EVERY ENTRY INTO THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 SINGLES CHART 1969- PART 21

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Every Entry Into the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart -1969- Part 21. All three singles today entered the Hot 100 on February 8, 1969. I have heard the Three Dog Night and Donovan singles previously.

Image result for try a little tenderness three dog night images

61. “Try A Little Tenderness”- Three Dog Night. Dunhill. Pop.  Written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry Woods. B-side”That No One Ever Hurt This Bad.” This was the first chart single by Three Dog Night. “Try A Little Tenderness”- was written in the early 1930’s and was first recorded in 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra and Ted Lewis. Bing Crosby recorded it in 1933. The go to version of the song- Otis Redding’s 1966 version-which while only having moderate success on the charts #25 is considered a classic. Otis was the man. Why Three Dog Night chose to cover it? You can’t complete with Otis unless your name is Aretha. Three Dog Night’s Try A Little Tenderness peaked at #29 and spent 12 weeks in the Hot 100.  Three Dog Night’s version of the song is the same as Otis’s.  Three Dog Night over the next few years would have remarkable success- 21 singles made the Hot 100 and every one of them make the Top 40.  They had three #1 hits- Mama Told Me Not To Come,  Joy To The World and Black & White.  Three Dog Night was a group formed in Los Angeles- they got their name from the coldest night in the Australian outback. Grade: B-.

 

Image result for the meters sophisticated cissy images

62.”Sophisticated Cissy” -The Meters. Josie. Funk. Written by Neville, Porter, Modeliste, Nocentelli. B-side- “Sehorns Farms.” “Sophisticated Cissy” is an instrumental and the first chart single by The Meters an R&B/ Funk band  from New Orleans. They would have 7 Hot 100 singles with 2 making the Top 40. Their biggest hit was “Cissy Strut” #23 later in 1969. “Sophisticated Cissy” peaked at # 34 and spent 8 weeks in the Hot 100. Grade: B-

 

Image result for to susan on the west coast waiting images

63. “To Susan On The West Coast Waiting”- Donovan. Epic. Written by Donovan. This was the b-side to a single “Atlantis” but it entered the charts first- “Atlantis” would be the bigger hit. Donovan was a sensation in the mid to late 60’s with 17 Hot 100 singles -12 making the Top 40- with 1 #1 “Sunshine Superman” in 1966. His final Top 40 hit was in 1969- but he is still around putting out albums and performing to this day. “To Susan On The West Coast Waiting” peaked at #35 spending 6 weeks in the Hot 100. The song is a comment on the war going on in Vietnam- a letter  home from a soldier in Vietnam to his girl Susan -on the west coast waiting. Grade B.

 

11 responses to “EVERY ENTRY INTO THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 SINGLES CHART 1969- PART 21”

    • It is amazing how big they were at the time- and how except for those #1 hits are pretty much forgotten today. I listened to an album that had all 21 of their Hot 100 hits on it- it was much better than I expected. Not ground breaking or earth shattering stuff by any means but good 70’s pop music. Even better than The Osmonds!! lol.

  2. I don’t know if it’s just me, but Three Dog Night kind of took over from The Righteous Brothers in my mind. As big as either group was in their heyday, both seem to have disappeared from the annals of rock. What do modern girls swoon to? Justin Bieber? They obviously don’t know how to melt into a guy’s arms the way girls used to. Are “swooning ” girls a thing of the past? Guys today don’t know what they’re missing.
    The Meters never made it into Canada, at least this connoisseur never heard of them. For funk nobody could style the way of Eric Burdon and War, or just War after Eric Burdon set them free to fly on their own. Arguably the best funk band in rock all time.
    And then Donovan. After starting out as the British Bob Dylan, he established himself as the world leader of peaceful music. A great voice, a quiet sound. Nobody did it better. Not to mention an incredible writing talent. He taught John Lennon how to play an acoustic guitar. What more can be said. The world’s first Flower Child. A true gift to a garden from a flower. Too bad the garden was nuked by Richard Nixon and friends!

    • I actually did like it! The bass line was very interesting and it reminded a tiny bit of Brickhouse, as far as the bass went.

      It also had a very cool shift and the bass went up half a measure.

      My volunteer is hilarious. He’s always picking out music I’ve never heard and thinks it’s his responsibility to expand my musical horizons because the first day we met I played Stevie Nicks all day.

      That was a year ago and he’s never let me live it down.

      But he wouldn’t talk to me the first month he worked for me so there’s that.

      Today we watched Stevie, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty singing (live) “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and he finally (but begrudgingly) gave her props for her pipes.

    • That is funny- his responsibility to expand your musical horizons. I haven’t heard the version with Stevie- Bob and Tom singing Knocking On Heaven’s Door…hmm.

    • Donovan was near the end at that point as far as popularity. He is one of those artists you just automatically think 1960’s about- odd how his hits dried up as the decade ended. He must have been stamped 12.31.69 expiration date.

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