Excerpted from DiscoverNikkei The summer of ‘63. Fundamental political and social changes swept across our nation. Civil rights battles overflowed into the streets. Confrontations and killings sparked racial unrest. A Baptist church was bombed in Alabama, killing four young girls. At the March on Washington rally, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled school-sponsored prayer in public schools was unconstitutional. The Viet Cong claimed their first battle victory over South Vietnamese and American forces. And the top musical hit that summer was sung in a foreign language. Not in Spanish. Richie Valens’ “La Bamba” was released in 1958 but never reached the top spot. (In ‘58, another foreign language song—in Italian—called “Volare” did reach No. 1.) Not in French. Later in ‘63, the singing nun and her “Dominique” shot to the top of the charts. The musical hit of the summer of ‘63 was sung in Japanese. “Sukiyaki” reigned No. 1 for three weeks. by David Mas Masumoto, 19 Aug 2013
Posted on: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 05:54:27 +0000
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