Posted on 09/05/2016 3:28:17 PM PDT by SamAdams76
This song just barely snuck into the Top 40 in November of 1969.
It should have been a much bigger hit. It's a haunting song about a father who lost his son in the Vietnam War and he spends his days wandering about Echo Park in Los Angeles.
Some old timers might remember this song from Top 40 radio and it should bring back some memories.
For those younger, give it a listen. You will not be disappointed.
It’s the morning*
Soon, he’ll rise
Finds the glasses for his eyes
Aren’t what they used to be
Picks up the clothes
He’s worn so long
On the bureau sits
The picture of a lady
And the mural of a man
Who’ve been gone for many years
[Chorus:]
The old man walks in Echo Park
From bench to bench he moves
From morning til dark
For the ducks
Some bread he brings
Wonder if he’ll feed them
This time next spring
Listening to the children play
Reminds him of the days
Many years ago
Thoughts of a child
That he helped grow
And memory of a letter
Saying, dear Sir
We regret to inform you
Your son will not be coming home
[Repeat Chorus:]
Old man, tell me are there fears
Do you measure life in years
Or is one day all you’ll ever know
Oh, oh, oh...
The old man walks in Echo Park
From bench to bench he moves
From morning til dark
The old man walks in Echo Park
From bench to bench he moves
From morning til dark
The old man walks in Echo Park
From bench to bench he moves...
November, 1969.......I’d already been in RVN for six months (only 7 to go!) which may explain why I’d never heard this.
Thanks!
I knew Keith back in 1965 when we were both in the same class at Fort Devens, MA learning how to be Morse Intercept Operators. Good guy.
This song was a hit for about maybe 6-8 weeks and then it dropped out of sight. Should have been a bigger hit. Glad I turned you on to it - after all these years.
The only “Park” songs I remember are “Itchycoo Park” and “MacArthur Park.”
Donna Summer...she was a good girl. Not a bad girl.
I don't remember it being played on FEN in Japan either, but I remember the song. The NEX carried a full line of 45s and LPs, so it may have been sold there and played on phonographs.
Funny...I never knew Donna Summer did a cover of MacArthur Park. Growing up on the 60s rock & roll revolution, I concluded all the good music had been made by the mid 70s and I essentially quit listening. Turning 30, getting married, and buying a house, and having kids will do that to you, too.
I remember ‘Cherry Hill Park’ as a big hit right around Nov. 1969.
In 1969, I lived on Fiji Hill, a few miles north of Echo Park, and I heard this song today for the first time.
I liked the song “MacArthur Park” by Richard Harris when it came out in the spring of 1968 because at that time, General Douglas MacArthur was one of my heroes—and he still is. I also liked the fact that a song about Los Angeles was a big hit.
Lot of “Park” songs in that era. Another favorite of mine is “The Rain, The Park & Other Things” which was a psychedelic song by The Cowsills.
Did you know that “Echo Park” was written by Buzz Clifford, who recorded a hit back in 1961 called “Baby Sittin’ Boogie?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybfS7eYQuhY
I was struggling to remember other “Park” songs from the 60s and that one was just out of reach in the recesses of my mind. Just listened to it — pretty good tune. The lyrics are SO suggestive, but I didn’t have a clue as an 18 year old. Thanks for remembering that one!
Check out the first line...could be rewritten to “Hil used to hang out in Fort Marcy Park”
Hill used to hang out in Cherry Hill Park
The game she played lasted all day to way after dark
Now all the girls they criticized her
But all the guys just idolized her
‘cause Mary Hill was such a thrill after dark,
In Cherry Hill Park
Mary Hill loved to ride on the merry-go-round
All the guys got eager eyes watchin’ Mary go ‘round
Now in the daytime Mary Hill was a teaser
Come the night she was such a pleaser
Mary Hill was such a thrill after dark,
In Cherry Hill Park
The Cowsills is an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry Cowsill; they shortly thereafter added their brother John. Originally Bill and Bob played guitar and Barry was on drums. When John learned how to play drums and joined the band, Barry went to bass. After their initial success, the brothers were joined by their siblings Susan and Paul and their mother Barbara. Bob's twin brother Richard was the road manager. When the group expanded to its full family membership by 1967, the six siblings ranged in age from 8 to 19. Joined by their mother, Barbara Cowsill (née Russell), the group was the inspiration for the 1970s television show The Partridge Family.The Cowsills did not play on their earliest recordings. Studio musicians were brought in to provide the music for this song and many of the earlier singles. For this song, musicians included Gene Bianco on harp, Vinnie Bell, Charles Macy and Al Gorgoni on guitar, Joe Macho on bass, Artie Butler on organ, Paul Griffin on piano, George Devens on percussion, and Buddy Saltzman and Al Rogers on drums.
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