By the late '60s, popular music was undergoing a dramatic shift in sound and content.

Rock was getting harder and louder, and politics was giving music a lyrical edge that at times bordered on desperation.

Out of what would seem to be a hostile musical environment, a quintet of three men -- Lamonte McLemore, Billy Davis Jr. and Ron Townson -- and two beauty queens -- Florence LaRue and Marilyn McCoo -- found a way to project an image of beauty and good times -- and sell millions of records.

The Fifth Dimension wasn't looking to change the world, just entertain it. But the impact its music had on listeners was profound.

"We were just trying to choose songs that had clean lyrics and made people feel good," said Ms. LaRue, who, with McLemore, will lead the latest incarnation of the group Saturday at Westminster College, New Wilmington.

When people started telling the singers their music prevented them from committing suicide, "We said, 'OK, you're exaggerating, maybe you had a bad day,' " she said.

But after hearing such stories over and over again, the singers came to understand the healing power of music.

"They were going to commit suicide and they heard 'Up, Up and Away' and uplifted themselves," Ms. LaRue said. "Now that we know that, we have been particularly careful. We've always been careful with our lyrics, making sure that we choose songs that are very positive."

Sure, there have been exceptions.

"'One Less Bell' may not be positive but it's something everybody can identify with," Ms. LaRue said of the 1970 hit. "At least it's not about raping a lover or killing someone."

When singing, Ms. LaRue, 58, is cognizant that she is preserving people's memories and associations with a song, and could be creating new memories.

"I've been singing 'Up, Up and Away' for 30 years and I still enjoy it to this day," she said at the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Museum prior to the group's induction Sept. 17. "Each time I sing it, it's a different experience."

Not all the hits are in line with what she considers the best of the Fifth Dimension.

"My least favorite of the hits is 'Stoned Soul Picnic,'" she said of the band's first million-seller, from 1968. "People love that song and they party to it. I like it but it was never my favorite song, like 'One Less Bell' or 'Up, Up and Away' or 'Wedding Bell Blues.' "

For Saturday's show, Ms. LaRue and McLemore will be joined by Willie Williams, Greg Walker and new addition Julie Delgado.

Tickets: (724) 946-7354. Fifth Dimension information: http://hometown.aol.com/laruemccoo/fifthbio.htm

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at jpinchot@sharonherald.com