INSIDE THE REACTION!| FIRST TIME HEARING The Cowsills - Hair REACTION With Tim Sommer

[@ddowdell]

The Cowsills!!!! I grew up loving their music. I especially love "The Rain The Park And Other Things" done by them.

[@db4982]

Same here!

[@garyzink1927]

Amen, still one of my fav songs ever! I've also been in love with Susan since the 60's! Peace from Northern Michigan!

[@rff2552]

That was the 1st 78 record I ever owned

[@ddowdell]

@@garyzink1927 I was also in love with Susan, even though I was a few years younger than her. She still has an awesome voice after all of these years.

[@KJ-4321]

Yes! They still perform and I met them…they are super nice! Susan took our phone & took a selfie of us with her! 😀 It would be awesome if you would have them on here for another one of their songs! “The rain, the park & other things” .. “Indian Lake” amazing songs! 😀

[@aboutclassicalmusic5715]

You should ask The Cowsills be special guests in your show. They are so nice and kind.

[@edkrause7848]

"Hair" a must see movie for Rob Squad Movie Reactions.

[@bjdefilippo447]

Absolutely!

[@filifolia]

The whole soundtrack is amazing ❤

[@loritajohnson5664]

Yes, I've recommended several times in the past as well!

[@Zebred2001]

Interesting that the movie Hair was released in 1979 - firmly in the Disco era!

[@usmc-veteran73-77]

Thank you for this video. So many memories. The Cowsills are so talented. And still performing today.

[@mariamsmith6188]

And, not to be missed is the musical Hair... all the music is great!

[@skaniac]

I went to school with John and Susan Cowsill...they were in my sister and brother's class, respectively....we used to sit on their lawn and listen to them practice on Mason Hill in Newport when I was a young kid....great times!

[@Pushindazees]

What a TREAT!!!! We've been begging you guys to check out the Cowsills forever!!! Next: The Rain, The Park, and Other Things!!! The real story of their family is so interesting too.

[@randytaylor1406]

Yes! I love The Rain, The Park, and Other Things.

[@gerardcote8391]

Me too must have made 50 request for this song in the last 3 years. Glad to see they finally got to them.

[@mamaasaiz]

It's great to see you, Tim... thank you for the interview! The Cowsills were a wonderful group - check out "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things" and "I Love The Flower Girl".

[@Yaktahbay]

Was there a song called "I Love The Flower Girl"?

[@mamaasaiz]

@@Yaktahbay I am pretty sure that was the name... fun song, and a great performance.

[@jfree336]

@@YaktahbayThe Rain The Park and Other Things was the name.

[@sharonarenas6842]

Yeah all one song, the rain the park and other thingd

[@bobsmythe1439]

that's the same song. "The rain, the park, and other things (The Flower Girl)" it's my favorite of theirs.

[@justajo2]

That does it. You guys gotta do ALL the Cowsills now! The coolest bunch of singers EVER! Do it!!!

[@RobertSmith-iw2kb]

They did have some cool songs for that fertile 😊era..

[@richardkint6531]

Another great song from the musical Hair was "Easy To Be Hard" covered by Three Dog Night.

[@SpuzzyLargo]

There were four hit records of songs from the Broadway musical HAIR: this song, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by the Fifth Dimension (which you guys have reacted to), "Easy to Be Hard" by Three Dog Night, and "Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver.

[@bjdefilippo447]

I'm hoping they'll watch it. Such a great soundtrack!

[@bernardsalvatore1929]

​@@bjdefilippo447yes I am going to have to second that emotion😅 they DEFINITELY should watch the movie but those other TWO hit songs from the play hair or the movie hair are AWESOME choices definitely!!!

[@johnsilva9139]

Jay and Amber seemed unaware that this was from a Broadway musical of the same name. Four hit songs from one musical is pretty damn good I believe there were something like 30 songs in the whole show. Hope they watch the movie.

[@lindazee]

There's one more that I believe had been recorded: "Where Do I Go". I vaguely remember it being played on the radio but can't recall by whom.

[@wynnitely3173]

​@@lindazee- it was from the movie not the Broadway production.

[@Wasted_Talent007]

Man! I used to sing this song, "Hair", word for word to the radio. I love, love, love this tune. Especially the one brief chorus break that had that gospel feel. "Indian Lake" was another of my favorites by The Cowsills. I knew that one word for word as well.

[@blade3184]

For many years now, The Cowsills have been the opening act on the annual summer Happy Together Tour which features artists from the 60's and 70's. I'm going to see them in June.

