FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 22, 2016

DEAR JERRY: I rarely deal in foreign records, but I found one I think might have some value.

It is a 1970 Swedish single (Polar POS-1096) by Bjorn & Benny, pre-ABBA, with "She's My Kind of Girl" and "Inga Theme."

The picture sleeve and both labels have "Fran filmen Inga II," so these songs must have been intended for a Swedish film.

Since Bjorn & Benny made this four years before ABBA's first hit, it should be a coveted item by their fans.
—Chad Selbert, St. Cloud, Minn.

DEAR CHAD: You are right about the timeline.

Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson recorded these tracks two years before team BB discovered and teamed up with team AA (Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad), a quartet soon to be known as ABBA.

Unlike the famous French emperor's final battle, their "Waterloo" (1974) was a godsend, and the first of several hundred million ABBA records that would be sold worldwide.

"She's My Kind of Girl" is a delightful vocal, a bit reminiscent of some songs by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. "Inga Theme" is mostly instrumental.

Both tunes are heard in "Inga II," a sequel to "Seduction of Inga," a 1968 adult film about a nymphet in the "Lolita" mold, only Swedish.

The Polar record, with original picture sleeve, has been selling in the $150 to $200 range, so you've definitely got one of the most desirable ABBA collectibles.

DEAR JERRY: Last month on a radio tribute for the 52nd anniversary of the American debut of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," they mentioned that one of its many honors was being the No. 1 song of 1964 on all of the charts.

I doubt that is entirely true, but it raises this question: how many radio station charts did NOT have "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as the year's biggest hit?
—Bernice Slater, Warwick, R.I.

DEAR BERNICE: My estimate, an extrapolation of 70 regional year-end charts for 1964, indicates that 90 percent of North American Top 40 stations put "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at No. 1.

Interestingly, one station (WICE) in the 10 percent group is right there in Little Rhody.

Though rare, here are seven surveys where the No. 1 record of 1964 is something other than "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

At times, we find it is blocked by one or more other Beatles tunes:

CJCA (Edmonton, Alberta)

1. "All My Lovin'" (Beatles)
2. "Twist and Shout" (Beatles)
3. "She Loves You" (Beatles)
4. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (Roy Orbison)
5. "A Hard Day's Night" (Beatles)
6. "Last Kiss" (J. Frank Wilson)
7. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)

WICE (Providence, R.I.)

1. "She Loves You" (Beatles)
2. "Everybody Loves Somebody" (Dean Martin)
3. "I Get Around" (Beach Boys)
4. "A Hard Day's Night" (Beatles)
5. "Rag Doll" (4 Seasons)
6. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)

WDRC (Hartford, Conn.)

1. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (Roy Orbison)
2. "Hello, Dolly!" (Louis Armstrong)
3. "She Loves You" (Beatles)
4. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)

KXOA (Sacramento, Calif.)

1. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (Roy Orbison)
2. "I Get Around" (Beach Boys)
3. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)

WKIX (Raleigh, N.C.)

1. "Hello, Dolly!" (Louis Armstrong)
2. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)

CFUN (Vancouver, B.C.)

1. "She Loves You" (Beatles)
2. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)

CHUM (Toronto, Ontario)

1. "She Loves You" (Beatles)
2. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)

On the national level, the Billboard and Cash Box 1964 year-end Top 10 are identical for the first five positions:

1. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Beatles)
2. "She Loves You" (Beatles)
3. "Hello, Dolly!" (Louis Armstrong)
4. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (Roy Orbison)
5. "I Get Around" (Beach Boys)

But when it comes to the next five tunes, they are, with one exception (No. 7), noticeably different.

Billboard 6-10:

6. "Everybody Loves Somebody" (Dean Martin)
7. "My Guy" (Mary Wells)
8. "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" (Gale Garnett)
9. "Last Kiss" (J. Frank Wilson)
10 "Where Did Our Love Go" (Supremes)

Cash Box 6-10:

6. "Louie Louie" (Kingsmen)
7. "My Guy" (Mary Wells)
8. "Glad All Over" (Dave Clark Five)
9. "Everybody Loves Somebody" (Dean Martin)
10. "Dominique" (The Singing Nun)

IZ ZAT SO? Of the 13 songs making up the above two Top 10 lists, all but "Glad All Over" were No. 1 hits at some time during 1964.

The Dave Clark Five's debut hit peaked at No. 5 on Billboard, and No. 6 on Cash Box.

Also noteworthy, the Beatles held nine slots on the Billboard year-end 100:

1. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
2. "She Loves You"
13. "A Hard Day's Night"
14. "Love Me Do"
16. "Please Please Me"
40. "Twist and Shout"
52. "Can't Buy Me Love"
55. "Do You Want to Know a Secret"
95. "I Saw Her Standing There"