Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

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Schüttelbirne
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Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »

After months of preparation I am happy to present you with the result of our poll!
From February to November we voted for our favorite songs and albums from the period from the start of recording history until the year 1959. We formed an ultimate list of 150 songs which the following people ranked (everyone ranked every song):

andyd1010
Bang Jan
bonnielaurel
Brad
Dan
DaveC
Elder
Father2TheMan
Henry
Honorio
Listyguy
mileswide
Moonbeam
nicolas
Schüttelbirne
SL3

Thanks to everybody who participated in the poll!

The presentation will consist of the following elements:

Image

xx. Artist | „Song Title“
Recording:
Release:
Album:
Songwriters:
Producers:
Genre:
Line-up:

Points:
Finished xx in 19xx poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll:
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll:
AM rank:
Biggest Fan:
Not a Fan:

It wasn't easy to find all the information; with some songs it's hard finding any information, so there are gaps. Please excuse those. I also added comments to every song - these are not my opinions but rather descriptive statements about the songs and their historical significance. Not all of them are very long because writing longer texts takes more time of which I have a finite amount. But I hope they are to your liking anyways.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


When your fickle love gets old, no one will care for you.
Then you'll come back to me for a little love that's true.
I'll tell you no and then you'll ask me why, why, why?
Image
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150. Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two | „Cry! Cry! Cry!“
Recording: May 1955
Release: June 21, 1955 (B-side: „Hey, Porter!“)
Album: Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957)
Songwriter: Johnny Cash
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Country, Rockabilly
Line-up: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar), Marshall Grant (bass), Luther Perkins (guitar)

Points: 467
Finished #16 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #591
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: Unranked
AM rank: Bubbling Under
I think you only live to see the lights uptown: mileswide (#8)
I wasted my time when I would try, try, try: Honorio (#136), andyd1010 (#137), Bang Jan (#137), Moonbeam (#146), nicolas (#149)

The first single ever released by Johnny Cash on Sun Records. It was probably recorded in May 1955 in the Sun Studio in Memphis with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant who came to be known as The Tennessee Two. There were four takes recorded, with the fourth one being released as the single. The first take features more guitarwork by Perkins making it half a minute longer.
The lyrics deal with a guy (probably) whose lover only lives for the bright lights and money, but he insists that she‘ll come crawling back to him, crying, and he‘s not gonna take her back! There‘s certainly more than a hint of spite here.
_____________________________________________________

If it was rainin‘ gold, I wouldn‘t stand a chance
I wouldn‘t have a pocket in my patched up pants
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149. Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | „I‘ll Never Get Out of This World Alive“
Recording: June 13, 1952
Release: November 1952 (B-side: „I Could Never Be Ashamed of You“)
Songwriters: Hank Williams & Fred Rose
Producers:
Genre: Honky Tonk
Line-up: Owen Bradley (piano), Don Helms (guitar), Eddie Hill (guitar), Ernie Newton (bass), Sammy Pruett (guitar), Cedric Rainwater (bass), Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Fred Rose (piano), Hank Williams (vocals)

Points: 492
Finished #14 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #175
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #7080
AM rank: #1792
I‘m not gonna worry wrinkles in my brow: mileswide (#20)
Now you‘re lookin‘ at a man that‘s gettin‘ kinda mad: Honorio (#140), Dan (#142), Elder (#143), Moonbeam (#149)

Coincidence or not, you can‘t help but see this song in a different light once you realize that this was the final single Williams ever released during his lifetime. The song takes a slightly humorous look at the narrator‘s struggles to find happiness in life, and relates the universal message that everybody will eventually die. If Williams had lived a bit longer, this might not have resonated as much as it did, but with the single release happening so close to his death, it‘s almost impossible to separate them from each other. It‘s not like Williams‘ death was accidental; he was weak for a long time, stemming from alcohol and drug abuse.
_____________________________________________________

You like to ball in the mornin‘
Don‘t come back ‚til late at night
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148. Lloyd Price and His Orchestra | „Lawdy Miss Clawdy“
Recording: March 13, 1952
Release: April 1952 (B-side: „Mailman Blues“)
Songwriter: Lloyd Price
Producer: Dave Bartholomew
Genre: New Orleans R&B, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Fats Domino (piano), Frank Fields (bass), Herb Hardesty (tenor saxophone), Joe Harris (alto saxophone), Ernest McLean (guitar), Earl Palmer (drums), Lloyd Price (vocals)

