So pull up a beanbag chair, turn on your lava lamp and take a trip back to a groovier time!
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March 2016 March 31: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart is American soul singer Billy Paul with "Me and Mrs. Jones" (1972)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert, "Me and Mrs. Jones" describes an extramarital affair between a man and his lover, Mrs. Jones. The song was originally recorded by Paul, his only #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, but has since been recorded by Canadian crooner Michael Bublé (a collaboration with Bublé's then-girlfriend, Emily Blunt), among others.
March 30: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking #3 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart is American vocal group The Friends of Distinction with "Grazing in the Grass" (1969)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Originally composed as an instrumental by actor and singer Philemon Hou, "Grazing in the Grass" was first recorded by the South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela in 1968 and was ranked as the 18th biggest hit of the year. The Friends of Distinction, who formed in 1968, had their first major hit wit the song however their version included lyrics written and sung by group member Harry Elston. The title phrase was rumoured to be a synonym for the practice of smoking marijuana, one of whose nicknames is "grass."
March 29: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #34 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#1 on UK Singles chart) here is British reggae/pop band UB40 with "Red Red Wine" (1982)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written and originally performed by American singer-songwriter and musician Neil Diamond in 1967, UB40's version offers a lighter, reggae-style flavour compared to Diamond's sombre, acoustic ballad. Tony Tribe covered the song in 1969 in a reggae-influenced style and according to UB40, they were only familiar with Tribe's version (they apparently didn't realize that the writer, credited simply as "Diamond", was in fact Neil Diamond). The lyrics are sung from the perspective of someone who finds drinking red wine the only way to forget their woes. Diamond has stated that UB40's version is one of his favourite covers of his songs.
March 28: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking #2 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart is American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Eric Carmen with "All by Myself" (1975)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Carmen, the song was his first solo release after leaving the power pop group the Raspberries. The verse is based on the second movement (Adagio sostenuto) of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18. The chorus is borrowed from the song "Let's Pretend", that Carmen had recorded with the Raspberries in 1972. Carmen thought that Rachmaninoff’s music was in the “public domain” and no copyright existed on it. Subsequent to the release of the album, he was contacted by the Rachmaninoff estate and informed otherwise. An agreement was reached in which the estate would receive 12 percent of the royalties from "All By Myself"
March 28: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking #2 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart is American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Eric Carmen with "All by Myself" (1975)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Carmen, the song was his first solo release after leaving the power pop group the Raspberries. The verse is based on the second movement (Adagio sostenuto) of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18. The chorus is borrowed from the song "Let's Pretend", that Carmen had recorded with the Raspberries in 1972. Carmen thought that Rachmaninoff’s music was in the “public domain” and no copyright existed on it. Subsequent to the release of the album, he was contacted by the Rachmaninoff estate and informed otherwise. An agreement was reached in which the estate would receive 12 percent of the royalties from "All By Myself"
March 27: Today's "Way Back Play Back" is in celebration of Easter; peaking at #45 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here American rock and country music singer, guitarist, songwriter, television host and occasional actor Glen Campbell with "I Knew Jesus (Before He Was a Star)" (1973)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Easter, a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD., is the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity whom the teachings of most Christian denominations hold to be the Son of God, is believed by modern scholars of antiquity to have existed historically as a Galilean, Jewish rabbi who preached his message orally, was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate. In the current mainstream view, Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher and the founder of a renewal movement within Judaism, although some prominent scholars argue that he was not apocalyptic. After Jesus' death, his followers believed he was resurrected, and the community they formed eventually became the Christian church. In recent years, the notion of Jesus Christ having an almost celebrity status has been a theme in some contemporary works of art; Cambell's "I Knew Jesus (Before He Was a Star)" was one of a number of religiously themed songs to reach the U.S. charts between 1969 and 1973, along with "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (1970), "Put Your Hand in the Hand" by Ocean (1971), "Superstar" by Murray Head (1969) and "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens (1972) to name a few.
