(451) THE BRITISH INVASION OF AMERICA and THE AMERICAN INVASION OF BRITAIN CONTINUE

So now that we've said what we've said about hits and charts, we looked at a number of charts for the year 1966 saw discrepancies about what number a song or three achieved. We were reminded of personal favorites and looked for songs we remember hearing that we expected to see.  Could be some of the songs we remember were on albums. 

For American songwriters, the mid 1960's were competitive and anxious times because of the success of bands like the Beatles of Great Britain and the Beach Boys of the United States were writing and performing their own songs and didn't need us.  There was an emphasis with the record companies that bands should have their own songs and with fewer hit makers looking to us to write songs for them, and a feel of change in the air, a lot of people in the business began to change their careers.

Even Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound that had put so many songs on the charts was loosing.  (Sonny Bono talks about that in his memoir, having to break the news to Phil, who he worked for prior to Sonny and Cher making it, that the Sound was beginning to be dated.)

What we see overall is evidence that the British Invasion of America is ongoing.  It's not all about the Beatles.  It's also about British hit makers Petula Clark, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, and Peter and Gordon, on the same American charts as The Mamas and the Papas, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Supremes,  Nancy Sinatra, Johnny Rivers, and the made for television competition for the Beatles, The Monkees.