Hey Jude: The Beatles

 Hey Jude” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney.

The ballad evolved from “Hey Jules”, a song McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon’s son, Julian, during his parents’ divorce.

“Hey Jude” begins with a verse-bridge structure incorporating McCartney’s vocal performance and piano accompaniment; further instrumentation is added as the song progresses.

After the fourth verse, the song shifts to a fade-out coda that lasts for more than four minutes.

“Hey Jude” was released in August 1968 as the first single from the Beatles’ record label Apple Records.

More than seven minutes in length, it was at the time the longest single ever to top the British charts.

It also spent nine weeks at number one in the United States, the longest for any Beatles single.

“Hey Jude” tied the “all-time” record, at the time, for the longest run at the top of the US charts.

The single has sold approximately eight million copies and is frequently included on professional critics’ lists of the greatest songs of all time.

Jumpin’ Jack Flash: The Rolling Stones

Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968.

Called “supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London” by Rolling Stone magazine, the song was perceived by some as the

band’s return to their blues roots after the baroque pop and psychedelia heard on their preceding albums, Aftermath (1966), Between the Buttons (1967) and especially Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967).

(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay: Otis Redding

A song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was recorded by Redding twice in 1967, including once just days before his death in a plane crash. The song was released on Stax Records’ Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous single to top the charts in the US. It reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Redding started writing the lyrics to the song in August 1967, while sitting on a rented houseboat in Sausalito, California. He completed the song with the help of Cropper, who was a Stax producer and the guitarist for Booker T. & the M.G.’s. The song features whistling and sounds of waves crashing on a shore.

All Along the Watchover: Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Jimi Hendrix Experience began to record their version of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” on January 21, 1968, at Olympic Studios in London.

According to engineer Andy Johns, Jimi Hendrix had been given a tape of Dylan’s recording by publicist Michael Goldstein, who worked for Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman. “(Hendrix) came in with these Dylan tapes and we all heard them for the first time in the studio”, recalled Johns.

Recording

According to Hendrix’s regular engineer Eddie Kramer, the guitarist cut a large number of takes on the first day, shouting chord changes at Dave Mason who had appeared at the session and played guitar. Halfway through the session, bass player Noel Redding became dissatisfied with the proceedings and left. Mason then took over on bass. According to Kramer, the final bass part was played by Hendrix himself. Hendrix’s friend and Rolling Stones multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones played the various percussion instruments on the track. “That’s him playing the thwack you hear at the end of each bar in the intro, on an instrument called a vibraslap.”  Jones originally recorded a piano part that was later mixed out in place of the percussion instruments.

Kramer and Chas Chandler mixed the first version of “All Along the Watchtower” on January 26, but Hendrix was quickly dissatisfied with the result and went on re-recording and overdubbing guitar parts during June, July, and August at the Record Plant studio in New York. Engineer Tony Bongiovi has described Hendrix becoming increasingly dissatisfied as the song progressed, overdubbing more and more guitar parts, moving the master tape from a four-track to a twelve-track to a sixteen-track machine. Bongiovi recalled, “Recording these new ideas meant he would have to erase something. In the weeks prior to the mixing, we had already recorded a number of overdubs, wiping track after track. [Hendrix] kept saying, ‘I think I hear it a little bit differently.'”

Release and charts

The completed version was released as a single in the US on September 21, 1968, almost a month prior to the album release on Electric Ladyland in October. The single reached number five in the British charts, becoming the first UK stereo-only single to do so, and number 20 on the Billboard chart, Hendrix’s highest ranking American single.

This Guy’s In Love with Love: Herb Alpert

Is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.

Reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in June of that year, remaining in the top position for four weeks. It was not only Alpert’s first No. 1 single, but it was also the first No. 1 single for his A&M record label. The song also spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

Born to Be Wild: Steppenwolf

Is a song first performed by the band Steppenwolf, written by Mars Bonfire. The song is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. It is sometimes described as the first heavy metal song, and the second verse lyric “heavy metal thunder” marks the first use of this term in rock music (although not as a description of a musical style). Born to Be Wild” was written by Mars Bonfire (who also wrote several other songs for Steppenwolf) as a ballad. Bonfire was previously a member of the Sparrows, the predecessor band to Steppenwolf, and his brother was Steppenwolf’s drummer. Although he initially offered the song to other bands — The Human Expression, for one — “Born to Be Wild” was first recorded by Steppenwolf in a sped-up and rearranged version that AllMusic’s Hal Horowitz described as “a roaring anthem of turbo-charged riff rock” and “a timeless radio classic as well as a slice of ’60s revolt that at once defines Steppenwolf’s sound and provided them with their shot at AM immortality. Born to Be Wild” was the band’s third single off their 1968 debut album Steppenwolf and became their most successful single, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: Iron Butterfly

is a song recorded by Iron Butterfly and written by band member Doug Ingle, released on their 1968 album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

