These headlines were in the news during 1966 …

President Lyndon Johnson declared that the U.S. would stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there was ended; over 35,000 protestors marched down New York City’s Fifth Avenue, demanding the U.S. pull out of the war; Uniform daylight saving time was first observed in most parts of North America; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them; Richard Speck murdered eight student nurses in their Chicago dormitory; sniper Charles Whitman killed 14 people and wounded 32 more from the top of the University of Texas at Austin Main Building tower; the Aberfan disaster in South Wales killed 144 (of which 116 were children); the AFL-NFL merger was approved by Congress; Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California; Buster Keaton, Ed Wynn, Lenny Bruce, Walt Disney all died.

The Sand Pebbles, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Man For All Seasons Fantastic Voyage, Harper and Our Man Flint all premiered in U.S. theaters; Star Trek and The Monkees premiered on NBC; It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! premiered on CBS; Batman premiered on ABC.

The average cost of a new home was $14,200; the average income in the U.S. was $6,900; the average cost a new car was $2,650; gasoline cost 32 cents a gallon; the average cost of a new dishwasher was $120; the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the year at 785.

And in music?

John Lennon stated in an interview that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”; Bob Dylan’s motorcycle accident sent him into isolation; Jan Berry (Jan and Dean) crashed his Corvette into a truck and suffered extensive brain damage; Shindig! and Hullabaloo left the television airwaves; the Beatles performed their last official concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.
It was the year sixteen artists achieved their first #1 single and it was the year of epic albums; Revolver, Pet Sounds, Blonde On Blonde, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Aftermath, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, and Fresh Cream.

Just like 1965, there were twenty-seven #1 songs in 1966 and we’ll begin playing them in chronological order tomorrow. But first, it’s “Mellow Sunday” so here are a few 1966 songs (with their peak chart position indicated next to the artists’ name) that landed on the soft side.

Play button is on the left … Volume slider is on the right

1966 Vintage Medley / Part 1

Mindbenders (#2) – Lovin’ Spoonful (#2) – Bobby Darin (#8)
Beach Boys (#39) – Peter & Gordon (#14)
Kinks (#14) – Bob Lind (#5)