[@Rainbow-yh6ov]

I saw the Broadway musical Hair when I was 10 years old. The ticket lady looked at my parents like they were nuts because of the nature of the theme. There’s lots of humor and brilliant musical numbers, but it has a very serious undertone of the Vietnam war, which at the time was such a huge part of the culture regarding kids and the draft of 18 year olds going to war for nothing. Plus, there was a super brief nude moment in the show! The funny thing about seeing it that young was that I was completely unaware of the sexual choreography, etc. I just thought it was the coolest thing EVER! I still love it every song!! Watch the movie if you didn’t get a chance to see the play

[@jimgreen2080]

I've known Tim for 40 years, and it's delightful to see him in your reactions videos--he's absolutely perfect as a musical mentor. The only issue about getting the Cowsills to guest in a video is that it might be tough to get them in one place if they are not on tour, but how wonderful it would be to have them talk about "The Rain, the Park and Other Things."

[@RobChilds-gl2wp]

The story I heard is that, at some point during Hair's Broadway run, there were two cast members, part of the chorus, who became friends during the show. Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman!

[@Jude_196]

He's just SO KNOWLEDGEABLE!!!

[@shyman99]

Not quite. The configuration of the Cowsills bared no resemblance to the Partridge Family.

[@seiraeiramasil2302]

@@shyman99 Well, I guess that's a good thing, because if the creators of The Partridge Family were to make that family too close to resembling The Cowsills, when as it was, The Partridge Family was a family band that included THEIR mother, then they could've been looking at a law suit, after all The Cowsills declined their offer, after they said they didn't want their mom to be part of the show, they would've needed their consent to be able to create an exact resemblance.

[@jethro1963]

I'm not sure if it was Bob Claver but I heard the people from The Partridge Family auditioned the family and the only one they thought they could use was Susan. Any appearance I've seen of them back in the day they were kinda different. The home life might not have been too great.

[@lynnreese2152]

@@shyman99 there was actually quite a resemblance-- a singing mom, youngest girl playing tambourine, two youngest boys on bass and drums. The only difference was the second oldest was a girl instead of a boy. And an extra kid. They even dressed the same

[@bobmorgan1575]

This was our anthem when I was High School. Try out "Indian Lake" sometime. It's not PC, but it's fun.

[@cog4life]

Love it!!

[@richardmartin9565]

I saw The Cowsills play in our local gym around 1968. It was a big event since no famous bands ever came to our town.

[@fuiplu]

Indian Lake is my favorite

[@VickiCampbell-1216]

YAYYY!!! I'm thrilled you did The Cowsills!! "The Rain The Park and Other Things" (AKA "The Flowergirl" song) was one of their biggest hits. "Indian Lake" is another. This family had a pretty difficult life b/c of their controlling father. 7 kids!! Brother Barry, (bass player), died in Katrina, (the flood). So sad. I LOVE The Cowsills and so happy Susan, Paul & Bob still tour.

[@joankisloski6972]

Now you should watch the movie "Hair" 1979 anti-war comedy-drama. A young Oklahoma farm boy on his way to enlist in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, meets up with a group of Hippies in Central Park.

[@jannigirl]

The COWSILLS....I have loved them since the beginning of their time. They are still on my play list!! YAY YAY The main Cowsill song that brought them to our hearts and souls The Rain The Park and Other Thing. A few more to consider We Can Fly, Poor Baby, anything on their original albums so hard to pick because I am such a super fan still and never heard a bad song!

[@gkiferonhs]

How wonderful to hear this again!! For a good day-brightener listen to the Cowsills "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things"

[@jdw5678]

Yes, the rock musical "Hair" was a huge pop culture phenomenon in 1969, along with the Woodstock music festival. (There's a recording of the Woodstock attendees singing "Let the Sunshine In" from "Hair" in the rain on Sunday morning.) Someone else has listed the other hit songs from the musical, including "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (5th Dimension), "Easy To Be Hard" (Three Dog Night), and "Good Morning Starshine" (Oliver).

[@suzanneballou97]

You got to remember that the 60s gave us the biggest changes in fashion and hairstyles than any other decade. I remember watching the Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. My whole family laughed at how long their hair was.

[@MrSteveLoucks]

Love that you got a great education on the Cowsills and Hair, as well as how the Cowsills inspired the fictional TV family of the Partridge Family. One thing your guest didn’t mention was that the Fifth Dimension’s Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine is also from the musical Hair. In fact, Donna Summer and Diane Keaton are among those who got their show business starts in the cast of the musical.

