Glen Campbell diagnosed with Alzheimer's
From the Associated Press:
Country music legend Glen Campbell has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and plans to put out his final album this summer.
Campbell's representative Bobbie Gale made the announcement Wednesday. The disease is in its early stages.
The 75-year-old's wife Kim also talked to People magazine and said they wanted to go public with his illness because they wanted fans to know if he has trouble onstage.
Campbell's CD "Ghost on the Canvas" is scheduled for release Aug. 30. He also is to go on "The Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour."
The Country Music Hall of Famer had pop and country hits with "Gentle on My Mind," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," and perhaps his most famous song, "Rhinestone Cowboy." He also had his own TV show on CBS.
Wichita Lineman (1968)
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Glen Campbell is a Grammy Award-winning and twice Golden Globe-nominated American country pop singer and actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a television variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.
In 1968 Campbell was an in-demand session guitarist who played on hit recordings by artists such as Elvis Presley, the Monkees, the Mamas And The Papas, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Jan And Dean, the Righteous Brothers and the Beach Boys.
Campbell played the solo on a six-string electric bass. Producer Al De Lory did the string arrangement to mimic the sound of Morse code.
Glen Campbell once said, "['Wichita Lineman' is] not strictly a country song, although a lot of people think of it as such. But its chord progression is different . . . It's certainly not a country progression."
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ranked "Wichita Lineman" at #192.
Chart position: #3 (US), #1 (US Country), #1 (US Easy Listening), #7 (UK).
Written by: Jimmy Webb (born August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma). He also wrote such hits as "Up, Up and Away"
, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"
, "Galveston"
and "MacArthur Park"
. He is the only artist to have ever received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration.
"Wichita Lineman" was a follow-up to Campbell's previous hit "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". It took approximately two hours to write.
In a 2005 Times interview, Jimmy Webb said, "A song like 'Wichita Lineman' suggests the plains, the receding horizon, the loneliness of the lineman who's up this pole in the middle of nowhere. That's an actual image that I saw one day. I was driving along and saw this guy high up on a telegraph pole and I wondered to myself, '. . . I wonder who he's talking to and what he's talking about.' There's a kind of tenacity, a blue collar nobility to what he was doing . . . [Billy Joel] said what that song says is that inside any normal Joe you might see on the street there could be great thoughts and aspirations and just because a guy is working at some menial job it doesn't mean that inside of him there's not some great passion or great dream."
My two cents: One of the greatest songs ever written, performed, recorded, period. How can I describe it? You have to hear it for yourself to know why I feel this way. It's the entire package, the whole of the song, rather than any individual part.
Obviously, Glen's voice and his delivery of the story is great. He puts forth a lot of emotion and a genuine sense that he is the Wichita Lineman. The orchestration is pitch-perfect, the bass guitar solo, the lyrics, the...everything!
And to think that Glen Campbell has yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. On this song alone, he's a shoe in! What do you think? This inquiring mind wants to know...
Want to submit facts and trivia about this song? Leave a comment!
Glen Campbell is a Grammy Award-winning and twice Golden Globe-nominated American country pop singer and actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a television variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.
In 1968 Campbell was an in-demand session guitarist who played on hit recordings by artists such as Elvis Presley, the Monkees, the Mamas And The Papas, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Jan And Dean, the Righteous Brothers and the Beach Boys.
Campbell played the solo on a six-string electric bass. Producer Al De Lory did the string arrangement to mimic the sound of Morse code.
Glen Campbell once said, "['Wichita Lineman' is] not strictly a country song, although a lot of people think of it as such. But its chord progression is different . . . It's certainly not a country progression."
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ranked "Wichita Lineman" at #192.
Chart position: #3 (US), #1 (US Country), #1 (US Easy Listening), #7 (UK).
Written by: Jimmy Webb (born August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma). He also wrote such hits as "Up, Up and Away"
, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Galveston" and "MacArthur Park". He is the only artist to have ever received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration."Wichita Lineman" was a follow-up to Campbell's previous hit "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". It took approximately two hours to write.
