So You Think You Know Rock and Roll?: An In-Depth Q&A Tour of the Revolutionary Decade 1965-1975
416
So You Think You Know Rock and Roll?: An In-Depth Q&A Tour of the Revolutionary Decade 1965-1975
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Overview
This book is presented in a question-and-answer format, but it is hardly a “trivia” book. It covers such diverse topics as censorship, chart phenomena, album covers, rock groupies, manufactured bands, one-hit wonders, rock festivals, supergroups, novelty songs, and the Beatles.
All of the major figures of the ‘60s and ‘70s are here: Cream, CCR, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Neil Young, the Eagles, the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, James Taylor, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, Lou Reed, Carly Simon, Laura Nyro, and many others.
Exhaustively researched, So You Think You Know Rock and Roll? is filled with “I never knew that!” moments on every page.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781510717688 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Skyhorse |
| Publication date: | 06/06/2017 |
| Sold by: | SIMON & SCHUSTER |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 416 |
| File size: | 5 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
On The Chart with a Bullet! Billboard Chart Phenomenons and Curiosities)
Since 1936, Billboard magazine has been advising us as to the popularity of American music. It is today, and always has been, the bible by which singles and albums have been officially ranked. Where rankings are concerned, this book will focus on two charts in particular, namely the Billboard Hot 100, which is a weekly listing of the 100 most popular singles in America, and the Billboard 200, which is a weekly listing of the 200 most popular albums in America. The Billboard Hot 100 has been in place since 1958. The first number-one song of the Hot 100 was "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson on August 4, 1958.
Billboard premiered a weekly Best-Selling Popular Albums chart in 1956. The first #1 album was "Belafonte" by Harry Belafonte. Beginning in 1959, Billboard split the ranking into two charts, Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs for stereo albums and Best-Selling Monophonic LPs for mono albums. In 1963, the stereo and mono charts were combined into a 150position chart called Top LPs. The albums chart was expanded to 200 positions on May 13, 1967.
Originally, the charts were based on sales and radio play, but in this day and age they also take into account digital downloads and streaming activity. Of course, from 1965 to 1975, that was not a concern.
One of the things that makes rock and roll analysis fun, especially for those who enjoy statistics, is the ability to chart the performance of our favorite singles and albums. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Billboard charts contain many surprises and anomalies, and this chapter examines the performance of some of our favorite songs, albums and artists.
This song peaked at #2 in 1965. It was the only song of the Decade to be the Billboard #1 Record of the Year that year despite never hitting #1 on the weekly charts. (In fact, it remained the only one for 35 years until Faith Hill's "Breathe" and Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" in 2000 and 2001 respectively.) It did however have staying power: it lingered on the Hot 100 for 18 weeks, the most weeks for any single within the calendar year 1965, 14 of which were in the top 40. The lead singer of the group was Domingo Samudio. His appearance on stage and the name of his band was inspired by a character played by Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments. What is the song and what was the name of the band?
"Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Brynner played Pharaoh Ramses II.
The following year, the same group had another #2 hit. However, due to contractual disputes, the only member remaining from the band's lineup the year before was Sam the Sham himself. What song was that?
"Little Red Riding Hood."
This artist is the only person who has had a #1 song (either solo or not) on a Billboard chart (the Hot 100, Adult Contemporary or Hot Dance Club Songs) in six consecutive decades. Who is it?
Cher. In the 1960s, it was "I Got You Babe" (with Sonny) (Hot 100), in the 1970s, it was "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," "Half Breed," and "Dark Lady" (all Hot 100), in the 1980s, it was "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "After All" (Adult Contemporary), in the 1990s, it was "Believe" (Hot 100), in the 2000s, it was "Song for the Lonely" (among others) (Dance Chart), and in the current decade, it was "Woman's World" (among others) (also Dance Chart). As to the Dance Chart, unless one is an expert, who knew that Yoko Ono — going by the name Ono — has had 13(!) #1 songs on that chart just since 2003?
This artist is the only person who has had a #1 album on the Billboard Hot 100 in six consecutive decades. Who is it?
Barbra Streisand. They include People (1964), The Way We Were (1974), Guilty (1980), Higher Ground (1997), Love Is the Answer (2009) and Partners (2014).
There have been a number of occasions where different songs with the same titles have reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (not remakes, but actually different songs). However, there is only one such title which reached #1 twice during the Decade. One was by Petula Clark in 1966 and one was by Paul McCartney and Wings in 1973. As a hint, the same title reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983 for Lionel Richie (and #1 on the adult contemporary chart) and #1 again in 2006 with Justin Timberlake. What is the title that reached the top of the charts for four different artists?