[@jimcars6571]

I hung with Billy Cowsills in Calgary where he past away and he told me that story about the TV deal many times

[@brucelawrence4243]

I remember also hearing their song Indian Lake on the radio. Loved their songs. Sadly Barry Cowsill that played Bass in the group died during hurricane Katrina.

[@mariamsmith6188]

I sing this to one of my cats, he loves it!

[@magneto7930]

Well, a lot of us have been requesting The Rain, the Park, and Other Things Things by the Cowsills. Hopefully, you can get to that next! That's really the one you should have started with.

[@chrisharris7931]

The Cowsills had amazing harmonies and were an incredibly talented band. So many great songs by them in such a short span.

[@Jude_196]

HOOOOOOOORAY!!!! THIS was one of my FAVORITE SONGS - My Mom got SICK, to DEATH, of me running around the house, singing it at the top of my lungs, word-for-WORD!! THANKS, TIM, for being on INSIDE THE REACTION!! We're SO HAPPY to SEE YOU and HEAR from YOU!!! :) HUGS! THANKS, JAY & AMBER!!! THIS is SO AWESOME!! MADE MY WEEK!❤❤❤❤❤

[@curiousman1672]

Robert, Paul, Susan, and John Cowsill are still going strong. Trivia: John Cowsill has been married to the lead guitarist of "The Bangles", Vicki Peterson, for over 20 years. He also just finished a 10+ year stint of The Beach Boys drummer. They do a lot of 60''s/70's concerts and cruises. Very nice, very cool people. Podcasters too.

[@tombeyerlein3813]

Actually, John was in the Beach Boys for 22 years! He and Vicki are now working on an album of songs originally written by Bill and Barry. Can't wait for that!

[@catw6998]

@@tombeyerlein3813Did John and Vickie have any kids? I think I heard Paul did. I’m not sure if the other ones did.

[@tombeyerlein3813]

@catw6998, I don't believe John and Vicki have children. Not sure about Richard, the non-performing brother, but Bill, Bob, Barry, Paul and Susan all have kids. Sons of Bob and Paul tour with the Cowsills now.

[@christinewaide5249]

The Cowsills are the best. ❤

[@bobpat56]

Amber will especially enjoy the Cowsills singing "The Rain, The Park & Other Things."

[@BonnieFindlay]

AGREE!

[@luckyskittles5007]

HAIR was a long running award winning Broadway musical about the draft and the Vietnam War. I happened to see it on Broadway with the original cast. It was a trip.

[@SCVIndy]

Hugely popular AM radio song .. still on my playlist

[@jcdvt1]

I saw the Cowsills last year at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. They were still great!

[@staffsblue3812]

You have to get The Cowsills, Bob, Paul, Susan... and maybe even John on the show. What a story these guys will tell.

[@rogerdodger6025]

They would do it too.

[@Appliance-Advice]

I grew up on the Cowsills. Loved Hair also grew up on the Partridge family. Great memories.

[@randallcastillo2179]

I was 12 yrs old and loved this song til today 67 yrs old.

[@mrnosaj71]

I remember this song from Hair the musical. Fantastic seeing and hearing this for the first time!🐱

[@JoeLiptock]

Cowsills are still going strong!!

[@travis4863]

My favorite musical. Hands down.

[@cog4life]

Still know all the words to Hair! Loved the first time I heard it way back in the day!

[@dow311]

Newport, Rhode Island is so much fun. Tons of shops, restaurants, beautiful homes to tour. You be surprised.

[@SoloArt8250]

I just love the history man…❤

[@frankb4517]

Hey hey Guys, I’m here for getting more Cowsills content. Any members live would be absolutely amazing.

[@michaeldowson6988]

I remember going to see the musical Hair in 1970(way off Broadway). It was an eye opener for a 15 year old.The finale had the whole cast on stage naked. Years later I saw Billy Cowsill & his band in a club. That was a great show!

[@kkampy4052]

This is the song that reflects the 60-70's.

[@gregt2141]

You're gonna want to check out the Cowsills "Poor Baby". The harmonies are amazing!

[@57doodoo]

I like that song too. Another good one of theirs is "In Need Of A Friend".

[@johnandrews3151]

The Rain, The Park And Other Things REMASTERED😮😊

[@doplinger1]

Thanks for being on Tim! It’s great to get stories like this from those that were there, and such a great suggestion (second only to “ The Rain, The Park And Other Things”, imo)

[@chipdamutt108]

My mom got to meet them in the 60s when they were performing in my area and she worked at a local radio station. I was so jealous as I loved their music!

