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And a happy new year from 1955 where we are starting the year off down in Kokomo…

The songs of January 1955

“Count Your Blessings” – Eddie Fisher
“Dim Dim The Lights” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Earth Angel” – Penguins
“Hearts Of Stone” – Charms
“Hearts Of Stone” – Fontane Sisters
“Hey There” – Rosemary Clooney
“I Love You Madly” – Four Coins*
“I Need You Now” – Eddie Fisher
“Ko Ko Mo” – Crew-Cuts*
“Let Me Go Lover” – Joan Weber
“Let Me Go Lover” – Patti Page
“Let Me Go Lover” – Teresa Brewer
“Ling Ting Tong” – Charms*
“Ling Ting Tong” – Five Keys*
“Make Yourself Comfortable” – Sarah Vaughan
“Mambo Italiano” – Rosemary Clooney
“Melody Of Love” – Billy Vaughn Orchestra
“Melody Of Love” – David Carroll Orchestra
“Melody Of Love” – Four Aces
“Mr. Sandman” – Chordettes
“Mr. Sandman” – Four Aces
“No More” – Dejohn Sisters*
“No More” – Mcguire Sisters*
“Open Up Your Heart” – Cowboy Church Sunday School
“Papa Loves Mambo” – Perry Como
“Runaround” – Three Chuckles
“Shake Rattle And Roll” – Bill Haley & The Comets
“Sincerely” – Mcguire Sisters
“Song Of The Barefoot Contessa” – Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra*
“Teach Me Tonight” – Decastro Sisters
“Teach Me Tonight” – Jo Stafford*
“That’s All I Want From You” – Jaye P. Morgan
“The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane” – Ames Brothers
“The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane” – Archie Bleyer*
“This Ole House” – Rosemary Clooney
“This Ole House” – Stuart Hamblen*
“Tweedlee Dee” – Georgia Gibbs*
“Tweedlee Dee” – Lavern Baker*

* = 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

I always look at the births and deaths for the month in question but thus far we’ve had few people born who are relevant to pop-culture today. But this month we have Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor born on January 6, 1955 and US artist Jeff Koons born on the 21st. You can see a documentary on the latter’s life below:

On January 7th the Halas and Batchelor film animation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the first full-length British-made animated feature, is released. You can watch the whole thing here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXkicQRl6vg

Meanwhile on the same across the pond, Marian Anderson becomes the 1st African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera. You can see her performing in 1951:

On the 15th one of our favourite composers Dmitri Shostakovich’s “From Jewish Folk Poetry” premieres in Leningrad. The piece was actually composed in the autumn of 1948, but after Shostakovich’s denunciation in the Zhdanov decree of that year was unable to be performed for another 7 years.

What’d Sadie think?

The classic “Mr. Sandman” by the Chordettes stays at number 1 for 3 weeks before “Let Me Go Lover” by Joan Weber takes the top spot for the remaining two.

“I Love You Madly” by the Four Coins starts off the new songs on the charts this week. The group apparently used the name the Four Keys until they learned another vocal group had it under copyright. They then became The Four Coins. To be honest I’d believe they changed their name because they had a reputation for being terrible to escape… it’s not great.

“Ko Ko Mo” by the Crew-Cuts is a bit of fun though. Originally recorded by rhythm and blues duo Gene and Eunice in November 1954 it was covered by at least 17 different musicians in the first few months of 1955 alone, including Perry Como, The Charms, Louis Armstrong and of course the The Crew-Cuts whose version ain’t too bad.

We have two versions of “Ling Ting Tong” on the charts, one by the Five Keys… who were, to be clear, not the Four Keys that forced the Four Coins to change their time. Following this? Us neither. To simplify things (?) we included the version by the Charms on our playlist. But maybe we should have skipped it because it’s downright racist. Sorry you can keep it 1950s.

Next we have “No More” by the Mcguire Sisters where the 1950s do what they do best. Listen to this one twice and skip the previous song.

Hugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra give us the instrumental “Song Of The Barefoot Contessa” which is from the soundtrack to the 1954 film of the same song. It’s Bogart so its worth watching the trailer at least:

Then chart regular Jo Stafford delivers the jazz standard, “Teach Me Tonight”. It’s a sultry wee number and we like it lots.

