A Few Singles from May 1968

PLAY THE SHOW

Rather than go on (again) about how great pop music was in 1968, I figured it would be a good idea to just let the songs speak for themselves. To prep for today’s show, I’ve been playing a CD with all of these songs, and it is almost shocking how a sense of continuity starts to set in after awhile. Maybe the music of 1968 was all about a universal consciousness of some sort – a subtle shift in attitude that somehow became the international zeitgeist of the era. Listen to how Aretha Franklin suddenly bursts into joyous shouts of “Freedom!” in the middle of a song about a break-up, or to the subtle probing of racism on “Does Your Mama Know about Me?” Listen to how the hilarious lyrics of “Macarthur Park” somehow jibe with “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy,” or how the relaxed attitude of “I’d Like to Get to Know You” works with Stevie’s mellow flow on “Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day”. Or maybe I’m fooling myself, because I’m experiencing a similar sense of nostalgia from each song. Either way, there’s something at work here, and it’s bigger than the sum of its parts. Listen for yourself and see if you agree with me;

1)    Think – Aretha Franklin

2)    Paying the Cost to Be the Boss – B.B. King

3)    Macarthur Park – Richard Harris

4)    Yummy, Yummy, Yummy – Ohio Express

5)    Does Your Mama Know about Me – Bobby Taylor

6)    Soul Serenade – Willie Mitchell

7)    I’d Like to Get to Know You – Spanky & Our Gang

8)    Mony Mony – Tommy James & the Shondells

9)    Funky Street – Arthur Conley

10) Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day – Stevie Wonder

11) Do You Know the Way to San Jose – Dionne Warwick

12) Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel

13) Tighten Up – Archie Bell & the Drells

14) This Guy’s in Love with You – Herb Alpert