Jump to content

Billboard's #1 Pop Singles


Max

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 891
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

Max, yes... the composer of "Yummy Yummy Yummy" confirmed that the song was about oral sex, a clue is during the first instrumental break, Listen starting at :32, there is some very suggestive moans that go right over the head of most listeners, especially those listening on AM radios. There are actually several bubblegum songs with very dirty double entendre lyrics, it became an inside joke in the industry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkoT0Me2sRU

I LOVE "You Don't Own Me", and I also feel it's the best of her hits (I liked First Wives club, though) I also feel her last top 40 hits, "California Nights" is VERY VERY good. More mature, and beautiful, atmospheric song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6zhSpQpIM8

Carl, I also HATE the lyrics of "Judy's Turn to Cry" for the exact same reason your friend does. It perpetuates and plants ideas in teenage girls' heads and teaches them how to be conniving.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

And yes, Max... her voice is not nearly what it once was. I have to say... I have heard much worse recently *cough* Chuck Negron *cough*. Here is a great live performance of "It's My Party" from 1989 when she still had it:

Please register in order to view this content

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I Am A Swede, the instrumentation on the Swedish version of "It's My Party" sounds almost identical to Lesley Gore's version.

Given its pro-feminist message, the success of "You Don't Own Me" was somewhat surprising. Its massive popularity came nearly a decade before the all-time feminist anthem--Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman"--reached #1. (It is also ironic that Lesley Gore succeeded Jimmy Soul at #1, given that his chart-topper was so sexist.)

I am glad that Qfan shared a clip of Gore's appearance on "Batman." Julie Newmar was absolutely gorgeous.

I actually disagree with Alphanguy regarding the state of Gore's voice in 1989 (as I thought it sounded awful even then). This was such a shame, given that she had one of the most beautiful voices of the 60s.

Gore's voice still sounded great in 1976, though I have to agree with Carl about that album cover being absolutely horrendous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I have just caught onto this thread and am enjoying all the posts and comments.

Lesley appeared on AMC in the 80's as June Gordon,who was involved in Mark Dalton's storyline,

I have a CD of Leslie's 60's career and it includes some other strong songs that I think could have been hits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Paul, welcome to this thread, and thank you for your kind words.

The second #1 hit of the rock era to be sung entirely in a foreign language was "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto. This song held the peak position for three weeks: the weeks ended 6/15/63, 6/22/63, & 6/29/63.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IZvXDk9DjAg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Kyu Sakamoto was born in Kawasaki, Japan and was the ninth and youngest child in the family. Before going solo in 1961, Kyu was a member of the Drifters (a Japanese act that was completely unrelated to the American group of the same name). That very year, Sakamoto recorded a ballad titled "Ue O Muite Aruko," which literally means "I Look Up When I Walk." According to Wikipedia, "the lyrics tell the story of a man who looks up and whistles while he is walking so that his tears won't fall."

More than twelve months after "Ue O Muite Aruko" beame a smash hit in Japan, British musician Kenny Ball released an instrumental version of the song in his native country (which would peak at #10 there). Prior to that record's release, however, the title was changed to "Sukiyaki;" this was merely done because "Sukiyaki" was far easier for English speaking people to recognize and pronounce than "Ue O Muite Aruko." (Sukiyaki is actually a Japanese stew-type dish and has nothing at all to do with Sakamoto's song.) When Kyu's original, Japanese-language tune was released in the U.S. in 1963, the title "Sukiyaki" was kept.

"Sukiyaki" went to the top ten two additional times, with cover versions in English that were not 100% translations of Sakamoto's 1963 chart-topper: A Taste of Honey took the song to #3 in 1981, and 4 P.M. had a #8 hit with the song in 1995. (I find both of these covers to be far more tolerable than Kyu's version, which I consider dreadful and most certainly not deserving of #1 status.) However, Kyu himself did not beneift much from "Sukiyaki," as it was his only top 40 hit here. On August 12, 1985, Sakamoto was one of 520 people who perished (in one of the most tragic airline disasters ever) when Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed into a mountain. He was only 43 years old.

