A day late this week because Sadie was away for the weekend. But most importantly… happy birthday darling Sadie! Yes, our little girl is two today. We started this a couple of weeks after she was born, which means we’ve nearly been at this for 24 months! Time really flies with a child, but even more so when you’re listening to music history at 4x speed. So after 2 years at it, it’s the middle of summer in the USA in July, 1958 on our charts. Let’s see what they were listening to by the pool…
Songs of the month
“A Certain Smile” – Johnny Mathis*
“All I Have To Do Is Dream” – Everly Brothers
“Big Man” – Four Preps
“Do You Want To Dance” – Bobby Freeman
“Don’t Ask Me Why” – Elvis Presley*
“Endless Sleep” – Jody Reynolds
“Fever” – Peggy Lee*
“For Your Precious Love” – Jerry Butler And The Impressions*
“Ginger Bread” – Frankie Avalon*
“Guess Things Happen That Way” – Johnny Cash
“Hard Headed Woman” – Elvis Presley
“High School Confidential” – Jerry Lee Lewis
“I Wonder Why” – Dion And The Belmonts
“If Dreams Came True” – Pat Boone*
“Jeannie Lee” – Jan And Arnie
“Johnny B. Goode” – Chuck Berry
“Just A Dream” – Jimmy Clanton*
“Left Right Out Of Your Heart” – Patti Page*
“Leroy” – Jack Scott
“Little Star” – Elegants*
“Looking Back” – Nat King Cole
“My True Love” – Jack Scott*
“No Chemise Please” – Gerry Granahan
“Oh Lonesome Me” – Don Gibson
“One Summer Night” – Danleers*
“Padre” – Toni Arden
“Patricia” – Prez Prado
“Poor Little Fool” – Ricky Nelson*
“Rebel Rouser” – Duane Eddy*
“Return To Me” – Dean Martin
“Secretly” – Jimmie Rodgers
“Splish Splash” – Bobby Darin
“Sugar Moon” – Pat Boone
“The Purple People Eater” – Sheb Wooley
“Twilight Time” – Platters
“Wear My Ring Around Your Neck” – Elvis Presley
“What Am I Living For” – Chuck Willis
“When” – Kalin Twins
“Willie And The Hand Jive” – Johnny Otis*
“Witch Doctor” – David Seville
“Yakety Yak” – Coasters
* = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On the 2nd of July, the world’s largest hotel at the time, the 1,065-room Stardust Resort and Casino, opened in the United States in Las Vegas – home to many a crooner who will be in the charts over the coming years.
And on the 12th “The Quarrymen”, a group of Liverpool musicians (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, with drummer Colin Hanton and keyboardist John Lowe) paid 17 shillings and 6 pence to make their first professional recording, a 78 rpm disc of their performance of “In Spite of All the Danger” (an original song by McCartney and Harrison) and a cover version of Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day”. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison (without Hanton and Lowe) would later rename the group “The Beatles”…
Then on the 14th over in Japan the first anime and first color television show, Mogura no Abanchūru (“Mole’s Adventure”), was telecast on Nippon TV (NTV).
What’d Sadie think?
“The Purple People Eater” was number 1 for 2 weeks then “Yakety Yak” got a week at the top before “Patricia” by Prez Prado rounded out the month.
After I said just last week how infrequently we can’t find songs I was going to say we were missing 2 this week… but on further investigation it turns out there is an error in the charts I have where a song was misattributed to the wrong artist. Something I need to keep an eye on.
Loved ’em
“A Certain Smile” by Johnny Mathis is a lovely tune written for the 1958 film of the same name, based on the novel, also titled the same, by Françoise Sagan.
“Fever” was an R&B Chart hit in 1956, but this great cover by Peggy Lee became the most widely known version of and the singer’s signature song.
“Left Right Out Of Your Heart” is a typically fun Patti Page number.
“One Summer Night” was the debut, and biggest hit, for the Danleers – a lovely piece of doo-wop.
“Poor Little Fool” is a finger-snapping tune by Ricky Nelson with a fascinating origin. Written by 16 year old Sharon Sheeley. Working as a model she had apparently met Elvis Presley, and he encouraged her to write.
It was based on her disappointment following a short-lived relationship with Don Everly of The Everly Brothers. Sheeley sought Ricky Nelson to record the tune. She drove to his house, and claimed her car had broken down. He came to her aid, and she sprang the song on him. Her version was at a much faster tempo than his recording.
The awesomely named “Rebel Rouser” was Duane Eddy’s first gold disc and if it doesn’t have you stomping, clapping or clicking you’re not listening hard enough.
“Willie And The Hand Jive” is a great number by singer songwriter Johnny Otis. Apparently the tune was partly inspired by the music sung by a chain gang Otis heard while he was touring. The lyrics are about a man who became famous for doing a dance with his hands, but evidently the song has been accused of glorifying masturbation… How ’50s.
Liked ’em
And then there’s the best of the rest…
- “Don’t Ask Me Why” – Elvis Presley
- “For Your Precious Love” – Jerry Butler And The Impressions
- “If Dreams Came True” – Pat Boone
- “Just A Dream” – Jimmy Clanton
- “Little Star” – Elegants
- “My True Love” – Jack Scott
- “No Chemise Please” – Gerry Granahan
Leave ’em
- “Ginger Bread” – Frankie Avalon
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.