The AI-Team, Vol 2

"I pity the fool who don't like these songs!"

 Old School's the Rule 

 In the Battle Against 

 The Anime From Within! 

No, dear friend. That's not a typo in the title at the top of the page.

 Today's post does not focus on The A-Team.

 

It focuses on

The AI-Team...

delightful characters

emerging from the

rapidly expanding

 cutting-edge

technology of

Artificial

Intelligence

art.

Yessum, we're in the middle of an AI boom,

and today's post offers a mix of past and present...

...20th century boomer songs and dazzling

AI art renderings of the 21st century.

  

In a recent post hosted by

Dr. Mary Harris from the

TV series Mary Kills People,

you heard three Mary songs:

"Sweet Mary," "The Wind

Cries Mary" and "Along

Comes Mary."  In this

edition of AI-Team,

Shady Del Knight is

once again going all

girlie on you, playing

ten of his favorite songs

that also have a girl's

name in the title.

To illustrate the theme

of the post, the songs

are accompanied by

modern AI-generated

images of women

and girls.

How many of these

 girl name songs do

you know, remember

or like hearing for

the first time?

Lulu

Our first featured girl song is a real Lulu. Released

at the height of the surf-rock craze, this gem of

the genre swept the nation like a tidal wave.

 Jan And Dean tell the tale of the whale, introducing

the queen of the surfer girls-- "Honolulu Lulu!"

"Honolulu Lulu" - Jan And Dean

(Sept./Oct. 1963, highest chart pos.

#11 Hot 100/#10 Cash Box)

Linda

At the start of that same year, 1963, Jan & Dean released this

next song as their last single in the doo-wop/teen pop vein.

 (The record that followed, the chart-topper  "Surf City,"

firmly established J&D as a hit-making surf-rock duo.)

What an interesting story behind this song! It was written

for a baby girl who went on to fame as Linda McCartney,

the wife of Beatles' dreamboat Paul McCartney!

In 1942, while on a tour of Europe during WWII,

American songwriter Jack Lawrence dedicated

a ditty to Linda Eastman, the one-year-old

daughter of his attorney Lee Eastman.

The song, published in 1946 after Lawrence left the military,

was recorded by several artists, but Jan And Dean's version

is the grabber. Penetrating the top 30 in the spring of '63,

here's the toe-tapping song about-- "l-l, l-l-l, l-l-l-l-Linda!"

"Linda" - Jan And Dean

(Apr./May 1963, highest chart pos.

#26 Cash Box/#28 Hot 100)

Susan

In the mid 60s, American record buyers were going wild

over British bands. To imply that they too came from the UK,

a polished, horn-driven, blue-eyed soul and psychedelic pop

band from Chicago were given the name The Buckinghams.

1967 was the biggest year for The Bucks. All 5 of their top 40

hits charted that year... leading Billboard magazine to name

The Buckinghams "The Most Listened to Band in America."

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's lead singer Dennis Tufano and The Buckinghams with the

last single in the group's 1967 hot streak, a song about-- "Susan!"

"Susan" - The Buckinghams

(Dec. 1967/Jan. 1968, highest chart pos.

#6 Record World/#7 Cash Box,

#11 Billboard/#7 Canada)

Sally #1

Our next girl name song was originally waxed by rock & roll

legend Little Richard. In 1956, Richard's single spent 19 weeks

 atop the R&B chart and brushed the top 5 on the pop survey.

Eight years later, The Beatles, who admired Little Richard

and performed his hits during their concerts, released

a great cover. I found a brilliantly remixed version and

reimagined video for your listening and viewing pleasure.

 From May, 1964, here are The Beatles with Paul McCartney

on lead singing the praises of-- "Long Tall Sally!"

"Long Tall Sally" - The Beatles

(from May 1964 album The Beatles' Long Tall Sally,

rel. as single and reached #1 in Sweden & Denmark

in June, July & August 1964)

Jenny

Rock & Roll titan Little Richard is also the inspiration

behind the next featured girl song. In 1957, Richard's

original entitled "Jenny, Jenny" peaked at #2 on the

R&B chart and went top 10 on the pop survey.

 In late 1965, rock & roll/R&B wildman Mitch Ryder used

"Jenny, Jenny" in a mashup with "See See Rider Blues"

aka "See See Rider" aka "C.C. Rider," a blues song

from the 1920s about a lover who sleeps around.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are Mitch Ryder and his band The Detroit Wheels on

Hullabaloo doing their top 10 hit-- "Jenny Take A Ride!"

"Jenny Take A Ride!" - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels

(Jan./Feb. 1966, highest chart pos. #10 Hot 100/#17 Cash Box,

live performance on Jan. 24, 1966, episode of Hullabaloo)

Pam

Now here's another Beatles song with the name of a girl in the title.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

From the September, 1969, album Abbey Road--

"(You should see) Polythene Pam!"

