Summertime Summertime

Here’s a look back at the songs that were #1 on the first day of summer:

TODAY
2010: California Gurls - Katy Perry f/ Snoop Dogg

Y2Ks
2009 Boom Boom Pow - The Black Eyed Peas
2008 Lollipop - Lil Wayne f/ Static Major
2007 Umbrella - Rihanna f/ Jay-Z
2006 Hips Don't Lie - Shakira f/ Wyclef Jean
2005 We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
2004 Burn - Usher
2003 21 Questions - 50 Cent f/ Nate Dogg
2002 Foolish - Ashanti
2001 Lady Marmalade - Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & Pink
2000 Be With You - Enrique Iglesias

1990s
1999 If You Had My Love - Jennifer Lopez
1998 The Boy Is Mine - Brandy & Monica
1997 I'll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans f/ 112
1996 Tha Crossroads - Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
1995 Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? - Bryan Adams
1994 I Swear - All-4-One
1993 That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson
1992 I'll Be There - Mariah Carey
1991 Rush Rush - Paula Abdul
1990 It Must Have Been Love - Roxette

1980s
1989 Satisfied - Richard Marx
1988 Foolish Beat - Debbie Gibson
1987 I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston
1986 On My Own - Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
1985 Heaven - Bryan Adams
1984 The Reflex - Duran Duran
1983 Flashdance ... What A Feeling - Irene Cara
1982 Ebony And Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
1981 Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
1980 Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.

1970s
1979 Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
1978 Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb
1977 Got To Give It Up Pt. 1 - Marvin Gaye
1976 Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney & Wings
1975 Love Will Keep Us Together - The Captain & Tennille
1974 Billy, Don't Be A Hero - Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods
1973 My Love - Paul McCartney & Wings
1972 Candy Man - Sammy Davis, Jr.
1971 It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King
1970 The Love You Save - The Jackson 5

1960s
1969 Get Back - The Beatles
1968 This Guy's In Love With You - Herb Alpert
1967 Groovin' - The Young Rascals
1966 Paperback Writer - The Beatles
1965 Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds
1964 A World Without Love - Peter & Gordon
1963 Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto
1962 I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles
1961 Quarter To Three - Gary U.S. Bonds
1960 Everybody's Somebody's Fool - Connie Francis

1950s
1959 The Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton
1958 Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
1957 Love Letters In The Sand - Pat Boone
1956 The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
1955 Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
1954 Little Things Mean A Lot - Kitty Kallen
1953 The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart) - Percy Faith
1952 Here In My Heart - Al Martino
1951 Too Young - Nat "King" Cole
1950 'The Third Man' Theme - Anton Karas

1940s
1949 Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend) - Vaughn Monroe
1948 Nature Boy - Nat "King" Cole
1947 Peg O' My Heart - The Harmonicats
1946 The Gypsy - The Ink Spots
1945 Sentimental Journey - Les Brown
1944 I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You) - Harry James Orchestra
1943 Taking A Chance On Love - Benny Goodman
1942 Sleepy Lagoon - Harry James Orchestra
1941 Daddy - Sammy Kaye
1940 Tuxedo Junction - Glenn Miller

Good Timing: It took only 4 weeks to go #1 and after 5 weeks on the charts, Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg’s California Gurls is the only summer-themed hit to chart #1 on the first day of summer!

Soundtrack For Today: California Girls / Gurls

Summerzcool

Summer arrives a few days early - at least at Great Woods this weekend with the return of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band.  Jimmy usually wraps up the summer but this year, he's got us all Under The Big Top and back in Summerzcool.  Not a bad place to be.

Check out his new albums that are out now - Buffet Hotel and Encores. 

Soundtrack For Today:  Nobody From Nowhere

This Just In -

"Thanks to Chris' DJing, everyone who attended the Dana-Farber Charity event I hosted (Friday, 4/9 @ the W Hotel in Boston) had a fantastic time. He was very responsive to people's requests and had a wide range of music to choose from."

"A true 5-star DJ. Thanks." - Dmitry Linkov


Soundtrack For Today: www.runDFMC.org/2010/DmitryL or www.DanaFarber.org

Where It Began...

Opening Day At Fenway - So Good!!


Tonight, the Boston Red Sox bring back summer with a fitting home opener against the Yankees and a special surprise appearance by Neil Diamond singing Sweet Caroline for the Fenway faithful.  This is Neil’s second time performing our 8th inning anthem at Fenway and the first time he’s done it during a game.

Like Foster's Beautiful Dreamer, Beethoven's ‘Fifth’ or Norworth's Take Me Out To The Ballgame, Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline is cementing it's place in history and will have no problem being remembered more than a hundred years from now because of what is happening today.