At slightly over 17 minutes, it occupies the entire second side of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida album. The lyrics are simple, and heard only at the beginning and the end. The track was recorded at Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, Long Island, New York.

Though it was not recorded until their second album, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was written during Iron Butterfly’s early days. According to drummer Ron Bushy, organist/vocalist Doug Ingle wrote the song one evening while drinking an entire gallon of Red Mountain wine. When the inebriated Ingle then played the song for Bushy, who wrote down the lyrics for him, he was slurring his words so badly that what was supposed to be “in the Garden of Eden” was interpreted by Bushy as “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”. Catalogs.com confirmed that the song “was supposed to have been named ‘In The Garden of Eden’, but the singer was slurring his words when he told Ron Bushy, the drummer, the title, and the garbled name stuck.”

Even though nearly all of Iron Butterfly’s songs were quite structured, the idea of turning the minute-and-a-half long ballad into an extended jam emerged very early; Jeff Beck claims that when he saw Iron Butterfly perform at the Galaxy Club in April 1967, half a year before the band recorded their first album, their entire second set consisted of a 35-minute long version of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”.

Midnight Confession: The Grass Roots

Is a song written by Lou T. Josie and originally performed by the Ever-Green Blues. It was later made famous by American rock band The Grass Roots, who released the song as a single in 1968. Though never released on any of the group’s studio albums, it was on their first compilation album, Golden Grass, and has been included on many of their other compilations since.

The Grass Roots version became the band’s biggest charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the Top 5 of both the U.S. and Canadian pop singles charts. The lyrics describe a man who is infatuated with a married woman, knows he can never have her, and is relegated to confessing his love for her audibly, but alone. The song appears to be a musical dramatization of the midnight confession of the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale’s love for Hester Prynne in the classic 1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne novel The Scarlet Letter.

The original recording of “Midnight Confessions” was a demo by the Evergreen Blues Band, whose manager – Lou Josie – wrote the song. The demo contained a horn section and caught the attention of Record producer/engineer Steve Barri, who was looking to produce a song for the Grass Roots that was a “West Coast” version of a Motown-style production. The Grass Roots version was produced/engineered by Steve Barri with the horn section’s arrangement by Jimmie Haskell. The song’s instrumentation was recorded by the group of LA studio-musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, as were many hits by The Grass Roots. Midnight Confessions” was released as a single by the ABC/Dunhill record label in late June 1968. It was the Grass Roots’ first single to feature a horn section and was a departure from the group’s previous singles and thus caused worry for the band members as it might not have become a hit. However, the single was well received and became their biggest hit in the United States, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 2, 1968, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, with sales of over one million units, on December 3, 1968.

Wichita Lineman: Glen Campbell

A song written by American songwriter Jimmy Webb in 1968. It was first recorded by American country music artist Glen Campbell with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew and widely covered by other artists.

Campbell’s version, which appeared on his 1968 album of the same name, reached number 3 on the US pop chart, remaining in the Top 100 for 15 weeks. In addition, the song also topped the American country music chart for two weeks, and the adult contemporary chart for six weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA in January 1969. The song reached number 7 in the United Kingdom. In Canada, the single also topped both the RPM national and country singles charts. As of August 2017 the song has also sold 357,000 downloads in the digital era in the United States.

Sunshine of Your Love: Cream

is a 1967 song by the British rock band Cream. With elements of hard rock, psychedelia, and pop, it is one of Cream’s best known and most popular songs. Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce based it on a distinctive bass riff, or repeated musical phrase, he developed after attending a Jimi Hendrix concert. Guitarist Eric Clapton and lyricist Pete Brown later contributed to the song. Recording engineer Tom Dowd suggested the rhythm arrangement in which drummer Ginger Baker plays a distinctive tom-tom drum rhythm, although Baker has claimed it was his idea.

