April 16, 2022 - JH: Novelty Songs

 April 16, 2022

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)

Spotlight: Novelty Songs

Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

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

6:00 - 7:00

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

Background music: The 'Pink Panther' Theme - Henry Mancini (1964 - #31: song won Pop Instrumental Grammy and was from the movie starring Peter Sellers)

First, some songs for the season:

Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean (1971 - #2: million-seller by the Canadian group was kept out of the top spot by Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World")

Day By Day - Original "Godspell" cast (1972 - #13: Robin Lamont provides the lead vocal)

One Toke Over the Line - Brewer & Shipley (1971 - #10: song was banned in parts of the country for its references to Jesus and Mary; Jerry Garcia played steel guitar on the song)

Superstar - Murray Head (1971 - #14: hit song from the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber)

Novelty Songs:

Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright (1973 - #16: one-hit wonder for the singer who appeared in three episodes of TV's "MASH")

Wild Thing - Senator Bobby (1967 - #20: "Senator Bobby" was really Bill Minkin of the Hardly-Worthit Players)

May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose - Little Jimmy Dickens (1965 - #15: country crossover and one-hit wonder for the diminutive singer)

Guitarzan - Ray Stevens (1969 - #8: Stevens would later hit #1 with songs "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak")

The Jolly Green Giant - The Kingsmen (1965 - #4: besides "Louie Louie" the only Top 10 song by the Portland, OR band)

45 Corner:

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) - The Beatles (1970 - DNC: the flip side to "Let It Be", the song was a 1967 outtake from "Sgt. Pepper" sessions with Rolling Stones' Brian Jones on saxophone with overdubs added in 1969)

Wildwood Weed - Jim Stafford (1974 - #7: one of four Top 40 singles from Stafford's first LP)

Beep Beep - The Playmates (1958 - #4: the musical technique in the song is called accelerando: its tempo increases as the speed of the cars increase)

You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd - Roger Miller (1966 - #40: Miller was an accomplished musician on multiple instruments; his cousin's husband was Sheb Wooley [see below], who taught him his first guitar chords and bought him a fiddle)

Ding Dong! the Witch Is Dead - The Fifth Estate (1967 - #11: song was recorded in 5 different languages and was a world-wide hit)

Birthday Calendar:

Background music: Dented Fender - Roy Clark (1962 - DNC: guitar stylings from the future "Hee Haw" star)

April 10:

Sheb Wooley - b. 1921

Nate Nelson (The Flamingos) - b. 1932 

Bobby Smith (The Spinners) - b. 1936

April 11:

Richard Berry - b. 1935

April 12:

Tiny Tim (born Herbert Khaury) - b. 1932

John Kay (Joachim Krauledat) - 78

David Cassidy - b. 1950

April 13:

Horace Key (The Tams) - b. 1934

Lester Chambers - 82

Jack Casady - 78

Al Green - 76

Max Weinberg (E Street Band) - 71

April 14:

Bill Harris (The Clovers) - b. 1925

Loretta Lynn - 90

Tony Burrows - 80

Ritchie Blackmore - 77

April 15:

Roy Clark - b. 1933

April 16:

Henry Mancini - b. 1924

Roy Hamilton - b. 1929

Ed Townsend - b. 1929

Bobby Vinton - 87

Dusty Springfield (born Mary O'Brien) - b. 1939

Gerry Rafferty - b. 1947

The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley (1958 - #1: Wooley wrote the song that spent 6 weeks at #1, he later recorded other novelty songs under the name 'Ben Colder'; he was also an actor, with roles in movies The Outlaw Josie Wales, Silverado, and Hoosiers)

I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos (1959 - #11: Nate Nelson provided the lead tenor vocal on this doo-wop classic, which ranks #157/RS500)

I'll be Around - The Spinners (1972 - #3: Bobby Smith sang the lead vocal for this hit for one of the biggest R&B acts of the '70s)

Riot in Cell Block #9 - The Robins (1954 - DNC: written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Richard Berry supplied uncredited lead vocals; Berry also penned the song "Louie, Louie")

Tiptoe Through the Tulips - Tiny Tim (1969 - #17: Tiny Tim was a cultural phenomenon of the late '60s, appearing on "Laugh-In" and getting married on the Johnny Carson Show)

Rock Me - Steppenwolf (1969 - #10: John Kay wrote the song and was the lead singer and guitarist for the heavy metal band)

I'll Meet You Halfway - The Partridge Family (1971 - #9: David Cassidy and real-life stepmother Shirley Jones starred and sang for this TV family modeled on the Cowsills)

