Friend & Lover - Reach Out of the Darkness (1968)

From the husband-and-wife team of Jim and Cathy Post, known as the folk duo Friend & Lover, this was one of many pop anthems of 1968. A song with an irresistible soul beat and thrilling vocals, it would be the couple’s only major hit. I can still remember this playing on the jukebox, the girls dancing to this on the beach sand, if not with a guy, then with each other, acting out the choruses of “reach out IN the darkness“ (the lyric slightly different than the title “Reach Out OF the Darkness“). The memories are still so vivid, it is hard to believe that was 56 years ago. The sunshine pop hit was actually released in October 1967, ahead of the 1968 release of the album, Friend & Lover. However, “Reach Out of the Darkness“ did not really begin getting much notice nationwide until spring 1968. The song peaked at #7 on Cash Box on July 13, 1968, for two weeks, and made it to #10 on the Billboard and #6 in Canada.