Popology: The Music of the Era in the Lives of Four Icons of the 1960s

By Timothy English

Popology: The Music of the Era in the Lives of Four Icons of the 1960s is the first book to examine how the music of those days impacted the lives of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy and Thomas Merton.

While their have been numerous biographies of all of the subjects and countless books on the music of the 1960s, Popology bri

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Prism Books
• Release date: Nov 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9780692319703

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 Timothy English

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-0-6923197-0-3 (ebook)

PRAISE FOR POPOLOGY:

Well written ... An enlightening and accessible book. –Kirkus Reviews

"Popology is a fascinating and well-researched book." –Any Major Dude Blog

Tim is one of my favorite guests. –Dennis Miller, Comedian and Talk Show Host

"Popology is an enjoyable and informative book." –Short and Sweet, NYC

"Tim English is one of my all-time favorite guests … Popology is a great book." –Jared Morris, WXDE-FM Delaware

Tim English is the fountain of all musical knowledge –Pete Mitchell, Absolute Radio, UK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

JOHN F. KENNEDY

MARTIN LUTHER KING

ROBERT F. KENNEDY

THOMAS MERTON

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PHOTO CREDITS

ON THE WEB

INTRODUCTION

In his book, The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness, author Steven Levy ponders the insights we gain into a person by scrolling through the list of songs on his or her iPod: "It’s not just what you like, it’s who you are."¹ Popology examines the music in the lives of four 1960’s icons. Through the unique prism of popular music, we gain a new understanding of these men and their times.

Music played a central role in the cultural and political events of the 1960s. From the innocent pop at the start of the decade, to the folk music addressing civil rights and the Vietnam War, to the drug-fueled psychedelic rock of the late 60s, music both shaped and reflected society.

My aim in this book is to explore a specific question: How did the music of the day touch the lives of four of the most exceptional public figures of the era? At a time when music seemed to closely reflect and often influence cultural and political trends, the music one listened to spoke volumes about where one stood on the divisive issues of the time.

The intersections between the music of the day and the lives of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy, and Thomas Merton are the subject of Popology. Although there have been hundreds of books written about these men, their biographers typically ignore—or fail to understand—the importance of these intersections. Many of the events reported on in this book will be new to contemporary readers, and more than a few have been erased from history and our collective memory. Popology fills in many of these gaps. Even if you’ve read several books about these subjects, I’m confident that by reading this book you will discover things you never knew about them.

In doing research for this book, I was gratified to learn that music was more important in the lives of the four subjects than I had imagined. All four men enjoyed listening to music and singing it themselves. As we’ll see, their favorite songs are reflections of who they were and how they lived their lives.

By discussing the biographical musical soundtracks of the individuals profiled, I hope to let the reader see these men in a new light and gain insight into their lives and the times in which they lived. If only for a few minutes, the reader can walk in their shoes and share the common experience of listening to same recordings as the subjects. Songs and albums highlighted in bold lettering are those of which I am certain the subject of the chapter was exposed. In order to get the most from this book, I strongly encourage readers to listen along with the music.

I place special emphasis on the songs that were most meaningful in each of the subject’s lives. I seek to explain how these songs reflected the personality of the subject, and to understand why these songs were special to them.

This book was born over the course of many hours spent listening to the music of the 1960s, contemplating the music in the context of those turbulent days, and thinking about how it reflected or in some cases shaped that era.

Listen to Sam Cooke’s 1960 hit Chain Gang and you can hear the minor chord the second time he sings the title phrase as an omen of the troubled times that lay ahead in the new decade. Listen to the music of the autumn of 1963, and you can detect a palatable sense of doom in the offing. Listen to Roy Orbison’s Blue Bayou, the Orlons’ Crossfire, or Garnet Mimms’s Cry Baby, and you’ll get the picture. Indeed, a song from the spring of that year—Skeeter Davis’s The End of the World—could have summed up the nation’s grief at the loss of its handsome and dynamic young leader that November.

The years following JFK’s death retained some of the optimism of the outset of the decade, an optimism—or maybe nostalgia—that his brother Robert embodied for many. I’ve always noted that the music of 1964 to the spring of 1968 seems to retain this hope for a better future, but it largely disappears in the music created following Bobby’s death.

From his uniquely peculiar vantage point of living as a cloistered Trappist monk, Thomas Merton provided prophetic analysis of the issues of the day, and lent his name to the civil rights and anti-war movements. His is an incredible story that deserves to be better known.