Points: 495,1
Finished #4 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #136
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3728
AM rank: #1012
Just as fine as you can be: andyd1010 (#46)
I‘m gonna tell everybody that I‘m down in misery: Bang Jan (#130)

Lloyd Price was just nineteen years old when „Lawdy Miss Clawdy“ became one of the best-selling R&B records of 1952. He started writing music rather early and was already working for the local radio station WBOK in New Orleans while he was still in high school. He wrote jingles for advertisements. One of the DJs at the station was James Smith who used the phrase „Lawdy Miss Clawdy“. Price turned his short jingle into an entire song and got the opportunity by Art Rupe from Specialty Records to record the song professionally with Dave Bartholomew as producer.
Bartholomew was not satisfied with pianist Salvador Doucette‘s work on the song, so he replaced him with Fats Domino. His distinctive piano style can be heard in the intro and during a piano solo.
_____________________________________________________

Now I‘m a man, made twenty-one
You know, baby, we can have a lot of fun
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147. Bo Diddley | „I‘m a Man“
Recording: March 2, 1955
Release: April 1955 (A-side: „Bo Diddley“)
Album: Bo Diddley (1958)
Songwriters: Ellas McDaniel
Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess & Ellas McDaniel
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Billy Boy Arnold (harmonica), Willie Dixon (bass), Jerome Green (maracas), Clifton James OR James Kirkland (drums), Ellas McDaniel (vocals, guitar), Otis Spann (piano)

Points: 495,6
Finished #15 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #286
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5608
AM rank: #702
The way I make love to ‚em, they can‘t resist: Henry (#47)
The line I shoot, will never miss: mileswide (#136), Listyguy (#137)

B-sides are often considered not as good as A-sides of singles, but here we have a case where both sides of the single made it into the final poll. „I‘m a Man“ is not as innovative in its rhythmic stylings as „Bo Diddley“ was, but it stands as an independent statement of masculinity. I‘ve read somewhere (but I can‘t find where anymore) that a Black man coming from the South would not typically be referred to as a „man“, but rather as „boy“. So the firm insistence that he‘s a man, spelling M-A-N can be viewed as a proclamation of sorts. (I refrain from judging whether that is true or not, but it certainly is an interesting take)
The song was inspired by Muddy Waters‘ „Hoochie Coochie Man“ and would in turn serve as the inspiration for Muddy Waters‘ „Mannish Boy“. It deals with the grown-up narrator proclaiming that now he‘s 21 years old, women line up to make love to him, because can‘t resist him.
There seems to be a bit of confusion about who plays on this track. Most list Billy Boy Arnold, but some list Lester Davenport.
_____________________________________________________

Many people don‘t understand
They think loving is money in the hand
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146. Mickey & Sylvia | „Love Is Strange“
Recording: October 17, 1956
Release: November 1956 (B-side: „I‘m Going Home“)
Songwriter: Ellas McDaniel (credited as: Ethel Smith)
Producer: Bob Rolontz
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Mickey Baker (vocals), Sylvia Vanderpool (vocals) et al.

Points: 509
Finished #16 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #344
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #8409
AM rank: #2344
My sweet baby, you‘re the one: mileswide (#10)
You‘re in an awful fix: bonnielaurel (#136), SL3 (#137), Listyguy (#143), DaveC (#144), Bang Jan (#145), Elder (#147), Honorio (#149)

There is no information available who is playing on this recording. The song is based on a legendary guitar riff by Jody Williams which had previously been featured in Billy Stewart‘s „Billy‘s Blues“. There is different information about the process of writing „Love Is Strange“, most dealing with the involvement of Baker and Vanderpool (who was later called Robinson).
It‘s definitely a fact that the first recorded version of the song was done by Bo Diddley who also wrote significant parts of the song and is the credited writer (under the pseudonym of his wife Ethel Smith). How much Mickey & Sylvia were involved in the writing of the lyrics, is not clear.
„Love Is Strange“ is famous for its guitar work and the spoken word part at the end of the song that turns into singing.
_____________________________________________________

I hope and I pray that someday
I‘ll be the vision of your happiness
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145. The Penguins | „Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)“
Recording: August/September 1954
Release: October 1954 (A-side: „Hey Senorita“)
Songwriters: Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin & Gaynel Hodge
Producer: Dootsie Williams
Genre: Doo-Wop, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Ted Brinson (bass guitar), Cleveland Duncan (vocals), Preston Epps (bongos), Bruce Tate (vocals), Dexter Tisby (vocals), Curtis Williams (vocals), Dootsie Williams (piano) et al.