We have a new version of “The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane”, by Archie Bleyer this time. It’s no longer (presuming you’re paying attention) a spoiler to mention how this odd song is about a newborn baby not a lady of the night… This version just as odd but also oddly catchy.

We’ve had the even catchier and classic, “This Ole House”, on the charts for a while. This week Stuart Hamblen’s version is also charting, which is fair as it was his original. But its no patch on the Rosemary Clooney version.

Lastly we have “Tweedlee Dee” by Lavern Baker, described as an “R&B novelty song”. Wikipedia also notes, “The arrangement and vocal style of the song attempted to adapt a black vocal style to one that would satisfy the tastes of the white record-buying market, featuring a light tone and a frisky rhythm beat.”. So it’s not great, but it is a bit of fun.

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

Xmas comes early for those who time travel. It’s only October in 2021 but here at 4xlife we’re listening to the sounds of December, 1954…

The songs of December, 1954

“Bazoom I Need Your Lovin'” – Cheers
“Cara Mia” – David Whitfield
“Count Your Blessing” – Eddie Fisher
“Count Your Blessings” – Ames Brothers
“Dim All The Lights” – Bill Haley And His Comets
“Earth Angel” – Penguins*
“Hajji Baba” – Nat King Cole
“Hearts Of Stone” – Champs*
“Hearts Of Stone” – Fontane Sisters*
“Hey There” – Rosemary Clooney
“Hold My Hand” – Don Cornell
“Home For The Holidays” – Perry Como*
“I Need You Now” – Eddie Fisher
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Doris Day
“Let Me Go Lover” – Teresa Brewer*
“Let Me Go Lover” – Joan Weber*
“Let Me Go Lover” – Patti Page*
“Make Yourself Comfortable” – Sarah Vaughan
“Mambo Italiano” – Rosemary Clooney
“Melody Of Love” – Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra*
“Melody Of Love” – David Carroll And His Orchestra*
“Mr Sandman” – Chordettes
“Mr Sandman” – Four Aces
“Muskrat Ramble” – Mcguire Sisters
“My Baby Don’t Love Me No More” – Dejohn Sisters*
“Open Up Your Heart” – Cowboy Church Sunday School*
“Papa Loves Mambo” – Perry Como
“Runaround” – Three Chuckles
“Santo Natale” – David Whitfield*
“Shake Rattle And Roll” – Bill Haley And His Comets
“Sincerely” – Mcguire Sisters*
“Teach Me Tonight” – Decastro Sisters
“That’s All I Want From You” – Jaye P Morgan*
“The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane” – Ames Brothers
“This Ole House” – Rosemary Clooney
“White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
“Wither Thou Goest” – Les Paul & Mary Ford

* = New to the chart this week.

A few new songs but we’ll also see what Xmas sounded like across the pond in the UK with a top 10 from there:

“Santo Natale” – David Whitfield
“I Still Believe” – Ronnie Hilton
“This Ole House”- Rosemary Clooney
“No One But You”- Billy Eckstine
“Let’s Get Together No 1” – Big Ben Banjo Band
“The Finger Of Suspicion”- Dickie Valentine With The Stargazers
“My Son My Son” – Vera Lynn
“Rain Rain Rain” – Frankie Laine And The Four Lads
“Heartbeat” – Ruby Murray

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

This month in history

On December 4th The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, USA, but it wasn’t actually called Burger King, though it did innovate the “flame grilled” technique they still used today. You can see more on this here:

Meanwhile on December 10, US Air Force Lt Col John Stapp travels at 632 mph in a rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. I hope he hadn’t eaten a whopper before hand by the looks of the experience…

And lastly on December 12 we had the live transmission of the BBC’s adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, starring Peter Cushing, on UK television which you can watch in fuzzy-vision below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYBbvj8NKx8

What’d Sadie think?

We have “Mr Sandman” by the Chordettes at number one sport for the whole month, including the coveted “Xmas Number ” as announced in the first week of January’s chart.

The highest Xmas tune to chart was was Perry Como’s “home for the holidays”, one of our new tunes of the month.

