“Eli’s Coming” #10 11/29/1969

As promised, another Laura Nyro tune, this time by Three Dog Night with Cory Wells doing lead vocals. Laura did the song first on her LP “Eli And The Thirteenth Confession.” I have no idea what that title means. Hey, whatever works. This uptempo track became a highlight of TDN’s stage shows.

“And When I Die” #2 11/29/1969

The third straight #2 single from Blood, Sweat & Tears was written in 1966 by a then 17-year-old Laura Nyro, who sold the tune to Peter, Paul and Mary. Amazing that someone who was a teenager at the time could write such semi-morbid lyrics. Laura had three songs this week in the Top 10 - this one, a former #1 (“Wedding Bell Blues”) earlier in the month from the 5th Dimension, and the song we’ll feature next.

“Come Together” #1 11/29/1969

When John Lennon met drug guru Timothy Leary, he agreed to work for Leary’s highly unusual run for governor of California against Ronald Reagan. The slogan was “Come together, join the party.” The campaign fizzled out, but John got a song from it. Lennon admitted the words were pure gobbledygook, but this Beatle track still made #1. Several years later, Lennon was taken to court for plagiarism by infamous music mogul/wiseguy Morris Levy, copyright owner of Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me.” Much legal wrangling ensued, some of which bordered on ridiculous. Aerosmith had a decent remake from the 1978 “Sgt. Pepper” movie.

“Something” #1 11/29/1969

Frank Sinatra said this was the greatest love song ever written. I can’t argue with that. It certainly proved George Harrison could be the equal of Lennon and McCartney, even if he lifted the first line from a James Taylor track. This is second to “Yesterday” as the most covered Beatles song ever. Harrison wasn’t sure his bandmates would record the tune; he even gave it to Joe Cocker before the “Abbey Road” sessions began. George said at various times it was either about his then-wife Pattie or the Hindu deity Krishna. John and Paul acknowledged its excellence, but once again John took a back seat in recording a Harrison song, only playing piano and no vocals. A Lennon song on the other side of the single also reached #1.

Two-Sided #1’s

In the 1950’s Billboard had three distinct pop music charts based on sales, a survey of radio airplay, and jukebox plays. They did away with jukebox totals in 1957 and combined sales and airplay on August 4, 1958, creating the Hot 100 chart. Each side of a single was then tracked separately, though. That probably hurt the Beatles more than anyone, since their 45’s would’ve done even better in America (imagine that!) if counted as one entry instead of two. Starting this week in 1969 Billboard went back to their old method of treating A- and B-sides as one. So the first act to benefit was...the Beatles. Neither “Something” or “Come Together” reached the top on their own. Together, it became Billboard’s first two-sided #1 single since Elvis did so with “Hard Headed Woman”/“Don’t Ask Me Why” in 1958.

“Because”

Another “Abbey Road” cut, featuring some of the most amazing vocal harmony ever caught on record. Yoko was sitting at a piano playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata; John asked her to play the chords in reverse order and based the song on that. John, Paul and George triple-tracked the vocals creating nine-part harmonies. Of course, Queen expanded on that idea with “Bohemian Rhapsody” but I digress. Harrison played the Moog synthesizer; George Martin contributed on harpsichord.

“Ramble On”

Here’s a track from one of the most influential records ever, Led Zeppelin’s second LP. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant based the song on passages from “The Hobbit.” The album was recorded haphazardly while Zep was touring heavily in early 1969, but is still regarded as one of the ultimate rock LP’s ever. I lost a lot of brain cells listening to that album over the years. Trust me.

“Roosevelt And Ira Lee (Night Of The Mossacin)” #44 11/22/1969

Once in a while I run into a dead end while researching this stuff, especially when the artist was a one-hit wonder. Mr. Google has virtually no info on this record, Tony Joe White’s followup to “Polk Salad Annie.” It was on his second LP, had a spoken intro, was very Southern, and just missed the Top 40. That album also contains his “Rainy Night In Georgia,” which became a huge hit for Brook Benton in 1970. BTW Tony Joe deliberately misspelled “moccasin” in the title.

“We Love You, Call Collect” #42 11/22/1969

Art Linkletter came from humble beginnings. He was abandoned at birth in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; his adoptive parents moved to San Diego when he was 5 and Art got into local radio there. He landed a gig in L.A. hosting “People Are Funny” where contestants won prizes for goofy stunts; it ran for 18 years on radio and TV. Linkletter turned down his friend Walt Disney’s offer to be an original investor in Disneyland, but he did make a ton of money on hula hoop knockoffs - its inventors didn’t secure a patent! His daughter Diane died at 20, jumping from a sixth floor window. Art claimed it was due to LSD, but toxicology said otherwise. He made this spoken word record on strained parent-child relationships before her passing.

