Popular Nostalgia

You are browsing the archives of 1960s.

Released in 1966, “Reach Out I’ll Be There” epitomised the Tamla Motown era. Sung by Levi Stubbs, Renaldo Benson, Lawrence Peyton and Abdul Faki, the song took the US and UK by storm. They were shown round Britain by Beatles manager Brian Epstein. In Stubbs obituary, The Independent says: “The unusual arrangement with its use [...]

During my childhood, during the 1950′s and early 60′s, life was dominated by coal. The village had its own pit, where my dad worked. Pits were everywhere. Our house was very close to a farm, but this farm was different in that it specialised in market garden produce – vegetables mainly, but even flowers when [...]

The sound quality isn’t the best on this video, but I chose it because it showcases the best of sixties and seventies style. How did she get her hair so big? And check out the guy twisting around in the stripy tank top. Are those chops I spot? The flares and the silly dancing are [...]

I remember Abebe Bikila winning the 1960 Rome Olympics men’s marathon – barefoot! My image of him is just how slight he was and wondered where the energy came from to do what he was doing. He was the first person to win two Olympic marathons, winning the Tokyo in 1964. In between these two [...]

Herb Elliot never lost a race over 1500m or a mile. He broke the four minute mile on 17 occasions. He took middle distance running to a whole new level. As a young boy watching him compete, I’m sure he fired me up for my future spent running. It wasn’t just his physicality, it was [...]

We’ve been renovating a very old cottage and found this old wallpaper under several layers of paint, plaster and paper. The owner informs us that this design is from the 1960′s. We also found this design from the 1950′s. The design is very colourful and abstract.

So-called because of the sharp pointy toes of the shoe -similar to the tools used for prising winkles out of their shells. Winkle pickers were worn by “Teddy Boys”, Modernists and Mods. They had Cuban Heels and in the 60′s were best worn with laces down the side and extra-long trousers.

On the 21st of July 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. He walked into the Sea of Tranquility at 0256 GMT and reported back with the words: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” He had earlier set up cameras to capture the first steps and said: “That’s [...]

The pythons were: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin and they broadcast on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their madcap approach to comedy broke all the boundaries and they were as controversial as they were successful. If I could, I would play every Python episode and film [...]

Son of a Preacher Man was a massive hit for Dusty Springfield on her first album and was a staple of the soul classics that emerged in the 60′s. Here are the words for those who would like to sing along to the video below: Lyrics for “Son of A Preacher Man” Billy-ray was a [...]

When The Beatles came out they were highly controversial with their long hair and lyrics criticising the Church. Their formation began in the fifties but they were signed in the early sixties and by 1964 had fomented “Beatle-mania”. They engaged in anti-Vietnam War activism and courted danger by snubbing Imelda Marcos in the Phillipines. They [...]

Me and my brothers used to try and do this dance with our plastic guitars when we were little. The Shadows were dead cool back then. They didn’t sing any lyrics and had a distinctive tinny sound to their guitar leads. Here’s a video of them performing in 1961. The Shadows actually did a Final [...]

Flower Power was all about peace and the hippy movement. When the Vietnam war was on, hippies protested by burning their draft cards, placing flowers in the barrels of guns and by wearing flowery clothes. Small circular glasses and headbands were also popular amongst hippies. The 1960′s saw the civil rights movement in America and [...]

A hapless bunch of Home Guard “soldiers” attempt to defend their homeland to little effect. Dad’s Army has a brilliant start sequence with song that was specially written for the show and military progress arrows fighting each other. Lyrics to Dad’s Army Theme Tune: “Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Hitler?” Who do [...]

Remember the fighting skeletons? The Hydra guarding the Golden Fleece? The Crashing Rocks that threaten to smash Jason’s boat to pieces and the giant sea monster that holds them apart? Christmas repeat classic -Jason and the Argonauts was always on. Despite the fact it was made in the 60′s and has wierd, shaky, stop-motion special [...]