"Haunted House" #11 9/26/1964

No, it's not THAT dude - although the KISS member took his stage name from Tupelo, Mississippi's own one-hit wonder Jumpin' Gene Simmons. He later wrote "Indian Outlaw" which was Tim McGraw's first hit on the country charts. This record has since become a staple of Halloween parties everywhere.

Jumpin' Gene Simmons - Haunted House

"Save It For Me" #10 9/26/1964

The real Jersey Boys score once again with the followup to "Rag Doll." You can't go wrong with a Four Seasons record.

Four Seasons - Save It For Me

"Remember (Walking In The Sand)" #5 9/26/1964

The Shangri-Las always seemed like an pre-Beatles early 60's girl group but this was their first hit. Their bad-girl image wasn't all record label hype, either. The version here has a slightly different, longer intro. Billy Joel claims to have played piano on this session but never got paid. Aerosmith had a pretty good remake of this song, from one of the best album titles ever - "Night In The Ruts."

Shangri-Las - Remember (Walking In The Sand)

"GTO" #4 9/26/1964

It wouldn't be 1964 without the random song about a hot rod. The Pontiac GTO was a rather badass car, actually. Vroom vroom.

Ronny and the Daytonas - GTO

"Oh, Pretty Woman" #1 9/26/1964

Enough of the TV themes. There were SO many iconic songs from 1964 alone, but this is at the top of my list. Ever. As in my all-time personal favorite 60's tune. I could put this record on an endless loop and never tire of it. Van Halen did an excellent remake in the 80's, but nothing tops Roy.

Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman

"The Man From U.N.C.L.E." Theme (Bonus)

Well...it was either this or "Daniel Boone" for our 1964 premieres TV theme today. David McCallum went on to appear in "NCIS" as Ducky. I think Robert Vaughn is still doing local TV ads for law firms around the country.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Theme (Bonus)

"Addams Family" Theme (Bonus)

I promise the hit tunes will return on Friday 9/26 when the 1964 Billboard charts were updated. Until then...the Addams Family started, when Uncle Fester farted...

Theme from "The Addams Family"

"Munsters" Theme (Bonus)

What were they smoking in the 60's that got TV shows like this greenlighted? Uhh, yeah...silly question. Ohhhh, Lily...

"The Munsters" Theme

"Flipper" Theme (Bonus)

On this week's 1964 Billboard rock charts, records were either falling (and we've already covered them) or still rising (and we'll get to them over the next few weeks). Except for "Bread And Butter" I don't see any record of importance that maxed out over the next few days. So let's head off to the Florida Keys and visit the world's smartest dolphin!

Theme From "Flipper"

"Bewitched" Theme (Bonus)

This and "Gilligan's Island" premiered within nine days of each other in September 1964. Another silly premise for a TV show, but it ran for seven seasons. So let's twinkle our noses and go visit Dr. Bombay. (I just like saying Dr. Bombay.)

Theme from "Bewitched"

"Gilligan's Island" Theme (2nd season) Bonus

Not a lot of new stuff this week on the Billboard charts, so let's go on a three-hour tour. A three-hour tour. 50 years ago this week one of the silliest TV shows of all time premiered. Only 98 episodes were made - it just seems like 10,000. Weird Al Yankovic wondered how the Professor could make a nuclear reactor out of coconuts, but couldn't build a boat to get them off the island. The theme was altered in the second season to include "the Professor and Mary Ann" in the lyrics.

Gilligan's Island - 2nd Season Show Open

"Bread And Butter" #2 9/19/1964

Sometimes the most nonsensical phrase would turn into a hit record. Enter the Newbeats, a rare rock act from Nashville. I remember this song from a TV ad for a bread company. It was kept from #1 by the Animals and then by Roy Orbison. Frankie Valli still did the falsetto better.

Newbeats - Bread And Butter

"When I Get Home" album cut

From the UK "A Hard Day's Night" soundtrack but it wasn't on the US version of said album - it first appeared over here on their "Something New" LP. Video clip is an odd collection of home movies of the Fab Four.

Beatles - When I Get Home

"I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" album cut

Another Fab Four album cut that appeared in the flood of product surrounding the movie "A Hard Day's Night." Video is from the flick, but the audio is synched from a BBC radio show called "From Us To You." George transposes a couple of lines in the performance - see if you can catch where. This was the US B-side of "I'll Cry Instead" which got to #25. "I'm Happy..." barely cracked the Hot 100 on its own.

Beatles - I'm Happy Just To Dance With You

"Things We Said Today" Album Cut 9/12/1964

The Beatles' UK and US album content radically differed up thru and including "Revolver." This song was on the UK "A Hard Day's Night" soundtrack; also on the US soundtrack, which had a much different track listing; and on the US "Something New" LP, which had no true British counterpart. "Something New" only had 11 tracks and a total running time of less than 25 minutes.

