Events in 1965
- Canadian fiddler Ward Allen died in Hull, Quebec, at the age of 41.
- Elvis Presley worked at Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood on music for the film “Paradise, Hawaiian Style,” including vocal overdubs.
- The Beatles began a three-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Help!” It was their eighth consecutive UK No. 1 hit, and the song reached No. 1 on charts in eleven countries that year.
- Jeff Coffin, a three-time Grammy Award winner, American saxophonist and composer and member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and the Dave Matthews Band, was born in Massachusetts.
- During the filming of “Easy Come, Easy Go,” a freight train collided with a flatcar carrying filmmakers and actors due to faulty signaling. Jan Berry was thrown from the impact and suffered a complicated fracture of his left leg. Director Barry Shear was also seriously injured, and at least 12 to 17 people were injured in total. Paramount Pictures subsequently canceled the project, and the film was never completed.
- Jan Berry broke his leg on the first day of filming “Easy Come, Easy Go,” and several other people were injured. Paramount subsequently canceled the film.
- Parlophone Records released The Beatles' fifth studio album, “Help!,” which also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The original UK version contained fourteen tracks, seven of which, including the title track and “Ticket to Ride,” appeared in the film and made up the first side of the vinyl album. The album reached No. 1 in Australia, Finland, the UK and the U.S. that year and also included “Yesterday.”
- Decca Records released The Small Faces' debut single “Whatcha Gonna Do About It,” which reached No. 14 in the UK and No. 28 in Canada. The song did not chart in the U.S. Ian Samwell wrote the lyrics to music created by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. Years later, the band's manager Don Arden admitted that he had spent £12,000 to influence the chart.
- Gary Lewis & the Playboys měli se skladbou „Save Your Heart for Me“ první místo v americkém Easy Listening chartu.
- Herman's Hermits se skladbou „I'm Henry VIII, I Am“ obsadili první místo amerického singlového žebříčku Billboard Hot 100 a sesadili „(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction“ od The Rolling Stones na druhé místo. Šlo o jejich druhý hit číslo jedna v USA. Singl byl vydán pouze ve Spojených státech a ve Velké Británii se do žebříčku nedostal.
- Americký zpěvák Johnny Solinger se narodil v Dallasu v Texasu. Nejvíce se proslavil jako frontman heavy metalové skupiny Skid Row v letech 1999 až 2015.
- Zpěvák a klávesista Mike Smith z The Dave Clark Five byl během vystoupení v Chicagu stažen fanoušky z pódia a utrpěl dvě zlomená žebra.
- The Beatles se skladbou „Help!“ dostali na první místo britského singlového žebříčku.
- The Turtles vydali svou verzi skladby Boba Dylana „It Ain't Me Babe“. Skladba se stala jejich prvním z devíti hitů v žebříčku, do Billboard Hot 100 vstoupila na 76. místě a později dosáhla 8. místa. Stala se také názvem jejich prvního alba pod názvem The Turtles.
- Wilson Pickett se skladbou „In The Midnight Hour“ poprvé dosáhl prvního místa v Billboard R&B chartu. Skladba později vystoupala na 21. místo popového žebříčku.
- Americký zpěvák, skladatel, kytarista a producent Raul Malo, narozený jako Raul Francisco Martinez-Malo v Miami na Floridě, je známý především jako člen skupiny The Mavericks.
- The Animals, The Spencer Davis Group and Long John Baldry closed the three-day National Jazz and Blues Festival in Richmond, Surrey, England.
- British quartet The Silkie recorded the Lennon/McCartney song “You've Got To Hide Your Love Away”, produced by John Lennon; Paul McCartney played guitar and George Harrison played tambourine. The song reached No. 28 in the UK and No. 10 in the US. A planned US tour fell through because the group’s members failed to obtain the necessary visas and work permits. EMI released two more singles in 1966, “Keys to My Soul” and “Born to Be With You”, but neither charted in the UK or US, and the group soon broke up.
- The Beatles' second film, Help!, premiered in New York, two weeks after its London premiere. The band members were not particularly happy with the film.
- Jefferson Airplane played their first live performance at The Matrix in San Francisco. A positive review in the San Francisco Chronicle helped the group secure a recording contract, and before the end of the year they became the first San Francisco rock band to sign with a major record label.
- In the US, The Beatles released their fifth studio album Help!, one week after its UK release. The album also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name and reached No. 1 on the charts in Australia, the UK, Finland, and the US.
- The film Help! premiered in New York. It was the US premiere of The Beatles' second film, which had already been released in London on July 29, 1965. The US release of the album of the same name also took place that day.
- The Beatles arrived at Kennedy International Airport in New York ahead of the start of their North American tour.
- At the time performing under the name David, he made his Billboard Hot 100 debut with the single “What Are We Going To Do?”, which reached only number 100 after spending a single week on the chart. The following year, he was chosen as a member of The Monkees.
- The EP “Tickle Me” reached number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The recording used existing Elvis songs rather than new material.
