border, is much more than one mile north of the Louisiana border, but it sure looks close on the map.
THE HOLLYWOOD ARGYLES
Alley Oop (2:42) - This moderate-tempoed tune features a piano and a tambourine, and yes, it is about the comic-strip character. The toughest cave man in the world can kill the meanest, biggest monsters with his club, so he is not to be messed with.
THE HOMBRES
Let It All Hang Out (2:03) - Is that a cigarette ad I hear during the first 7 seconds? Anyway, after the weird announcement, the instruments start playing, and the tempo is moderate. A guitar and an organ are featured, and hands clap on every second and fourth beat. Actually, most of this piece is spoken rather than sung. To "let it all hang out" is an idiom for "relax."
Little Honda (2:03) - This fast song was previously sung by the Beach Boys. The narrator and his girlfriend rise early in the morning to buy a small motorcycle and head for a place of her choice. They go faster and faster as he shifts gears.
Younger Girl (2:19) - This version has a similar tempo to the original by the Lovin' Spoonful. But these guys sing louder and clearer.
THE HONEYCOMBS
Have I The Right (2:56) - The narrator of this moderately fast song has loved the girl since the moment he first saw her. So much love is bottled inside him that he wants to share it with her, so he's anxious for her to grant him the right to hold her, kiss her, and thrill her. The growl just before "come right back" illustrates how desperate he is.
The One You Can't Have (1:57) - This moderately fast song features a tambourine and a sax. The narrator does enjoy the company of some boys, while other boys are "at each other's throats" for her. But the guy she wants most already has a girlfriend. Fruit sure tastes sweeter when it's forbidden, doesn't it?
MARY HOPKIN
Those Were The Days (5:02) - This song has slow verses and a fast chorus. Instruments include orchestral strings and an accordion. The narrator looks back on bygone days she used to share with her best friend. They used to hang out together at a tavern and to "fight and never lose." Time whizzes by, and the narrator can't believe that the woman she sees in the tavern window is her own reflection. The chorus is always followed by "die die die" scat vocals.
THE HUMAN BEINZ
Nobody But Me (2:16) - This fast song features handclaps, a tambourine, and an organ. The drums play hard and loud. The lead singer sings the word "no" many times before "nobody can do the..." Then the rest of the guys shout the name of a dance, like the shing-a-ling, the skate, the boogaloo, etc. The narrator brags that no one can do those dances better than he can.
It's Fun To Be Clean (2:06) - This moderately fast song opens with a trumpet, which also blows during the middle instrumental and at the end. The lyrics illustrate how nice it is to keep one's face shaven and wear clean clothes. It is fun to be hip with the crowd--as long as what that crowd does is in line with the law, of course.
TERRY JACKS
Seasons In The Sun (3:29) - Instruments in this moderate-tempoed song include an organ. The key starts at F and rises a few times as the song progresses. As the narrator lies in his deathbed, he says goodbye first to a childhood friend, then to his father, and finally to his daughter Michelle. He looks back on all the happy times he shared with all of them.
Love Makes The World Go Round (2:30) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments and sound effects include bells, finger-snapping, and horns. Not only does love make the world spin, "it makes a boy and girl say they feel so fine." But love can also induce tears; that goes for everyone. I also have a version of this song by Mary Wells.
THE JAGGERZ (aka JOE ROCK)
The Rapper (original version 2:43; 1990s stereo version 2:38) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, features an organ and drums that resemble clanking of pans. The narrator warns the girl that a certain man will ask her for romantic attention. The girl might encounter that man on a bus, in a supermarket, anywhere. This guy is a "rapper" not in the musical sense, but rather in the sense that he "raps" at women's hearts. The song ends with clapping and a thank-you.
JAY AND THE TECHNIQUES
Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie (2:24) - The tempo is moderately fast. Featured instruments include a piano, horns, a tambourine, and an organ. The narrator reminisces about the games he and his girlfriend used to play when they were children; they used to say to each other such things as "Ready or not, here I come!" Now that they are grown, he wants to marry her.
