In 1962, rock and roll was still in its infancy, and The Beatles and The Rolling Stones weren’t yet household names. Cultural and technological changes helped define this period, not unlike our own. And pop music became louder, more distorted, with a driving rhythm designed to keep the kids dancing. At the same time, some recordings maintained a cleaner, safer production that echoes rock and roll’s proto-period.
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If you were a teenager in 1962, these songs have likely stayed in constant rotation since. But for others, these tunes offer a time machine to rock music’s distant past. What each song has in common is an attempt to communicate, albeit in different ways. So, as we travel back, let’s begin with a groundbreaking instrumental that aimed for the stars.
“Telstar” by The Tornados
Joe Meek wrote and produced “Telstar” for The Tornados, which topped the U.S. and U.K. charts. However, in 1963, the French composer Jean Ledrut brought a lawsuit against Meek for allegedly plagiarizing a section of his original score for the 1960 film Austerlitz. Unfortunately for Meek, the case wasn’t settled until after his death. “Telstar” helped pioneer experimental pop music, and its DNA can be heard in the sci-fi new wave of The B-52s and the cosmic electronica of the French band Air.
“Return To Sender” by Elvis Presley
“Return To Sender” appeared in the musical comedy Girls! Girls! Girls!, which also starred Elvis Presley. Speaking of girls, girls, girls, it’s wild to think about rock and roll’s trajectory from Presley’s controversial shaking hips in 1957 to Mötley Crüe’s debauchery as detailed in The Dirt. Written by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott, the postal hit finds Presley rocking and crooning in the same tune about a lover’s quarrel. The narrator attempts to reach his partner by letter, but she keeps sending it back—the 1962 version of blocking a text message.
“Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)” by The Contours
Early rock and roll was still closely tied to its R&B roots, where a danceable rhythm was just as crucial as a rocking beat. Motown boss Berry Gordy Jr. wrote “Do You Love Me”, which features his label’s signature call-and-response vocals. The track is propelled by both Motown’s house band, The Funk Brothers, and The Contours’ shouted vocals. Twenty-five years after its release, “Do You Love Me” became a hit again after it appeared in Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
Photo by Tony Gibson/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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