January 15, 1967: "Let's Spend Some Time Together"

January 15, 1967: The Ed Sullivan Show is broadcast on CBS. The Rolling Stones were on, and wanted to sing their next single, "Let's Spend the Night Together." Trying to avoid a conflict with the censors, Sullivan's producer, and also his son-in-law, Bob Precht, suggested a slight change: "Let's Spend Some Time Together."

The Stones weren't stupid: They knew Sullivan was a powerful figure in American culture. Even more so, CBS Chairman William S. Paley was. They knew what would happen if they didn't tow the line: Rock star Bob Dylan and comedian Jackie Mason -- in very different ways -- had both crossed the line, and had been banned from the show.

They sang the words Precht demanded, but their anger is obvious on the tape. Drummer Charlie Watts was a stone-faced as ever, not unlike Sullivan himself. Playing piano, Brian Jones looks like he doesn't care, or maybe he was too high on drugs to care. But bass guitarist Bill Wyman was caught on camera rolling his eyes, just half a second after he noticed the camera was on him. Lead guitarist Keith Richards was practically gritting his teeth the whole way.

And lead singer Mick Jagger? He was pissed. Not drunk, like that word means in England, but furious. Instead of an invitation to a good time, this version of the song sounded like a coercion -- on him. Jaw clenched, eyes rolling every time he had to sing the words, "some time," practically spitting the lyrics... Mick was a man used to getting his way, and, this time, he didn't, and he couldn't handle it.

The Stones also sang what was intended to be the B-side of the single, "Ruby Tuesday," with Jones playing the recorder. Since "Let's Spend the Night Together" wasn't played that way on Sullivan, American disc jockeys -- especially those on Paley-owned CBS stations -- treated "Ruby Tuesday" as if it was the intended A-side. It hit Number 1. "Let's Spend the Night Together," while a great-sounding song, only reached Number 55.

But that was as far as punishment went for the Stones. They did appear on Ed Sullivan again, 2 years later, singing "Honky Tonk Women" -- which includes the line, "I laid a divorcee in New York City." Apparently, the censors had no problem with that -- or maybe they just missed it.

Eight months after the Stones changed the lyrics to a hit to avoid punishment, The Doors refused. They wouldn't be so lucky.

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January 15, 1967 was a Sunday. This was also the day of Super Bowl I, in which the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers beat the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. I have a separate entry for that event.

Strangely, with videotape being expensive, CBS taped over their master copy of that game. NBC also broadcast it, and did the same. So we don't have a surviving full broadcast of this landmark sporting event. But because Bob Precht saved as much of The Ed Sullivan Show as he could, we still have the Stones' performance of "Let's Spend Some Time Together," in the bright colors and clear sound of the late 1960s.

There were 4 games played that day in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Chicago Bulls, 131-116 at the Chicago Stadium. This as the Bulls' 1st season of play. Four months later, the Knicks drafted Walt Frazier. Three years later, they finally won their 1st NBA Championship.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics, 110-95 at the Boston Garden. This runaway victory of Wilt Chamberlain and the Sixers over Bill Russell and the C's was a foreshadowing: While they had won the last 8 NBA titles, Boston would lose this year's Eastern Conference Finals to Philadelphia, which would win the title.

* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons, 127-116 at Cobo Hall in Detroit.

* And the St. Louis Hawks beat the San Francisco Warriors, 114-112 at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

This was the last season for the NHL's "Original Six" teams. And all 6 were in action:

* The New York Rangers beat the Detroit Red Wings, 2-0 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit.

* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins, 3-1 at the Boston Garden. So both the Celtics and the Bruins lost at home on the same day; and each, arguably, to their biggest rivals.

* And the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-0 at the Chicago Stadium. So the Stadium hosted both the Bulls and the Hawks on the same day. The Hawks, for the 1st time in their 41-season history, would finish 1st overall in the NHL in the regular season. But the Leafs would beat them in the Stanley Cup Semifinals, and then the Canadiens in the Finals.

And Lisa Velez, later to become the singer Lisa Lisa, was born on this day.