Hot Songs, Summer in the City

They don't make heat wave hits like they used to, it says here. Some evidence just from 1965 with Beatles, Otis, Beach Boys, The Miracles, Dylan, The Animals, Jackie DeShannon, and more...

Another special edition of this newsletter, with a dozen music videos but leading off with the great Steve Brodner’s latest—somehow timely and timeless—below. Please enjoy, then comment, share or subscribe.

Summer of ‘65

First, a look around today.

Happy to feature, above, the brand new, very cool NOLA-based “Freedom” video from Jon Batiste (who will be returning with Stephen Colbert to theater with audience on Monday). However, when I see this month references to new singles and how this will be an amazing year of “great summer songs” I can only chuckle—having been around in 1965, among other “hot time in the summer time” years back then.

Among the hit tunes that summer were (you might have heard of them) “Satisfaction” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” which for years were ranked by Rolling Stone critics, and some others, as the two greatest singles of all time, no matter the season.

Then there were the ten other fun, classic, song videos below from ‘65 (including a novelty and a protest rant), as well as these little ditties: “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “All I Really Want to Do” by the Byrds, “In the Midnight Hour” (Wilson Pickett), The Beach Boys’ “California Girls,” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” (James Brown), “Do You Believe in Magic” (Lovin’ Spoonful), “Unchained Melody” (Righteous Brothers), “Here Comes the Night” (Them), “Who’ll Be the Next in Line” (The Kinks), “I Got You Babe” (Sonny & Cher), “What’s New Pussycat” (Tom Jones), “The In Crowd” (Ramsey Lewis), “Back in My Arms Again” (The Supremes), “It Ain’t Me Babe” (The Turtles), and “Help” by The Beatles, and more…

Of course, we must open with historic Dylan at Newport, summer of ‘65, with Bloomfield etc. and “Like a Rolling Stone”

“Tracks of My Tears” (Smokey and the Miracles).

“We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place” (The Animals).

“Help Me Rhonda” by Brian and the Beach Boys

“Ticket to Ride” by the Fab Four

Dig this real “summer video” for “I Can’t Help Myself” by immortal Four Tops.

Prime protest song in the Summer of Dylan, Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction”

The one and only “Wooly Bully” (Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, in full regalia).

“For Your Love” by the Jeff Beck-era Yardbirds.

“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” (Otis Redding), here at Monterey Pop.

Jackie DeShannon recording “What the World Needs Now” and came before Dionne Warwicke’s. And, yes, few women on the charts back then.

Impossible not to get up and move around to Sir Doug’s “She’s About a Mover.”

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Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books, including the bestseller The Tunnels (on escapes under the Berlin Wall), the current The Beginning or the End (on MGM’s wild atomic bomb movie), and The Campaign of the Century (on Upton Sinclair’s left-wing race for governor of California), which was recently picked by the Wall St. Journal as one of five greatest books ever about an election. His new film, Atomic Cover-up, just had its world premiere and is drawing extraordinary acclaim. For nearly all of the 1970s he was the #2 editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. Later he served as longtime editor of Editor & Publisher magazine. He recently co-produced a film about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.