The "Insane World Of Mike Sain" airs every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on WPON-AM 1460 Detroit. Today's theme was "Mike's Monkeys" in which every song either has "monkey" in the title or makes mention of monkeys somewhere in the song. The inspiration for today's show was the Beatles' "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey."
- Come Monkey With Me - Gino Washington - 1964
- Monkey Fever - Chris Montez - 1963
- Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey - The Beatles - 1968
- Papa's Got A Brand New Bag - James Brown - 1965 (by request)
- Monkey See, Monkey Do - Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs - 1965
- Mickey's Monkey - Smokey Robinson And The Miracles - 1963 (by request)
- Monkey Song (You Made A Monkey Out Of Me) - The Big Bopper - 1958
- Monkey Walk - The Flares - 1963
- Monkey Vendor - The Tokens - 1962
- Monkey's Uncle - Annette With The Afterbeats - 1965
- The Monkey - Emanual Laskey - 1963
- Stop Monkeyin' Aroun' - The Dovells - 1963
Notes:
- Gino Washington's "Come Monkey With Me" was the B-side of "Out Of This World" which was a minor hit in 1964 (peaking at only #120). Gino Washington is best remembered for "Gino Is A Coward" (1964). His music career was interrupted in 1964 by being drafted into the Army. He started recording again in 1967 and in the 1970s he hosted a local Detroit TV variety show.
- Chris Montez had several hits from 1962-1966 that included "Let's Dance" (1962) and "The More I See You" (1966). He started out as a Latino rocker in a style much like Ritchie Valens then switched to more traditional pop. His noncharting "Monkey Fever" as heard this morning was released as a single in 1963 (Monogram 516).
- The Beatles' noncharting "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" was recorded on their White Album in 1968. This song was an inspiration for today's show theme.
- "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" topped the R&B charts and was a Top 10 Pop/Rock hit for James Brown in 1965. This song later also became a hit for Otis Redding in 1969. In keeping with today's theme, this song's lyrics include "do the monkey, do the alligator ..." James Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
- Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs fused rock, pop, and Tex-Mex styles. Their best known songs include "Wooly Bully" (1965) and "Lil' Red Riding Hood" (1966). Their noncharting "Monkey See, Monkey Do" was part of the soundtrack for the 1965 movie, "When The Girls Meet The Boys" (MGM SE 4334).
- "Mickey's Monkey" (1963) was one in a long string of hits from 1959-1976 for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. In 1972, Robinson went solo and in 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He wrote many hits songs not only for the Miracles but also for many other Motown artists.
- The Big Bopper is best remembered for the smash hit, "Chantilly Lace" (1958). His noncharting "Monkey Song (You Made A Monkey Out Of Me)" was released in 1958 as a single (Mercury 71312 b/w "A Teen-Age Moon (In A Rock And Roll World)"). The Big Bopper (born Jiles Perry Richardson) was a deejay on KTRM radio in Beaumont, TX. In 1959, he was killed in the same plane crash that also took the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. The Big Bopper wrote most of his own songs plus "White Lightning," which became a smash country hit for George Jones, and "Running Bear," which topped the charts for Johnny Preston.
- The Flares were an early 1960s R&B group best remembered for "Foot Stomping - Part 1" (1961). Their "Monkey Walk" as heard today was a minor hit in 1963 (peaking at only #133).
- The Tokens are best remembered for their chart topping "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1961). Their noncharting "Monkey Vendor" was included on their 1962 album, "We The Tokens Sing Folk" (RCA Victor, LSP-2631 and LPM 2631). The Tokens started out as the Linc-Tones in 1955, and this group's early founding members included Neil Sedaka.
- Annette Funicello was a Mouseketeer and co-starred with Frankie Avalon in a number of early 1960s beach movies. She also had a string of hits from 1959-1961 that included "Tall Paul" (1959) and O Dio Mio" (1960). Her noncharting "Monkey's Uncle" was the title song of the 1965 movie in which she co-starred. In this song, the Beach Boys provided backing vocals and they performed in the film as well.
- Detroit soul singer Emanual Laskey is best remembered for "Welfare Cheese" (1963). "The Monkey" as heard today was the B-side of "Welfare Cheese" (Thelma 100), and both songs received significant airplay in Michigan and surrounding states. Although Laskey was famous locally, none of his songs ever charted nationally.
- "Stop Monkeyin' Aroun'" was a minor hit for the Dovells in 1963 (peaking at only #94). The Dovells were led by Len Barry (later of "1-2-3" fame) and they are best remembered for "Bristol Stomp" (1961) and "You Can't Sit Down" (1963).
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