THE JAYNETTS
Sally Go Round The Roses (3:15) - The tempo is fast. Sometimes the volume is soft, other times it's normal. The narrator assures Sally that the roses can't hurt her. Of course the roses can't break her secrets to other people, for the roses can't talk at all. If Sally goes to town, she'll catch her boyfriend with another woman, so she'd better stay with the roses. The lead singer of this group sounds a bit like Grace Slick; in fact, Grace's group covered this song shortly before becoming Jefferson Airplane.
THE JELLY BEANS
I Wanna Love Him So Bad (2:43) - This song has a moderate swing tempo. The narrator hopes to make hers a boy named Jim who lives in her neighborhood. The verses sound similar to the Rays/Herman's Hermits song "Silhouettes" and the lead singer's voice strongly resembles that of Shirley Owens of the Shirelles.
JOHN FRED AND HIS PLAYBOY BAND
Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) (2:55) - This fast song was inspired by a Playtex commercial and the Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." During the first 10 seconds, instruments enter one by one--drums, bass guitar, piano, and horns. I hear moaning and gasping twice--once before the first verse, the other time after the middle instrumental. Apparently Judy is playing hard-to-get with the narrator by wearing her glasses and driving her new car. But he recognizes her anyway, so in the end, as the song slows down and a sitar plays, he sings, "Guess I'll just take your glasses."
SAMMY JOHNS
Chevy Van (2:56) - The measures count at a somewhat fast pace. A girl hitches a ride from the narrator, who drives the vehicle named in the title. Bleary-eyed, she rests in his passenger seat. Though he marvels at the sight of her tanned legs, her angelic face, and her hair glowing in the moonlight, he realizes that he must concentrate on the road for her safety and his. At some point, he pulls over somewhere secluded and they get intimate. Finally, he lets her off at a very small town, probably her hometown. In the lyrics to which the above link leads, I see "Like a picture she was layin' there," but I think it's "Like a princess."
JON, ROBIN, AND THE IN CROWD
Do It Again A Little Bit Slower (2:30) - The dominant tempo is fast. However, it slows down temporarily at the end of the chorus; when the chorus is sung the final time, the tempo gradually decelerates as the song fades. The dominant time is 4/4, but the slow parts are in 3/4. Instruments include a piano and a tambourine. The narrator loves how his girlfriend kisses him, but she does it too fast. He asks her to kiss him again, but slower than she did before.
Handy Man (2:00) - This moderately fast song features background whistling. Jimmy's falsettos are my favorite feature of the song. The narrator runs a 24-hour business of fixing women's broken hearts--whispering sweet words, etc.
Good Timin' (2:07) - This song, also with a moderately fast tempo, features violins. My favorite parts are the ones where Jimmy sings "a tick, a tick, a tick of good timin'." Immediately following that line, his falsetto repetition of the word "timin'" reflects his character's firm belief that without good timing, his relationship with his girlfriend would not have been possible, David could not have killed Goliath, and Queen Isabella of Spain could not have financed Columbus' voyages to the New World.
KEITH
98.6 (3:02) - This song opens with an 8-second piano solo. The tempo is moderate for the first 17 seconds, then becomes moderately fast. Other featured instruments include horns, a tambourine, chimes, and an organ. Now that the narrator's girlfriend has come back to him, the morning sun has risen, the people in the street are smiling, and the narrator's temperature has returned to its normal 98.6.
ANDY KIM
Rock Me Gently (3:27) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate, about the right speed for "gentle rocking." "Ain't it good, ain't it right" that the narrator and the girl are together; she really knows how to excite him. No one has ever loved him like she does, so he tells her, "Rock me gently, rock me slowly, take it easy..." I like the female background vocals that bisect each verse.
Louie Louie (2:42) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Cymbals are used heavily. Louie has to go because his girlfriend is waiting for him. Although the Kingsmen's version was not the original, it is the most popular. I also have a version by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
ROBERT KNIGHT
Everlasting Love (original version 2:58; 1990s stereo version 2:48) - The tempo of the original version is moderate; the newer version is slightly faster. The song opens with a 5-second bass solo. Robert's voice is more audible in the right speaker than in the left, vice versa for the drums. After the narrator left his girlfriend when she needed him most, he is very sorry and begs her for forgiveness. In return for her forgiveness, he promises that he'll give her eternal love. More recently, this song was also a hit for Gloria Estefan.
