February 1 Music et al
Ken Kesey
February 1, 1962: Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest published.
In a 2012 review, the Daily Beast’s Nathaniel Rich said, “Kesey suggests that war is not only a cause of the patients’ trauma (“I was hurt by seeing things in the Army, in the war,” says Chief Bromden), but a result of it. The mechanization of society leads, inevitably, to a militant society. This is what happens in the ward, after all, where the patients wage an insurgency against Nurse Ratched and her staff. (see September)
February 1 Music et al
“Louie, Louie“
February 1, 1964: Billboard magazine reported that Indiana Governor Matthew E. Welsh had declared the song “Louie, Louie” by the Kingsmen pornographic. He requested that the Indiana Broadcasters Association ban the record. Governor Welsh claimed that hearing the song made his “ears tingle.” (see Feb 8)
February 1 Music et al
I Want To Hold Your Hand
February 1 – March 30, 1964: “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first of 20 #1 Hot 100 Hits (a record) and the first of 71 Hot 100 hits. (see Feb 3)
February 1 Music et al
Crimson and Clover
February 1 – 14, 1969: “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Crimson and Clover” entered the U.S. charts on December 14, where it stayed for 16 weeks on Billboard Hot 100 and 15 weeks on Cash Box Top 100. The band had performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show on January 26, 1969.
February 1 Music et al
“We Are the World“
February 1, 2010: Following the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti, which devastated the area and killed thousands of people, it was agreed that the “We Are the World” song would be re-recorded by new artists, in the hope that it would reach a new generation and help benefit the people of Haiti. It was on this day taht “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” was recorded.