The song was included on Cream’s second album Disraeli Gears in November 1967, which was a best seller. Atco Records, the group’s American label, was initially unsure of the song’s potential. After recommendations by other label-affiliated artists, it released an edited single version in December 1967. The song became Cream’s first and highest charting American single and one of the most popular singles of 1968. In September 1968, it became a modest chart hit after being released in the UK.

The Weight: The Band

The Weight” is a song originally by the Canadian-American group the Band that was released as Capitol Records single 2269 in 1968 and on the group’s debut album Music from Big Pink. Written by Band member Robbie Robertson, the song is about a visitor’s experiences in a town mentioned in the lyric’s first line as Nazareth. “The Weight” has significantly influenced American popular music, having been listed as #41 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time published in 2004. Pitchfork Media named it the 13th best song of the Sixties, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

The Weight” is one of The Band’s best known songs though it was not a significant mainstream hit for the group in the U.S., peaking at only #63. The Band’s recording fared much better in Canada and the UK – in those countries, the single was a top 40 hit, peaking at #35 in Canada and #21 in the UK in 1968. The song’s popularity was greatly enhanced by three cover releases in 1968 and 1969 with arrangements that appealed to a diversity of music audiences.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine: Marvin Gaye

 Is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a single in September 1967; it went to number two in the Billboard chart.

The Miracles recorded the song first and included their version on their 1968 album, Special Occasion.

The Marvin Gaye version was placed on his 1968 album In the Groove, where it gained the attention of radio disc jockeys, and Motown founder Berry Gordy finally agreed to its release as a single in October 1968, when it went to the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks from December 1968 to January 1969 and became for a time the biggest hit single on the Motown label (Tamla).

Whitfield recorded the song with Marvin Gaye over five sessions, the first on February 3, 1967, and the last on April 10, 1967.

Recordings of this version took more than a month due to Whitfield overdubbing Gaye’s vocals with that of the Andantes’ background vocals, mixing in several tracks featuring the Funk Brothers on the rhythm track, and adding the string section from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with an arrangement by Paul Riser.

The session featuring Gaye led to an argument between the producer and singer. Whitfield wanted Gaye to perform the song in a higher key than his normal range, a move that had worked on David Ruffin during the recording of the Temptations’ hit, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”.

The mixture of Gaye’s raspy vocals and the Andantes’ sweeter harmonies made Whitfield confident that he had a hit; however, despite approval from Motown’s Quality Control Department, Gordy blocked the release

Love Child: Diana Ross and The Supremes

A 1968 song released by the Motown label for Diana Ross & the Supremes. The second single and title track from their album Love Child, it became the Supremes’ 11th (and penultimate) number-one single in the United States.

The record took just three weeks to reach the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, which it then topped for two weeks, November 30—December 7, 1968, before being dethroned by an even bigger Motown single, Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”. “Love Child” also performed well on the soul chart — where it spent three weeks at number two (stuck behind Johnnie Taylor’s “Who’s Making Love”) — and paved new ground for a major pop hit with its then-controversial subject matter of illegitimacy. It is also the single that finally knocked the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” off the top spot in the United States after its nine-week run. The Supremes debuted the dynamic and intense song on the season premiere of the CBS variety program The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, September 29, 1968

Mrs. Robinson: Simon and Garfunkel

Mrs. Robinson” is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, Bookends (1968). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it is famous for its inclusion in the 1967 film The Graduate. The song was written by Paul Simon, who pitched it to director Mike Nichols alongside Art Garfunkel after Nichols rejected two other songs intended for the film. The song contains a famous reference to baseball star Joe DiMaggio.

“Mrs. Robinson” became the duo’s second chart-topper, hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaking within the top 10 of multiple other countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain, among others. In 1969, it became the first rock song to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Abraham, Martin and John: Dion

Is a 1968 song written by Dick Holler and first recorded by Dion. It is a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans, all icons of social change, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written in response to the assassination of King and that of Robert Kennedy in April and June 1968, respectively.

The original version, recorded by Dion, featured a gentle folk rock production from Phil Gernhard and arrangement from John Abbott. The feeling of the song is set with a gentle oboe and violin opening then featuring harp flourishes at multiple points, including the instrumental conclusion. The song also features a flugelhorn, an electric organ, bass, and drums. Dion felt during post production that the song needed more depth and added a track featuring him playing classical guitar notably at the bridge, lead ins and the close.

