By:The Chordettes, formed in 1946 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Jinny Osborn came up with the idea for the Chordettes while looking through some barbershop-quartet music her father had brought home. Her father was the president of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, Inc., and with his support she recruited Janet Ertel, Carol, Bushman, and Dorotghy Hummitszch to join her group.
Helped by Jinny's father, they made contacts, and in 1949 appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, which led to a continuing role on that TV series.
While on the Godfey show they met Archie Bleyer, the program's musical director who was the owner of the Cadence record label. When the Chordettes recorded what became their first #1 hit, "Mr. Sandman", Jinny was on maternity leave. Jinny came back, however, in time to record the group's second million-seller, "Lollipop".
As wirth most of the Chordettes' hits, Bleyer's arrangements laid the foundation for their voices. Lynn Evans later said, "He really has to get most of the credit. He would find a song and work out in his head how he wanted it to sound. Then, he would write out the voice arrangements, then he'd call us over to his house, or the studio and show us the song, the arrangement, and tell us what to do."
In 1961, Jinny Osborn left the group, and they were unable to find a replacement with whom they were happy, leading to a breakup.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
Chart position: #2 (US), #6 (UK).
It was kept from #1 in the US by "Tequila" (Champs). It was the Chordettes' biggest UK hit.
The Top Ten Songs: April 7, 1958 (US Billboard).
"Tequila" (Champs)
"Lollipop" (Chordettes)
"Catch a Falling Star" (Perry Como)
"Sugartime" (McGuire Sisters)
"Who's Sorry Now" (Connie Francis)
"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" (Laurie London)
"Sweet Little Sixteen" (Chuck Berry)
"Are You Sincere?" (Andy Williams)
"Sail Along Silvery Moon" (Karen Chandler and Her Jackets)
"26 Miles (Santa Catalina)" (Four Preps)
Written by: Julius Dixon and Beverly "Ruby" Ross.
Ross wrote such songs as "Dim, Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)", "Candy Man", "Judy's Turn To Cry", and "Remember When".
Originally by: Ronald And Ruby, whose version reached #20 in 1958 (the same year as The Chordettes). Ronald and Ruby (Beverly Ross and Lee Morris) were a racially mixed duo, an unusual sight in the 1950s. "Lollipop" was their only hit as a duo.
Also by: The Mudlarks, whose version reached higher on the charts than the Chordettes in the UK, at #2.
By:The Righteous Brothers, consisting of baritone Bill Medley (born William Thomas Medley September 19, 1940 in Los Angeles, California) and tenor Bobby Hatfield (born Robert Lee Hatfield August 10, 1940 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, died of a heart attack November 5, 2003 in Kalamazoo, Michigan).
Medley and Hatfield met while attending California State University, Long Beach, and began singing as a duo in 1962. They got their name when an African-American Marine shouted out, "That was righteous, brothers!" at the end of a show.
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" was the Righteous Brothers' first single for Phil Spector's label, Philles Records. Spector bought out their contract from Moonglow Records (with whom they had the regional hit "Little Latin Lupe Lu".)
After songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote the song, Spector played his production of it for Mann over the phone. Hearing Medley's low voice, Mann said, "Phil, you have it on the wrong speed!" Hatfield was also puzzled. He asked, "What do I do while he's singing the entire first verse?" Spector replied, "You can go directly to the bank."
The recording sessions included Glen Campbell on rhythm guitar.
Phil Spector put the time on the single as 3:05 so that radio stations would play it. The actual length is 3:45, but stations at the time rarely played songs much longer than 3 minutes. It took radio station program directors a while to figure out why their playlists were running long, but by then the song was a hit.
The Rolling Stones' manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, took out ads in British newspapers saying that the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" was the greatest record ever made:
"This advert is not for commercial gain, it is taken as something that must be said about the great new PHIL SPECTOR Record, THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS singing "YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING". Already in the American Top Ten, this is Spector's greatest production, the last word in Tomorrow's sound Today, exposing the overall mediocrity of the Music Industry.
Signed, Andrew Oldham"
According to BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century (based on American radio and television airplay,) "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" ranked #1. It has been played more than eight million times.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the song at #34 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Chart position: #1 (US), #2 (US R&B), #1 (UK).
Billboard Magazine ranked it the #5 biggest single of 1965.
It was preceded at #1 in the US by "Downtown" (Petula Clark) and succeeded by "This Diamond Ring" (Gary Lewis & the Playboys).
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is the only song to enter the UK Top 10 three different times: 1965, 1969 and 1990. It was also Phil Spector's first #1 UK hit.