"My Love."
This artist had an unusual divergence between album chart success — which was tremendous — and singles chart success — which was (relatively) mediocre in comparison. In the Decade alone, he released 13 albums, one of which was live. Of those, every one was top 20, 11 of them were top 10, seven of them were top five and two hit #1. Adding the first three albums released after the Decade brings the total to 16 albums, all top 20, and of those, there were 13 top 10s, eight top fives and three #1s. For all that fantastic chart success, one would think that there would be a correspondingly high number of singles represented on the chart, but that is not the case. There were "only" four top 10 songs, two of which reached #2 and two of which reached #7. That was it. In addition, the last 13 of the 16 albums referenced above, despite their success on the album chart, yielded only one top 10 song in total, and that hit #7. Who was the artist?
Bob Dylan. His only top 10 singles in the Decade were "Like a Rolling Stone" (#2 in 1965), "Positively 4th Street" (#7 in 1965), "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" (#2 in 1966) and "Lay Lady Lay" (#7 in 1969).
Even though Dylan had no #1 singles of his own compositions, his songs have been covered so many times by so many artists that one would think that multiple covers of his songs have hit #1. It has happened, but only once. What is the only cover of a Dylan song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100? As a hint, both the original and the cover were released in 1965.
"Mr. Tambourine Man" was #1 for the Byrds. Their version of the song was released just a few weeks after Dylan's original. This is one of three songs to appear twice on the 2004 Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Songs (Dylan's version at #107, the Byrds' version at #79). The others are "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins (1956 original at #95) and Elvis Presley (1956 cover at #430) and "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith (1975 original at #346) and Run-DMC (1986 cover at #293).
True or false: Elvis Presley had no #1 singles in the U.S. during the Decade.
False. In 1969, "Suspicious Minds" reached #1.
Elvis had only three other top 10 songs during the Decade (as opposed to 31 in the previous decade, 13 of which reached #1). What were they?
"Crying in the Chapel" reached #3 in 1965, "In the Ghetto" reached #8 in 1969, and "The Wonder of You" reached #9 in 1970. "Crying in the Chapel" and "The Wonder of You" both reached #1 in the U.K.
Lists of best-selling artists, albums and singles can be notoriously inconsistent since they are of course dependent on the methodology of the surveys and compilation of the statistics. Sources include Billboard, the Recording Industry Association of America, Nielsen SoundScan and others. Nevertheless, virtually all sources agree that of the best-selling albums of all time by a female, only one of them was released during the Decade. Which album, and who was the artist?
Tapestry by Carole King, released in 1971. Remarkably, this album was put together in just five three-hour sessions in January 1971 and, just as remarkably, when it was recorded, King (real name Carol Klein) had never before performed live. It was recorded at A&M Studio B at the same time that the Carpenters were recording their eponymous third album in Studio A and Joni Mitchell was recording Blue in Studio C, all three studios located in a building on Hollywood Boulevard that was once the home of Charlie Chaplin Studios.
By 1973, it was the best-selling album of all time, overtaking The Sound of Music, which was released in 1965. It is generally agreed that the album has sold over 10 million copies and several sources claim that the album has sold over 25 million copies. In 2003, Tapestry was ranked #36 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album consists of one classic track after another including "I Feel the Earth Move," "So Far Away," "It's Too Late," "You've Got a Friend," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Today, it seems almost impossible to imagine that a record could be recorded in less than two working days by a person who no one had ever seen perform live, and then have it become one of the best-selling records ever.
The list of songs written or cowritten by Carole King (many with her first husband Gerry Goffin) which were hits for other artists is astonishing. A small sampling: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by the Shirelles (which she wrote when she was only 18 and which is the first song in history by an all-female group to reach #1), "Take Good Care of My Baby" (Bobby Vee), "Some Kind of Wonderful" (The Drifters), "The Loco-Motion" by Little Eva (who was King's babysitter), "Crying in the Rain" (the Everly Brothers), "Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence), "Chains" (The Beatles), "One Fine Day" by the Chiffons, "Up on the Roof" (The Drifters), "I'm Into Something Good" (Herman's Hermits), and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (The Monkees).
There has only been one song in history by a British artist to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and in fact it stayed there for five weeks) and yet not chart at all in the U.K. As hints, it was released in 1967 and the singer was female. What is the song and who was the artist?
"To Sir With Love" by Lulu (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie). The song is the theme from the movie of the same name starring Sidney Poitier. The song, with lyrics by Don Black and music by Mark London, was the Billboard Year-End Top Single for 1967.
