A weekend celebrating my birthday here in 2022, but we still found time to zip back to 1956 to hear what April of that year sounded like…
The songs of April, 1956
“A Tear Fell” – Teresa Brewer
“Band Of Gold” – Don Cherry
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Carl Perkins
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Elvis Presley*
“Bo Weevil” – Teresa Brewer
“Eddie My Love” – Chordettes
“Eddie My Love” – Fontane Sisters
“Eddie My Love” – Teen Queens
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley
“Hot Diggity” – Perry Como
“I Was The One” – Elvis Presley
“I’ll Be Home” – Pat Boone
“Innamorata” – Dean Martin
“Ivory Tower” – Cathy Carr*
“Ivory Tower” – Otis Williams*
“Juke Box Baby” – Perry Como
“Lisbon Antigua” – Nelson Riddle
“Long Tall Sally” – Little Richard*
“Lovely One” – Four Voices*
“Magic Touch” – Platters*
“Memories Are Made Of This” – Dean Martin
“Molly-O” – Dick Jacobs*
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – George Cates Orchestra*
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – Morris Stoloff*
“Moritat” – Dick Hyman Trio
“Mr. Wonderful” – Peggy Lee
“No Not Much” – Four Lads
“Poor People Of Paris” – Les Baxter
“Poor People Of Paris” – Russ Morgan
“R-O-C-K” – Bill Haley & The Comets*
“Rock & Roll Waltz” – Kay Starr
“Rock Island Line” – Lonnie Donegan*
“See You Later Alligator” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“The Great Pretender” – Platters
“Theme From Man With The Golden Arm” – Richard Maltby Orchestra*
“To You My Love” – Nick Noble
“Tutti Frutti” – Pat Boone
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Diamonds
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Gale Storm
“Wild Cherry” – Don Cherry*
* = 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
He’s already got multiple songs in the chart after debuting just a couple of months ago, so with his star in ascendence in April, 1956, aged just 21, Elvis Presley signed a three-picture contract with Paramount Pictures. His first film, “Love me Tender” would come out in November.
A regular on these charts for a number of years, Nat King Cole, has his concert in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, interrupted by three Ku Klux Klan members, who push Cole from his piano stool. All are later tried and convicted, but Cole would never again perform in his home state.
Back in 2021 we’re big fans of “PoolTogether”, which is the crypto version of “Premium Bonds” which the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Harold Macmillan, launched in the United Kingdom this month in 1956.
And finally in April, US actress Grace Kelly marries Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, in a civil ceremony at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco. See footage below:
What’d Sadie think?
We don’t love it, but the people of 1956 did as “Poor People Of Paris” by Les Baxter is at number 1 for the whole month.
Elvis Presley comes along with a cover of the already great “Blue Suede Shoes” and nails it of course. It’s only at this point I wonder – with covers so common in the 1950s, did people hang out hoping their favourite acts would cover a song they liked before they bought it? I think we’d need an actual time machine to answer that one.
Here’s Elvis performing Blue Suede Shoes on (colourised) TV that year.
“Ivory Tower” by Otis Williams has a certain charm to it. But it’s nothing against “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard which is really rockin’ with a particularly great sax piece. The latter reached number one on the Billboard rhythm and blues chart, staying at the top for six of 19 weeks, while peaking at number six on the pop charts we’re listening to this week.
“Lovely One” by Four Voices and “Molly-O” by Dick Jacobs are both a tad boring. And “Magic Touch” by the Platters is not their best effort of late. Nor is “R-O-C-K” by Bill Haley & The Comets who have been blowing up the charts of late.
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” is a romantic medley of a song from 1933 and 1955 by Morris Stoloff which featured in the 1956 movie, Picnic starring William Holden and Kim Novak.
“Man With The Golden Arm” is another film starring Kim Novak, this time alongside Frank Sinatra. It recounts the story of a drug addict who gets clean while in prison, but struggles to stay that way in the outside world. The theme song is by Richard Maltby … and for an instrumental it has got some kick.
“Rock Island Line” is a folk song from 1929 by Lonnie Donegan and is a fun number.
Lastly, a weird one, “Wild Cherry” by Don Cherry. The lyrics go, “cherry, one day you’ll be mine…” – is he singing about himself? We assume not but it’s a confusing one for sure if you overthink it.
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.