What we were listening to in 1962

On the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World’s Fair, we look back at that year’s popular books, music, movies and TV shows.

This week: what we were listening to in 1962.

I like to be in America! If we could travel back in time to a random Seattle living room circa 1962, chances are good we’d hear this exuberant cry emanating from the hi-fi.  Although it was originally released in 1961, the West Side Story soundtrack (from the 1961 film starring Natalie Wood)  was the monster hit of 1962, reaching #1 on the Billboard album charts on May 5 and remaining at the #1 spot for 53 weeks, a record-setting run.

Elvis Presley continued to dominate the pop charts, with “Return to Sender,” “Good Luck Charm” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” all among the top ten singles of the year. The Twist, first popularized by the 1960 Chubby Checker hit, was still America’s number one dance craze, as a slew of 1962 Twist songs including Sam Cooke’s “Twistin’ the Night Away,” the Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout” and  “Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee & the Starliters demonstrate. However, it faced some competition from “The Loco-Motion” (a #1 hit for Little Eva), “The Mashed Potato” (name-checked in “Do You Love Me?” by the Contours), and even “The Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett (it was a graveyard smash!).

Yet newer sounds were also emerging. Ray Charles fused gospel, jazz, R&B and country in his crossover hit album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Girl groups like The Crystals (“He’s a Rebel”) and The Shirelles (“Soldier Boy”) encapsulated the joys and heartbreak of teen romance. Soul music expanded its horizons with the hard-charging rhythms of Booker T. & The M.G.’s instrumental “Green Onions.” And on the West Coast, surf rock exploded with the guitar stylings of Dick Dale (Surfer’s Choice) and the sun-drenched harmonies of the Beach Boys (Surfin’ Safari). Perhaps the most unusual hit single of the year was “Telstar,” a space age instrumental written and produced by eccentric producer Joe Meek and performed by The Tornadoes. This otherworldly song sounds like it was beamed in from outer space and transmitted to Earth via the Space Needle.

As always, the charts don’t tell the whole story. 1962 was also a significant year for two obscure musical acts who would become the voices of an entire generation. In New York, a young folksinger released his first album to little fanfare. And “across the pond” in England, four lads convinced their doubtful producer to let them record their own material for their first commercial single.

For other musical landmarks in pop, jazz, country, R&B and more, check out this list of the tunes that were on our turntables and AM radios in 1962. And don’t forget Freegal, where you can download songs from the West Side Story motion picture soundtrack, Ray Charles, Elvis and more artists from 1962!