Bubble Gum Music

In the world of popular music, perhaps no other genre is looked down at with as much disdain as Bubble Gum Music. "Itís just rock and roll for teeny boppers" is the knock against it. Well, yeah. But is that really such a bad thing. Think of it as musical appreciation training wheels. Kids have gotta have something safe they can feel comfortable with before they get into anything of heavy substance. When I was young, groups like Hermanís Hermits and the Monkess helped me understand the fundamentals of pop music and now I can listen to "Astral Weeks" without being frightened. Of course, the music aimed at young teens today is putrid crap and will probably destroy the foundation of popular music as we know it, but thatís the price we have to pay if we wanna live in free society.  Ahem.

Iím A Believer - The Monkees

To dismiss the Monkees as just a bubble gum group would be a mistake. Early on, however, that is exactly what they were meant to be. Under the direction of Don "The Man With The Golden Ear" Kirshner, the prefab fourís directive was to churn out the product to satisfy the masses of young girls (and boys) that tuned in each Monday night at 7:30 p.m. eastern daylight time. Things would change and Kirshner would find himself bounced out on his golden rump, but not before he, songwriter Neil Diamond and the Monkees combined for one of the biggest hits of the sixties. This is one helluva record, made even more amazing by the killer B-side of "Iím Not Your Steppiní Stone."

Sugar, Sugar - The Archies

You gotta admit Kirshner knew a hit song when he heard one. He heard this one and took it to his Monkees, who in no uncertain terms told him it was beneath them and the studio musicians who played on their records. Undaunted, Donnie came up with a group that couldnít give him any sass. Thatís because The Archies were a cartoon band and if they didnít agree with him, heíd have them erased. With bubble gum singing legend Ron Dante on lead vocals, "Sugar, Sugar" became the biggest hit of 1969 and spawned a shitload of other Saturday morning cartoon groups, including Josie & the Pussycats, the Groovie Goolies and Fat Albert & the Junkyard Band.

I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family

Yet another TV show rock & roll band. This one was less manufactured than The Archies (at least they were real people) but more contrived than The Monkees (compare drummers). David Cassidy, who really sang on the records, became a teenage heartthrob and this first Partridge Family single went all the way to the top of the charts. Who cares if Susan Dey was only mouthing the words and faking it, she was still a snooky bunny and "I Think I Love You" remains a bona fide pop classic.

Little Woman - Bobby Sherman

There seems to be a pattern here. If you wanted to have a hit record in the sixties or seventies, your chances were a whole lot better if you had your own television series. Bobby Sherman was a regular performer on "Shindig" and then took an acting gig on "Here Comes The Brides," a show that had nothing to do with music and required his character to speak with a stutter. Just the break he needed to help him become the latest singing sensation and Tiger Beat cover boy.  Heíd have other hits including "Julie, Do Ya Love Me?" but "Little Woman" is the first, the best and my fave.

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen

Any hopes of the Royal Guardsmen being taken seriously as a garage rock band quickly disappeared when they had a hit record with this song. It was catchy, it was bouncy and it forever pigeonholed them as the group that did those Snoopy songs. Letís see, there was "The Return of the Red Baron," "Snoopyís Christmas," and finally "Snoopy For President." (The latter which concocted the wacky premise that a Nazi war criminal could step forward and cast the deciding vote at an American presidential convention.) Anyway, this is the first Snoopy song, the best Snoopy song and my fave.

I Wonder What Sheís Doing Tonight - Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart

Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart were professional pop songwriters who hit pay dirt when they hooked up with The Monkees and had a major hit with their song "Last Train To Clarksville."  The duo provided other songs for the band and then decided they wanted to be pop stars, too.  It couldnít be that hard, they thought. They could sing, they could write and they had thebiggest coattails in pop music to ride on. "I Wonder What Sheís Doing Tonight" was their greatest hit and itís probably   the only song about a guy who doesnít get the girl becuase he wants to be "just friends." Fluff, but good fluff. And for added pleasure, thereís another Boyce & Hart favorite to stick on the juke box: "Alice Long (Youíre Still My Favorite Girlfriend)"

Saturday Night - The Bay City Rollers

Do you remember where you were when you first heard the hype about The Bay City Rollers?  Bigger than The Beatles,   they said. "They" being the groupís publicity machine. In a way, they were bigger than The Beatles. There were five Rollers and five is a bigger number than four, right? Anyway, they came to the U.S. just like The Beatles did (on an airplane), they performed on a national TV show like The Beatles did (hosted by Howard Cosell instead of Ed Sullivan) and then sold a lot less records than The Beatles did. Still, they did have some hits and this one not only topped the charts but also taught kids how to spell.

Indian Giver - 1910 Fruitgum Co.

In the mid to sorta late sixties, Buddah Records was a virtual incubator for bubble gum music and served as the most visible purveyor of the genre. While most artists cringed at being labeled "bubble gum," Buddah producers Jeff Katz and Jerry Kasenetz flaunted it. Studio musicians played on most of the records with a different lead vocalist being all that distinguished one band from another - until they posed for the album cover or performed on American Bandstand.  1910 Fruitgum Co. was a garage band when they signed with the Super K outfit and Mark Gutkowski became the signature voice for the records released under the groupís unusual moniker. Other hits include "Simon Says" and "1,2,3 Red Light," but I chose "Indian Giver" because itís the one I like the most.

