January 18, 2020: JH - "Sweet Sounds"

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)
Date: January 18, 2020

Spotlight: "Sweet Sounds" - songs with sugar, honey, and sweet in the title.


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Playlist

·     songs with * were requests

·     all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted

·     a glossary of terms is below the playlist

 OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi Hendrix)

[Background Music: A Taste of Honey - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965 - #7: from the 1960 Broadway show of the same name; Alpert's version won Grammys for Record of the Year and Pop Instrumental)]

Sugar and Spice - Cryan' Shames (1966 - #49: written by Tony Hatch under the pseudonym Fred Nightingale, song charted at #44 for the Searchers in 1964; Cryan' Shames version was included in the 1972 Nuggets double LP)

Cook With Honey - Judy Collins (1973 - #32: her first Top 40 hit in three years)

Sweet Surrender - Bread (1972 - #15: written and produced by lead singer David Gates, the song spent two weeks at #1 on the Easy Listening charts)

Sweet Surrender - John Denver (1975 - #13: originally released on the LP Back Home Again, it was the lead single from the live LP An Evening With John Denver)

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) - The Four Tops (1965 - #1: the group was backed by the Funk Brothers on the Holland-Dozier-Holland penned tune; #415/RS500)

How Sweet It Is (to be Loved by You) - James Taylor (1975 - #5: his cover of the Marvin Gaye hit with then-wife Carly Simon on backing vocals; another H-D-H hit)

Honeycomb - Jimmie Rodgers (1957 - #1: song spent 4 weeks at #1 on the pop charts and also made the R&B and Country & Western Best Seller charts)

Sweets for My Sweet - The Drifters (1961 - #16: from the songwriting team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman; get these backing vocalists: Doris Troy, Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick and DeeDee Warwick!)

Candyman - Roy Orbison (1961 - #25: song was the B-side of "Crying")

The Candy Man - Sammy Davis Jr. (1972 - #1: from the movie "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"; Davis was backed by the Mike Curb Congregation)

45 Corner

Sugar Mountain - Neil Young (1969, 1970, 1971, 1977 - DNC: written by Young on his 19th birthday as a lament for lost youth, the song was released 4 times as a 45 B side and once as an A side from the Decade LP, which was the first time it appeared on an album; Young shared the song with Joni Mitchell, who wrote "The Circle Game" in response)

Sugar Magnolia - The Grateful Dead (1973 - #91: from their landmark LP American Beauty)

Sweet and Innocent - Donny Osmond (1971 - #9: solo cover of a 1958 Roy Orbison song that did not chart; Osmondmania changed that)

Birthday Calendar:

January 12:

Ray Price - born 1926

Ruth Brown - born 1928

Glenn Yarborough - born 1930

January 14:

Clarence Carter - 84

Jack Jones - 82

January 15:

Ronnie Van Zant - born 1948

January 16: 

Barbara Lynn - 78

Jim Stafford - 76

January 17:

Chris Montez - 77

Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones) - 72

January 18:

Bobby Goldsboro - 79

David Ruffin (The Temptations) - born 1941

For the Good Times - Ray Price (1970 - #11: song was written by Kris Kristofferson and won Price a Grammy for Country Male Vocal)

This Little Girl's Gone Rockin' - Ruth Brown (1958 - #24: Bobby Darin wrote the song and King Curtis provided the sax solo for 'Miss Rhythm')

Baby the Rain Must Fall - Glenn Yarborough (1965 - #12: title song to movie starring Lee Remick and Steve McQueen; Glen Campbell made his uncredited film debut)

Slip Away - Clarence Carter (1968 - #6: big hit for the blues and soul singer from Montgomery, Alabama)

Saturday Night Special - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1975 - #27: Ronnie Van Zant was lead singer and songwriter for the group until he was killed in the 1977 plane crash)


You'll Lose a Good Thing - Barbara Lynn (1962 - #8: Lynn was unusual in that she not only wrote and sang songs but also played lead guitar)

Wildwood Weed - Jim Stafford (1974 - #7: the song took its inspiration from the Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower", but some radio stations banned it because of its drug references)


Call Me - Chris Montez (1966 - #22: another song written by Tony Hatch; we heard the original A&M LP in mono)

Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones (1971 - #1: Mick Taylor had just joined the group when this song was recorded in 1969; it was debuted live at the infamous Altamont Speedway Concert 12/6/69 but legal issues delayed its release until 1971; #490/RS500)


Honey - Bobby Goldsboro (1968 - #1: written by Bobby Russell the song spent 5 weeks at the top of the charts)

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep - The Temptations (1966 - #3: David Ruffin was the lead singer of the group from 1964-68, a time known as the "Classic Five" period)

We also mark the passing of Steve Martin Caro, lead singer of The Left Banke, on 1/14/20.  The group's sound was called "Baroque pop" for its instrumentation.

Walk Away Renee - The Left Banke (1966 - #5: band member Michael Brown wrote the song inspired by his crush on the bass player's girlfriend, Renee; the flute solo was inspired by the Mamas and Papas "California Dreaming")


Pretty Ballerina - The Left Banke (1967 - #15: Renee served as muse for Brown on this song as well)

Wild Honey - The Beach Boys (1967 - #31: according to Mike Love, a health food kick featuring lots of wild honey prompted the song, which features an electro-Theremin)

Sugar on Sunday - The Clique (1969 - #22: song was written by Tommy James, but the Shondell's version did not chart)


Sugar Shack - Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs (1963 - #1: the #1 song of 1963, it spent 5 weeks at the top of the charts)

Sugar Town - Nancy Sinatra (1966 - #5: songwriter Lee Hazelwood said that the lyrics are a reference to LSD, although he never sampled the drug himself)

*Sugar Sugar - The Archies (1969 - #1: Jeff Barry and Andy Kim wrote the song for the cartoon band, and Ron Dante provided the lead vocals; spent 4 weeks at #1)


No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature - The Guess Who (1970 - #13: the group's last Top 40 hit with Randy Bachman, who would later form Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

*Honey Don't - Carl Perkins (1956 - DNC: song was later covered by the Beatles)

Sweet Cherry Wine - Tommy James and the Shondells (1969 - #7: psychedelic anti-war song that features a Moog synthesizer)

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine - Jimmie Rodgers (1957 - #3: The Weavers originally released the song in 1950)

Sweet Blindness - The Fifth Dimension (1968 - #13: song was written  by Laura Nyro)


Sweet City Woman - The Stampeders (1971 - #8: banjo-heavy hit for the group out of Canada)

Sweet Pea - Tommy Roe (1966 - #8: Roe wrote the song which made it to #1 in Canada)

Sugartime - The McGuire Sisters (1958 - #1: the song was released in December of 1957 and topped the charts for 4 weeks in 1958)


Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley (1967 - #2: Conley co-wrote the song with Otis Redding)

Sweeter Than You - Ricky Nelson (1959 - #9: song was the B side of "Just a Little Too Much")

Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond (1969 - #4: the song has become popular at many sports venues, especially Boston's Fenway Park)

Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison (1972 - #47: title track from Van the Man's 5th solo LP; it debuted 1/1/72)

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks)

Glossary of Terms:

dnc = did not chart

nr = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records

BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records

R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records

RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time

Host This Week (1/25/20): John Rudan (JR) with more great oldies. 

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