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Metalluk's Top-120 Songs from the Fifties (Part II: 41-80)Jan 01 '07 (Updated Jan 15 '07) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Here's Part II of my list of the Top-120 Songs from the Fifties, when Rock & Roll was born!
Once upon a time, boys and girls, there was a kind of music called "Rock & Roll," the name of which was later shortened to just "Rock" (I guess they must have forgotten how to "Roll"). Once upon another time, there was no such thing as Rock & Roll and the teenagers were all very, very sad. Strangely enough, the first story began exactly where the second story left off – in 1955. That was the year when Rock & Roll was first invented and young people everywhere rejoiced mightily, while their parents quaked and shuttered in their boots. Though much has changed, mainstream popular music, right up to the present time, can be seen as a unitary musical haplogroup, evolving from that one crucial mutation that occurred in the mid-fifties. Complexity and diversity has increased, but Rock is still a direct descendant of Rock & Roll. I don't mean to crow or anything, but I was twelve in 1955 and it's therefore a reasonable supposition that Rock & Roll was invented expressly for me (and the hippest of my contemporaries). The rest of you have just been riding the backside of the wave ever since! The first half of the fifties is sometimes referred to as the "nothing" period in popular music. The era of the big bands was over and World War II songs were out of vogue, yet nothing exciting had come along to fill the void. Teenagers and young adults of that era had to make do with a coterie of crooners, such as Perry Como, Julius La Rosa, Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Frankie Laine, as well as their female counterparts, such as Doris Day. It was enough to make adolescents turn off the radio and turn to booze instead (we didn't even have the option of marijuana in those days)! Then, Bill Haley, Little Richard, Elvis, and some others came along and saved most of us, at least, from a life of chronic inebriation. Any list of the top songs from the fifties is thus presented immediately with a challenge. For many of us, very nearly all of the top hundred or two-hundred songs from the fifties come from the second half of the decade, following that moment of spontaneous combustion that became Rock & Roll. My list of the 120 top songs from the fifties includes relatively few released prior to 1955, though I have gone out of my way to include a few of the best. Having had both an older brother and an older sister, I was exposed to the current hits throughout the decade, one way or another. To any lost souls out there who actually experience nostalgia for the crooners of the "nothing" half-decade, what can I say that would not be insulting to your perverse musical taste? Other than, perhaps, my apologies for detesting most of your music! Why 120? Well, back in the fifties, a popular pastime for adolescents was listening to the weekly top-40 countdowns. Forty, however, is not enough for an entire decade, so I've arranged my list as three installments of forty songs apiece. This is Part II, including songs in positions 41-80, in reverse order in accordance with good countdown procedure. These are my personal selections, though I did cull a number of charts of hit songs for each year to minimize the risk of inadvertently omitting one of my old favorites. If you enjoy this list, please check out Parts I and III. Metalluk's Top-120 Songs from the Fifties (Part I: 1-40) Metalluk's Top-120 Songs from the Fifties (Part III: 81-120) ********************************************************************************* TOP-SONGS OF THE FIFTIES (Nos. 41-80): ********************************************************************************* 80. The Poni Tails: Born Too Late (1958). This song was released as the B-side to "Come on Joey, Dance with Me," but completely overshadowed its companion song, reaching #7 on the pop charts in the U.S. and #5 in the U.K. The Poni Tails were an all-female vocal group from Brush High School in Lyndhurst, Ohio. This song was their only hit. 79. David Seville: Witch Doctor (1958). "Oo-ee, oh-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang." Repeat those words nightly and you too can be a legendary stud or vixen. 78. Jimmie (sometimes Jimmy) Rodgers: Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (1957). Jimmie Rodgers had fourteen hits reach the charts between 1957 and 1967. Jimmie had the same name as a legendary country star born in 1897, who died the same year (1933) that the younger Jimmie Rodgers was born. This song was Jimmie's second great hit, after "Honeycomb." Jimmie had an easygoing vocal style. 77. Paul Anka: Diana (1957). Paul Anka was a Lebanese-Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor, born in 1941. "Diana" was the song that brought him instant stardom. "I'm so young and you're so old, this my darling, I've been told." Diana seems to be some kind of cradle-robber! 76. Little Anthony & The Imperials: Tears On My Pillow (1958). This song was the first and only hit for this group. "You don't remember me, but I remember you. Twas not so long ago, you broke my heart in two." 75. Everly Brothers: This Little Girl of Mine (1958). The Everly Brothers, Don and Phil, had voices that blended perfectly. They were decent guitarists and sang in close harmony. The Everly Brothers were a strong influence on later groups, including The Beatles. 