See You in September
The Happening was a 1960s cover band that actually had a great deal of success playing and recording music from other bands, but injecting their brand of harmonizing and more upbeat tempos to make the song more their own. They did this with many big hits ofthe 60s including Go Away Little Girl, I Got Rhythm, Why Do Fools Fall in Love and Make Your Own Kind of Music, just to name a few. But it was their See You in September, originally recorded by The Tempos in 1959, and which they released in 1966 that made it to Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and stayed on it for 14 weeks, reaching #3. When I looked up that chart for 1966 I was blown away by the great music that came to us that year:
№. Title. Artist(s)
1. “California Dreamin’“. The Mamas & the Papas
2. “96 Tears“. ? and the Mysterians
3. “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted“. Jimmy Ruffin
4. “Last Train to Clarksville“. The Monkees
5. “Reach Out I’ll Be There“. Four Tops
6. “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’“. Nancy Sinatra
7. “Cherish“. The Association
8. “Strangers in the Night“. Frank Sinatra
9. “Kicks“. Paul Revere & the Raiders
10. “The Ballad of the Green Berets“. SSgt Barry Sadler
11. “Good Lovin’“. The Young Rascals
12. “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration“. The Righteous Brothers
13. “You Can’t Hurry Love“. The Supremes
14. “Sunny“. Bobby Hebb
15. “See You In September“. The Happenings
16. “Li’l Red Riding Hood“. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
17. “Lightnin’ Strikes“. Lou Christie
18. “Poor Side of Town“. Johnny Rivers
19. “Working In The Coal Mine“. Lee Dorsey
20. “A Groovy Kind of Love“. The Mindbenders
21. “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me“. Dusty Springfield
22. “Sunshine Superman“. Donovan
23. “Born a Woman”. Sandy Posey
24. “Monday, Monday“. The Mamas & the Papas
25. “Red Rubber Ball“. The Cyrkle
26. “Born Free“. Roger Williams
27. “Walk Away Renée“. The Left Banke
28. “Cool Jerk“. The Capitols
29. “B-A-B-Y“. Carla Thomas
30. “Hanky Panky“. Tommy James and the Shondells
31. “When a Man Loves a Woman“. Percy Sledge
32. “Time Won’t Let Me“. The Outsiders
33. “Bus Stop“. The Hollies
34. “Paint It, Black“. The Rolling Stones
35. “Summer in the City“. The Lovin’ Spoonful
36. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry“. B. J. Thomas & the Triumphs
37. “My Love“. Petula Clark
38. “Daydream“. The Lovin’ Spoonful
39. “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg“. The Temptations
40. “Wild Thing“. The Troggs
41. “Elusive Butterfly“. Bob Lind
42. “I Am a Rock“. Simon & Garfunkel
43. “Dirty Water“. The Standells
44. “Hooray for Hazel“. Tommy Roe
45. “Crying Time“. Ray Charles
47. “Secret Agent Man“. Johnny Rivers
48. “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?” The Lovin’ Spoonful
49. “We Can Work It Out“. The Beatles
50. “Homeward Bound“. Simon & Garfunkel
51. “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)“. Stevie Wonder
52. “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)“. Cher
53. “Sloop John B“. The Beach Boys
54. “19th Nervous Breakdown“. The Rolling Stones
55. “Wipe Out“. The Surfaris
56. “Psychotic Reaction“. Count Five
57. “Paperback Writer“. The Beatles
58. “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep“. The Temptations
59. “No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In)“. The T-Bones
60. “Barefootin‘”. Robert Parker
61. “Just Like Me“. Paul Revere & the Raiders
62. “Love Makes the World Go Round“. Deon Jackson
63. “The Pied Piper“. Crispian St. Peters
64. “Somewhere My Love“. Ray Conniff Singers
65. “Almost Persuaded“. David Houston
66. “If I Were a Carpenter“. Bobby Darin
67. “Don’t Mess with Bill“. The Marvelettes
68. “Cherry, Cherry“. Neil Diamond
69. “Message to Michael“. Dionne Warwick
70. “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing“. Lou Rawls
71. “Gloria“. The Shadows of Knight
72. “My World Is Empty Without You“. The Supremes
73. “Barbara Ann“. The Beach Boys
74. “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35“. Bob Dylan
75. “Guantanamera“. The Sandpipers
76. “I’m Your Puppet“. James & Bobby Purify
77. “Land of 1000 Dances“. Wilson Pickett
78. “Oh How Happy“. The Shades of Blue
79. “Woman“. Peter and Gordon
80. “You Baby“. The Turtles
81. “Sweet Talkin’ Guy“. The Chiffons
82. “Five O’Clock World“. The Vogues
83. “Black Is Black“. Los Bravos
84. “Nowhere Man“. The Beatles
85. “Dandy“. Herman’s Hermits
86. “Baby Scratch My Back“. Slim Harpo
87. “She’s Just My Style“. Gary Lewis & The Playboys
88. “The More I See You“. Chris Montez
89. “I Fought the Law“. Bobby Fuller Four
