SHG: Peter, Paul & Mary: "Blowin' in the Wind"

Peter, Paul & Mary: “Blowin’ in the Wind”
Entered the chart on: 7/13/63
Peaked on: 8/17/63
Weeks at #2: 1
Song at #1: “Fingertips—Pt. 2” by Little Stevie Wonder

This is what I meant about “the next song that I cover by [PPM]” being “more significant.” Specifically, this is the first Bob Dylan song to hit the charts. Now, that’s Nobel Prize Winner Bob Dylan, a claim I would not have been able to make a week ago, except in jest (A friend’s comment: “Go home, Nobel Prize, you’re drunk!”). Bob will be charting tunes himself ere long, as you’ll soon see, but Peter, Paul & Mary saw the significance of his work enough to wish to interpret it themselves.

Of course, I need to refresh my memory of Bob’s original before I tackle the PPM cover, thus I’ll do so right now...

Right, Bob’s original is...more produced than I expected. In that there’s multi-tracking: Bob is backed by two acoustic guitars, one in each channel. I’m just assuming Bob played both parts. And there’s a touch of reverb on his voice, presumably to beef it up. Let’s be fair, especially at this early stage, Bob’s voice was thin, nasal and reedy at best. But there’s a raw honesty there that does a fine job of putting across the lyrics. It’s a beautiful song, and that shines through. Let’s see what PPM do with it:



This is interesting. There’s two guitars here, too, but the instrumental arrangement is different. And they’re singing in harmony from the start, adding an almost imperceptible bit of reverb half-way through the first verse. Mary drops out for the first refrain, leaving the men singing it alone, then sings the start of the second verse solo before they join in on harmonies. And she sings the second and third chorus repeats solo.

So, while everyone else battles it out for which version is superior (“Your version is overly fussy and lame!” cry the Dylan purists. “Your version is poorly-sung and amateurish!” cry his detractors), I’m going to call “push” on this one. There’s lots to recommend both versions. There’s nothing wrong with covering someone else’s song if you have respect for the original, and yet put your unique stamp on it.

That’s precisely what this does.

Rating: 5

SHG: Peter, Paul & Mary: "Puff the Magic Dragon"

Peter, Paul & Mary: “Puff the Magic Dragon”
Entered the chart on: 3/30/63
Peaked on: 5/11/63
Weeks at #2: 1
Song at #1: “I Will Follow Him” by Peggy March

Here’s what I meant about the “real” 60s starting in ’63. As in the “peace and love” 60s that people are familiar with, as opposed to the “twisting fad” 60s or the “teenybopper idol” 60s. To think it would all stem from a whimsical children’s song.

Mind you, this isn’t the first we’ve seen of the folk boom. We heard the first squeakings of it way back in 1960 when the Brothers Four brought “Greenfields” to the cusp of the top of the charts. But Peter, Paul & Mary were the ones who really ushered it in, and opened the floodgates. The next song I cover by them is perhaps more significant (being a cover of a song by a soon-to-be major artist) but this is where the 60s as we knew it really began.

I have a history with this song, which extends beyond seeing eccentric Canadian singer-songwriter Jane Siberry performing her 20-minute confessional opus “Oh My My” in concert, a song that weaves this song into it. This song is part of my childhood, and I’m sure must have come up in my elementary school music curriculum at one point. I definitely remember seeing the animated special based on the song on TV, and remembering that like Snoopy Come Home, it made me weepy. The thought of abandoning the childhood wonder of imagination seemed extremely sad to me. Give me a break, I was eight, and a sensitive child.



Well, one could definitely not question their intent on being folk revivalists. After a sea of songs slathered in string orchestrations and electric guitars, the simple arrangement here featuring a single acoustic guitar stands in stark contrast. Paul Stookey’s voice rings out clear as a crystal bell, Peter Yarrow and Mary Travers’ harmonies chiming along in the refrain.

It’s extremely simple, not much to talk about except for the wistful storyline of the song, which reads like a children’s fantasy story with an uncommonly downbeat ending (Think Charlotte’s Web, if you need a comparison). It still tugs at my heart-strings after all these years. And while it’s sad, there’s a reality to the message: you have to put away your childhood toys and grow up sometime. Maybe some of those stunted man-children surrounded by comic books and plastic junk their parents bought them back in the 80s need to hear this.

As for the “alternate” interpretation, I won’t even dignify it with a response. Paul Stookey has gone on record time and time again to say that there was no “secret, hidden” message in this song, and I, for one, believe him.

I’m generally not a fan of children’s music, but there’s something about this one. I don’t know what it is, but it appeals to me. Maybe there’s a sentimental side to this old curmudgeon.

Rating: 4

SHG: The Brothers Four: "Greenfields"

The Brothers Four: “Greenfields”
Entered the chart on: 3/21/1960
Peaked on: 4/18/1960
Weeks at #2: 4
Songs at #1: “Theme From A Summer Place” by Percy Faith and “Stuck on You” by Elvis Presley

I usually only do two of these, three tops, at a time, but I kind of want to keep doing these until the songs start getting good again. I couldn’t let Paul Anka’s “Puppy Love,” which is unquestionably the worst song I have covered so far on this feature, be the last of these I listened to today. I know the light is at the end of the tunnel (wait till you see which song I’ll be covering after this one), in the meantime, here’s another song I’ve never heard before, the first since Della Reese’s “Don’t You Know”

The Brothers Four aren’t brothers by blood, they’re fraternity brothers, formed at the University of Washington. The idea of a frat-boy group isn’t exactly lighting my fire, I must say. Actually, this seems to be part of the nascent folk boom, proof that this was in fact the 60s and not the 70s. I’m not exactly expecting Bob Dylan here, though. So, let the references to A Mighty Wind commence!



Well, I can appreciate the fingerstyle guitar arpeggios that open this, being a former classical guitar student myself. And you have to say, their vocal harmonies are pretty damn sweet.

For a second, I thought the green fields of the title were literal. The fields were green, now they’re brown. I wondered, could this be a very prescient protest of the mounting fears of pollution and its effects on nature? Well, no. The green fields of the title are a metaphor. The song’s protagonist is heart-broken that his love has left him, and now he’s left feeling barren and dried out like dead grass.

This was...unexpected. I mean, “He’ll Have to Go” wasn’t exactly sunny and cheery, but this one is absolutely melancholic. But it captures a mood and does so well. After the last four or five songs, I’m trying to figure out how this one fits in, and I’m drawing a blank. But it actually come as a breath of fresh air.

But then, after “Puppy Love,” what wouldn’t?

Rating: 4