In a 2005 Times interview, Jimmy Webb said, "A song like 'Wichita Lineman' suggests the plains, the receding horizon, the loneliness of the lineman who's up this pole in the middle of nowhere. That's an actual image that I saw one day. I was driving along and saw this guy high up on a telegraph pole and I wondered to myself, '. . . I wonder who he's talking to and what he's talking about.' There's a kind of tenacity, a blue collar nobility to what he was doing . . . [Billy Joel] said what that song says is that inside any normal Joe you might see on the street there could be great thoughts and aspirations and just because a guy is working at some menial job it doesn't mean that inside of him there's not some great passion or great dream."
My two cents: One of the greatest songs ever written, performed, recorded, period. How can I describe it? You have to hear it for yourself to know why I feel this way. It's the entire package, the whole of the song, rather than any individual part.
Obviously, Glen's voice and his delivery of the story is great. He puts forth a lot of emotion and a genuine sense that he is the Wichita Lineman. The orchestration is pitch-perfect, the bass guitar solo, the lyrics, the...everything!
And to think that Glen Campbell has yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. On this song alone, he's a shoe in! What do you think? This inquiring mind wants to know...
Want to submit facts and trivia about this song? Leave a comment!
Clarence Clemons of Springsteen's E Street Band Dies
From CBS News:
Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen's longtime saxophone player and a legend in the music industry, died Saturday from complications following a stroke he suffered about a week ago.
Clemons' sax has been one of the most defining elements of the E Street Band's sound. He has suffered from numerous ailments over the last few years. He had double knee surgery and even had to perform from a wheelchair at one point.
But his health seemed to be improving. Just last month, he performed with Lady Gaga on the season finale of "American Idol."
Clemons scored a Top 20 hit in 1985 with the song "You're a Friend of Mine," a duet with Jackson Browne that appears on Clemons' album "Hero." Clemons was 69 years old.
The Newark Star-Ledger reports that: "Springsteen's oft-told story of his initial meeting with Clemons felt Biblical: with a lightning storm raging outside, the Big Man tore the door off an Asbury Park club, strode onstage, and made magic. Springsteen would later immortalize this meeting in "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," a song on "Born to Run."
Clemons was born in Norfolk, Va., to a Baptist minister who had no love for rock 'n' roll, The Star-Ledger reports. However, he got a saxophone at age 9, and when a car accident ruined his budding football career after college, he dedicated himself to music.
Soldier Boy (1962)
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By: The Shirelles, formed in 1958 by high school friends Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie "Micki" Harris, and Beverly Lee in Passaic, New Jersey.
They were the first girl group to have a #1 US hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Other songs by The Shirelles became hits when covered by British groups: "Sha La La"
was an international hit when covered by Manfred Mann, "Boys" was covered by the Beatles (with Ringo Starr singing lead,) and "Baby It's You"
(with John Lennon singing lead) on their album Please Please Me.
In 1996, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them #76 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Chart position: #1 (US).
It was #1 in the US for 3 weeks in May 1962. It was preceded by "Good Luck Charm"
(Elvis Presley) and succeeded by "Stranger on the Shore"
(Mr. Acker Bilk).
The Top Ten Songs: May 12, 1962 (US Billboard Hot 100).
Written by: Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg.
Dixon and Greenberg wrote or co-wrote such songs for the Shirelles as "Boys"
and "Mama Said"
, as well as other hits such as "Sixteen Candles"
(Crests,) "A Hundred Pounds of Clay"
(Gene McDaniels,) "Big Boss Man"
(Jimmy Reed,) and "Doncha' Think It's Time"
(Elvis Presley).
Also by: Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (1965).
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By: The Shirelles, formed in 1958 by high school friends Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie "Micki" Harris, and Beverly Lee in Passaic, New Jersey.
They were the first girl group to have a #1 US hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Other songs by The Shirelles became hits when covered by British groups: "Sha La La"
was an international hit when covered by Manfred Mann, "Boys" was covered by the Beatles (with Ringo Starr singing lead,) and "Baby It's You" (with John Lennon singing lead) on their album Please Please Me.In 1996, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them #76 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Chart position: #1 (US).
It was #1 in the US for 3 weeks in May 1962. It was preceded by "Good Luck Charm"
(Elvis Presley) and succeeded by "Stranger on the Shore" (Mr. Acker Bilk).The Top Ten Songs: May 12, 1962 (US Billboard Hot 100).
