“(Sweet, Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone” #5 3/30/1968

A double-sided hit single for Aretha Franklin, the A-side here was very much done in the same manner as her previous few singles. Like before, a slew of Muscle Shoals’ best musicians were brought to NYC to work with Lady Soul, the Sweet Inspirations and the fine folks from Atlantic Records. Definitely a winning formula.

“Valleri” #3 3/30/1968

The last Top 10 single for the Monkees. Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote the basics of the song on the way to Don Kirshner’s house; he’d told them to quickly come up with a tune containing a girl’s name for the TV show. Mike Nesmith HATED the record, though. There were two versions - the first was used on the show a year earlier and the second, with horns and a little different arrangement, became the hit. Louie Shelton (who also did the intro on “Last Train To Clarksville”) played the flamenco-style guitar on both versions. A Wrecking Crew effort all the way.

“Blue Velvet” #1 9/21/1963

Originally a 1951 mid-range hit for Tony Bennett and recorded by dozens of others (I dig the Clovers re-do from ‘55), the definitive version belonged to Bobby Vinton and reached the top in the fall of 1963. Bobby scored earlier in the year with “Blue On Blue” and was persuaded to do a whole album of “Blue”-themed songs. Yet at the time, he treated this as a throwaway and knocked it out in two takes.

The next #1 was “Sugar Shack” which brings us full circle, as I began this blog in August 2014 with a look at songs from late 1963 around the time of the Kennedy assassination. Thanks for indulging my occasional inclusions of pre-Beatles #1 records! Fear not. We return to 1968 tomorrow.

“My Boyfriend’s Back” #1 8/31/1963

From Labor Day weekend of 1963, a #1 for the Angels and one of the last major girl group hits. Written and produced by the team of Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer, also responsible for “I Want Candy” and “Hang On Sloopy.” Bob Feldman came up with the idea after witnessing an argument one night between a girl and a tough guy. She actually stated her boyfriend was coming back and this dude would be sorry he was ever born. The Angels were touring partners (and, uhhh, more) of the Four Seasons as noted in “Jersey Boys.”

“Suddenly You Love Me” #44 3/23/1968

The final US chart appearance for the Tremeloes, though like many British Invasion acts, they would continue to score hits back home for several more years, Definitely a weird video here, as they goof around Monkees-style at the bottom of a ski jump and purposely don’t pay much attention to the lip syncing.

“A Question Of Temperature” #37 3/23/1968

A trippy little record from the band Balloon Farm, included in the “Nuggets” box set of psychedelia. That set has a few clunkers, but definitely an eye-opening excursion into that genre. One group member was Mike Appel, later Bruce Springsteen’s manager and producer until a messy lawsuit after the “Born To Run” album.

“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” (Madeline Bell) #26 3/23/1968

One that was a much bigger hit for the Supremes/Temptations combo later in the year, originally done by Dionne Warwick’s sister Dee Dee in 1966. Here’s a very cool version by Madeline Bell, a backup singer on records by Dusty Springfield, Donna Summer, and the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Co-written by Kenny Gamble and Jerry Ross. Video is from Germany’s “Beat Club.”