Love Speaks in 1963

Clockwise: Little Peggy March, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, and Barbara Lewis.

Tonight I turn back the clock, and picture myself sitting in front of the high fidelity record player in 1963. Yes, that was 51 years ago, and, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, "The times, they were a-changin'" Pop music had been something of an adult contemporary playground, with music aimed at adults. But since the late 1950s, music was more and more aimed at the kids, not the parents. And in these songs, you see songs aimed at the different audiences. My first song of the evening was first recorded in 1961, an instrumental recorded by French conductor Franck Pourcel. He had co-written "Chariot" with bandleader Paul Mauriat. Soon, lyrics were added to the song, adapted from a song with lyrics by Jacques Plante. Singer Petula Clark had a hit with Italian and French versions of the song. By 1963, Norman Gimbel translated the lyrics, and 15-year-old Little Peggy March recorded it. When it went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, she became the youngest female to top the chart. This is a video of Little Peggy March singing "I Will Follow Him", with augmented audio.

Next up, we have an artist who was only 19, but was already a household name. In 1960, Brenda Lee has a #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 with "I'm Sorry". In 1963, she released a song written by Jean Renard and Carl Sigman, "Losing You". The song is a lovely ballad, and the recording was produced by the great Owen Bradley, a driving force in Country music in the 1050s and 1960s. While Lee was a Pop star, she was recording in Nashville from the start, and soon shifted her music to a Country feel. And this song went to #2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, as well as #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is Brenda Lee singing "Losing You".

Our this song of the evening was written by the talented young woman who sang it. Barbara Lewis was just 20 years old when she released "Hello Stranger", a song that combined the smoothness and sexy nature of R&B, while maintaining some of the Pop feel the kids were looking for. The song spent two weeks atop the R&B chart, as well as making it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. I just love the song, but realize Lewis is best known for a song she released in 1965, "Baby, I'm Yours". To tell you the truth, I think I like this one better. I hope you enjoy Barbara Lewis singing "Hello Stranger".

You might say I've saved the best for last. Well, in this case, it was the song which inspired the post. You see, when I was trying to decide the theme of the night, I started looking at YouTube, and the songs of Patsy Cline. I quickly figured out this was a song I hadn't featured before, but that can no longer be said. "Leavin' On Your Mind" was written by Wayne Walker and Webb Pierce, and made famous in 1963 by Cline. And like Brenda's song, this one was produced by Owen Bradley. But it also had the distinct advantage of being sung by one of the greats at the time. I just love her voice on this song, so rich and so full. This is Patsy Cline singing "Leavin' On Your Mind".

Have a great weekend!

Mercerful Hearts • More Songs by Johnny Mercer

Clockwise: Brenda Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Doris Day, and Ella Fitzgerald.

As I enjoyed listening to Eva Cassidy's "Autumn Leaves" while writing this morning's post, I decided to take a look at other songs written by the great Johnny Mercer, an amazing lyricist. His catalog of songs are so expansive, I am constantly finding songs that just make me melt a little. As impressive as that list might be, the list of singers who have added his music to their repertoire is downright amazing. So I am more than pleased to have picked out a couple of songs performed by some brilliantly talented ladies. First up, I have picked "Summer Wind", written in 1965 with Henry Mayer. I decided to go with this sweet version of Brenda Lee, recorded for her 1966 album, 'Coming On Strong'. Lee's voice starts off so soft and easy, but we soon hear the power and depth of the voice on this great song. This is Brenda Lee singing "Summerwind".

I remain enchanted by the voice and style of the great Sarah Vaughan. The depth and breadth of her vocals never fail to amaze me, whether it is a studio album, or a live recording. Here Sarah is taking on "Dream (When You're Feeling Blue)", with words and music by Johnny Mercer. The song was written in 1943, and was instantly covered by some of the greats. I just love Sarah's live version of it, and I was lucky enough to find a version on YouTube. This is Sarah Vaughan singing "Dream (When You're Feeling Blue)", recorded for her live album, 'Live at Mister Kelly's', in 1957.

Whenever I hear the delicate phrasing and voice of Miss Doris Day, it instantly brings me back to my youth, watching her films on television with costar Rock Hudson, who was so gorgeous and fun, I would see their movies as often as I could. And I also remember hearing her music playing on the family stereo, especially during the Christmas season. Day was featured on so many of the collections in my Mother's holiday collection, it doesn't seem like the season without her. Day, She was such and iconic movie star, it is easy to forget she began her career as a big band singer, most notably with Les Brown & his Band of Renown. She also had a great solo career, churning out albums and hits for Columbia Records. For her 1956 album 'Day By Day', Doris recorded "I Remember You", a lush and romantic song with lyrics by Mercer and music by Victor Schertzinger. Please enjoy as Doris Day sings "I Remember You".

