Music of the Class of 1970 and The Grinnell Girls

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Music of the Class of 1970

The girls of the Grinnell High School class of 1970 have recently been reconnecting through Classmates.com and Facebook. Our 40 year class reunion already took place this year in August but someone thought it would be fun if we had a get together of just the girls, The Grinnell Girls of the Class of 1970. The reunion is planned for October 2010 in Grinnell, Iowa. We are currently filling out a questionnaire about what we've been doing for the last 40 years. Those will be fun to read when they are compiled and distributed. This page is intended as a gift to the "Grinnell Girls." A little trip down memory lane featuring memories of our high school years, set to the music that we listened to.

The music that gets etched in our memories seems to be the music from our high school years. Who doesn't hear a song from that era and not have a flood of memories about where you were, what you were doing, and who you were with? Keep reading for memories, photos, and music from 1968, 1969 and 1970!

Beginning High School 1968

Lowly Sophomores

In Grinnell we attended Junior High for grades 7, 8 and 9, so when we started high school in the fall of 1968 we were lowly sophomores. Some of my memories from that year include working on the Sophomore float for the homecoming parade. I don't remember what our float was but I remember the excitement of it all.

There were momentous events occurring in the world this year and I do remember hearing about most of them but this was not front and center for me at the time.

Top 10 Hits of 1968

From The Musicradio WABC

There were a lot of great songs in 1968 but these were the top 10. So much excitement this year. "Love is Blue" reminds me of French class and Mr. Tony. Remember when we listened to "Love is Blue" by Claudine Longet in French?
I'm voting for "Beautiful Morning" by The Rascals. We saw the Rascals in an outdoor concert in Reno, NV several years ago. They threw guitar picks to us because we seemed to be the only ones in the crowd that knew the words to all the songs. Our kids were with us and we all had a great time!

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Some top hits of 1968

What we were listening to in 1968

Light My Fire.............................The Doors
Hey Jude...................................The Beatles
People Got to Be Free..............The Rascals
This Guy's In Love With You.....Herb Alpert
Love is Blue..............................Paul Mauriat
The Beatles-Hey Jude
by AllTheLoveGoneBlack | video info

36,815 ratings | 10,191,751 views
curated content from YouTube

More top hits of 1968

Which of these 1968 hits is your favorite?

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More Music from 1968

Big Hits from 1968

Born to be Wild............Steppenwolf
Cry Like a Baby...........The Box Tops
Honey..........................Bobby Goldsboro
Love Child...................Diana Ross and the Supremes
Stoned Soul Picnic......The Fifth Dimension
Steppenwolf - Born to be wild 1969
by fritz51139 | video info

22,286 ratings | 5,547,779 views
curated content from YouTube

Cost of Living in 1968

How Much Things Cost in 1968

Yearly Inflation Rate USA 4.27%
Year End Dow Jones Industrial Average 943
Average Cost of new house $14,950.00
Average Income per year $7,850.00
Average Monthly Rent $130.00
Gas per Gallon 34 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,822.00
Movie Ticket$1.50
The Federal Hourly Minimum Wage is $1.60 an hour

Source: Cost of Living in 1968

History Highlights of 1968

Many important things happened in 1968

Anti Vietnam War protests throughout the western world
North Vietnam and Viet Cong troops launch the Tet offensive
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Leader of Negro Civil Rights Movement
Following the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968
Dutch Elm Disease continues to increase with tens of thousands of trees now destroyed
China celebrates 20 years of communist rule by Mao Tse-tung
Senator Robert Kennedy is assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles
Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy marry
The Soviet Union invades Czechoslovakia
The Aswan Dam in Egypt is completed
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is dedicated

Source: History Highlights of 1968

Top 10 Hits of 1969

According to Music Radio WABC

I like a lot of these songs. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In reminds me of the show the choirs put on. Maybe someone will remember the name of our choir director. His name is escaping me right now. We sang that song and had a dance to go with it. Remember those shows in the high school gym?
I'm voting for "Touch Me" by Jim Morrison and the Doors. I still love their music! Lots of memories there! I remember detasseling corn and listening to the Doors on our lunch break.

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Song Hits from 1969

The Soundtrack of our HIgh School Years.

