Monday, November 3, 2008

'66: Association, Supremes

The Association: Cherish

So, does your oldies station play the "long" version of "Cherish", the one with the extra "and I do ... cherish you" at the end? In the mid-sixties, radio stations were quite wary of songs that ran longer than three minutes due to allotted commercial times ("if you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit" sang Billy Joel in The Entertainer.) Thus, out went the extra "and I do" from "Cherish", which made a 3:25 recording come in at 3:13, and it listed as 3:00 on the 45 sleeve. 

When I was a kid, hearing it on AM radio, I always thought the lyrics went "I'm beginning to think that manners never found the words that could make you want me," when they actually go: "man has never found", but I think my way makes sense as well. Composer Terry Kirkman originally envisioned a slow number for the Righteous Brothers to sing. "Cherish", recorded in mid-tempo, replaced "Enter The Young" as the band's followup to "Along Comes Mary" and became their first #1 hit. The line "just the right sound" was used as the title of their 2002 retrospective on Rhino Records, for which my friend Dawn Eden conducted interviews and wrote liner notes.

The Supremes: You Can't Hurry Love

After a slight slump for Motown's biggest act (their previous two hits, "My World Is Empty Without You" and "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" had actually failed to hit Number One) Diana, Mary and Flo were back on top with a theme of motherly advice. Brian Holland's infectious, insistent rhythm has been heard on many pop records since, such as Katrina and the Waves' "Walking On Sunshine." 

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