It’s back-to-work here in New Zealand, 2023 but we’re headed to April of 1960 to hear what it sounded like…
Songs of the month
[new] “Angela Jones” – Johnny Ferguson
[new] “Apple Green” – June Valli
[new] “Baby You’ve Got What It Takes” – Brook Benton & Dinah Washington
“Baby You’ve Got What It Takes” – Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
“Beatnik Fly” – Johnny & The Hurricanes
“Beyond The Sea” – Bobby Darin
[new] “Big Iron” – Marty Robbins
[new] “Clementine” – Bobby Darin
[new] “Cradle Of Love” – Johnny Preston
[new] “Doggin’ Around” – Jackie Wilson
[new] “Don’t Throw Away All Those Teardrops” – Frankie Avalon
[new] “Fame And Fortune” – Elvis Presley
“Footsteps” – Steve Lawrence
“Forever” – Little Dippers
“Greenfields” – Brothers Four
“Handy Man” – Jimmy Jones
“Harbour Lights” – Platters
“He’ll Have To Go” – Jim Reeves
“I Love The Way You Love” – Marv Johnson
[new] “Just One Time” – Don Gibson
“Lady Luck” – Lloyd Price
[new] “Let The Little Girl Dance” – Billy Bland
“Little Bitty Girl” – Bobby Rydell
“Mama” – Connie Francis
“Money That’s What I Want” – Barrett Strong
[new] “Mr. Lucky” – Henry Mancini
[new] “Night” – Jackie Wilson
“O Dio Mio” – Annette
“Puppy Love” – Paul Anka
“Sink The Bismark” – Johnny Horton
“Sixteen Reasons” – Connie Stevens
[new] “Stairway To Heaven” – Neil Sedaka
“Starbright” – Johnny Mathis
[new] “Step By Step” – Crests
[new] “Stuck On You” – Elvis Presley
[new] “Summer Set” – Monty Kelly
“Sweet Nothin’s” – Brenda Lee
“Teddy” – Connie Francis
[new] “The Old Lamplighter” – Browns
“Theme From A Summer Place” – Percy Faith
“This Magic Moment” – Drifters
“Welcome New Lovers” – Pat Boone
“What In The World’s Come Over You” – Jack Scott
“White Silver Sands” – Bill Black’s Combo
“Wild One” – Bobby Rydell
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On the first of the month the United States launched the first weather satellite, the 270 pound TIROS-1, from Cape Canaveral. The name was an acronym for Television Infra-Red Observation Satellite. The same evening, satellite weather photos were introduced to the world, on television, for the first time. Taken from an altitude of 450 miles, the pictures of cloud cover confirmed the spiral pattern of winds in a storm.
Then on the fourth at the 32nd Academy Awards ceremony, Ben-Hur won a record eleven Oscars, including Best Picture.
On the stage on the fourteenth, “Bye Bye Birdie”, the first Broadway musical to acknowledge rock ‘n roll as part of its score, opened at the Martin Beck Theatre, and introduced such songs as “Put On A Happy Face”. See that performed lived on the Ed Sullivan show below.
And on the 20th Elvis Presley returned to Hollywood for the first time since his return from military service in Germany, to begin filming “G.I. Blues”.
What’d Sadie think?
“Theme From A Summer Place” by Percy Faith has the top spot for 3 weeks before Elvis celebrates his return to the states with a number one with “Stuck On You” becoming his first number-one single of the 1960s and thirteenth overall.
Loved ’em
- “Baby You’ve Got What It Takes” – Brook Benton & Dinah Washington
- “Big Iron” – Marty Robbins
- “Doggin’ Around” – Jackie Wilson
- “Stuck On You” – Elvis Presley
Apparently “Baby You’ve Got What It Takes” was first recorded in 1958 by Dorothy Pay but was just called “You’ve Got What It Takes” and didn’t meet with the success of this month’s version. So there you go baby!
Liked ’em
- “Angela Jones” – Johnny Ferguson
- “Apple Green” – June Valli
- “Clementine” – Bobby Darin
- “Cradle Of Love” – Johnny Preston
- “Just One Time” – Don Gibson
- “Let The Little Girl Dance” – Billy Bland
- “Mr. Lucky” – Henry Mancini
- “Night” – Jackie Wilson
- “Stairway To Heaven” – Neil Sedaka
- “Step By Step” – Crests
- “Summer Set” – Monty Kelly
- “The Old Lamplighter” – Browns
Leave ’em
- “Don’t Throw Away All Those Teardrops” – Frankie Avalon
- “Fame And Fortune” – Elvis Presley
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.