Touch Me............................The Doors
Build Me Up Buttercup........The Foundations
Sugar, Sugar.......................The Archies
Hair......................................The Cowsills
Dizzy....................................Tommy Roe
The Doors - Touch Me
by Misfit52687138 | video info

60,269 ratings | 26,948,255 views
curated content from YouTube

More Top Hits of 1969

Vote for your favorite song from 1969

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More Music from 1969

Click on an image to play a song

One...............................................................Three Dog Night
I Can't Get Next To You................................The Temptations
Everyday People...........................................Sly and the Family Stone
Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet.............Henri Mancini
Spinning Wheel.............................................Blood Sweat and Tears
Henry Mancini - Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet
by DocReepery | video info

1,363 ratings | 847,250 views
curated content from YouTube

Cost of Living in 1969

Amazing prices in 1969

Yearly Inflation Rate USA 5.46 %
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.6%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 800
Average Cost of new house $15,550.00
Average Income per year $8,550.00
Average Monthly Rent $135.00
Average Cost New Car $3,270.00
Toyota Corona $1,950.00
Gas per Gallon 35 cents
Alarm Clock from Westclox $9.98

Source: Cost of Living in 1969

History Highlights of 1969

Man Walked on the Moon in 1969

Richard Nixon becomes President of the United States
250,000 march on Washington in protest at the Vietnam War
The first man is landed on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission by the United States and Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. and the famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." will become part of our history
Charles "Pete" Conrad and Alan Bean of Apollo 12 land on the Moon to become the second set of American astronauts to walk on the moons surface.
Golda Meir of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, becomes Prime Minister of Israel
The US institutes the draft lottery to determine draft into US Forces for Vietnam War
The very first U.S. troop withdrawals are made from Vietnam
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Established
Chappaquiddick Affair Senator Edward Kennedy driving a car plunges into a pond and a body of a woman passenger is found in the car
Members of a cult led by Charles Manson murder five people
Woodstock attracts more than 350,000 rock-n-roll fans

Source: History Highlights of 1969

Grinnell High School Hoodie

Orange and Black!

Top Hits of 1970

From Music Radio WABC

This was our last year of high school. None of these songs really sum up that year for me. It was a year of big changes. Leaving high school, going out into the world, some to college, some to work, military or marriage. We were leaving old friends and making new ones. I'm voting for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" just because I really like that song and I liked Simon and Garfunkel.

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Top Songs of 1970

What we listened to in 1970

Let it Be......................................The Beatles
Close To You..............................The Carpenters
Bridge Over Troubled Waters.....Simon and Garfunkel
Signed Sealed Delivered............Stevie Wonder
War.............................................Edwin Starr
Stevie Wonder- Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours
by faithk123 | video info

7,964 ratings | 3,902,536 views
curated content from YouTube

More top hits of 1970

According to WABC music Radio

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More 1970 Hits

Click on any of the images to play a song

Spirit in the Sky................................Norman Greenbaum
Close To You....................................The Carpenters
Cracklin' Rosie.................................Neil Diamond
I Want You Back...............................Jackson Five
Which Way You Goin' Billy?.............The Poppy Family
We've Only Just Begun -- Carpenters
by AKindOfHush | video info

199 ratings | 74,461 views
curated content from YouTube

Cost of Living in 1970

What did things cost back then?

Yearly Inflation Rate USA 5.84%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.9%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 838
Average Cost of new house $23,450.00
Average Income per year $9,400.00
Average Monthly Rent $140.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 36 cents
Shaefer Pen $9.95
United States postage Stamp 6 cents
Sports Illustrated 15 cents
Mans Westclox Watch $18.00
AMC Gremlin $1879

Source: Cost of Living in 1970

History Highlights of 1970

Still a lot of upheaval in the land

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations
Paul McCartney announces that the Beatles have disbanded
First Earth Day celebrated
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) begins operation
US increases import duty taxes to protect American Jobs
US Invades Cambodia
100,000 people demonstrate in Washington DC against the Vietnam War
The World's Population reaches 3.63 billion
The US Population reaches 205 million
The US and the UK lowers the voting age to 18 from 21
National Guards fire on and kill 4 protesters on May 4th at Kent State University

Source: History Highlights of 1970

The Grinnell Girls Gallery (Grinnell Guys too!)

Grinnell Girls, GHS Class of 1970

Grinnell Girls, email me a photo. It can be your senior picture or a fun photo from high school. Also send me your favorite song from the era or a favorite high school memory, or both! This will be our gallery! Anyone from the Class of 1970 who wants to send me a picture will be included here. Guys too!