- "Soldier Boy" (Shirelles)
- "Mashed Potato Time" (Dee Dee Sharp)
- "Stranger On The Shore" (Mr. Acker Bilk)
- "Johnny Angel" (Shelley Fabares)
- "Good Luck Charm" (Elvis Presley)
- "She Cried" (Jay and the Americans)
- "Old Rivers" (Walter Brennan)
- "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out" (Ernie Maresca)
- "Dear Twist Lady" (Gary U.S. Bonds)
- "Shout" (Joey Dee and the Starliters)
Written by: Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg.
Dixon and Greenberg wrote or co-wrote such songs for the Shirelles as "Boys"
and "Mama Said", as well as other hits such as "Sixteen Candles" (Crests,) "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" (Gene McDaniels,) "Big Boss Man" (Jimmy Reed,) and "Doncha' Think It's Time" (Elvis Presley).Also by: Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (1965).
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The Top Ten Mail Songs
Once upon a time, there was no Twitter, no Facebook, no smartphones, no laptops, no internet, no computers, no typewriters, no people...wait, that's too far back in time! Long-distance personal communication through the written word is about as timeless as communication itself. Perhaps the strong connection we have to such communication is what makes love letters so special and junk mail so annoying.
The world of mail is so full of chain letters, letters of resignation, pen pals, stamp collectors, and so on, we just have to do a list of the Top Ten Mail Songs. Neither snow nor rain nor heat no gloom of night can keep us from this appointed round!
As always the songs are organized by how well each has done on the various charts, although this time we slightly bend that rule on this list. I'll say it again: If you don't see your favorite (and that's bound to happen, by the sheer number of great mail songs,) be sure to leave a comment. Who knows, your letter could be the next entry!
So let's not waste time licking stamps and dropping letters. Let's go! Oh, and we promise there's nothing liquid, fragile, perishable or hazardous within this list. So let's go!
10. P.S. I Love You
This early Beatles tune is 100% mail-related. Come to think, they had another song that could arguably occupy this spot, but I argue that "From Me to You" is only 70% mail-related. And for that matter, "Paperback Writer", while in letter form, is merely 40% mail-related. (Note: if you want a detailed argument, send us a letter about it.) "P.S. I Love You" reached #10 in the US in 1962.
I'll be coming home again to you, love
Until the day I do, love
P.S. I love you
You, you, you
9. Love Letters
Born Revoyda Frierson, Ketty Lester is best known for this hit song which, like the previous song, was released in 1962. It's a brilliant, slow-burning ballad, and it was recorded by many before her (Dick Haymes, Nat King Cole) and after her (Elvis Presley, Diana Krall). It reached the Top 5 of the charts in both the United States (#5) and the United Kingdom (#4).
Love letters straight from your heart
Keep us so near while apart
I'm not alone in the night
When I can have all the love you write
8. A Dear John Letter
Some of you might listen to this and say, "This is country!" But you know what? Once upon a time, music was music was music. In other words, if it was good, people bought it. The late Ferlin Husky performed the sad recitation of a Korean soldier, while the tune was sung by Jean Shepard. It was the first post-World War II record by a woman country artist to sell more than a million copies. It reached #4 in the US in 1953. It's a heart breaker, for sure.
Dear John, Oh, how I hate to write
Dear John, I must let you know tonight
That my love for you has died away like grass upon the lawn
And tonight I wed another, Dear John.
7. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter
This is a classic number written by Fred E. Ahlert and Joe Young, and was originally made a hit by pianist Fats Waller in 1935. In 1957, Billy Williams had a #3 US hit with the song. The record sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Sadly, he later lost his voice due to complications from diabetes. But he sure sounded good (and still sounds good) on this record!
I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you
I'm gonna write words oh so sweet
They're gonna knock me off my feet
A lotta kisses on the bottom
I'll be glad I got 'em
6. Sealed With a Kiss
Brian Hyland had his second-biggest hit with this song, a plaintive goodbye song that gets better with age. It was also recorded by Bobby Vinton and Gary Lewis and the Playboys, but none charted quite as high (on the charts of the day and on the hearts of the day) as Hyland's. By the way, his biggest hit was "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". But that's another list, another day. "Sealed With a Kiss" charted at #3 in both the US and the UK in 1962, which apparently was a boom year for letter-writing.
Though we've got to say good-bye
For the summer
Darling, I promise you this
I'll send you all my love
Everyday in a letter
Sealed with a kiss
5. Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
It's time for a little bit of soul. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" was the first single Stevie Wonder produced on his own. And the rest, they say, is musical history. It was also Wonder's first Grammy nominated song. And interestingly, the song title came from Stevie's mother Lula, who exclaimed the words after listening to her son working on the song's melody. It reached #3 in the US in 1970.
