Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and, naturally The Beatles.

And the Mowtown list is far too long. I love it all.

I liked this anyway.

And as a home grown Michigander, Motown will always be at the top of my music loves, even if it does sometimes have to wrestle with Mersey.

Her voice hasn't changed a bit. Great to see they're still singing together. I remember my older sister and her friends jitterbugging in the living room to American Bandstand in the 50s. In the second grade at Oak Park's brand new John Dewey Elementary School, a kid got in trouble for singing Jerry Lee's "Great Balls of Fire."

My dad moved us to central Florida in 1959 (pre-disney), so I missed growing up in the center of Motown.

Brings back so many wonderful memories of going to the Jersey shore every weekend with a group of girlfriends, Good grief, was it that long ago.

...the live version from 1968, below.

One part of what makes a song popular is the words. You can't play a guitar driving down the road, playing along with a song, but you can always sing the words. It makes the song your own. Lately it seems the music drowns out the vocals so that nobody knows what someone is singing, and, therefore, you can't sing along and participate. You can't even understand the meaning of the song, half the time.

The words help you fall in love.

"Hey, man, are they saying 'there's a bathroom on the right'?" And then Jimi Hendrix singing, "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy." Even earlier, anything by Little Richard prompted the oldsters to say, "What is he saying? Wop-boppa who now what?" Hell, the FBI made an official investigation into what lyrics the Kingsmen sang in "Louie Louie." And the governor banned the song in Indiana.

of Australia: