A lot of solid music hit the airwaves in the year 1963, including the following songs that have been somewhat forgotten today. Let’s refresh your memory, shall we? If you were around in 1963, you might just remember these songs after the first few notes!
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“Shut Down” by The Beach Boys
In a way, I understand why this song has been somewhat forgotten by mainstream audiences. It was the B-side to the ultra-famous Beach Boys tune “Surfin’ U.S.A.”, which happens to be one of the band’s most well-known songs. “Shut Down” got left in the dust a bit, and I don’t think that’s fair. This is a solid hot rod rock song, and any fan of cars would probably love it.
“Donna The Prima Donna” by Dion
What would a list of forgotten songs from 1963 be without a classic rock and roll tune? “Donna The Prima Donna” was made famous by American rock musician Dion in the early 1960s, and audiences at the time loved it. The song hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and did similarly well on a number of other charts. The song was particularly well-received in Hong Kong, too.
It’s your classic tune about a guy who is unlucky in love, and how the object of his affection was too obsessed with fame to give him the time of day. That Zsa Zsa Gabor reference is all you need to know when this song came out.
“Wonderful! Wonderful!” by The Tymes
“Wonderful! Wonderful!” was not originally recorded by The Tymes. Rather, this song first hit the airwaves way back in 1956, when it was debuted by singer Johnny Mathis. The original tune was a chart-topping hit. Still, some might have forgotten about this entry on our list of forgotten songs from 1963.
“Wonderful! Wonderful!” was famously covered by soul vocal group The Tymes, and that version of the song made it to No. 7 on the Hot 100 chart. This rich and soulful little tune is all about being young and in love. That wasn’t exactly a rare theme for music back in the day, but something about this particular song has aged quite well. If anything, it’s quite sweet.
“The world is full of wondrous things, it’s true / But they wouldn’t have much meaning without you.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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