"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" #13 9/25/1965

Lots of angst in this record from the Animals. Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also wrote several big hits for the Righteous Brothers among others. It was said to be the all-time #1 request on Armed Forces radio by soldiers during the Vietnam War. I think this is right at the top of Eric Burdon's vocal range.

Animals - We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

"Laugh At Me" #10 9/25/1965

The only Top 10 solo effort for Sonny Bono. He figured Cher used one name on their records, so he would try it, too. Trivia: With "I Got You Babe" Sonny remains the only member of Congress to have a #1 record. He encountered red tape opening a restaurant in Palm Springs, so he ran for mayor and won, then served in the US House of Representatives until his passing. Video is from the German "Beat Club" TV show.

Sonny - Laugh At Me

"Heart Full Of Soul" #9 9/25/1965

The second single from the Yardbirds featured their influential lead guitarist Jeff Beck. There's a widely available video with his replacement, Jimmy Page, miming Jeff's solo, but I went with a B&W clip showing Mr. Beck instead. Written by future 10cc member Graham Gouldman.

Yardbirds - Heart Full Of Soul

"Catch Us If You Can" #4 9/25/1965

I previously mentioned in this space that some British Invasion acts flamed out rather quickly. The Dave Clark Five was not one of those. They kept having hits in the US up into '67 and stayed on the UK charts into the early 70's.

Dave Clark Five - Catch Us If You Can

"You Were On My Mind" #3 9/25/1965

A Top 5 record from We Five, written by Sylvia Tyson of Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia. The group's next single, which was covered with greater success in a few years, would just sneak into the Top 40. Pretty sure today's video is from "Hollywood A Go-Go."

We Five - You Were On My Mind

"Eve Of Destruction" #1 9/25/1965

One of the all-time one-hit wonders, this was a very controversial record and perhaps divisive. In other words, it pissed people off. Barry McGuire started out with the New Christy Minstrels - later members included Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes and actress Karen Black. A later release of his involved the future Mamas and Papas. These days he's a Christian music performer.

Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction

"Colours" #61 9/18/1965

The second single from Donovan, while becoming a Top 5 record in the UK, didn't fare nearly as well over here. He wouldn't score a Top 10 in America until '66.

Donovan - Colours

"My Girl Sloopy" #50 9/18/1965

This song, with a slightly altered arrangement and title and different performers, would soon be #1, but that's another convoluted story. We have a two-fer; the '65 version by Canadian act Little Caesar and the Consuls, and the original from '64 by the Vibrations, who were once the Marathons ("Peanut Butter") and before that were the Jay Hawks (not the indie band) who did "Stranded In The Jungle" first. This qualifies as a hot mess.

Little Caesar and the Consuls - My Girl Sloopy

Vibrations - My Girl Sloopy

"It's Going To Take A Miracle" #41 9/18/1965

This one was meant for Little Anthony and the Imperials, but they were in a dispute with their label and management over royalties. Therefore, this song was given to a girl group from Baltimore (the same area of town where the riots recently took place) and became their one hit. Deniece Williams had a decent remake in the 80's as well.

Royalettes - It's Going To Take A Miracle

"You've Been In Love Too Long" #36 9/18/1965

The follow-up to "Nowhere To Run" from Martha and the Vandellas likely would've done better if radio stations had figured out which side of the 45 to play. The other side, "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" only got to #70, but it was enough to impact the success of the record.

Martha and the Vandellas - You've Been In Love Too Long

"Who'll Be The Next In Line" #34 9/18/1965

A forgotten oldie from the Kinks, and one you really don't hear much on the radio any more. But then, radio plays the same 200 or so oldies over and over. Playing it safe, they say. Can't take risks to alleviate the boring format. Maybe that's why I don't program a station.

Kinks - Who'll Be The Next In Line

"Action" #13 9/18/1965

Dick Clark revived the "American Bandstand" weekday afternoon concept of a rock music show in '65, calling it "Where The Action Is" and filming acts all over the country, usually on the beach at Malibu and at Big Bear ski lodge in Southern California. This was the show theme, performed by Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon. I never missed it - or "Dark Shadows" either!

Freddy Cannon - Action (from "Where The Action Is")

"It Ain't Me Babe" #8 9/18/1965

The first album from the Turtles contained three Bob Dylan songs, of which this was one. Johnny Cash recorded this as well. After the band broke up, the front men, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, provided backing vocals on "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" in the 70's for T. Rex. Video is from "Shindig."

Turtles - It Ain't Me Babe

"You're Going To Lose That Girl" Album cut

Also from the "Help!" soundtrack, this one showed how Beatles songs were evolving way beyond the "yeah, yeah, yeah" stuff from the early days. The structure and complexity of their material was becoming more evident. Turned out we hadn't seen or heard anything yet.

Beatles - You're Going To Lose That Girl

"Another Girl" Album cut

From the "Help!" soundtrack, this is another tune where Paul played lead guitar plus his bass part and lead vocals. Apparently, he never performed it live until a few months ago at the famous Budokan hall in Tokyo.

