Knocking the Beatles “Penny Lane” out of the top spot on Billboard this day in 1967, one of the decade’s most iconic singles : “Happy Together” by the Turtles (who initially spelled their name “Tyrtles” in reverence to the Byrds).
The Californian sextet started out as a surf rock band similar to the Beach Boys but by ’67 had morphed more into a folk band. At this particular time though, they weren’t big and they’d recorded a few gloomy records, like a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.” So they decided to try to sound a bit cheerier, and Alan Gordon and Garry Bonner of little-known band The Magicians had the ticket. They wrote this song, which Bonner points out is about unrequited love: lines about “imagine” how good it could be, rather than how good it was, and if he should call her rather than him doing so. (Nice little bit of nostalgia now, the line about the call costing a dime…wonder if any Gen Z person now could comprehend a pay phone?) “Happy Together” was by far the biggest of their five top 10 hits before the decade ended; surprisingly it only got to #12 in the UK and #2 in Canada, where their next single, “She’d Rather Be With Me” hit #1. It ended up being the second-biggest single of the year according to Billboard and regardless of the chart position remains one of the best-known and loved ’60s hits. That in no small part from its being used in a ton of ads for the likes of Toyota, Burger King and Coca Cola as well as in numerous movies from The Simpsons Movie to 29 Dresses to Naked Gun to a rather forgettable 1989 teen sex romp named for the song, which was memorable mostly for being one of the first roles for a young Brad Pitt.
The Turtles went into hibernation in 1970, to reappear in the 1980s as Flo & Eddie, in reality Mark Vohlman and Howard Kaylan from the band.
A Sound Day 
I love Flo and Eddie….who notched out a niche career in radio and backup vocals for T Rex and others. I’ve always liked the Turtles….who did not take themselves seriously…that was part of their appeal I believe.
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I remembered that video you’d posted of them not long ago, hence the link. Only know maybe 4 of their songs but they seemed likable enough.
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Thank you Dave! Again…how did I miss that link? Well you won’t believe me but because of your post…I’m working on a Turtles post now! I was when you replied lol
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Great minds, LOL. That Turtles one I linked it to was real good.
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Thanks Dave! I’m doing their first hit now.
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cool! the Bob Dylan cover or something else? I guess I’ll find out soon…
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Yes! It Ain’t Me…it’s done and ready to go either next weekend or next week.
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“Happy Together” is one of my all-time favorite ‘60s tunes and a worthy song to knock “Penny Lane” off the No. 1 chart position. A super catchy melody and perfect harmony singing make for a truly compelling listening experience.
Plus, “Happy Together” is such a great picker upper! I’m currently waiting at a local Pep Boys for a bigger maintenance job on my car, so this tune comes in quite handy!😆
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It is indeed a happy kind of tune. I do like it. The way the chorus belts in and rises is quite great.
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I loved this song all the way back to when I was a kid. It’s so upbeat and easy to sing along to. Have you ever seen their 2005 self-made movie, ‘My Dinner WIth Jimi’? It’s fun to watch. For quite a few years it was hard to find, but is finally on a couple of streaming services.
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I haven’t heard of that one, what’s it about?
‘Happy Together’ is a pretty decent little tune & to me, one of the first ones I think of as epitomizing the 60s.
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The movie is a fun portrayal about how they came together as a band in California, and their first trip to England, at the time Sgt. Pepper was coming out. They met and hung out with key artists in the British Invasion, and Jimi. Someone has recently uploaded the full movie to Youtube. Not sure how long it will be there before it’s pulled.
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I might look it up. I bet Max would love it if he hasn’t already seen it.
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At one time he was looking for a copy. Hopefully he’s gotten a chance to watch it.
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I think Flo ‘n’ Eddie were with Frank Zappa for a while.
The Turtles were one of many “sunshine pop” bands, bands that specialize in light, simple songs. It’s great stuff…
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I don’t know a lot of their stuff, but what you say seems to jibe with my take on them.
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Just on the right side of bright shiny pop rather than going one step over into full tilt bubblegum. A fine line, but they did on the right side.
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I agree. ‘She’d rather be with me’ is similarly agreeable.
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Always in my mix for 60”s feel good music. I didn’t realize they started as a surf band!
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