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'60s Songs You Don't Hear Anymore for Obvious Reasons...

J

jfrancispastirchak

My kingdom for testimony from anybody who has heard airplay of, "Watch the Flowers Grow" by the Four Seasons in 1966, "Wild Honey" by the Beach Boys in 1967, or "Hidee Hi, Hadee Hay" by Lee Michaels 1969 (of "Do You Know What I mean?" fame) even once in the last 40-years. All 3 of these of these recordings got some airplay soon after release, then fell to the hand of censorship for their obvious drug-related messages.

I've searched-- can't even find these numbers on YouTube. "Hidee Hi..." scored airplay in late summer of '69. The hook verse continued, "everybody's high, and so am I..." His more familiar "Do You Know What I Mean?" was actually a rebound sequel released that year in the Fall.
 
Wild Honey is on Itunes for the mere price of $1.29 Watch the Flowers Grow by the 4 Seasons is also on there for a mere $.99
 
No one plays the version of the Doors "Break on Through" where Jim Morrison sings the line "she gets high", but the very same stations almost always play the Who's "Who Are You" with the famous F-bomb still very much in place. Go figure.
 
I really liked the "Wild Honey' lp. There was a song on it called "I'd Love Just Once To See You In The Nude'. I'm guessing that never got airplay !
 
Nocomradio-- Interesting little irony, isn't it? Words like "high" and "stoned" each offer greater breadths of interpretation, yet they get penalized more than the F-bomb, the definition of which offer's far less laditude for debate.

Interestingly, the indisputable goddess of 1950's-style-blues-in-the-raw, Big Mama Thornton, drew a free pass for her howling rendition of "Let's Go Get Stoned!". But "stoned" in those days was more popularly associated with boozing, which, save for the rigid guidelines of fundamentalist religions, was and is legal.

Yes, the F-Bomb does slip through these days when discreetly obscured by crunchy instramentalization or mumbly vocals (or both). I guess we've come a long way since the days of antsy PD's languishing over the word CRAP splashing around in verse 1 of "Kodachrome".

To clarify, I myself bristle at the level of vulgarity in both music and comedy we hear today. None of that stuff is necessary to entertain me.
 
You won't hear "Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne anymore, and it was a #1 hit! You also won't hear "Wild Thing" as done by Senator Bobby, for obvious reasons. It was a hilarious parody, but I suppose it wasn't as funny anymore after the senator's death.
 
Probably won't hear

Barry Sadlers "Ballad Of The Green Berets"
Johnny Preston's "Running Bear"
Tex Ritter's "Smoke Smoke Smoke"
 
Kelly Watts,

"Smoke-Smoke-Smoke" was sung by Tex WILLIAMS, not Ritter. I would have thought "Ritter" too, had I not played this song myself in 2003, on my afternoon air-shift at KDJW (Amarillo). Johnny Preston's "Running Bear", a crossover country song, gets little airplay, true. Surely, political correctness is one reason. But many radio stations, both country and pop formats, now have playlists restricted to nothing older than hits of the '70s.

I agree with you on Barry Saddler's "Ballad of the Green Berets". I've heard it played once or twice in recent years, but only on country stations honoring patriotic occassions like Independence Day & Memorial Day.
 
Kelly Watts said:
Probably won't hear

Barry Sadlers "Ballad Of The Green Berets"
Johnny Preston's "Running Bear"
Tex Ritter's "Smoke Smoke Smoke"
Click to expand...

DeepOldies.com has played every one of these songs that were "banned" decades ago.
 