Beatles - Another Girl

"Get Smart" TV Theme

The pitch meeting: Inept secret agent saves the world every week. It's been said this was James Bond meets Mel Brooks. Mel co-created the show with Buck Henry. Wonder if Maxwell Smart's shoe phone was the original SMART PHONE...*snicker*

Theme - Get Smart

"I Dream Of Jeannie" TV theme

The pitch meeting: Marooned astronaut finds blonde 2,000 year old genie. Makes you wonder what they were smoking in the 60's...oh, yeah, they WERE smoking wacky stuff. This version from the second season forward was composed by Hugo Montenegro, who scored those Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns.

Theme - I Dream Of Jeannie

"Hogan's Heroes" TV theme

The pitch meeting: Allied POW's outsmart bumbling Nazis in a WWII prison camp. I was 9 when this premiered, and even then I knew it was a stupid plot for a TV show. Still, it lasted for six seasons, longer than America was in the war. Go figure.

Theme - Hogan's Heroes

"Green Acres" TV theme

Remember when TV seasons began the same week every September and had actual show themes? We'll look at '65 sitcom debuts with some of the most ridiculous premises ever. Today's pitch meeting: Socialite couple moves to a farm with goofy neighbors, including Arnold the pig.

Theme - "Green Acres"

"Is It Really Over?" #79 (#1 country) 9/11/1965

Gentleman Jim Reeves had eleven #1 country tunes, of which six of those were posthumous, including this. His estate and his label, RCA, kept releasing stuff from the vault into the early 80's. One of the first electronically created duets on record featured Jim along with Patsy Cline.

Jim Reeves - Is It Really Over?

"Houston" #21 9/11/1965

Today's selection was written for Dean Martin by Lee Hazlewood, who would soon collaborate with Nancy Sinatra on her hits. Video is from Dino's TV variety show, which was a rather loosey-goosey operation. Dean plays air harmonica on this one.

Dean Martin - Houston

"Sugar Dumpling" #32 9/4/1965

This was the last posthumous hit for the great Sam Cooke. A single several years later would only reach #97. His legacy in American popular music cannot be overstated.

Sam Cooke - Sugar Dumpling

"In The Midnight Hour" #21 9/4/1965

I was quite surprised to find out the first big record from "Wicked" Wilson Pickett just missed the Top 20, being that it's so identified with him. This was a #1 in R&B, though. He worked for Atlantic, but oddly, his first few hits were recorded at the competing Stax Records studio in Memphis.

Wilson Pickett - In The Midnight Hour

"The Tracks Of My Tears" #16 9/4/1965

A #2 R&B and Top 20 pop tune for the Miracles, co-written by front man Smokey Robinson. One of those rare instances where a couple of the remakes were virtually on par with the original, with big hits by Johnny Rivers in '67 and Linda Ronstadt in '75. Nothing beats Smokey, though.

Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears

"Nothing But Heartaches" #11 9/4/1965

The last five Supremes singles all reached #1, but this one just missed the Top 10. Its relative lack of success caused Motown to somewhat alter their practice of acts putting out records that sounded so much like their previous releases. Motown canceled the group's next planned single as a result.

Supremes - Nothing But Heartaches

"Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" #8 9/4/1965

The Godfather Of Soul. The Hardest Working Man In Show Business. Soul Brother #1. There was nobody - NOBODY - more electrifying on stage than James Brown. That is all.

James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag

"Like A Rolling Stone" #2 9/4/1965

Hey, I was 9 when Bob Dylan entered our national consciousness, so at the time I didn't understand the whole social and political thing with him. It's only been in the last five or six years that I could truly appreciate what he did. His label (Columbia) didn't want to release this as a single, as it ran well over six minutes. Dylan was adamant about not editing the song. Looks like things worked out.

Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone

"Help!" #1 9/4/1965

The title track to the Beatles' second movie, which pioneered the styles for every music video made since. The flick was filmed through a haze of pot by all accounts - no matter. It's still fabulous. Today's video is from an appearance on English TV about the time the movie premiered.

Beatles - Help!

"Ju Ju Hand" #26 8/28/1965

The follow-up to "Wooly Bully" sounds quite a bit like the previous record. For that reason, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs kinda got trapped in the novelty genre, since everything they did since then wound up having to be sorta goofy. They would have one more huge hit in them from 1966.

Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs - Ju Ju Hand

"Since I Lost My Baby" #17 8/28/1965

More smooth Motown music from the Temptations, co-written and produced by Smokey Robinson. I could easily hear Smokey and the Miracles doing this one. Outstanding R&B from the Motor City.

Temptations - Since I Lost My Baby

"Down In The Boondocks" #9 8/28/1965

The first Top 10 hit for Billy Joe Royal. He came out of the same Georgia music scene that produced Tommy Roe, Ray Stevens, the Classics IV and eventually the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Billy Joe succeeded in country music in the 80's, even though his first big hit in that genre, "Burned Like A Rocket," has the misfortune of making its chart run during the Challenger space shuttle disaster.

Billy Joe Royal - Down In The Boondocks