EVERY ENTRY INTO THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 SINGLES CHART- 1969- PART 46

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Every Entry Into The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart- 1969- Part 46. All three singles today entered the chart on March 15, 1969 and none of them came close to the Top 40. “The Tracks Of My Tears”- Aretha Franklin, ” Goodbye Columbus”- The Association, and “Kick Out The Jams”- MC5.

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137. “The Tracks Of My Tears”- Aretha Franklin. Atlantic. Soul. Written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore and Marv Tarplin. Was the b-side to “The Weight.” “The Tracks Of My Tears” was a hit for Smokey Robinson and The Miracles in 1965- #16. I can’t believe this wasn’t a Top 10 hit!  Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it at #50 on their 500 Greatest Songs Ever list. Aretha covered it- it was the b-side to “The Weight” which entered the charts in February 1969 and peaked at #19. “The Tracks Of My Tears” only went to #71 and spent 9 weeks on the chart. This was the 2nd of an eventual 6 Hot 100 hits for Aretha in 1969. Aretha does her own take on The Tracks Of My Tears- and it’s ok but the definitive version is the original.  Grade: B-

 

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138. “Goodbye Columbus”- The Association. Warner Brothers. Pop. Written by Jim Yester. B-side-“The Time It Is Today.”  The Association were formed in Los Angeles in 1965. They had 13 Hot 100 singles with 7 making the Top 40. While they didn’t have numerous hits they did have some big ones- two #1’s- “Cherish” 1966- a song people seem to either love or hate- I detest it and in 1967 “Windy.” “Goodbye Columbus” had a different history- it entered the charts here in March 1969 for 4 weeks and fell out of the charts- only to be revived in August when it was the theme song for the movie starring Richard Benjamin- “Goodbye Columbus.”  All in all “Goodbye Columbus” reached #80 on the charts with a total of 11 weeks in the Hot 100. The Association had their hits from 1966-73- except leaping forward to 1981 when they had a single go to #86 called “Dreamer.” Grade: C

 

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139. “Kick Out The Jams”- MC5. Elektra. Garage Rock- Written by The MC5. B-side: The Motor City Is Burning. The MC5 were a short lived group- this was from their debut album of the same name. That album would be the album they would have the most chart success with and the album they are remembered by. MC5- stands for Motor City Five. They were from the Detroit area. Many consider them to be pioneers of the punk rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranks their debut at #294 on their 500 Greatest Albums Ever list. I think Rolling Stone is being kind. Fred “Sonic” Smith of the group would go on to marry punk icon Patti Smith in 1980. He would die of a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 45. When I think of the MC5 I think first of the great rock critic Lester Bangs who in his first review in Rolling Stone called it “ridiculous, overbearing, pretentious album” and later changed his mind to liking the album. The single “Kick Out The Jams” would be the MC5’s only Hot 100 single- #82 spending 4 weeks on the chart. Grade:A

10 responses to “EVERY ENTRY INTO THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 SINGLES CHART- 1969- PART 46”

  1. I loved Lester Bangs. I used to read his column in Creem which was my favorite music publication. Did you know that Anne Murray was one of her favorite singers? He called her voice liquid gold. I always loved that because I like Anne Murray too, but never expected that he’d like her…As for MC5…I appreciate the significance of Kick Out the Jams more than actually liking the song and it’s the best song by them that I’ve heard. Didn’t really like album either. Be that as it may, I’d give Kick Out the Jams an A too for rock and punk culture significance.

  2. I love Aretha’s cover, including the musical arrangement, which was just right. I like “Cherish” . Didn’t they do “Turn Around Look at Me” also? In either 7th or 8th grade gym we had to do a ridiculous routine to that song, like a march-dance, but in slo-mo. I don’t think kids today would stand for it. lol. This Association song: no-go. The MC5 I know it sounds familiar and I may have liked it at one time, but today within seconds of listening a headache started and I’m not one to get headaches easily.

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