I Think Weíre Alone Now - Tommy James & The Shondells

We all know the story by now. A local band from Niles, Michigan, cuts a record at the WNIL radio station and it becomes a regional favorite. Two years later, a disc jockey in Pittsburgh gives it a spin and the rest is rock and roll history. That record was "Hanky Panky," a low-fi garage band rave-up that has very little in common with the sound of "I Think Weíre Alone Now" except that Tommy James provides the lead vocal on both. Twenty years later, Tiffanyís cover version of this song would be knocked out of the number one position by Billy Idolís remake of another Tommy James & the Shondells classic, "Mony Mony." When last seen, all three (Tommy, Tiffany & Billy) were in a plane heading towards the Bermuda Triangle.

Indian Lake - The Cowsills

A group of siblings form a rock band, ask their mother to join and then become famous when their first record becomes a smash hit. Sound familiar? No, itís not The Partridge Family, but it couldíve been. The Cowsills were the prototype for The Partridges and were even given the chance to star in the TV series, but turned down the offer when informed an actress would be playing the part of their mother. "Indian Lake" wasnít their first hit, maybe not their best, but itís my fave and thatís why it goes in the jukebox.

The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana) - The Banana Splits

Okay, more manufactured than The Monkees and Partridge Family, but still less than the Archies. (They didnít sing or play   on their records, but at least there were real people in those wacky animal costumes.) For the record, I was not of fan of The Banana Splits or their TV series. The whole voice dubbing thing bothered me, especially when the characters lips never moved. But I do like this theme song, and I wouldnít mind cruisiní around in one of those Banana Buggies.

Down At Luluís - The Ohio Express

Another product of the Kasenetz-Katz corral at Buddah. Only this time itís bubble gum hall of famer Joey Levine at the microphone. It was tough picking which Ohio Express song to load in the juke box, but easy deciding which one not to include. "Yummy Yummy Yummy (I Got Love In My Tummy)" is way too stupid for even bubble gum music and wasnít even considered.  "Mercy" and "Chewy Chewy" are both a lot of fun, but register low on the recognition meter. That left "Sweeter Than Sugar," which may be the best of the bunch and "Down At Luluís," which gets the nod because itís the one that got the most spins on my old monaural record player back in the day.

Dizzy - Tommy Roe

What would a Archies record sound like if Tommy Roe was singing lead instead of Ron Dante?  Why, it would sound almost exactly like this number one hit single. (But it would sound exactly like "Sweet Pea," another Tommy Roe hit.) For all you trivia buffs out there, "Dizzy" was co-written by Tommy Roe with Freddy Weller, while Freddy was a member of Paul Revere and the Raiders. I doubt very much that will be a question on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," but toss out that tidbit of information at your next social gathering and Iím sure at least one person will be polite enough to feign interest.

Heartbeat - Itís A Love Beat - The DeFranco Family featuring Tony DeFranco

Tony DeFranco was to Donny Osmond as George Lazenby was to Sean Connery: a weak replacement that didnít hang around for long and quickly disappeared into oblivion. Lazenby, of course, was the actor who served as the single movie "wine tasting cracker" playing 007 in "On Her Magestyís Secret Service" in between stints by Connery and Roger Moore. Defranco was the 13 year old front man (or front boy) for the DeFranco Family featuring himself, and became the new prepubescent wonder in place of an aging Donnie Osmond. (I mean, how could a girl in braces and pigtails relate to a sixteen year old Mormon guy?) Anyway, Tony & the DeFranco bunch didnít change the face of pop music forever, but they left us with this snappy little ditty, and that ainít bad.

Tracy - The Cuff Links

Now hereís one group you canít call manufactured. Thatís because there wasnít one! It was a common practice in the "have a nice day" era for producers to cut a record with studio musicians, add a lead vocal by an experienced session singer and then slap a fictitious band name on the label to give it credibility. The Cuff Links were one such "band" and the voice heard on "Tracy" is a familiar one. It belongs to Ron Dante, who also handled the lead vocal chores on "Sugar, Sugar" and many other songs recorded by The Archies. Maybe thatís why itís so easy to do "The Grundy" whenever I play this bumble gum classic on the olí juke box.

Speak To The Sky - Rick Springfield

Gotta have a spot for Dr. Noah Drake of "General Hospital" on the juke box. What a dreamy guy. Kind of an earlier version of John Stamos, except Springfield actually made a couple of good records instead of just playing percussion for the Beach Boys on bad ones.

Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me) - Reunion

This musical tongue tester was co-written and "sung" by Joey Levine, the nasal throated warbler of Ohio Express fame. Talk about name dropping, this golden oldie does a whole lot of it. (I tried to count all the names but gave up after two.) Naturally, Reunion isnít a real band. Itís just Joey and whoever was booked in the studio on that date. A perfect "last play" for the bubble gum juke box.

 Well???
Is that all there is? Did I forget your favorite? Let me know. One thing to keep in mind:  If itís a bubble gum song where someone dies at the end, itís probably gonna wind up on a different list. I can say no more.