If Mother's Day is the holiest day of the year, then Father's Day has to be the most fun day of the year,
Barbecues, baseball and relaxation are certainly the things that we dads do that day, and you know what, we deserve it!
And a special happy Father's Day greeting to my own dad, who at 86 is my personal rock. I hope I can be as strong as he is if and when I get to his age. He is a pretty remarkable guy.
Now that I got that one out of the way, today we take one of our periodic looks back at the music that shaped our lives 50 years ago.
It's June 14 today, but we're going to look back on the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles for the week of June 15, 1968, so while it's not quite 50 years, it's close enough for our purposes.
And I am sure there are quite a few dads--and moms--on this list.
So what was the No. 1 single in America 50 years ago tomorrow?
It was Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," the song from the movie "The Graduate," which topped the chart this week. This was its third and final week at the top spot, and would be replaced by this week's No. 2 song--
"This Guy's In Love With You," by Herb Alpert. This was one of Alpert's rare vocal songs, and even with his thin voice, he carries the tune over well. And no, the Tijuana Brass are not credited on the "A" side of the single. I think this stands as the perfect Father's Day tune.
Coming in at No. 3 is Tommy James and the Shondells' "Mony Mony," which got its name from a Mutual of New York sign that James saw outside his window one day.
Another song with a repetitive name came in at No. 4 this week. "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by the Ohio Express pretty much defined what "bubblegum music" was, with its lyrics a mix of innocence and more adult undertones.
As simple as "Yummy Yummy Yummy" may have been, the complexities of the No. 5 song this week are still being discussed to this day. "MacArthur Park" by another unlikely singer, actor Richard Harris, was the fifth most popular song this week, and what exactly does the cake represent?
A former No. 1 tune, "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell and the Drells, follows at No. 6, with Aretha Franklin's soul classic, "Think," at No. 7.
The Rascals' "A Beautiful Morning" is at No. 8, while another movie soundtrack song, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro, is the No. 9 song for the week.
Rounding out the top 10 was "The Look of Love" by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. Lani Hall, one of the female voices on the record, was and still is Herb Alpert's wife, so the family had a very good week on the charts this week.
The highest debut single, at No, 61, was "D.W. Washburn" by the Monkees. With the TV show canceled and heading into "Head," the song only got up to No. 19 on the charts, and stands as the TV rock group's last real hit with the four stars of the show/band in tow.
The biggest mover of the week--the song that went up the most number of places on the chart from last week to this week--was "Face It Girl, It's Over" by jazz/pop stylist Nancy Wilson. The song would eventually get up to No. 29 on the chart.
So there you have it, a top 10 filled with classics, forgotten songs and others that simply resonate inside our brain every time we hear them
As I said last week, for myself, this is a month of doctors, and I have a major appointment tomorrow--nothing serious at all, but it is one of those appointments that, let's say, resonates through the day for me.
So I won't be at this perch tomorrow, and I will next speak to you on Monday.
Have a great Friday and a great weekend, happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there, and I will speak to you again on Monday.
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