Up-to-dates

Anyone feel like escaping 2022? Thought so… come join us back in July, 1956 and hear what it sounded like via the charts of the month:

The songs of July, 1956

“A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl” – Teresa Brewer
“Allegheny Moon” – Patti Page
“Be-Bop-A-Lula” – Gene Vincent
“Born To Be With You” – Chordettes
“Fever” – Little Willie John*
“Glendora” – Perry Como
“Graduation Day” – Four Freshmen*
“Graduation Day” – Rover Boys
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley
“Hot Diggity” – Perry Como
“How Little We Know” – Frank Sinatra*
“I Almost Lost My Mind” – Pat Boone
“I Want You I Need You I Love You” – Elvis Presley
“I Want You To Be My Girl” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
“I’m In Love Again” – Fats Domino
“It Only Hurts For A Little While” – Ames Brothers
“Ivory Tower” – Cathy Carr
“Ivory Tower” – Gale Storm
“Love Love Love” – Clovers*
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – George Cates Orchestra
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – Morris Stoloff
“More” – Perry Como
“My Blue Heaven” – Fats Domino
“My Prayer” – Platters*
“On The Street Where You Live” – Eddie Fisher*
“On The Street Where You Live” – Vic Damone
“Picnic” – Mcguire Sisters
“Portuguese Washerwoman” – Joe Fingers Carr*
“Standing On The Corner” – Dean Martin
“Standing On The Corner” – Four Lads
“Stranded In The Jungle” – Cadets*
“That’s All There Is To That” – Nat King Cole*
“The Church Bells May Ring” – Diamonds
“The Happy Whistler” – Don Robertson
“The Magic Touch” – Platters
“The Wayward Wind” – Gogi Grant
“Transfusion” – Nervous Norvus
“Treasure Of Love” – Clyde Mcphatter
“Walk Hand In Hand” – Tony Martin
“Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)” – Doris Day*

* = 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 July 4th the first flight of the U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union are made by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from Wiesbaden in West Germany.

Then on July 7th, originally a radio show, the first episode of the televised version of Hancock’s Half Hour is broadcast by the BBC.

I find celebrity births are good at giving me perspective for how long ago we’re exploring. For example on July 9 Tom Hanks was born in Concord, California. And on July 15th Ian Curtis, singer in one of my favourite bands – Joy Division, was born in Manchester.

After ten years as partners, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis perform their last comedy show together at the Copacabana nightclub in New York, United States. A video of the duo a few months earlier at the Sands in Las Vegas is below:

In further parallels to the Ukraine-Russia conflict going on back in 2022, on July 28 the UK government, under prime minister Anthony Eden, froze Egypt’s financial assets in British banks as a result of the Suez Crisis.

What’d Sadie think?

“The Wayward Wind” by Gogi Grant dominates the number 1 spot for the whole month – we’re not massive fans but apparently the USA of 1956 was.

“Fever” by Little Willie John topped the Billboard R&B charts as well as crossing over to the pop charts. “Little” Willie was 19. I’m not sure if he dropped the moniker as “lil’ bow wow” would do decades later, when he grew older. Either way it’s one heck of a song and easily tune of the month. One of those classics I definitely didn’t realise were this early and hadn’t knowingly heard the original of.

“Graduation Day” by the Four Freshmen is a song about nostalgia hat presumedly some people are now nostalgic about. Meta! It’s an OK song.

“How Little We Know” is another chart hit for Frank Sinatra and then “Love Love Love” is another hit for chart regulars the Clovers. Both alright but nothing to write home about.

“My Prayer” by the Platters is a doo-wop version, and the most successful version, of a song originally from 1939. And it was this week’s “oops” when creating the playlist – sometimes I click “add to playlist” an album that is the same name as a song, and then have to spend time deleting the extra songs one by one. Such a glamorous job! Anyway, Another good ‘un by the Platters.

“On The Street Where You Live” by Eddie Fisher is another charting version of the song from ‘My Fair Lady’. If you liked the original, you’ll like this version.

