Today in 1966: The Association’s “Cherish” Hits the Hot 100

52 years ago today, The Association’s most durable hit single made its debut on the Hot 100. That’s not to say that it’s your personal favorite, but given how successful it was at the time of its release and how many times it’s been covered over the years, not to mention how much airplay it continues to get even now, you have to admit: it’s pretty darned durable.

Written by Terry Kirkman and produced by Curt Boettcher, “Cherish” wasn’t The Association’s first single (that honor goes to 1965’s “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You”), nor was it their first hit (perhaps you’re familiar with a little ditty called “Along Comes Mary,” which hit #7), but it was their first #1 and it was definitely the song that made them into major stars.

“Cherish” had to be edited slightly before its release as a single, with one of the two “and I do cherish you” lines snipped out in order to keep the track at under three minutes, which was the best way to secure radio play. It still ended up going over three minutes, but Boettcher had a solution to that problem: he just put “3:00” on the single anyway.

With covers by everyone from David Cassidy to Dizzy Gillespie, “Cherish” is unquestionably one of the best known pop songs of the 1960s. Again we say it: that’s pretty darned durable.