And, finally, it seems tough to offer any tribute to a great songwriter without including one song by the astounding Ella Fitzgerald. Her vocals was just a joy to listen to, no matter what or who she is singing. In 1947, Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke wrote an instrumental named "Midnight Sun". The song quickly became a Jazz classic, being played by the best bands out there. As the story goes, Johnny Mercer heard the song playing as he was driving home from the movie studios, and he instantly began mentally writing lyrics for the music, based on the setting sun over the Pacific Ocean. This was in 1954, seven years after Hampton & Burke wrote the music. It took almost no time for the vocalists to line up to sing the song. That list included Ella, who recorded the song for her 1957 album, 'Like Someone in Love'. This is Ella Fitzgerald singing "Midnight Sun".

Have a great weekend!

Country-fried Torch

Clockwise: Patsy Cline; Loretta Lynn; Skeeter Davis; and Kitty Wells.

Big Band singers certainly didn't have a corner on the Torch-song market. About five decades ago, the ladies of Country Music were singing what was weighing on their hearts, and it was often men. So I went back 50 years, and started with one of my personal favorites, the extraordinary Miss Patsy Cline. She began recording music in 1955, and was taken from us in March of 1963 in a terrible plane crash. But in between those dates, her amazing voice left us some of the most remarkable music, including the song written by Willie Nelson that took the world by storm, Crazy. In 1961, the song went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on the Billboard Country chart, and the same on the Adult Contemporary chart.



Much like Patsy Cline, Skeeter Davis was no stranger to both the Country and Pop charts. In the early part of 1963, her recording of The End Of The World, written by Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee, was everywhere. It was on the radio, and on the television. It was on several charts, making it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Country chart, #1 on the Easy Listening chart, and #4 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart. Here she is, singing on a television appearance.



Kitty Wells spent the 50s and 60s at the top of the charts, and gaining the name "The Queen Of Country Music." It was with songs like Searching (For Someone Like You) that went up the charts, securing her position as one of the most successful women in Country music. Here is the song, released in 1956.



Loretta Webb was almost 13 when she married her husband, Doolittle Lynn. Right away, she put her energy in her family. When she was in her 20s, her husband gave her a guitar for their anniversary. Soon, she taught herself how to play it, and was writing her own music, and playing it. By 1960, Loretta Lynn was being noticed by the music business, and was starting her recording career. In 1966, she released You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man), which she had written.



Hope you enjoyed the songs!

Billboard Top Holiday Songs - #2

To continue with the Christmas celebrations, here is Brenda Lee taking the #2 spot on the chart with Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree. She recorded and released the song in 1958. It was written by Johnny Marks, who also wrote Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer and the #1 song.

The Hits of 1960

Middle: Me with my father when I came home from the hospital. Bottom: the same day, with my Aunt Peg.

Well, I thought it was a clever idea to list the top pop songs of the year I was born, 1960. And before anyone hurts themselves doing the math, it is true, I celebrated by 50th today. That is, until I started doing the research. There seems to be some disagreement over what the Billboard songs were, as people compiled them in different ways - from the numbers of weeks spent at #1, to other, more arcane methods. This was the early days of the charts, so I have decided to let that go. Instead, I looked over the lists, and just decided to offer up the songs, as I really was a bit too young to tie them to any memories whatsoever.

Theme from A Summer Place by the Percy Faith & his Orchestra was an instrumental, and I have to say I do remember this one, for it played for years. It also set a record, being #1 for nine weeks, from February 22 to April 24.



The Everly Brothers had a hit on their guitars with Cathy's Clown, which held the top spot on the chart for 6 weeks, May 23 to June 26.



Elvis Presley was the king, and had three different songs hit #1 in 1960, including It's Now Or Never, which held it for 5 weeks, August 15 to September 18. I chose this song because I liked the video.



Women were not shut out, as Brenda Lee had a huge hit with I'm Sorry. Brenda, the little girl with the big voice, held the top spot for 4 weeks, July 18 to August 7.



And, finally, there was the new rock 'n roll movement, which included Chubby Checker singing about a dance craze, The Twist. Chubby was #1 for two weeks, September 19 to September 25. And who doesn't know how to do the twist.