The "Insane World Of Mike Sain" airs every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on WPON-AM 1460 Detroit. To kick in the new year, today's show featured songs that include either two, oh, or five in the title - two oh oh five (2005). Happy New Year!!
- 5-4-3-2-1 (Ready Steady Go Theme) - Manfred Mann - 1964
- Oh, What A Night - The Dells - 1969
- Oh, Why - The Teddy Bears - 1959
- 5 Feet Of Lovin' - Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps - 1958
- Love On A 2-Way Street - The Moments - 1970
- Oh, Mary - Marv Johnson - 1961
- Oh! Darling - The Beatles - 1969
- 5 More Steps - Ray Stevens - 1957
- Come Into My Palace - Lee And The Leopards - 1962
- Oh How Happy - Shades Of Blue - 1966
- My Oh My - The Pearls - 1956
- 5th Of Beethoven - Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band - 1976
- In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) - Zager And Evans - 1969
- 5 O'Clock World - The Vogues - 1966
Disclosure: This page includes links that will take you to various online merchants outside of allbutforgottenoldies.net that sell recordings with some of the songs featured on this page. Please note that these are referral or affiliate links from which allbutforgottenoldies.net may receive, at no additional cost to you, a commission if you should make any purchases through them.
Notes:
- "5-4-3-2-1 (Ready Steady Go Theme)" never charted in the US but it was Manfred Mann's first charted song in the UK (Top 10, 1964). "5-4-3-2-1" was used as the theme for the British TV show, "Ready, Steady, Go!" This song was released in the UK, the US, and Canada as a single on various labels (e.g., Pop 1252 and Prestige 312, b/w "Without You").
- The Dells' "Oh, What A Night," which in 1969 topped the R&B charts and was a Pop/Rock Top 10 hit, was a newer version of their "Oh What A Nite" which was originally an R&B chart hit back in 1956.
- "Oh, Why" and its flip side song, "I Don't Need You Anymore" by the Teddy Bears were both chart hits in 1959. The Teddy Bears had only one other hit which was their famous chart topping 1958 debut song, "To Know Him, Is To Love Him."
- "Five Feet Of Lovin'" (written by Mel Tillis) by famed rockabilly rocker Gene Vincent has a somewhat convoluted history as this song never charted and at least two different versions were recorded. Version 1 (a.k.a. "Five Feet Of Lovin' '56") was recorded in 1956 but not released until several years after Vincent's death. Another version was also recorded in 1958 and released that same year on the album, "Gene Vincent Record Date" (Capitol T-1059). The 1958 version as heard today is on the CD Gene Vincent Rocks! And The Blue Caps Roll/A Record Date with Gene Vincent which is a CD re-release of two of Vincent's 1958 albums (Capitol T-970 and Capitol T-1059).
- "Love On A Two-Way Street" by the Moments later also charted for Stacy Lattisaw in 1981. The Moments featured falsetto lead singer Mark Greene.
- Detroit-born Marv Johnson was an R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist whose best known songs include the first charted version of "You Got What It Takes" (1960). His uncharted "Oh Mary" was recorded in 1961 as a single (United Artists 359 b/w "Show Me"). "Oh Mary" is included on the CD, "Marv Johnson: You Got What It Takes."
- The uncharted "Oh! Darling," a bluesy 1950s-style song written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, is from the Beatles' 1969 "Abbey Road" album.
- Best known for his long string of novelty song hits, Ray Stevens (b. Ray Ragsdale) got his start in show biz by becoming a DJ for a local radio station at age 15. In 1957, he recorded "Five More Steps" (Prep F-122, b/w "Tingle"). The uncharted "Five More Steps" is an example of early Ray Stevens before he became a well known country and novelty singer-songwriter (with a few social commentary songs thrown in for good measure). Although "Five More Steps" never charted nationally, it did receive some airplay on WMCA New York.
- Lee and the Leopards was led by Lee Henry Moore; other group members included Prentiss Anderson. Their "Come Into My Palace" was released as a single first on Gordy in 1962 and then on Laurie in 1963 (Gordy 7002 and Laurie 3197, b/w "Trying To Make It). Written by William Stevenson, Lee Henry Moore, and Brian Holland, "Come Into My Palace" was first recorded in 1962 by Lee & the Leopards and then in 1964 by Patrice & Brenda Holloway and the Supremes. This song, which is an example of early Motown, never was a chart hit for any group. "Come Into My Palace" is included on the hard-to-find CDs "At The Hop 10 (Disc 1)," "Rare Tracks From Detroit Vol. 4," "The Motown Rare Groups," "Lost Soulful Doo Wop Treasures Vol 1," and "Pittsburgh Favorite Oldies At The Hop X - The Dusty Discs."
- "Oh How Happy" by the Detroit-based Shades Of Blue later also charted for Blinky & Edwin Starr in 1969. Shades of Blues was a guest on the Insane World Of Mike Sain on March 17, 2004.
- The Pearls were a Detroit-based doo wop group led by tenor Howard Guyton whose members had, at one time, also included Dave "Baby" Cortez. The Pearls never charted nationally and they recorded many of their songs under the short-lived (ca. 1956-1957) Onyx Records label in NYC. "My Oh My" was recorded as a single in 1956 (Onyx 506 b/w "Tree In The Meadow"). This song is included on the CDs The Pearls Vs. The Velours: The Complete Recordings and The Golden Era of Doo-Wops: Onyx Records.
- "Fifth Of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band topped the charts in 1976 and was Walter Murphy's chart debut song. This instrumental hit was a disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (first movement).
- The chart topping "In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" was the only Billboard Hot 100 hit for Zager and Evans, making them a true one hit wonder. (They had one other charted song, "Mr. Turnkey," which peaked at only #106 in 1969.)
- "Five O'Clock World" by the Vogues was used as an opening theme song for the Drew Carey Show.
Click here for a complete list of "Insane World Of Mike Sain" playlists available on this web site.
