Friday, May 23, 2014

50 Years Ago This Weekend

MY GUY by MARY WELLS held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart for the second week in a row, holding THE BEATLES and their latest American Hit LOVE ME DO to the #2 position.  BITS AND PIECES by THE DAVE CLARK FIVE fell to #6 but PETER AND GORDON's version of A WORLD WITHOUT LOVE made another giant leap (from #30 to #10), cracking The Top Ten for the very first time.

Right behind it were LITTLE CHILDREN by BILLY J. KRAMER AND THE DAKOTAS (#11), DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET (#12) and P.S. I LOVE YOU (#15), both by THE BEATLES and another DAVE CLARK FIVE hit, DO YOU LOVE ME, at #18.  Other Top 40 British Hits this weekend included THE BEATLES' CAN'T BUY ME LOVE (#23) and DIANE by THE BACHELORS (#27).  A fifth BEATLES hit, TWIST AND SHOUT, just missed, coming in at #41 for the week.

Rounding out The Hot 100, we find GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY by THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS at #53, I KNEW IT ALL THE TIME (a third chart entry for THE DAVE CLARK FIVE) at #58, SUGAR AND SPICE by THE SEARCHERS at #62, NOT FADE AWAY by THE ROLLING STONES creeping up to #83, DON'T LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING (the first US chart hit for GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS), coming in at #87) and YESTERDAY'S GONE by CHAD STUART AND JEREMY CLYDE premiered at #92.  Another British act, THE OVERLANDERS, sat at #98 with their cover version of this same tune.




Here in Chicago, "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You" holds down the #1 Spot for the second week in a row on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey.  Chad and Jeremy's version of "Yesterday's Gone" climbs to #3, nearly 100 places ahead of its national position.  "Little Children" (now paired with "Bad To Me" as a two-sided hit) climbs to #9 for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas ... that's a twenty point leap from the week before.  Another Beatles two-sided hit, "Thank You Girl" / "Do You Want To Know A Secret", is at #11, The Dave Clark Five's version of "Do You Love Me" is at #17, The Rolling Stones take of the old Buddy Holly tune "Not Fade Away" sits at #19 and a remake of another old standard, "I Only Have Eyes For You", is perched at #25 by veteran British Rocker Cliff Richard.

Brand new on the chart is "A World Without Love" by Peter and Gordon, debuting at #28.  The Swingin' Blue Jeans round out the countdown at #35 with their version of "Good Golly Miss Molly".

On TV this weekend you could find The Beatles appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show (albeit on film this time.)  Now THIS would be interesting to see again ... The Beatles performed "You Can't Do That" in a scene from their brand new movie "A Hard Day's Night" ... a scene that was later cut from the final edit of the film.  Ed Sullivan also interviews The Fab Four in London on the set of "A Hard Day's Night" ... not footage you typically think of when one considers their Sullivan appearances.