A musical diary: November 1967

In November 1967…

• “Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)” by Johnny Farnham is released in Australia, beginning its journey to the top of the charts, where it will stay for five weeks and sell 180,000 copies in Australia. It is the start of a long and successful career for Farnham.

• In San Francisco, John Wenner launches Rolling Stone Magazine, USA’s first rock music periodical.

• In Argentina, at the annual International Record Festival in Mar Del Plata, The Troggs are declared the “new interpreters of youthful rhythm in international dancing music”. They receive a Gold Diploma and express their plans to visit.

• The Move appear in court on the 2^nd following a suit by UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson. To promote their single “Flowers In The Rain”, they used a postcard of the PM naked in bed.

• The Moody Blues release the Justin Haward-penned “Nights In White Satin”. It becomes a UK top twenty hit. It will later returns in 1972 to #1 in the UK and USA, and again reach the top twenty in 1979.
• Lulu (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in November 1948) has a million selling # 1 in the USA with “To Sir With Love”, the theme to the film of the same name, in which the singer also co-starred. In the UK it was relegated to the B-side of “Let’s Pretend” and only reached #6. Lulu’s career took off as a fifteen-year-old in 1964 – under the name Lulu & The Luvvers – with a rasping version of The Isley Brothers’ “Shout” (a huge hit in the 50’s in Australia for Johnny O’Keefe). After a few barren years she switched labels from Decca to EMI and teamed up with the prolific hit-maker Micky Most. Subsequent hits included the Neil Diamond song “The Boat That I Row”, “Leave A Little Love”, “Try To Understand”, “Love Loves To Love”, “Oh Me Oh My”, “Me, The Peaceful Heart”, “I’m A Tiger” and “Boom Bang-A-Bang” (the winner of the Eurovision Song contest in 1969). Her other credits included the theme song for James Bond’s “The Man With The Golden Gun” and a cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World”.  In 1993 she had another smash hit singing with Take That on “Relight My Fire”. She was married briefly to The Bee Gees’ Maurice Gibb.

The top ten in Australia in November 1967

1. The Last Waltz – Englebert Humperdinck
2. Itchycoo Park – The Small Faces
3. Massachusetts – The Bee Gees
4. The Letter – The Box-Tops
5. Lightning’s Girl – Nancy Sinatra
6. It Must Be Him – Vicky Carr
7. Homburg – Procol Harum
8. Hole In My Shoe – Traffic
9. Living In A Child’s Dream – The Master’s Apprentices
10. Dream Girl – Davy Jones

# 1s in USA  

• 4^th, 11^th and 18^th: To Sir With Love – Lulu
• 25^th: Incense And Peppermints – Strawberry Alarm Clock

In the UK  

• 4^th: Massachusetts – The Bee Gees
• 11^th 18^th: Baby Now That I’ve Found You – The Foundations
• 25^th: Let The Heartaches Begin – Long John Baldry

The top ten selling records in Australia in 1967

1. Georgy Girl – The Seekers
2. San Francisco – Scott McKenzie
3. This Is My Song – Petula Clark
4. Snoopy Versus The Red Baron – The Royal Guardsmen
5. Release Me – Englebert Humperdinck
6. Green Green Grass Of Home – Tom Jones
7. I’m A Believer – The Monkees
8. Something Stupid – Frank and Nancy Sinatra
9. Puppet On A String – Sandie Shaw
10. Let It Be Me (EP) – Johnny Young

What memories do these tracks bring back? What’s your favourite song from this era? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

To write for Starts at 60 and potentially win a $20 voucher, send your articles to our Community Editor by clicking here.