"Music From The 50s And 60s Targeted Teenage Market," Says Robert Gay.

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Robert Gay writes with soul when he uses 50s songs and movies as milestones for his teenage journey. Detailed and heartfelt... Thanks Robert for taking time off to pen this very touching story of yours.

Becoming a Teenager:

It was no coincidence that the music of the fifties and sixties targeted the teenage market! This was the period when the post war babies became teenagers! The social culture was teenage based and created a huge unprecedented market! There were dozens of songs centered on age sixteen!

Sixteen Candles, the Platters and the Crests,

Only Sixteen, Craig Douglas,

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Neil Sedaka,

You’re Sixteen, Johnny Burnette,

Sweet Little Sixteen, Chuck Berry etc.

One of my favourite songs by Lonnie Donegan starts, “Sweet sixteen goes to church just to see the boys... Putting on the Style!" Teenagers were falling in and out of love! Moodiness, loneliness, violence, recklessness were all part of the makeup of a teenager! The film Rebel Without a Cause said it all! James Dean became a superstar and, “Chicken“ became a dangerous game on the roads!

The term Teen Idol was coined! 

The famous 'Rebel Without a Cause' 

car race as mentioned in the article,

with James Dean n Natalie Wood.

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1459337/art-house-james-dean-all-his-glory-rebel-without-cause

Cliff Richard, Pat Boon, Elvis, Ricky Nelson and many others were conferred the title! Several of the new Artistes were teenagers! Paul Anka sang Diana which was one of the biggest hits ever! Ricky Nelson sang, Poor Little Fool and My Rifle, Pony and Me with Dean Martin in, “Rio Bravo."  We identified with them and learnt to sing these songs with guitar accompaniment!

I was thirteen in 1957! 

Author, Traveller: Robert Gay in the Galapagos.

A Teenage Crush:

I was still catching spiders, fighting fish and flying kites and fishing! Girls never featured in my activities! I was mystified by a couple of our group who raved about this girl and that girl! Then one day the inevitable happened, I was returning from fishing in the sea off Siglap when a girl on a bicycle stopped by me, smiled at me and said “How many fish did you catch Robert?”. I was kind of speechless and just held up the string of fish that I was bringing home. She smiled again and said, “That’s a good catch “ and cycled off!

I stood there just stunned ! It didn’t help that she was just prettiest girl I had ever seen and I’d never seen her before! I thought she might have been one of my sisters’ friends! But they didn’t know her. However, a couple of the guys knew instantly who she was and even where she lived! Next day, I persuaded my new classmate Lesley from ACS to come with me to see where she lived. Somewhere in Dunbar walk! 

What a Borgward 60s looks like. Usually chauffeur 

driven and owned by the rich in Singapore 50s/60s.

https://metrommp.com/Classic-Car-Guides-Ratings-Features/Borgward/1960-Borgward-P-100-Catalog/

We were just outside her house when a chauffeur driven Borgward stopped at her gate! And out she came. She saw us and came to us asking what we were doing! I had cunningly dropped a few coins on the grass verge and we were pretending to look for them. “Let me help you” she said and proceeded to look around with us! We collected my coins then she kindly invited us in for a drink (orange juice)! She got us our drinks and had one for herself.

We chatted for a while and then she said, “ Excuse me I have to do my homework, just wait for me.”

She got out her homework and we just sat and listened to Guy Mitchell, “Singing the Blues” on the LP she had put on for us!

I noticed after a while that she looked perturbed about her homework so I walked over to see what she was trying to do, She had CV Durell's, “General Mathematics Vol. 4” in front of her. I had only just finished Vol. 4 at Presbyterian Boys' School. However, I looked at the problem she was trying to solve and surprisingly saw how to do it immediately! So I showed her how it was done and I got another of those beautiful smiles. Homework was done in no time and we got to chat and got to know each other better. 

Singapore students use this text book 

for Mathematics practice in the 1950's.

Teenage Socials:

This became a kind of usual pattern and a few of us used to gather regularly at her place. We brought our guitars and sang the hits by Pat Boon, Elvis, Harry Belafonte, Ricky Nelson, Fats Domino and others.