The Top Ten Songs: February 13, 1965 (US Billboard Hot 100).
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (Righteous Brothers)
"Downtown" (Petula Clark)
"This Diamond Ring" (Gary Lewis and the Playboys)
"The Name Game" (Shirley Ellis)
"My Girl" (Temptations)
"Hold What You've Got" (Joe Tex)
"All Day And All Of The Night" (Kinks)
"Shake" (Sam Cooke)
"The Jolly Green Giant" (Kingsmen)
"I Go To Pieces" (Peter and Gordon)
Written by: Barry Mann (born Barry Iberman on February 9, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York,) Cynthia Weil, and Phil Spector.
Mann had a Top 10 hit in 1961 with his novelty song "Who Put The Bomp".
Peter Asher (born June 22, 1944) and Gordon Waller (born June 4, 1945, died of a heart attack July 17, 2009 in Norwich, Connecticut) met while attending Westminster School in London, England.
Asher is the older brother of actress Jane Asher, who was Paul McCartney's girlfriend during the mid-1960s. Through this connection he and Waller were given Lennon/McCartney songs that were never recorded by the Beatles, most notably their first and biggest hit, "A World Without Love".
It was recorded on January 21, 1964 at Abbey Road Studios with an arrangement by Geoff Love and production by Norman Newell. It was completed in five takes.
It was the first British Invasion single to hit #1 in the US in 1964 other than releases by the Beatles. It was the biggest Lennon/McCartney hit that the Beatles never recorded.
Peter And Gordon also had hits with updates of oldies "True Love Ways" (Buddy Holly) and "To Know You Is to Love You" (a variation of the Teddy Bears' "To Know Her Is to Love Her",) a Top ten cover of Del Shannon's "I Go to Pieces", and the British novelty "Lady Godiva," which became their last big hit in late 1966.
After Peter And Gordon broke up in 1968, Asher became an enormously successful producer. He became the director of A&R at the Beatles' Apple Records (where he worked on James Taylor's first album). He relocated to Los Angeles during the 1970s, where he was one of the principal architects of California rock, producing hits by Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt.
Chart position: #1 (US), #1 (UK).
It was preceded at #1 in the US by "Chapel Of Love" (Dixie Cups) and succeeded by "I Get Around" (Beach Boys).
The Top Ten Songs: June 27, 1964 (US Billboard Hot 100).
"A World Without Love" (Peter and Gordon)
"I Get Around" (Beach Boys)
"Chapel Of Love" (Dixie Cups)
"My Boy Lollipop" (Millie Small)
"People" (Barbra Streisand)
"Memphis" (Johnny Rivers)
"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" (Gerry and the Pacemakers)
"Love Me With All Your Heart" (Ray Charles Singers)
"Bad To Me" (Billy J. Kramer)
"Walk On By" (Dionne Warwick)
Written by: John Lennon (born John Winston Lennon, October 9, 1940, died December 8, 1980) and Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942).
Lennon and McCartney are two of the most popular composers and singers of popular music and were the founding members of the Beatles.
McCartney is listed in the Guinness Book Of Records as the most successful composer in popular music history, with a record twenty-nine US number one singles (twenty of them with The Beatles, the rest with his group Wings and as a solo artist.) McCartney has written/co-written credit on over 50 top ten hits, more than any other songwriter.
"A World Without Love" was written mainly by McCartney, most it having been completed when he was just 16 years old.
Three other Peter And Gordon hit songs, "Nobody I Know", "I Don't Want to See You Again", and "Woman" were also written by McCartney (also credited to "Lennon/McCartney"). "Woman", in particular, was written by McCartney under the pseudonym Paul Ramon to see if it would still be a hit.
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What can be said about the sun? Well, for one thing, it's hot. Really hot. As Tom Glazer once sang, "The sun is a mass of incandescent gas/A gigantic nuclear furnace/Where hydrogen is built into helium/At a temperature of millions of degrees." Nicely put, especially coming from the guy who wrote "On Top Of Spaghetti".
But what else do we know? For one thing, without the sun, we, along with all other life on earth, wouldn't survive. And, as the old saying goes, there's nothing new under it...except, perhaps, for this list! There are many great tunes about sunshine, sunlight and general sunny weather. It's difficult to leave some of my own personal favorites out.
As always the songs are organized by how well each has done on the various charts. Click on each song title to learn more. I'll say it again: If you don't see your favorite sun song, be sure to leave a comment. Who knows, your submission could be the next entry!
Let's start at the bottom (but certainly not least) and work our way up to the #1 spot.
A classic ballad from the Beach Boys. It was released as the B-side of "Dance, Dance, Dance", which charted at #8 (US) and #24 (UK). It was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What more can be said?
