Music Years Of My LIfe: 1964-69
Also known as the early years. What was the first song you remember hearing? Doing these posts on my music life had me going way back to my childhood for the answer. My conclusion is that the first songs that I heard had to have come from sister's bedroom. It was there that the radio and turntable were playing the latest hits.
And I'm convinced that the first sounds I heard were from the Beatles. My sister had the 1966 album, Yesterday and Today, which was a collection of songs from the '65/'66. The song that stuck with me was "We Can Work It Out", which topped the charts in early '66. Is is the first? Maybe. But it's possible that I heard that album in 1967. "Hello Goodbye" is another Beatles contender. Released in late '67 and getting lots of airplay through early '68. But there was another song released earlier and discussed below.
Here's the story. I was born in 1964. But I can still recall hearing certain records even at the age of 2 or 3. My sister had a small collection of singles and very little albums. But AM Top 40? Always on. Most of the records I remember are from '67-'69. Her 45 of "Daydream Believer" ('67) was played a lot.
Other songs from that time frame that I never forgot:
"These Eyes" - Guess Who ('69)
"Good Morning Starshine" - Oliver ('69)
"Love Is Blue" - Paul Mauriat ('68)
"Like To Get To Know You" - Spanky and Our Gang ('68)
"People Got To Be Free" - Rascals ('69)
"In The Ghetto" - Elvis Presley ('69)
"Whiter Shade Of Pale" - Procol Harum ('67)
There are others, but none would qualify as first heard.
But here's the surprise. Is it possible to remember something when you're a year old. The Beatles' "Eight Days A Week" always held a special place in their pantheon for me. And I think the reason is pretty obvious. Released in early '65, it has to be the song I heard first. I'll never know for sure, and it's not something one discusses with their parents, but if it's a Beatles song that lodged into my brain first, and set me on my way to being the music nut I am today, then so be it. Could have been something worse.
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