We’re in the middle of summer holidays down under in the first week of 2022, as we begin to catch-up to the end of the year (as we do at 4x speed) in 1955.
The songs of October, 1955
“Ain’t That A Shame” – Pat Boone
“At My Front Door” – Eldorados*
“At My Front Door” – Pat Boone*
“Autumn Leaves” – Roger Williams
“Black Denim Trousers” – Cheers
“Gum Drop” – Crew-Cuts
“Hard To Get” – Gisele Mackenzie
“He” – Al Hibbler
“He” – Mcguire Sisters*
“I Hear You Knocking” – Gale Storm*
“Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” – Four Aces
“Maybellene” – Chuck Berry
“Moments To Remember” – Four Lads
“My Bonnie Lassie” – Ames Brothers*
“Only You” – Platters
“Rock Around The Clock” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Seventeen” – Boyd Bennett
“Seventeen” – Fontane Sisters
“Someone You Love” – Nat King Cole*
“Song Of The Dreamer” – Eddie Fisher
“Suddenly There’s A Valley” – Gogi Grant*
“Suddenly There’s A Valley” – Jo Stafford*
“Suddenly There’s A Valley” – Julius Larosa*
“The Bible Tells Me So” – Don Cornell
“The Longest Walk” – Jaye P. Morgan
“The Shifting Whispering Sands” – Billy Vaughn
“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
“You Are My Love” – Joni James*
* = 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
On October 2, master of suspense Hitchcock launches his TV show, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” for the first time, on the CBS TV network in the United States. Here’s the intro:
On October 7th cellist Yo-Yo Ma was born. You can watch an adorable view of him performing for President Kennedy in ’62 age 7 below:
And a couple of weeks later, on October 28th Bill Gates was born.
What’d Sadie think?
It’s a real battle for the number 1 spot this month. First “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing” by the Four Aces takes it. Then “The Yellow Rose Of Texas” by Mitch Miller grabs it. Before the former is back on top for another week. Only for the month to end with Roger Williams’ “Autumn Leaves” to be crowned.
“At My Front Door” by the Eldorados, an American doo-wop group, reached #1 on the U.S. R&B charts and was their biggest hit – it’s a great tune.
I think this is the first time i’ve been unable to find a song. The Mcguire Sisters had a version of “He” in the charts but it’s nowhere to be found. Given we didn’t love the original this isn’t too much of a loss.
“I Hear You Knocking” is a rhythm and blues song written by Dave Bartholomew. New Orleans rhythm and blues singer Smiley Lewis first recorded the song in 1955. But our version is by Gale Storm. Her cover version reached number two on the Billboard Hot chart and became a gold record. Bartholomew believed her version “killed his [Lewis’s] record”; blues researcher Bill Dahl added, “Storm swiped his [Lewis’s] thunder for any crossover possibilities with her ludicrous whitewashed cover of the plaintive ballad”. So let’s also hear the original below:
They’re definitely not wrong, the original is much better – but still not a favourite.
“My Bonnie Lassie” by the Ames Brothers was released in 1955, but apparently the RCA matrix number for the recording is E3VW 1322, indicating that it was recorded in 1953. (Had the song actually been recorded in 1955, the matrix number would have started with the letter F.) Possibly more importantly the tune was also the entrance/exit song for professional wrestling superstar “Rowdy” Roddy Piper during his wrestling career. I guess that’s the military drums and fairly rousing chorus? It’s kind of fun.
The new songs of the month round out with three lovely tunes – “Someone You Love” by Nat King Cole, “Suddenly There’s A Valley” by Jo Stafford (one of 3 versions in October) and “You Are My Love” – Joni James. Our pick is the latter but they’re all great.
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.