1967 - Child of Clay

"Into the darkness, he was cast by parents who were ignorant ..." 

That line opens Child of Clay, which was written by Ernie Maresca and Jimmy Curtiss. The song was a 1967 hit for Jimmie Rodgers, and it proved to be his last. It was recorded in 1997 by P.J. Proby and Marc Almond, thirty years after Rodgers' version.

The song tells the sad story of a person who went "out into the street at night" to find answers to life's questions. He fell in with people who used him instead of helping him, leading him to a life of "sordid sin". 

I see this as a cautionary tale for parents, in the mode of Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. Here's my take on it:

 

Who is to blame? The Oompa-Loompas claimed to know "... exactly who is to blame -  the mother and the father!" But I'm not so sure. 

Well, we'll move on to the other half of 1967 soon. As I note in the video above, the selection may come as a surprise to some viewers. But I gave one clue in the video, and here's another - I do like quite a few songs from Broadway musicals. 

Please share your memories and favorite songs from 1967 and stay "tuned" to SixtySongs. Thank you!