This week’s selection first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1965, rising to a #3 ranking, and remains one of the most widely recognized songs by one of the most successful groups in history.  Many cover versions have been recorded, including a 1985 release that also reached the #3 ranking on the Billboard Hot 100. This song appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list, and in 2004 was ranked at #71 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  

This week’s selection also had international appeal, rising to the following rankings in other countries:  Canada – #2 in RPMs national chart; Rhodesia – #2; Sweden – #6; Australia – #8, and #1 in South Africa, remaining in the top slot for six weeks.  This song has reportedly received between four and five million radio plays in the United States alone, making it this group’s most lucrative source of royalties.

This song has been prominently referenced by other artists on multiple occasions. Most notably, the Beatles’ “Back in the U.S.S.R.” is considered an homage to the song.  This week’s selection is also included in the soundtracks of the 1985 James Bond movie, “A View to Kill”, and at the beginning of “Rush Hour 2”, during which Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker sing along with the song which is playing on the radio at the time.  This song also appears twice during “Rush Hour 3”, first as a ringtone, and later on a French singer performs the song.  In “Saved by the Bell”, Principal Belding tells Zack that this song is his all-time favorite and walks off the screen, humming the song.

Looking for some happy blues?  This week’s selection was written in 1956 by Preston Foster, and first recorded by Ann Cole later that same year. In 1957, one of the greatest blues musicians of all time, whose real name was McKinley Morganfield, heard Cole’s version, modified the lyrics, and released the result, a rendition that received much wider recognition, ranked at #359 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  This version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 and is also included on the list of Songs of the Century, compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The story this week is as much about a great songwriter/performer, as well as a song that has proven to be one of the most versatile ever. Despite the lengthy number of cover versions presented this week, the variety of interpretations was too great to reduce the list further. No matter what your musical tastes might be, you’re likely to hear at least one that you like. His music continues to be performed in styles as diverse as pop, gospel, blues and rock. In 1951, Tony Bennett, accompanied by the Percy Faith orchestra, recorded a cover version of another of this songwriter’s works, which remained on the Billboard Magazine charts for twenty-seven weeks, peaking at #1.

Ever hear an upbeat, high-energy tune which never fails to lift your spirits, and then, one day, you pause to consider its lyrics, only to discover disconcerting gallows humor buried within? Although very few songs fit this mold, once heard, they are oftentimes impossible to forget.

This week’s feature song was first released as a single in 1971 when it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the charts for 16 weeks, rose to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, where it remained for 9 weeks, and topped out at #7 on the charts in the U.K.  It was ranked at #60 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  

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This week’s featured song was originally written, performed and released as an instrumental version by saxophonist Mike Sharpe (Shapiro), reaching #57 on the U. S. pop charts in 1967. Guitarist James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie added lyrics (Harry Middlebrooks, Jr. is also credited as a writer), which was then performed, recorded and released by Cobb’s rock group. This new version reached #3 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100, and #46 in the U.K. Three members of this band eventually became part of a newly named band, re-recording and releasing this song in 1979, when it reached #48 in the U.K. and #17 in the U. S.

This morning’s headlines included a feature story by ABC News, onimously entitled, “Honeybees Dying: Scientists Wonder Why, and Worry About Food Supply.”

Albert Einstein was once quoted as warning, in reference to the importance of honeybees…

“If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination … no more men!”

There are a number of sites on the web disputing the validity of this quotation, however, whatever the truth of the matter, the precipitous decline of our honeybee populations is at best cause for grave concern.

The featured song this week was originally written and performed in 1967 by one of the most successful rock groups of all time.  Even though this week’s selection should sound instantly familiar to most, it never reached the Billboard Top 40 charts. Cover versions of this song rose to #1 three times in the U.K., beginning in the 1960s and resurfacing during alternating decades to follow.  

Despite its lack of success as a single in this country, the album on which it appeared, for my money, is the best of all time, and was #1 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Best Albums of All Time. The song itself was ranked at #304 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

This week’s selection has also surfaced in various films and was used as the opening theme song for a popular television series during the late 1980s and early 1990s.  

Update: This writer hasn’t had the opportunity to listen to progressive radio consistently as of late, but have sent e-mail messages to the Thom Hartmann Show, the Norman Goldman Show, the Randi Rhodes Show and the Mike Malloy Show. These messages include a note of thanks if they have already covered this story and encouragement to provide some airtime for this bill if they have not yet done so.

The Ed Schultz Show interviewed Alan Grayson today between the 30 and 45 minute mark of the first hour. If interested, you can go to here, where you can find links to a live or tape delayed feed on various stations about the country.

Once this writer receives an e-mail response from his representative, this article will be further updated. Stay tuned!

H. R. 4789 is so simple and makes so much sense that corporate Dems will stumble all over themselves trying to sweep this pesky bill under the rug and pretend it doesn’t exist. This bill is only four pages long and within two days has gained at least 50 co-sponsors as well as more than 25,000 signatures on a mass e-mail petition.

Would you like the option of buying into Medicare at any age, at cost?  This bill, if passed, would not require even one cent from taxpayers.  War hawks should be reassured since this bill would not divert a single penny from funding dedicated to blowing up innocent people on the other side of the globe.    

Rep. Grayson eloquently explains this bill on the video that follows…