June 30, 1966

Here we are.  The last day of June.  This means that we are nearly halfway through the year 2015!  Where in the world did the time go?

But you know what?  I say bring it.  2015 has been one of those years that started off rough, but is turning out to be a fantastic year! 

I will tell you more about why this is the case at another time.  In the meantime, I should probably get on with today's TUESDAY TIMELINE entry.

So let's see what we have on the schedule for June 30.  Let's begin with some of the "happenings" that took place on this date.

1559 - King Henry II is mortally wounded in a jousting match against Gabriel de Montgomery

1805 - U.S. Congress organizes the Michigan Territory

1864 - Abraham Lincoln grants the area known as Yosemite Valley to California for "public use, resort, and recreation"

1882 - Charles J. Guiteau - the man who assassinated President James Garfield - is hanged

1886 - The first transcontinental train trip across Canada departs from Montreal, arriving in Port Moody, British Columbia five days later

1892 - The Homestead Strike begins

1905 - "On The Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" - written by Albert Einstein - is published

1906 - The Meat Inspection and Pure Food and Drug Act is passed by United States Congress

1912 - Regina, Saskatchewan is hit by the Regina Cyclone, killing 28 people

1917 - Actress/singer Lena Horne (d. 2010) is born in Brooklyn, New York

1934 - The Night of the Long Knives takes place in Germany, courtesy of Adolf Hitler

1937 - London, England introduces the 999 service number - the world's very first emergency telephone number

1953 - The first Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line in Michigan

1956 - 128 people lose their lives when two airplanes crash into each other over the Grand Canyon

1971 - The voting age is reduced to eighteen from twenty-one in the United States

1972 - The first leap second is added to the UTC time system

1985 - A total of thirty-nine American hostages from hijacked TWA Flight 847 are freed after being held captive for seventeen days

1986 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that states can outlaw homosexual acts between consenting adults (boy have times changed since '86!)

2001 - Country singer Chet Atkins dies at the age of 77

2014 - Actor Bob Hastings passes away at the age of 89

And for celebrity birthdays, we have to wish the following famous faces a happy birthday; Nancy Dussault, Eddie Rambeau, Terry Funk, Murray McLauchlan, Andy Scott, Leonard Whiting, David Garrison, Hal Lindes, David Alan Grier, Brian Vollmer, Sterling Martin, Rich Vos, Tommy Keene, Vincent D'Onofrio, Murray Cook, Rupert Graves, Steve Duchesne, Mitch Richmond, Wendy Davis, Mike Tyson, Nitin Ganatra, Brian Bloom, Megan Fahlenbock, Monica Potter, Noam Zylberman, Tony Rock, Lizzy Caplan, Cheryl Cole, Katherine Ryan, Fantasia Barrino, Hugh Sheridan, and Allegra Versace.

So, for the first time in what seems like forever, I have an entry that predates the 1980s!  I know, shocker, huh?

We aren't going back in time quite a half century yet.  But the date we are visiting is June 30, 1966.

And, here's some news for you.  Today's subject involves a musical interlude by one of the most successful all-female groups of all time.  And how appropriate that this single was recorded on one of the members' 33rd birthday?

Sadly, Florence Ballard would pass away just ten years later, in 1976.  But she, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross enjoyed their eighth #1 single that November with this classic song about trying to seek independence from an abusive, loveless relationship.  A single that was recorded 49 years ago today.

ARTIST:  The Supremes

SONG:  You Keep Me Hangin' On

ALBUM:  The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland

DATE RELEASED:  October 12, 1966

PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 2 weeks

Now, I have to admit, my first experience listening to this single was not by the Supremes.  Remember British pop/rock chanteuse Kim Wilde, who had hits with "Kids In America", "Chequered Love", and "You Came"?  Well, she too had a hit in 1987 covering this very single, and as someone who was six years old then and listened to pop radio at the time, I heard this version a lot.

But whether you liked Kim Wilde's version, or Vanilla Fudge's version, or Rod Stewart's version, or anyone else who has covered this single, you have to hand it to the Supremes.  They did it first, and they did it the best.

So, let's talk about the song lyrics.  I don't know if the lyrics were inspired by a real life event or not, but either way, the subject is about love done wrong from the perspective of the female.  Reading between the lines of the lyrics, we know that the guy did something that is unforgivable (he probably cheated on her with someone else).  And even though she wants to move on with her life, he seems determined to win back her heart at all costs. 

It's essentially one of those on-again, off-again relationship deals that goes in a complete circle.  Girl breaks it off with guy, guy keeps chasing her until she takes him back, then she tries to leave again, and it never ends.  That's very much the story of this song.

It's actually quite a disturbing song when you stop and think about it.  A song that I am sure a lot of women (and men) can relate to.  It must be hard enough trying to nurse an already broken heart.  Try doing so when the person who broke your heart in the first place still wants to be a part of your life.  They can only be friends, they say.  They want you in their life even though they don't really love you, they say.

Well, there's a saying that goes along with that.  If you love somebody, set them free.  And in the case of a broken down relationship, if you really love the other person, and you really want what's best for them, wouldn't you want to see them happy?  Ideally, you'd want them to be happy with you, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way.  So, the next thing to do would be to let them go and find happiness with someone who is able to do so, and hope that one day, you can find that with someone yourself.

Because two people who aren't in love with each other do not make a relationship.

It was a great message 49 years ago...and is a great message now.