Did we say it was feeling wintery just a week ago? Well a month has passed in our 1958 timeline, so maybe that’s why its suddenly feeling quite Spring like here in 2022? Either way, let’s listen to the sounds of March, 1958…
Songs of the month
“26 Miles” – Four Preps
“A Wonderful Time Up There” – Pat Boone*
“April Love” – Pat Boone
“Are You Sincere” – Andy Williams
“At The Hop” – Danny And The Juniors
“Ballad Of A Teenage Queen” – Johnny Cash*
“Been So Long” – Pastels*
“Breathless” – Jerry Lee Lewis*
“Catch A Falling Star” – Perry Como
“Click Clack” – Dicky Doo And The Don’Ts
“Dede Dinah” – Frankie Avalon
“Dinner With Drac” – John Zacherle*
“Don’t Let Go” – Roy Hamilton
“Don’t” – Elvis Presley
“Get A Job” – Silhouettes
“Good Golly Miss Molly” – Little Richard*
“I Beg Of You” – Elvis Presley
“It’s Too Soon To Know” – Pat Boone
“Jo-Ann” – Playmates
“La Dee Dah” – Billy And Lillie
“Lazy Mary” – Lou Monte*
“Lollipop” – Chordettes*
“March From The River Kwai And Colonel Bogey” – Mitch Miller
“Maybe Baby” – Crickets*
“Maybe” – Chantels
“Oh Julie” – Crescendos
“Oh Oh I’m Falling In Love Again” – Jimmie Rodgers
“Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay” – Danny And The Juniors*
“Sail Along Silver Moon” – Billy Vaughn Orchestra
“Short Shorts” – Royal Teens
“Stood Up” – Ricky Nelson
“Sugartime” – Mcguire Sisters
“Sweet Little Sixteen” – Chuck Berry
“Tequila” – Champs*
“The Stroll” – Diamonds
“The Walk” – Jimmie Mccracklin*
“Who’s Sorry Now” – Connie Francis*
“Witchcraft” – Frank Sinatra
“You Are My Destiny” – Paul Anka
* = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
This month the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) introduced the concept of the “gold record” as recognition for any U.S. music recording that had achieved at least $1,000,000 in retail sales and certified the 45 rpm recording by Perry Como of “Catch a Falling Star” as the first RIAA-measured gold record. While record labels had previously presented gold or silver record awards to their own artists as far back as 1937, the RIAA applied the award to all U.S.-based recording companies independently. You can see Como being presented the first gold record in this clip (sorry Youtube won’t let me embed it.).
I weightier news, on the 14th of March the United States imposed an embargo on sales of weapons to the government of Cuba’s dictator Fulgencio Batista, contributing significantly to the deterioration of the Cuban resistance to the rebellion being led by Fidel Castro.
Meanwhile on the 19th Cuba became the second nation (after the U.S.) to make color television widely available. Both stories make the video below of life in Havana in 1958 particularly timely and interesting.
Then towards the end of the month, on the 30th, Ukrainian-born French ballet master Serge Lifar fought a duel with swords against Chilean-born French ballet producer George de Cuevas over changes made in by Cuevas to Lifar’s ballet, Suite en blanc. 50 members of the press were told of the time and place for the duel, which ended with Lifar receiving a cut to his forearm in what W. Granger Blair of The New York Times described as “what may well have been the most delicate encounter in the history of French dueling”. It is astounding to hear duels were still going on in ’58, and even more to know they were being filmed for posterity. Watch below!
What’d Sadie think?
It’s a week at number one for “Get A Job” by the Silhouettes before just a week for Elvis Presley with “Don’t”. Surely his shortest run with a hit? New-to-the-charts “Tequila”, by the Champs, took the top spot for the second half of the month.
Love
Tequila was apparently just a jam made up in the studio when the Champs were there to record another song, but it’s a quality tune thats lasted throughout the decades. A video of them performing it in May, 1958 below.
Next up is a relatively youthful (26) Johnny Cash singing the excellent “Ballad Of A Teenage Queen”.
Then we have “Dinner With Drac” by John Zacherle. I normally don’t go for the comedy songs but this tale of dinner with Drac(ula) got me this time.
Unlike that tune, “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard has definitely lasted the test of time. Although it was first recorded by Little Richard, the producer released another version by the Valiants, who imitated the fast first version recorded by Little Richard, not released at that time. Although the Valiants’ version was released first (in 1957), Little Richard had the hit with it this month.
“Lollipop” by the Chordettes is likewise a fun classic. One with a nice story behind it that i’ll just quote,
The song originated when Julius Dixson was late for a songwriting session with Beverly Ross. He explained that his daughter had gotten a lollipop stuck in her hair, and that had caused him to be late. Ross was so inspired by the word “lollipop” that she sat down at the piano and produced a version of the song on the spot. Beverly Ross recorded a demo with Ronald Gumm (or Gumps), a 13-year-old neighbor of Dixson, under the name Ronald & Ruby. Ross’s mother insisted that she use a pseudonym for safety reasons, because they were an interracial duo.
To round out the best of the new songs this month we have “Who’s Sorry Now” by Connie Francis. Her version may be the most well known, and it was her biggest hit, but the original is actually from 1923 and it had a number of versions, often featured in films, between then and ’58.
Like
It’s only an OK song but “Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay” by Danny And The Juniors is definitely singing the right sentiment this month. Then we have the best of the rest…
“A Wonderful Time Up There” – Pat Boone
“Been So Long” – Pastels
“Breathless” – Jerry Lee Lewis
“Maybe Baby” – Crickets
“The Walk” – Jimmie Mccracklin
Leave
Only one song didn’t tickle our fancy at all this month, “Lazy Mary” by Lou Monte.
So plenty of great stuff for you to listen to on the full playlist on Youtube via this link.