Dominique 🐝 Petersen

6 years ago · 3 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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MUSICAL DECADES - 1960s - Sunshine Pop

MUSICAL DECADES - 1960s - Sunshine Pop

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Sunshine pop (first known as soft pop) is a sub-genre of pop music originating in the United States, mainly the state of California, in the mid-1960s, although it only acquired the name later. According to Noel Murray of The A.V. Club, its practitioners were rooted in "the pretty sounds of easy-listening, the catchiness of commercial jingles, and the chemically induced delirium of the drug scene, ... [expressing] an appreciation for the beauty of the world mixed with a sense of anxiety that the good ol’ days were gone for good."

The genre began as an outgrowth of the 1960s California Sound and folk rock movements. Sunshine pop largely consisted of lesser-known artists who imitated more popular groups like the Beach Boys, the Mamas & the Papas, and the 5th Dimension. Its music is characterized by prominent vocal harmonies and lush orchestrations.

It's hard to believe that the same decade that featured the doom and gloom of protest songs—against society in general and the Vietnam War in particular—also featured songs about love, happiness—and sunshine. Today I'd like to take you back to the 1960s to listen to some Sunshine Pop.


The Parade was an American sunshine pop group from Los Angeles, California. The group featured Jerry Riopelle, who played keyboards on several Phil Spector-produced records; Murray MacLeod, an actor who appeared on Hawaii Five- O and Kung Fu; and Allen "Smokey" Roberds, another actor. They wrote a song called "Sunshine Girl" which was picked up by A&M Records, and in 1967 the tune hit #20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. Stuart Margolin, later to gain fame as an actor (most famous for Evelyn “Angel” Martin in The Rockford Files), co-wrote the B-side with members of the band; Margolin would end up co-writing many of the band's songs (usually with Riopelle), as well as playing percussion on some tracks.



The Peppermint Rainbow was an American sunshine pop group from Baltimore, Maryland. They formed in 1967 under the name New York Times, playing to local gigs in the mid-Atlantic states before changing their name to The Peppermint Rainbow in 1968. They were signed to Decca Records at the behest of their fellow Baltimorean Cass Elliot, who saw them play and sang with them on-stage when they performed a medley of The Mamas & the Papas tunes.

Their second single, "Will You Be Staying After Sunday", reached #32 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on 3 May 1969, selling over one million copies and receiving a gold disc. The song also reached #21 on the Cash Box Top 100, and in Canada it peaked at #19.



The Yellow Balloon was an American sunshine pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1967 by songwriter and producer Gary Zekley. The group is notable for featuring Don Grady (sometimes billed as "Luke R. Yoo") of Mouseketeers and My Three Sons fame.

The Yellow Balloon released multiple singles, including their hit "Yellow Balloon" which peaked at #25 on the Billboard 100 Chart and "Good Feelin' Time" both taken from the group's debut album.



The Turtles are an American rock band led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band had several Top 40 hits beginning with their cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965.

"Happy Together", both their biggest hit and their signature song, signaled a turning point for both the Turtles and for Chip Douglas, who provided the arrangement. The single replaced the Beatles' "Penny Lane" at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1967. The Turtles' only #1 hit remained there for three weeks.



The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group. Formed as The Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to the hipper "The 5th Dimension" by 1966. They became well-known during the late 1960s and early 1970s for their popular hits: "Up, Up and Away", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)", "Wedding Bell Blues", "One Less Bell to Answer", "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All", and the album, The Magic Garden.

In February 1969, the group's success broke wide open, with "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)" from the musical Hair, topping the Hot 100 for six straight weeks in April and May In fact, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" was the biggest hit single for the entire year of 1969.



Mercy is an American pop group from Florida. Mercy released a hit single "Love (Can Make You Happy)", which soared to #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and also peaked at #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was written by Jack Sigler, Jr., and this single, which was released in April 1969, reached over one million sales on July 15, and was awarded a gold record., but was not given the actual award until October 2009.


This ends Musical Decades for this week. Thanks for listening and I hope to see you here next time.

(The information used in this post is from Wikipedia.)

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Dominique "Nik" Petersen is an aficionado of "oldies" music and the author of Dr. Hook and Me: A Fan's Journal/ Scrapbook. Read about it and her other books at the website: 

NikDesignsGraphics.com


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Comments

Dominique 🐝 Petersen

6 years ago #2

#1
I could use a little sunshine today—it's dark and cloudy here. ;o)

Pedro 🐝 Casanova

6 years ago #1

Another great post Nik....another happy tapping friday afternoon ...thanks....Let the sunshine...IN

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