She taught us how to dance; the cha cha, jive and the waltz! We also went out as a group to the places like the Botanical Gardens for a picnic where she packed a lunch. The highlight of our get-togethers was a trip to Johore Bahru one day where again she packed a lunch and drinks for us! Our main group consisted of Philip and Dennis (our Everly Brothers Champions), myself and Leslie. All this was good innocent fun and it was happy days for me.

Surprisingly she usually went to school by bus! She would walk all the way from Dunbar walk, through Frankel Avenue to the bus stop on Geylang Road where she took a bus to Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, passing my house on the way! I used to wait to wave to her and have a few words. 

I remember those mornings where I would have a Billy Vaughan LP on while waiting. “A Summer Place” and “Sail along Silvery Moon” were my favourite songs on this LP. The twin saxophones blended so beautifully! However. As all good things this would not last forever.! We were always mindful that she was a little older than us. She was fifteen and we were about thirteen. 

'Singing The Blues' Guy Mitchell. 

YouTube Video from: The Ed Sullivan Show.

[Song is usually sung on stage by Blogger Andy.]

“I’m so young and your so old”, Paul Anka's, Diana was about two years older than Paul too. We had over a year of this wonderful companionship but we always new she had older male friends who had more serious intentions.

Teenage Blush:

One day we visited as usual but she had gone. We came again the next day and were met by her older cousin waving a large screwdriver. 

“Don’t come here again!” he said, in a most unfriendly manner.

We left quite shocked and we never saw her again till many years later!

“One day she left without a word she took away the sun...” Lemon Tree, Peter Paul and Mary.

So this is how I got initiated into the teenage world! All the songs we sang were becoming true!

Comments are welcome.

Another Robert Gay memory:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2024/01/frankel-estate-siglap-singapore-meets.html

[Author: Robert Gay. Copyrighted article.]

'Diana' by Paul Anka. 

YouTube Video from: morrisjrs1965.

[42 Million Views on this posting.]

[Song is usually sung on stage by Blogger Andy.]

Andy Singapore 60's Music Blog Sweet 16th Anniversary: 21 Nov 2023

The blog is going into its 16th year... 

That's how it has been counted always.

[21 November, 2023]

UP TO 600 VIEWS, 70 CHATS, COMMENTS

Many thanks for the support all these years from readers in Singapore and internationally. Also the contributing writers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, England, the US, Canada and Australia.

The daily average views are reducing but there are still regular folks out there who check this blog constantly.

I guess it is now a 60's music history blog... and hopefully youthful new readers who are looking for some information and images from that era will visit this place more often.

Sweet Sixteen Songs:

"Tra la la la la la la la, Happy birthday sweet sixteen, Tra la la la la la la la, Happy birthday sweet sixteen, Tonight's the night I've waited for, Because you're not a baby anymore, You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen, Happy birthday sweet sixteen..." Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield [1961]

"Sweet Little Sixteen, She's just got to have, About half a million, Framed autographs, Her wallet's filled with pictures, She gets 'em one by one, Become so excited, Watch her look at her run, boy." Chuck Berry [1958]

You're 16, You're Beautiful and You're Mine: 

Johnny Burnette. 

YouTube Video from: the rockabillie.

"Ooh, you come on like a dream, Peaches and cream, Lips like strawberry wine, You're sixteen, You're beautiful and you're mine, You're all ribbons and curls, Oh, what a girl!, Eyes that twinkle and shine..." Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman [1960].

Singapore and Asian Hits:

Wow, Andy! Happy 16th birthday to your blog. You could add some local sixteen-themed songs as well. I know Rocky Teoh also did 'You're Sixteen', and several performers recorded 'Sixteen Candles', including Rita Chao, John Yam and Ruby Wah. All the best. Steve."

[from Dr. Steven Farram: University of Darwin, Australia.]

Thanks to Dr. Steve Farram for his well wishes. After 15 years he's still reading my blog. Yes, being a Singapore blog it must include some of our Asian hits...

Sixteen Candles: Rita Chao

YouTube Video from: Stereocandies.

"Happy birthday, Happy birthday, baby, Oh, I love you so, Sixteen candles, 

Make a lovely light, But not as bright, As your eyes tonight..."

Composers: Margo Sylvia, Gilbert Lopez. [1957]

You're Sixteen You're Beautiful and You're Mine

Rocky Teo. YouTube Video from DrAaronKing.