- The doo-wop tenor singer from The Olympics was shot dead at the age of 25 during the Watts riots in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles group reached number 8 in the US and number 12 in the UK in 1958 with the song “Western Movies”.
- They began a three-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “I Got You Babe”. Sonny Bono was reportedly inspired to write the song by the popularity of the word “babe” in Bob Dylan's “It Ain’t Me Babe”. The recording also reached number one in the UK two weeks later and became a Top Ten hit in nine other countries. Written by Sonny Bono, the song was awarded a gold record for selling more than one million copies in the US.
- They filmed a performance for the CBS-TV program The Ed Sullivan Show at Studio 50 in New York. They performed “I Feel Fine”, “I’m Down”, “Act Naturally”, “Ticket to Ride”, “Yesterday” and “Help!”. The recording was broadcast on September 12, 1965, and was their fourth appearance on the show. Their fifth album Help! also began a nine-week run at number one on the UK chart.
- “Hang On Sloopy” was released. Three weeks later, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in the first week of October. The recording was also successful in the UK, where it reached number 5.
- Elvis, Vernon Presley and Colonel Tom Parker visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Elvis also held a benefit concert to raise funds for the memorial.
- They opened their third North American tour with a concert at Shea Stadium in New York before 55,600 fans, setting a world record at the time for attendance at a pop concert. The concert grossed $304,000, of which the group received $160,000. The bill also included Brenda Holloway, The King Curtis Band, The Young Rascals and Sounds Incorporated.
- David Jones officially changed his stage name to David Bowie.
- Elvis received a telegram from the president of Capitol Records inviting him to a cocktail party in Los Angeles on August 24, where he was to meet The Beatles.
- Drummer Steve Gorman, a founding member of The Black Crowes, was born in Muskegon, Michigan. His time with the group ended in 2015, and in 2019 he published his autobiography, Hard to Handle.
- The Byrds cancelled their concert at the Guildhall in Portsmouth after only 250 of 4,000 tickets were sold. Their British tour was plagued by problems, including a legal dispute with the British group The Birds over the name.
- Canadian band Edward Bear performed as the opening act for Led Zeppelin at the Rock Pile club in Toronto.
- Hawaiian radio DJ Tom Moffat of KPOI arranged for Peter Noone, singer with Herman's Hermits, to interview Elvis Presley live from his bungalow in Honolulu, where Elvis was resting during the filming of Paradise, Hawaiian Style.
- The Beatles performed at a stadium in Atlanta before a sold-out crowd of 35,000 people. Tickets cost $5.50.
- The Beatles played two concerts at Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
- Davy Jones & The Lower Third released the single “You've Got a Habit of Leaving”, the last song David Bowie, then still performing under his birth name David Jones, released before changing his name. He made the change to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees. It was also the first of two singles he recorded with The Lower Third after leaving his previous group, The Manish Boys.
- The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and his partner Tony Calder founded Immediate Records. Its first release was “Hang On Sloopy” by The McCoys. Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Nico attended the launch party. The label later became home to The Small Faces, The Nice, Amen Corner and Chris Farlowe, and the young producer and guitarist Jimmy Page also worked with it.
- The Rolling Stones released the single “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” in the U.S.
- Barry McGuire released his version of P. F. Sloan's protest song “Eve Of Destruction”. The song reached No. 1 on the singles charts in Canada, Norway and the US and No. 3 in the UK.
- Barry McGuire's “Eve Of Destruction” and The Lovin' Spoonful's “Do You Believe In Magic” entered the Billboard Hot 100. McGuire's protest song reached No. 1 on September 25, while The Lovin' Spoonful's song reached No. 9 in mid-October.
- “Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire and “Do You Believe In Magic” by The Lovin' Spoonful were released in America. The first song reached No. 1 on September 25, while the second reached No. 9 in mid-October.
- Gary Lewis & the Playboys spent their third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “Save Your Heart For Me”.
- Sonny & Cher returned to No. 1 with “I Got You Babe”. Gary Lewis & the Playboys moved up to No. 2 with “Save Your Heart For Me”, The Beatles jumped from No. 14 to No. 3 with “Help!”, The Beach Boys were at No. 4 with “California Girls” and The Righteous Brothers at No. 5 with “Unchained Melody”. The rest of the Top 10: The Rolling Stones with “Satisfaction” at No. 6, The Four Tops with “It's The Same Old Song” at No. 7, Patty Duke with “Don't Just Stand There” at No. 8, Herman's Hermits with “I'm Henry VIII, I Am” at No. 9 and Billy Joe Royal with “Down In The Boondocks” at No. 10.
- The Lovin' Spoonful released the song “Do You Believe In Magic”.
- The Rolling Stones began a three-week run at No. 1 on the US album chart with “Out Of Our Heads”, their fourth US studio album and the group's first album to reach the top of the US chart. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and knocked “Beatles VI” from the top spot. Its success was helped by songs including “Satisfaction” (#1), “The Last Time” (#9) and “Play With Fire”.