“Earth Angel” by the Penguins is the first new song we encounter. Their only breakout hit it eventually sold 10 million copies. Apparently the song was going to be overdubbed with additional instrumentation when it was released as a B-side but the original demo version became an unexpected hit. For me this sounds like your prototypical ’50s tune and its a lovely one for sure.

“Hearts Of Stone” – Fontane Sisters is the second new R&B cross-over on the main charts this month. A great tune with a belting sax part.

“Home For The Holidays” by Perry Como is our first Xmas song of the charts and a new one for 1954. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a Perry Como Xmas tune and lovely that is. We’ll pull this one out properly again in a month back in 2021.

Teresa Brewer’s version of “Let Me Go Lover” is one of 3 that appear on the chart ths month. The Joan Weber version is the original but we went with the Brewer version because we consistently like her songs. This is much more slowpaced than her regular numbers but is still great.

“Melody Of Love” is an instrumental by Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra and is oh so chill and perfect if you’re in the mood for such.

“My Baby Don’t Love Me No More” is an original by the Dejohn Sisters and a fun break-up tune. It was also covered by the Mcguire Sisters who chart with “Sincerely” instead – its a little bit…sincere? The Moonglows original version made it to number 1 on the R&B charts.

The amazingly named “Cowboy Church Sunday School” version of “Open Up Your Heart” …. Apparently when it is played at normal speed, 45 rpm, the vocal sounds unnaturally high. When played at 33⅓ rpm the vocal sounds more natural. This was done deliberately (as a song would normally we recorded and played back at 45pm for a single) by Stuart Hamblen’s wife and adult daughters, so that when played at 45rpm it sounds as if it is being sung by children.

The version in the playlist is the “sped up” version as this seems to be the most prevalent online and how most people will have heard it at the time. It’s like a sermon by the chipmunks and frankly not great. You can hear the song at the 33rpm speed and the actual adult voices here:

“Santo Natale” by David Whitfield is our second Xmas tune of the December charts and its not bad, we’ll throw it on this year’s Xmas playlist for sure.

“That’s All I Want From You” is by Jaye P Morgan. Who is no relation to JP Morgan the bank. If she was a 2021 R&B performer you’d assume it was some kind of homage/reference but no. The song itself has something nice going on in the rhythm layer and it’ll probably grow on us after a few listens.

That Christmas classic, “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby is back yet again. But in 1954 we get a new version for the musical of same name – you can see trailer for this below:

There’s always less information on the UK chart hits at this stage, so all we can do is comment on their relative merits according to our listen.

“I Still Believe” by Ronnie Hilton is one of those songs that will have you swaying along and wishing you were holding someone tight on a dance floor.

Billy Eckstine’s “No One But You” is also slow but in a snorefest kind of way, moving on!

“Let’s Get Together No 1” was a hit for one hit-wonder “Big Ben Banjo Band”, whose name is too good. Alas the greatness stops and ends there, the song is a fairly average instrumental.

Dickie Valentine With The Stargazers give us a nice number with “The Finger Of Suspicion”.

“My Son My Son” was eventually a number 1 for Vera Lynn, and surprisingly her only UK number one hit on the official chart as most of her hits were before charts started in the country. It’s not bad at all, but not number 1 in our ears.

“Rain Rain Rain” by Frankie Laine And The Four Lads picks up the pace, which has been notably lacking on the UK charts compared with the R&B influenced USA charts this week. It’s a good ‘un.

“Heartbeat” by Ruby Murray ends the charts on a nice upbeat note that should have you singing along by the second.

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

We’ve had our first sighting of Xmas advertising in New Zealand, so no doubt things were feeling decidedly Xmasy a month later in November of 1954. No sign of seasonal tunes yet but we have a bumper crop of 10 new tunes on the mainstream charts….

