Summertime Blues, A Hard Day's Night In Hiroshima Japan With Freda Hanum On Labour Day

A 2018 blog post about Labour Day/May Day led to a comment by Freda Hanum on 2.5.2019, as she reminisces about her time in Japan playing and singing with her band.

Thanks Freda. Your stories are definitely entertaining! Do read on... 

One of the songs played by Freda Hanum 

when she was based in Hiroshima.

Wow, Andy,

I cannot believe my ears hearing that song 'Summertime Blues' (Eddie Cochran), I thought nobody even notices that song. My band had been playing and I sang that song almost every other night when we were in Hiroshima for the 6 months contract in Japan.

Our Japanese friends like it. I did not hear of it again any more or anywhere or of any band playing the song in Singapore or Malaysia since 1985 when I came back (cannot remember exactly which year). It had been totally out of my mind since then until I heard it from your blog today. All songs bring a specific memory of when, where and the happenings surrounding it, who you were with, or a special occasion. 

A song memory for Ms Hanum who 

writes the lyrics in her special book.

'A Hard Day's Night' obviously an international Beatles hit, was so very popular among all age group, and that brought my memories back to my secondary school days at Katong; I used to write down all their songs lyrics in my songbook.

The song 'Car Wash' (Rose Royce) brings back my memories with the Falcons years back in the 80s I think, a very popular Malaysian band. I was supposed to replace their singer who had to go back to the States, me practising the 'Car Wash' refrain almost every day just to get that essence; it was not easy but their vocalist sang that number superbly. As I am more of a lounge singer I did not join the band.

What memories you brought back...

'Car Wash': Rose Royce

YouTube Video from: bartsch90

Thanks for the oldies and they do click with me. I want to thank you, Andy, for bringing back the good old times in your blog. Cheers to you.

Wouldn't know much about songs to protest about, as long as they're good to hear or sing... just go along happily.

Author: Ms. Freda Hanum, who contributed many articles for this blog.

Freda at work at nightspots and venues during the 70s 

and beyond. An accomplished pianist, she spends her

time today making beautiful, creative posters for her friends.

Read the original post that resulted in this memory:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2018/05/may-day-or-labour-day-pop-song-lyrics.html

A nightclub in Hiroshima, Japan with a guitar group.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298561-Activities-c20-Hiroshima_Hiroshima_Prefecture_Chugoku.html

Images from Google.

RIP Harry Belafonte: Banana Boat Song, Mary's Boy Child... A Tribute

Harry Belafonte with an RCA vinyl recording of 

'Calypso' [1956], his LP that sold a million immediately.

UP TO 800 VIEWS, 40+ CHATS, COMMENTS 

"Day-O, Day-O!"

Harry Belafonte is gone at 96. [March, 1927 - April 2023]

He popularised Calypso music with, 'Banana Boat Song' and 'Coconut Woman', bringing listeners into a world of sun, sand and sea amidst coconut trees, swaying palms and tarantula spiders... and sold a million copies with his first Long Play vinyl recorded in 1956. I was only 16 years old when I heard his lines:

"I see women on bended knees, Cutting cane for her family, I see men at the water side, casting nets at the surging tide..." and I was sold.

Still within the same theme came 'Jamaica Farewell'; then a quiet, sober, calm hymn: "Long time ago in Bethlehem, so the holy Bible says, Mary's boy child, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas day..." 

He had another hit called, 'Mama, Looka Boo Boo' [video below]. It's a funny song indeed and making fun of what was known in the 60s as, juvenile delinquency. "'Mama, looka Boo Boo!' they shout, Their mother told them, 'Shut up your mouth, that is your daddy.' 'Oh no, my daddy can't be ugly so...'"

He was versatile indeed, singing and recording different genres of songs he could get his hands on. He became an actor too. With such a forceful career, Mr Belafonte became a recognisable and powerful civil rights activist! Beside Elvis, he was my other singing hero!

"Sad to say, I'm on my way, Won't be back for many a day, My heart is down, I won't be turning around..."

"Daylight come and we wanna go home..."

RIP Mr Harry Belafonte, one of the best singers there is, [yes, still is] in the world today. Condolences to his family and folks at home.

Check Harry Belafonte out on other postings:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2009/12/marys-boy-child-harry-belafonte.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2010/05/banana-boat-song-calypso-music-60s-pt-i.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2009/07/we-are-world-for-michael-jackson-too.html

Harry Belafonte: Banana Boat Song. [Official Video] 

YouTube Video by Harry Belafonte.

