The "Insane World Of Mike Sain" airs every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on WPON-AM 1460 Detroit. Today's show was inspired by the song, "Try A Little Tenderness," in which Mike played various love songs and other heart-rending tender tunes.
- Try A Little Tenderness - Paul Petersen - ca. 1963
- I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - B.J. Thomas And The Triumphs - 1966
- I'm Into Something Good - Herman's Hermits - 1964
- I'll Cry Instead - The Beatles - 1964 (by request)
- If - Bread - 1971
- Leaving On A Jet Plane - Peter, Paul And Mary - 1969 (by request)
- Crying In The Chapel - The Orioles - 1953
- Last Kiss - J. Frank Wilson And The Cavaliers - 1964, 1974 (by request)
- Sylvia's Mother - Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show - 1972 (by request)
- (They Long To Be) Close To You - Carpenters - 1970
- Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley - 1956 (by request)
- The End - Earl Grant - 1958 (by request)
Notes:
- Ex-Mouseketeer and child actor Paul Petersen had several hits from 1962-1964 that included "My Dad" (1963). His rare cover of "Try A Little Tenderness" was included on his ca. 1963 album, "My Dad" (Colpix CP-442). This song first charted in 1933 for both Ted Lewis and Ruth Etting and later also became a hit for many other bands and artists: Aretha Franklin (1962), Otis Redding (1967), Three Dog Night (1969), Billy Thunderkloud (1976, Country charts), the Ohio Players (1981, R&B charts), and the Commitments (1991).
- "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" dates back to 1949 when Hank Williams wrote and first recorded this song. However, this country classic did not officially chart for Williams until 1966. B.J. Thomas' version as heard this morning also became a pop hit that same year. This song also charted for many other artists on both the country and pop charts: Johnny Tillotson (1962, pop), Linda Plowman (1971, country), Charlie McCoy (1972, country), Hank Wilson (1973, pop), Terry Bradshaw (1976, pop, country), and Jerry Lee Lewis (1982, country).
- Herman's Hermits were a British Invasion band from Manchester led by Peter Noone. They debuted on the charts in late 1964 with the Beach Boys sound-alike song, "I'm Into Something Good." This song was used as part of the soundtrack for the 1988 movie, "The Naked Gun." Earl-Jean McCrea (of the Cookies) first had a hit with "I'm Into Something Good" during the summer of 1964, several months before the Herman's Hermits version hit the charts.
- Both "I'll Cry Instead" and its B-side song, "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You," were hits for the Beatles in 1964.
- Bread had a string of hits from 1970-1977 that included the 1972 smash hit, "If." Group leader David Gates wrote and produced songs for Bread as well as for other artists including the Murmaids. He also had several solo hits from 1973-1981 that included the title song from the 1978 movie, "Goodbye Girl."
- "Leaving On A Jet Plane" (1969) topped both the Adult Contemporary and Pop/Rock charts for Peter, Paul and Mary and was the last in their long string of hits from 1962-1969. This song later became a Country chart hit for the Kendalls in 1970.
- The Orioles were an R&B vocal group formed in Baltimore in the late 1940s led by Sonny Til. They are considered a forerunner to doo-wop and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. The Orioles are best remembered for "It's Too Soon To Know" (1948) and "Crying In The Chapel" (1953) which both topped the R&B charts and became Top 40 pop hits in their respective years. Several other artists also had a hit in 1953 with "Crying In The Chapel": Darrell Glenn, Rex Allen, Ella Fitzgerald, and Art Lund. This song later became a Top 10 hit for Elvis Presley in 1965 and also charted for Adam Wade that same year.
- J. Frank Wilson is best remembered for his 1964 teenage death smash hit, "Last Kiss," which recharted in 1974. "Last Kiss" also became a hit for Wednesday (1974) and Pearl Jam (1999).
- Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show was a country-soft rock band led by Ray Sawyer best remembered for their eclectic mixture of novelty, country and soft rock songs. "Sylvia's Mother" became a Top 10 hit in 1972 and was this group's chart debut song. This song also became a Country chart hit for Bobby Bare that same year.
- The Carpenters were brother-sister duo Richard and Karen Carpenter. They had a long string of hits from 1970-1982 that included "(They Long To Be) Close To You" which topped the charts in 1970. This song was previously recorded by Richard Chamberlain as the B-side of his 1963 hit, "Blue Guitar." "Close To You" later also charted for Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager (1972) and B.T. Express (1976) and became an R&B chart hit for Gwen Guthrie (1987).
- "Love Me Tender" topped the charts for Elvis Presley in 1956 and was the title song for the movie in which he co-starred and performed. This song later also became a hit for Henri Rene (1956), Richard Chamberlain (1962), and Percy Sledge (1967). The music for "Love Me Tender" is based on a Civil War ballad, "Aura Lee" (1861).
- Singer-keyboardist Earl Grant had a string of hits from 1958-1966 and is best remembered for his 1958 smash hit, "The End," which was his chart debut song.
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