I can find nothing online about “Portuguese Washerwoman” by Joe Fingers Carr. But then it has very little to recommend it, so it’s lost in time for a reason.

“Stranded In The Jungle” by the Cadets was also a hit for “Jay Hawks” and “the Gadabouts”. But maybe it is jinxed as it was the one and only hit for all three. With the style of rhythm and the “spoken word” poetry, its basically a rap song so I’m surprised not to have encountered it before as historically notable in the genre. Maybe talking about cannibals made it a little problematic…

The title of “That’s All There Is To That” by Nat King Cole apparently reference’s Ethel Barrymore’s phrase to rebuff curtain calls, “That’s all there is, there isn’t any more”. Which appears to be a storied phrase but the song itself isn’t one of NKC’s best.

“Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)” by Doris Day is from “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and is a classic for a reason!

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

We’re nearly half way through 1956 as The Scovells find themselves able to enjoy a weekend out in the “real world” in 2021 for the first time in a couple of weeks, so it’ll be a short but sweet journey through June, 1956…

The songs of June, 1956

“A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl” – Teresa Brewer*
“A Tear Fell” – Teresa Brewer
“Allegheny Moon” – Patti Page*
“Be-Bop-A-Lula” – Gene Vincent*
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Carl Perkins
“Born To Be With You” – Chordettes*
“Can You Find It In Your Heart” – Tony Bennett
“Church Bells May Ring” – Diamonds*
“Glendora” – Perry Como*
“Graduation Day” – Rover Boys*
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley
“Hot Diggity” – Perry Como
“I Almost Lost My Mind” – Pat Boone*
“I Want You I Need You I Love You” – Elvis Presley*
“I Want You To Be My Girl” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
“I’ll Be Home” – Pat Boone
“I’m In Love Again” – Fats Domino
“It Only Hurts For A Little While” – Ames Brothers*
“Ivory Tower” – Cathy Carr
“Ivory Tower” – Gale Storm
“Ivory Tower” – Otis Williams
“Kiss Me Another” – Georgia Gibbs*
“Lisbon Antigua” – Nelson Riddle
“Long Tall Sally” – Little Richard
“Long Tall Sally” – Pat Boone
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – George Cates Orchestra
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – Morris Stoloff
“More” – Perry Como*
“My Blue Heaven” – Fats Domino*
“My Little Angel” – Four Lads*
“On The Street Where You Live” – Vic Damone*
“Picnic” – Mcguire Sisters
“Poor People Of Paris” – Les Baxter
“Rock Island Line” – Lonnie Donegan
“Roll Over Beethoven” – Chuck Berry*
“Standing On The Corner” – Dean Martin*
“Standing On The Corner” – Four Lads
“The Church Bells May Ring” – Diamonds
“The Happy Whistler” – Don Robertson
“The Magic Touch” – Platters
“The Wayward Wind” – Gogi Grant
“Transfusion” – Nervous Norvus*
“Treasure Of Love” – Clyde Mcphatter*
“Walk Hand In Hand” – Tony Martin
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers

* = 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

It won’t be Elvis news all of the time for the next few years, but expect more of it.. This month he appears on The Milton Berle Show, singing “Hound Dog”. It notably the first time Presley has appeared on screen without a guitar, and the resulting performance attracts widespread criticism because of his “suggestive” movements… oo-eer!

Born on June 5th this year is Kenny G, US saxophonist, in Seattle, Washington. A definite hero of mine as a young saxophone player in the ’90s…

As Russia tries to push its way west in 2022 we look back to 1956 when US dramatist Arthur Miller is called before the House Un-American Activities Committee of the United States House of Representatives, but declines to name suspected Communists, resulting in his conviction for contempt of court

And to round out the month, 20th Century Fox’s film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1951 stage musical The King and I, starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, is released in the US, becoming the most successful film version of any of their musicals up to that date. See the trailer below…

What’d Sadie think?