Kyu Sakamoto remains by far the most successful Japanese artist of the rock era. Aside from Sakamoto, the only chart appearances for natives of Japan came when Pink Lady scored a #37 hit with 1979's "Kiss in the Dark," and when the Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Computer Games" fizzled at #60 the following year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm not sure I can say it didn't deserve to be #1 - what were the other hits at this time which didn't make it to the top spot? - but it's not a song I love. He certainly gives an emotional performance, but I wonder if this was some type of Orientalism, especially since this era seemed to be rife with that type of fascination (Teahouse of August Moon, Sayonara, Flower Drum Song, that unfortunate Mickey Rooney character in Breakfast at Tiffany's).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Oh Carl, lots of people sung live on Soild Gold... Marilyn Mccoo sang something live on every show, as did Dionne when she hosted. I like Sukiyaki... it's really ODD that A Japanese song would go to number one. I LOVE foreign language songs (As you all can tell) but the public at large doesn't seem to, and I think it a real unusual case. I also LOVE Taste Of Honey's version. Those two women had a ton of talent. Asian artists rarely get releases in the United states... A couple years after this, a Chinese duo released a song here sung in English, but it never went anywhere, although I thought it was VERY beautiful and deserved to be a hit (the girl is half Chinese, and the boy is Bruce Lee's younger brother)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwGDJeMBKcs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • She would be great, but I of course am thinking of her in What's Love Got to Do with It.
    • Agreed that they had a home in the present tense of the first set of episodes.  But I was wondering if they lived in the mansion in the past when Sophia disappeared, and moved out when Santana got pregnant?  Or even when Danny was born.
    • According to the French Santa Barbara site the Andrades had a house in the early episodes.  I thought I remembered scenes in their home. The Andrade house
    • I always wondered if the Andrades lived at the Capwell Mansion?  Certainly they could've had a living room in their space or wherever they went on days off. But, I felt like it was never clear whether Santana visited Rosa when Kelly and Eden were young, or if she actually lived in the servant's quarters (one hopes modern developers have found a euphemism for that space).  I always imagined that Rosa, Santana, and Reuben lived with CC up until Channing was murdered, and then they found their own place because the kids were mostly over 18 (and Santana was pregnant). I like the idea of Rueban and CC being close until Santana got pregnant.  And then Reuben would've hated the adoption of Brandon.  Which would have meant he hated CC, and would've only continued to work for him to try to get info on whatever happened to his grandson. With regard Ava Lazar, having recently rewatched the pilot for the millionth time, I find her captivating to watch, but her line delivery is so dull. She looks amazing, and I just want her to be more quick witted.
    • I liked the original 4 family set up.  The families were all different from each other and were intertwined.  They should have been given equal airtime. I felt that Lockridges were perfectly cast with the exception of Laken.  She should have been quickly recast.   I liked all 4 of the actors cast as the Andrades and wish they would have been given better writing.  I really thought Ava Lazar (Santana) would have been one of the breakout stars if she had not been replaced. My only issue with the casting of the Perkins family was Robert Alan Browne as John and as much as I liked Mark Arnold he was the wrong actor to recast Joe Perkins. And of course it was ridiculous how badly they screwed up the casting of CC. The other Capwells were well cast.
    • This late 1976 stuff doesn't sound as bad as it has in other versions I've read (weekly recaps from Jon-Michael Reed and SOD synopses). I am surprised that there is a variation of Ian - Meg - Arlene - Tom playing out this late in the game, but it doesn't sound half bad. Ian's involvement with Beaver Ridge and how it impacts Rick and Cal's future also intrigued me  more than I expected. Even the Carrie - Betsy connection having Carrie watch Suzanne while Ben is visiting was a nice surprise. I feel like this all falls apart pretty quickly with the arrival of Mia Marriott, Michael Blake, and a slew of other half baked characters under Upton.  
    • Too bad she ended up on Y&R. Actress Valarie Pettiford might've been "Sharon" because she sings too and does it pretty well.

      Please register in order to view this content

    • @NothinButAttitude thanks for sharing the rough draft. I had bought "Shadows on the Wall" from Kathryn Leigh Scott's website probably 20+ years ago. It's a fascinating read into a very different version of what the show could have been. 
    • @Efulton That's the quote I was refering to. In the bible, at almost the beginning, Rueben and C.C. were compared as being similar as two fathers wanting everything for their children, or something along those lines. I do think the Andrades were intended to have more of a role, but they never even garnered a family set (just Santana's apartment). In 1991, they added the Capwell kitchen which seemed to be a domestic space for Rosa, but clearly not solely Rosa's. I feel like I remember Rosa confronting Santana about her feelings for C.C. being an attempt to recreate her grand fantasy with Channing, Jr. in the kitchen, but more likely that was the bedroom Santana was redecorating (C.C.'s master suite) utilizing the designsshe had envisioned for herself and Channing, Jr.  
    • On the French Santa Barbara site Ismael Carlo did not hold back about how he felt about the Dobsons. http://santabarbara-online.com/index2.htm How did you start in Santa Barbara ? My recollection is that I auditioned for the role. After a couple of weeks of contract negotiations I was told that all was in order and that I would start work in a couple of weeks or so. But that's when the sh*t hit the fan. In her high petulant way she (Bridget Dobson) commenced to tell me how all her South American workers were beholding to her. How she treated them, "like children". I said to her, "I'm not a child". She got upset and started to cry. I told her that if she did not want me on the show, all she had to do was break the contract and pay me. It never happened. The Dobsons, who were the producers, where a pair of what you would call in your country aristocrats in their minds. I almost quit just before I started. But like any actor at the time I stuck it out all because of the work. I don't think I will ever sell my soul again. I was also able to perform with the lead actor and director in a production of his: Romeo & Juliet. I played Papa Capulet.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy