Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 23, 2017

DEAR JERRY: Last month, as the radio was playing "Jingle Bell Rock," it occurred to me how often Christmas songs were chart hits twice in the same year, January and December.

Was there a non-holiday pop song that was a hit two separate times in one year?
—Milt Koffman, Buckeye, Ariz.

DEAR MILT: At least one, and because there is so much to explain about that one, we wouldn't have enough ink to tackle another.

The poster child of on-the-charts, off-the-charts, back on-the-charts activity is "Don't Say You Don't Remember," a 1971-1972 Gold Award hit for Beverly Bremers.

To keep the facts from being jumbled, and to make sure nothing gets overlooked, I have created a timeline.

Following the timeline are comments and memories on the song from Beverly, who I spoke to just last week:

January, 1971:

Helen Miller and Estelle Levitt presented "Don't Say You Don't Remember" to Beverly Bremers, indicating that they wrote it with her in mind.

Beverly, then very busy appearing in Broadway shows, found time to record a master of the tune for Scepter Records, also in New York.

Between her session and Scepter's release of "DSYDR," a group named The Goggles recorded it in California for an NBC-TV children's show.

February 24, 1971:

A single of "DSYDR" by The Goggles debuted at No. 56 in Hartford, Conn. on WPOP's "Good Guys' Popular Music Survey" (Audio Fidelity 168). It didn't make any national surveys, was on the WPOP chart less than a month, and never higher than No. 53.

"DSYDR" is also the lead track on The Goggles' self-titled TV soundtrack album, issued at the same time (Audio Fidelity 6244).

Not being played on the radio in the New York area, Beverly didn't know about the Audio Fidelity release until years later.

May 16, 1971:

In New Haven, Conn., the WAVZ "Hit Power" Top 60 survey made Beverly's "DSYDR" (Scepter 12315) their Top Sure Shot Pic, as No. 61 on that week's list.

May 29, 1971:

It debuted at No. 96 on Cash Box. The record moved up to No. 77, but after four weeks it disappeared from their chart.

June 5, 1971:

"DSYDR" debuted at No. 23 on Billboard's Top 40 Easy Listening chart, remaining on that chart for eight weeks and peaking at No. 10.

About seven months later (Jan. 1, 1972), "DSYDR" returned to the Easy Listening chart at No. 37. In mid-Feb. it peaked at No. 5, Bremer's highest position for any of her records on the national level.

June 12, 1971:

"DSYDR" debuted at No. 113 on Billboard's Bubbling Under The Hot 100. After five weeks of bubbling between 124 and 103, the bubbles burst (July 17) and Beverly's song disappeared — but only for six months.

December 11, 1971:

"DSYDR" is reinstated at the bottom of Billboard's Bubbling Under The Hot 100, at No. 116 of 116 entries.

December 18, 1971:

Beverly Bremers finally claimed a slot on Billboard's Hot 100, even if it was No. 98. "DSYDR" bounced around for 16 more weeks on their chart, attaining a peak position of No. 16.

Absent from the Cash Box Top 100 for nearly six months (June 15), "DSYDR" returned (Dec. 11) at No. 99. Bev enjoyed 16 more weeks on their chart, with a peak position of No. 16, both numbers being identical with her Billboard stats.

In case you're wondering how "DSYDR" fared in Record World, it closely paralleled Cash Box. Record World did rank it No. 13, slightly higher than Cash Box (#16) or Billboard (#15).

Understandably, Beverly cleverly says she "don't remember" all the weird things that happened with "Don't Say You Don't Remember."

Here then is some of what she does recall:

"In the late 1960s and early '70s I was regularly working on Broadway, mostly in "The Me Nobody Knows" and "Hair," and while doing that I recorded "Don't Say You Don't Remember." Fortunately, Scepter Records was based in New York City.

"It took Scepter awhile to get the record out, but when they did it was on the charts for about nine months. And it was one very strange situation.

"We were moderately pleased with how the record did in mid-1971, but in September, when it seemed to have run its course, the label released my next single, "When Michael Calls" (Scepter 12332).

"For reasons still unknown to me, a radio station in San Jose began playing "Don't Say You Don't Remember," and they started getting a lot of requests for it, and so they kept playing it.

"Then other stations jumped on the bandwagon, and so did the label and the distributors.

"Unbelievably, my minor hit from a few months earlier was headed for everyone's Top 20, and ultimately a Gold Record Award.

"Meanwhile, "When Michael Calls" was completely ignored. Scepter literally pulled it. It was as though it never came out, and of course it is now a collectible ($10 to $20).

"In some areas where it was a hit a few months earlier, dee-jays had fun saying things like "here is an oldie that is also a newie."

"Remember, this was all going on while I was still doing the theater and not taking the record business too seriously. That is until I heard it on the radio in New York. Then I thought, 'I guess I have a hit.'

"Looking back, I wish I would have toured and promoted the record a bit more.

"Dick Clark wanted me to come to California and appear on American Bandstand, but I didn't want to leave New York, and my part in "Hair." But he eventually won me over, and I did go, and I'm glad I did. Dick was a doll and treated his guests like family."

IZ ZAT SO? Beverly Bremers sold a few hundred thousand records as a vocalist, but her greatest success came in 1982, for writing the theme for the Platinum Award winning "Mousercise" album (Disneyland 62516).

And Beverly never saw it coming:

"I auditioned for record producer, Mike Post, for a TV show that never happened. But he did take a liking to me, and I worked for him later, doing commercials. For this audition, however, I just sang a song that I wrote. When I finished, he said he really liked it, and wanted to introduce me to a friend of his who was a Disney publisher.

"So I met the fellow and very soon he called to say he needed me to write a theme song ASAP for the "Mousercise" album and TV show.

"I did and it was on the Disney channel six days a week for over 12 years. There was even a "Mousercise" show at the Disney theme parks, along with "Mousercise" merchandising and all the things that Disney does.

"Who could have known that writing a song about exercising along with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck could have fared so well.

"And I still get royalties for writing "Mousercise."


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