Elvis manages to stay atop the chart with another 3 weeks with “Heart Break Hotel” before “The Wayward Wind” by Gogi Grant takes it for the last 2.

Loved it

“Roll Over Beethoven” – Chuck Berry

“My Blue Heaven” – Fats Domino

“Be-Bop-A-Lula” – Gene Vincent

Liked it

“A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl” – Teresa Brewer

“It Only Hurts For A Little While” – Ames Brothers

“Allegheny Moon” – Patti Page

“I Almost Lost My Mind” – Pat Boone

“Standing On The Corner” – Dean Martin

“On The Street Where You Live” – Vic Damone

“My Little Angel” – Four Lads

“More” – Perry Como

“I Want You I Need You I Love You” – Elvis Presley

“Church Bells May Ring” – Diamonds

“Kiss Me Another” – Georgia Gibbs

“Glendora” – Perry Como

Leave it

“Transfusion” – Nervous Norvus

“Treasure Of Love” – Clyde Mcphatter

“Born To Be With You” – Chordettes

“Graduation Day” – Rover Boys

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

A weekend in February, 2022 in which we find ourselves stuck indoors again so a perfect time to escape back to May, 1956 to hear what it sounded like…

The songs of May, 1956

“A Tear Fell” – Teresa Brewer
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Carl Perkins
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Elvis Presley
“Can You Find It In Your Heart” – Tony Bennett*
“Eddie My Love” – Chordettes
“Eddie My Love” – Fontane Sisters
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley
“Hot Diggity” – Perry Como
“I Want You To Be My Girl” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers*
“I’ll Be Home” – Pat Boone
“I’m In Love Again” – Fats Domino*
“Ivory Tower” – Cathy Carr
“Ivory Tower” – Gale Storm
“Ivory Tower” – Otis Williams*
“Juke Box Baby” – Perry Como
“Lisbon Antigua” – Nelson Riddle
“Long Tall Sally” – Little Richard
“Long Tall Sally” – Pat Boone*
“Molly-O” – Dick Jacobs Orchestra
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – George Cates Orchestra
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – Morris Stoloff
“Mr. Wonderful” – Peggy Lee
“No Not Much” – Four Lads
“Picnic” – Mcguire Sisters*
“Poor People Of Paris” – Les Baxter
“Rock & Roll Waltz” – Kay Starr
“Rock Island Line” – Lonnie Donegan
“Standing On The Corner” – Four Lads*
“The Church Bells May Ring” – Diamonds*
“The Happy Whistler” – Don Robertson*
“The Magic Touch” – Platters*
“The Wayward Wind” – Gogi Grant*
“Theme From Man With The Golden Arm” – Richard Maltby Orchestra
“Walk Hand In Hand” – Tony Martin*
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Diamonds
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Gale Storm

* = 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

May, 1956 was apparently the first time in the history of Billboard magazine when five singles have appeared in both the pop and R&B Top Ten charts. “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley, “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins, “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard, “Magic Touch” by The Platters, and “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. All on our playlist this week of course!

Also this month, John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger receives its première at the Royal Court Theatre in London. A press release describes the dramatist as an “angry young man”, a phrase that would come to describe a British working-class literary movement. See the trailer for the 1959 film based on the play below:

In notable, and timely, births we have Bob Saget, American comedian and actor, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania born on 17 May, 1956 – who died recently.

In the United States, NBC’s peacock logo is used for the first time, to indicate the quality of its colour television broadcasting. Which I had vaguely assumed was the reason for its design but its interesting to hear that confirmed and see the evolution of it below:

What’d Sadie think?

It was inevitable as soon as it hit the charts… “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley is number one for the whole month. But what else was there to delight our ears?

