The "Insane World Of Mike Sain" airs every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on WPON-AM 1460 Detroit. This morning, Mike played a variety of songs with circus, carnival, and state fair themes, plus some other songs that include "fair" in the title, in celebration of the Michigan State Fair.
- Palisades Park - Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon - 1962
- Goodbye Cruel World - James Darren - 1961 (by request)
- Be Fair - The Pipes - 1956
- County Fair - The Beach Boys - 1963
- My Truly, Truly Fair - Guy Mitchell - 1951
- New York World's Fair - Wilbert Harrison - 1964
- Merry-Go-Round - Marv Johnson - 1961
- Play It Fair - LaVern Baker - 1955 (by request)
- Take Me To The Fair - Elvis Presley - 1963 (by request)
- Scarborough Fair - Simon And Garfunkel - 1968
- Cotton Candy - Al Hirt - 1964
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Notes:
- The sounds of roller coasters and screaming roller coaster riders can be heard in Freddy Cannon's 1962 smash hit, "Palisades Park." The famous circus tune, "Entry Of The Gladiators," by Julius Fucik can also be heard playing faintly in the background.
- James Darren's 1961 smash hit, "Goodbye Cruel World," also incorporates bits and pieces of Fucik's "Entry Of The Gladiators."
- The Pipes were a doo-wop group formed in Oakland, CA in 1953. Key members included lead vocalists Louis Candys and Huey Roundtree. They debuted with "Be Fair" in 1956 (Dootone 388 b/w "Let Me Give You Money") and this song became a regional hit in the L.A. area. This rare oldie is included on the CDs, Dootone R&B and The Dootone Story. The Pipes never charted nationally and recorded only two other singles, "You Are An Angel" (Dootone 401 b/w "I Love The Life I Live") and "So Long" (Jacy 001/002 b/w "Baby Don't Go").
- "County Fair" by the Beach Boys was the B-side of their 1963 hit, "Ten Little Indians." In this song, a carnival barker can be heard shouting "Hurry hurry step right up ..."
- "My Truly, Truly Fair" was a Top 10 hit for Guy Mitchell in 1951 and was also a hit that same year for Vic Damone, Freddy Martin, and Ray Anthony. Mitchell's many hits from 1950-1960 also included "Singing The Blues" (1956) and "Heartaches By The Number" (1959).
- Wilbert Harrison is best remembered for the 1959 chart topping "Kansas City." His noncharting "New York World's Fair" as played this morning was released as a single in 1964 (Constellation 122 b/w "Mama Mama").
- Detroit-born Marv Johnson had a string of hits from 1959-1961 that included "You Got What It Takes" (1960) and "I Love The Way You Love" (1960). His hits also included "Merry-Go-Round" (1961). This song chimes in intermittently with a circus tune played on a calliope-sounding instrument.
- "Play It Fair" by acclaimed blues singer LaVern Baker was a Top 10 hit on the R&B charts in 1955. Her many hits also included "I Cried A Tear" (1959), "I Waited Too Long" (1959), and "See See Rider" (1963). She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
- Elvis Presley's noncharting "Take Me To The Fair" was part of the soundtrack for the 1963 movie, "It Happened At The World's Fair," in which he co-starred and performed. This song was included on his 1963 album, "It Happened At The World's Fair" (RCA Victor LPM 2697).
- "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel became a Top 40 hit in 1968 and was one of many songs included in the soundtrack for "The Graduate." This song also became a Top 40 hit for Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 that same year. It later became a minor hit for the Alan Copeland Singers in 1969 (peaking at only #123).
- Trumpetist Al Hirt is best remembered for his chart debut song, "Java," which topped the charts in 1964. Hirt had a string of instrumental hits from 1964-1968 that also included "Cotton Candy" (1964).
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