[@200beluga]

"The Rain The Park And Other Things" my favourite.

[@JayyeStone]

Great reaction. Great guest. Groovy music!

[@keymack2477]

"The Rain The Park And Other Things" - An absolute MUST for Amber!! If a member of the group wants to react to it with you. like Tim did here, that would be fabulous! But either way, react to it SOON!!

[@kevinhouse4376]

The Cowsills are survivors as they came from a dysfunctional family with an abusive dad. Sadly, the very talented oldest son Bill had issues with substance abuse and died at age 58 (he performed in the Canadian band Blue Northern later in his life), and son Barry died at age 50 after refusing to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina. There is a fascinating 2011 documentary about The Cowsills titled "Family Band" that was made with the family's cooperation. Bob, Paul and Susan still tour at oldies shows, county fairs, etc.

[@howardhales6325]

Don't forget John, who was the drummer for the Beach Boys for several years.

[@tombeyerlein3813]

John was a Beach Boys member for a long time -- more than 20 years, I believe.

[@6916dog]

Billy's band was the Blue Shadows, based out of Vancouver. He then moved to Calgary and formed the Co-Dependants. He had to deal with several health issues including emphysema and osteoporosis. He passed in 2006. He was very highly respected and loved by all of his fans. His music was noteworthy for the great harmonies. He played with the best musicians, wrote and recorded several outstanding albums. He is sorely missed and for those of us that got to see him live, we were blessed

[@capriced22]

@@tombeyerlein3813 John is married to Vicki Peterson from the Bangles...

[@johnsilva9139]

@@capriced22 Wow! Thanks for that info.

[@ronaldbrown8792]

I am 74 and love this song. If it is playing, I am singing. Oh yes, I am bald.

[@user-or1ye3iz6d]

My ex husband (who is still my friend) said he used to play with the Cowsills when he was a little boy, when they were all kids). 🙂

[@rogerdodger6025]

"The Rain the Park and Other Things" by the Cowsills is a song Amber will love!!!

[@dianerolleri5121]

Another great song from Hair covered by Three Dog Night is Easy to be Hard. Awesome emotional song. Hello from sunny Florida 🌞

[@firedoc5]

Love the Cowsills. So many of their songs bring back so many memories of my youth. And of course, what young boy didn't crush on Susan? LOL They are truly a musically gifted family and wish I could see them now.

[@garyhenson9916]

"The Rain The Park And Other Things" is my favorite song of theirs.

[@hawkeyegeorge]

This has been my go to karaoke song for years. Love it!

[@Treky64]

MORE COWSILS PLEASE!

[@southernwanderer7912]

When I was a kid, I thought this was the best song on the radio. My father made a homemade 8-track tape that contained this song with many others from the period. We kids listened to it every night when drifting off to sleep.

[@mdunawaym]

I loved this song as a kid...still do!

[@bobb9541]

Oh the good memories this brought back. Thank you.

[@LOKISlog7]

See their performance on live tv of "Flower Girl" ( Marilyn Dennis Show)

[@otter3095]

The Rain, The Park, and Other Things👍🏻🔥👍🏻

[@howardhales6325]

I love the flower girls.

[@kv99990]

This song make my hair stand up . . . awesome in so many ways!

[@j7286]

Jay and Amber, you have done other songs from the Hair musical. Aquarius and Let the Sunshine In, covered by the 5th Dimension. And Good Morning Starshine covered by Oliver.

[@richarddaugherty8583]

My personal anthem!!! I love this song. I'm now 68 and my hair is still long! What makes this song even better, that Tim didn't mention, is that The Cowsills had an image that was about as square as one could get in those days. That was not their real hair. Rain, The Park, and Everything is one of their big hits, along with Indian Lake. It turns out they didn't like Indian Lake very much until they found out that Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys really liked it. There's a composite video of the band performing Rain, the Park, and Everything and little Susan Cowsill must have been all of 9 years old in a Peter Pan collared blouse just as cute as a button. The composite part is that they used video from different performances with one audio track. Susan Cowsill is now 64 years old!

[@pamyaccarino7838]

You guys absolutely have to watch Hair the musical!! You will love it ❤❤

[@kbob1163]

1969 saw at least four top 10 hits from the musical "Hair." This appears to be the third one you've listened to, since The 5th Dimension's "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" and Oliver's "Good Morning Starshine" also came from this musical. Another one you might want to check out is Three Dog Night's "Easy To Be Hard."

