It’s August, 1959

A busy couple of weeks in 2022, so we missed posting about our July, 1959 listens – you can find that playlist here. A good thing Xmas is coming actually as we’ve nearly run out of pre-prepared playlists, we’ll have to spend a few days over the holiday break running the numbers to stock up for 2023! By time we’ll be already a couple of months into the ’60s! But for now let’s hear what August, 1959 sounded like…

Songs of the month

“‘Til I Kissed You” – Everly Brothers*
“A Big Hunk O’ Love” – Elvis Presley
“A Boy Without A Girl” – Frankie Avalon
“Baby Talk” – Jan & Dean*
“Bobby Sox To Stockings” – Frankie Avalon
“Broken-Hearted Melody” – Sarah Vaughan*
“Ciao Ciao Bambina” – Jacky Noguez*
“Forty Miles Of Bad Road” – Duane Eddy
“Frankie” – Connie Francis
“Here Comes Summer” – Jerry Keller
“I Loves You Porgy” – Nina Simone*
“I Only Have Eyes For You” – Flamingos
“I Want To Walk You Home” – Fats Domino*
“I’ll Be Satisfied” – Jackie Wilson
“I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Some Day” – Fats Domino*
“I’m Gonna Get Married” – Lloyd Price*
“It Was I” – Skip And Flip*
“Just A Little Too Much” – Ricky Nelson
“Kissin’ Time” – Bobby Rydell*
“Lavender Blue” – Sammy Turner
“Lipstick On Your Collar” – Connie Francis
“Lonely Boy” – Paul Anka
“M.T.A.” – Kingston Trio
“Makin’ Love” – Floyd Robinson*
“Mona Lisa” – Carl Mann*
“Mona Lisa” – Conway Twitty*
“My Heart Is An Open Book” – Carl Dobkins Jr.
“My Wish Came True” – Elvis Presley
“Personality” – Lloyd Price
“Ragtime Cowboy Joe” – David Seville And The Chipmunks
“Red River Rock” – Johnny And The Hurricanes*
“Robbin’ The Cradle” – Tony Bellus*
“Sea Of Love” – Phil Phillips*
“See You In September” – Tempos*
“Sleep Walk” – Santo And Johnny*
“Small World” – Johnny Mathis*
“Sweeter Than You” – Ricky Nelson
“Thank You Pretty Baby” – Brook Benton*
“The Battle Of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton
“The Three Bells” – Browns*
“There Goes My Baby” – Drifters
“Tiger” – Fabian
“Till There Was You” – Anita Bryant*
“Waterloo” – Stonewall Jackson
“What A Diff’rence A Day Makes” – Dinah Washington
“What Is Love” – Playmates*
“What’d I Say” – Ray Charles
“You’re So Fine” – Falcons

* = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

On August 7 six city blocks in downtown Roseburg, Oregon, were levelled at 1:20 a.m. by the explosion of a dynamite truck. The blast killed 14 people and left a 50-foot-wide (15 m) crater.

Then on August the 10th four of the five singers for The Platters, who had hit No. 1 earlier in the year with “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”, were arrested in Cincinnati and charged with soliciting prostitutes and using drugs. The charges were eventually dismissed, but the group’s concert dates were cancelled, and disc jockeys refused to play their records, for several months… scandel!

And on the 17th Pope John XXIII was presented the third part of the “Three Secrets of Fatima” in a sealed envelope, but decided against reading it. Pope John Paul II would release the contents in 2000. It’s an interesting tale I’d not heard about until just now.

What’d Sadie think?

A mixed lot at the top this month. “Lonely Boy” by Paul Anka holds it for a week before “A Big Hunk O’ Love” by Elvis Presley takes it for a couple, rounded out by The Browns “The Three Bells” for the last two weeks of August, 1959.

Loved ’em
  • “‘Til I Kissed You” – Everly Brothers
  • “Mona Lisa” – Carl Mann
  • “Sea Of Love” – Phil Phillips
  • “The Three Bells” – Browns
  • “Till There Was You” – Anita Bryant
  • “What Is Love” – Playmates
Liked ’em
  • “Broken-Hearted Melody” – Sarah Vaughan
  • “I Loves You Porgy” – Nina Simone
  • “I Want To Walk You Home” – Fats Domino
  • “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Some Day” – Fats Domino
  • “I’m Gonna Get Married” – Lloyd Price
  • “Kissin’ Time” – Bobby Rydell
  • “Makin’ Love” – Floyd Robinson
  • “Red River Rock” – Johnny And The Hurricanes
  • “Robbin’ The Cradle” – Tony Bellus
  • “Sleep Walk” – Santo And Johnny
  • “Small World” – Johnny Mathis
  • “Thank You Pretty Baby” – Brook Benton

Leave ’em
  • “Baby Talk” – Jan & Dean
  • “Ciao Ciao Bambina” – Jacky Noguez
  • “It Was I” – Skip And Flip
  • “See You In September” – Tempos

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.