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It's time for this week's 60s flashback, with a half-dozen more nuggets from 1965, the year the Gateway Arch in St. Louis is completed.... Bob Dylan - " Like A Rolling Stone " from the album Highway 61 Revisited (1965) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 Songwriter: Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (1966) by alexnesic66 This year someone paid two million smackers for a Dylan's handwritten lyrics. Wow. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

I'm ready to head back to the sixties with another half-dozen nuggets from 1964, the year the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opens to traffic between Staten Island and Brooklyn, the longest suspension bridge in the world. Roy Orbison (and the Candy Men) - " Oh, Pretty Woman " from the album Orbisongs (1964) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Bill Dees, Roy Orbison After his death Roy earned a Grammy Award for his live version of this song in 1991. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time for this week's 60s trip, and this time out I've got a half-dozen more nuggets from 1963, the year the Areceibo giant radio telescope opens in Puerto Rico. The Chiffons - " He's So Fine " from the album He's So Fine (1963) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriter: Ronnie Mack The Tokens, who recorded the #1 hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", produced and played on this girl-group classic from the quartet from the Bronx. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

I'm ready to go back to the 60s, with a half-dozen more nuggets from 1962, the year Johnny Carson starts his tenure on the Tonight Show .... Neil Sedaka - " Breaking Up Is Hard To Do " from the album Sings His Greatest Hits (1962) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Howard Greenfield, Neil Sedaka The singer/songwriter went to the American pop top-10 twice in two decades with two dramatically different versions of the same song. My heart still lies with this one, comma comma down doobeedo down down. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Today's 60s trip goes back to 1961, the year the movie adaptation of West Side Story was released. The Shirelles - " Will You Love Me Tomorrow " from the album Tonight's The Night (1961) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Gerry Goffin, Carole King The first girl-group #1 was the classiest and sweet odes to a booty call that I can recall. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

On this week's 60's trip, I'll be serving up a half-dozen more nuggets from 1960, the year African nations Nigeria and Cameroon both gain independence from the United Kingdom... Paul Anka - " Puppy Love " from the album Paul Anka Sings His Big 15 (1959) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 Songwriter: Paul Anka The Canadian singer and songwriter, a true teen "idol" hadn't even turned 20 years old yet when he scored his sixth top-10 hit in America with his ladykiller. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

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... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

This week's 60s flashback goes back to 1968, the year the 'Summer Olympics' were held in Mexico City in October... Jeannie C. Riley - " Harper Valley PTA " from the album Harper Valley PTA (1968) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriter: Tom T. Hall The first song by a female performer that topped both the pop and country charts, this story of an independent woman (is the Mrs. a widow? a divorcee'? a woman whose husband is off to war?) was a natch to expand to make a TV show starring former genie Barbara Eden... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to go back to the 60s again, and this week I've got a half-dozen nuggets from 1967, the year the residents of Gibraltar had a vote somewhat like Scotland's, whether to remain with Britain or join with Spain. less than 50 sided with the Spaniards. Aretha Franklin - " Respect " from the album I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You (1967) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Songwriter: Otis Redding The musical version of Devin Hester scoring a touchdown on a kickoff return in the Super Bowl. From her first words Aretha told you how things are gonna be. One of those absolute perfect records that you can listen to eight times in a row focusing on different aspects of the production. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

I'm ready to serve up another half-dozen nuggets from the 60s, and this week I'm back to 1966, the year that German-American inventor Ralph Baer began work on developing a system to play games on television that would end up becoming the Magnavox Odyssey, the first video game console. The Mama's and the Papa's - " Monday Monday " from the album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriter: John Phillips Years before the Bangles had a "Manic Monday", the classic folk-rock group laid the case against the start of the work-week, but this time for more heartbreaking reasons. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, I'm back with this week's 60s flashback, and this time out I've got a half-dozen more nuggets from 1965, the year that Hurricane Betsy hits Louisiana, causing over a billion dollars worth of damage.... The Righteous Brothers - " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin '" from the album You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (1965) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1  Songwriters: Barry Mann, Phil Spector, Cynthia Weil Possibly Phil Spector's finest moment, this record flew in the face of the current sound at the time, with its slow-building energy into an orgasm of emotion with the vocal interplay between Medley and Hatfield helping to make this one of the best records of the rock era. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to go back to the 60s, and this week I've got a half-dozen more nuggets from 1964, the year the Beatles refused to play a concert in Jacksonville for a segregated audience.... The Animals - " The House Of The Rising Sun " from the album The Animals (US-1964)  Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriter: Traditional: arranged by Alan Price The Beatles' ruled 1964, but it was this appropriation of an old folk tune that was the most influential record of the year, combining the howling blues with folk-style phrasing and beatnik rhythms and keyboards into a whirling dervish of sin.They did in four minutes what True Blood couldn't in all those seasons. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

