Tunes Du Jour Presents 1963

If you could travel back in time and turn on a car radio in 1963, what would you hear? It was a year poised on the brink of profound change, both culturally and musically. Listening to the pop charts from that year is like opening a time capsule of a specific American moment, one just before the British Invasion, led by The Beatles, would arrive on our shores in January 1964 and rearrange the entire landscape. Using a playlist of the year’s biggest hits, we can get a clear picture of the sounds that defined the last year of this particular pop era.

Two major sounds seemed to rule the airwaves, both born from a distinctly American, youthful energy. From the West Coast came the sun-drenched anthems of surf rock. The Beach Boys offered a national invitation with “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” while their friendly rivals Jan & Dean created the idyllic “Surf City.” This wasn’t just a vocal trend; the raw, driving energy of instrumental hits like The Surfaris’ “Wipe Out” and The Chantays’ “Pipeline” provided a visceral, drum-and-guitar-heavy soundtrack for a generation. Complementing this was the sound of the girl groups, often channeling teenage drama through the ambitious production of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” on tracks like The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and The Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron.” From the defiant fun of Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” to the tough-girl stance of The Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back,” these songs were miniature soap operas set to a 4/4 beat.

At the same time, a different kind of sound was solidifying its place at the heart of American music, broadcasting from Detroit and other soul music hubs. Motown was hitting its stride, producing hits that were both commercially successful and artistically sophisticated. You could feel the undeniable energy of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas on “(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave” or get lost in the smooth, clever plea of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me.” A teenage prodigy named Stevie Wonder even captured the explosive energy of his live performances on “Fingertips, Pts. 1 & 2.” It wasn’t just Motown, either. The soulful storytelling of groups like The Drifters on “Up on the Roof” and the raw, emotional performance of Garnet Mimms on “Cry Baby” showed the depth and variety within R&B and soul music.

Beyond these dominant movements, the Top 40 of 1963 was remarkably eclectic. The folk revival crashed onto the pop charts with Peter, Paul and Mary’s earnest version of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind,” introducing a new layer of social consciousness to mainstream radio. Unclassifiable artists with singular visions also found massive success. Roy Orbison’s haunting, operatic ballad “In Dreams” and Johnny Cash’s iconic, mariachi-inflected “Ring of Fire” were worlds unto themselves. The charts even made room for the wonderfully unexpected: Kyu Sakamoto’s “Sukiyaki,” a beautiful Japanese-language ballad that became a number-one hit, and “Dominique” by The Singing Nun, also a number-one hit, proved that a great melody could transcend any language barrier. And in a class all its own was the wonderfully raw and raucous “Louie, Louie” by The Kingsmen, a garage-rock precursor that parents hated and kids loved.

Looking back, the collection of hits from 1963 represents a high point for a certain kind of American-made pop music. It was a world of surf guitars, dramatic girl-group harmonies, sophisticated soul, and a surprising number of unique one-offs. Every song on the radio, from Andy Williams’ smooth crooning to the gritty simplicity of “Louie, Louie,” was part of the same popular conversation. It was a vibrant and diverse scene, but one operating on its own terms. It had no idea that four young men from Liverpool were about to board a plane, bringing with them a sound that would change the rules for everyone.

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Girl Power! Forty Of The Best Girl Group Songs

The girl group sound was a genre of pop music that flourished on the charts between 1958 and 1966. Most records that fall into this category were made by all-female trios or quartets. However, some girl group hits were performed by solo women, and some by groups that featured a cisgender male. Per girl-groups.com, more than 750 girl groups cracked the US or UK charts between 1960 and 1966.

Tunes du Jour commemorates International Women’s Day with a playlist of forty of the best examples of the girl group sound.


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Throwback Thursday – 1963

The girl group sound was hugely popular on the US pop charts in the early 1960s. The Shirelles, The Crystals, The Chiffons, The Angels, Martha and the Vandellas, The Marvelettes, The Exciters, The Orlons, The Cookies, The Murmaids, The Dixie Cups, The Supremes, The Toys, The Shangri-Las, The Jaynetts and others filled the radio with tales of teenage romance, heartbreak and occasionally social commentary. Solo acts such as Lesley Gore and Darlene Love also exemplified the girl group sound.

Described in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as “the quintessence of the ‘girl group’ aesthetic of the early 1960s,” the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” reached #2 in 1963. The record was produced by Phil Spector, who produced at least 15 top forty girl group songs between 1962 and 1964.

Lead vocals on “Be My Baby” were performed by Ronnie Spector. In fact, the other Ronettes aren’t even on the record. Backup singers included the girlfriend of Phil Spector’s promotion man. That man was Sonny Bono; his girlfriend was Cher. Sonny & Cher would have their first hit as a duo two years later.

This week’s Throwback Thursday playlist spotlights the hits of 1963. Here are twenty of that year’s best, kicking off with the record New Music Express named the second best song of the 1960s (their #1 was The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life”), the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.”


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Ringo + Ronnie 2014-08-10 12.19

The Ronettes – “Be My Baby”

Ringo + Ronnie 2014-08-10 12.19

Ronnie Spector turns 71 years old today. Along with her sister Estelle and cousin Nedra, Ronnie, then Veronica “Ronnie” Bennett, formed The Ronettes, one of the classic girl groups of the sixties.

The trio was signed to Colpix Records, but none of their singles performed well. Then they met Phil Spector, who signed them to his label, Philles.

The first track Spector recorded with the trio was “Why Don’t They Let Us Fall in Love?,” which, though the girls liked it, Spector held from release.

With Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector wrote “Be My Baby,” with the intention of having Ronnie Bennett, the woman he wanted to be his baby, record it.

The resulting record had a classic Spector wall of sound production and Phil recorded more than 40 takes. It took Ronnie three days to get the lead vocal down.

The other Ronettes don’t sing on “Be My Baby.” Background vocals were provided by Darlene Love, Nino Tempo, Sonny Bono, who did promotion for Phil Spector, and Bono’s girlfriend, Cher.

In 1963, The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” rose to #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Since that time it has made many lists of the greatest recordings. Among its biggest fans is Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, who named it is favorite single of all-time, saying “This is a special one for me. What a great sound, the Wall of Sound. Boy, first heard this on the car radio and I had to pull off the road, I couldn’t believe it. The choruses blew me away; the strings are the melody of love. It has the promise to make the world better.”

Ronnie Bennett married Phil Spector in 1968. They divorced in 1974.

Today’s playlist consists of twenty tracks embodying the classic girl groups sound, with an emphasis on The Ronettes.