March 26: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#8 on UK Singles chart) is British-American folk rock band America with "Sister Golden Hair" (1975)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: America formed in England in 1970 when multi-instrumentalists Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley first met as sons of U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in London, where they began performing live and achieved significant popularity in the 1970s with their close vocal harmonies and light acoustic folk sound. Written by Beckley, "Sister Golden Hair" was largely inspired by the works of American singer, songwriter and musician Jackson Browne. Although the song is a message from a man to his lover, explaining that he still loves her despite being not ready for marriage, the title was initially inspired by the mothers of all three members of the group, all of whom were blondes.
March 25: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American actor and rapper Will Smith with "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" (1997)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: The song samples the Sister Sledge song "He's the Greatest Dancer" (1979). The "mama-uh, mama-uh, mama come closer" line is a reference to the song "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango, specifically the version adapted by Michael Jackson in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"'s (1983) final bridge. The connotations associated with the expression getting jiggy were heavily influenced by this single. The term went from being used to acclaim one's fashion or style towards being synonymous with dancing, and eventually back to the original association with sexual connotations. Smith has attested in an interview that his inspiration to alter the meaning for the purpose of the song came from his association of the term "jiggy" with "jigaboo", a derogatory term for African-Americans, which made the literal meaning of the title "getting African-American with it" and which was meant to reference the popular folk-myth of an innate sense of rhythm in black folks. The co-opting of a once offensive word also was racially empowering. The song as well as the phrase "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" has been used and parodied in popular culture ever since its release.
March 24: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #4 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#8 on UK Singles chart) here is British rock band Dire Straits with "Sultans of Swing" (1978)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written and composed by band frontman Mark Knopfler, the song drew inspiration from witnessing a jazz band playing in the corner of a practically deserted pub in Deptford, South London. At the end of their performance, the lead singer announced that they were the "Sultans of Swing", and Knopfler found the contrast between the group's dowdy appearance and surroundings and their grandiose name amusing. The song was first recorded as a demo and quickly acquired a following after it was put on rotation at Radio London. Its popularity soon reached record executives and Dire Straits, a name given to the band by a musician flatmate of drummer Pick Withers, were offered a record contract. The song was then re-recorded for the band's debut album. The record company wanted a less-polished rock sound for the radio, so an alternative version was recorded and released as the single in some countries including the United Kingdom and Germany. The song was one of Dire Straits' biggest hits and became a fixture in the band's live performances.
March 23: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock with "Incense and Peppermints" (1967)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Formed in Los Angeles in 1967 and at the time when psychedelic bands were starting to achieve mainstream success, the Strawberry Alarm Clock came about by parts of two bands, Thee Sixpence and Waterfyrd Traene, morphing into one. The inception of Strawberry Alarm Clock aside from Thee Sixpence is not well documented, largely because none of the other band's recordings (subsequently lost) were released. The first and most famous Strawberry Alarm Clock single was "Incense and Peppermints", produced by Frank Slay and initially released by Thee Sixpence on All American Records, owned by Bill Holmes, the band's manager and producer. The band was not impressed by songwriter John Carter's singing, so Slay chose Greg Munford, a 16-year-old friend of the band who was from another group called Shapes of Sound, to sing lead on the track. In their early days of touring, the band members would often sit on "magic carpets" as their roadies carried them to the stage. Drummer Seol would rig up wrist gas jets to give the illusion that he was playing the bongos and vibes with his hands on fire, until the gimmick became too dangerous.
March 22: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #8 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#2 on UK Singles chart) here is English television, stage and film actress Tracey Ullman with "They Don't Know" (1983)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written and composed by English singer and songwriter, the late Kirsty MacColl (1959 - 2000), "They Don't Know" was the second single in the UK for Ullman and was included on her debut album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places. MacColl, who released the song as a single in 1979, performed backing vocals on Ullman's version reprising her original "bay-ay-be-ee" in the middle of the song. The track was released in the United States the following year, as Ullman's first single there. At the time, Ullman was almost a complete unknown in the US, as her TV appearances had not been seen in that country. Publicity for the single was aided by the fact that the video for "They Don't Know" featured a cameo from Paul McCartney; at the time it was filmed, Ullman was filming a minor role in McCartney's film Give My Regards to Broad Street. Ullman emigrated from the UK to the US where she starred in her own network television comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show (1987 - 1990) which is known for producing a series of shorts featuring the Simpsons family, which was adapted into the TV series, The Simpsons (1989 - present).
