Additional Coverage:
- 1966 Hit Soft Rock Song, From the Association, Had Producers Lying To Get It Played on the Radio (parade.com)
“Cherish,” a soft rock classic by The Association, first captured listeners’ hearts in 1966, climbing to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and holding that spot for three weeks.
Terry Kirkman, a member of the band, shared with HuffPost some intriguing details about the song’s radio success. In the 1960s, Top 40 AM radio had strict limits on song length-around two minutes and 15 seconds was the sweet spot.
Kirkman explained that his original vision for “Cherish” ran about 3 minutes and 40 seconds, much longer than the typical radio-friendly version. To get airplay, the band not only sped up the tempo during recording but also increased the playback speed afterward.
When that wasn’t quite enough, the producers even misrepresented the song’s length on the label by about 20 seconds. Kirkman humorously noted the confusion this must have caused for radio programmers used to tight formatting.
Another surprising chapter in “Cherish”’s story is its popularity as a wedding song. Despite the lyrics focusing on love lost rather than love triumphant, thousands of couples have embraced it as “their song.” Kirkman found this paradox baffling but speculated that the song’s uplifting tempo might be what made it resonate at weddings.
The Association enjoyed continued success with hits like “Windy” and “Never My Love.” Their contributions to music were recognized when they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003, and later received Rock Justice Awards in 2019.
Terry Kirkman passed away in 2023 at the age of 83, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of soft rock.