6 of the 60s: 10/7/14 (1969)

In this week's 60's trip I'm serving up a half dozen more nuggets from 1969, the year that the BBC premiers Monty Python's Flying Circus...

Zager & Evans - "In The Year 2525"
from the album 2525 (Exorbium & Terminus) (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriter: Rick Evans

The Everly Brothers go Nostradamus is what this six-week chart-topper sounded like, with freakishly horrid predictions for the future. What they couldn't see is that they'd never have a hit single again...

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Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Bad Moon Rising"
from the album Green River (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
Songwriter: John Fogerty

Although John says this song was written about an impending hurricane, you could easily relate this along with most of their other work to the Vietnam War they found their generation smack dab in.

The Temptations - "Runaway Child, Running Wild"
from the album Cloud Nine (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6
Songwriters: Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield

One of the best examples of the masterful vocal interplay between the five members of the Tempts, this scary recalling of a teenage boy lost in the streets steered the group far from their innocent love song roots.

The Supremes - "I'm Livin' In Shame"
from the album Let The Sunshine In (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10
Songwriters: Pam Sawyer, R. Dean Taylor

The daughter of the mother character in "Love Child" is featured in this even more depressing tale of hiding your roots to fit in with the elite.

Paul Revere & The Raiders - "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon"
from the album Hard 'N' Heavy (With Marshmallow) (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18
Songwriter: Mark Lindsay

The band's namesake leader and keyboard player (not its lead singer, Mark Lindsay) just passed away, so it's only fair that I include one of my favorites from the group...

Dick Hyman - "The Minotaur"
from the album Moog: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38
Songwriter: Dick Hyman


The electronic music pioneer made his mark with jazz and vocal music with the likes of Mitch Miller before introducing the pop world to the spacey sounds of the Moog Synthesizer in the first hit to feature the instrument.

Tomorrow I'll be back with seven more from 1979...