Like a fool I went and stayed too long
Now I'm wondering if your love's still strong
Ooh, baby, here I am,
Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!
4. Take a Letter Maria
I used to think this song was sung by Sam Cooke. Turns out I was wrong. But it turns out that R.B. Greaves is Sam Cooke's nephew. So I guess that makes up for it. But make no mistake that R.B. was talented in his own right. He wrote this song, and it was recorded by Stevie Wonder and Tom Jones before he recorded it himself in 1969. By 1970, sales of his version of "Take a Letter Maria" were over 2.5 million. No letter-writing campaign was required.
Take a letter Maria
Address it to my wife
Send a copy to my lawyer
Got to start a new life
3. Return to Sender
Classic, despite the fact that Elvis recorded this for the film Girls! Girls! Girls! Sorry, I don't mean any offense by saying it's "classic, despite". Even Elvis himself knew his movies were by no means stellar. Anyway, this song is definitely of its era. What exactly is a zone? Is it like The Twilight Zone? Because I used to like that show. Either way, a great song with great singing by Elvis and great saxophone playing by Boots Randolph, it reached #2 in the US and #1 in the UK in 1962 (a good year for the mail).
Return to sender,
Address unknown
No such number,
No such zone.
2. The Letter
Do you believe that Alex Chilton was only 16 years old when he originally sang "The Letter"? Or that his voice didn't normally sound like that? I'm sure you did, but I didn't. Chilton and the Box Tops recorded this in 1967, and it became a #1 hit in the US and a #5 in the UK. But it also charted high in many countries the world over. Plus, it's just likely the most awesome letter-related song there is. Well, almost, since it does sit at #2 on this list.
Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane,
Ain't got time to take a fast train,
Lonely days are gone,
I'm-a goin' home,
My baby just-a wrote me a letter
And now, as we come to the end of this love letter to songs about the mail, it's time to reveal the number one mail song. If you don't agree, then you can treat me like a mailman and give me the sack. Get it? Give me the...oh, I know, that's corny. The top mail song is...!
1. Please Mr. Postman
But of course! "Please Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes was the first #1 US hit for Tamla/Motown Records, which paved the way for future R&B acts of the 1960s and beyond. It also reached #2 in the UK.
That's all we have to say about that. Unless you want to hear a joke:
Two mailmen were ending their routes for the day when one of them saw the other stomp on a snail. "Why on earth did you step on that snail?" asked his co-worker. "'Cause that same snail has been following me all day!"
Yeah. I shouldn't quit my day job.
Wait! Oh yes, wait a minute, Mister Postman
Wait! Wait, Mister Postman
Please, Mister Postman, look and see
Is there’s a letter in your bag for me
Cause it’s been a mighty long time
Since I`ve heard from this boyfriend of mine
And just for fun, here's an honorable P.S. that was a #3 hit in 1963 for Allan Sherman...
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah
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:
- The Top Ten Blue Songs
- The Top Ten Rain Songs
- The Top Ten Dream Songs
- The Top Ten Sun Songs
- The Top Ten Moon Songs
- The Top Ten Girl Name Songs
- The (Next) Top Ten Girl Name Songs
- The Top Ten Walking Songs
And stay tuned for our next list: The Top Ten Lonely Songs!
Please Mister Postman (1961) (1975)
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By: The Marvelettes.
The Marvelettes were the first successful Motown girl group. They paved the way for such girl groups as the Supremes and Martha And The Vandellas. Other hits of theirs include "Beechwood 4-5789", "Too Many Fish In The Sea", "Don't Mess With Bill", and "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game".
In April 1961 the Marvelettes (then known as The Marvels) auditioned for Berry Gordy's Tamla/Motown label. Marvels member Georgia Dobbins wanted an original song for their audition. She got a song from her friend William Garrett which she then reworked, keeping only the title: "Please Mr. Postman". Dobbins left the group after the audition and was replaced.
Berry Gordy then renamed the group the Marvelettes and hired Brian Holland and Robert Bateman (along with Freddie Gorman) to rework the song yet again.