Loved ’em

“Can You Find It In Your Heart” – Tony Bennett

“I’m In Love Again” – Fats Domino

Liked ’em

“I Want You To Be My Girl” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers

“Long Tall Sally” – Pat Boone

“Ivory Tower” – Otis Williams

“The Magic Touch” – Platters

“The Wayward Wind” – Gogi Grant

“Walk Hand In Hand” – Tony Martin

“Standing On The Corner” – Four Lads

Lose ’em

“Picnic” – Mcguire Sisters

“The Church Bells May Ring” – Diamonds

“The Happy Whistler” – Don Robertson

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

A weekend celebrating my birthday here in 2022, but we still found time to zip back to 1956 to hear what April of that year sounded like…

The songs of April, 1956

“A Tear Fell” – Teresa Brewer
“Band Of Gold” – Don Cherry
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Carl Perkins
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Elvis Presley*
“Bo Weevil” – Teresa Brewer
“Eddie My Love” – Chordettes
“Eddie My Love” – Fontane Sisters
“Eddie My Love” – Teen Queens
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley
“Hot Diggity” – Perry Como
“I Was The One” – Elvis Presley
“I’ll Be Home” – Pat Boone
“Innamorata” – Dean Martin
“Ivory Tower” – Cathy Carr*
“Ivory Tower” – Otis Williams*
“Juke Box Baby” – Perry Como
“Lisbon Antigua” – Nelson Riddle
“Long Tall Sally” – Little Richard*
“Lovely One” – Four Voices*
“Magic Touch” – Platters*
“Memories Are Made Of This” – Dean Martin
“Molly-O” – Dick Jacobs*
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – George Cates Orchestra*
“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” – Morris Stoloff*
“Moritat” – Dick Hyman Trio
“Mr. Wonderful” – Peggy Lee
“No Not Much” – Four Lads
“Poor People Of Paris” – Les Baxter
“Poor People Of Paris” – Russ Morgan
“R-O-C-K” – Bill Haley & The Comets*
“Rock & Roll Waltz” – Kay Starr
“Rock Island Line” – Lonnie Donegan*
“See You Later Alligator” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“The Great Pretender” – Platters
“Theme From Man With The Golden Arm” – Richard Maltby Orchestra*
“To You My Love” – Nick Noble
“Tutti Frutti” – Pat Boone
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Diamonds
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Gale Storm
“Wild Cherry” – Don Cherry*

* = 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

He’s already got multiple songs in the chart after debuting just a couple of months ago, so with his star in ascendence in April, 1956, aged just 21, Elvis Presley signed a three-picture contract with Paramount Pictures. His first film, “Love me Tender” would come out in November.

A regular on these charts for a number of years, Nat King Cole, has his concert in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, interrupted by three Ku Klux Klan members, who push Cole from his piano stool. All are later tried and convicted, but Cole would never again perform in his home state.

Back in 2021 we’re big fans of “PoolTogether”, which is the crypto version of “Premium Bonds” which the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Harold Macmillan, launched in the United Kingdom this month in 1956.

And finally in April, US actress Grace Kelly marries Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, in a civil ceremony at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco. See footage below:

What’d Sadie think?

We don’t love it, but the people of 1956 did as “Poor People Of Paris” by Les Baxter is at number 1 for the whole month.

Elvis Presley comes along with a cover of the already great “Blue Suede Shoes” and nails it of course. It’s only at this point I wonder – with covers so common in the 1950s, did people hang out hoping their favourite acts would cover a song they liked before they bought it? I think we’d need an actual time machine to answer that one.

Here’s Elvis performing Blue Suede Shoes on (colourised) TV that year.

“Ivory Tower” by Otis Williams has a certain charm to it. But it’s nothing against “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard which is really rockin’ with a particularly great sax piece. The latter reached number one on the Billboard rhythm and blues chart, staying at the top for six of 19 weeks, while peaking at number six on the pop charts we’re listening to this week.

“Lovely One” by Four Voices and “Molly-O” by Dick Jacobs are both a tad boring. And “Magic Touch” by the Platters is not their best effort of late. Nor is “R-O-C-K” by Bill Haley & The Comets who have been blowing up the charts of late.