All four men turned away from a life of ease and comfort to fully engage in their tumultuous and often dangerous times. Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy lived with constant threats against their lives for many years, but still refused to withdraw from public life.

The things that these men stood for—peace, justice, enlightenment over ignorance—are issues that we still confront today. In animating these four lives via their musical soundtracks, it is my hope that each of us will be inspired to make today’s world a better place.

---

1The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness by Steven Levy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007).

JOHN F. KENNEDY

The sexy young Hollywood starlet gazed from the stage upon the thirty-fifth president of the United States at his New York City birthday gala. She proceeded to sing a sexy take on the bluesy "Baby Won’t You Please Come Home," a hit for Della Reese in 1960. In her memoir, the performer recalled:

"Looking directly at (JFK), I delivered a sultry version of ‘Baby Won’t You Please Come Home,’ which seemed to go over quite well, judging from the smile on his face."

The singer was Ann-Margaret, not Marilyn Monroe. The event took place at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel on May 23, 1963, a year after Marilyn’s iconic appearance at his forty-fifth birthday bash. Despite the presence of major stars, the ‘63 gala is largely absent from JFK literature.

Ann-Margaret went on to recall that she later sat with JFK at an after-party at an East Side brownstone, where he quizzed her about her reviews from the movie Bye Bye Birdie. (A photo of JFK is shown in the film.) She recalled that she led the group in singing "Bye Bye Blackbird."

Ann-Margaret was a breakout star in 1963. In addition to appearing in Bye Bye Birdie, she costarred with Elvis Presley in what is widely considered his best movie, Viva Las Vegas. Six months after performing for JFK, she watched the television coverage of his murder with Elvis, whom she was dating at the time.

As was often the case, the glamorous president basked in the glow of the stars of the film and music business—and vice versa. At the Waldorf Audrey Hepburn handled the Happy Birthday honors. Then at the height of her career, she had sung the era-defining song "Moon River" in the 1961 film of the same name. Although Hepburn’s performance that evening is virtually unknown a half century on, her performance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s enshrines her as a fondly remembered icon of the JFK era.

Given that John F. Kennedy’s presidency is forever associated with the Broadway musical Camelot, it’s particularly appropriate to examine the other music in JFK’s life—songs that reflected who he was and a few that may have influenced who he became.

JFK is associated with style and sophistication, but prior to marrying Jacqueline Bouvier, he was known for his often-disheveled appearance, messy living quarters, and simple tastes in food and music.

There was a lot of music in the Kennedy family’s Hyannis Port house. Ted Kennedy later recalled that Rose Kennedy would often accompany JFK’s singing with her piano playing before the clan sat down for dinner. He also noted that his brother had a fine singing voice, a fact known only to JFK’s family and very close friends.

JFK retained a sentimental fondness for the pop music of the late 1930s. This was a fun and innocent time for JFK that came to an abrupt end with the advent of World War II—an event he experienced firsthand traveling between Berlin and London only days before the start of hostilities in 1939. World War II brought the death of his older brother Joe, a tragedy that had a profound impact on JFK’s life because it meant that he, not his older brother, was now destined for a career in politics.

We’ll take a walk through JFK’s world, a world of privilege far removed from the slights suffered by his immigrant forbearers. A world filled with classic songs from the 1930s—what is now called the Great American Songbook—that stayed with him throughout his life. Songs by Rogders, Hart, Porter, and Whiting that he first heard as young man were touchstones that he would often revisit. It’s also the changing world of American music on the cusp of the 1960s—the music of Belafonte, Odetta, and Judy Collins.

The glamour associated with JFK and Jackie was due in no small part to Frank Sinatra and the Hollywood friends he enlisted to support JFK’s 1960 presidential campaign. Sinatra also organized and performed at JFK’s inaugural gala and sang at democratic fundraisers while JFK was president. Sinatra provided the background music for JFK’s time in the White House. His hedonistic lifestyle held great appeal for JFK, and their lives became intertwined in ways that both benefited and endangered both men.

Blue Skies Ahead

JFK’s lifelong friend Lemoyne Billings knew him as well as anyone could. He once said of JFK:

Any time you were with Jack Kennedy, you would laugh. He was a laugh a minute. Jack was more fun than anyone I’ve ever known, and I think most people that knew him felt the same way about him.