The lead on "Please Mr. Postman" was sung by lead singer Gladys Horton (born May 30, 1945 in Gainesville, Florida, died January 26, 2011 in Sherman Oaks, California).
The drums were played by Marvin Gaye (born April 2, 1939, died April 1, 1984). He was only 22 at the time and trying to break into the music business. Gaye later gained international fame as a solo artist on the Motown label in the 1960s and 1970s.
Chart position: #1 (US), #1 (US R&B).
The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" was Motown's first #1 single.
It was #1 in the US for the week of December 11, 1961. It was preceded at #1 by "Big Bad John" (Jimmy Dean) and succeeded by "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (The Tokens).
The Top Ten Songs: December 11, 1961 (US Billboard Hot 100).
Written by: Robert Bateman, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Brian Holland and Freddie Gorman.
Freddie Gorman was an actual postman. His mail route included Detroit, Michigan public housing where members of The Supremes lived.
Also by: The Beatles, whose version appeared on their 1963 album With The Beatles
. It had advance orders of more than 500,000 and sold another 500,000 by September 1965. That made it the second album to sell a million copies in the UK (the first being the South Pacific soundtrack.) It stayed at the #1 for 21 weeks. It displaced their debut album Please Please Me
. Therefore the Beatles occupied the top spot for 51 consecutive weeks.
The Carpenters' version of "Please Mr. Postman" (featuring Karen Carpenter on vocals and drums) was their biggest hit ever worldwide. It reached #1 in the US, Australia, Germany, Japan and several other countries. It also reached #2 in the UK and Canada.
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By: The Marvelettes.
The Marvelettes were the first successful Motown girl group. They paved the way for such girl groups as the Supremes and Martha And The Vandellas. Other hits of theirs include "Beechwood 4-5789", "Too Many Fish In The Sea", "Don't Mess With Bill", and "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game".
In April 1961 the Marvelettes (then known as The Marvels) auditioned for Berry Gordy's Tamla/Motown label. Marvels member Georgia Dobbins wanted an original song for their audition. She got a song from her friend William Garrett which she then reworked, keeping only the title: "Please Mr. Postman". Dobbins left the group after the audition and was replaced.
Berry Gordy then renamed the group the Marvelettes and hired Brian Holland and Robert Bateman (along with Freddie Gorman) to rework the song yet again.
The lead on "Please Mr. Postman" was sung by lead singer Gladys Horton (born May 30, 1945 in Gainesville, Florida, died January 26, 2011 in Sherman Oaks, California).
The drums were played by Marvin Gaye (born April 2, 1939, died April 1, 1984). He was only 22 at the time and trying to break into the music business. Gaye later gained international fame as a solo artist on the Motown label in the 1960s and 1970s.
Chart position: #1 (US), #1 (US R&B).
The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" was Motown's first #1 single.
It was #1 in the US for the week of December 11, 1961. It was preceded at #1 by "Big Bad John" (Jimmy Dean) and succeeded by "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (The Tokens).
The Top Ten Songs: December 11, 1961 (US Billboard Hot 100).
- "Please Mr. Postman" (Marvelettes)
- "Big Bad John" (Jimmy Dean)
- "Goodbye Cruel World" (James Darren)
- "The Twist" (Chubby Checker)
- "Walk On By" (Leroy Van Dyke)
- "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (Tokens)
- "Run To Him" (Bobby Vee)
- "Tonight" (Ferrante and Teicher)
- "Let There Be Drums" (Sandy Nelson)
- "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" (Neil Sedaka)
Written by: Robert Bateman, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Brian Holland and Freddie Gorman.
Freddie Gorman was an actual postman. His mail route included Detroit, Michigan public housing where members of The Supremes lived.
Also by: The Beatles, whose version appeared on their 1963 album With The Beatles
. It had advance orders of more than 500,000 and sold another 500,000 by September 1965. That made it the second album to sell a million copies in the UK (the first being the South Pacific soundtrack.) It stayed at the #1 for 21 weeks. It displaced their debut album Please Please Me. Therefore the Beatles occupied the top spot for 51 consecutive weeks.The Carpenters' version of "Please Mr. Postman" (featuring Karen Carpenter on vocals and drums) was their biggest hit ever worldwide. It reached #1 in the US, Australia, Germany, Japan and several other countries. It also reached #2 in the UK and Canada.
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Want to submit facts and trivia about this song? Leave a comment!
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