Untie Me - The Tams (1962 - #60: Horace Key was lead vocalist for the group that was named for their trademark tam-o-shanters; Joe South wrote the song)

Time Has Come Today - The Chambers Brothers (1968 - #11: Lester was lead singer for the interracial group; the LP version of the song is over 11:00, we heard the 4:51 single edit)

The Ballad of Me & You & Pooneil - Jefferson Airplane (1967 - #42: live performances of this tune allowed bassist Jack Casady an opportunity to solo)

Tired of Being Alone - Al Green (1971 - #11: Green wrote the song which ranks #293/RS500)

Badlands - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (1978 - #42: "Mighty Max" Weinberg's dynamic drumming opens this lead track from the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" LP)

Love, Love, Love - The Clovers (1956 - #30: Bill Harris played guitar for the rhythm and blues/doo-wop group)

Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn (1970 - #83: Lynn is a country music legend whose career spans six decades)

White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin' (1970 - #13: session singer Tony Burrows sang lead on several one-hit wonders, including "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)", "Beach Baby", and "United We Stand")

Hush - Deep Purple (1968 - #4: Ritchie Blackmore was lead guitarist for the heavy metal pioneers; song was written by Joe South)

Don't Let Go - Roy Hamilton (1958 - #13: song is the first Top 40 hit ever recorded in stereo)

For Your Love - Ed Townsend (1958 - #13: Townsend wrote this hit as well as co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye)

Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton (1964 - #1: "The Polish Prince" had 44 singles chart on the BB Hot 100)

The Windmills of Your Mind - Dusty Springfield (1969 - #31: track from her classic "Dusty in Memphis" LP; the song, but not her version, won an Oscar for Best Song)

Star - Stealers Wheel (1974 - #29: Gerry Rafferty formed the folk rock group with school friend Joe Egan, who wrote the tune)

Back to our Spotlight Feature:

*Witch Doctor - David Seville (1958 - #1: Seville, real name Ross Bagdasarian, a was also famous for the Chipmunks)

The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor - Joe South (1958 - #47: cover of song written by the Big Bopper, which was his flipside to "Chantilly Lace")

Rubber Biscuit - The Chips (1956 - DNC: original version of song that was later covered by the Blues Brothers [1979 - #37])

King Tut - Steve Martin (1978 - #17: members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, called "The Toot Uncommons", backed Martin on this million seller)

They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV (1966 - #3: another million seller, "Napoleon XIV" was really Jerry Samuels, who wrote the hit)

Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen (1964 - #4: song has achieved notoriety on the TV show "Family Guy")

Leader of the Laundromat - The Detergents (1965 - #19: song features Ron Dante, later the voice of the cartoon group The Archies, as well as The Cufflinks)

Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport - Rolf Harris (1963 - #3: Australian Harris wrote the song, which was recorded in England with George Martin as the producer)

Stranded in the Jungle - The Cadets (1956 - #15: one-hit wonder for the Los Angeles group)

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks; brothers Santo [steel guitar] and Johnny [rhythm guitar] Farina from Brooklyn)

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 23, 2022: Gregory James (GJ) with a spotlight on brother/sister acts.

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or streaming here. 

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

April 9, 2022 - JR - Stop To Start

 Rockin’ Remnants

Rockin’ Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 FM or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. Eastern. (Or download the WVBR+app now available for iOS and Android.)

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

Date: April 9th, 2022

Host:  JR

Feature: Stop To Start: songs with false endings!

6pm - 7pm

Games Beatles play!

Hello, Goodbye - The Beatles - 1968, #1, 3 weeks.

Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles - 1967  

Helter Skelter - The Beatles - 1968 - The mono LP version of this did not have the false ending!   

Led Zeppelin wants to play, too... 

Thank You - Led Zeppelin - 1970 - From the LP LZ II.    

Over the Hills and Far Away (45 version) - Led Zeppelin - 1973 - Zep's 7th single release in the U.S. peaked at #51, and despite the false ending, the 45 version is the same as the LP version.                          

The Little Girl I Once Knew - The Beach Boys - 1966             

Let Me (Mono 45) - Paul Revere & The Raiders - 1969 

Suspicious Minds (Mono 45) - Elvis Presley - 1969

Do You Love Me - The Contours - 1962, rereleased in 1988 when it was included in the soundtrack of Dirty Dancing; peaked at #11, 8 slots below the original peak.                                           

Fingertips (Part II) - Little Stevie Wonder - 1963, #1, 3 weeks - During the "interlude" at around 2:20, bass player Joe Swift can be heard yelling out, "What Key?  What Key"?  For the record, it's C# Minor... 

