Merry Xmas from down under. I hope you and yours are having a wonderful end to the weird year that was 2021. But enough about today, let’s go back to hear from September, 1955:
The songs of September, 1955
“A Blossom Fell” – Nat King Cole
“Ain’t It A Shame” – Fats Domino
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Pat Boone
“Autumn Leaves” – Roger Williams
“Black Demin Trousers” – Cheers*
“Domani” – Julius Larosa
“Gum Drop” – Crew-Cuts
“Hard To Get” – Gisele Mackenzie
“He” – Al Hibbler*
“Hummingbird” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
“I Want You To Be My Baby” – Georgia Gibbs*
“I Want You To Be My Baby” – Lillian Briggs*
“I’ll Never Stop Loving You” – Doris Day
“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” – Somethin’ Smith & The Redheads
“Learnin’ The Blues” – Frank Sinatra
“Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” – Four Aces*
“Maybellene” – Chuck Berry
“Moments To Remember” – Four Lads*
“Only You” – Platters*
“Rock Around The Clock” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Seventeen” – Boyd Bennett
“Seventeen” – Fontane Sisters
“Seventeen” – Rusty Draper
“Song Of A Dreamer” – Eddie Fisher
“The Bible Tells Me So” – Don Cornell*
“The Bible Tells Me So” – Nick Noble
“The House Of Blue Lights” – Chuck Miller
“The Longest Walk” – Jaye P. Morgan*
“The Shifting Whispering Sands” – Billy Vaughn Orchestra*
“The Shifting Whispering Sands” – Randy Draper*
“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” – Johnny Desmond
“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” – Mitch Miller
“Tina Marie” – Perry Como
“Wake The Town And Tell The People” – Les Baxter
“Wake The Town And Tell The People” – Mindy Carson
* = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link or embedded below:
This month in history
The ’50s often get typecast as boring and straight-laced, compared with the free-love ’60s, but in reality the counterculture was strong, just not mainstream. So ‘today in histories’ like this one are sadly few and far between…
On September 2nd, 19555, under the guidance of Dr. Humphry Osmond, TV presenter Christopher Mayhew ingests 400 mg of mescaline hydrochloride and allows himself to be filmed as part of a Panorama special for BBC TV that is never broadcast. Luckily it is available to view:
It was Dr Osmond who, the previous year, introduced science-fiction writer Aldous Huxley to his research into hallucinogens and the world of mescaline and who, during the ensuing correspondence, first coined the word “psychedelic”. As a direct result of his experiences at the receiving end of Osmond’s spoon, Huxley wrote his infamous guinea-pig dissertation “The Doors Of Perception”, a book which would later become a veritable bible amongst the ’60s acid subculture.
So, the ’50s – not so straight-laced.
On September 6, “Shree 420”, the highest grossing Bollywood film of it time was released. Evidently “the number 420 refers to Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes the punishment for the offence of cheating; hence, ‘Mr. 420’ is a derogatory term for a cheat.” See the full film below:
And on the small screen, long-running US TV series Gunsmoke is broadcast for the first time, on the CBS-TV network. It ran into the ’70s and was definitely still on rotation when I was a child. Here’s an episode:
Finally, on September 26, “America’s Sweethearts”, showbiz couple Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, marry – both of whom have featured in our charts. They would divorce within four years, meanwhile Carrie and Todd were born… and just now I realise actress Carrie Fisher, a familiar face from my own childhood, is Eddie’s daughter!
What’d Sadie think?
“The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Mitch Miller, which is indeed a fun number, knocks “Rock around the Clock” off the top after a good run – staying at the top for the whole month.
“Black Demin Trousers” by Cheers is the first of our new songs this week, and tells the story of a motorcycle rider, described as “the terror of Highway 101,” and his loyal but oft-neglected girlfriend Mary Lou. In the song she pleads with him not to ride one night: “I’ve got a feeling if you ride tonight I’ll grieve” she tells him, but he ignores her and “hit a screamin’ diesel that was California bound.” When investigators arrive at the scene of the collision, they find no trace of the motorcycle or rider except for his clothes… All in 2 minutes. It’s kind of fun.
“He” by Al Hibbler is a song about God, as if that wasn’t obvious in the name, and its much slower and less fun. Pass!
Lillian Briggs’ “I Want You To Be My Baby” picks up the pace somewhat. It’s a jump blues song written by Jon Hendricks for Louis Jordan whose recording in 1953 was an R&B chart hit that autumn. The original is much better so here it is:
“Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” by the Four Aces is from a movie of the same name. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and From 1967 to 1973, was used as the theme song to Love is a Many Splendored Thing, a soap opera based on the movie. It’s a sweet tune, and heres the film trailer:
We’ve already done the Four Aces to Four Lads segue before…but here are again. “Moments To Remember” by the latter is a little lackadaisical..
Which is fine because its followed up by the outstanding “Only You” by The Platters. What a classic! Because it’s passed the test of time, there’s a bit more about it out there. For instance, Platters bass singer Herb Reed recalled how the group hit upon its successful version: “We tried it so many times, and it was terrible. One time we were rehearsing in the car … and the car jerked. Tony went ‘O-oHHHH-nly you.’ We laughed at first, but when he sang that song—that was the sign we had hit on something.” And in addition, according to producer Buck Ram, Tony Williams’ voice “broke” in rehearsal, but they decided to keep this effect in the recording.
Another version of “The Bible Tells Me So” hits the chart, this time by Don Cornell. I prefer his timbre and version in general. It’s weirdly catchy but I wouldn’t hit rewind on it.
Meanwhile, Jaye P. Morgan’s “The Longest Walk” is a swinging number that definitely got a few repeat listens. “The Shifting Whispering Sands” by Randy Draper on the other hand is a bit dull to round out our new tunes this time.
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link