Harry Belafonte and Nat Cole 

sing: 'Mama Looka Boo Boo' NBCCTV57Z. 

YouTube Video from: Dana Pop

U.S. 60's Teen Idols Who Are Called "Bobby" & British Invasion

Michael Bangar, a good friend, is an experienced Singaporean guitarist having performed for 40+ years with many pop bands. His comment below about the recently deceased Bobby Vee and the American pop 60's scene is insightful:

                                                           Pix: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

   UP TO 9,600 VIEWS    

40+ CHATS, COMMENTS

1963 Bobby's Girl Susan Maughan 

YouTube video by: jaggme

60's Teen Idols:

"RIP Bobby Vee! Him and his kind - Brian Hyland, Frankie Avalon, Fabian Forte, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vinton and were made pop stars by the American music makers. They were groomed to look clean cut. And whether it's a coincidence or otherwise, many of them are called Bobby.

The US establishment was concerned about early rock and roll for being too wild. The King, Elvis Presley was drafted. Jerry Lee Lewis (pix A) married his 13 year old cousin. Chuck Berry (pix B) was in trouble for income-tax evasion. Little Richard (pix C) became a church minister.

Buddy Holly (pix X), Ritchie Valens (pix Y) and P. Richardson or The Big Bopper (pix Z) perished in an air crash. Only Ricky Nelson plodded along. So these teenage idols became clean cut pop stars. But he too died at an early age of 45 in 1985, while Elvis at 42 in 1977.

The big bosses in the US were unaware that there was a huge musical storm brewing on the other side of he Atlantic.  Then in 1964 it suddenly hit them. The British Invasion. All the music stars in the U.S. of A. took a back seat for a few years.

When all these happened and all these clean cut teen idols came along, the first generation rock and rollers got sidelined. Jerry Lee Lewis later when interviewed was quoted as saying, 'Suddenly there was a lotta Bobbys.'

Ha, ha. I love that quote."

Of course if you want to include Bob Dylan, that's seven singers. Thanks very much Michael for your lighthearted but true story.

Mike has an extension under the Comment page. Click at the end of this post.

                                                 Pix: A,B,C

Here's a side projection. In Singapore many fans of pop music would include their own surname and use them to request for songs on Rediffusion. 

For example one could hear a, "Bobby Elvis Wong" asking for Jailhouse Rock to be played for a girl friend called, "Sandra Dee Cheong".

Another called, "Bobby Rydell Tan requested a song for friend, "Rickie Nelson Cheng." And the list goes on.

So here's a quiz. Except for two who had passed away, the others are still around and in their 70's. In the above pictures, do you know who the Bobbys are? 

                                          🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤

Pix #1: 
Bobby Vinton (1935 @ 81), had more Billboard #1 hits than any other male vocalist, including Elvis and Sinatra from 1962 - 1972. Billboard Magazine called him "the all-time most successful love singer of the Rock Era."

Pix #2:
Bobby Darin (1936-1973), will have a musical in his honour. In September 2016, The Bobby Darin Musical, had its world premiere at Sydney Lyric Theater, Australia, featuring this legendary singer, songwriter and actor with an 18 piece big band.

                                              Pix: X, Y, Z

Pix #3:
Bobby Goldsboro 

(1941 @ 75), 

is well-known for his big hit Honey. It was the largest selling record in the world for 1968. With the hangover in the US after the British Invasion, it was one big feat.

Pix #4:
Bobby Rydell 

(1942 @ 74), 

a teen idol, was famous in Singapore for his big hit, Forget Him in 1964. With 34 Top 40 Hits, he received 5 Gold Disc Awards.

Rydell dies:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2022/04/rip-bobby-rydell-great-singapore-music.html

Pix #5:
Bobby Vee (1943 -2016 October). Click below to read:
http://singapore60smusic.blogspot.sg/2016/10/bobby-vee-rip.html

Thanks to the Music Enhancement Channel for this YouTube Video.

Pix #6:
Bobby Sherman 

(1943 @ 73), teen idol released 107 songs, 23 singles and 7 albums. Tutored by actor and singer, Sal Mineo, he became such a hit with the young ladies in the audience, their screaming gave him hearing loss. He was at the tail end of the era i.e. late 60's. 

The British Invasion:

Whatever the case may be all these teen idols made it in the pop music world. They had their fair share of the limelight for a while, hit after hit. Some evergreen classics are still vogue, until the British Invasion came along, headed by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Meantime there was this pop star sending musical shock waves across Britain, Europe, parts of Africa and Asia; it was Cliff Richard and his backing band, The Shadows.