"Polythene Pam" - The Beatles

(from September 1969, album Abbey Road)

Elenor #1

Check out this groovy girl song by The Turtles,

the LA-based psychedelic pop band led by

Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman.

 With deliberately goofy lyrics, the ditty was penned as

a satire of the group's biggest pop hit "Happy Together."

 One of the first pop recordings to utilize the Moog synthesizer,

the Turtles' single had a vibe that listeners couldn't resist

and the record made the top 5 in the fall of 1968.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are Howard & Mark ("Flo & Eddie") doing

their latest hit live on Kraft Music Hall!

"Elenor" - The Turtles

(Oct./Nov. 1968, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box,

#6 Hot 100/#4 Canada, Sept. 1968 live perf.

on TV show Kraft Music Hall)

Sally #2

Now here's the second Sally song in today's lineup.  R&B singer

and songwriter Mack Rice wrote and first recorded this ditty

in 1965. Rice's version reached its peak at #15 on the R&B

chart, an achievement that was eclipsed the following year

when gravel-voiced R&B great Wilson Pickett covered it.

 Pickett's record went top 5 on the R&B survey and crossed over

to the pop chart, penetrating the top 20 on Cash Box and the

top 5 in Canada. Pickett's version is also ranked #114 on

my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's "The Wicked Pickett" with a single that made

Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs

 of All Time - "Mustang Sally!"

"Mustang Sally" - Wilson Pickett

(#6 R&B/#16 Cash Box/#23 Hot 100/#4 Canada,

#114 The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell)

Renee

The Left Banke was a baroque psychedelic pop band

based in New York City. Millions of fans across America

and around the globe were saddened when news broke in

 January, 2020, that the group's lead singer, Steve Martin,

later known as Steve Martin Caro, died at the age of 71.

 Martin possessed one of the most beautiful and distinctive

voices in all of pop music, as you will hear as he sings

one of the most evocative songs ever recorded, the

band's debut single, a top 5 hit in the fall of 1966.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are Steve Martin and The Left Banke with a song regarded as

 the definitive work of the baroque pop genre-- "Walk Away Renee!"

"Walk Away Renee" - The Left Banke

(Oct./Nov. 1966, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100,

#129 The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell)

Eleanor #2

Earlier, The Turtles paid musical tribute to "Elenor."

To conclude today's show, here's a different girl song

with a different spelling of that same name. Released

along with "Yellow Submarine" on a double A-side

single in August, 1966, from the Beatles' Revolver

album, resulting in two chart-topping worldwide

hits, it's the story of a lonely, ageing spinster

by the name of-- "Eleanor Rigby!"

"Eleanor Rigby" - The Beatles

(#1 UK/#11 Hot 100/#12 Cash Box,

from Aug. 1966 album Revolver)

I hope you liked these girl name songs of the past

and new AI generated images of women and girls.

Meet more enchanting members of

 The AI-Team 

next time, and remember... 

 Old School's the Rule 

 In the Battle Against 

 The Anime From Within! 

 See you next time! 

Debbie the Dellette Meets The Rat Pack - Vol. 2: Starlight Tonight at the Shady Dell

(below) "Hey, get up and ask Helen

to make me a cherry coke to go."

"It's time for us to

split the snack bar

and meet up with

Debbie the Dellette

and the Rat Pack

down in the dance hall."

"Starlight Tonight" - The Inspirators

{June/July 1958, B side of "Oh What A Feeling (In My Heart)"}

From the summer of 1958, that was B-13 on the Dell Jukebox, "Starlight Tonight,"

a glorious old school sound on Old Town Records by The Inspirators, a group

also known as The Five Stars. The Inspirators were one of many doo-wop

groups to emerge from Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood

in the 1950s. High school friends since 1949, they performed in

 Brooklyn clubs and placed second in the Apollo Theater's

amateur competition. The group released three singles

but failed to make it as a recording act. The ballad

you just heard, "Starlight Tonight," features the kind

of sweet doo-wop harmony teenagers of the 50s and 60s

loved slow dancing to at The Shady Dell in York, Pennsylvania.

Hi! I'm Debbie

the Dellette!

As you know, I'm "The Hostess with the Mostest"

and president of the Old York/Shady Dell chapter

of the Top Hit Club of America. I'm a dancing Dell

teenager of the 50s and I'm back with my friends,

four Dell teenagers of the 60s, who'll play more

of the Shady Dell's greatest hits. This is not an

SPMM radio program. We will be taking turns

dropping our coins into the slot and playing

the Dell's jukebox. At this time, I'd like to

reintroduce my friends from The Rat Pack

who are ready to entertain themselves

and you with their favorite Dell

songs of the mid to late 60s.

THE RAT PACK

(LEFT to RIGHT)

JULIE

PETE

LINDA

DOUG

Looks like Rat Packer Julie's taken her position at

the jukebox and is selecting her first Dell song.