“Moonglow And Theme From Picnic” is a romantic medley of a song from 1933 and 1955 by Morris Stoloff which featured in the 1956 movie, Picnic starring William Holden and Kim Novak.

“Man With The Golden Arm” is another film starring Kim Novak, this time alongside Frank Sinatra. It recounts the story of a drug addict who gets clean while in prison, but struggles to stay that way in the outside world. The theme song is by Richard Maltby … and for an instrumental it has got some kick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_37-0ScCbw

“Rock Island Line” is a folk song from 1929 by Lonnie Donegan and is a fun number.

Lastly, a weird one, “Wild Cherry” by Don Cherry. The lyrics go, “cherry, one day you’ll be mine…” – is he singing about himself? We assume not but it’s a confusing one for sure if you overthink it.

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

A three day weekend here in 2021 to commemorate Waitangi Day in New Zealand. So plenty of time to enjoy the sounds of March, 1956…

The songs of March, 1956

“11th Hour Melody” – Al Hibbler*
“A Tear Fell” – Teresa Brewer*
“Angels In The Sky” – Crew-Cuts
“Are You Satisfied” – Rusty Draper
“Ask Me” – Nat King Cole*
“Band Of Gold” – Don Cherry
“Band Of Gold” – Kit Carson
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Carl Perkins*
“Bo Weevil” – Teresa Brewer*
“Chain Gang” – Bobby Scott
“Dungaree Doll” – Eddie Fisher
“Eddie My Love” – Chordettes*
“Eddie My Love” – Fontane Sisters*
“Eddie My Love” – Teen Queens*
“Go On With The Wedding” – Patti Page
“He” – Al Hibbler
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley*
“Hot Diggity” – Perry Como*
“I Was The One” – Elvis Presley*
“I’ll Be Home” – Pat Boone
“Innamorata” – Jerry Vale*
“It’s Almost Tomorrow” – Dream Weavers
“It’s Almost Tomorrow” – Jo Stafford
“Juke Box Baby” – Perry Como*
“Lipstick And Candy And Rubbersole Shoes” – Julius Larosa*
“Lisbon Antigua” – Mitch Miller*
“Lisbon Antigua” – Nelson Riddle
“Lullaby Of Birdland” – Blue Stars
“Mack The Knife” – Louis Armstrong*
“Memories Are Made Of This” – Dean Martin
“Moritat” – Dick Hyman Trio
“Mr. Wonderful” – Peggy Lee*
“Ninety Nine Years” – Guy Mitchell
“No Not Much” – Four Lads
“Poor People Of Paris” – Les Baxter
“Poor People Of Paris” – Russ Morgan*
“Rock & Roll Waltz” – Kay Starr
“See You Later Alligator” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Seven Days” – Crew-Cuts
“Sixteen Tons” – Tennessee Ernie Ford
“Teenage Prayer” – Gale Storm
“The Great Pretender” – Platters
“The Tender Trap” – Frank Sinatra
“Theme From A Threepenny Opera” – Richard Hayman & Jan August
“To You My Love” – Nick Noble*
“Tutti Frutti” – Pat Boone
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Diamonds*
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Gale Storm*



* = New to the chart this week.

A good selection of new songs on the main charts but its a long weekend so let’s throw in a top 10 R&B chart as well:



You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link or embedded below:

This month in history

The 9th of March, 1956 was a sad day in New Zealand when “Opo the friendly dolphin” was found dead in Hokianga harbour after entertaining beach goers for a year. For some reason his is a story that has stuck around in the decades since and I remember seeing the statue made for him as a child.

It’s always interesting leafing through (err clicking through?) the relevant issues of Billboard magazine as I write each month up. I thought this article about how stage actors were flocking to do work on this new fangled TV thing was interesting – in particular how many were doing TV on Sunday as that was their day off from the stage…

Speaking of TV, this month saw the movie King Kong aired in New York. What’s interesting about this is the movie is from 1933. It has already been revived at the Cinema a few years earlier, and after a very popular run across a week on TV they cancelled plans to show it on other TV stations across the USA and instead brought it back to the cinema for the 3rd time in two decades. Who needs remakes?

