Rant #2,091: Love Is Blue in the Valley of the Dolls When You're Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

I get burned out pretty easily when writing entries for this blog.

Lately, I have been writing about depressing subjects, like the Florida school shooting and the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing, and also, of course, about my personal job malady, and I have to tell you, I need a break.

So rather than write about such depressing subjects again, I decided that today, I would put that all aside and write a positive column, a happy column, a friendly column that looks back on the music that we listened to 50 years ago.

It was 1968, one of the most tumultuous years on record, what with the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the continued war in Vietnam, and the overall tumult felt in this country.

But even early in 1968, one could go to the popular music of the day to seek solace, to settle down, to relax.

There was truly something for everyone on Billboard's Hot 100 chart: instrumental, pop, rock, bubblegum, psychedelic, soul and rhythm and blues. And a few song titles in parentheses.

For the week of February 24, 1968, topping the chart was Frenchman Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra with one of the best-selling instrumental hits of all time, "Love Is Blue," which was right in the middle of its chart dominance this week, the third week of its five weeks at the top of the Hot 100.

Interestingly, there was a vocal version of this tune, but nobody remembers it--I certainly don't remember who the singer was--and the instrumental version is the go-to version of this song that everyone remembers.

At No, 2 on the chart is one of the many hits sung by Dionne Warwick, "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls," featuring a song from the movie, one which has become a camp freakout years later, but at the time was the shocking film version of Jacqueline Susann's novel about self-destructing, pill popping women.

At No. 3 was "Spooky" by the Classics IV, a southern pop group led by singer Dennis Yost. Following this tune at No. 4 was a rhythm and blues/soul classic, the Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain," another hit from Motown's top male act.

Rounding out the week's top five was the song that would eventually knock "Love Is Blue" out of the top spot, Otis Redding's posthumous recording of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." Rush released upon his untimely death in a plane crash, the tune was spruced up with strings, and became Redding's biggest hit, and certainly one of the all-time classic recordings.

At No. 6 was one of the biggest bubblegum hits of all time, the 1910 Fruitgum Co.'s "Simon Says," followed by another Buddah Records bubblegum classic," "Green Tambourine" by the Lemon Pipers, the former No. 1 record that slid to No. 7 this week.

Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, better known as songwriters and producers of some of the Monkees' biggest hits, came in with their own "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" at No. 8, followed by a medley at No. 8, "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by the Lettermen at No. 9.

Rounding out the Top 10 was the psychedelic pop classic "Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz, their take on the old Isley Brothers tune.

Another psychedelic pop classic, "A Question of Temperature" by the Balloon Farm, was the top debut single on the chart, coming in at No. 65. The song ran out of steam just a few weeks later, topping out at No. 37.

The biggest mover on this week's chart--the song that moved up the most places from the past week to the current week--was another of the many hits by Petula Clark, "Kiss Me Goodbye," which jumped from No. 82 to No. 52 in one week, or a 30-place move. The song would eventually get up to No. 15 on the chart.

So there you have it, the top songs on the Hot 100 chart, one terrific tune after another to suit just about any taste.

It is always fun to look back, but to show you how things have changed so much in popular music, what is the No. 1 song on the chart today in 2018?

I have absolutely no idea; I would have to look it up just like you.

Say what you want, but back then, even if you despised "Love Is Blue," you knew that it was the No. 1 hit in the U.S.

Today, few know and seemingly even fewer care.

But that is my opinion, and I am going to stick with it, with a stick of 1910 Fruitgum Co. bubblegum to make it really stick like glue.

Speak to you tomorrow with more uplifting entries ...

I hope.