JULIE: Deb, I wish that you had

still been going to the Dell in the

mid 60s when The Temptations

came along. They were Shady Dell

heavy hitters, landing eleven songs

on Shady Del Knight's list of The 200

Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell. I just

pressed N-11 for one of the group's

great mid-tempo love ballads, a song

written by two of Motown's Miracles,

Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore.

From the spring of 1965, here now

are The Temps singing their top 3

R&B hit-- "It's Growing!"

"It's Growing" - The Temptations

(Apr./May 1965, highest chart pos.

#3 R&B, #18 Hot 100/#19 Cash Box) 

PETE: My turn, Julie. As you pointed out,

The Temptations placed 11 of their songs

on Shady's list of the Top 200 Dell Songs

of the mid 60. Well, these guys also have

11 songs on that exclusive list. They're

the Four Tops, another great Motown

group, and I just pushed G-17 to play

one of those soulful sides. This Tops

45 made the top 3 winner's circle on

the R&B chart and top 5 on the pop

survey. Here are The Four Tops

with Dell song #175, a giant

of the jukebox in the spring

of 1967-- "Bernadette!"

DELL SONG #175

"Bernadette" - Four Tops

(Apr. 1967, highest chart pos.

#3 R&B/#4 Hot 100/#8 Cash Box) 

LINDA: Scoot over, Petey. I'm gonna

play one of the most popular but

unlikely Shady Dell hits of the

mid 60s. It's an example of the

Dell's "killer bee" phenomenon -

a B side that equaled or surpassed

the popularity of the A side. In fact,

I don't remember the A side of this

45 ever being played at the Dell.

The biggie I'm talking about is J-8,

a song by Sam The Sham And The

Pharaohs, the Tex-Mex band best

known for their 1965 novelty hit

"Wooly Bully," the first American

record to sell a million copies during

the British Invasion.  The song I'm

playing is on the back of their top

30 charting follow-up "Ju Ju Hand."

Way up there at #12 on the list of 

200 Greatest Dell Songs, here's

"Big City Lights!"

DELL SONG #12

"Big City Lights" - Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs

(Aug./Sept. 1965, B side of "Ju Ju Hand")

DOUG: Hey guys, I'm sure we all

agree that The Motown Sound was

hot down here "in the barn."  We've

already played records by two great

Motown boy groups. Now I'd like to

hear a Dell hit by one of the record

label's top girl groups, Martha And

The Vandellas. These ladies placed

five of their songs on the Dell's

Top 200 list. At #48 this is their

highest ranked Dell song and

one of their biggest national

hits, a single that topped the

R&B chart in the early spring

of '67. I just punched L-16

and here's- "Jimmy Mack!"

DELL SONG #48

"Jimmy Mack" - Martha And The Vandellas

(March/April 1967, highest chart pos.

#1 R&B/#6 Cash Box/#10 Hot 100)

JULIE: Step aside, Doug, because I've

got another great Motown song in mind,

this one by Edwin Starr. You know, it's

funny to me that The Nashville born,

Detroit based soul man is best known

for his hit protest song "War." At the

Dell, his biggest and best remembered

record was "Agent Double-O-Soul," a

single released during the secret agent,

spy and detective craze of the mid 60s.

Three years later, this Edwin Starr 45

merely Bubbled Under nationally, but

it was hot in the Shady. I just pressed

O-9, and here's that cool sound from

Shady Dell the College Years - Edwin

Starr in the spring of 1968 boasting--

"I Am The Man For You Baby!" 

"I Am The Man For You Baby" - Edwin Starr

(May 1968, highest chart pos. #45 R&B/#112 Bubbling Under)

PETE: It's almost curfew. Time for

the last record of the night. As we

prepare to walk away from the

Dell dance hall, I'm playing

"Walk Away Renée" by the

New York based baroque

pop band The Left Banke.

This single reached the top 5

on Billboard and continued on

to #2 on Cash Box, held back

from the top of the chart by

The Monkees and their smash 

hit "Last Train To Clarksville."

This hauntingly beautiful sound

was a powerful memory maker

at the Dell during the Halloween

season in 1966. Coming in at #129

on the Greatest Hits of The Dell,

here's H-1 - The Left Banke -

and "Walk Away Renée!"

DELL SONG #129

"Walk Away Renee" - The Left Banke

(Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100)

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

I hope you enjoyed our second

meet-up, a bash in the barn...

the Dell dance hall... down here

where all the cool kids hang out.

Stay tuned. We'll be back soon

to feed the jukebox and play

more Dell gold. Now for

The Rat Pack - Julie,

Pete, Linda and Doug,

this is Debbie the Dellette,

"Your Hostess with the

Mostest," Bye bye!

"In The Basement - Pt. 1" - Etta James And Sugar Pie DeSanto

(Aug./Sept. 1966, highest chart pos. #37 R&B)

Debbie the Dellette 5 years later