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Home  Blog Secrets of the 60s
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Secrets of the 60s |
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Written by Tricia Johnson
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NO 1960s singsong takes place without a heated ‘who,’ ‘where,’ ‘when’ or ‘did you know?’ discussion taking place about the songs, the singers or the times.
Everyone half-remembers facts or urban legends from this iconic musical era and although today’s young music fans were scarcely a twinkle in their parents’ eyes, their interest has been sparked by the numerous covers and re-makes which have made the charts since then and kept the era alive.
So what about a bit of pop trivia to drop into the next conversation:
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, who were childhood friends and schoolmates, once appeared in a production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ with Paul as the White Rabbit and Art as the Cheshire Cat. They subsequently appeared on American Bandstand in 1957 as Tom and Jerry.
Paul Simon, who lived in England at the time, wrote ‘Homeward Bound’ while stranded overnight on a platform at a station in Widnes, Cheshire. Oldham station has also staked a claim to the song, but this has never been proved.
One of their most bizarre tributes came when an asteroid, numbered 91287, was named Simon-Garfunkel.
Tom Jones – who is still performing successfully at the age of 68 -- almost failed to make it at all as the-then ‘establishment’ considered him far too sexy.
Tom sang in his school choir -- where he was reprimanded for drowning the other children out -- and worked as a labourer and door-to-door vacuum salesman when he left school. In his teens, he played local gigs with several bands and became known for his leather-clad, hip-swivelling antics.
Despite encouragement from DJ Jimmy Savile, his first few singles flopped and even when ‘It’s Not Unusual’ was released, the BBC still refused to play it. Happily for posterity, Radio Caroline had no such qualms and Tom’s career was on its way.
By the early Seventies, he had his own TV variety show, and was a major draw in Vegas where he became close friends with Elvis Presley.
Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Only Want to be with You’ was the first song played on BBC TV’s Top of the Pops (1964). She was deported from South Africa in 1965 after refusing to play to racially segregated crowds. One of the first pop stars to ‘come out’ about their sexuality – she declared herself bi-sexual – Dusty was a cat fancier and was active in the animal rights movement.
Roy Orbison, whose close friend Johnny Cash introduced him to Monument Records where his singing career took off, was asked to manage the Beatles’ first American tour. He had a tragic private life – his wife was killed in a motorbike accident in 1966, and his two children died when their home burned down two years later. Roy was not blind, but was extremely short-sighted and started wearing dark sunglasses on stage after he left his prescription pair behind one night; the trademark stuck. His hobby was flying radio-controlled model aircraft.
Gene Pitney, who originally trained and qualified as an electrical engineer, played all the instruments on his debut solo single, ‘I Wanna Love My Life Away,’ and also produced it. A fervent Rolling Stones fan, Gene plays maracas on their version of ‘Not Fade Away’ and was among the first to score with songs written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. He was also the first teen idol of pop to perform at the Oscars. One of his first hits was ‘Town Without Pity,’ for which he received an Oscar when he sang it again for the 1961 film of the same name. It was also the last song he ever sang, as he died in April 2006 after a performance in Cardiff.
Del Shannon’s massive hit, ‘Runaway,’ was born at a live gig one night when keyboardist Max Crook began playing a sequence of chords which intrigued Del. The tune was worked out right there on stage and by the next night, Del had written the words too. Ironically, record executives at Big Top Records in Detroit only heard it by mistake as a clip on a demo tape, but recognised its potential. Another song, ‘Cry Myself To Sleep,’ has been cited as the primary influence for Elton John’s ‘Crocodile Rock,’ and Del’s guitar playing was a major inspiration for Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler.
Neil Sedaka’s musical career was launched when a teacher at his school sent a note home to his parents suggesting he be given piano lessons. By the age of eight, he had been accepted into New York’s prestigious Julliard school, and by the age of 13, he was writing songs with future top lyricist Howard Greenfield. Arthur Rubinstein considered him to be one of the finest classical pianists in New York, and Elton John has cited him as a major influence on his career.
Peter, Paul and Mary’s 1965 hit ‘Puff, The Magic Dragon,’ is not about smoking marijuana, as was commonly believed. According to close friends, the lyrics were written by Cornell student Lenny Lipton who, after reading Ogden Nash’s ‘The Tale Of Custard The Dragon’ at the college library, went to visit a friend and fellow student. No one was at home, however, so Lenny let himself in and used the typewriter to craft an ode to his carefree childhood days. His friend’s roommate, Peter Yarrow -- the Peter in Peter, Paul, and Mary -- eventually found the poem and wrote music around it.
With more than eight million spins, the Righteous Brothers’ song, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin,’ remains the most played single in American radio history. Listeners originally mistook the ultra-low baritone to be a single played at the wrong speed. The duo – who were not related and whose real names were Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley -- took their name from a black Marine who had responded to an early show with the remark: ‘That was righteous, brothers!’
As were the 60s.
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