BUDDY KNOX
Party Doll (2:08) - This song has a fast tempo. One day, while walking down the street, the narrator meets a blue-eyed blonde and falls in love with her. He asks her to be his girlfriend and let him make love to her, for every guy needs a gal to "run her fingers through his hair."
BOB KUBAN AND THE IN-MEN
The Cheater (2:38) - This moderately fast song features horns. The narrator, having lost his girlfriend to a certain man who charms and then mistreats every woman he can get a hold of, warns other men to guard their girlfriends against that man. He resolves that someday he'll get his girlfriend back and the other man will encounter a girl who will get wise to him.
MAJOR LANCE
The Monkey Time (original version 2:45; 1990s stereo version 2:57) - Instruments in this moderate-tempoed song include a guitar and horns. The narrator doesn't know how the dance called the monkey started, but he asks listeners if they're ready to dance it at their local dance hall.
THE LARKS
The Jerk (original version 2:36; 1990s stereo version 2:28) - Here's another song about a dance. This one is moderately fast. First the narrator asks some girls how to do the jerk. Once he learns the dance, he offers to teach it to anyone who doesn't already know how to do it.
CURTIS LEE
Pretty Little Angel Eyes (2:42) - This very fast song opens with a drum solo including chimes; those several bars recur at 1:36. Curtis sings falsettos in a few parts, while his backup singers sing in bass voices. The narrator believes the girl was sent to him from above. Her eyes (and the rest of her) are so angelic that he loves her and will never let her go.
DICKEY LEE
Patches (2:57) - This moderately slow waltz tune is a different song from the one Clarence Carter. In this case, Patches is the girl the narrator loves. He is rich, she is poor, and his parents won't let them get married. Once he stops seeing her, he cries every night, but she probably believes he no longer loves her. Then one day he hears that she has jumped in the river and drowned. Grief-stricken, he resolves to jump in himself so they can be reunited.
I Saw Linda Yesterday (2:02) - This fast song features an organ. The scat singing reminds me of that in Dion's "Runaround Sue." Just when the narrator thought he could live without romance, he saw a woman named Linda the day before the setting of this song, and his heart flipped. Now his romantic feelings for her grow every day.
Walk Away Renee (2:41) - The tempo is moderate. I hear violins and drums in both speakers, but the former are more audible in the left, the latter leaning toward the right. A flute plays during the middle instrumental. Apparently, the narrator and Renee used to be a couple, but now she's lost interest in him. He gazes tearfully at her as she walks away and he quietly follows her home. I also have a version of this song by the Four Tops.
BOBBY LEWIS
Tossin' And Turnin' (2:18) - Instruments include horns (especially in the middle instrumental). The narrator of this fast song does the acts described in the title because his girlfriend apparently left him recently. He is so anxious about her that he just can't sleep a wink the entire night. At about midnight, he gets up for a snack; at 4 AM, he hears the milkman delivering milk to his doorstep.
THE LEMON PIPERS
Green Tambourine (2:24) - This song has a moderate tempo. Besides a tambourine, I hear various instruments, including a guitar and chimes. The narrator is a minstrel living on the streets. For anyone who gives him money, he will play any song on his tambourine. In the line "Listen while I play," the last word echoes. From final echo to fadeout, only the drums and the tambourine play.
The Loco-Motion (2:24) - This dance tune, slightly faster than moderate, features cymbal drums, a saxophone, and background vocals by the Cookies. Eva encourages all listeners to try out this new dance calld the loco-motion--swing their hips, jump up, and jump back! Those who try it will enjoy it; it can even cheer them up when they're sad. This song was later covered by 2 other female artists--one in the 70s, the other in the 80s.