The songs of November, 1954

“Bazoom I Need Your Lovin'” – Cheers
“Cara Mia” – David Whitfield
“Count Your Blessings” – Eddie Fisher
“Dim Dim The Lights” – Bill Haley And His Comets
“Hajji Baba” – Nat King Cole
“Hey There” – Rosemary Clooney
“Hold My Hand” – Don Cornell
“I Need You Now” – Eddie Fisher
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Denise Lor
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Doris Day
“It’s A Woman’s World” – Four Aces
“Make Yourself Comfortable” – Sarah Vaughan
“Mambo Italiano” – Rosemary Clooney
“Mr Sandman” – Chordettes
“Mr Sandman” – Four Aces
“Muskrat Ramble” – Mcguire Sisters
“Papa Loves Mambo” – Perry Como
“Runaround” – Three Chuckles
“Sh-Boom” – Crew Cuts
“Shake Rattle And Roll” – Bill Haley And His Comets
“Skokiaan” – Four Lads
“Skokiaan” – Ralph Marterie
“Smile” – Nat King Cole
“Teach Me Tonight” – Decastro Sisters
“The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane” – Ames Brothers
“This Ole House” – Rosemary Clooney
“Wither Thou Goest” – Les Paul & Mary Ford

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

This month in history

How long ago was 1954? Well french artist, Henri Matisse born in _1869_, died aged 84 on November 3 of the year. Here’s a nice documentary on his life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGt_Yugp0w

Meanwhile just being birthed was “Hancock’s Half Hour” on BBC radio. Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian.

By all accounts the series was influential in the development of the situation comedy, with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development. You can listen to a 1954 episode below:

On November 23rd The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.27 points, or 0.86 percent, closing at an all-time high of 382.74. More significantly, this is the first time the Dow has surpassed its peak level reached just before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Only took two decades, a world war and major economic boom…

Speaking of boom, this was the month the world was introduced to the classic film monster Godzilla:

What’d Sadie think?

“This Ole House” by Rosemary Clooney takes the number 1 spot all month, and deservedly so to our ears. Though there’s some brilliant newcomers…

The charts start on a fun note with “Bazoom I Need Your Lovin'” by The Cheers. If you’re not singing “bazooooom” by the end of the song and the rest of your day you’re not listening close enough.

“Count Your Blessings” by Eddie Fisher is just all too chill after Bazoom I’m afraid Eddie.

Bill Haley And His Comets follow up “Shake rattle and roll” with “Dim Dim The Lights” which is a bit too similar yet not as good.

“Hajji Baba” by Nat King Cole showcases his amazing voice but is a fairly lacklustre song. It’s from the soundtrack to the 1954 film, “The Adventures of Hajji Baba” which is as exploitive as you imagine a ’50s film named this to be. You can watch the whole film here:

Who knew, before it was “A Man’s world” it was “(It’s A) Woman’s World” according to the Four Aces. Now I wasn’t around in the 1950’s but I do believe that wasn’t strictly speaking the case. The lyrics speak volumes,

It’s a woman’s world when she’s in love
It’s a woman’s world, his kiss can make her glow
And that’s what makes it so, it’s a woman’s world

But it has a lovely melody despite the content. Speaking of lovely, “Make Yourself Comfortable” by Sarah Vaughan had us swaying.

Ok I’ll confess, I thought “Mambo Italiano” was a Dean Martin song originally but he didn’t cover it till 1955. It was written in 1954 for Rosemary Clooney whose version is just great. Bob Merrill reportedly wrote it “under a recording deadline, scribbling hastily on a paper napkin in an Italian restaurant in New York City, and then using the wall pay-phone to dictate the melody, rhythm and lyrics to the studio pianist.”. Who saws greatness takes time? (People who charge by the hour.)

It’s a month for the classics we all know. “Mr Sandman” by the Chordettes wasn’t the first version, that was by Vaughn Monroe and his orchestra, but it was the first to chart. I need a new way to say “it’s a classic for a reason”.

Meanwhile there’s a reason why you don’t recognise “Runaround” by Three Chuckles. Neither the song or the band have been heard of since, snore!

“The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane” by Ames Brothers closes the charts and is just weird. But the horns and “boom-diddi-booms” are fun. I shan’t spoil the ending…

So go listen to it, and the rest of the playlist in full playlist on Youtube via this link.

