Welcome
to the last day of April 2013, and welcome to the last Tuesday
Timeline of the month!
If
you're living in Canada, and still have not yet filed your tax return
for this month...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!? It's due today!
But,
if you've already done your taxes and/or are not Canadian, you can
kick off your shoes and sit back with a nice cup of tea, or a glass
of Hawaiian Punch, if you will, and enjoy another look back through
time.
Actually,
I have a confession for all of you. I did have this very topic
planned for the Sunday Jukebox for Sunday, April 28, but when George
Jones passed away recently, I decided to do a spotlight on him
instead. But when I did my research for the original topic, it
happened to be linked to today's date, so I thought...why not use it
for the Tuesday Timeline entry!
I
tell you, life has a funny way of working out, doesn't it?
So,
you're probably figuring out that this week's Tuesday Timeline is
music themed. But that's all that I'm going to say for now. We
still have to get through other happenings that are going on today!
Celebrating
a birthday on the final day of April are Cloris Leachman, Willie
Nelson, Burt Young, Bobby Vee, Leslie Grantham, Perry King, Merrill
Osmond, Jane Campion, Paul Gross, Stephen Harper, Isiah Thomas,
Michael Waltrip, Barrington Levy, Adrian Pasdar, Jeff Timmons, Johnny
Galecki, Kunal Nayyar, and Kirsten Dunst.
And
on the last day of April, here are some of the events that took place
throughout history.
1492
– Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration
1789
– George Washington takes the oath of office in New York City to
become the first elected President of the United States of America
1803
– The United States buys the Louisiana Territory from France for
$15 million, in an event known as “The Louisiana Purchase”
1812
– Louisiana becomes the 18th
state of the United States of America, nine years after the Louisiana
Purchase
1900
– Casey Jones is killed in a train accident in Vaughn, Mississippi
1927
– The first footprints left behind at Grauman's Chinese Theater are
made by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks
1938
- “Porky's Hare Hunt” debuts in movie theaters, which includes an
early prototype of Bugs Bunny
1945
– Adolf Hitler and his wife commit suicide to avoid capture by the
Red Army
1957
– Elvis Presley records the single, “Jailhouse Rock”
1963
– The Bristol Bus Boycott was held in Bristol, United Kingdom to
protest racial discrimination
1975
– Saigon falls as the Vietnam War comes to an end after nearly two
decades
1983
– The “father of modern Chicago blues”, Muddy Waters, passes
away at the age of 70
1993
– Tennis star Monica Seles is stabbed by an obsessed fan during a
quarterfinal match of the Citizen Cup
2004
– Michael Jackson is arraigned on charges of child molestation,
pleading not guilty to ten counts
So,
what day in history are we going back to this year?
April
30, 1969.
1969
was a rather turbulent year in history. Obviously I wasn't around
then (I was born a dozen years later), but from what I have heard
from people who have lived through that year, it was a year of great
protest. With the Vietnam War in full swing, millions of people all
over the world were bombarded with images of pain and suffering, and
having to say goodbye to loved ones far too soon. Many people
questioned why the United States had gotten involved in fighting in
the Vietnam War, and they demanded that their voices be heard.
Hence
the “Make Love, Not War” movement.
During
1969, there were lots of protests in major cities, speaking out
against the Vietnam War. There were sit-ins, marches, and perhaps
one of the most vibrant, well-publicized events occurred in August of
1969, when the Woodstock music festival was held.
Actually,
come to think of it, music was a huge part of the protest movement
back in 1969. And today's featured song was one of those songs that
did exactly that.
On
April 30, 1969, this song was certified gold, and what made it stand
out was that it was a medley of two songs that could be found in a
musical that was released two years earlier.
Have
you ever heard of a musical known as “Hair”? It debuted in the
fall of 1967, and was a rock musical penned by James Rado and Gerome
Ragni. Gail MacDermot provided the music.
The
story of “Hair” surrounds a young man by the name of Claude and
his hippie friends. Claude has fallen in love with the hippie
philosophy of making love and not war, and all he wants to do is
continue to live his bohemian lifestyle in New York City, while
turning his back on the “squares” who want them to serve in the
military or get jobs to become better people.
And
for Claude, he is found in a rather sticky situation. He has to
choose between resisting the Vietnam War draft, as his hippie friends
have done, or pleasing his parents and conservative America by
donning the soldier duds and going off to war.
I
should note that “Hair” was dripping with controversy, given the
nudity, profanity, and irreverence of the American flag. At the same
time, I have seen the movie adaptation of “Hair”, and found it to
be absolutely fantastic.
Heck,
you know what? Had I lived during the 1960s, I likely would have
become one of those hippies...well, in spirit anyway. I don't think
I would look very good in tie-dyed garments.
Anyway,
the musical “Hair” is the source for the gold selling single,
receiving that certification exactly 44 years ago today.
ARTIST:
The 5th
Dimension
SONG:
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In
ALBUM:
The Age of Aquarius
DATE
RELEASED: March 8, 1969
PEAK
POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:
#1 for 6 weeks
TRIVIA:
This was the very first medley to top the Billboard charts.
The
song not only did very well on the pop charts, but in other venues as
well. It won two Grammy Awards in 1970 for “Record of the Year”,
and “Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group”. That's mighty
impressive, given that it was only one of two songs by the group to
peak at the top spot (the other song was “Wedding Bell Blues”,
which was also released in 1969).
The
5th
Dimension was made up of Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis
Jr., LaMonte McLemore, and Ron Townson, and the lyrics for the song
were – at best description – a little bit whimsical, even trippy.
They were based on the astrological belief that the world would
enter an era known as the “Age of Aquarius”, which would bathe
the world in light, love, and humanity. We'd know when we were in
the “Age of Aquarius” when the planet Jupiter aligns with Mars.
And, it was initially believed that the transition would take place
at the end of the 20th
century or the beginning of the 21st
century.
It
appears as though they were off by a few years, as I remember the
period between 1999 and 2002 being filled with school shootings,
terrorist attacks, and economic turmoil. But, hey, I suppose not all
predictions could be accurate.
(In
case you're wondering, astrologists have pinpointed that this
alignment could happen anytime between 2062 and 2680. So, I'm either
going to be really, really old when we enter the “Age of Aquarius”,
or I'm going to be compost. Either way, I won't be able to truly
appreciate it.)
At
any rate, the song was a huge hit in 1969, and was one of the key
songs that served as the official soundtrack of the anti-war
movement.
A
song that was certified gold on April 30, 1969.
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