Billings knew what he was talking about, having once been offered $100 by JFK to sing Mae West’s "I’m No Angel to Joe Sr. while stark naked. Billings turned down the offer. Lem did love to sing though, and had a repertoire that included Old Man River, Over There, Frankie and Johnny, and My Old Kentucky Home."

This sense of fun included an ironic sense of humor that allowed JFK to see the absurdity in life—in particular, his own place in it. This ironic detachment often came as a surprise to friends who didn’t expect it. Watching a film of his 1963 "Ich bin ein Berliner address back home with a friend, he laughed at his image on the screen and said, Hey, that guy’s pretty good!" as if he were watching another person. This ironic sense of humor appealed to the young people of the early ‘60s who shared the same sensibility. It also set JFK apart from other politicians of the day, while causing cynical reporters to develop a soft spot for him. Clearly JFK was in on the joke, aware of the absurd aspects of his role as a candidate and later as president.

While some would later characterize JFK as a playboy, those who knew him understood there was something special about him. Even as a young man, JFK was eternally questioning people he met—asking for their life stories in a way that revealed genuine interest. When he’d gathered a sufficient amount of information, he moved on to the next person or situation. This was a characteristic he still exhibited as president. A cursory listening to his taped White House phone conversations reveals a chief executive eager for knowledge, asking pertinent questions and listening carefully to the answers.²

Two other songs that were JFK favorites for many years were Irving Berlin’s "Blue Skies and Beyond the Blue Horizon," composed by the great Richard Whiting along with Leo Robin and Frank Harling. The songs are lyrically similar in that both use the sunny skies as metaphor for optimism about the future. Both of these songs have uplifting melodies to match their happy lyrics.

Longtime JFK pal Paul Red Fay often sang another Whiting song, Hooray for Hollywood, at family gatherings, including JFK’s forty-sixth birthday party. Fay’s routine was as amusing to the Kennedys as it was baffling to guests.

In the 1930 film Monte Carlo, Jeanette McDonald sang Beyond the Blue Horizon. Her recording of the song went to No. 5 on the charts that year; that is most likely how JFK first heard the song. British bandleader Jack Hylton had a hit with it the following year, and many artists have covered the song through the years since, including Stan Kenton, Artie Shaw, and the Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra. The lyrics are especially appealing, speaking of a beautiful day ahead.

"Blues Skies" was a top ten hit for Frank Sinatra in 1946. This is probably the version that JFK was most aware of, although Count Basie and Benny Goodman³ also had hits with their versions of the song. Written by Irving Berlin in 1926, it received wide exposure when Al Jolson sang it in the first talkie motion picture, The Jazz Singer.

It’s easy to see how a young JFK would be attracted to the buoyant message in both "Blue Skies and Beyond the Blue Horizon. Not coincidentally, Kennedy aides referred to bright sunny days as Kennedy weather because of the larger crowds it attracted and the positive affect it had on JFK. JFK’s most lasting legacy may be the hope and optimism he inspired in his countrymen. The central theme of his 1960 campaign was that the United States could do better in the future and that it was time to get this country moving again. He surely found a reflection of that optimism in Blue Skies and Beyond the Blue Horizon."

Just as in everyone’s life, both happy and tragic times were associated with music in JFK’s memory. In the latter category was the day in the summer of 1944 that JFK and his family were informed of the death of his brother Joe, Jr. during World War II. Ted Kennedy later recalled that the family was listening to Bing Crosby’s recording of "I’ll Be Seeing You" when officials came to inform them that Joe, Jr. had perished flying a highly dangerous mission in England. Crosby adds a mournful tone to the lyric about still seeing someone who’s no longer there.

Four years later in May 1948, JFK—now a congressman—was listening to the cast album from the Broadway show Finian’s Rainbow when he received word that his cherished older sister, Kathleen, had been killed in a plane crash in France. JFK asked an aide to confirm that the horrible news was true and continued listening to the record. The call confirming Kathleen’s death came a few minutes later while the song "How Are Things in Glocca Morra? was playing. JFK looked up at the aide and said, That Ella Logan sure has a sweet voice." He then turned away and began to cry. Note that Logan bore more than a passing resemblance to Kathleen.

Other memorable songs from Finian’s Rainbow include "Old Devil Moon, Look to the Rainbow, and When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love." Burton Lane and lyricist E. Y. Harburg composed the songs. Its whimsical story of an Irishman transplanted to the American South no doubt made Finian’s Rainbow especially appealing to JFK.

