The "Insane World Of Mike Sain" airs every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on WPON-AM 1460 Detroit. Last week, Mike took his listeners on a tour around the world with his "United Nations" theme. This morning, he brought his listeners back home with "States of the Union" in which every song includes the name of a city or state in the U.S.
- Florida Time - Bob Seger And The Last Heard - 1966
- Theme From New York, New York - Frank Sinatra - 1980
- Rainy Night In Georgia - Brook Benton - 1970
- Washington Square - The Village Stompers - 1963
- Mississippi - John Phillips - 1970 (by request)
- Tennessee Waltz - Sue Thompson - 1969
- From L.A. To New Orleans (Broken Down Bus) - The Detergents - 1965
- Idaho - The 4 Seasons Featuring Frankie Valli - 1969
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Guy Mitchell - 1952
- New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones) - The Bee Gees - 1967
- North To Alaska - Johnny Horton - 1960 (by request)
- Take Me Back To New Orleans - Gary "U.S." Bonds - 1966 (by request)
- The Train From Kansas City - The Shangri-Las - 1965
Notes:
- Bob Seger was born in Dearborn, MI and raised in Detroit. He formed the Bob Seger System in 1968 and the Silver Bullet Band in 1976. He started out in the early 1960s playing mostly garage band hard rock. His early, rare and noncharting "Florida Time" as heard on today's show is a lighter song more in the style of the Beach Boys. This song was released as a single in 1966 (Cameo-Parkway 444 b/w "Sock It To Me, Santa") and credited to "Bob Seger and the Last Heard." Bob Seger's "Florida Time" is included on the hard-to-find CD, "Bob Seger: The Early Years 1966-1974." Seger's more recent songs include "Old Time Rock & Roll" (1983), "Like A Rock" (1986), and the chart topping "Shakedown" (1987).
- "Theme From New York, New York" was the title song from the 1977 movie starring Liza Minnelli and Robert DeNiro. This 1940s-sounding song was written in 1977 by John Kander and Fred Ebb and it helps to set the mood for the movie which takes place around the end of World War II. Lisa Minnelli first charted with this song in 1977 (#104/1977). Frank Sinatra later had a hit with this song in 1980 and made it famous. In 1985, Mayor Ed Koch declared it as the official theme song for NYC.
- "Rainy Night In Georgia," which was written by Tony Joe White and was one of many hits for Brook Benton, topped the R&B charts and made the Pop/Rock Top 10 in 1970. This song later also became a Country chart hit for Hank Williams Jr. in 1974.
- "Washington Square" was the Village Stompers' chart debut song in 1963. This Dixieland-styled instrumental hit topped the Adult Contemporary charts and made the Pop/Rock Top 10. The Village Stompers other charted songs included "From Russia With Love" (1964) and "Fiddler On The Roof" (1964).
- John Phillips, who co-founded the Mamas and the Papas, had one hit in 1970 with "Mississippi" which made both the Country and Pop/Rock charts. This song later became a Country chart hit for Jack Paris in 1978.
- After recording a string of pop hits in the early 1960s, Sue Thompson later became a popular country singer in the 1970s. Her noncharting version of the classic "Tennessee Waltz" was included on her 1969 album, "This Is Sue Thompson Country" (Hickory LPS-148). This song was also released as a single in 1969 (Hickory 1534 b/w "Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass?"). "Tennessee Waltz," which topped the charts for Patti Page in 1950, was written by Pee Wee King who also made it into a chart hit in 1948. Numerous other performing artists also had a hit with this song over the years on all the major charts (i.e., Pop/Rock, Country, and R&B).
- The Detergents were an early 1960s novelty group whose key members included Ron Dante of the Archies and the Cuff Links. They are best remembered for their parody song, "Leader Of The Laundromat" (1965), a spoof of the Shangri-Las' "Leader Of The Pack." The Detergents noncharting "From L.A. To New Orleans (Broken Down Bus)" was included on their 1965 album, "The Many Faces Of The Detergents" (Roulette SR-25308).
- Both "Idaho" and its flip side song, "Something's On Her Mind," were hits for the 4 Seasons in 1969. The 4 Seasons have a long history with many name and personnel changes since their founding in 1955. The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
- "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" and its flip side, "Day Of Jubilo" were both hits in 1952 for Guy Mitchell. Mitchell had a long string of hits from 1950-1960, his best known songs including "Singing The Blues" (1956) and "Heartaches By The Number" (1959). He was born in Detroit and had a long show business career which also included several TV and movie appearances.
- The Bee Gees have a long career dating back to when they were teenagers in Australia where they charted their first songs. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967) was their U.S. chart debut song. This song was followed by a very long string of hits, most of them written by the Bee Gees, encompassing a variety of pop musical genres and styles. The Bee Gees were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
- Johnny Horton's "North To Alaska" was the title song from the movie starring John Wayne. "North To Alaska" topped the Country charts in 1961 and was a Top 10 Pop/Rock hit. Johnny Horton was a country-rockabilly singer best remembered for "The Battle Of New Orleans" (1959) and other epic "story" songs.
- "Take Me Back To New Orleans" was a minor hit for Gary "U.S." Bonds, peaking at only #121 in 1966. Bonds best known songs include his 1960 chart debut song, "New Orleans," and the chart topping "Quarter To Three" (1961).
- "The Train From Kansas City" was the B-side song of the Shangri-Las' 1965 hit, "Right Now And Not Later." One of the leading girl groups of the 1960s, the Shangri-Las are best remembered for "Leader Of The Pack" (1964), "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)" (1964), and "I Can Never Go Home Anymore" (1965).
Click here for a complete list of "Insane World Of Mike Sain" playlists available on this web site.