- The Who performed at the Palais in Bournemouth during their seventeen-date UK tour.
- During their North American tour, The Beatles played two concerts at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. Between the performances, Carl Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys visited them in their dressing room.
- Security staff at Granada Television's studio in Manchester used fire hoses against around two hundred screaming teenagers after they broke through security barriers while waiting for The Rolling Stones to arrive. Despite the chaotic atmosphere, the group successfully filmed its television segment, which included a performance of “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”.
- The Beatles held a star-studded party in Beverly Hills, during which John Lennon and George Harrison took LSD for the second time. During the experience, actor Peter Fonda said that he knew what it was like to be dead, which inspired Lennon to write the song „She Said She Said“.
- Erik Dahlgren, drummer of Swedish alternative rock band The Wannadies, was born. The group had the UK hit “You And Me Song” in 1996.
- The Beatles' second feature film “Help!” went into wide theatrical release across North America following its London premiere on July 29 and New York premiere on August 11.
- Sonny & Cher reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “I Got You Babe”, their only UK No. 1. In the same year, the song also topped the charts in Canada, New Zealand and the US. Sonny Bono was inspired when writing the song by the popularity of the word “babe”, which he had heard, for example, in Bob Dylan's “It Ain’t Me Babe”.
- The Beatles performed at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, before a sold-out audience of 35,000 people. Fans paid $5.50 for the highly sought-after tickets.
- The Byrds performed at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.
- Elvis Presley hosted The Beatles at his rented home on Perugia Way in Bel Air, California, during a break in their North American tour. The four-hour meeting included discussions about music and an unrehearsed jam session. The Beatles were initially nervous, but Presley broke the tension. While the musicians were getting acquainted, their managers Colonel Tom Parker and Brian Epstein played pool in the next room. John Lennon later said that without Elvis, The Beatles would have meant nothing.
- Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd was born.
- On the final day of their five-day break during their North American tour, The Beatles visited a recording session by The Byrds and later, at around 10:00 p.m., visited Elvis Presley at his home on Perugia Way in Bel Air, Los Angeles. The meeting was initially somewhat stiff, but Elvis broke the tension by suggesting that they play together, followed by a jam session on Chuck Berry songs. Colonel Tom Parker and Brian Epstein played pool in the meantime. It was The Beatles' only personal meeting with Elvis Presley.
- Billy Joe Royal scored his biggest pop hit when “Down In The Boondocks” climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. He later reached the Top 40 three more times with “I Knew You When”, “I've Got To Be Somebody”, and “Cherry Hill Park”, before finding success on the country charts in the 1980s with twelve Top 40 hits.
- Bob Dylan performed the opening night of his 40-date North American tour at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York. He performed the first set solo, while Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Harvey Brooks, and Al Kooper accompanied him in the second. Dylan performed an acoustic and an electric set, with the electric set also featuring the premiere of “Desolation Row”. Angry fans threw objects onto the stage, some rushed onto it and attempted to pull Al Kooper and Levon Helm from their stools. Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm appeared here for the first time as members of Dylan’s electric backing group. The hostile reaction continued the controversy that had begun at the Newport Folk Festival.
- “Papa's Got A Brand New Bag” became James Brown’s first song to break into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It initially reached No. 10 and climbed to No. 8 the following week. Brown’s “new style” emphasized the first beat, or “one”, creating an unusual and highly effective rhythm.
- Canadian singer Shania Twain, born Eilleen Regina Edwards, was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Her 1997 album “Come On Over” became the best-selling album by a female artist in history across all genres and the best-selling country album of all time, with more than 40 million copies sold worldwide. She won five Grammy Awards and 27 BMI Songwriter Awards. She has sold more than 100 million recordings worldwide and is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
- The Beach Boys’ album “Today!” was released in the United Kingdom.
- “California Girls” reached No. 3 on the US singles chart and later reached No. 26 in the UK. The music for the song was written during Brian Wilson’s first experience with LSD. Wilson recorded the vocals using Columbia’s new eight-track recorder, which allowed Mike Love’s lead vocal to be triple-tracked. “California Girls” was also the first Beach Boys recording to feature Bruce Johnston’s vocals.
- The Rolling Stones announced that Allen Klein, whom they had met three days earlier, would become their manager alongside Andrew Loog Oldham. At the same time, The Rolling Stones signed a five-year recording contract with Decca Records.
- The Rolling Stones performed at Balboa Stadium in San Diego during their US tour before more than 15,000 fans.
- During their US tour, The Beatles performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. Tickets cost $3. The live album "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl", released in May 1977, was compiled from two performances at the Hollywood Bowl in 1964 and this 1965 concert.
- Bob Dylan released the album “Highway 61 Revisited”, which marked his definitive transition to an electric sound. The album included, among others, “Like a Rolling Stone”, which reached No. 2, and the more than eleven-minute song “Desolation Row”.
- The Beatles performed two concerts at Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, during their North American tour, before a total audience of 28,700.