i'm one who happens to think the 60's were the GOLDEN AGE OF ROCK & ROLL i'm sure i'm not alone but you take someone who is 35-40 and in programming, many of them cannot appreciate what this era means to not only the core audience BUT ANYBODY of any age who loves and is a student of Rock&Roll. someone who is programming a Classic Hits/oldies station who ignores the 60's is not only NOT being true to the format but, i think they become a little less Authentic. now thats not to say that if someone wants to program a 70's-80 only station thats ok, but its something other than a Greatest Hits station without the 60's. a year or so ago KLOU St. Louis was doing a 70's 80's mix and were losing audience, they actually WENT BACK to include more 60's titles and the audience has grown. (i know we've all opened the door to ridicule from the great david eduardo-who doesn't think anyone under 70 will listen to 60's Rock&Roll Classics and nobody will buy ad time on such stations-and i've heard it a million times, BUT there are lots of success stories with an oldies format, i Program one, and it is top 2 or 3 in a 40+ signal market, and i might add it IS MAKING MONEY, YES the same GREEN kind of money an 18-24, 25-34 targeted station makes. IMAGINE THAT! by the way an Obscure song from any era is should not be played, unless its on your I-POD.
 
jfrancispastirchak said:
Kelly Watts,

"Smoke-Smoke-Smoke" was sung by Tex WILLIAMS, not Ritter. I would have thought "Ritter" too, had I not played this song myself in 2003, on my afternoon air-shift at KDJW (Amarillo).

Thanks for pointing out my mistake, brain was working MUCH slower than my typing fingers!
Click to expand...
 
All these were heard at one time but are now just "too weird" or otherwise icky for mainstreaming.

"Born a Woman" by Sandy Posey
"Mendocino" by Sir Douglas Quintet
"Kaw-Liga" by Hank Williams
"Partygirl" by Bernadette Carrol
"Hair" by The Cowsills
"Let Me " by Paul Revere and the Raiders
"Kill for Peace" and "Nothing" by the Fugs
"Letter from Viet Nam" by Sgt Barry Sadler
"Somethin' Stupid" by Frank and Nancy Sinatra
"Little Red Riding Hood' by Sam the Sham and the Pharohs
"I Think We're Alone Now' by Tommy James and the Shondells
"You're Sixteen, You're Beautiful and You're Mine" Johnny Tilliston and later by Ringo Starr.
"Jesus Christ Superstar" recorded by the broadway cast.
"Indian Giver" by the 1910 Fruitgum Company
I like songs that make people nervous and cause us the question our changing frame of reference.

All of these seem a little weird now and are even better pieces of music because of this.
 
Just a correction, Johnny Burnette (in 1960) did "Your 16" NOT Johnny Tillotson. Was my turn for my finegrs and brain to work together. Too much RF for us all!
 
i can`t remember the last time i heard brewer and shippley`s "one toke over the line" on the radio.
 
Brewer and Shipley and Stray Cats are 70's and 80's respectively. I agree they are never heard anymore for reason mentioned though.
 
I'll add a few
.....

"Wives and Lovers"-Jack Jones
"Ahab the Arab"-Ray Stevens
"Too Many Chiefs and Not Enough Indians"-Dean Martin
"For the Love of Him"-Bobbi Martin
"Mecca"-Gene Pitney
"Witchi Tai To" (sp?)-Brewer and Shipley
 
95 % of all those are in my playlist and do get played..the other 5% i consider "crappy'..so i dont have them...just a judgement call from me..but with a playlist well over 5000 tunes..i have plenty to choose from..and go weeks or months without a repeat..my nickles input fwiw... 8)
 
jfrancispastirchak said:
Kelly Watts,

"Smoke-Smoke-Smoke" was sung by Tex WILLIAMS, not Ritter. I would have thought "Ritter" too, had I not played this song myself in 2003, on my afternoon air-shift at KDJW (Amarillo). Johnny Preston's "Running Bear", a crossover country song, gets little airplay, true. Surely, political correctness is one reason. But many radio stations, both country and pop formats, now have playlists restricted to nothing older than hits of the '70s.

I agree with you on Barry Saddler's "Ballad of the Green Berets". I've heard it played once or twice in recent years, but only on country stations honoring patriotic occassions like Independence Day & Memorial Day.
Click to expand...

"Ballad of The Green Berets" was the #1 song of the entire year in 1966 as it was #1 for 5 weeks. I consider "I'm A Believer" a 1967 song as the bulk of it's #1 ride was in 1967. Amazing how one song never gets played while the other is heard like 3 times a day seemingly.
 
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