What’d Sadie think?

The semi-ironic “Rock & Roll Waltz” by Kay Starr had grown on us and made it to number 1 for 3 weeks in March, 1956. With the remaining two going to “Poor People Of Paris” by Les Baxter which doesn’t grab us as much.

Interesting to see the growing amount of cross-over between R&B charts and the mainstream with “Why Do Fools Fall in love” by the Teenagers, “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins, “Great Pretender” by The Platters, “Eddie, My Love” by the Teen Queens all in both lists.

Love ’em

The big news for the month of course is Elvis Presley hitting the top charts with “Heartbreak Hotel”. And what an excellent debut it is.

Coincidentally, also on the charts is the original version of “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins, a great tune even before Elvis covered it later this year.

The other real classics this month are Louis Armstrong’s “Mack The Knife” and “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” by the Diamonds. Great tunes!

But then we also liked,

“Eddie My Love” by Teen Queens

“Lipstick And Candy And Rubbersole Shoes” by Julius Larosa

“Drown in my own tears” by Ray Charles

“Bo Weevil” by Fats Domino

Like ’em

“11th Hour Melody” – Al Hibbler

“A Tear Fell” – Teresa Brewer

“Ask Me” – Nat King Cole

“Bo Weevil” – Teresa Brewer

“I Was The One” – Elvis Presley

“Innamorata” – Jerry Vale

“Juke Box Baby” – Perry Como

“Mr. Wonderful” – Peggy Lee

“Poor People Of Paris” – Russ Morgan

“Don’t Blame it on Me” by Fats Domino

“Ain’t that lovin’ you, baby?” by Jimmy Reed

“Devil or Angel” by The Clovers

“Hey, Doll Baby” by The Clovers

Leave ’em

“Hot Diggity” – Perry Como

“Lisbon Antigua” – Mitch Miller

“To You My Love” – Nick Noble

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

We’re nearly in month synchronicity as we find ourselves listening to the sounds of February, 1956 on the last day of January back here in 2022. Let’s see what it sounds like…

The songs of February, 1956

“A Woman In Love” – Frankie Laine
“Angels In The Sky” – Crew-Cuts
“April In Paris” – Count Basie
“Are You Satisfied” – Rusty Draper
“Autumn Leaves” – Roger Williams
“Band Of Gold” – Kit Carson
“Band Of Gold” – Don Cherry
“Chain Gang” – Bobby Scott
“Cry Me A River” – Julie London
“Dungaree Doll” – Eddie Fisher
“Go On With The Wedding” – Patti Page
“Great Pretender” – Platters
“He” – Al Hibbler
“He” – Mcguire Sisters
“I Hear You Knocking” – Gale Storm
“I’ll Be Home” – Pat Boone
“It’s Almost Tomorrow” – Dream Weavers
“It’s Almost Tomorrow” – Jo Stafford
“Lisbon Antigua” – Nelson Riddle
“Love And Marriage” – Frank Sinatra
“Lullaby Of Birdland” – Blue Stars
“Memories Are Made Of This” – Dean Martin
“Memories Are Made Of This” – Gale Storm
“Moments To Remember” – Four Lads
“Moritat” – Dick Hyman Trio
“Ninety Nine Years” – Guy Mitchell
“No Not Much” – Four Lads
“Only You” – Hilltoppers
“Only You” – Platters
“Poor People Of Paris” – Les Baxter
“Rock & Roll Waltz” – Kay Starr
“See You Later Alligator” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Seven Days” – Crew-Cuts
“Seven Days” – Dorothy Collins
“Sixteen Tons” – Tennessee Ernie Ford
“Speedoo” – Cadillacs
“Teenage Prayer” – Gale Storm
“Teenage Prayer” – Gloria Mann
“The Great Pretender” – Platters
“The Tender Trap” – Frank Sinatra
“Tutti Frutti” – Little Richard
“Tutti Frutti” – Pat Boone
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” – Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers

* = 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 February 11, 1956 British spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean appear in the Soviet Union, five years after vanishing from the UK. The “Cambridge Five” spies would live on in infamy for the next half century and more…

Not yet high enough for it to appear on our playlists but this was also the month that Elvis Presley enters the United States music charts for the first time, with “Heartbreak Hotel”.

