"Make It Easy On Yourself" #16 12/4/1965

These guys were the British Invasion in reverse - Americans who had more success over there than here. They were the Walker Brothers, none of them named Walker and who weren't brothers. Jerry Butler had a hit with this Bacharach/David song in '62 (a not-yet-famous Dionne Warwick did the demo). A #1 record in the UK.

Walker Brothers - Make It Easy On Yourself

"May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" #15 12/4/1965

A phrase uttered by Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" became the subject of a #1 country and Top 20 pop record. It happened for Little Jimmy Dickens, who was 4'11" and came from near Beckley, WV, played a guitar bigger than he was, and who was believed to have introduced the rhinestone suit to country music.

Little Jimmy Dickens - May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose

"Run Baby Run" #12 12/4/1965

The last Top 40 record from the Newbeats, where three white singers from Nashville sounded like they were doing a Motown arrangement - and they pulled it off. Sadly, Larry Henley (the falsetto dude) passed away just over a year ago.

Newbeats - Run Baby Run

"Turn! Turn! Turn!" #1 12/4/1965

Adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Maybe King Solomon should've gotten a composing credit, as he was generally acknowledged to have written that biblical passage. Trivia: In recording "Mr. Tambourine Man" the Wrecking Crew did most all the music, the Byrds supplied the vocals, and it was completed in a couple of takes. The Byrds did the whole thing this time, and needed 78 takes.

Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!

"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" Album cut

The Beatles didn't just break the rules - they wrote new ones for everyone else to follow. The "Rubber Soul" LP, released 50 years ago today in Britain and three days later in America, was light years beyond anything else out there at the time. Plus, it was only three years removed from their "yeah, yeah, yeah" mop-top beginnings. Groundbreaking stuff.

Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

"Take Me" Bonus

A Top 10 country hit from the legendary George Jones that surprisingly wasn't all that twangy. George re-did this in the early 70's with his then-new wife Tammy Wynette and made the Top 10 all over again. Quite the accomplishment, because a great song always rises to the top.

George Jones - Take Me

"The Pied Piper" #87 11/27/1965

The hit version came along a few months later by Crispian St. Peter, but here's the original by the Changin' Times. Half of the duo, Artie Kornfeld, would become famous as the chief promoter of the Woodstock festival in 1969. He and Mama Cass Elliot attended American University in DC together.

The Changin' Times - The Pied Piper