Grinnell Tigers in the Blogs

Second half dooms Cards in 3-1 loss at Grinnell
Ann Menner scored two goals against the Cardinals, the first tying the game at 1-1 and the second giving Grinnell the lead for good, while Kate made nine saves in goal to power the Tigers to a 3-1 victory on a breezy evening at Ahrens Park.
SPORTS SHORTS: UNI's Romero sets MVC shot put record
GRINNELL - South Tama/East Marshall dropped a 3-0 contest to Grinnell in Class 2A regional girls' soccer on Thursday. The Tigers led 1-0 at the half after scoring on a rebound 7 minutes in. Grinnell tacked on goals in the 51st and 68th minutes for the ...
Lakeland/Panas Returns to Class A Lacrosse Final
?We wanted to get back to the final, and everyone stepped up.? Bozek finished with four goals and three assists, and Molly Fitzpatrick added a hat trick and two assists. Corbin netted three goals, and Katherine Grinnell added two scores for the Tigers.
Daily Sports Digest: Mamaroneck LAX Prevails Over Edgemont
Katherine Grinnell, Kayla Robinson, and Meaghan Fitzgerald each scored three goals for the Tigers and Abby Baigelman had two goals and two assists in the win. Edgemont's Carly Citron led all scorers with five goals and Gabby Susz scored three in the ...

Grinnell High School Class of 1970

The Music of our High School Years

What music brings back high school memories for you?

  • Greekgeek Jul 19, 2011 @ 2:34 pm | delete
    I love all this music, but I was born in '71. Oops! (My parents weaned me on Simon & Garfunkel, Joan Baez, the Beatles and the Mamas & the Papas.)
  • GrowWear Jul 19, 2011 @ 2:33 pm | delete
    We could own multiple homes at 1968 prices--which will never happen. Thank goodness the music is pretty permanent. :)
  • Waxing-Lyrical Jul 19, 2011 @ 1:04 am | delete
    Tough choices in your song polls as there were several of my favourites listed. Looks like you had a fun reunion :)
  • CruiseReady Jul 17, 2011 @ 6:06 pm | delete
    Well, I had a bit of a time selecting my favorite songs from those lists. In almost every one of them there were two that I really liked, and that brought back memories. It was hard to choose@
  • Susan52 Jul 17, 2011 @ 12:46 pm | delete
    Very fun to re-visit this lens. Hot, summer days makes me think of school vacations when I had more time to listen to the radio and so many of these wonderful songs!
  • MediaMom Apr 5, 2011 @ 11:01 pm | delete
    Looks like a fun reunion!
  • Sep 19, 2010 @ 10:45 pm | delete
    I love the way you did this lens and shared the cost of living for each year along with the most popular music. Great presentation and enjoyable to go through!
    I just finished my music lens quest, too. It's: http://www.squidoo.com/musichealing
  • stargazer00 Sep 19, 2010 @ 11:23 pm | delete
    Thank you! It was a fun lens to do. A trip down memory lane for sure!
  • tandemonimom Sep 19, 2010 @ 7:48 am | delete
    PS Quick return to lensroll this to Donny, Maria, the Osmonds.
  • tandemonimom Sep 19, 2010 @ 7:44 am | delete
    I was 5 in 1970, but I know almost all of these songs and love many of them! What a great idea for an online reunion page!
  • PatinKC Sep 18, 2010 @ 2:59 am | delete
    That was fun voting for fav songs and seeing how others voted. Fun lens.
  • pkmcr Sep 18, 2010 @ 2:20 am | delete
    Some wonderful music! Thanks for putting together such a lovely lens - blessed by a passing Squid Angel as they go humming on their way :-)
  • stargazer00 Sep 18, 2010 @ 2:34 am | delete
    Thank you Paul!
  • Treasures-By-Brenda Sep 17, 2010 @ 10:26 am | delete
    Great job! Here's to the class reunion of 2010!
  • Susan52 Sep 17, 2010 @ 7:26 am | delete
    Oh, it was definitely hard to pick just one song. I'm from the class of 1970 too, so many of your memories are my memories! Ah, nostalgia!
  • Joan4 Sep 17, 2010 @ 5:22 am | delete
    Fun Fun Fun! I loved voting for my favorites, but sometimes had a hard time picking just one song. I enjoyed my memories from those years, too - young marrieds, new baby, such exciting times.

by

stargazer00

Hello and welcome! I am a wife and a mother of three grown sons, and I am one of the "Grinnell Girls." The girls of the Grinnell High School class of... more »

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