It’s a literary kind of month with one of my favourite authors, Michel Houellebecq, being born on the 26th of February.

And then on the 27th Poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath meet for the first time, in Cambridge, UK at the St. Botolph’s Review launch party. It was held in the meeting-room of the University’s Women’s Union, a venue which had assured the magazine editors a large female attendance and was described by Hughes thus: “all drank, more women than men, we left the place smashed, windows out, polished floor like a dirt-track.” Quite the party then!

And at the Golden Globes, “Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical” went to the musical, “Guys and Dolls”.

What’d Sadie think?

Two weeks at the top for Dean Martin’s excellent “Memories Are Made Of This” before two weeks for the truly great, “The Great Pretender” by the Platters.

“April In Paris” is a great jazz classic from the album of the same name by Count Basie.

“Chain Gang” by Bobby Scott is not the song of the same name, from 1960, that most people will know. It’s kind of weirdly catchy but nothing as good as the latter.

“Go On With The Wedding” is a classic Patti Page and has a nice sway to it.

“Lullaby Of Birdland” by the Blue Stars is one of those, fairly rare, songs with nothing about them online. It’s a nice jazzy number to ‘baddum baddum’ along to.

“Moritat” by Dick Hyman Trio is apparently, the “Theme from The Threepenny Opera” and is a whistled “mack the knife”? It’s a nice listen.

“Ninety Nine Years” by Guy Mitchell is mostly notable for the lyrics,

“Ninety nine years in the penitentiary
Ninety nine years, baby, baby, wait for me
Around twenty fifty five
Well get together dead or alive”

We’ll take another listen in 2055. Actually maybe a few times before as its rather catchy in a weird James Bond-esque way.

“No Not Much” by the Four Lads is an ironic love song. Apparently it was subsequently frequently covered, including in 1969 when in the Vogues’ version the lyric line: “Like a ten-cent soda doesn’t cost a dime”, was replaced by the lyric: “Like the song I’m singing doesn’t mean a rhyme,” because the former lyric line was considered outdated. Inflation… something 2022 knows about. It’s a bit dull in this version.

“Poor People Of Paris” is the english language version of a french song by Les Baxter, that was popularised originally by Edith Piaf. It’s yet another song with a whistle in it.

“See You Later Alligator” by Bill Haley & The Comets is a rock ‘n’ roll version of an R&B song originally by Bobby Charles. It is is what it is, quite fun of course.

“Haley’s arrangement of the song is faster-paced than Guidry’s original, and in particular the addition of a two-four beat changed the song from a rhythm and blues “shuffle” to rock and roll. “

“Seven Days” by the Crew-Cuts is one of two versions charting and its a another nice cut from the Crew.

Oh gosh, Pat Boone what did you do to Little Richard’s classic “Tutti Frutti”? Well what he did was introduce it to mainstream USA in a very insipid form. Pass! His other song on the charts is “I’ll Be Home”

“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers is the original and reached number 1 on the R&B charts before it charted in the pop charts, and yeah its great. The origin story is interesting, though the original name (still a lyric in the song) wouldn’t have aged as well,

“In late 1955, The Teenagers (at that time calling themselves The Premiers) auditioned a song called “Why do Birds Sing So Gay?” for George Goldner, recording producer and owner of Gee Records. Herman Santiago, tenor of the group, had written the song based on a line from some love letters given to the guys by a tenant in bassist Sherman Garnes’ apartment building.“

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