The Kalin Twins 1959 – When
The radio glows like a small hearth on a humid night, the kind of warmth that pulls you closer without…
Paul & Paula – We Go Together
Paul & Paula’s “We Go Together” arrives with a soft exhale, like a radio glowing in a kitchen at dusk.…
Petula Clark 1964 – Downtown
There’s a moment before the chorus of “Downtown” when everything tilts upward, like an elevator gliding past the mezzanine into…
Los Bravos – Black Is Black
The tape starts cold in my mind: a quick count-off swallowed by a bassline that hits like a swinging pendulum,…
Sly & The Family Stone 1969 – Everyday People
I first met “Everyday People” in the soft blue of a car’s dashboard, a late-night drive when the roads were…
Brenda Lee – Is It True
Brenda Lee’s “Is It True” begins for me with the sound of a room—tight, luminous, almost lacquered. You can imagine…
The Crystals – He’s a Rebel
I first hear it as if through fogged glass and neon steam—drums leaping forward like a car darting through a…
Tommy James & The Shondells – Hanky Panky
I first hear it the way most people remember it: on a car radio that sounds like it’s been lived…
Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich 1967 – Zabadak
It begins with a thrum that feels both festive and faintly ominous—hand percussion coming in layers, a crowd of voices…
Whistling Jack Smith – I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman
The tape hiss is soft as dust, and then the whistle cuts through—pure, steady, almost cheeky in its confidence. Before…