I just learned today (from the NPR panel quiz, "Says You") that the song to get the most radio and TV play in the 20th Century (are you ready for this, folks?) "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'," first recorded by The Righteous Brothers. I fired up a YouTube version and I've decided I must have been living in a cave because I swear I never heard it before (I do recognize Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, though). Of the others in the top ten--okay, I recognize John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "Yesterday," but the only one that really sticks in my mind is Paul Simon's "Mrs. Robinson" (cu cu ca chew).
Of the brothers, I see that Bobby Hatfield is dead while Bill Medley is still performing, at Branson, MO. I wonder how much of the money trickled down to them and how much went to the suits.
Update: I see the song earlier made a list of "Least Appropriate Wedding Songs," at NPR, along with "Just a Gigolo" and "Lady is a Tramp." And don't miss the great comment from "fatbear" infra on how NPR and I both got spun on this one. Meanwhile, here's an un-righteous rendering:
1 comment:
You may not have been informed, because it isn't quite true - the list you (and I assume NPR) cite is only BMI, a little like citing the AFL (football, not labor) - BMI the newcomer in the field, albeit from the 1930s - ASCAP is older, back to the 1910s, and they had their own list (which, like the BMI list is from 1999), but unfortunately it's no longer on the ASCAP site
IIRC, ASCAP featured Happy Birthday to You, White Christmas, and others you would recognize
you may be able to find the list on some site that scraped it off ASCAP back when
And, Yes, "Happy Birthday to You" is still under copyright.
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