Bernadette - Four Tops - 1967  

I've Got You Under My Skin - The Four Seasons - 1966 - “I've Got You Under My Skin” was written by Cole Porter in 1936 and is now one of the jazz standards par excellence. Like many other songs of the time that remain popular to this day, it was written for a movie. It was introduced in the MGM musical Born to Dance and performed by actress Virginia Bruce.                                       

Good Lovin' - The Young Rascals - 1966, #1, 1 week - Keep an eye on drummer Dino Danelli.  He is fantastic!  Also Felix almost has a hair disaster at 2:05!                           

Before we get to the Birthday Calendar, a moment to remember Philly "swinger" Bobby Rydell, who passed away on April 5th, age 79.  Click here to read his full bio.

7pm - 8pm Birthday Calendar         

April 3rd      

Jeff Barry - 84 - River Deep, Mountain High - Ike & Tina Turner, 1966 - Co-written with wife Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, who also produced. 

Wayne Newton - 80 - Danke Schoen - The former "Mr. Las Vegas'" first hit from 1963.                                           

Tony Orlando - 78 - Candida, 1970 - A fascinating music biz story about this record!  Click here to read...

Richard Thompson - 73 - Wall Of Death, 1982 - This song is about an amusement park ride!  Give a close listen...

Billy Joe Royal - 1942 - Down In The Boondocks, 1965

Don Gibson - 1928 - Sea Of Heartbreak, 1961 - Gibson's biggest hit was Ray Charles cover of "I Can't Stop Loving You", the BB Hot 100 #1 single of 1962!

April 4th

Major Lance - 1942 - The Monkey Time, 1965 - Major's two biggest hits were written by Curtis Mayfield.

Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield) - 1915 - Champagne & Reefer, 1980 - Muddy was inducted into the second class of the RRHOF in 1987, when it meant something...

April 5th

Allan Clarke (Hollies) - 80 - Sandy, 1975 - Of all the Hollies songs I chose this Springsteen cover because I really like Clarke's lead vocal.

Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA; the blonde) - 72 - Can't Shake Loose, 1983

Tony Williams (The Platters) - 1928 - My Prayer, 1956 - One of the best voices in the early days of rock and soul.  Click here to see his bio...

April 6th

Merle Haggard - 1937 - Mama Tried, 1968 - Famously covered by The Grateful Dead and Willie Nelson.

April 7th

John Oates (Hall & Oates) - 74 - Back Together Again, 1977 - Hall sang lead vocals on most of their hits, but Oates takes the lead on this...

Janis Ian - 71 - Society's Child, 1967 - Another fascinating story!  Click here to read...

Percy Faith - 1908 - Percy holds the "record" for the most weeks at #1 by a Canadian artist with Theme From A Summer Place (9 weeks on the top of the Hot 100 in 1960 and the #1 single of 1960)!

April 9th

Carl Perkins - 1932 - Blue Suede Shoe - Carl was also part of the second class inducted into the RRHOF in 1987!

8pm - 9pm

Cinnamon Girl (stereo LP version) - Neil Young With Crazy Horse -  1970                                         

2 + 2 = ? - The Bob Seger System - 1970, dnc.                               

Dark Eyed Woman - Spirit - 1969 - Music history tells us that at one point Jimi Hendrix had a band with two guys named "Randy", so he called one "Randy Texas" and the other "Randy California"!  The latter, real last name Wolfe, went on to form Spirit with his step-father, drummer Ed Cassidy!  True story 😁                    

No Matter What - Badfinger - 1971                                         

Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) - Raspberries - 1974 - Eric Carmen originally wrote this as "Hit Record", but Capitol Records rejected the title.  So he put it in parenthesis and called it "Overnight Sensation" and put in that fabulous false end!   

 True Love - Glenn Frey - 1988 

 The Court Of The Crimson King (stereo LP version) - King Crimson - 1970  

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 (April 16th): Jan Hunsinger with a feature on Novelty Songs!

 Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every

 Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or

 streaming here.

 Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa

 Spa for their support every week!

     

Apr 2, 2022 - KV - Wordle

 

 

Rockin' Remnants





Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)


Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

 

Date:  April 2, 2022

Host:  Kim Vaughan

Feature:  Wordle – songs whose titles are 5-letter words

 

 

 

 

Birthday Calendar

 

Mar 27   – Sarah Vaughan – born in 1924

 

Mar 28   – Milan Williams (Commodores) – born in 1948 or 1949

 

Mar 30   – Eric Clapton (Cream) – age 77

 

Apr 1   – Phil Margo (Tokens) – born in 1942

            – Rudolph Isley – age 83

 

 

 

 

 Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia

 

 

The song Shout charted for The Isley Brothers in 1959 and again in 1962.  Another artist also charted with that song twice -- who?  OR, you could answer the question:  of all the artists that charted on the Hot 100 with that song, who was the only one to reach the Top Ten?

