Along Comes Mary (2:48) - This moderately fast song features hand-clapping and a tambourine. During the middle instrumental, a recorder (played by Terry on this and other songs) plays lead. This song not only was the group's first hit; it's also my favorite by them. My own initial interpretation of Mary was a girl with whom the narrator had a midday date. But according to a friend of the group, Mary is marijuana personified. This makes some sense, considering that the drug's name apparently was derived from "Mary Jane" and that "out to lunch" can mean absent-minded.
Enter The Young (2:43) - The tempo is moderately fast. This song describes how the teenagers and young adults of the 60s were starting to mature intellectually and voice their opinions to the world.
Cherish (3:25) - This song, slightly slower than moderate, features bells and chimes--appropriate instruments to accompany the narrator as he wishes that he could marry the girl. He fears that he can't find anything to say that will convince her to reciprocate his feelings for her.
No Fair At All (2:36) - The tempo is moderately slow. A tambourine plays on every fourth beat. A recorder plays lead during the middle instrumental. Although the narrator and the girl have spent a lot of time together, they apparently were just friends until the moment at which the song is set. Until that moment, he never knew that she could have romantic feelings for him or say sweet things to him; to him, it's unfair. Relax, man, true love doesn't come overnight!
Windy (2:54) - Contrary to what the Greatest Hits disc's liner notes say, Ruthann Friedman (now Carlisle) was not a fan but a friend of the group, and she was 22 instead of 19 at the time she wrote this song. The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. Instruments include a harpsichord, a tambourine, a recorder, and a tambourine. In the lyrics, the wind is personified. A friend of my mom's apparently used to listen to this song a lot as a child, thereby earning the nickname Wendy.
We Love (2:23) - The tempo is moderate. I like the smooth rolls of the harpsichord; other instruments include a recorder. The love the narrator gets from his girlfriend matters more to him than does being rich and famous.
Never My Love (3:08) - This moderately slow song features a piano, an organ, and a tambourine. The narrator's girlfriend fears that someday his love for her will cease. Her fear is somewhat warranted, considering how common divorces and other breakups have become since the 60s. But he assures her that his love will never end.
Requiem For The Masses (4:06) - Drum rolls and Latin lyrics fill the start, middle, and end of this song; during the middle and ending drum rolls, horns play somberly. The rest of the song has a moderate tempo; a tambourine plays on every other beat. The "matadors" mentioned in the song are probably metaphors for young men who died in Vietnam, having been taught to answer the call of duty without asking why. Other parts of the song mention colors--red, blue, black, and white.
Like Always (3:04) - This song has a moderate, 3/4 tempo. Instruments include a piano, an organ, and a tambourine. The lyrics illustrate the woes of the typical young adult male: constantly running out of gas for the car, falling behind on rent payments, and finding a girlfriend only to see her leave him a short time later.
The Time It Is Today (2:16) - This song, slightly slower than moderate, opens with a brief guitar lick. Other instruments include chimes, tick-tock drums, and a tambourine. The narrator tells us that if we forsake fear, love will replace it. Love is the only answer to hate, lying, killing, etc; and today is the time for humankind to find its way from hate to love. The paradoxical line "I need so little, yet so much" means that love is the only thing the narrator needs; he just needs a lot of it.
Everything That Touches You (3:18) - This song has a similar tempo to the previous song. Among the instruments are a clarinet, horns, and a tambourine. The narrator has always sung songs in which he wishes for a girl to love him, but he never thought that such a wish would come true until his girlfriend came into his life. He can hardly believe that her love for him is real, that "everything that touches" her is love.
Time For Livin' (2:44) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, opens with a drum roll and a low guitar lick. Other instruments include horns and a tambourine. The narrator used to be too busy to allow himself some leisure time. Now, as he kicks off his shoes and loosens his tie, he adopts a carpe-diem attitude. Seize the day; allow yourself "time for livin'"!
Six Man Band (2:12) - This song has a moderate tempo and catchy guitar licks. It was to the Association as "Creeque Alley" was to the Mamas and the Papas--an autobiographical song.