'60s Songs You Don't Hear Anymore for Obvious Reasons...

[jfrancispastirchak]

My kingdom for testimony from anybody who has heard airplay of, "Watch the Flowers Grow" by the Four Seasons in 1966, "Wild Honey" by the Beach Boys in 1967, or "Hidee Hi, Hadee Hay" by Lee Michaels 1969 (of "Do You Know What I mean?" fame) even once in the last 40-years.  All 3 of these of these recordings got some airplay soon after release, then fell to the hand of censorship for their obvious drug-related messages. 

I've searched-- can't even find these numbers on YouTube.  "Hidee Hi..." scored airplay in late summer of '69.  The hook verse continued, "everybody's high, and so am I..." His more familiar "Do You Know What I Mean?" was actually a rebound sequel released that year in the Fall.   

[FRR]

Wild Honey is on Itunes for the mere price of $1.29  Watch the Flowers Grow by the 4 Seasons is also on there for a mere $.99   

[nocomradio]

 No one plays the version of the Doors "Break on Through" where Jim Morrison sings the line "she gets high", but the very same stations almost always play the Who's "Who Are You" with the famous F-bomb still very much in place. Go figure.

[radiobum]

I really liked the "Wild Honey' lp.  There was a song on it called "I'd Love Just Once To See You In The Nude'. I'm guessing that never got airplay !

[jfrancispastirchak]

Nocomradio-- Interesting little irony, isn't it?  Words like "high" and "stoned" each offer greater breadths of interpretation, yet they get penalized more than the F-bomb, the definition of which offer's far less laditude for debate. 

Interestingly, the indisputable goddess of 1950's-style-blues-in-the-raw, Big Mama Thornton, drew a free pass for her howling rendition of "Let's Go Get Stoned!".  But "stoned" in those days was more popularly associated with boozing, which, save for the rigid guidelines of fundamentalist religions, was and is legal.

Yes, the F-Bomb does slip through these days when discreetly obscured by crunchy instramentalization or mumbly vocals (or both).  I guess we've come a long way since the days of antsy PD's languishing over the word CRAP splashing around in verse 1 of "Kodachrome".

To clarify, I myself bristle at the level of vulgarity in both music and comedy we hear today. None of that stuff is necessary to entertain me. 

[firepoint525]

You won't hear "Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne anymore, and it was a #1 hit!  You also won't hear "Wild Thing" as done by Senator Bobby, for obvious reasons.  It was a hilarious parody, but I suppose it wasn't as funny anymore after the senator's death.

[Kelly Watts]

Probably won't hear

Barry Sadlers "Ballad Of The Green Berets"
Johnny Preston's "Running Bear"
Tex Ritter's "Smoke Smoke Smoke"

[jfrancispastirchak]

Kelly Watts,

"Smoke-Smoke-Smoke" was sung by Tex WILLIAMS, not Ritter.  I would have thought "Ritter" too, had I not played this song myself in 2003, on my afternoon air-shift at KDJW (Amarillo).  Johnny Preston's "Running Bear", a crossover country song, gets little airplay, true.  Surely, political correctness is one reason.  But many radio stations, both country and pop formats, now have playlists restricted to nothing older than hits of the '70s. 

I agree with you on Barry Saddler's "Ballad of the Green Berets".  I've heard it played once or twice in recent years, but only on country stations honoring patriotic occassions like Independence Day & Memorial Day.

[borderblaster]

I've heard Barry Sadler, I've heard Mr. Custer (in a Wendys of all places), and even Wild Honey on a deep listed oldies station.

http://open.spotify.com/track/5TwX8WUwadEwQ0k3oSsXmt

[KeithE4]

Probably won't hear

Barry Sadlers "Ballad Of The Green Berets"
Johnny Preston's "Running Bear"
Tex Ritter's "Smoke Smoke Smoke"

DeepOldies.com has played every one of these songs that were "banned" decades ago.