"Breaking Up is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka.

OK, girls and boys, more 60s: This '62 Sedaka/Greenfield composition was inspired by The Showmen's "It Will Stand". Described as "2 minutes and 16 seconds of pure pop magic", it topped the charts in the US and many other countries, including "Tu No Lo Sai" in Italy, sung by Neil himself. Considered Sedaka's signature song. He re-recorded it in '75 as a ballad and it peaked at #8 in '76, only the 2nd time an artist made the Top 10 with 2 different versions of a song (The Ventures' "Walk Don't Run"/"Walk Don't Run '64" was the other one). Covers by The Happenings, The Partridge Family and Lenny Welch also charted. Song? Answer: "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka. I'm partial to the original version. I grew up listening to Neil Sedaka in perfect Spanish on WKBM in San Juan. He recorded every one of his songs also in Spanish. I didn't hear him in English until I moved to Philly in '73. Finally got to see him live in Vegas a few years ago - the old guy's still great! Can you believe that neither him nor Paul Anka are in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame???!!! Don't get me started! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbad22CKlB4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN0y3x9Yj58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCFZ5tk-S9Y

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Surf City" by Jan and Dean.

OK, (two) girls and (one) boys (hint, hint!), back to the 60s: Brian Wilson penned this surf classic in '60 as "Goody Connie Won't You Come Back Home". He "gave" it to Jan Berry and Dean Torrence who altered it and gave it its well-known name. Their '63 recording topped the pop charts for 2 weeks and peaked at #3 on the R&B charts (!). First surf song ever to hit #1 on Billboard. Through Dean's efforts, Huntington Beach, CA has been nicknamed after this song and at least 65 of its businesses incorporate the title in their names. Covered by The Ramones and by The Go-Go's. Answer: "Surf City" by Jan and Dean. As Belinda Carlisle would have it, "Two boys for every girl!"! We had the privilege of seeing Jan & Dean live in '79 opening for McGuinn, Clark & Hillman at the Valley Forge Music Fair - what a thrill it was! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERrwjR4ZlfI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP5pjan45ZA https://w...
Read more

"In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry.

OK, girls and boys, with the summer (hint, hint!) quickly aprroaching, more 70s one-hit wonders: Lead singer and guitarist Ray Dorset wrote this 1970 seasonal classic for his British pop-blues band - their first and only U.S. hit (#3). It sold over 16 million copies worldwide. One of the highest selling singles of all time and the world's top-selling summer song. Band? Song? Answer: "In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry. Has anyone else ever noticed that the instrumental break in this song is interchangeable with the one from Canned Heat's "Going Up the Country"? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUQcnfwUUM
Read more

"Theme from 'The Endless Summer' " by The Sandals.

OK, boys and girls, back to the 60s: A few days ago I read a post by my friend and Puerto Rican surfing legend Mundi Fernandez. He graciously mentioned many other surfers in our circle, most are still with us but, unfortunately, some have left us for that wonderful beach in heaven. Frankie Astor, Andy Romeu, Panchito Castro and our recently-departed dear childhood friend Arturo Marchand immediately come to mind. Even though I was by no means a surfer, I was always fascinated by the sport, admired its participants and, most important for me, relished in its music. This classic 1966 documentary film was created by Bruce Benson. It follows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August on a six year quest around the globe trying to find "the perfect wave". The unforgettable surf-rock soundtrack and, especially, the theme song were composed by Gaston Georis and John Blakeley and performed by their group The Sandals. Arguably the most beloved theme in the surf movie genre. Movie?...
Read more