LOBO
Me And You And A Dog Named Boo (2:50) - The tempo matches the pace at which the narrator, his sweetheart and their dog drive: steady and easy. From Georgia to Minnesota to California, this little family just loves to roam. My favorite lyrics are in the second verse, when the couple are caught stealing eggs on a farm: "Old McDonald, he made us work / But then he paid us for what it was worth." BTW, Lobo is the nickname of Kent LaVoie.
LOOKING GLASS
Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) (3:07) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Brandy is a barmaid near a harbor--probably in San Francisco, judging by the line "on a Western bay." Most of her customers are sailors who believe she would make a good wife for them, except that they love seafaring even more. Ironically, the man she loves is a sailor himself. Around her neck she always wears a locket with a silver chain and an engraving of his name.
LOS BRAVOS
Black Is Black (2:58) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. At first I hear drums and a bass; then a guitar, an organ, and horns enter, one by one. A bell rings during the bridge. I like the use of reflexive properties: "gray is gray," "bad is bad," and of course the title. The narrator has been sad since his girlfriend walked out on him, and he wants her back.
LULU
To Sir With Love (2:44) - The tempo is moderately slow. The narrator apparently is about to graduate from high school. She sings a tribute to a male mentor who took her "from crayons to perfume" and "taught [her] right from wrong and weak from strong." In return for his guidance, she offers him the sky with the stars spelling the title.
BARBARA LYNN
You'll Lose A Good Thing (original version 2:19; 1990s stereo version 2:39) - This slow, 12/8 song features a piano, a guitar and a sax. The narrator warns her man that he'd better start treating her nicely. This is his last chance; if he blows it, she'll leave him; her love is the good thing he'll lose.
THE MAGIC LANTERNS
Shame, Shame (2:52) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, features a tambourine, horns, and a guitar that twangs. The narrator and the girl seemed to have a good relationship going until another man caught her eye. Now the narrator has proven to be a fool, a clown. The other man doesn't love the girl and will only leave her sad, so she should be ashamed of herself from leaving the narrator.
THE MAIN INGREDIENT
Everybody Plays The Fool (3:21) - This moderately slow song begins with a spoken part that talks a broken-hearted person out of committing suicide. Everyone, at one time or another, gets hurt in a romantic relationship (or an attempt at one). It's easy to fall in love with someone, but often the other person won't reciprocate. The best protection against disappointment is to "use your heart just like a tool."
BARRY MANN
Who Put The Bomp (2:43) - The intro is slow; the rest of the song is fast. Instruments include a tambourine. The narrator asks, "Who put the bomp in the bomp-ba-bomp-ba-bomp?...Who put the dip in the dip-di-dip-di-dip?" When he danced with a girl to those rhythms, she fell in love with him, so he feels he should write a thank-you letter to whoever invented such rhythms. This was Barry's only hit as a singer, but with Cynthia Weil, he wrote hits for various other artists, including Paul Revere and the Raiders.
THE MARCELS
Blue Moon (original version 2:14; 1990s stereo version 2:11) - This very fast ditty features the bass scat vocals "Bom-a-bom-bom, dang-a-dang-dang, ding-a-dong-ding." The narrator was lonely and prayed for someone to love. The blue moon seemed to hear his prayer, for now he's found his mate.
I Will Follow Him (2:25) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, features a tambourine and male background scat vocals. The reason for the "Little": Peggy March was 15 years old at the time she recorded this song. For the character she plays, no mountain is too high, no ocean too deep to keep her and her boyfriend apart. Wherever he goes, she goes. This song was also sung by Petula Clark.
THE MARVELOWS
I Do (2:26) - This very fast song features horns and a piano. This is not so much a wedding song as a love song in general. The narrator asks rhetorical questions such as if he loves the girl and if he wants her to stay beside him forever. Then he answers "I do."
BARBARA MASON
Yes I'm Ready (original version 3:05; 1990s stereo version 3:05) - This slow song features cymbals and/or a tambourine, and background singers--some male, others female. Acts like holding the man's hand, hugging him and kissing him should be the easiest things to do, yet she says she doesn't know how to do them. But she is ready for him to teach her how.