March 21: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#1 on UK Singles chart) here is English rock band The Animals with "The House of the Rising Sun" (1964)
Johnny K's Fun Facts:
Considered the "first folk-rock hit" following the success of The
Animals' version, the ballad is of uncertain authorship with the oldest
known recording of the song, under the title "Rising Sun Blues", by
Appalachian artists Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster, who recorded
it in 1933. The Animals' version transposes the narrative of the song
from the point of view of a woman led into a life of degradation to that
of a man whose father was now a gambler and drunkard, rather than the
sweetheart in earlier versions. The Animals' rendition of the song is
recognized as one of the classics of British pop music.
March 20: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #37 on UK Singles chart here is English rock band Led Zeppelin with "Stairway to Heaven" (1971)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album (often called Led Zeppelin IV), the song has three sections; each one progressively increasing in tempo and volume. The song begins in a slow tempo with acoustic instruments (guitar and recorders) before introducing electric instruments. The final section is an uptempo hard rock arrangement highlighted by Page's intricate guitar solo accompanying Plant's vocals that end with the plaintive a cappella line: "And she's buying the stairway to heaven." The song originated in 1970 when Page and Plant were spending time at Bron-Yr-Aur, a remote cottage in Wales, following Led Zeppelin's fifth North American concert tour (March 21 - April 18, 1970). "Stairway to Heaven" was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States in the 1970s, despite never having been officially released as a single there. It is often referred to as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
March 19: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American rock band The Beach Boys with "Good Vibrations" (1966)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Composed and produced by group leader and co-founder Brian Wilson with words by his cousin and fellow band mate Mike Love, "Good Vibrations" the song drew inspiration from Wilson's fascination with cosmic vibrations, after his mother once told him as a child that dogs sometimes bark at people in response to their "bad vibrations". He used the concept to suggest extrasensory perception, while Love's lyrics were inspired by the Flower Power movement that was then burgeoning in Southern California. Building upon the layered production approach he had previously formulated on Pet Sounds ( released earlier in 1966 and considered one the most influential albums in the history of popular music), Wilson recorded "Good Vibrations" in piecemeal using several Los Angeles studios throughout the course of eight months, resulting in a cut-up mosaic of several musical episodes marked by discordant key and modal shifts. Band publicist Derek Taylor dubbed the work a "pocket symphony", as it features an array of exotic instruments considered unusual for a popular song of its time, including jaw harp and Electro-Theremin (an electronic musical instrument developed in the late 1950s to produce a sound to mimic that of the theremin, which an early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer and was patented in 1928), along with standard instruments played in ways novel to a pop hit, such as its cello and string bass which play a bowed tremolo over the song's chorus. Its making was unprecedented in any kind of recording, with a total production cost estimated between $50,000 and $75,000 (today $360,000 and $550,000), the highest of any music single ever produced. "Good Vibrations" later became widely acknowledged as one of the greatest masterpieces of rock music.
March 18: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#3 Canadian Singles chart) here is Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies with "One Week" (1998)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: It was written by Ed Robertson, who is featured on the lead vocal of the rapped verses. Steven Page sings lead on the song's chorus, while the two co-lead the prechoruses in harmony. Robertson wrote the ideas for the non-rap 'choruses' with the concept being the structure of a fight where the protagonist knows they are wrong and is just trying to save face. He wanted to come up with a rapping verse for the song but all attempts failed. Page suggested he simply improvises the rap as the two commonly did onstage every night. Robertson heeded the advice and set up a video camera. He improvised the song at a slower pace to make rhyming easier and arrived at about four minutes of rap. He sent it to Page who told him not to change a word. Two minutes of the improvising was almost directly compiled (with very little, if any, tweaking) into the verses of the song. As it is improvised, it is not intended to directly have any relation to the plot of the chorus sections. The song is notable for its significant number of pop culture references, and remains the band's best known song in the United States. Robertson, along with former member Page, founded the group in 1988. As of Page's departure in 2009, Robertson and bassist Jim Creeggan are the only remaining original members of the band.