What good is the dawn that grows into day,
The sunset at night, or living this way
For I have the warmth of the sun
Within me at night
This was the biggest hit for Katrina and the Waves. It was originally written by Kimberley Rew as a ballad. Good thing it didn't stay that way! It's like a long-lost Motown record. It reached #9 (US) and #8 (UK). Hey, since this was released in 1985, can we consider "Walking On Sunshine" an oldie?
I'm walking on sunshine, whoa-oh I'm walking on sunshine, whoa-oh I'm walking on sunshine, whoa-oh And don't it feel good
8. California Sun
This was originally recorded by Joe Jones, who had a hit with "You Talk Too Much". (Hey, we should do a list of the Top Ten Talking Songs...) The most successful recording was by the Illinois-based Rivieras. Their version reached #5 in the US.
Well, I'm goin' out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long
Where they walk and I'll walk, they twist and I'll twist
They shimmy and I'll shimmy, they fly and I'll fly
Well, they're out there a-havin' fun
In that warm California sun
The second-most successful group from Liverpool was Gerry (Marsden) and the Pacemakers. It was produced and arranged by Beatles producer George Martin, and it shows. It reached #4 in the US and #6 in the UK. It's definitely one of the highest-of-caliber 1960s ballads. It was even later covered by Paul McCartney.
Don't let the sun catch you crying
The night's the time for all your tears
Your heart may be broken tonight
But tomorrow in the morning light
Don't let the sun catch you crying
6.Ain't No Sunshine
Bill Withers' first hit. Before this, he had been working in a factory making airplane parts. He was introduced to Booker T. Jones, who had produced records for Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. The rest is history. "I know, I know, I know, I know, I know..." It reached #3 in the US, #2 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, and was a top 40 hit in the UK.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
It's not warm when she's away Ain't no sunshine when she's gone And she's always gone too long
Any time she goes away
In 1999 BMI ranked this Bobby Hebb tune at #25 on their list of the Top 100 Songs Of The Century in terms of radio play. And rightly so: I've often played this song over and over again. It reached #2 (US), #3 (US R&B) and #12 (UK). Like "The Warmth Of The Sun", this is said to have been inspired in part by the death of JFK.
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
The dark days are gone and the bright days are here
My sunny one shines so sincere
Sunny, one so true, I love you
Many assume the Kinks were a hard rock group. This #2 UK hit, written and sung by Ray Davies, is proof they primarily wrote pretty pop. A 2004 London FM radio poll called it the Greatest Song About London, Time Out magazine named it the "Anthem of London", and it ranked at #42 Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Dirty old river, must you keep rolling
Flowing into the night
People so busy make me feel dizzy
Taxi lights shine so bright
But I don't need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset I am in paradise
3.Sunshine On My Shoulders
One of John Denver's signature songs. Though this was originally released in 1971, it was released as a single in December 1973 after being used as the theme of the NBC TV movie Sunshine. It became a big hit in 1974, reaching #1 in the US. In my opinion, this is one of the prettiest sun-themed songs on this list.
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry Sunshine on the water looks so lovely Sunshine almost always makes me high
A great ballad. I'm sure we can each think of someone, somewhere, who is the sunshine in our life. And to think that Stevie Wonder wrote, sang and self-produced this when he was only 22 years old. Rolling Stone ranked the song #281 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It reached #1 in the US and #7 in the UK.
You are the sunshine of my life That's why I'll always be around
You are the apple of my eye Forever you'll stay in my heart
And, hey, kids, what time is it? Time to reveal the numero uno (that means number one, of course) song on our list. Yes, you may be surprised that this is the one that gets a place in the sun here. The top song is...!
1. Seasons In The Sun
Terry Jacks may be considered a one-hit-wonder, but that's not the whole story. He and his wife Susan Pesklevits had success as the Poppy Family, whose hit, "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" was sung by Susan and written by Jacks. "Seasons In The Sun" was a #1 hit for three weeks in the US, and also topped the charts in the UK and Canada. It sold over 14 million copies worldwide. It later became a #1 hit for the UK group Westlife in 1999.
We had joy, we had fun,
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed Were just seasons out of time
Do you agree with this list? Have any suggestions for honorable mentions? I can think of a few myself, but I want you to decide.
Check out all of the lists here at Rock The Jukebox:
.)
(Petula Clark) and succeeded by 
(Gary Lewis & the Playboys).
(The Moody Blues) and succeeded by 
(The Kinks).
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, "Just Once", 
, 
and "Somewhere Out There".
by the Four Tops.
