04/10/2026

For this week's Friday Flashback selection, I chose a song my mama told me about, that proves how important, perceived, and influential music can be.  My mom told me she first heard this song when she was 9 or 10 years old, and it essentially served as the soundtrack for her young life.  She was in high school during the '70s and told me she was always picked on, called a square—or the lame one who never went to parties or did wild things. She feels this song contributed to her so-called squareness, but she's happy with the choices she made.  Good lessons were learned, even if it could be viewed as a fear of partying. So the song is "Mama Told Me," which Randy Newman originally wrote for Eric Burdon and the Animals in 1966. No one really knew that version until 3 Dog Night covered it in 1970. It was quite the party anthem in the 70's, I heard, contrary to my mother's beliefs because not everyone viewed this song as an anti-partying song.  Nonetheless, this song should bring back some memories for some people out in WVINLAND....so let's flashback on a Friday to 1970 with "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by 3 Dog Night.  

3 Dog Night, who derived their band name from a term used by Australian Aboriginals to describe a cold night requiring three dogs to stay warm...got the info out of a Magazine article. Even for a song with lyrics about NOT wanting to stay at a party "Mama Told Me Not to Come" is still a really fun and rockin' song.  I see how it could be a party Anthem. Shout out to my mom though and her squareness, for her suggestion for Friday Flashback! 3 Dog Night hit the number one spot with that song for two weeks in July 1970. In just 6 short years, from 69 to 75, they had 21 total Billboard top 40 hits, including two other number one hits. Another Classic band that made a huge impact on the music world and apparently some young lives as well. I'm not sure if there are any Tom Jones fans out there, but he also covered this song. It came out in 99, and was  another version of this really great song.  

Prepared by: Casandre Wilcox

YouTube Video Link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ1KBCSkH_Q

04/03/2026

Our Friday Flashback selection this week is a unique choice by Dave, because it was one of only, a few times.... an artist made the Billboard Top Ten with two different versions of the same song.  In 1962, Neil Sedaka recorded his du-wop hit song "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do". Sedaka said that the song's iconic scat intro ("come-a come-a down, dooby doo down down") was a result of being unable to come up with a lyric for that section of the song and they liked it so much that they kept it in the finished product. It soared to the top of the billboard charts, the cashbox, Canadian and New Zealand charts and also in the top ten in the UK.  "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" was covered by the Happenings and then Lenny Welch and Welch's success with a softer version of the song gave Neil a great idea to record his own soft rock version with a touch of the original in the beginning.

Much like the success of the 1962 version of "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka, the 1975 version, also by Neil, was also very successful!  It landed the #1 spot on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, #7 on the Cashbox 100, #8 on the Billboard hot 100 and claimed the #1 spot in Canada.  He is one of very few artists who have had two different versions of the same song land in the Billboard Top Ten.  Sadly, we lost Neil last month.  He was a remarkable singer, songwriter, and pianist.  He began his music career in 1957 and sold millions of records worldwide and he also wrote or co-wrote over 500 songs for himself and other artists, as well.  I always like to bring a cool or fun fact into the mix when we do the Friday Flashback every week .... so.... does anyone know what Neil Sedaka's first big hit was? Well.... it wasn't for him, it was for someone else. “Stupid Cupid,” recorded by Connie Francis, was Neil Sedaka's breakthrough hit in 1958. Apparently, Neil and his songwriting partner Howard Greenfield met when Neil was 13 years old and wrote approximately 1 song a day since they knew each other. He also wrote "The Diary" for Connie Francis but when she refused to let him read her journal, he turned the moment into his own first Top 15 hit. 

Prepared by: Casandre Wilcox

YouTube Video Link: 

https://youtu.be/KN0y3x9Yj58?si=EW5GtGqtkljOC5zt