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Rock and Roll Comes To Singapore: Michael Bangar

Rock n Roll Comes To Singapore by Michael Bangar, Professional Musician.

Hi Andy! 

I just want to share with the blog readers, my version of how the British music invasion of the 1960's forever changed Rock & Roll and Pop Music throughout the world.

It was the 1950's, and most of us were probably in school. Those who owned Radiograms (Hi-Fi Sets in today's terms: image 3 right) were quite well off. Most of us grew up listening to the radio, and the radio stations were Radio Singapore & Radio Malaya, broadcasting in our four languages. Some even owned Rediffusion sets (if you recall those cute rectangular shaped black audio-box sets with a speaker built-in: image 2 left). Rediffusion had The Silver Network in English (few hours in the morning were allotted daily for the Malay listeners) and The Golden Network in Chinese (few hours were also allotted daily for the Indian listeners).

TV only arrived on our shores in 1962! The music that came out of those music contraptions played by the DJ's from that period, would mostly be classified as Standards today. Songs by artiste such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Perry Como, Johnny Ray, Andy Williams, Vic Damone, Frankie Lane, etc. and female artistes like Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Debbie Reynolds, Jo Stafford, Cleo Laine, Kaye Starr and even Marilyn Monroe.

Then in the year 1955, a new kind of Beat Music was slowly sweeping across the USA. It took the youngsters by storm and they were all dancing to the beat. A young DJ named Allan Freed was watching all this action. He dreamt the phrase Rock and Roll because these kids were rocking and rolling to this music and that was how that genre came about. This new music landed on our shores in 1956.

I had just started school. Primary One to be exact, at Telok Kurau Primary School in Lorong J, Telok Kurau Road (image: last below). Almost all of the young kids on this side of the world, including myself were suddenly taken over by this new music called Rock & Roll. To some extent with some of us, our school work took a back seat. I used to cut out and even collect photos and features of these new music stars from newspapers and magazines.

First to arrive here via vinyl records (78's and a bit later 45's and 33's - remember) were Pat Boone, Bill Haley and His Comets, Ricky Nelson, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, etc. The King, Elvis Presley took a little longer to get here but when he did - it came down on us like a ton of bricks. WOW!

All of a sudden, our airwaves were invaded by songs like, Love Letters In The Sand, Rock Around The Clock, Poor Little Fool, Be-Bop-A-Lula, Peggy Sue, Summertime Blues. The King then took us by storm with Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Teddy Bear, Jailhouse Rock and the list goes on. Then Great Britain gave us their Rock and Roll Stars: Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde, Frankie Vaughn, Billy Fury and a year or so later Cliff Richard accompanied by The Shadows. What A Time It Was! Life was never the same after that.

B.B. King, Albert King and Freddie King: The 3 Kings of the Blues.

They were all Caucasian artistes and their music was classified as Rock and Roll. The African American Artistes like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Bo Diddley, didn't quite make it big time over here. They were classified as Rhythm and Blues but they were a huge influence across the Atlantic, in Great Britain especially. 

Other Blues artistes like Muddy Waters, Albert King, Howling Wolf, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Freddy King, etc. were the heroes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Spencer Davis Group, The Searchers, Gerry And The Pacemakers, Freddy And The Dreamers. These were artistes that were involved in the so-called Great British Music Invasion of the mid 1960's, and that changed popular music forever.

Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps sings one of his biggest hits, 'Be-Bop-A-Lula'.

In the mid 1950's over in the U.S.A., the people in charge were not too pleased with the arrival of this new music categorized as Rock and Roll (calling it the black man's music and even the music of Satan) and tried their best to suppress it even to the point of destroying it. They didn't like the way the young were absorbing the music and grooving to the rhythm and the beat. Prime movers to this notion were the heads of religious organisations and church leaders. They were of the opinion that this music was corrupting and would eventually destroy all the American Youth. Looking at it now, and how it turned out, they were so wrong! Even church hymns and songs have incorporated Rock and Roll rhythms into their music. 

Therefore, when Rock and Roll was sweeping the US, they went on a rampage to destroy the first generation of Rock & Roll stars. They charged Jerry Lee Lewis and eventually imprisoned him for marrying his 13 year old niece (daughter of his bassist). Chuck Berry was also jailed for income tax evasion. Worried that he might be next Little Richard (Richard Penniman) took up religion and became a pastor. Apparently, he threw all his jewellery into a river. Ricky Nelson took a step back away from the spotlight. 