“Reuben James” #26 11/22/1969

The 60’s were a time when songs became more daring in their lyrical content. This one from Kenny Rogers and the First Edition is no exception. According to co-writer Alex Harvey, he drew on personal experience from his childhood in west Tennessee. The song concerned a white child raised by a black man - touchy stuff back then. Harvey, who was Caucasian, grew up around many black people and incorporated that idea into a song.

“Smile A Little Smile For Me” #5 11/22/1969

The Flying Machine was a British group who became a one-hit wonder in the States with this Top 5 smash. They were formed from the remnants of Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours. What a name for a band, right? Despite being British, this didn’t chart in the UK. These guys had one other record that barely cracked our Top 100. We found another produced music video for this one.

“Take A Letter Maria” #2 11/22/1969

R.B. Greaves had interesting bloodlines. He was born on a U.S. Air Force base in Guyana and raised on a Seminole reservation, but most importantly he was a nephew of the great Sam Cooke. This Top 5 hit about a wife’s infidelity was a reflection of his musical genes. Recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

“She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye” #2 Country 11/15/1969

This week’s #2 country hit comes from the one and only Killer, the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis. After he torpedoed his rock and roll career by marrying his 13-year-old second cousin, Jerry Lee eventually resurfaced by singing country music. This was his seventh straight Top 10 country record. Pretty impressive comeback.

“Okie From Muskogee” #1 Country 11/15/1969

This week’s #1 country hit, arguably Merle Haggard’s signature song, just missed the pop Top 40 by January 1970. Merle said it started out as a joke of sorts, but became an anthem of the conservative movement. Hag wanted to acknowledge the Vietnam veterans who, instead of getting parades, were being ostracized when they came home. It touched a nerve with middle America, and still does even today.

“Wooden Ships” (Crosby, Stills and Nash)

One that actually shows up on two current albums this week in 1969. Written by David Crosby and Stephen Stills plus Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, it appeared on the debut CS&N album (we’ll feature their version here) and on “Volunteers.” The subject matter is a little disconcerting - survivors of the nuclear apocalypse onboard wooden ships in the ocean. The ships don’t go near shore and have no metal, so they wouldn’t be contaminated by fallout or radiation. Geez.

“Volunteers”

From the album of the same name by Jefferson Airplane. Marty Balin was awakened one morning by a truck from the charitable group Volunteers of America. So a song advocating near-anarchy was co-written by a guy living in a comfortable San Francisco mansion. Ooookay. This also got to #65 in a few weeks.

“Ballad Of Easy Rider”

From the soundtrack of the cult classic “Easy Rider,” there was some Hollywood-type drama around the title song. According to Wikipedia, Peter Fonda wanted Bob Dylan to write the tune but he declined; instead, he scribbled a few lines for Roger McGuinn of the Byrds to expand upon. Roger did so, but Dylan later asked that his co-writer credit be removed because he didn’t like how the song fit into the final scene of the movie. The single did reach #65 in a few weeks.

“Here Comes The Sun”

One of the greatest Beatle songs of them all is only the second-best George Harrison contribution to “Abbey Road.” He wrote it one morning in Eric Clapton’s garden after blowing off another business meeting guaranteed to degenerate into bickering about band finances. Harrison said he just didn’t want to deal with a bunch of dopey accountants yet again. This was recorded over two distinct time frames. John didn’t participate because he was recovering from a car accident during the first group of sessions, and George finished the song pretty much by himself during the second group. He and Paul did all the vocals; Harrison played the Moog parts. I could listen to this on an endless loop.

“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”

We’ll present some tracks from top albums this week in 1969, starting with “Abbey Road.” Recorded off and on over six months, this starts out mellow but turns into one of the hardest-edged tunes the Beatles ever did. The long, long instrumental riff at the end gets rather intense. Lennon pushed for the abrupt ending, telling the engineer to literally slice the tape in the middle of a passage. Paul’s bass part is outrageous. John contributed white noise from a Moog synthesizer.

“Any Way That You Want Me” #53 11/8/1969

Evie Sands absolutely had a snakebitten career. Her first record was stolen by an unscrupulous promoter who gave it to another artist. Her next release was the original of “I Can’t Let Go” which got lost in the shuffle of legal issues surrounding the previous single. The Hollies would have a huge UK hit with that one. Evie was the first to record “Angel Of The Morning” but her then-label was going broke and couldn’t promote the 45; Merrilee Rush would have the hit version. This would be one of her few Hot 100 appearances. What a run of bad luck. She deserved better.

“Time Machine” #48 11/8/1969

Grand Funk Railroad, from Flint, MI, was one of those bands the critics despised, but the public loved ‘em. Here’s their debut single, a little number about a guy using a time machine to impress girls. Guys will do anything to impress girls! Their name was a play on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. A good bluesy rockin’ tune, better than the lame cover for their first album.