DAVE MASON
We Just Disagree (3:02) - The measures count at a fast pace. At first, just a guitar and chimes play; drums don't enter until 1:13. Other instruments include a piano and a tambourine. The narrator hasn't seen his girlfriend for a long time, and now she seems to have lost interest in him. So he decides they'd best "leave it alone," that is, end their relationship. My favorite lines in this song are "There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy / There's only you and me and we just disagree."
THE McCOYS
Hang On Sloopy (3:53) - This moderate, swing-tempoed song is one of my favorite one-hit-wonder songs. Instruments include horns and cymbal drums. Sloopy, the narrator's girlfriend, lives on the ominous side of town, where everyone constantly taunts her. The narrator tells Sloopy to hang on while he comes to her rescue, apparently to tell the villains off. Sometimes the radio leaves out the verse about him shivering whenever she wears a red dress. Anyway, he tells her not to worry because he's in love with her.
Sorrow (2:01) - This moderate-paced song features a harmonica. The girl has blond hair, blue eyes, looks that any man would fall for, but sorrow is all she ever brings the narrator.
Eve Of Destruction (3:35) - Though the Turtles sang this song first, Barry sang the hit version. This version features a harmonica and an additional verse about how frustrated the narrator is about the decline of human respect and Congress' refusal to pass crucial laws. This is truly a protest song, for Barry sings in a throaty, angry voice.
SCOTT McKENZIE
San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) (2:58) - This song is easy-rolling, featuring chimes. The lyrics advertised a hippie festival during the "Summer of Love" (1967). Most of the time, the key is G; toward the end it rises to A. This song was written by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas.
MERCY
Love (Can Make You Happy) (3:13) - The tempo is moderately slow. Both drums and a tambourine accent the second and fourth beats of each measure. Other instruments include a piano. The main idea is that love can make you happy provided you can find someone who is able and willing to give you a lifetime of it.
Love Is Strange (2:55) - Love is indeed strange. First people want in; then, after they find it's far from rosy, they want out. The tempo is moderate. Percussion sounds include the clanking of a pan. After the middle instrumental, Mickey asks Sylvia how she'd call her boyfriend; she replies, "Baby, oh baby, my sweet baby, you're the one." I also have a version of this song by the Everly Brothers.
THE MONOTONES
Book Of Love (2:19) - The narrator of this fast song wonders, "Who wrote the Book of Love?" My best guess is that God or Mother Nature (or whatever supreme being you believe in) wrote it. I like how the plot is outlined chapter by chapter.
Let's Dance (2:27) - The first 10 seconds consist of counting followed by a solo of drums including a tambourine. The other instrument is an organ. In the left speaker, Chris sings the verses and the chorus; in the right speaker are his overdubbed chorus vocals. The narrator asks the girl to dance various dances with him; he also offers to take her home.
MUNGO JERRY
In The Summertime (original version 3:31; 1990s stereo version 3:34) - The first measure consists of a silent piano solo. The other instrument featured is a washboard, which is the reason I like this song. The tempo is slow but in sixteenth beats. When it's summer, the guy sung to feels like dating his girlfriend. If his father is rich, he can take her out for dinner; but if his father is poor, the couple can do whatever they like that is free. The guys also invite the listener to fish and sing with them.
THE MURMAIDS
Popsicles And Icicles (2:31) - Those are two favorite things of the narrator's brown-eyed boyfriend. The tempo is moderate. The piano and drums play softly. So the couple likes bright stars and guitars? So do I. According to the narrator, her boyfriend plus all the things he enjoys equals her slice of heaven. I don't know why the group spelled its name with a "u" instead of an "e"; still, it's a nice spelling variation.
THE MUSIC EXPLOSION
A Little Bit O' Soul (2:19) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. My favorite part is the guitar solo that precedes each verse. Whenever a guy is sad and can't get gals to date him, some soul music is the remedy; when he dances to it, his mind will be so immersed in it that he'll forget his troubles. Of course, the same can also go for lonely girls who can't seem to attract guys.
Continued on Page 3