Lulu also performed the theme song to a James Bond movie released during the Decade. Which one? As a hint, it starred Roger Moore as James Bond.
"The Man with the Golden Gun."
This song, released in 1967, is kind of the reverse of "To Sir With Love." It did not crack the top 100 in the U.S. but hit #1 in the U.K. The singer was the oldest singer to have a #1 song in the U.S., when he hit the top spot three years earlier when he was 62 years old. Despite its lack of chart success in the U.S. when released, the song has since become a classic in this country. What is the song and who is the singer? For extra credit, what was his #1 song in the U.S.?
"Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. His earlier #1 was "Hello Dolly."
Six singles released during the Decade sold over ten million copies worldwide. Of those six, one is by Roger Whittaker and another is by a Scottish band called Middle of the Road. The songs were both released in 1971 although the Whittaker song didn't become a hit until 1975. The Middle of the Road song was #1 or #2 in many countries around the world, but barely made a dent in the U.S. It is about as bubblegum as they come and is sometimes played on oldies stations today. What are the titles of the two songs?
The Roger Whittaker song was "The Last Farewell," and the Middle of the Road song was "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep."
There were three singles in the Decade that were #1 for more than six consecutive weeks. One was by the Beatles, one was by Marvin Gaye (both released in 1968) and one was by the Monkees (released in 1966). Two of them held the top spot for seven weeks and for one nine weeks. What are the three songs and which one was the nine-week song?
"Hey Jude" by the Beatles (nine weeks), "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye and "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees (seven weeks each). "Hey Jude" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" are separated by only one song at the end of 1968, namely "Love Child" by Diana Ross and the Supremes, which held the top spot for two weeks.
Peter, Paul and Mary had only one #1 song and it was during the Decade. What was it?
"Leaving On a Jet Plane," written by John Denver.
How many top 10 songs in the U.S. did Crosby, Stills & Nash or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have during the Decade?
Surprisingly, none, especially considering that Déjà Vu was a #1 album that sold seven million copies in the U.S. alone. One of the ironies of that album is that, despite the tight-knit harmonies, relationships among the band members were anything but tight, even though this was the first studio album they made together and the only one they made during the Decade. While Crosby, Stills and Nash sang their trademark harmony vocals on most of the tracks, Neil Young sang only on his two compositions, "Helpless" and "Country Girl." As for playing the instruments, on most of the tracks the principal songwriter used his bandmates only on an as-needed basis. For example, Stephen Stills played most of the instruments himself on his song "Carry On" (including electric and acoustic guitar, organ, bass and percussion), with the only exception being percussion added by Graham Nash. David Crosby played on only five of the tracks, as did Young. David Browne wrote: "Déjà Vu was a sonically enveloping and powerful illusion, but it was an illusion nonetheless. The group hug of Crosby, Stills & Nash was replaced by the sound of four men each in his own space."
There is only one song on Déjà Vu on which all four band members played instruments (and all but Young sang). As a hint, it is a classic song and the only one of the nine songs on the album which one of the band members did not write (which perhaps explains why there was greater collaboration on the song).
"Woodstock" by Joni Mitchell.
There has been only one time when an artist has reached #1 with a song and then reached the top 10 again with a completely reworked version of the same song. The first version, released in 1962, was an uptempo pop song. The second version, released in 1975, was a slow ballad with a very different arrangement. Who is the artist and what is the song?
The artist is Neil Sedaka and the song is "Breaking Up is Hard to Do." Howard Greenfield wrote the lyrics.
Sedaka also had two #1 songs in 1975. One was "Laughter in the Rain," which held the top spot for one week. The other was his most successful song, holding the top for three weeks. Although the lyrics were written by his sometime collaborator Philip Cody, the subject matter of this song was very atypical for a Sedaka song. The narrator is commiserating with a friend who got dumped by a woman who is referred as "the bitch." What is the song?
"Bad Blood." To watch Sedaka perform the song live presents an odd juxtaposition between what he is singing about and his ebullient mood. Perhaps he is thinking about the money he has made from the song as opposed to his jilted friend.
Who was the uncredited backup singer on "Bad Blood"?
Elton John.
There is only one group in history who had #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 before, during and after the time span covering the "Beatles era" of 1963–1970. It is an American group, whose #1 songs were in 1962 (two), 1963 (one), 1964 (one) and 1975 (one). Who is it?
The Four Seasons. Their #1 songs were "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Rag Doll," and "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)." The Four Seasons released a number of singles on the Philips label from 1964–1970. Some of these were hits such as "Let's Hang On!" and "Working My Way Back to You." However, based on the record labels on their singles, they were actually billed as "The Four Seasons Featuring the 'Sound' of Franki Valli."