Points: 511
Finished #10 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #63
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1745
AM rank: #596
My darling dear, love you all the time: Listyguy (#32)
I‘m just a fool: nicolas (#136), DaveC (#137), Honorio (#139), bonnielaurel (#147)

The Penguins were a rather new Doo-Wop group who had recorded „Earth Angel“ in a garage to use as a demo. There were some problems while recording, with the neighbor‘s dog barking through the takes, so it took some time until they got it right. The demo recording (not a re-recording in a professional studio!) is the one that got released as the B-side to the single „Hey Senorita“ and became quite successful in the mid-1950‘s. It‘s the first independently recorded song to reach the national Billboard charts.
The song ‚borrows‘ its hooks from Jesse & Marvin‘s „Dream Girl“, The Swallows‘ „Will You Be Mine?“ and Jessie Mae Robinson‘s „I Went to Your Wedding“ which hadn‘t been recorded yet.
The song would later become subject of multiple legal battles over who got the writing credits and who got royalties from the song. This does not taint the hopeless romantic infatuation expressed in „Earth Angel“ intoned by the vocal harmonies of lead vocalist Williams and the other singers.
_____________________________________________________

There‘s only one cure for this body of mine
That‘s to have that girl that I love so fine
Image
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144. Elvis Presley | „All Shook Up“
Recording: January 12, 1957
Release: March 23, 1957 (B-side: „That‘s When Your Heartaches Begin“)
Songwriters: Otis Blackwell & Elvis Presley
Producer: Steve Sholes
Genre: Rock & Roll, Pop Rock
Line-up: Bill Black (bass), D.J. Fontana (drums), Hoyt Hawkins (piano, backing vocals), Hugh Jarrett (backing vocals), Neal Matthews (backing vocals), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar), Gordon Stoker (backing vocals)

Points: 520
Finished #15 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #54
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2497
AM rank: #1116
I‘m proud to say that she‘s my buttercup: Henry (#32)
I‘m itchin‘ like a man on a fuzzy tree: Bang Jan (#136), Elder (#138)

It‘s very clear that Otis Blackwell wrote this song. The question is in what way was Presley involved in the writing and who came up with the phrase „all shook up“. People who that phrase have been attributed to include: Elvis Presley himself, Al Stanton and David Hess. There‘s also a different song with the same title recorded by Vicki Young a year earlier which makes all the stories about who invented the phrase sound even more fantastic.
There‘s also the issue that the song clearly wasn‘t written for Presley since he wasn‘t the first to record it. That honor goes to David Hess, working under the pseudonym David Hill. His version has been completely forgotten about (it was actually released after Presley‘s version but it was recorded in November 1956). The lyrics are different, and some people suggested that Presley rewrote parts of the lyrics (despite claiming never to have written a song) to earn his writing credit for the song.
The changes in the lyrics include:

„queer as a bug“ → „wild as a bug“
„I‘m feelin‘ fine“ → „I feel fine“
„her kisses are like a volcano“ → „her lips are like a volcano“
„to have that girl I love so fine“ → „to have that girl that I love so fine“

You really don‘t need to listen to that version unless you have a morbid fascination for bad music; it‘s really not surprising people don‘t remember it.
_____________________________________________________

The sun‘s in my heart
And I‘m ready for love
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143. Gene Kelly | „Singin‘in the Rain“
Recording:
Release: 1952 (B-side: „All I Do Is Dream of You“)
Album: Singin‘ in the Rain [OST] (1952)
Songwriters: Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed
Producers:
Genre: Film Soundtrack, Show Tunes, Traditional Pop
Line-up: Lennie Hayton (conductor), Gene Kelly (vocals)