B.B. King sings with his guitar called, Lucille. From YouTube Video

The King, Elvis Presley, was drafted into the Military and sent away to Germany. A few years later, when he returned he toned down and lost a bit of his raw Rock And Roll edge. In 1957 Eddie Cochran, died in Bristol, UK, while on tour when the taxi he was in collided with another vehicle. Then in 1959 while on tour, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were killed when their plane crashed into the side of a mountain. Almost all of the first generation rockers were out of action.

It was then that the record companies in the US created this new breed of pop of stars who were very marketable, clean cut and wholesome and they took over the pop music scene. Frankie Avalon, Fabian Forte, Brian Hyland, Johnny Tillotson, Bobby Vee, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vinton, etc.. That probably inspired Jerry Lee Lewis’ famous quote, "Suddenly there was a whole lotta Bobbies!" Ha Ha Ha! Good one Jerry! Soon after, an exciting 5 piece band called, The Beach Boys came on the scene and enjoyed a string of hits with their surfing songs.

In 1962, Chubby Checker came along with The Twist (above) and had a string of hits, which also sparked a new dance craze. So while real and exciting first Generation Rock and Roll was watered down in the US, it made a great impact across the Atlantic in the UK on the young English people. Through records, movies and television the British were influenced by what is now termed Classic Rock and Roll.

Meanwhile in the year 1957 in the US, The Ventures started The Guitar Instrumental Band trend with their first hit Walk Don't Run. The following year, Britain gave us The Shadows with their massive hit Apache (now voted The Best Guitar Instrumental Song of all time) and they became stars in their own right. Just a year before, they were known as the backing band for one Cliff Richard (now Sir) who gave the world his first hit Move It followed by Please Don't Tease, Living Doll, Travelling Light, etc.

Best regards,
Michael Bangar

Written by Michael Bangar (image 1).
Copyrights Reserved.

 Telok Kurau Primary School in the 1960's on the east coast of Singapore.

Michael has written nearly 2 dozen postings for this blog and they all stem from his first-hand experience as an established and professional musician in Singapore since the 1960's when he was very young. 

Please go to the Content Column on the right of this page, scroll down, look for MICHAEL BANGAR and click. His stories are ripe for readin'.

Thank you very much Michael.

Michael Bangar, with his trade mark sunglasses during one of his concerts at a famous tourist spot on Sentosa Island, Singapore in May 2017. Image from Fabian Foo. Thanks Fab.

Andy's Rockabilly Hit List: Roy Orbison, Hollies, Joan Jett, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry

Joan Jett with Chuck Berry and Roy Orbison (above)

A Personal Choice Of 5 Top Rock And Roll Songs

UP TO 4,000 VIEWS COMBINED - 19 COMMENTS 

It is not surprising that some of my choice of rock and roll songs are not top hits and some of them may not be standard fare with our Singapore listeners. The artistes themselves are famous but are the songs as popular as the artistes who performed them?

These songs are truly hot, ones that most fans are aware of. Well, I may be wrong.  So here they are ladies and gentlemen, five songs that provide the rockabilly that many listeners can connect with, powerhouse voices, imaginative guitar intros, the best rolling bass that you can hear and riffs that are superfluous. 

The performance on stage is electrifying especially with Elvis and Chuck Berry if you watch the YouTube videos and the accompaniment is out of this world. Classic rock and roll that will live forever.

This write-up itself cannot survive on its own in the pages of a book. It can only be alive on a blog. With YouTube.

1. Heartbreak Radio: Roy Orbison

A near unknown Orbison number, I asked at least 10 people and only 3 of them know this song, and these are musicians. Again, it's a personal choice but truly one of the best rock songs I've heard. 

Pretty Woman has been so commercialised even before the movie. Heartbreak Radio shows an original Orbison with his guts exposed. You haven't seen what's behind the sunglasses until you hear this one.

The album was released after his death in 1988 and Heartbreak Radio is on side one, track two. King of Hearts came out in 1992 on Long Play too. Another favourite of mine, Crying, is in this compilation.

2. Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress: The Hollies.

