Merry Xmas! It may only be April in 2022, but here we are again at 4 times speed – December, 1956. Let’s hear what it sounds like…
The songs of December, 1956
“A Rose & A Baby Ruth” – George Hamilton Iv
“Blueberry Hill” – Fats Domino
“Blueberry Hill” – Louis Armstrong And Gordon Jenkins*
“Canadian Sunset” – Hugo Winterhalter
“Cindy Oh Cindy” – Eddie Fisher
“Cindy Oh Cindy” – Vince Martin And The Tarriers
“Confidential” – Sonny Knight
“Don’t Be Cruel” – Elvis Presley
“Don’t Forbid Me” – Pat Boone*
“Friendly Persuasion” – Pat Boone
“Garden Of Eden” – Joe Valino
“Gonna Get Along Without You Now” – Patience And Prudence*
“Green Door” – Jim Lowe
“Hey Jealous Lover” – Frank Sinatra
“Honky Tonk” – Bill Doggett
“Hound Dog” – Elvis Presley
“I Walk The Line” – Johnny Cash
“Jamaica Farewell” – Harry Belanfonte
“Just Walkin’ In The Rain” – Johnnie Ray
“Love Me Tender” – Elvis Presley
“Mama From The Train” – Patti Page
“Mary’s Boy Child” – Harry Belafonte*
“Moonlight Gambler” – Frankie Laine*
“Mutual Admiration Society” – Teresa Brewer
“Night Lights” – Nat King Cole
“Petticoats Of Portugal” – Dick Jacobs Orchestra
“Rock-A-Bye Your Baby” – Jerry Lee Lewis*
“Since I Met You Baby” – Ivory Joe Hunter*
“Singing The Blues” – Guy Mitchell
“Singing The Blues” – Marty Robbins*
“Slow Walk” – Sil Austin*
“The Auctioneer” – Leroy Van Dyke*
“The Banana Boat Song” – Tarriers*
“True Love” – Bing Crosby And Grace Kelly
“Two Different Worlds” – Don Rondo
“You’ll Never Never Know” – Platters
* = 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 the 1st of the month, musical comedy film “The Girl Can’t Help It” starring Jayne Mansfield with cameos by rock ‘n’ roll stars from our charts, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent is released. The trailer promises that, “you’ll rock and roll yourself to the happiest time of your life”…
Then on December 6 Nelson Mandela & 156 others are arrested for political activities in South Africa – the trial would take 5 years and he would be found not-guilty, before being arrested and imprisoned for decades only a year later.
Over a decade after the end of World War II, on December 18, Japan was admitted to the UN. Back in 2022 of course Russia are being kicked out of global alliances at a rate of knots – will it take a decade for them to make their way back into the fold we wonder?
And on December 24 the “I Love Lucy” Christmas show airs – the first instance of a “retrospective” sitcom episode, where most of the show is clips from previous episodes.
And then I came across an issue of Te Ao Hou – issued by the “Department of Māori Affairs” in New Zealand in 1956. The insight into race-relations of the time are… fascinating/terrifying, yet unsurprising at the same time. But I’ll leave it to the adverts to give a real peek into 1956 New Zealand:
The other adverts were for Tractor tyres and cigarettes – naturally.
What’d Sadie think?
Xmas number 1 and the top-spot for the whole month goes to Guy Mitchell’s “Singing The Blues”.
“Blueberry Hill” by Louis Armstrong And Gordon Jenkins is a nice cover of the song but we prefer the Fats Domino version.
“Don’t Forbid Me” by Pat Boone was apparently originally written for Elvis but he never opened the mail or something, so Pat Boone got a go at it and it turned out OK.
“Gonna Get Along Without You Now” by Patience And Prudence is very forgettable. But apparently it was originally a sort-of-hit for chart fave, Teresa Brewer, several years before – though it only got as high as 25 so it didn’t make it into our playlists.
“Mary’s Boy Child” by Harry Belafonte is our only Xmas tune in the charts, unusual for a December but I guess everyone owned a copy of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” at this point? Didn’t know this was the original, and what a great tune it is.
“Moonlight Gambler” by Frankie Laine is his usual cowboy schtick if you’re in the mood.
“Rock-A-Bye Your Baby” is a belter by Jerry Lee Lewis, which was the theme for a movie from two years later somewhat confusingly.
“Since I Met You Baby” by Ivory Joe Hunter is a swinging wee number.
“Singing The Blues” by Marty Robbins is also super catchy, you’ll whistle along with the whistling for sure.
“Slow Walk” by Sil Austin is a hella sax tune. Tune in.
“The Auctioneer” is a fun country song about, well, auctions, by Leroy Van Dyke.
“The Banana Boat Song” is a folk version of the Jamaican classic, by the Tarriers. “The Banana Boat Song” is a folk version of the Jamaican classic, by the Tarriers. Obviously no patch on Harry Belafonte’s version, who is in currently charting with the aforementioned Xmas classic.
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.