6 of the 60s is back after a two-week vacation, with a half-dozen more nuggets from 1963, the year of the Great Train Robbery in England, memorialized on film in Phil Collins' Buster in the late 80s.... Lesley Gore - " It's My Party " from the album I'll Cry If I Want To (1963) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: John Gluck, Wally Gold, Herb Weiner One of legendary producer Quincy Jones' first big pop successes, "It's My Party" almost came out as a Wall Of Sound production for Phil Spector's Crystals. In 2006, Gore would come out of the closet as a lesbian in an interview. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

I'm ready to go back in time to serve up a half-dozen more nuggets from the 60s, and this week I'm back to 1962, the year the first Wal-Mart store opens in Arkansas. Dion - " The Wanderer " from the album Runaround Sue (1961) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 Songwriter: Ernie Maresca The blues version of teenage pop idol stardom is set down by this, probably the hippest of the type from the hippest of singers. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time for this week's hump-day 60s flashback, with a half-dozen more nuggets from 1961, the year the Russian submarine K-19 leaked radioactive material, which killed dozens of sailors on the ship who were exposed fixing the trouble (later to be made into a Harrison Ford movie The Widowmaker )... Bert Kaempfert - " Wonderland By Night " from the album Wonderland By Night (1960) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Lincoln Chase, Klaus-Gunter Neuman Proof of the Barenaked Ladies' claim that "Bert Kaempfert's got the mad hits", this trumpet-driven instrumental topped the chart for three weeks and gave the German orchestra leader his big break. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Humpday 60s flashback time is back, and this week I'm serving up a half-dozen more nuggets from 1960, the year that a US Air Force plane was shot down over Murmansk, Russia. Brian Hyland - " Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini " from the album The Bashful Blond (1961) Billboard Hot 100 peak; #1 Songwriters: Lee Pockriss, Paul Vance The summer novelty tune about a bashful girl would have nothing these days on the thong-donning Jersey Girls. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's humpday 60s time, and this week I've got another half-dozen nuggets from 1969, the year Queen Elizabeth II's son Charles was proclaimed Prince of Wales... Sly & The Family Stone - " Hot Fun In The Summertime " from the album Greatest Hits (1970) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 Songwriter: Sly Stone This theme for the summer of 1969 was not just a great pop record, but the pinnacle of Stone's work, comparable to the best of the Beach Boys (who covered it later) and the Beatles... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's "hump day 60s" time, and this week I'm back to 1968, the year that Italy beat Yugoslavia in the European Championship (a precursor to the World Cup).... The Doors - " Hello I Love You " from the album Waiting For The Sun (1968) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriter: John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison While Jose Feliciano's cover of their "Light My Fire" was in the top-5, this song was coming down from topping the chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Humpday 60s time is here, and this week I've got a half-dozen nuggets from 1967, the year the Beatles released Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band ... The Supremes - " Reflections " from the album Reflections (1968) Billboard Hot 100 peak:#2 Songwriters: Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland Florence Ballard was already replaced with Cindy Birdsong by the time the group appeared on TV to promote the single, but her and Mary Wilson's vocals were one of the things that brought a special something to the trippy record. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's humpday 60s madness, with a half-dozen more nuggets from 1966, the year the Dick Van Dyke show aired its final episode. The Beach Boys - " Good Vibrations " from the album Smiley Smile (1967) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Brian Wilson, Mike Love The most ambitious single of the entire decade, which changed not only the group and its dynamics, but American pop music itself. With an intricacy more akin to symphonic pieces, Wilson reached his pinnacle with this three and a half minutes of heaven. (Click below to see the rest of the post)