March 17: Today's "Way Back Play Back" is in celebration of Saint Patrick's Day; peaking at #37 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#3 Canadian Singles chart) here is Canadian-Irish folk group The (Irish) Rovers with "Wasn't That a Party" (1980)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Saint Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17th, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish around the world, especially in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish, particularly those that developed in North America. In recent years, there has been criticism of Saint Patrick's Day celebrations for having become too commercialized and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish.
March 16: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #36 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American rock band Aerosmith with "Sweet Emotion" (1975)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by lead singer Steven Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton, the song began a string of pop hits and large-scale mainstream success for Aerosmith that would continue for the remainder of the 1970s. Many Aerosmith fans believe that Tyler wrote all of the lyrics to the song about the tension and hatred between the band members and lead guitarist Joe Perry's wife, Elyssa. Tyler himself has said that only some of the lyrics were inspired by Perry's wife. It was stated in Aerosmith's tell-all autobiography Walk This Way and in an episode of Behind the Music that growing feuds between the band members' wives (including an incident involving "spilt milk" where Elyssa threw milk over Tom Hamilton's wife, Terry) may have helped lead to the band's original lineup dissolving in the early 1980s.
March 15: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #10 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is English rock band The Police with "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (1980)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Police lead singer Sting, the song deals with the mixed feelings of lust, fear and guilt that a female student has for a school teacher and vice versa, and inappropriateness leading to confrontation which is unravelled later on in the song. Lyrics allude to Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov's novel, Lolita (1955), which covers somewhat similar issues. Before joining The Police, Sting had previously worked as an English teacher. In 1986, a re-recorded version of the song was released as "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86".
March 14: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American disco band A Taste of Honey with "Boogie Oogie Oogie" (1978)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Formed in 1971, the band derived its name from Herb Alpert's song "A Taste of Honey" and had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie". Their subsequent disco releases, such as "Do It Good" (#79 in 1979) and "Rescue Me" (1980) failed to attract attention, and by 1980 the group had become a duo.
March 13: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #9 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American 1960s folk-rock band Spanky and Our Gang with "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" (1967)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Deriving its name from Hal Roach's popular Our Gang comedies of the 1930s (known to modern audiences as The Little Rascals), the short-lived Spanky and Our Gang, which was noted for its vocal harmonies and led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, enjoyed success between 1967 - 1969. Written by Terry Cashman and Gene Pistilli, "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" proved to be the group's biggest hit. After the band dissolved, McFarlane had some success as a solo artist touring with the New Mamas and The Papas (John Phillips' 1982 - 1998 recreation of his earlier band, the Mamas and the Papas), largely singing the parts which had been performed by the late Cass Elliot (1941 - 1974).
March 12: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #19 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer, songwriter and musician, the late Marvin Gaye (1939 - 1984), and American recording artist, the late Tammi Terrell (1945 - 1970), with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (1967)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was first successful as a hit single recorded by Gaye and Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross ( and Ross' first solo #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart). British soul singer Dusty Springfield wanted to record the song but Ashford & Simpson declined, hoping it give them access into Motown. In early 1967, Motown hired Terrell to sing duets with Marvin Gaye, who had achieved duet success with Mary Wells and Kim Weston as well as having recorded duets with Oma Heard. During recording sessions, Gaye would recall later that he didn't know how gifted Terrell was until they began singing together. At first the duets were recorded separately having both Gaye and Terrell record separate versions. Motown remixed the vocals and edited out the background vocals, giving just Gaye and Terrell vocal dominance.
