Music was imprinted directly to my brain when I was six or seven. Lucky thing that 1962 was a good year for songs. Here are ten of over 200 tunes* on radio playlists that year that got downloaded into my head and became part of what I believed a pop song should be. The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) - The Tokens Did I know or care that the basis for The Lion Sleeps Tonight had been recorded in 1939 as Solomon Linda's South African improvised Zulu chant Mbube? No, and I didn't know or care about copyrights, or publishers, or that the orchestra conducted by Sammy Lowe on this record was not like the orchestra that played on my parents copy of Devorak's Symphony #9. It just sounded great. Green Onions - Booker T. and the M.G.s Did 17 year old Booker T. Jones set out to create a hit record when he came up with the catchy organ riff on his Hammond M3 that was the basis for Green Onions? The song started out as filler for the "B" side of a slow blues called Behave Yourself, but was soon re-released as the "A" side. And none of the M.G.s had to worry about behaving themselves after that. The Wanderer - Dion Dion Francis DiMucci already had one career behind him with his group The Belmonts, who literally sang "do-wop" in I Wonder Why and put 8 songs into the top 30 in the 50's. By 1960, drug and personnel issues started him on a solo career. He discovered his own unique way to deliver a song on his biggest hit Runaround Sue in 1961 and had multiple top ten records in '62. His vocals and the groove on The Wanderer are still amazing. Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean Another "B" side that out-shone its"A" side (I Won't Go Huntin' With You Jake, but I'll Go Chasin' Wimmin) Big Bad John features just about the sparest musical arrangement possible- drums, vocal chorus, spoken lead vocal, and a well-played piece of steel. Jimmy Dean wrote it and spoke it and can still bring a tear to your eye when the reverb fades and you hear "At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man". Tell Him - Exciters Gotta be straight up klezmer (Jewish instrumental folk music), with a soul twist. Hats off to songwriter Bert Russell Berns, who somehow made these lines into a bridge: Ever since the world began It's been that way for man And women were created To make love their destiny Then why should true love be So complicated? Bert was also responsible for writing Twist and Shout, Hang on Sloopy and Here Comes the Night, so he can write a bridge anyway he wants. Brenda Reid's vocal on this song reportedly inspired a young Dusty Springfield to switch from folk music to R&B. That's Life (That's Tough) - Gabriel and the Angels This one didn't make it into the top half of the charts, peaking at number 51, but it still lives in my head. Like Tell Him, the writer is having some fun with words and meaning. Musically, I like the way the piano and electric guitar lock together on rhythm like one instrument. And the girls singin' "oh, oh, that's tough", and the fact that it's produced by "Virtue Lab". Love Letters - Ketty Lester This one is all about how Ketty is singing right inside your head. It's one of those songs, that, even though it's fairly long for a pop tune of the era (at 2:41) sounds like it ends too soon, and I just want to start it all over again to hear the change at the end of the first verse. Ramblin' Rose - Nat "King" Cole In 1962, AM radio stations were about the only stations you could get, and they were intentionally limited in power to prevent them from interfering with each other. As a result they played a wide range of music, something for everybody in their assigned area. With songs like this one, and country/western hits, that wasn't a bad thing for a small town. Members of the Wrecking Crew play on this top-flight MOR (Middle Of the Road) production. I'm Blue - The Ikettes This is the sort of song that- as Tina Turner would one day explain to Hugh Heffner- had "grease, like you cook vegetables in". The Ikettes were cooking without Tina here, but not without Ike, to be sure. I doubt that they ever played this on old "L7" (square, daddy) WLAN, in Lancaster. I probably heard it on WSBA, from across the river in York PA, where things were a little, ah, greasier. Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler The only song of any real importance from 1962. From beginning to end it's absolutely perfect. The uncredited Dukays are like the current in the river, the waves on the ocean, the water on which Chandler walks as he delivers his proclaimation. Verse. Chorus. Verse. Chorus. Then that part with those high notes. Chorus. Then a little bit of that high part again, as it fades away in exactly two minutes and nineteen seconds. Nothing can stop me now. *These are 228 songs that charted in the top 100 in 1962. I heard most of these that year, but have included thirty or so (indicated by !) I have discovered since then that I feel are worth noting. (Dance With The) Guitar Man - Duane Eddy & the Rebelettes 409 - The Beach Boys A Swingin' Safari - Billy Vaughn A Wonderful Dream - Majors Afrikaan Beat - Bert Kaempfert Ahab the Arab - Ray Stevens Air Travel - Ray and Bob ! Alley Cat - Bent Fabric Anna (Go to Him) - Arthur Alexander Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird) - Chuck Jackson Baby Elephant Walk - Lawrence Welk And His Orchestra Baby It's You - The Shirelles Beechwood 4-5789 - The Marvelettes Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean Big Boat - Peter Paul & Mary Big Girls Don't Cry - The Four Seasons Bobby's Girl - Marcie Blane Bonanza - Johnny Cash ! Boom Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker ! Break It To Me Gently - Brenda Lee Breaking Up is Hard to Do - Neil Sadaka Bring It On Home To Me - Sam Cook Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Cast Your Fate To The Wind - Sounds Orchestral Chains - The Cookies Cinderella - Jack Ross Close To Cathy - Mike Clifford Come On Baby - Bruce Channel Comin' Home Baby - Mel Torme Copy Cat - Gary (U.S.) Bonds ! Crying in the Rain - The Everly Brothers Dancin' The Strand - Maureen Gray ! Dear Hearts And Gentle People - The Springfields Desafinado - Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd Devil Woman - Marty Robbins Do You Love Me - The Contours Don't Hang Up - The Orlons Don't Make Me Over - Dionne Warwick ! Don't Break the Heart That Loves You - Connie Francis Don't Ever Leave Me - Bob & Earl Don't You Worry - Don Gardner And Dee Dee Ford Dream - Dinah Washington Dream Baby - Roy Orbison Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler Echo - The Emotions ! Everybody Loves A Lover - The Shirelles Father Knows Best - The Radiants ! Fly Me To The Moon-Bossa Nova - Joe Harnell From A Jack To A King - Ned Miller From the Bottom of My Heart (Dammi, Dammi, Dammi) - Dean Martin Getting Ready For The Heartbreak - Chuck Jackson Good Lover - Jimmy Reed ! Green Onions - Booker T. and the M.G.s Happy Weekend - Dave "Baby" Cortez Having a Party - Sam Cooke He Knows I Love Him Too Much - Paris Sisters Heart In Hand - Brenda Lee He's a Rebel - The Crystals Hey Baby - Bruce Channel Hey Paula - Paul and Paula Hide & Go Seek (Parts 1 & 2) - Bunker Hill ! Hit Record - Brook Benton ! Hully Gully Guitar - Jerry Reed And The Hully Girlies I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles I Don't Love You No More (I Don't Care About You) - Jimmy Norman I Found a Love - The Falcons and Band (Ohio Untouchables) ! I Just Can't Help It - Jackie Wilson I Keep Forgettin' - Chuck Jackson I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) - Barbara George I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Tony Bennett I Need Your Loving - Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford I Really Don't Want to Know - Solomon Burke ! I Remember You - Frank Ifield I Saw Linda Yesterday - Dickey Lee I Was Such A Fool - Connie Francis I've Been Everywhere - Hank Snow I've Got A Woman (Part 1) - Jimmy McGriff If I Had a Hammer - Peter Paul and Mary I'm Blue - The Ikettes I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Johnny Tillotson Java - Floyd Cramer Jelly Bread - Booker T. & The M.G.'s ! Johnny Angel - Shelly Fabares Johnny Get Angry - Joanie Sommers Lemon Tree - Peter Paul & Mary Let Me Go The Right Way - The Supremes Let Me In - The Sensations Let There Be Drums - Sandy Nelson Let's Go - Routers Let's Dance - Chris Montez Limbo Rock - The Champs Limbo Rock - Chubby Checker Limelight - Mr. Acker Bilk Little Bitty Pretty One - Clyde McPhatter Little Black Book - Jimmy Dean Little Red Rented Rowboat - Joe Dowell Little Tin Soldier - The Toy Dolls ! Little Town Flirt - Del Shannon Locomotion - Little Eva Lollipops And Roses - Jack Jones Loop De Loop - Johnny Thunder Love Came To Me - Dion Love Letters - Ketty Lester Love Me Tender - Richard Chamberlain Lover Please - Clyde McPhatter Lovers Who Wander - Dion Make It Easy On Yourself - Jerry Butler Mashed Potato Time - Dee Dee Sharp Me And My Shadow - Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis, Jr. Midnight in Moscow - Kenny Ball Midnight Special - Part One - Jimmy Smith Misirlou - Dick Dale and the Del-Tones Molly - Bobby Goldsboro Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers Moon River - Henry Mancini Next Door to an Angel - Neil Sedaka Night Time - Pete Antell Night Train - James Brown ! Nut Rocker - B. Bumble and the Stingers Ol' Man River - Jimmy Smith Only Love can Break a Heart - Gene Pitney Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow - Rivingtons Party Lights - Claudine Clark Patti Ann - Johnny Crawford Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee and the Starlighters Percolator - Billy Joe and the Checkmates Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes Pop Pop Pop-Pie - Sherrys ! Popeye The Hitchhiker - Chubby Checker ! Potato Peeler - Bobby Gregg & Friends ! Ramblin' Rose - Nat "King" Cole Remember Then - The Earls Return To Sender - Elvis Rinky Dink - Dave "Baby" Cortez Route 66 Theme - Nelson Riddle Ruby Baby - Dion Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Four Seasons Santa Claus Is Watching You - Ray Stevens Sealed with a Kiss - Brian Hyland Second Hand Love - Connie Francis See See Rider - LaVern Baker Send For Me (If You Need Some Lovin') - Barbara George Shake Me I Rattle - Marion Worth ! Shake Sherry - The Contours She Can't Find Her Keys - Paul Petersen She Cried - Jay and the Americans She's Got You - Patsy Cline Sheila - Tommy Roe Sherry Baby - The Four Seasons Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out) - Ernie Maresca Shout - The Isley Brothers Slow Twistin' - Chubby and Dee Dee So What - Bill Black's Combo ! So Wrong - Patsy Cline Soldier Boy - The Shirelles Some Kinda Fun - Chris Montez ! Still Waters Run Deep - Brook Benton ! Stormy Monday Blues - Bobby Bland Strange I Know - Marvelettes Stranger on the Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - Marvin Gaye ! Summertime, Summertime - Jamies Surfin' Safari - The Beach Boys Sweet And Lovely - April Stevens & Nino Tempo Tell Him - Exciters Telstar - The Tornados Ten Little Indians - The Beach Boys That Happy Feeling - Bert Kaempfert That's Life (That's Tough) - Gabriel and the Angels The 2000 Pound Bee (Parts 1 & 2) - The Ventures The Burning Of Atlanta - Claude King ! The Cha Cha Cha - Bobby Rydell The Jam (Part 1) - Bobby Gregg The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens The Lonely Bull - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass The Love Of A Boy - Timi Yuro The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Gene Pitney The Night Has A Thousand Eyes - Bobby Vee The One Who Really Loves You - Mary Wells The Stripper - David Rose The Swiss Maid - Del Shannon ! The Things We Did Last Summer - Shelley Fabares The Twist - Chubby Checker The Wanderer - Dion Theme From A Summer Place - Dick Roman These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding Things - Bobby Darin This Land Is Your Land - Ketty Lester ! This Land Is Your Land - New Christy Minstrels Three Hearts in a Tangle - James Brown ! Time for Crying - Maxine Brown ! Torture - Kris Jensen Town Without Pity - Gene Pitney Trouble In Mind - Aretha Franklin ! Tuff - Ace Cannon Twist and Shout - The Iseley Brothers Twist Twist Senora - Gary (U.S.) Bonds Twistin' the Night Away - Sam Cook Twistin' White Silver Sands - Bill Blacks Combo ! Two Lovers - Mary Wells Up on the Roof - The Drifters Vacation - Connie Francis Venus in Blue Jeans - Jimmie Clanton Wah-Watusi - The Orlons Welcome Home Baby - Shirelles What Kind Of Fool Am I - Sammy Davis, Jr What To Do With Laurie - Mike Clifford What's A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You) - Timi Yuro Whats Your Name - Don and Juan When I Fall In Love - Lettermen Where Have All the Flowers Gone - Kingston Trio Wiggle Wobble - Les Cooper & the Soul Rockers ! Wild Weekend - Rockin' Rebels Wipe Out - The Surfaris Wolverton Mountain - Claude King You Are My Sunshine - Ray Charles You Beat Me to the Punch - Mary Wells You Belong to Me - The Duprees You Better Move On - Arthur Alexander You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover - Bo Diddley ! You Can't Lie To A Liar - Ketty Lester ! You Don't Know Me - Ray Charles You'll Lose a Good Thing - Barbara Lynn Your Heart Belongs To Me - The Supremes ! You Really Got a Hold On Me - Percy Sledge Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah - Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans

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