Our months match this week as we find ourselves transported back from October, 2021 to October, 1954. Let’s see what 67 years ago sounds like…

The songs of October, 1954

“Cara Mia” – David Whitfield
“Hey There” – Rosemary Clooney
“Hold My Hand” – Don Cornell
“I Need You Now” – Eddie Fisher
“I’m A Fool To Care” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Connie Boswell
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Denise Lor
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Doris Day
“In The Chapel In The Moonlight” – Kitty Kallen
“Little Things Mean A Lot” – Kitty Kallen
“Muskrat Ramble” – Mcguire Sisters
“Oop-Shoop” – Crew Cuts
“Papa Loves Mambo” – Perry Como
“Sh-Boom” – Crew Cuts
“Shake Rattle And Roll” – Bill Haley And His Comets
“Skokiaan” – Four Lads
“Skokiaan” – Ralph Marterie
“Smile” – Nat King Cole
“Teach Me Tonight” – Decastro Sisters
“That’s What I Like” – “Don Dick And Jimmy”
“The High And The Mighty” – Leroy Holmes / Fred Lowery
“The High And The Mighty” – Les Baxter
“The High And The Mighty” – Victor Young
“The Little Shoemaker” – Gaylords
“They Were Doin’ The Mambo” – Vaughn Monroe
“This Ole House” – Rosemary Clooney
“Whither Thou Goest” – Les Paul & Mary Ford

We’ll supplement the mainstream pop charts with a country chart from this month:

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

This month in history

“He’s only 19 years old, he has a new distinctive style…” – yes, this month is all about Elvis Presley making his first radio broadcast, on a show in Shreveport, Louisiana, called Louisiana Hayride. You can hear it here:

What’d Sadie think?

“Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney hit the number one spot for the last week of September and continues on its winning ways for all of October.

“If I Give My Heart To You” by Connie Boswell is the third charting version of the song and sorry Connie but you’ve not endeared it to us anymore.

Whereas “Muskrat Ramble” by Mcguire Sisters is a fun wee number with a great sax part. It’s more 40’s dixieland than 50’s in sound but there you go.

“Oop-Shoop” by the Crew Cuts proves why their version of “Sh-boom” was the inferior version, they’re just very twee! Moving on… (actually before we do, shame on you 1950’s America, the much better version of “Sh-boom” by The Chords has already dropped off the charts.)

“Smile” by Nat King Cole is a based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film “Modern Times.”. Chaplin, who composed the song, was apparently inspired by Puccini’s “Tosca”. Nat King Cole recorded the first version with lyrics in 1954. It’s a classic for a reason folks, sing along! You can see a scene from Modern Times, a clever commentary on industrialization, below:

“Teach Me Tonight” by the Decastro Sisters is a bit wishy washy to be honest. But in looking up the song I found this amusing story about the group:

“The DeCastro Sisters originally consisted of Peggy DeCastro (1921–2004), Cherie DeCastro (1922–2010) and Babette DeCastro (1925–1992). When Babette retired in 1958, a cousin, Olgita DeCastro Marino (1931–2000), replaced her and when Peggy later left the group to go solo, Babette re-joined Cherie and Olgita. Peggy eventually returned and Babette once more retired.”

Peggy and Babette didn’t get on then…?

“That’s What I Like” – by Don, Dick And Jimmy is a schmaltzy number which redeems itself with a great sax solo – by the end we were swaying along.

“Whither Thou Goest” by Les Paul & Mary Ford closes the mainstream charts and is one of their better songs, perhaps because it has less of his noodley guitar? Sorry Les!

“I don’t hurt anymore” by Hank Snow is classic country in theme and delivery and is the antidote for a broken heart.

“One by One” is a duet by Kitty and Red – we’ve not had enough duets of late and this is a good ‘un.

“This is the thanks I get” by Eddy Arnold is a sweet showcase of his lovely tenor and you’ll be singing along on the second listen. “Hep cat baby” by Arnold later in the playlist is equally catchy.

“More and More” and “Even Though” by Webb Pierce are the opposite – the man’s voice grates. Skip both! Give “You’re not mine anymore” a go though – just because we have to pick one of his three songs on the charts! Clearly 1954 loved him more than we do.

Stuart Hamblen’s, “This Ole’ House” is a fun pacey number that will get you tapping your foot along. As will Jimmy and Johnny’s “If you don’t somebody else will”.

“Watcha gonna do now?” by Tommy Collins is a bit racey if you listen to the lyrics, and like the previous song has a nice fiddle part.

Tubb and Hill’s, “Looking back to see” is another fun duet which has a Saloon Bar vibe. “Two glasses, Joe” by the other Tubb (Ernest) is the best of the Tubb’s tunes this week though.