March 11: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American vocal group Wilson Phillips with "Hold On" (1990)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: With roots in the music scene, Wilson Phillips consists of Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson, and Chynna Phillips, the daughters, respectively, of Brian Wilson (and Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford) of The Beach Boys and of the late John Phillips (1935 - 2001) and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas. "Hold On" became Wilson Phillips' first number one single, reaching the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 on June 9, 1990, bumping Madonna's "Vogue" off the top spot. The song won the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year for 1990.
March 10: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#1 U.K. Singles chart) here is English singer, songwriter and composer, Elton John, and English singer, Kiki Dee with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (1976)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche" (a pun on the expression "an horse and cart, blanche"), respectively, the song was intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell (such as the 1967 hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough") and Kim Weston (such as the 1966 hit "It Takes Two"). Reportedly John and Taupin originally intended to record the song with the late Dusty Springfield (1939 - 1999), but ultimately withdrew the offer before approaching Dee.
March 9: Today's "Way Back Play Back" is in celebration of International Women's Day (March 8); reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is Australian singer, actress and activist Helen Reddy with "I Am Woman" (1972)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Reddy and singer-songwriter Ray Burton, the composition was the result of Reddy's search for a song that would express her growing passion for female empowerment. Reddy’s years on stage had fueled her contempt for men who belittled women. In its initial form, the original version ran to little more than two minutes, so Reddy was asked to write an additional verse and chorus. The extra verse inserted the song's only reference to men ("Until I make my brother understand"). The song came at the apex of the counterculture era and, by celebrating female empowerment, became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.
March 8: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #3 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer and songwriter Glenn Medeiros with "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" (1987)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser and originally recorded by American artist George Benson in 1985, "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" was covered by Medeiros who released the song on a small independent label at the age of 16, after winning a local radio talent contest in Hawaii. A visiting radio executive from Top 40 (CHR) radio outlet KZZP,in Phoenix, Arizona heard the song and took the record back to Phoenix, where, through word of mouth, it became a national hit. Medeiros also recorded the song in Spanish under the title "Nada cambiará mi amor por ti." After his musical career Medeiros taught and was vice-principal at the Maryknoll School, a parochial school in his native Honolulu, Hawaii. On July 1, 2015, Medeiros became the president of Saint Louis School in Honolulu.
March 7: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; reaching #1 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American rock band The Turtles with "Happy Together" (1967)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: "Happy Together" was written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, former members of a band known as The Magicians. Apparently the song had been rejected a dozen times before it was offered to The Turtles. Released in February 1967, the song knocked The Beatles' "Penny Lane" out of the number one slot for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. When performing the song on television, Turtles' vovalist and founding member, Mark Volman, commonly "played" a different instrument not present in the song for each appearance; on The Ed Sullivan Show he "played" a trumpet, on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour a piano, and on others a French horn. This could be seen as a wink to the audience that they were lip-syncing, a common practice for 1960s television.
March 6: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #3 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum with "Spirit in the Sky" (1970)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Greenbaum, "Spirit in the Sky" contains lyrics about the afterlife, making several references to Jesus, although Greenbaum is Jewish. Greenbaum was inspired to write the song after watching American country music singer, the late Porter Wagoner (1927 - 2007) on TV singing a gospel song. Greenbaum later said: "I thought, 'Yeah, I could do that,' knowing nothing about gospel music, so I sat down and wrote my own gospel song. It came easy. I wrote the words in 15 minutes." Greenbaum used a Fender Telecaster with a fuzz box built into the body to generate the song's characteristic guitar sound. The resulting sound was an innovative and compelling combination of gospel and psychedelic rock music, with loud drums, distorted electric guitar, clapping hands, and tambourines. The production team brought in the Stovall Sisters, an Oakland-based gospel trio, to sing backing vocals. During John Lennon's scathing 1970 Rolling Stone "Beatles break-up" interview with Jann S. Wenner, while highly critical of the recent work of many of his peers, including Bob Dylan and ex-band mate Paul McCartney, Lennon professed to liking the then-current radio single, "Spirit in the Sky," stating that he "always liked simple rock and nothing else."