After her performance in Finian’s Rainbow, Ella Logan never appeared on Broadway again. She did record several Finian’s Rainbow songs with Frank Sinatra in 1954 for an aborted animated version of the show. These recordings didn’t see the light of day until 2002, when they were included on the Frank Sinatra in Hollywood 1940–1964 box set.

Irish Roots

JFK was a third-generation Irishman. His great-grandparents had all escaped Ireland in the wake of the Great Famine of the 1840s. Although JFK grew up in a world of wealth and privilege, the struggles of Irish immigrants were never far removed from his consciousness. Indeed, his father’s wealth had its roots in the Boston tavern run by JFK’s grandfather Patrick Joseph P. J. Kennedy.

JFK had politics in his blood from his mother’s side of the family. Rose’s father, John F. Honey Fitz Fitzgerald, served as mayor of Boston from 1906 to 1908 and again from 1910 to 1914. Honey Fitz was a natural showman with a common touch, and he often sang the barbershop quartet standard "Sweet Adeline" at his campaign events. His name, political contacts, and advice served his grandson well when he ran for Congress in 1946.

JFK enjoyed Irish songs throughout his life. His favorites included "Danny Boy, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, The Minstrel Boy, The Wearing of the Green, Kelly the Boy from Kilane, Killarney, The Boys of Wexford, and Too-Ra Loo-La-Roo-Lal (That’s an Irish Lullaby)."

Irish ballads have a sad beauty that is best exemplified in "Danny Boy (aka Londonderry Air"), a tale of a soldier going off to war and seemingly certain death. The songs carry with them an unspoken understanding that life will break your heart sooner or later.

Bing Crosby had a hit record with "Too-Ra-Loo-La-Loo-Ral (That’s an Irish Lullaby)" in 1944 when he sang it in the hit movie Going My Way.

The songs "The Wearing of the Green, The Boys from Wexford, and Kelly the Boy from Kilane are often described as rebel songs, taking on the British occupation of Ireland in the wake of the failed Wolfe Tone-lead rebellion of 1798. Repression of Ireland’s Roman Catholics was part and parcel of the occupation, so the struggle of the Irish in these songs is both religious and nationalistic in nature, making their sentiments singularly powerful. JFK had a lot to identify with in these songs. On St. Patrick’s Day, 1963, he and Dave Powers sang The Wearing of the Green" to his ailing father, Joe.

JFK was something of an Anglophile, with many British friends and a great interest in British history. His favorite book was said to be David Cecil’s Melbourne, a biography of the nineteenth-century British lord. But JFK’s pride in being an Irishman was apparent to all during his 1963 journey to his ancestral home. JFK was met with a tremendous outpouring of pride and affection, and called the trip the most enjoyable of his presidency. While visiting Galway, he requested that the children’s choir sing "Galway Bay. Bing Crosby had recorded the song in 1947 and taken it to No. 3 on the charts. At a Dublin ceremony, he requested that the choir sing Danny Boy."

JFK Hears Wedding Bells

On the night before JFK’s November 1952 victory over incumbent Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, JFK, Bobby, and Ted took to the stage at the G and G Delicatessen⁴ on Blue Hill Avenue in the Jewish section of Dorchester, a Boston neighborhood. They treated the crowd to a surprise rendition of "Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up that Old Gang of Mine). John Seigenthaler later recalled that although Bobby couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, JFK and Teddy sang admirably, and they had everyone singing along with them in what turned into a great rally."

"Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up that Old Gang of Mine)" was a hit for Sammy Fain in 1929. The Four Aces revived it in 1954, and the song made routine appearances at Kennedy family gatherings throughout the years. Ted Kennedy reported that he and friend Claude Hooten sang the song at JFK’s request at a party following the 1960 Democratic Convention.

Perhaps heeding his father’s warning that still being a bachelor in his late thirties might prove to be a political handicap, JFK married Jacqueline Bouvier at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Newport, RI on September 12, 1953. A product of Vassar, Smith College, and the Sorbonne, Jackie was twelve years younger than JFK, who was thirty-six at the time. Her relative youth would provide JFK with a connection to new developments in music, film, and art that he would have otherwise lacked.

For their first dance as husband and wife, JFK requested that the band play "I Married an Angel, a tune JFK was aware of through Larry Clinton’s No. 4 hit with vocalist Bea Wain in 1938. I Married an Angel" is a Rodgers and Hart composition and the title song from the Broadway show that ran from 1938 until 1939. Nelson Eddy and Jeanette McDonald started in the 1942 movie version. Chet Baker included it on