Johnnie and Jack’s, “Goodnight, Sweetheart” is alright. But it’s Hank Thompson’s “The New Green Light” that shines at the end of the playlist. We end on a similarly themed song, “Go boy Go” by Carl Smith which is alright.

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

We’ve just finished September, and started Spring, down under in 2021 as we listen back to September of 1954 to hear what it sounds like:

The songs of September, 1954

​​”Cara Mia” – David Whitfield
“Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight” – Mcguire Sisters
“Hernando’s Hideaway” – Archie Bleyer
“Hey There” – Sammy Davis Jr.
“Hey There” – Rosemary Clooney
“Hold My Hand” – Don Cornell
“I Need You Now” – Eddie Fisher
“I’m A Fool To Care” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Denise Lor
“If I Give My Heart To You” – Doris Day
“In The Chapel In The Moonlight” – Kitty Kallen
“Little Things Mean A Lot” – Kitty Kallen
“Sh-Boom” – Chords
“Sh-Boom” – Crew Cuts
“Shake Rattle And Roll” – Bill Haley And His Comets
“Skokiaan” – Bulawayo Sweet Rhythms Band
“Skokiaan” – Four Lads
“Skokiaan” – Ralph Marterie
“The High And The Mighty” – Eddie Fisher
“The High And The Mighty” – Leroy Holmes / Fred Lowery
“The High And The Mighty” – Les Baxter
“The High And The Mighty” – Victor Young
“The Little Shoemaker” – Gaylords
“The Little Shoemaker” – Hugo Winterhalter / Eddie Fisher
“They Were Doin’ The Mambo” – Vaughn Monroe
“This Ole House” – Rosemary Clooney
“Three Coins In The Fountain” – Four Aces
“What A Dream” – Patti Page

A brace of new songs this month but we’ll also add in the top 10 selling R&B records from a week of September, 1954:

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

This month in history

September 1954 saw the first televised Miss America pageant; you can see some of this below:

Meanwhile, on the 17th of the month William Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies” was published for the first time in London.

And finally, of interest to those back in 2021 following the Australian snub of France, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world, is commissioned into the U.S. Navy this month in 1954.

What’d Sadie think?

The inferior version of “Sh-Boom” by the Crew Cuts hangs on to the number 1 spot for three weeks before “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney closes out the month.

Two songs grew on us this month, “Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight” by the Mcguire Sisters and “Hernando’s Hideaway”. Sadie particularly loved a dance to the latter.

“Cara Mia” (“my beloved”) by David Whitfield is a tad on the melodramatic side but was a massive chart hit back in his home country of the UK, spending 10 weeks at number one, as well as being one of the biggest pre-Rock hits for a UK artist in the USA.

“Hold My Hand” by Don Cornell is a sweet number and was featured in the film Susan Slept Here which looks great from the trailer:

“I Need You Now” by Eddie Fisher is a swinging fun number. You can see Russell Arms singing a version from a 1954 episode of “Your Hit Parade” below:

“If I Give My Heart To You” by Doris Day is alrighty, having a nice horn piece in particular.

You can’t get a lot more classic early rock than “Shake Rattle And Roll” by Bill Haley And His Comets. And it’s by no coincidence we chose the R&B charts this month as Jesse Stone, wrote the song for Joe Turner whose version is charting there. Haley’s version was recorded the same week Turner’s version first topped the R&B charts.

“What A Dream” by Patti Page closes out our new songs in the mainstream charts and a nice tune it is, with a good horn piece. But it’s outclassed by the Ruth Brown version that is number one on the R&B charts this week with an even bette vocal and horn section.

We have three songs by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters in the R&B charts. Two of them about “Annie”…”Annie Had a Baby” and “Work with me Annie”. Both excellent, though its “Sexy Ways” with its great sax part that is the best of the three. A song that apparently “cemented the band’s reputation as one of the most risqué groups of the time” and which wasn’t going to get covered by a mainstream artist in 1954…

“Hurts me to my Heart” by Faye Adams is nice while “Honey Love” by Clyde McPhatter was a bit weak to our ears. As was the overly melodramatic “Ebb Tide” by Roy Hamilton.

Then we have that Joe Turner original version of “Shake, Rattle and Roll” which is slower and more soulful than the Bill Haley version, with (as seems to be the way with R&B versions) a better sax part.

