Closing out 1960.
20 - "Fame and Fortune," Elvis Presley
On March 20 of this year, just 18 days after completing his two-year stint in the U.S. Army, Elvis went into a Nashville studio and made his return to recording. One of the songs he recorded in this session was this sultry ballad about how a woman's love means more to him than wealth and adulation. The pipes were still golden as ever, and although I could do without the contributions of the Jordaniares (as usual), this is a good one. And it was just a B-side. The A-side we'll encounter later.
19 - "Cherry Pie," Skip and Flip
This duo (real names Clyde Battin and Gary Paxton) met at the University of Arizona, and had two #11 pop hits, the second of which being this cover of a 1954 R&B hit by Marvin and Johnny. The lyrics are on the surface about pastry and sugar plums and Little Jack Horner, but they and the tame pop arrangement may mask something a bit more suggestive. Okay little song, but I'm listening to the original, and just a few seconds in, I pronounce it better in every way. As for Skip and Flip, Battin would go on to play in bands like The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, while Paxton would produce the novelty hits "Alley Oop" and "Monster Mash."
18 - "Footsteps," Steve Lawrence
Born Sidney Liebowitz in Brooklyn, Lawrence began his recording career in 1952, and scored more than a dozen Top 40 hits both solo and with Eydie Gormé, whom he married in 1957. The third of his five Top Tens was this song about a lover leaving him. But the jaunty arrangement, the bubbly backup singers, and Lawrence's laid back lead vocal don't make it seem like he's too broken up about it. The whole thing is just off.
17 - "Step by Step," The Crests
This four-man New York doo-wop group was unusual in that they contained two African-Americans, a Puerto Rican, and an Italian-American. They broke through in 1959 with the #2 smash "16 Candles,", and their follow-up was this nice pop song about the development of a romance. The group would score three more Top 40s, but none reached the heights of the first two. Interesting note: before they hit it big, they had a fifth member, a woman named Patricia Van Dross, whose younger brother Luther would later adjust the presentation of his surname and go on to do one or two things in music.
16 - "Puppy Love," Paul Anka
Born in 1941 in Ottawa (home of the second-round bound Senators), Anka first broke through at 16 with the international smash "Diana," and was still in his teens when he scored his fifth U.S. Top Five with this ballad about how adults belittle his teenage romance. His voice on this is big and operatic, and puts Donny Osmond's later version to shame. I may not be a fan of his 70s MOR period, but when he was young, he was one of pop's leading lights. And he wrote a lot of those early hits too, which was a rarity at the time.
15 - "Cathy's Clown," The Everly Brothers
Harmonizing siblings Phil and Don Everly were radio staples between 1958 and 1962 with their county-pop-rockabilly sound. Their third and final pop #1 was this gem about finally getting up the nerve to dump a girl who isn't treating one right. They had many fantastic hits, but this is their masterpiece.
14 - "White Silver Sands," Bill Black's Combo
Memphis native Black played bass in Elvis Presley's band from 1954 to 1958, then formed his own group and had a number of Top 40 singles, the biggest of which being this instrumental cover of a 1957 Don Rondo hit about making love on a beach. A cool little groove
13 - "I Love the Way You Love," Marv Johnson
On the heels of Barrett Strong came another hit for Motown from Detroiter Johnson, a peppy R&B love song co-written by Berry Gordy himself. It hasn't had the staying power of "Money," but it's still pretty damn good.
12 - "He'll Have to Go," Jim Reeves
And here's Gentleman Jim himself, the Texas-born country legend, with the smash ballad about catching a lover cheating that Jeanne Black answered with "He'll Have to Stay." Smooth, simple, superb.
11 - "Stairway to Heaven," Neil Sedaka
The third Top 40 for the pop singer-songwriter was this bouncy pop confection about how Neil has to build a set of steps up to the clouds because that's where his true love dwells. Figuratively, I think. And no, I wasn't at all surprised not to hear about pipers and laughing forests and bustles in hedgerows on this song. Though it did make me wonder...
Say kids, what time is it? It's Top Ten Time!
10 - "Sweet Nothin's," Brenda Lee
Little Miss Dynamite's first Top Ten sees her belting out that powerhouse voice on a rockabilly jam about the things her boyfriend whispers in her ear. Later this year, she'd top the charts with her signature tune, "I'm Sorry," but as great as that is, if your really want to hear where her nickname came from, ya gotta hear this.
9 - "Theme from A Summer Place," Percy Faith
Toronto-born composer/conductor Faith had his biggest hit with his version of the love theme from a teen romance starring Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee. The song is much more well-remembered thatn the film. Apparently there are versions with lyrics, but the only one I want to hear is the one Jasper sang while auditioning for Chief Wiggum's spot in The Be Sharps.
8 - "Let the Little Girl Dance," Billy Bland
The only mark on pop made by one-hit wonder Bland was this little gem on which he requests that the other people on the dance floor make way for a "little wallflower" who wants to cut a rug with him. He sounds kind of like a poor man's Jackie Wilson on this, and that's a compliment.
7 - "Cradle of Love," Johnny Preston
Earlier in the year, Texan Preston had hit #1 with the tragic tale of doomed romance among Native Americans "Running Bear" (which featured backing vocals by the recently passed country legend George Jones). His follow-up, this rockabilly reinterpretation of both "Rock-a-bye Baby" and three popular nursery rhymes, was his only other Top Ten. A fun little nugget.
6 - "Night," Jackie Wilson
Although released as the B-side of "Doggin' Around," this dramatic ballad based on an aria from the opera Samson and Delilah by French composer Camille Saint-Saens became the bigger hit of the two. A suitably operatic performance, and proof of the man's versatility.
5 - "The Old Lamplighter," The Browns
Arkansas siblings Jim, Maxine and Bonnie Brown were a country-folk trio who scored numerous country hits and three pop Top 40s, including the 1959 #1 "The Three Bells." Their other pop Top Five was this version of a song that had been recorded multiple times since it was published in 1946. It's literally about an old man who used to go around lighting lamps throughout a town, and after he died, he became the one responsible for turning the stars on at night. Cute. And even though it's kind of hard to get my bearings to this time period sufficiently, I'm going to go ahead and name this this week's Uneasy Rider.
4 - "Sink the Bismark." Johnny Horton
Texan country star Horton scored the second of three pop Top Tens with this rousing, martial-sounding tale of the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck by the British Navy in 1941. I especially enjoy the rasp in Horton's voice when he sings "Hit the decks a-runnin', boys!" Sadly, Horton would perish in a car accident just six months later.
3 - "Sixteen Reasons," Connie Stevens
The singer-actress born Concetta Ingoglia, best known for her TV roles on 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye, had her biggest hit with this ballad outlining the reasons she loves her man, from "the way you hold my hand" to "your freckled nose" to "your crazy clothes." Okay, but not nearly as fun as her earlier hit with Strip costar Edd Byrnes, "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)."
2 - "Greenfields," The Brothers Four
By far the biggest hit for this unrelated Seattle folk quartet, this is a white-bread harmony number about reminiscences of lost love. Rock and roll had yet to completely erase this kind of too clean, too bland pop from the charts.
And at #1 53 years ago was...
1 - "Stuck on You," Elvis Presley
If there was any doubt that young Presley's legions of fans were still with him after his two years in the military, it was quickly quashed when this swaggering song about how he's going to "stick like glue " to the object of his affection shot straight to the top of charts all over the world. He was back and smouldering as ever. And the hysteria picked up right where it left off.
Thus begins our journey into the 1960s. In a couple weeks or so, we'll move on to 1961.
No comments:
Post a Comment