This song is from 1972 and performed by British rock group The Hollies. Released originally on an album in the UK, it was put out as a single and sold nearly 4 million copies in the US and the world. 

Like CCR music, it's supposed to be swamp rock style,  leaning more towards 60's rock than 50's rhythm and blues. The introduction with its heavy drum and bass sounds depict the sensuality of this long cool woman with her mysterious black dress, 5'9 and beautiful tall. Like Hollies songs, smooth, suave.

3. I Hate Myself For Loving You: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts

She is the over average hard rocker, still around with 36 million viewers on YouTube with this particular song. An old fan, I forgot about Joan Jett when I went into middle-of-the-road stuff. 

Local singer Wendi Koh, during our Rolling Good Times episode together with the Silver Strings at MediaCorp, sang this song. I realised I had missed out on JJ and started listening again.

A track from, Up Your Alley album, I Hate Myself For Loving You, was created in 1988. It's been one of the best rock songs sung by a lady. At Billboard Hot, it was #8. To me, it's #1. Best. Mick Taylor, former Rolling Stones guitarist played the guitar solo.

Fangs bared; she's the best and the only rock and roll lady on my list.

4. Polk Salad Annie: Elvis Presley

Although it's 1969 original by Tony Joe White, this song never came across to me as a hit until Elvis sang it live in his concerts. And no one could beat Elvis when he used his ten megaton energy to let loose another swamp rock performance that only The King could create. 

Las Vegas was the above venue to introduce Annie. The Pelvis was at his best. Slim, powered with civic sensuality and eager to please, this video says it all. Audience members Elvis shook hands with mentioned that he was shivering and wet after the performance.

Suspicious Minds made its debut in Vegas but Polk Salad Annie was the ultimate to any Presley number. It's my choice anyway.  I thought only Elvis picked it up from the swampland of Louisiana, the success of this song I mean. He recorded it and the only version I love. There are other covers too including one Tom Jones but Elvis was the one rough and tough enough with Annie.

5. Rock and Roll Music: Chuck Berry

I've included this song because I thought Chuck Berry deserves a mention on this list. No African American singer and they were the ones who introduced us to this genre of music.

Covered by a long list of pop stars, Rock and Roll Music still belongs to Mr Berry. It is a 1957 recorded hit and the oldest on my list. One of the most popular compositions by Berry, it has been sung by so many from Billy Haley to Beatles, Beach Boys and Bryan Adams. 

It has been included in the list of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll but not in the 1001 Songs Before You Die List but it wasn't. Enjoy the songs if you haven't done so. 
Again, this is a personal choice. 😊
Do you have your own list? Please tell me. 

Elvis Presley and The Hollies (below)

Google Images and YouTube Videos.

Read another article about what rockabilly really means...

Chuck Berry RIP 1926-2017 Father of Rock n Roll

Mr Chuck Berry: 1926 - 2017 (90 years).

Chuck Berry, who died 18 March 2017 was described by John Lennon with this unforgettable statement: If you tried to give rock n roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry.

I remember going to HMV at Orchard Road in February 2009 to get the 3-CD Set of Chuck Berry The Ultimate Collection (image below). It was the second last piece and there was another guy beside me wanting to buy the same set. We smiled at each other and paid the Cashier.

With nearly 30 songs by the man who was highly respected by the King himself, the list included the great anthems, Johnny B. Goode, Roll Over B, Rock n Roll Music, Maybellene, My Ding-A-Ling, Sweet Little Sixteen and two dozen others. 

But the number of songs he recorded is far beyond this figure. Chuck Berry recorded about 531 songs altogether. Don't you think he should be The King instead? But being dubbed, The Father of Rock n Roll means he's father to the King.

Now this great man is gone too. But he has a particular place to go. It's to the Promised Land (not the one in the lyrics) and You Never Can Tell because he will perform again when he has his great gig in the sky with Elvis and the rest of the Go Go Go gang.

In Singapore since the late 1950's nearly every guitar group and combo band had played Chuck Berry's compositions. The Cyclones, Siva and James, The Silver Strings, The Esquires and others would have done at least, Johnny B. Goode on stage. 

Just yesterday (20/03/2017) on stage, in a large bar and auditorium at Victoria Street, Ray Anthony - the Jimmy Hendrix of Singapore - performed the song as a tribute to Berry. 