[@billverno6170]

‘Bye Bye Birdie’ was on Broadway in the early sixties, several years before ‘Hair’. It featured Broadway-Rock songs and electric guitars although the show itself was traditional Broadway musical.

[@markbellamy349]

Ah, SO glad you played this one! The Cowsills are an overlooked and underappreciated band. Sadly two of the siblings have passed but the Cowsills are still out there doing it and they sound great! I just saw them at our state fair and they were great.

[@cojaysea]

Oh how I loved that song and also the rain the park and other things . So 60,s !

[@tombeyerlein3813]

The Cowsills came out with a new album fairly recently, called Rhythm of the World. They are very much still active. And amazingly their voices are still great.

[@RiaVersteeg]

Hair was the first musical I went too!

[@dshaak1]

This song has always made me smile! : )

[@paulwalker9421]

Glad you did this, now you know about The Cowsills .We would love to see your reaction to" The Rain The Park And Other Things "(' Flower Girl")." Indian Lake" is another. thank you!

[@JayT-o7s]

"The Rain, The Park, and Other Things" is a MUST listen to song. Very "Flower Power" sound of the late 60s that Amber will enjoy.

[@markoliver630]

The Cowsills are a very talented family !

[@d2d2d28]

Totally informative! Really enjoyed this presenter.

[@pvdogs2]

Love their song 'The Rain, the Park and Other Things'.

[@maryatsina8023]

At the time, long hair, especially in males, was a controversial social statement. The early hippie movement included a back to the land tribalism that followed an American Indian type value system that included long hair. (By the way, when the native children were taken to boarding schools, one of the first things that happened was that their hair was cut. Still an issue today in some places.) Long hair became a symbol of the love of freedom and a statement for peace to end the Vietnam war. "Long haired hippies" were not welcome everywhere. Some folks commenting here may remember the Billy Jack series that showcased some of the issues. Still, for me looking back, though we have so many of the same issues now as back then, it was a happier much more hopeful time. I miss that.

[@juliewilson6385]

The Rain The Park and Other Things, Path of Love, Indian Lake, we Can Fly and IIx II. All great songs

[@kellyhilton2330]

Great review! Indian lake is a fun song from the cowsills! Thanks ❤️

[@rff2552]

I love The Rain, The Park, and Other Things by The Cowsills

[@donnaj1964]

Imagine starting a band with your brothers in the 60’s, then having your father force you to have your sister & mom in the group & then kick out a brother. Their father was awful. Hair was amazing & a huge hit. Remember it was the 1968. I love The rain, the park & other things. Awesome & big hit!

[@sourisvoleur4854]

Pushy fathers seem to show up in a lot of musical families, like the Jacksons and the Beach Boys.

[@richardfamous6466]

Their sister was the most talented of all

[@TREMERE1]

Favorite song...We Can Fly

[@christinewaide5249]

I know that watching the video makes it look silly. But if you listened to it first without watching it..the song is soooo cool!

[@tom587]

Just 1 of numerous hits from "Hair", the Broadway musical which was very controversial. It featured full frontal nudity, was anti-war and had a sequence where one of the hippies rolls around on a US flag which made many in the audience get up and walk out! I saw the original cast (among them future star Diane Keaton) and the show was dynamic and damn good. Revived a few times but a really nice version in NY's Delacorte Theater in Central Park was lots of fun. The movie is not the same as the play, nor as good and the revivals don't really have the same context because there's no war or draft to make the story as compelling as it was when originally released. But still great to hear the Cowsills do their thing.

[@AwjwJiminez]

The Rain the Park and Other Things is definitely their biggest hit!

[@shirleydurr411]

Not only should you listen to more Cowsills. You gotta have Tim Sommer back.

[@SamHerold]

This is out of one of my all-time favorite movies hair. Based on the play. If you can watch it on your other channel, you will hear lots of songs that you have reacted to on this channel. It would fit perfectly into your Rob squad movie reactions and I think you’ll love it.

[@MisterWondrous]

What a coincidence! I was feeling very Cowsills a couple of days ago, and sponsored a live version of "Rain, the Park and Other Things", which is an eternal ray of sunshine, just like the band...and you guys. You attract the best guests. I hope Tim talks about the flower girl, who everyone loves. This performance was wild. Check out the movie, "Hair". Twyla Tharp does the excellent choreography set in Central Park.