“So Good Together” #36 11/8/1969

The fourth Top 40 record from Andy Kim. He was born in Montreal, the son of Lebanese immigrants. At 16 he quit school and moved to NYC to break into the music biz, even though at the time he couldn’t play an instrument. Andy connected with songwriter/producer Jeff Barry; they co-wrote the top single of 1969, “Sugar, Sugar.” Those guys also worked on some tunes for the last new Monkees album until 1987. I’m detecting a pattern of bubblegum music here.

“Ball Of Fire” #19 11/8/1969

Occasionally an act will put out a greatest hits album, but sneak in one or two songs that they hope will become hits. That happened with Tommy James and the Shondells and this previously unreleased track. This made the Top 20, so it all worked out. They would have just one more Top 40 effort, though.

“Going In Circles” #15 11/8/1969

The B-side of “Let Yourself Go” wound up doing far better for the Friends of Distinction, making the Top 5 on the soul charts and Top 20 on the pop side. Funny how that works sometimes. This was redone over the years by a number of folks, such as Isaac Hayes, the Gap Band and Luther Vandross.

“Is That All There Is?” #11 11/8/1969

Some records come out of nowhere and turn into hits. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, known for writing far more upbeat tunes (“Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Stand By Me” and so many others) wrote this very downbeat song. Peggy Lee, a 40’s and 50’s pop star without much success since “Fever” a decade earlier, recorded this after several others passed on it and scored a #1 easy listening hit.

“Wedding Bell Blues” #1 11/8/1969

You know you’ve arrived as a songwriter when a tune of yours becomes part of the cultural lexicon. That happened for Laura Nyro when she wrote the 5th Dimension’s second #1 hit. She composed the song in 1966 at the age of 18, very loosely basing it on a family friend’s mom. Marilyn McCoo does a very classy job on lead vocals.

“Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” (Ray Stevens) #81 11/1/1969

Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar, former Army captain and ex-offshore oil rig helicopter pilot who deep down wanted to write songs. So he chucked it all and moved to Nashville where at one point he was a janitor in a recording studio. Kris persuaded Roger Miller to record “Me And Bobby McGee” and got Ray Stevens to record this (BTW Ray turned down “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” to do this), months before Johnny Cash’s definitive version. Kris became one of Music City’s great songwriters and joined Cash, Waylon and Willie as one of the Highwaymen.

“Since I Met You Baby” #65 (#1 Country) 11/1/1969

From 1965-72, Sonny James had an incredible run on the country charts with 25 straight Top 5 singles including 21 #1’s. This remake of Ivory Joe Hunter’s 1956 R&B classic was a recent #1 country smash. Sonny had a big country and pop hit in ‘56 with his version of “Young Love.” He passed away in 2016 at the age of 87.

“Kool And The Gang” #59 11/1/1969

The self-titled first single from Kool and the Gang, a funky little instrumental. They began as a jazz group and gravitated into a whole mix of styles, but it took time before they achieved major fame with danceable tunes like “Hollywood Swinging” and “Jungle Boogie.” Their greatest success was in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

“Something In The Air” #37 11/1/1969

We give you the band Thunderclap Newman, named after their pianist. The drummer was formerly the Who’s chauffeur; Pete Townshend produced this single (a UK #1) and played bass here under an assumed name. The group’s guitarist was teenager Jimmy McCulloch, who was with Paul McCartney and Wings in the mid 70’s (i.e., the lead on “Junior’s Farm” - “Take me down, Jimmy”) before he died at 26 from heart failure. This tune is a standard on album rock radio.

“Jesus Is A Soul Man” #28 11/1/1969

One of those records with strong religious overtones that made the Top 40. Lawrence Reynolds came from St. Stephens, Alabama and had his one hit with a song pointing out Jesus is a “soul” man, as in saving souls and not the Sam and Dave definition. Many country artists (Hank Williams Jr., Conway Twitty and more) recorded this as well.

“Baby, It’s You” (Smith) #5 11/1/1969

A rarity in that Burt Bacharach didn’t write this with Hal David - he wrote it with Hal’s brother Mack David and Luther Dixon (a.k.a. Barney Williams). Originally done by the Shirelles in 1961 and remade by the Beatles for their first album, this version by the group called Smith was a little grittier. Gayle McCormick’s lead vocals are just smokin’. The band was discovered by Del Shannon.

“Suspicious Minds” #1 11/1/1969

The 18th and final Billboard pop #1 for Elvis, his first since 1962’s “Good Luck Charm.” It was written and first done by Mark James and completely bombed. The song was then given to Elvis, who recorded the tune at a January 1969 all-night session. The 45 has a false fade-out that frustrated radio DJ’s. The King’s regular producer, Felton Jarvis, added it after the fact. He felt slighted since Chips Moman was at the controls during the actual recording. Hey, it was Moman’s studio.