April 10, 2021: JH - The 'Eyes' Have It

 Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)

Date: April 10, 2021

Spotlight Theme: The 'Eyes'  Have It - songs with 'Eyes' 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)

I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos (1959 - #11: song was originally written in 1934; The Flamingos version ranks #157/RS500 and is a true doo-wop classic)

The Story in Your Eyes - The Moody Blues (1971 - #23: from their Every Good Boy Deserves Favor LP)

These Eyes - Guess Who (1969 - #6: song debuted on 4/5/69 and was working its way up the charts on this date)

When the Lovelight Starts Shining in His Eyes - The Supremes (1964 - #23: the group's first Top 40 hit; the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland was allowed to produce this single as previous production by Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson had failed to garner a hit for the trio)

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You - Frankie Valli (1967 - #2: solo effort that was kept out of the #1 spot by the Association's "Windy"; used in the movie "The Deer Hunter")

Eyes of the World - Grateful Dead (1973 - DNC: from their Wake of the Flood LP)

Green Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf (1970 - #3: LP version of the song clocked in at 6:53, we heard the 3:33 single version)

Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne (1972 - #8: his first charting single, from his first LP Saturate Before Using)

The Eyes of a New York Woman - BJ Thomas (1968 - #28: songwriter Mark James also wrote "Hooked on a Feeling" and "Suspicious Minds")

Lyin' Eyes - The Eagles (1975 - #2: song won a Grammy for Pop Vocal Group but Elton John's "Island Girl" kept it out of the #1 spot)

45 Corner

You Can Close Your Eyes - James Taylor (1971 - DNC: 'B' side to Taylor's "You've Got a Friend" from the LP Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon)

Pretty Little Angel Eyes - Curtis Lee (1961 - #7: produced by Phil Spector, Lee co-wrote the song with Tommy Boyce, who would later write hits for the Monkees with Bobby Hart)

Temptation Eyes - The Grass Roots (1971 - #15: although only reaching #15, the song spent 18 weeks on the BB Hot 100)

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters (1959 - #1: song spent 3 weeks at #1, but the widow of original 1934 songwriter Jerome Kern disliked the song so much that she considered taking legal action against its release)

Birthday Calendar

April 4

Elmer Bernstein - born 1922

Margo Sylvia (The Tune Weavers) - born 1936

Hugh Masekela - born 1939

Major Lance - born 1939

April 5

Billy Bland - born 1932

Ronnie White (Miracles co-founder) - born 1939

Crispian St. Peters (Robin Peters Smith) - born 1939

Allan Clarke (The Hollies) - 79

Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA) - 71

April 6

Merle Haggard - born 1937

April 7

Bobby Bare - 86

Spencer Dryden (Jefferson Airplane drummer) - born 1938

April 8

Steve Howe (Yes guitarist) - 74

Mel Schacher (? and the Mysterians; Grand Funk) - 70

April 9

Carl Perkins - born 1932

April 10

Sheb Wooley (Shelby Frederick) - born 1921

[Background music this hour - Theme from "The Man With the Golden Arm" - Elmer Bernstein (1956 - #16: Bernstein composed over 150 original movie scores; this movie starred Frank Sinatra as a heroin junkie)]

Happy Happy Birthday Baby - The Tune Weavers (1957 - #5: one-hit wonder for the group out of Boston)

Grazing in the Grass - Hugh Masekela (1968 - #1: Masekela played the trumpet on this instrumental hit; The Friends of Distinction had a hit the following year after lyrics were added to the song)

Um Um Um Um Um Um - Major Lance (1964 - #5: song was written by Curtis Mayfield)

Let the Little Girl Dance - Billy Bland (1960 - #7: Bland was the youngest of 19 children)

The Tracks of My Tears - The Miracles (1965 - #16: song ranks #50/RS500)

You Were on My Mind - Crispian St. Peters (1967 - #36: his cover of the Sylvia Fricker song that was a big hit for We Five two years earlier)

Born to Run - Allan Clarke (1975 - DNC: Clarke recorded the song before Bruce Springsteen released it, but Epic Records shelved the song for reasons unknown)

SOS - ABBA (1975 - #15: Faltskog sings lead on the only chart hit where both title and artist are palindromes)

If We Make It Through December - Merle Haggard (1973 - #28: 'The Hag' had 38 #1s on the Country charts, this was his highest charting pop hit)

Detroit City - Bobby Bare (1963 - #16: Mel Tillis wrote the song that peaked at #6 on the Country charts)

White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane (1967 - #8: song ranks #478/RS500 and highlights Spencer Dryden's snare drum)

Your Move - Yes (1971 - #40: Steve Howe plays the vachalia, a Portuguese 12-string guitar, on the single version of the song known as "I've Seen All Good People")

We're an American Band - Grand Funk (1973 - #1: Mel Schacher was the bassist for the band, which by 1973 had dropped 'Railroad' from their name)

Matchbox - Carl Perkins (1957 - DNC: Jerry Lee Lewis played piano on the track, and later that day Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash dropped by Sun Studios to form the "Million Dollar Quartet"; song was later covered by The Beatles, with Ringo Starr on lead vocals, and Perkins happened to be in the London studio on 1 June, 1964 when they recorded it)

Detroit City #2 - Ben Colder (aka Sheb Wooley) - 1963 - #90: Wolley recorded several parody songs under the Colder name)

Slippin' Into Darkness - War (1972 - #16: bassist, founder, and vocalist of the soul/funk group, Morris "B.B." Dickerson, passed away on April 2)

Far Away Eyes - The Rolling Stones (1978 - DNC: song was the 'B' side to "Miss You")

Brown-Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry (1956 - DNC: the 'B' side to "Too Much Monkey Business", the song ranks #374/RS500)

Brown-Eyed Girl - Van Morrison (1967 - #10: Morrison's first single as a solo artist, it is his signature song [but not one of his personal favorites] and ranks #109/RS500)

Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle (1977 - #2: a huge country crossover for Gayle which won her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal; Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life" kept it out of the #1 spot)

*Blue Eyes - Elton John (1982 - #12: the song was dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor)

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills, & Nash (1969 - #21: Stephen Stills wrote the song for Judy Collins and it ranks #418/RS500)

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain - Willie Nelson (19795 - #21: song won Nelson a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal and revived his career; it ranks #302/RS500)

Behind Blue Eyes - The Who (1971 - #34: from their LP Who's Next)

Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (1981 - #1: song was a huge hit in the summer of 1981 and won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year)

Ebony Eyes - Bob Welch (1978 - #14: from the LP French Kiss by the former member of Fleetwood Mac)

Looking Through the Eyes of Love - Gene Pitney (1965 - #28: another hit for the songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil)

Eye in the Sky - The Alan Parsons Project (1982 - #3: song went to #1 in Canada)

Private Eyes - Hall & Oates (1981 - #1: song spent 2 weeks at #1)

Brown-Eyed Women - The Grateful Dead (1971 - NR: although it appears on several live and Greatest Hits LPs, a studio version of the song was never released)

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 April 17, 2021: Gregory James (GJ)  

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