So, Chuck Berry isn't gone. He's still around, everywhere.

Rest In Peace Sir. 

Images: Google
You Tube video by Pig City Records.

Election Singapore and Pop Hits From 60s-70s (An Update: 2020)

Election Day 2020.

This post has been revived to keep up with the coming General Election on 10 July, 2020. This unique polling time will happen during the turbulence of a Corona Virus pandemic where more than 10 million people are suffering from it and about 500,000 have passed away so far.  

The image below shows Dawn Tan, CNA producer during nomination day on 1st July, 2020, anchoring the programme on TV.

This addition to an old post has been done on an iPhone so there is no typing and alignment accuracy.

An appropriate song surely for 2020 General Election: Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me by MAC Davis.

PAST YEARS’ ELECTIONS AND POP HITS CONNECTION

Election Day 2015

The Singapore Parliamentary General Election 2015 will be held on Friday, 11th September. Election fever is high as many people are gearing towards the big day to vote.  Green fields are packed nightly as the crowds throng to these open areas to listen to what candidates for this season are going to rant, chant, promise or present during these hustings.

I am not qualified to write about any election topic since I'm no poli-tikus (Malay: political rat or the coffee-shop humbug; an endearment actually). What I have done for this posting was to connect the Singapore General Election results between 1960's and 1970's with song hits in the same period using four simple tables taken from Billboard Hot 100 Number 1 Singles of 1965, 1968, 1972 and 1976.

1965
Singapore left the Federation of Malaya and became an independent and sovereign nation on 9th August 1965. The Barisan Sosialis boycotted the first session of parliament and on 8th October 1966 announced the resignation of all its nine members, leaving the People's Action Party (PAP) with a monopoly. 

(image from Mun Chor Seng above: monochrome TV showing Pasir Panjang Constituency where PAP candidate Othman Wok had highest votes).

August 7	"I'm Henry VIII, I Am"	Herman's Hermits
August 14	"I Got You Babe"	Sonny & Cher
August 21
August 28
September 4	"Help!"	The Beatles
September 11
September 18

Now let's look at the top tunes for 9th August. Herman (Peter Noone) was at the top of the hit parade, while Mr. LKY couldn't have been singing, "I'm Harry the First, I am," because he had a lot to do then.  Our new MPs in 1965 could have been echoing, "I Got you Babe," when they took over the whole of parliament that year. Jubilation! So were Sonny and Cher.

"Help!" was another top tune n 1965. Did The Beatles movie help in the song's success? Or did it help to sell marijuana?  "A hell of a lot of pot was being smoked while we were making the film. That helped make it a lot of fun," remarked Ringo Starr. 

In Singapore it was otherwise because a total ban and tough stand on marijuana (ganja) and drugs by the anti-narcotics bureau, under the direction of the government, kept the island clean. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (1967) and "Yellow Submarine" (1966) were banned. Was "Help"?

April 13	"Honey"	Bobby Goldsboro
April 20
April 27
May 4
May 11
May 18	"Tighten Up"	Archie Bell & the Drells
May 25
June 1	"Mrs. Robinson"	Simon & Garfunkel
June 8
June 15

1968
Singapore held its first general election as an independent nation on 13th April 1968, with the PAP taking all parliamentary seats in 58 constituencies and garnering 84.4 percent of total votes cast. 

Garnering all the parliamentary seats was a winning gold for the People's Action Party with a pot of honey as the prize. By coincidence, on the hit parade, Goldsboro's "Honey" hit gold too, for five consecutive weeks.  This song is still a personal favourite. Some friends considered the song too boring. Like in parliament; who's going to debate with whom?

While sensuous Mrs Robinson became as popular on record with Simon n Garfunkel and won Grammy Awards, the movie, The Graduate won Academy Awards as well.  When the film was shown in Singapore, the hot topic was its "sexiness". Middle-aged Bancroft pulled up her skirt, revealed her legs and showed them to a young under-grad. And it was sexy? Well, it happened in the last century. Made Dustin Hoffman a super star.

Who's Archie Bell?

1972
Five opposition parties – the Barisan Sosialis, the Workers’ Party, the People’s Front, the United National Front and Pertubohan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (PKMS) – contested the next general election held on 2nd September 1972.

