As I prepare the music for my upcoming role in the 50-year reunion of the Class of 1966, I confess to being a lot like everybody else. I often think the music I grew up with was far superior to the drivel of today.
I mean we Baby Boomers had the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder and Simon and Garfunkel. And I often think that one bright shining moment for music came before , during and after my senior year, with the birth of folk rock, music with a message and tight harmonies, music that required skill.
But upon closer examination, I admit we certainly had our duds back in the day, just as there are such animals today.
“You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs.
But I look around me and I see it isn’t so.” — Paul McCartney, 1976
And some of these “silly love songs from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s had lyrics that were just plain awful, were simplistic and predictable and made no sense. Considered for your approval:
“In the desert, you can remember your name
’cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain.” — America, 1972, “A Horse with No Name.”
“The way I love is just the way I love
C’mon and be my little turtle dove” — Jack Scott, 1959, “The Way I Walk.”
“Girl, you gotta love your man
Girl, you gotta love your man
Take him by the hand
Make him understand.” — The Doors, 1971, “Riders on the Storm.
“Hello, I love you
Won’t you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you
Let me jump in your game.” — The Doors, 1969, “Hello, I Love You.”
“I gave you my high school ring, at the root beer stand. We had a teen-age love, baby, I thought it was sharp, it was really so grand.” — Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, 1966, “Go Cry on Somebody Else’s Shoulder.”
“There she was just a walkin’ down the street singin’ “Doo Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Doo.” — Manfred Man, 1964, “Doo Wah Diddy.”
“Sugar, honey, honey
You are my candy girl
And you got me wanting you
Honey, sugar, sugar
You are my candy girl
And you got me wanting you.” — The Archies, 1969, “Sugar, Sugar.”
“Gliddy glub gloopy nibby nabby noopy
La la la, lo lo
Sabba sibbi sabba nooby aba naba
Lee lee, lo lo
Tooby ooby wala
Nooby aba naba
Early morning singin’ song
Singin’ a song, hummin’ a song
Singin’ a song
Lovin’ a song, laughin’ a song
Singing a song
Sing the song
Song the sing
Song, song, song sing
Sing, sing, sing song
Song, song, song sing
Sing, sing, sing song.” — Oliver, 1969, “Good Morning Starshine.”
“Someone left my cake out in the rain… I don’t think that I can take it, ‘cause it took so long to bake it.” — Richard Harris, 1968, “McArthur Park.” This song was charged with being pseudo-intellectual.
“Well, she strolled on up to me and said,
Hey, big boy, whats your name?
Hey, hey!
Well, she strolled on up to me and said,
Hey, big boy, whats your name?
Hey, hey!
Well, you know I love you, baby.
Whoa, yeah, what I say,
Hey, hey!
She’s about a mover.
She’s about a mover.
She’s about a mover.
She’s about a mover.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.” — Sir Douglas Quintet, 1965, “She’s About a Mover.”
Just about all of the 1959 song, “Come Softly to Me” by the Fleetwoods, which has few lyrics, but a lot of Dum dum, dummie doo-wah.
“No longer can I live
With this hurt and this sin
I just couldn’t tell you
That guy was just a friend.” — Pat Boone, 1961, “Moody River.” This made no sense in explaining why she committed suicide in the tragic story.
“Walk right in, sit right down
Daddy, let your mind roll on
Walk right in, sit right down
Daddy, let your mind roll on
Everybody’s talkin’ ’bout a new way of walkin’
Do you want to lose your mind?
Walk right in, sit right down
Daddy, let your mind roll on.” — The Rooftop Singers, 1963, “Walk Right In.” A lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
“Love, love me do. You know I love you. I’ll always be true. So please… love me do.” — The Beatles, 1964, “Love Me Do” Yes, even the Beatles, during their boy band days.
“Sloopy let your hair down girl, let it run down on me
Sloopy let your hair down girl, let it run down on me
Come on Sloopy Come on, come on
Well come on Sloopy Come on, come on
Well come on Sloopy Come on, come on
Well it feels so good Come on, come on
You know it feels so good Come on, come on
Well shake it, shake it, shake it Sloopy Come on, come on
Well shake it, shake it, shake it yeah
Yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah.” — The McCoys, “Hang On Sloopy,” 1965.
“I saw her walkin’ on down the line
You know I saw her for the very first time
A pretty little girl standin’ all alone
“Hey pretty baby, can I take you home?”
I never saw her, never really saw her
My baby does the hanky panky
My baby does the hanky panky
My baby does the hanky panky
My baby does the hanky panky
My baby does the hanky panky
My baby does the hanky panky
My baby does the hanky panky
My baby does the hanky panky.” — Tommy James and the Shondells, 1966, “Hanky Panky.” Veiled naughtiness sold this record.
“Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, I think you move me
But I wanna know for sure
Come on and hold me tight
You move me.” — The Troggs, 1966, “Wild Thing.”
“You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn’t get much higher
Come on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire.” — The Doors, 1967, “Light My Fire.” And Jim Morrison somehow was regarded as a genius.
“Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Admiral Halsey notified me
He had to have a berth or he couldn’t get to sea
I had another look and I had a cup of tea and butter pie
(The butter wouldn’t melt so I put it in the pie)” — Paul and Linda McCartney, 1971, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.”
“Fly, robin fly
Fly, robin fly
Fly, robin fly
Up, up to the sky
Fly, robin fly
Fly, robin fly
Fly, robin fly
Up, up to the sky
Fly, robin fly
Fly, robin fly
Fly, robin fly
Up, up to the sky.” Silver Convention, 1975. Can you guess the name of this song?
“Well, I talk about it, talk about it
Talk about it, talk about it
Talk about, talk about
Talk about movin’
Gotta move on
Gotta move on
Gotta move on
A-won’t you take me to Funkytown?
Won’t you take me to Funkytown?
Won’t you take me toFunkytown?
Won’t you take me to Funkytown?
Won’t you take me to Funkytown?
Won’t you take me to Funkytown?
Won’t you take me to Funkytown?
Won’t you take me to Funkytown?” — Lipps, Inc., 1980, “Funky Town.”
So I’ve come to the conclusion there is plenty of really bad music and lyrics from every generation. The Baby Boomers’ music had its answers to Miley Cyrus, Brittany Spears and Justin Bieber. But in my humble, but correct, opinion, there were about a dozen popular songs in my generation’s era that were so well crafted that I really wondered why they became popular. They were the result of a lot of critical thinking. Stay tuned.