90. “Yellow Submarine“. The Beatles
91. “Hungry“. Paul Revere & the Raiders
92. “Zorba the Greek“. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
93. “Shapes of Things“. The Yardbirds
94. “Along Comes Mary“. The Association
95. “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)“. Wilson Pickett
96. “Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly“
Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
97. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice“. The Beach Boys
98. “This Old Heart of Mine“. The Isley Brothers
99. “Green Grass“. Gary Lewis & The Playboys
100. “A Well Respected Man“. The Kinks
In what world would The Beatles Yellow Submarine and The Beach Boys Wouldn’t It Be Nice live in the bottom ten songs on a list? This was one helluva year for songs that stir my emotions in so many ways. Everyone from Sinatra to The Supremes of Motown to the ballads of The Mamas & The Papas contribute to this list of greats. I was twelve that year and had just moved from the Midwest to Maine to start junior high school. That was not a big music year for me since I was just starting to get my finger out of my nose at that point.
These days I find meaning in all sorts of nuanced corners that speak to me. I suppose it’s part of the aging process that involves introspection and reassessment of one’s life. I always think of The Last Samurai in that context when Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto (indeed, the last Samurai) says with his dying breath of his search for the perfect cherry blossom, “they are all perfect.” The search for clarity and meaning in life is simply part of the process of aging, I suppose. So, it should be no surprise that I note that the top song on this 1966 list of top songs is California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & The Papas. After two years of living out here, I can honestly say that there is nothing that can beat this lifestyle and it is and should be a dream for anyone to get the chance to enjoy it at the stage of life that Kim and I are in. Out of habit, I looked at the weather forecast on my weather app this morning. It shows the next fifteen days in a row of 70s temperatures, sunny skies and low single-digit humidity. In other words, you would have a hard time dreaming up more perfect weather to do whatever you might want to do.
When I was younger and in full working harness, this might not have appealed to me. I have often wondered anthropologically why all humans did not gravitate naturally to the sunny midsection of the globe and live on beaches where fresh fruit and nourishment was an arms length away st all times. I think humans must be built for suffering or at least the application of effort. Otherwise why would there be Eskimos and Inuits? Why would the Incas choose the Andean mountains and the Aztecs the humid jungles of the Yucatán? Man’s first big gathering place after leaving the warmth of East Africa was the steppes of Asia Minor. It was from there that the diaspora found wing to spread west into Europe, south into the subcontinent and east to China and the Bering Straits to the Americas. This migratory pattern is well documented and tells the tale of a species in search of something. That something does not appear to be comfort or ease of life, but rather challenge and achievement. Nature seems to have programmed us to strive and toil.
I do think it is fair to suggest that in the same way that man thrived in these challenging places (remember that the oldest living humans still seem to come from Georgia and other places in Asia Minor), he also. actually migrated to more moderate climes as he aged. I did not invent the demographic shift to Florida and Arizona, it happened very much naturally. That says to me that at some point in his life, man is through striving and now wants to reach out and pick the fruit he ignored earlier on. I have no explanation for those who move south early in life other than to suggest that variation in the key to evolution and for all rules there are exceptions. Some are just smart enough to not need the ambition to drive them and are happy to start picking fruit sooner. Others, like me, can’t seem to be fully satisfied with fruit at any age and keep blending ambition with fruit picking.
I can say that with the passage of time, I grow more and more comfortable in 70 degree, low humidity weather day-in and day-out. I do not find boredom in it, but comfort and pleasure. I suppose that must mean that I am finding my peace, which is what we all seek in life sooner or later. So, whatever month you find yourself in, sooner or later, we will all see each other in September.