The ruling PAP campaigned on its record of effective government and repeated its success by again taking all 65 parliamentary seats, representing 69.02 percent of total votes cast. Did Parliament House whisper, "Baby don't get hooked on me." Mac Davis did.

September 2	"Alone Again (Naturally)"	Gilbert O'Sullivan
September 9
September 16	"Black and White"	Three Dog Night
September 23	"Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me"	Mac Davis
September 30
October 7
October 14	"Ben"	Michael Jackson
October 21	"My Ding-a-Ling"	Chuck Berry
October 28

On the same September 2nd, O'Sullivan made his hit. I still prefer his other song, "Clair" but then "Alone Again, (Naturally)" was appropriate. Like the MPs in 1972 who were alone again, naturally, won all seats.  The hit songs those years seemed to have been mysteriously reflecting the MPs battle cries.

If you look at the chart above, Three Dog Night came afterwards with Black and White. I love it with its simple rhythmic and repetitive lyrics.  Like a lot of advertisement jingles the message delivers. But Berry's, *"My Ding-A-Ling" is extremely naughty. On the other hand MJ's "Ben" is a real tear-jerker. Even today, it hits the heart like a ton of cement.

I

These songs were my choices but by September 1972 and in my own personal interest I decided to get serious with my studies. With two other selected candidates I left for New Zealand in February 1973, under a Colombo Plan Scholarship. 

How appropriate the song because the course we attended had students from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Fiji and NZ:

The ink is black, the page is white 
Together we learn to read and write 
A child is black, a child is white 
The whole world looks upon the sight 
A beautiful sight.

In NZ three other hits from 1972 stayed glued in my mind, even up till today because these songs were played practically every day and every where in Wellington. Beautiful Sunday, Me and Mrs Jones, Killing Me Softly With His Song and Mother and Child Reunion. Only Roberta Flack's Killing Me is a '73 song.

1976
After I came home from Kiwiland it was election time again and another winning streak for the ruling folks. The PAP repeated its success in the 1976 general election held on 23rd December when it won all 53 seats uncontested, thus sweeping all 69 parliamentary seats. The party’s share of the popular vote increased to 72.4 percent.  By then I was involved in my work with young adults and hardly had time for political chats and popular songs.

November 13	"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)"	Rod Stewart
November 20
November 27
December 4
December 11
December 18
December 25

Coming back to the number one song in December that year, Stewart's hit could have mimicked the joyous atmosphere during an evening's celebration by the ruling party (if they had one that evening) and, "Tonight's the night, gonna be alright!" Like the dominant Stewart with his only pop hit those seven weeks (see chart), the same political group held the fort for another four years.

The following general election after 1976 was on 23 December, 1980 and beyond the period of this blog and its pop song coverage.

So there you are dear readers. If you remember a song to connect with a particular election year and an incident you remember, do write in. Especially if it was between 1960 and 1980.

On the evening of 11th September 2015, you will sing with a special joy because, that night's "the night" when the results are out and everything's "gonna be alright" for the next five years. Hopefully!

So please vote wisely on 9/11. Remember once you vote there is no, "Lagi sekali (one more time)".


“This above all: to thine own self be true, 
And it must follow, as the night the day, 
Thou canst not then be false to any man.” 
- William Shakespeare, 'Hamlet'

Sources:

You Tube Video by: J.K.elley

Images: Google and Mun Chor Seng (copyrights).

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_549_2004-12-28.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_number-one_singles_of_1965

*NB: It is possible that some of the above songs were banned in Singapore those years and would not have been played on air. Let me know.

An original article.

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SLIP NOTE
NEWS FLASH
11th September, 2015.

Polling Day Today:

9/11 and those eligible are going to cast their votes today. Lines of people who wish to go early were ready with their identity cards or passports and polling slips this morning as the special stations all over the island were opened at 8.00 am to receive the more than 2.4 million Singaporeans.

Election Results:

The outcome of the GE2015 will be made known after 8.00 pm tonight on local TV and other media outlets.  Check it out.

Latest News:
12.09.2015.

The ruling pop group hits the right notes and won the Award again by winning most of the seats in the Singapore Parliamentary Elections 2015. Congratulations to the People's Action Party and PM Lee Hsien Loong.