Before the invasion their management sent them on a tour of the US where they were booed off stage. The press there accused Cliff Richard of trying to be a carbon copy of Elvis Presley. They did not make it in the US. Then the British Invasion hit them.

The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, The Who, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits, Freddie and The Dreamers and their likes came along. Later Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Genesis joined the game. They took over a huge portion of the world pop music scene for a long long time.

Popular music, as we knew it went through a tremendous change. In years to come the teen idols and their music became nostalgia acts. But we still enjoy them today.

(This article is a re-post from October, 2016.)
                                                   
Images: Google.
You Tube Video: Bobby Goldsboro, Honey.
Original article by Michael Bangar (pix: right).

Many thanks to Mike, who took the trouble to write about local music because he believes that we should tell our stories openly on Singapore60sMusic. Andy's blog is free.

To read the extension of this post, click Comment below.

Weather Forecast: The Heat Is On: Glenn Frey: Singapore Sizzles

  UP TO 2,100 VIEWS  

20 CHATS, COMMENTS

Songs I Love

July reminds me of the song, The Heat Is On, and of the weather that's about to slam bang Singapore into a sultry mode. So get ready guys, it's another hot, hot, hot month, a warning from the forecast on the website.

The song also reminds me of Eddie Murphy in the forefront, slam banging his way into the hearts of the crooked in one of the US cities. He's the famous African American, Beverly Hills Cop. Hollywood?

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/life/music/2016/01/18/photos-the-life-of-glenn-frey/78976820/

The late music genius Glenn Frey, one my favourite singers, leader of The Eagles, recorded it in 1984 and it became a hit at #2. But the melody and lyrics etched in my mind for years and when the weather turned red in Singapore, the fan in my mind started to whirl non-stop, grinding the vinyl [image below] that I used to own. 

*"The heat is on, on the street, Inside your head, on every beat, And the beat's so loud, deep inside, The pressure's high, just to stay alive, 'Cause the heat is on..."

For me, this song's always a hit and in heat!

Glenn Frey - The Heat Is On 'Beverly Hills Cop' Soundtrack

YouTubeVideo: GlennFreyVEVO.Watch it! 

Nearly 14 Million viewers can't be wrong.

Apparently, the word 'heat' is very meaningful in the English language, let alone in American English. Slang-wise it could mean, the police, a gun or a host of other synonyms related to being in trouble with the cops. Heat could also bring to mind relationships. The original meaning brings us home again. Yes, it's equatorial Singapore. 

But don't call the cops! 

Get an electric fan or turn on the air-conditioner!

[In Singapore and Asia the word heat now means any food item that's chilli hot. There's a programme on CNA (Channel News Asia) called, 'In Search of Heat', where the topic discusses different types of Asian food that uses lots of chilli and spices for its dishes.]

This blog welcomes comments.

The man who's always in heat; Eddie Murphy 

on the vinyl cover of Frey's hit song.

Songwriters: 

*Harold Faltermeyer / Keith Forsey. The Heat Is On lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC.

Images: 

Google. Any copyrights problem, do advise and images/videos will be deleted immediately.

Bobby Vee: R.I.P. (1943 - 2016)

UP TO 1,000 VIEWS

Today is another day, 'when the music died.'  Bobby Vee has joined his other friends in that long lost goldmine in the sky. Together with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, Bobby Vee will be another loss from the 60's Golden Age of Music era.

His good friend Bob Dylan called him a beautiful person on stage and said that Bobby Vee had a voice like a musical bell.

He had 38 hot hundred hits and known for his song, More Than I Can Say in Singapore. He recorded, Rubber Ball, Young Love, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, Run To Him and Take Good Care of My Baby.

 Bobby was one of 50's teenage idols, clean-cut with a curry puff front hair-style, usually blonde, long-sleeved sweater and a reasonably pleasant voice that kept his teenage fans screaming. Think Fabian, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon.

There are lots of websites describing his passing away. Here on this blog, we remember him as a pop singer whose vinyl sold well in the market and whose glossy pictures on sleeve covers are still kept by his many Singapore fans. 

Our local band boys, when they sing, More Than I Can Say, would provide a back-up refrain after, Woh-woh yeah, yeah with, Char siew pow, char siew pow, panas, panas. Or goreng pisang, goreng pisang panas panas.

He was certainly well received here and was leader of the hit parade making radio presenters like Larry Lai and Tan Swee Leong from Rediffusion busy those years, since there were many requests for his songs.

Have a party up there.  R.I.P. Bobby Vee. 

Images: Google.

Video: NANCY FLORESSANTOS.