My fellow Pencil Storm contributor, Jim Hutter, has done a couple of pieces on his “Confessions of a Rock & Roll Schoolboy.” The latest installment covered his earliest musical memories. That piece resonated with me, so I felt compelled to share my own such memories. It’s kind of great to look back to more than fifty years ago and recall what songs may have led me down the path of being a complete rock & roll fanatic for all of my life. Here are a few songs that I vividly recall being in love with in my childhood, up to the age of ten.
“The Tra La La Song” (Banana Splits Adventure Hour theme)
This kid’s television show featuring a musical group of four animals was my absolute favorite show as a child. Fleegle the dog, Bingo the gorilla, Drooper the lion and Snorky the elephant were some of my earliest rock stars. According to Wikipedia the song was written by Ritchie Adams and Mark Barcan, or Nelson B. Winkless, Jr. depending on which Wiki page you read. It’s performance was credited simply to The Banana Splits. The song actually charted in 1969 and came full circle in my life when it was covered in 1978 by The Dickies, who I happen to love.
“I’m a Believer” / “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” by The Monkees
Jim Hutter had The Monkees on his list too, but he had the theme song from the television show. I watched and loved the show, but I came to love “I’m a Believer” and its flipside, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” as a result of playing a 45 rpm record roughly eight million times on my tiny little plastic record player. That well-worn 45 got a huge crack in it from when my cousin stepped on it, but it still played okay. I had “Pleasant Valley Sunday” as well.
“Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter Paul & Mary
I’m not certain about how I came to love this song - was it on a TV show? Anyway, I loved it and my Mom helped me find the single somewhere.
“Do You Love Me” by The Dave Clark Five (and a few more of my cousin Doug’s 45’s)
I had a cousin (not the one who stepped on my Monkees record) who I saw rarely because he lived in Michigan and he was much older than me. During one summer visit, he gave me a small stack of 45’s that he didn’t want anymore. My favorite one in the pile was “Do You Love Me.” The other ones that resonated with me were “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds, “Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon” by Paul Revere and the Raiders and “Five O’clock World” by The Vogues. I am certain I had “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones but that one has somehow been lost or disappeared.
editor’s note; “Do You Love Me” was my first favorite song of The British Invasion in 1964. I liked The Beatles okay on the Ed Sullivan Show, but I dearly LOVED The Dave Clark Five. (And yeah, I was a Rock & Roll Snob of the First Order even at 12 years old; friendless dweeb that I was.) - Ricki C.
“Kodachrome” by Paul Simon and “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce
My Mom used to frequent a five & dime store called G.C. Murphy. There was a rack of 45’s there and she would often allow me to pick one out. I usually could find something I had heard on my beloved AM transistor radio. These were two of my early picks.
I could name a few more gems but I have covered some good highlights. In hindsight, looking at my musical tendencies, I think I was a pretty cool kid. Isn’t it cool that I still have all of these old 45’s, even though they are scratched to the point of being nearly unlistenable?
My love for the old school 45 rpm record is permanently commemorated on my right upper arm…..
JCE, or John to his friends, was born in 1963 in the Nation’s Capital. He grew up in the VA suburbs of D.C. His earliest musical memories are tied to a transistor radio with a single earphone that he carried everywhere listening to AM radio. He has a wife of 32 years, and a grown daughter.