“Tick, Tock” by Marvin & Johnny keeps the R&B charts rocking, while “I’ve got my Eyes on You” by the Clovers closes the charts with some great keys.

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

A couple of day’s late this week – The Scovells have made the final leg of their journey and are now ensconced back in Auckland. We managed to find time to listen to the songs of August, 1954 on the weekend though so here they are:

The songs of August, 1954

“Cinnamon Sinner” – Tony Bennett
“Crazy ‘Bout You Baby” – Crew Cuts
“Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight” – Mcguire Sisters
“Hernando’s Hideaway” – Archie Bleyer
“Hey There” – Sammy Davis Jr.
“Hey There” – Rosemary Clooney
“I Understand” – Four Tunes
“I Understand” – June Valli
“I’m A Fool To Care” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
“If You Love Me” – Kay Starr
“In The Chapel In The Moonlight” – Kitty Kallen
“Little Things Mean A Lot” – Kitty Kallen
“Sh-Boom” – Chords
“Sh-Boom” – Crew Cuts
“Skokiaan” – Ralph Marterie
“Sway” – Dean Martin
“The Happy Wanderer” – Frank Weir
“The High And The Mighty” – Leroy Holmes
“The High And The Mighty” – Les Baxter
“The High And The Mighty” – Victor Young
“The Little Shoemaker” – Gaylords
“The Little Shoemaker” – Hugo Winterhalter
“They Were Doin’ The Mambo” – Vaughn Monroe
“This Ole House” – Rosemary Clooney
“Three Coins In The Fountain” – Four Aces
“Three Coins In The Fountain” – Frank Sinatra

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

This month in history

August saw the 15th Venice Film Festival in which “Romeo and Juliet” directed by Renato Castellani wins the Golden Lion, for which you can see the trailer below:

Speaking of tragedies, on August 24th US President Eisenhower signs the “Communist Control Act”, outlawing the Communist Party, at the height of McCarthyism. No footage of that but here’s a film of him signing another bill a few months earlier for the vibe:

Not at all significant but this timeline entry just struck me as poetic, “British cargo ship Spanker runs aground at Hook of Holland, Netherlands and is holed.”

What’d Sadie think?

Number 1 for the month was the Crew Cut’s version of “Sh-Boom” – which is a real injustice as the Chords original that we featured last week is vasty superior piece of rock’n’roll history but there you go.

“Cinnamon Sinner” by Tony Bennett is the first of our new tunes for the month. It’s everything you expect from the crooner and is a nice way to start the playlist.

Next we get a cover of the musical tune, “Hey There”, by Sammy Davis Jr which out does the original for sure..

“Skokiaan” by Ralph Marterie is a cover of a popular tune originally written by Zimbabwean musician August Musarurwa in the tsaba-tsaba big-band style. Skokiaan refers to an illegal self-made alcoholic beverage typically brewed over one day that may contain ingredients such as maize meal, water and yeast, to speed up the fermentation process. Within a year of its 1954 release in South Africa, at least 19 cover versions of “Skokiaan” appeared. The Rhodesian version reached No 17 in the United States, while our cover version Ralph Marterie climbed to No. 3. Here’s the original for good measure:

Three versions of “The High And The Mighty” pop onto the charts at once this month. We include the Leroy Holmes version on our playlist. It is a song from the film of the same name and is your standard instrumental sound track number. This version was also recorded by the conductor and arranger LeRoy Holmes. It became Holmes’ biggest hit, and his most recognisable. The song is known for its distinctive whistling, which accompanies the music, and which was provided by Fred Lowery. Here’s the film trailer:

Apparently Mambo music and dance were huge in the 1950’s. Which makes “They Were Doin’ The Mambo” by Vaughn Monroe make sense – but doesn’t make it good. It’s a bit of fun that said.

Lastly we have “This Ole House” by Rosemary Clooney originally composed and released by Stuart Hamblen as a country song. Hamblen was supposedly out on a hunting expedition when he and his fellow hunter, actor John Wayne, came across a hut in the mountains. Inside was the body of a man, and the man’s dog was still there, guarding the building. Clooney’s version if a rollicking sing-a-long and a nice way to find off our new numbers.

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