In its day, Sweet Caroline’s peak chart position in the U.S. was #4.  Since then, it has broken free of the statistical confinement of the other 3 songs that topped it and has, astonishingly, surpassed a composer's wildest dream of having a #1 hit.  It has taken on a life of it’s own and is the ultimate example of Mr. Diamond’s own view on how ‘new’ songs are “soon…not yours anymore.”

Its lyric continues to echo in the hearts of 1969-ers who still hear the soundtrack of their youth underneath the "so-goods" that have been overlaid by the next generations who, inexplicably, can't quite put a finger on why this song does what it does for them.

Perhaps today’s rendition may tire on some. But for now, it comes down to those who love it and have adopted it as an official anthem of Red Sox Nation.

I’d say that Neil is extremely aware of the historic implications that his composition has beyond Fenway Park's walls but is equally grateful that this is where the choir lives.  So, if anything, he is (and we are) taking full advantage in securing his legacy in the annals of the American Popular Song.

Sweet Caroline is just one song of countless Neil Diamond hits but will likely be his most memorable.

Soundtrack For Today:  Go Sox!!
 

Final Score: Red Sox 9; Yankees 7

Play-list (part 4): Party Time!

During dance time it is important that your DJ have latitude to play varied styles and content based upon requests and also the DJ’s instinct and response to crowd reaction.  If a particular song or music style is not working with your guests, the DJ’s role is to sense and react accordingly to the mood of the crowd. The last thing any DJ wants to see is the actual dance floor itself – it’s always better populated!

Also consider creating a “no-play” list of those songs you really don’t care for. Your DJ should always be willing to work with such a list but you should also advise under what circumstances, if at all, a song on this list may or may not be played.  For example, sometimes a “no-play” list contains songs such as the Electric Slide or the Chicken Dance but often, such songs can become overwhelming requests upon the DJ by your guests. So, potential exceptions from the “no-play” list are circumstantial aspects to consider and advise your DJ on during preliminary discussions.

In the end, if you are insistent about not wanting a particular song, your DJ should indicate readiness to advise requesting guests accordingly.

Soundtrack For Today:  djChrisPickett.com

You can download a song list from my website which demonstrates the diversity of my library.  The list is  a general representation as I have so much more & what I don’t have, I can usually find!

Dr. Who?

Mr. Theordore R. Geisel was once caught drinking alcohol with fellow college students during the period of time in the early 20th century known as Prohibition, which constitutionally forbade alcohol consumption in the U.S. (and was eventually repealed in 1933.)

As a result and in order to stay in school, college officials ordered that he cease all his extracurricular activities, which included writing for a campus humor magazine.  To sidestep this mandate, he began signing the name “Seuss” to his submissions and the rest, they say, is Seuss-story.

The late, great Dr. Seuss continues to make an impact on kids today as witnessed by this past weekend’s performance by the Quincy Drama Club’s production of Seussical The Musical.

To sum up the all-Seuss plot: Horton heard a Who and didn’t know what to do when the people that he knew would not believe he heard a Who.  I can’t tell you much more beyond that except the who-le thing’s told by The Cat In The Hat.

Olivia Herman was the Who that brought me there too. Following the grand finale, she and the cast zoomed their way through the audience to the back-stage corridor and the pride felt in their collective shriek of excitement as they ran down that hallway could not help but rub off on any Who who heard them.

This was a very well-rehearsed and superbly choreographed production by 60 + students (and faculty) of all grade levels at Quincy Public Schools. To everyone involved both young and both old & both near and both far, a tip of my hat to how lucky you are!

Soundtrack For Today:  Think Of Seuss!

And keep abuzz for Gertrude McFuzz - Emily Hajjar is going to be a star.

Play-List (part 3): Party Time!

A wedding reception is one of the few life events where you invite friends and relatives whose musical tastes span across many generations. Everyone knows hundreds of songs so your entertainment choice should have the ability to provide you and your guests with a large selection of the original hits that they remember.

A wedding reception is also a fluid event – especially during dance time, which typically lasts up to 3 hours during a 5-hour reception. The mood of a crowd and what motivates them to dance are beyond any one blueprint. So, as far as how many selections to choose, remember this: “so many songs, so little time.”

What that means is there’s so much good music that you’ll want to hear but it’s nearly impossible to play them all! Still, I suggest that you choose more songs than necessary and bullet the must-plays. Doing so paints a good picture of where you want to go musically to help create the perfect Soundtrack To Your Wedding Day! 

Soundtrack For Today: djChrisPickett.com