 

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)

 

 

 

 

Playlist

 

 

·       yellow song titles are YouTube links

·       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

 

 

 

6-7pm  

 

 

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

 

Sunny – Bobby Hebb (1966, #2 for two weeks)

 

Sunny – Neil Sedaka (1964, #86)

 

Kelly – Del Shannon (1963, b-side of Two Kind Of Teardrops)

 

Terry – Twinkle (1965, #110.  Twinkle’s name was Lynn Ripley, and she hailed from England.)

 

Sorry – The Impalas (1959, #2 for two weeks)

 

Fever – Little Willie John (1956, #24, #1 R&B)

 

 

Randy – Earl-Jean (1964, a Goffin-King composition)

 

Alone – The Four Seasons (1964, #28)

 

Crazy – Patsy Cline (1961, #9, written by Willie Nelson)

 

The Joker – Steve Miller Band (1973, reached #1 in early 1974)

 

Stars – Rick Randell (1962)

 

Tramp – Otis & Carla (1967, #26)

 

 

 * Grace – Jethro Tull (1975, from the album Minstrel In The Gallery)

 

Sleep – Marv Johnson (from his 1969 album I’ll Pick A Rose For My Rose)

 

 * Stand! – Sly And The Family Stone (1969, #22)

 

Worry – Johnny Tillotson (1964, #45)

 

 

 

 

7-8pm

 

 

 

Misty – Sarah Vaughan (1959, #106, b-side of Broken Hearted Melody)

 

Still – Commodores (1979, #1 for one week)

 

 * Badge – Cream (1969, #60, co-written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison)

 

Swing – The Tokens (1964, #105)

 

Shout – The Isley Brothers (1959, #47 – and the same version charted again in 1962 at #94)

 

Happy – Hog Heaven (1971, #98 – their sole Hot 100 entry under the name Hog Heaven.  The group consisted of the members of The Shondells, but without Tommy James.)

 

Happy – Sunshine Company (1967, #50)

 

 

 

Signs – Five Man Electrical Band (1971, #3)

 

 * Today – Jefferson Airplane (from their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow)

 

Think – James Brown & The Famous Flames (1960, #33.  He recorded (and charted with!) 3 more versions of this song over the years, including a duet in 1967 with Vicki Anderson, and two additional versions in 1973.)

 

 

Think – Aretha Franklin (1968, #7)

 

Windy – The Association (1967, #1 for four weeks)

 

 

 

8-9pm

 

 

 

 

The Climb – The Coasters (1962)

 

Girls! – Joe Antel (1959)

 

The Twist – Chubby Checker (1960, #1 for one week)

 

 

Heart – Petula Clark (1965, b-side of You’d Better Come Home)

 

Heart – Wayne Newton (1963, #82)

 

Diary – Bread (1972, #15)

 

Venus – Frankie Avalon (1959, #1 for five weeks)

 

Venus – Shocking Blue (1969, spent a week at #1 in early 1970)

 

Dizzy – Tommy Roe (1969, #1 for four weeks)

 

Sandy – Dion (1963, #21)

 

 

Relax – The Who (from their 1967 album The Who Sell Out)

 

Money – Lovin’ Spoonful (1968, #48)

 

Money – Barrett Strong (1960, #23)

 

 

Words – Solomon Burke (1963)

 

 * Kicks – Paul Revere & The Raiders (1966, #4)

 

The Boxer – Simon & Garfunkel (1969, #7)

 

 

 

CLOSING THEME:  Sleep Walk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

 

 

 

 

Trivia Answer

 

Lulu charted with the song Shout twice, in 1964 and in 1967.  The artist who had the highest-charting hit with it was Joey Dee & The Starliters, who reached #6 with their version of Shout in 1962.

 

Congratulations to Greg from Ithaca, for correctly answering the trivia question and winning 2 passes to Cinemapolis!

 

And congratulations also to Dustin from King Ferry, who won 2 tickets to The Kitchen Theatre Company by being our 3^rd caller earlier in the show!

 

 

 

 

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 Next Week (Apr 9):  John Rudan with a spotlight on Stop To Start – Songs With False Endings

 

 

 

 

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or streaming here.

 

 

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!