True or false: Franki Valli never had a solo #1 song.
False, but with an asterisk. He had one. "My Eyes Adored You" hit #1 in March 1975. However, though billed as a Franki Valli release, his Four Seasons bandmates sang on it with him. In this respect, it was really no different from other many other Four Seasons records. However, it is still considered a Franki Valli song.
There is a reference in "My Eyes Adored You" to a place in New Jersey. What is it?
There are actually two, although one does not technically exist by the name given to it in the song. Valli sings about "Barnegat Bridge and Bay." There is of course a Barnegat Bay. There are also three bridges which span the bay from the mainland to the peninsula, although none of them are called Barnegat Bridge.
This man had an incredible 96 songs in The Billboard Hot 100, some before the Decade but most during. This is more than any solo artist other than Elvis Presley (Lil Wayne also has more if one counts singles on which he is a "featured artist") and he certainly had the most songs in the Hot 100 during the Decade. Yet, despite this success, he never had a #1 song. Who is he?
James Brown.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "So You Think You Know Rock and Roll?"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Peter E. Meltzer.
Excerpted by permission of Skyhorse Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 On The Chart With A Bullet! (Billboard Chart Phenomenons And Curiosities) 12
Chapter 2 What's The Story Behind That Song? (Derivations Of Songs) 35
Chapter 3 The Fab Four (Or The Fab 1+1+1+1): Beatles And Ex-Beatles 43
Chapter 4 Only The Good Die Young (Premature Deaths) 73
Chapter 5 We're Having A Party (Rock Festivals and Benefit Concerts) 81
Chapter 6 I'm With The Band (Groupies) 100
Chapter 7 That's Not A Real Band! (Manufactured Or Fictitious Bands) 103
Chapter 8 A Poll Not Worth Winning (Worst Songs) 110
Chapter 9 Name That Act (Specific Artists) 117
Chapter 10 Name That Tune (Specific Songs) 136
Chapter 11 Odds And Ends (Or As The Who Would Say, Odds and Sods) 148
Chapter 12 We Write The Songs That Make The Whole World Sing (Songwriters) 176
Chapter 13 It's Not Just A Man's World (Female Groups, Composers and Singers) 191
Chapter 14 Commonality: Songs Or Bands that have Something in Common 202
Chapter 15 "The Sireak" And Other Clashes (Novelty Songs) 214
Chapter 16 Politicians Honoring The Music (State Songs-Rock, Official, Unofficial and Otherwise) 217
Chapter 17 That's a Catchy Jingle! (Television Commercials That Became Music Hits-and Vice Versa) 222
Chapter 18 Don't Judge an Album by its Cover (Album Covers) 226
Chapter 19 Winner Winner! (Awards and Honors) 234
Chapter 20 One is Better than None (One-Hit Wonders) 242
Chapter 21 The Wizards Behind the Glass (Producers and Engineers) 250
Chapter 22 I Read the News Today, Oh Boy (Songs about Historical Events) 260
Chapter 23 Talented Malcontents Joining Together (Supergroups) 264
Chapter 24 I'm Not Just A Pop Star! (Crossover Songs) 268
Chapter 25 Wash Your Mouth With Soap! (Censorship and Swear Words) 271
Chapter 26 Hear Me but Don't Sec Me (Studio Musicians-and Singers) 276
Chapter 27 Glory Be to God (Gospel Music and Religion-Themed Songs) 285
Chapter 28 We Should Be More Famous! (Influential but Unknown) 290
Chapter 29 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Instrumental and Unusual Instruments) 293
Chapter 30 All Kinds Of Names (Band Names, Brand Names, Girls' Names, Singers' Names. Etc.) 303
Chapter 31 Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery (Not by Who You Think) 320
Chapter 32 Fan with Numeracy (Numbers in Song Titles or Band Names) 324
Chapter 33 Who Needs Bandmates? (One-Man Bauds) 329
Chapter 34 Being Concise (One-Word #1s) 333
Chapter 35 Let's Be Specific (Words, Phrases, and Titles) 336
Chapter 36 Subjects You Hated hi School (Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling) 348
Chapter 37 Thou Shalt Not Steal (Theft or "Borrowing" from Other Songs) 356
Chapter 38 No Truth in Advertising (Title of Song not Appearing in the Song Itself) 362
Chapter 39 A Thanksgiving Tradition 368
Chapter 40 Accidental Hit Songs (Famous B-Sides) 371
Endnotes 376
Index 413