6 of the 60s: 2/20/13 (1967)...

Hey gang...it's time to roll out another half-dozen nuggets from the 60s, and this time I'm back to 1967, the year John F Kennedy's body is moved to the Arlington National Cemetary..

Lulu - "To Sir With Love"
from the album To Sir With Love (1967)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1

This song still brings me to tears, I don't know why. Considering it was from a 60s juvenile delinquent reform school movie, it seems so detached from the modern world, and yet the world could still used a little more Mr. Thackerays around. One of the most heartwrenching non-romantic "love" songs ever.

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The Buckinghams - "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"
from the album Time & Charges (1967)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5

The Chicago band did a whole bait-and-switch to fool people into thinking they were part of the British Invasion, but at least they had the chops to back it up, with this vocal cover of the Cannonball Adderley classic as proof.

The Four Tops - "Standing In The Shadows Of Love"
from the album Reach Out (1967)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6

The second of the "holy trinity" of the best Motown song cycle ever (along with "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" and "Bernadette"), and the most dramatic and heartbreaking of them all. I could play all three of these songs over and over again on my Walkman.

Robert Knight - "Everlasting Love"
from the album Love On A Mountain Top (1968)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13

A song originally written to be a B-side, "Everlasting Love" lived up to its name, being remade endlessly by artists like Carl Carlton and Gloria Estefan...

Peaches & Herb - "Let's Fall In Love"
from the album Let's Fall In Love (1967)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21

I just listened to the Donny & Marie remake of this classic from their Goin' Coconuts movie soundtrack (don't judge), and it made me pine for the original. Here it is. They're at their sweetest.

Chris Bartley - "The Sweetest Thing This Side Of Heaven"
from the album The Sweetest Thing This Side Of Heaven (1967)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32

This forgotten soul nugget was written by Van McCoy, who would go on to be a hitmaker himself courtesy of "The Hustle"...