March 5: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #8 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#1 Dutch Singles chart) here is Dutch pop music duo Mouth & MacNeal with "How Do You Do" (1971)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: The duo were formed in 1971 when record producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talent of the late, "Big Mouth" (born Willem Duyn, 1937 - 2004) and Maggie MacNeal (born Sjoukje van't Spijker, 1950). Big Mouth had previously sung in a number of 1960s bands, including Speedway. MacNeal had released one solo single before teaming up with Big Mouth, a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", also produced by van Hemert. Following the success of "How Do You Do" Mouth & MacNeal represented the Netherlands in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their song "I See a Star", placing third to ABBA and Gigliola Cinquetti. The song became a UK top ten hit, peaking at #8. In December 1974, Mouth and MacNeal split up.
March 4: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Fast-Forward Fridays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1990s; peaking at #7 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#1 U.K. Singles chart) here is Danish-Norwegian eurodance group Aqua with "Barbie Girl" (1997)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by the members of Aqua (Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, René Dif, and Lene Nystrøm) after the group saw an exhibit on kitsch culture, the song is a social comment and was not created or approved by American multinational toy manufacturing company, Mattel Inc., the makers of the Barbie and Ken dolls (for which is the subject of the lyrics). The group caused controversy with the double entendres and thus Mattel filed a lawsuit against the group. The lawsuit was finally dismissed by a judge in 2002, who ruled "The parties are advised to chill." Both the song and its music video feature Nystrøm as Barbie and Dif as Ken.
Johnny K's Fun Facts: The song satirizes success in the music business. The song's narrator laments that his band has not been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine despite having the superficial attributes of a successful rock star, including drug usage, "teenage groupies, who'll do anything we say" and a frenetic guitar solo. As a result, the band was on the March 29, 1973 cover of Rolling Stone; however, they did so in caricature, rather than in a photograph, and with the caption, "What's-Their-Names Make the Cover." Rolling Stone is a biweekly magazine that focuses on popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still the magazine's publisher, and music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its musical coverage and for political reporting by the late Hunter S. Thompson (1937 - 2005).
March 2: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues a series featuring randomly chosen hits from yesteryear; peaking at #9 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart (#2 U.K. Singles chart) here is English rock band The Kinks with "Lola" (1970)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Kinks' frontman Ray Davies, the song details a romantic encounter between a young man and a possible transvestite, whom he meets in a club in Soho, London. In the song, the narrator describes his confusion towards a person named Lola who "walked like a woman and talked like a man". Although Davies claims that the incident was inspired by a true encounter experienced by the band's manager, alternate explanations for the song have been given by drummer Mick Avory. Avory has offered an alternate explanation for the song's lyrics, claiming that "Lola" was partially inspired by Avory's frequenting of transgender bars in west London. In his autobiography, Davies said that he came up with the music for what would become "Lola," noting that brother Ray added the lyrics after hearing it.
March 1: Today's "Way Back Play Back" continues with a series called "Totally Tubular Tuesdays" with the grooviest hits of that decade known as the 1980s; peaking at #3 on U.S. Billboard's Hot 100 chart here is American rapper and actor Tone Lōc with "Funky Cold Medina" (1989)
Johnny K's Fun Facts: Written by Young MC, Michael L. Ross and Matt Dike, the song title refers to a fictional aphrodisiac (described as a love potion), which is presented in the accompanying video as a steaming potion. The lyrics tell the tale of Lōc's initially unsuccessful attempts to attract women at a bar. At the suggestion of another patron, he plies his intended with "that medina thing." He first tests the drink on his dog, who immediately latches onto his leg and attempts to arouse himself sexually, and subsequently becomes more popular with other dogs. Lōc's subsequent attempts to use the drug backfire on him; first he targets a woman who, unbeknownst to him until the couple "got undressed," was a transsexual, and then a woman who becomes immediately intent on marriage (recounting his experiences on the game show Love Connection). In the end, Lōc concludes the concoction is simply not worth the trouble (and the video shows him regretfully emptying the bottle into a storm drain). After the song became popular, several different cocktails were introduced bearing the name "Funky Cold Medina."
