Songs of Undying Love from the late 1960’s
Was this the golden age of pop music?
By Elizabeth Kaldeck Smith
A little bit about me and my musical journey
I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s. There was always music in our house and lots of visual art. Both my parents were pianists, my mom conservatory-trained and my dad self-taught. What I heard at home was mostly classical music and some musical theatre tunes.
Because of television in the early 50’s, I was able to hear and see a broader range of music. After seeing Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show, I became a fan and began to follow popular music on television and the radio. I especially loved seeing Elvis perform “All Shook Up” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” Watching the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday night was a ritual in our house.
My brothers and I all played at least one instrument. In addition to playing the piano, I sang and played the trumpet. I didn’t enjoy marching on streets with potholes with my trumpet mouthpiece batting up against my teeth or wearing a wool uniform no matter what the temperature. So I stopped playing the trumpet in the band.
Music I loved in the 1960’s
With the advent of the Beatles in 1964 and the popularity of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, I decided I had to learn to play the guitar. After I graduated from college, I bought a Guild Mark III gut string guitar, and played “Love Me Tender”(inspired by Elvis) and “Yesterday” after a few lessons. I got a big kick out of singing the “Girl from Ipanema” with my own guitar accompaniment.
The Beach Boys were another of my favorite groups. I was mesmerized by their “God Only Knows.” Just following the creative path of the Beatles was thrilling. Starting with “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and then coming up with so many masterpieces such as “Yesterday,” “Blackbird,” “Penny Lane” (love the trumpet solo), “Let It Be” etc. I was always looking forward to seeing what cool thing they would do next…until they broke up.
Songs which had special meaning for me as a newlywed and beyond
There were several huge hits in the late 1960’s that I especially enjoyed. They were all big in the summer of 1968 when I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. The music, the lyrics, and the performances were outstanding and I felt they spoke to me. They were beautiful, exuberant, and about being in love. They were also songs my husband, a jazz pianist and music scholar, would enjoy while traveling in the car. This was important because in those days, we regularly drove four hours each way to visit my in-laws in New Jersey. Having agreement about the music made the trip much more fun (my husband says “more tolerable”).
I still love to listen to these songs and find them inspiring.
1.“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, written by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson (Motown Records). This was a big hit in 1967. The lyrics work well for both young and old. Sadly, Tammi Terrell had a brain tumor and died in 1970 at age 24. She left a lot of much-loved music.
2. “For Once in My Life,” recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1968, written by Orland Murden and Ron Miller (Motown Records). I first became aware of Stevie Wonder in 1967 when he had a big hit at age 17 with “I Was Made to Love Her.” A child prodigy, he was known as “Little Stevie Wonder” and his mother was a co-writer on some of his songs. Cool! By the summer of 1968, he had another huge hit with “For Once In My Life” and dropped the “little” from his name. On that song, he sang, played the harmonica, piano, organ, clavinet and drums.
3. “You Send Me,” recorded by Aretha Franklin in 1968 for Atlantic Records, written by Sam Cooke. The year 1968 was pivotal in Aretha’s career. She had left the Columbia label to record with Atlantic with the guidance of producer Jerry Wexler. Her career soared with the release of “Respect”. “You Send me” is from her “Aretha Now” album. She transformed this already great Sam Cooke song into something new.
4. “Light My Fire,” recorded by Jose Feliciano in 1968, written by The Doors (RCA Victor Records). “Light My Fire” was a mega hit from his album, “Feliciano”. There is a new documentary out about his life, “Behind This Guitar”, and he continues to perform.
copyright Elizabeth Kaldeck Smith 2022 all rights reserved