Beatles - Things We Said Today

"Maybe I Know" #14 9/12/1964

Lesley Gore was a high school junior when "It's My Party" (her first release) made it to #1 just over a year prior to this one. Clip is a slightly truncated version of today's song, from "Shindig" I believe, introduced by Jan & Dean.

Lesley Gore - Maybe I Know

"Clinging Vine" #17 9/12/1964

I admit I don't remember this one. And no, it's not about the ivy at Wrigley Field. It's very country sounding, actually. Bobby Vinton's next release was "Mr. Lonely."

Bobby Vinton - Clinging Vine

"In The Misty Moonlight" #19 9/12/1964

From the guy who brought you "Primrose Lane" in the late 50's, Jerry Wallace would have a modicum of success on the country side of Billboard in the 70's. Dean Martin re-did this one a few years later, and it reached #1 on the Easy Listening charts for Dino.

Jerry Wallace - In The Misty Moonlight

"Because" #3 9/12/1964

The Dave Clark Five's early US hits were all stompers, so this was a little outside the box for them as a single. It turned out quite well for them.

Dave Clark Five - Because

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)"

This isn't the day to talk about what the charts looked like on 9/11/1964. On 9/11/2001 I was preparing to fly the next day to the Quad Cities for a genealogy conference in Davenport, Iowa. Needless to say, that didn't happen. Alan Jackson released this a few weeks later, and I cried like a baby the first time I heard it. Nothing else to add.

Alan Jackson - Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)

"C'mon And Swim" #5 8/29/1964

The video is from the 1965 pilot for "Where The Action Is" - a mid-60's weekday afternoon music show hosted by Dick Clark. It ran immediately after "Dark Shadows" so I never missed it! Dig those crazy dancers and the swimsuits.

Bobby Freeman - C'mon And Swim

"You Never Can Tell" #14 9/5/1964

Chuck Berry had just gotten out of jail in 1964 for transporting a 14-year-old girl from Juarez, Mexico to St. Louis for...well, after all, I try to keep this blog G-rated.  He had a couple of hits in '64, then disappeared from the charts until the innuendo-laden "My Ding-A-Ling" in the early 70's. This one was featured in the dance scene with John Travolta and Uma Thurman in "Pulp Fiction" - video is from 1972 on German TV.

Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell

"How Do You Do It?" #9 9/5/1964

A song the Beatles recorded, but never released until their anthology box set in 1995. George Martin gave it to fellow Liverpool act Gerry and the Pacemakers, who took it to #1 in the UK in '63 and the Top 10 in the US in '64.

Gerry and the Pacemakers - How Do You Do It?

"House Of The Rising Sun" #1 9/5/1964

You can't begin to discuss 60's rock without bringing this into the mix. One of the most definitive hits from that decade ever recorded. I think the video is from a "Shindig" appearance.

Animals - House Of The Rising Sun

"Mixed-Up, Shook-Up Girl" #37 8/22/1964

This falls into the "lost oldie" one-hit wonder category. In the early days of rock and roll, almost every city had its own regional style, like New Orleans, Memphis, Detroit, etc. - the British Invasion helped to do away with that. Philadelphia-based artists like Chubby Checker, DeeDee Sharp, the Orlons, Bobby Rydell and others reflected that city's genre. Here's a last vestige of Philly-style music (Camden, NJ, actually).

Patty and the Emblems - Mixed-Up, Shook-Up Girl

"I'll Keep You Satisfied" #30 8/22/1964

Here's another one written by Lennon/McCartney and given to another group. This reached #4 in the UK but only got to #30 on this side of the pond - should've done better. Video is from British network ITV's "Thank Your Lucky Stars" where this episode features Liverpool acts, including Billy J. Kramer, Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers and some band calling themselves the Beatles. The intro shows the Fab Four getting out of a police car and running into the TV studio in Birmingham, UK. I'd like to find this entire show out on YouTube or some such.

Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas - I'll Keep You Satisfied

"Walk Don't Run '64" #8 8/22/1964

A surf-style arrangement of their 1960 hit of the same name, minus the '64 designation, of course. I think this is still the only time two different arrangements of the same song by the same artist each made the Top 10 on Billboard.

Ventures - Walk Don't Run '64

"C'mon And Swim" #5 8/29/1964

There were some goofy dances going on during the 60's. This was certainly one of them. Produced by a 20-year-old Sylvester Stewart (who became Sly of Sly and the Family Stone). And he wasn't the youngest to produce a hit record - Barry White was 19 in '63 when he produced the original version of "Harlem Shuffle" way before the Rolling Stones re-did it. Video is a compilation of 60's sitcoms where folks were doing the Swim.

Bobby Freeman - C'mon And Swim