74. Jerry Lee Lewis: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (1957). "Come over baby, whole lot of shakin' goin' on. Yes, I said, come over baby, baby, you can't go wrong. We ain't fakin' it, whole lot of shakin' goin' on." Lewis, a singer, songwriter, and pianist, was an early pioneer of Rock & Roll. 73. The Crests: Sixteen Candles (1958). The Crests had six million dollar singles, but this was their best. The Crests emerged from East Manhattan in 1955 and were part of the vanguard of the transformation of Rhythm & Blues into Rock & Roll. 72. Dion & The Belmonts: A Teenager In Love (1959). "Each time we have a quarrel, it almost breaks my heart, 'cause I'm so afraid that we will have to part. Each night I ask the stars up above, why must I be a teenager in love?" This was the best song ever for this white doo-wop group. 71. The Jamies: Summertime, Summertime (1958). This song actually peaked in September and October of 1958 and probably could have been a bigger hit had it been released in late spring, when we were all dyin' to be done with school for the year. "Summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime. Well, no more studyin' history, and no more reading geography, and no more dull geometry, because it's summertime." Whoopee! 70. Sonny James: Young Love (1957). This song had to compete with versions by Tab Hunter and The Crew-Cuts. Both the versions by James and Hunter reaches #1 and that by the Crew-Cuts got to #17. "They say for every boy and girl there's just one love in this whole world." James was a white southerner who sang mostly country. Between 1960 and 1979, he had singles in the #1 position on the Country Music charts more often (57 weeks total) than any other artist. 69. Danny & the Juniors: At the Hop (1958). This fast-paced number was a great way to get a party really revved up, in 1958. Even in the days of 45's, we were aware, however, of getting our money's worth of music, expecting about 3-4 minutes for a typical song, whereas this song timed out at a meager 2:12. This group was from Philadelphia. 68. The Rays: Silhouettes (1957). "Took a walk and passed your house, late last night. All the shades were pulled and drawn way down tight. From within, a dim light cast two silhouettes on the shade. Oh, what a lovely couple they made." That's the set-up but you'll have to listen to the song for yourself to find out how the story concludes! 67. Nat King Cole: Too Young (1951). This song held the #1 spot for four weeks. 'They tell us we're too young, too young to really be in love. They say that love's a word, a word we've only heard, but can't begin to know the meaning of." Nat King Cole was one of the few saving graces during the "nothing" era of the early fifties. 66. Bobby Darin: Mack the Knife (1959). This was Darin's one and only #1 song. Naturally, I still prefer the version by Lotte Lenya, whether in German or English, but Darin introduced a whole new generation to the marvels of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. "Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear, and it shows them pearly white. Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe, and he keeps it . . . out of sight." 65. The Platters: Only You (1955). The Platters were founded in Los Angeles in 1953. They were one of the first black groups to regularly produce hits high in the pop charts. They helped launch doo-wop music, with their stellar hamonizations. "Only you can make this world seem right, only you can make the darkness bright." 64. Elvis Pressley: Don't Be Cruel (1956). This song was rolled out on the same occasion as "Hound Dog," on the Ed Sullivan show, and was very nearly as popular. "You know I can be found sitting home all alone. If you can't come around, at least please telephone. Don't be cruel to a heart that's true." 63. Jimmy Rodgers: Honey Comb (1957). This was Rodgers's top hit. "Well it's a darn good life and it's kinda funny how the Lord made the bee and the bee made the honey, and the honeybee lookin' for a home, and they called it honeycomb." 62. The Platters: Great Pretender. The Platters originally consisted of four men, Tony Williams, David Lynch, Alex Hodge, and Herb Reed and were managed by Buck Ram, who had many years of experience as an arranger for Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Count Basie. "Oh yes, I'm the Great Pretender, pretending that I'm doing well. My need is such, I pretend too much. I'm lonely, but no one can tell." 61. The Platters: I'm Sorry (1957). "Darling, I'm truly sorry." This is the song all of us are hoping to hear our spouses or lovers sing every now and then! After a few hit records, the Platters were reorganized. Alex Hodge was replaced by Paul Robi and Zola Taylor was added to generate a softer sound. The most recognizable configuration for the Platters was thus four men and one woman, all black. "I'm sorry for the things I've done. I know that I'm the foolish one." 60. Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls Of Fire (1958). This song was as fiery as its title suggests and the lyrics were excellent as well. "You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain. Too much loves drives a man insane. You broke my will, but what a thrill. Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire." You can imagine the sophomoric jokes that revolved around those last four words. 59. Bobby Freeman: Do You Want To Dance (1958). "Do you want to dance and make romance?" Let's not leave out that second part. This is one of those cool songs with a couple of false endings. 58. Johnny & Joe: Over the Mountain (1957). If you've ever been separated from a loved one during the peak intensity of a relationship, you'll be able to identify with this hyper-sentimental number. "Over the mountain, across the sea, there's someone a-waiting for me." 57. Silhouettes: Get a Job (1958). This is a charming song about a guy unable to find work, despite making an honest effort to look for a job, and getting nagged by his wife. "I hear the woman's mouth preaching and a crying, tell me that I'm lying 'bout a job that I never could find." 56. Lloyd Price: Stagger Lee (1958). This is a catchy story song with great lyrics. "I was standing on the corner when I heard my bulldog bark. He was barkin' at two men who were gamblin' in the dark." 55. The Coasters: Searchin' (1957). The Coasters had one of those rare cases of a 45 rpm release from which both the A-side and the B-side became hits. This song was great but the other side, "Young Blood," was even better. 54. Four Aces: Stranger in Paradise (1954). This song is almost impossible to enjoy as a sentimental love song after you've heard the mock version of the lyrics: "Take my hand, I'm a strange looking parasite." 53. The Crests: The Angels Listened In (1959). This sentimental doo-wop song says, "The angels listened in when they heard me saying, 'Please send me some one to love, send the one I'm thinking of.' My darling, the angels sent you." Better watch out buddy! Maybe the devil was pulling a fast one! 52. The Diamonds: Church Bells May Ring (1956). The Diamonds were another one of those groups often assumed by listeners to be black artists, but the four members of the group were all lily-white. They had sixteen hits between 1956 and 1961, ten of which were covers of songs previously sung by black R&B groups. 51.Carl Perkins: Blue Suede Shoes (1956). Presley later remade this song and his version was a big hit as well, but I'm giving precedence to the original version. "You can do anything, but lay off of my blue suede shoes." When I was in high school, I once had a pair of blue-suede snap-jacks! How cool was that? 50. Bill Haley: See You Later, Alligator (1956). Haley didn't actually invent the catchphrase, "See you later, Alligator," but he sure solidified its place in the lexicon. Even Princess Margaret was quoted as using this bit of Americana. 49. The Crew Cuts: Sh-Boom (1954). This was one of the best pre-Rock songs, with lots of nonsense syllables: "Hey nonny ding dong, alang, alang, alang; Boo ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay." "Oh, life could be a dream . . ." This piece had just a bit of a barbershop quartet quality to it. 48. Tab Hunter: Young Love (1957). This song spent 18 weeks on the charts and 7 weeks at #1! Lyrics like "Young love first love, filled with true devotion, young love, our love, we share with deep emotion," had teenaged girls swooning pathetically for the handsome Mr. Hunter. 47. Fats Domino: Ain't That a Shame (1955). This was the song by which the inimitable "Fats" crossed into the pop mainstream from his home turf of Blues and R&B. Though not Domino's best song, any good song my Domino was usually better than a lot of rock star's biggest hits. 46. Sammy Turner: Lavender Blue (1959). Although the lyrics (dilly-dilly) are silly-silly, this sentimental song based on an old nursery rhyme is lovely. "Then I'll be king, dilly-dilly, you'll be my queen." 45. The Eternals: Rocking in the Jungle (1958). This is a great doo-wop number with tom-toms beating and witch doctors chanting and clever lyrics. "Everyone is dancing, beast and bird, Cheetah, Boy and Tarzan, even Jane." 44. Archie Bleyer: Hernando's Hideaway (1954). "I know a dark secluded place, a place where no one knows your face." This was a great song from the Broadway Musical (and, later, movie) called The Pajama Game. 43. Elvis Presley: Jailhouse Rock (1957). Presley had unprecedented combination success in music and film. Jailhouse Rock was a hit in both domains and featured Presley as the young punk, before he later turned into a pathetic, aging crooner singing to a core constituency of aging housewives. 42. Harptones: Sunday Kind of Love (1953). The Harptones were a Rhythm & Blues group off the streets of Harlem. Though they never scored a number one hit, they had a total of fourteen songs reach the top 500. This one is beautifully sentimental – in an old-fashioned kind of way. 41. Elvis Presley: Hound Dog (1956). "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time." Presley introduced this song on the Ed Sullivan Show, creating a tremendous response among teenage fans. I vividly recall my older sister screaming pathetically. There you have it, folks, but the best are still to come! Thanks for reading and Happy New Year to all!!! ***************************************************************************** You might also want to check out my lists for the Top-Fifty Albums from the Sixties: Metalluk's Top-Fifty Albums from the Sixties Part I (Nos. 1-25) Metalluk's Top-Fifty Albums from the Sixties Part II (Nos. 26-50)  |
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