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Dave Clark Five - Mike Smith 2nd From Left

From Ron J – With the passing of lead Mike Smith, can you give us your perspective of “The Dave Clark Five” 1960’s rock band?

Mr. Pop History – When the Beatles hit the U.S. in 1964 so did the Dave Clark Five. In fact, radio stations and DJ’s put them directly in competition and no one knew which one would have the staying power. 1964 Dave Clark Five hits such as “Glad All Over,” “Because,” “Bits and Pieces,” and “Can’t You See That She’s Mine” were as good as anything the Beatles were putting out. One of the big differences between the two bands – The Beatles had much more product when they landed here. All of their earlier British hits were suddenly re-issued in the U.S., so by April 1964, the Beatles had 5 songs in the top 10.

In New York, stations such as top-ratings getter WMCA and rival 1010WINS were as much in a race to get the next Beatles record as the next Dave Clark Five tune.  

And like the Beatles, - The Dave Clark Five starred in several movies during their heyday - “Having A Wild Weekend” in the summer of 1965 and “Get Yourself A College Girl” in 1964. 

By 1966, we all knew the Beatles had staying power while the Dave Clark Five began to fizzle chart wise. Many say, and I agree, it’s because the Beatles kept evolving while the DC5 sort of stayed the course. That’s taking nothing away from this great 1960’s pop band who were true originals and very talented. They gave us some great top-40 music.

And, they’re the only band with two pop songs with basically the same title, but totally different: “Everybody Knows.”  “Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)” comes from 1964, while “Everybody Knows” charted in 1968.

Come back soon, as I answer, to the best of my knowledge, another one of your pop history/culture questions.