The last day of the 1960's. I wasn't there for that, but I'm guessing it was quite a party. Bigger than the Y2K celebration? Hard to say. Probably fewer computer glitches back then, likely more me throwing up in 1999. That's just an estimate, of course.
From the purview of somebody on the outside looking in, that mid-century decade seems as tumultuous as any in modern times. Even if you just focus on the music and ignore everything else occuring around the world, things were all over the map.
Great bands? Well, sheesh take a look at this list, for one idea. Some of the best work from the Beatles and the Stones and Dylan and Hendrix and the Beach Boys and, way, way, WAY too many more to name. Truly an amazing era.
Though, of course, there was a downside to the times.
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| Biggest single, "Our White Van has no Windows" |
More specific than that sub genre of Renaissance-Pedophile (Ren-Ped as the kids say, which of course they only say while running as quickly as possible in the opposite direction) is the hippie movement. I realize many people hold these folks and their music in very high esteem. I, however, have a lifelong aversion to the smells, the style, and the sounds of it. Call me "the man" or some such nonsense if you must, but seeing a tie-dyed white guy with dreadlocks muse in immense detail about a certain twenty-seven minute keyboard solo makes me lose my collective palate for freedom. The tunes were hokey and meandering and utterly ridiculous. If you believe in balance, it leveled quite evenly the mastery being displayed by actual musicians on the other end of the spectrum.
That contrast feels like a major component of the times. Look at the two big music festivals as well; Woodstock and Altamont.
One of these was considered the apex of the summer of love. The other could have, legitimately, been called the winter of death. I admonish Altamont fairly, I believe, based on the facts. I am not foisting hatred on that land for personal reasons.
Though I could.
You see, I had to drive through it's boring, windmill-clad terrain a half-a-kajillion times growing up. I grew up in the crappy town right next door. And, to go east into even crappier lands, we had to travel through the never-ending sorriness of Altamont. It's an unpleasant memory, one which I hold the hippies responsible. Perhaps unfairly. Nah.
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| It blows |
Another bit of contradiction of the 1960's pertains to the band The Supremes. During this decade, the hugely talented singing group made their first appearance. And, over the course of those years, they accumulated a dozen number one hits.
That's good!
They didn't have a chart topper again. Ever.
That's bad.
Today's randomized top hit selection, "Someday We'll Be Together", was their twelfth and final song to reach the summit. It held that slot for one week before disappearing, along with The Supreme's top tune mojo, into the brown morass that was the 1970's.
I didn't recognize this song at all by name, and upon listening to it, I still don't know it. Certainly this single never reached the heights of popularity nor managed as long a shelf life as the prior hits they made. You could probably assume it did so well as a result of their already well-deserved fame, and not necessarily on its own merits. Many artists have songs that overachieve simply because there are so many fans that love their work. I don't mean that as a negative, just an observation.
So, "Someday We'll Be Together" was the summation of their hits. It wasn't, however, the summary. It really doesn't represent the complete entirety of these hot dozen tunes. Each was a part of the puzzle, but there isn't one song that represents all the chart time they had.
Until now.
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| Supreme Leader leisure wear, now half off! |
Making the Supreme Number One:
- Take the lyrics from every number one Supremes song
- Place them all in a word cloud thing-a-ma-bobber
- Parse the text to get a list of the most used terms
- Create genius!
It's almost too easy. The only struggle is about how to structure the most perfect pop song. Do I put the most repeated words into the chorus, or start them at the top? It's the question every song-smith worth their salt in history has considered.
Upon much reflection, I've settled on inserting top words into the chorus. This is what the scores of fans will grab hold of and sing along to over and over again. In fact, screw the rest of the song. My supreme number one will only have a title and a chorus. No verses! No bridge! Heck, no music even. Why bother. Like Shakespeare said, it's the words dummy!
Always classy that guy.
Without further ado, please enjoy the most Supreme song of all. It's title, unsurprisingly, is "Love". That word is spoken 101 times total over the course of the prior dozen smashes! Seems like a popular subject. Please enjoy, and sing along if you know the words.
(You know the words)
Love
by The Supremes (sort of)
Baby, ooh, now see just heart
Come cause think, keep life said
Child arms got need, time
Wanna hurry away? Leave?
Gone
Thank you for your applause. All of those words were used more than ten times each across all songs. A second tune using the less popular text in the list will someday be created and sold as the B-Side. It will not be listened to at all. Thinking I should still do it. Right. Right?
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| Sigh. Nuff said. |
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