I Remember JFK: A Baby Boomer's Pleasant Reminiscing Spot

What a wild, strange trip was music of the 60's. On the one hand, we had Jim Morrison disrobing on a Florida stage in a drug-induced mania. On the other, we had a squeaky-clean family, complete with mom singing harmony, appearing on Sullivan and charting a couple of #2 hits.

The Cowsills started off with brothers Bill and Bob singing at local school and church dances in the 50's, at ages seven and eight. As other family members got old enough, they joined in on the fun. By 1965, they were a quartet, and had a permanent gig at Bannisters Wharf in Newport, Rhode Island, belting out Beatles tunes. They had a record contract with a small company, but in 1967 they signed with MGM. By now, mom Barbara was singing harmony, and the group was up to seven (originals Bob and Bill, brothers John, Barry, and Paul, and sister Susan). Additionally, father Bud, retired from the navy, managed the group. The Rain, the Park, and Other Things was released that year and hit #2. Add in appearances on Today, Sullivan, and other national shows, and the world was going Cowsills crazy circa 1968.

The American Dairy Association took notice of the hit family's name, and they were hired to pitch the goodness of milk on TV, radio, and print ads. And another hit single climbed the charts in 1968, Indian Lake. Two years later, the group shocked the world by releasing their version of Hair, which was their second #2 hit. But we all knew that the Cowsills hadn't crossed over to the dark side, they were just having some innocent fun. Indeed, in 1969 brother Bill had been axed from the group for smoking pot with the Beach Boys. Working for your father can be tough!

As the 70's drew on, the Cowsills began fragmenting. One by one, members left for solo careers. By 1972, they closed up shop and went bankrupt. However, Bob, Paul, and Susan eventually reunited and are in fact performing as the Cowsills today.

For some reason, the males of society have, by and large, long prevented women from enjoying the same freedoms that they have had. In western society, however, women have declared that they're not going to take it. They have done so in three waves, the last one having been evident since the 1990's. The first wave was in the suffrage movement of the late 19th-early 20th century, which resulted in women being given the right to vote. However, the second movement is the one that is of particular interest to Baby Boomers.

Women's Lib, as the movement came to be called, began in the early 60's. The show Mad Men makes this evident, as can be seen from the character Peggy Olson climbing from a secretarial job to that of an advertising executive, thanks to a forward-thinking boss. I'll bet she's not making the same money as her male cohorts, though.

Women's Lib gained a big jolt in popularity with the 1963 release of Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique. The book was written from the perspective of a housewife and mother, and it focused on what it was about society that was keeping her and her type from excelling. It made a lot of women mad, and made Friedan a leader in the movement.

As the 60's progressed, Women's lib became a familiar catchphrase. Truth be told, the Libbers were a minority, but there's no denying that their loud voice caused western society to make changes for the better.

All Baby Boomers are familiar with Don McLean's 1971 hit American Pie. But did you ever totally figure out its meaning?

The following is trimmed from writer Jim Quinn's website, The Burning Platform. I strongly suggest you browse over and read the full version. It's an eye-opener.

In the meantime, here's the short take:

American Pie is the national anthem of the Baby Boom generation. McLean documents the progression of music and national mood with his haunting lyrics. Don McLean was 14 years old in 1959 when he read the bad news on the doorstep. (the deaths of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper J.P. Richardson, and Richie Valens in a plane crash.) His idyllic life changed on the morning of February 3, 1959 when he read the headline in the newspaper he was about to deliver.

A long long time ago
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

McLean's lyrics in this next verse reflect the music of the 1950s with sock hops, slow dancing with girls and making out in pickup trucks. Then it all ended on the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson died. In the chorus, American Pie represents rock and roll music. His Chevy represents America. McLean and his friends used to drink at a bar called the Levee in New Rochelle, NY. When it closed, McLean and his friends moved on to Rye, New York drinking away their sadness at the loss of Buddy Holly. The final reference is to Holly's That'll Be the Day lyric, that'll be the day that I die.

Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die