Although it was quite unlike the rock sound that Dion had become famous for in the early 1960s, and even more unlike Holler and Gernhard’s previous collaboration in the 1966 novelty smash “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron”, “Abraham, Martin and John” nonetheless was a major American hit single in late 1968. It reached #4 on the U.S. pop singles chart and was awarded an RIAA gold record for selling a million copies. In Canada, it topped the charts, reaching #1 in the RPM 100 on November 25, 1968.

Piece of My Heart: Big Brother and Holding Company

The song became a bigger pop hit when recorded by Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1968 with lead singer Janis Joplin. The song was taken from the group’s album Cheap Thrills, recorded in 1968 and released on Columbia Records. This 2 minutes 43 seconds rendition made it to number twelve on the U.S. pop chart. The album release was the culmination of a hugely successful year for Joplin with acclaimed performances at the Monterey Pop Festival, Anderson Theater in New York, Wake For Martin Luther King Jr. (with Jimi Hendrix) in New York and on TV’s prime-time The Dick Cavett Show.

The song’s instrumentation was arranged by Sam Andrew, who also performed three distorted, loud guitar solos giving the song a psychedelic touch. The B-side was “Summertime”. Another version had the B-side “Turtle Blues”.

Franklin said in an interview that when she first heard Joplin’s version on the radio, she didn’t recognize it because of the vocal arrangement.

Noted cultural writer Ellen Willis wrote of the difference: “When Franklin sings it, it is a challenge: no matter what you do to me, I will not let you destroy my ability to be human, to love. Joplin seems rather to be saying, surely if I keep taking this, if I keep setting an example of love and forgiveness, surely he has to understand, change, give me back what I have given”. In such a way, Joplin used blues conventions not to transcend pain, but “to scream it out of existence”.

Until her death in 1970, “Piece of My Heart” was Joplin’s biggest chart success and best-known song. (“Me and Bobby McGee”, which Kris Kristofferson wrote, eclipsed “Piece of My Heart” when it appeared after her death in 1970. It went to #1 in 1971). “Piece of My Heart” remains most associated with Joplin and continued to get airplay long after her death. Berns never got to hear Joplin’s Version, dying of a heart attack on December 30, 1967

People Got to Be Free: The Rascals

is a song released in 1968 by The Rascals. Written by group members Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and featuring a lead vocal from Cavaliere, it is a musically upbeat but impassioned plea for tolerance and freedom:

All the world over, so easy to see!

People everywhere, just wanna be free.

Listen, please listen! that’s the way it should be

Peace in the valley, people got to be free.

In the song’s coda, Felix says in a half-sung, half-spoken voice, that the “Train of Freedom”, is “about to arrive any minute now”, that “it has been long, long overdue”, and that it’s “coming right on through”, before the song’s fade with Felix saying “Chug” repeatedly.

It became a big hit in the turbulent summer of 1968, spending five weeks atop the Billboard Pop Singles chart, the group’s longest such stay. It was also the group’s second-most successful single on the Billboard Black Singles chart, reaching number 14 and trailing only the previous year’s “Groovin'”. “People Got to Be Free” was RIAA-certified as a gold record on August 23, 1968, and eventually sold over 4 million copies. It later was included on the group’s March 1969 album Freedom Suite. Billboard ranked the record as the number 5 song for 1968.

The single’s picture sleeve photo was previously featured in the inner album cover of the Rascals’ Time Peace: The Rascals’ Greatest Hits compilation. The B-side, “My World”, was a track from the group’s Once Upon a Dream album.

While “People Got to Be Free” was perceived by some as related to the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy earlier that year, it was recorded before the latter’s death. In fact it was partly a reaction to an ugly encounter wherein the long-haired group was threatened by a group of strangers after their tour vehicle broke down in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Honey: Bobby Goldsboro

is a song written by Bobby Russell. He first produced it with former Kingston Trio member Bob Shane. Then he gave it to American singer Bobby Goldsboro, who recorded it for his 1968 album of the same name, originally titled Pledge of Love.

The song’s narrator mourns his deceased lover, beginning with him looking at a tree in their garden, remembering how “it was just a twig” on the day she planted it (with his disapproval). This single about the loss of a loved one hit No. 1 the week after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. Further, the Hot 100 top 10 run of “Honey” began the week of the King assassination and ended the week of the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and no other Hot 100 entry had a top 10 run that spanned that same time interval.