Ray Charles earned his second Billboard pop No. 1 with “Hit the Road Jack,” which also reached No. 6 in Britain. Rolling Stone placed it at No. 387 on its 2010 list of the 500 greatest songs.

The BBC banned Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s harmless Halloween novelty “Monster Mash” under a rule against material considered too morbid. After restrictions eased and the single was reissued in 1973, it climbed to No. 3 in Britain.

Bobby Vee recorded “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” at United Recorders in Hollywood. Written by Benjamin Weisman, Dorothy Wayne, and Marilyn Garrett, it later reached No. 3 in both the United States and Britain.

The Rolling Stones canceled a proposed South African tour in accordance with the British Musicians’ Union boycott of segregated audiences. The band did not perform in the country until March 1995, after apartheid had ended.

The Beach Boys recorded “Dance, Dance, Dance” at RCA Victor Studios in Los Angeles with Glen Campbell on guitar. It became the group’s twelfth U.S. Top 40 single, reaching No. 8, and Campbell toured with them from December 1964 into March 1965.

The Beatles’ “Yesterday” led both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox. Although Britain did not receive it as a contemporary single, it won the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song of 1965 and finished second to “Michelle” among the year’s most-performed works.

Top of the Pops refused for the first time to broadcast Britain’s No. 1 single, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s provocative French-language “Je t’aime… moi non plus.” Dropped by Fontana but rescued by Major Minor, it became the first French song to top the UK chart and reached No. 58 in America despite limited radio support.

A&M released the Carpenters’ debut album, Offering, which included their cover of “Ticket to Ride.” The LP initially reached only No. 150 and the single No. 54, but after the duo’s breakthrough the record was reissued under the title Ticket to Ride.

Elvis Presley purchased a prototype 1971 Stutz Blackhawk. A chauffeur crashed it while taking it for a wash the following July, and the stored car was not fully restored until the early 1980s, when headlights from a 1961 Chrysler Imperial were fitted.

John Lennon marked his 31st birthday at Yoko Ono’s first major exhibition, This Is Not Here, at Syracuse’s Everson Art Museum. Ringo Starr, Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, and numerous actors attended.

Polydor issued Cream’s two-record compilation Heavy Cream internationally, combining “White Room,” “Sunshine of Your Love,” “Strange Brew,” and other catalogue tracks. Existing UK compilations limited domestic interest, while the delayed North American release eventually reached No. 135 in 1973.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley finalized their divorce after six and a half years. Priscilla received property, $725,000, $4,200 monthly support for Lisa Marie, half the proceeds from a Los Angeles home, and shares in two publishing companies; the former couple left the Santa Monica courthouse arm in arm and kissed goodbye.

John Lennon celebrated his 35th birthday as Yoko Ono gave birth to their only child, Sean Taro Ono Lennon. The event began Lennon’s five-year withdrawal from the music business to raise Sean at the Dakota before returning in 1980.

Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band topped Billboard and received Gold certification for “A Fifth of Beethoven,” a disco adaptation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The instrumental reached No. 28 in Britain.

The Sex Pistols signed with EMI for £40,000, about $68,000. Three months later the label terminated the contract, halted “Anarchy in the U.K.,” and removed it from the catalogue, saying relentless negative publicity had made the band impossible to promote.

On what would have been John Lennon’s 45th birthday, Yoko Ono dedicated Strawberry Fields, a two-and-a-half-acre Central Park memorial opposite the Dakota. Fans continue to gather at its West 72nd Street entrance to remember Lennon and sing his music.

Elton John, David Lee Roth, and Cher appeared on the premiere of Joan Rivers’s Late Show, with Rivers joining Elton for “The Bitch Is Back.” Her decision to launch the program without informing Johnny Carson, whose Tonight Show she regularly guest-hosted, permanently ended their friendship.

Columbia released Bruce Springsteen’s eighth studio album, Tunnel of Love. Though several E Street Band members contributed, Springsteen played most parts himself using synthesizers and drum machines; the LP topped the U.S. and UK charts and made the Top 10 in fourteen other countries.

Rockabilly guitarist Cliff Gallup died from a heart attack at 58. He played on Gene Vincent’s “Be-Bop-A-Lula” but left the Blue Caps in 1956 to avoid touring and later became a school-system maintenance and transportation director; at his family’s request, local obituaries omitted his musical career.

Apple Computer settled its name-and-logo dispute with the Beatles’ Apple Corps for a reported $26.5 million. Apple Corps retained exclusive use for creative works centered on music, while the computer company could use Apple branding for technology provided it did not package or distribute physical music.

Mark David Chapman was denied parole for a second time on what would have been John Lennon’s 62nd birthday. After 22 years in custody, the board cited the crime’s extreme violence and public-safety concerns despite Chapman’s acceptable prison conduct.

George Harrison’s solo catalogue arrived on iTunes, making him the last Beatle to authorize his individual work for digital sale. Nine albums appeared initially, while the Beatles’ group recordings remained unavailable online until 2010.

Madonna altered “I Love New York” during a Madison Square Garden concert to deliver a confrontational line about Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. After widespread reporting, she said the wording was political metaphor rather than a literal threat.

Longtime vegetarian Paul McCartney objected when a Liverpool McDonald’s displayed his photograph, accusing the chain of using his image to attract diners. After his spokesman publicly condemned the promotion, the restaurant removed the pictures.

Three surviving Quarrymen performed an Amnesty International benefit near John Lennon’s former Dakota home for his 70th birthday. The New York concert concluded a 21-day American tour and included guest folk legend Pete Seeger.

Paul McCartney surprised 400 students at New York’s Frank Sinatra School of the Arts with a thirteen-song set mixing new material, Beatles songs, and Wings classics. He opened with “Eight Days a Week” after joking that the event was better than going to class.

Don Henley sued Duluth Trading over an email advertisement using the pun “Don a Henley and take it easy” to sell Henley shirts. The trademark and publicity-rights dispute ended the following April with a settlement and a company apology.

RIAA midyear figures showed vinyl revenue rising 52.1 percent to more than $221 million. CD volume fell 27.6 percent to just over 41 million units, while CD revenue dropped more than 30 percent from $722 million to nearly $495 million.