Points: 525
Finished #9 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #79
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3739
AM rank: #1233
I walk down the lane / With a happy refrain: Father2TheMan (#38)
Let the stormy clouds chase / Everyone from the place: Elder (#139)

Originally introduced in the movie The Hollywood Music Box Revue, this song would also be sung in The Hollywood Revue of 1929 by Cliff Edwards and the Brox Sisters. Arthur Freed who had co-written the song was later responsible for MGM‘s glamorous musical section. He asked Betty Comden and Adolph Green to come up with a story of a musical featuring the songs he had written with Nacio Herb Brown in the late ‚20s and early ‚30s.
Comden and Green devised a musical set in the film business during the same time the songs were written. It was a time of major upheaval for the film industry with silent movies being replaced by „talkies“. They formed a story around that and added some romance and one of the biggest hit musicals ever had been born.
I don‘t know exactly why „Singin‘ in the Rain“ was chosen as the title for the movie, but it does refer to the film‘s most iconic sequence where a love-struck Gene Kelly is singing and dancing in the rain. It is said that he filmed the scene while he was sick.
The song was released as a single with a length of 2:55, but also as part of the soundtrack with a length of 4:46 with more orchestration. Both were released the same year, but the sound quality on the soundtrack version is much better, so I chose that one for the playlist.
_____________________________________________________

You can reach over in the corner, Mama
And hand me my travelin‘ shoes
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142. Blind Willie McTell | „Statesboro Blues“
Recording: October 17, 1928
Release: January 1929 (A-side: „Three Women Blues“)
Songwriters: Willie McTell
Producers:
Genre: Piedmont Blues
Line-up: Blind Willie McTell (vocals, guitar)

Points: 533
Finished #9 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #152
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #6570
AM rank: #1244
Treated me like I was a king and she was a doggone queen: nicolas (#12)
Have you got the nerve to drive Papa McTell from your door?: DaveC (#143), bonnielaurel (#149)

Like many other Blues musicians of the time, Blind Willie McTell mainly played for people on the street. He did make quite a few recordings over the years, but releasing his recordings was not his primary focus. „Statesboro Blues“ is probably his most famous and most acclaimed song and it‘s from early in his career. McTell recorded music until the late ‚50s, longer than many other contemporaries.
McTell played on a twelve-string guitar which is harder to play, but has greater volume and a more „full“ feeling which is ideal for a street musician. He‘s a master at playing this guitar; at points you can even forget that the instrumentation of the song is only one guy playing one guitar. Additionally his rather nasal-sounding vocal performance has a singular intensity.
McTell‘s songs are also famous for their lyrics being more story-oriented than that of other blues musicians, which proved to be of great influence to later folk musicians.
„Statesboro Blues“ tells the story of a narrator who wants to leave the town of Statesboro and asks a woman to come with him. McTell finds fitting words relaying the narrator‘s emotions, who gets progressively more insisting on her coming with him. The titular Statesboro Blues is not something unique to him, his whole family seems to have it.
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She told me on Sunday she was checkin‘ me out
Long about Monday she was nowhere about
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141. Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | „Long Gone Lonesome Blues“
Recording: January 9, 1950
Release: March 1950 (B-side: „My Son Calls Another Man Daddy“)
Album: Moanin‘ the Blues (1952)
Songwriter: Hank Williams
Producers:
Genre: Traditional Country
Line-up: Don Helms (guitar), Bob McNett (guitar), Ernie Newton (bass), Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Jack Shook (guitar), Hank Williams (vocals)

Points: 536
Finished #15 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #57
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3782
AM rank: Bubbling Under
A man needs a woman that he can lean on: Honorio (#12)
I had me a woman who couldn‘t be true: Henry (#146)

A country ballad about lost love featuring suicidal thoughts, but with yodeling. Yodeling was a vocal technique not that unusual in the music of the first half of the 20th century: Jimmy Rodgers‘ „Blue Yodel“ is #568 on the AM list, and that‘s only one of seven Country Yodeling songs. Now, Williams‘ song is not really part of that genre but it certainly utilizes elements of it. I am not sure how well that translates to contemporary audiences. The yodeling here is supposed to emphasize the pain the narrator feels and make the audience feel the pain with him. A modern audience however might feel a different kind of pain listening to it.
DaveC
Running Up That Hill
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by DaveC »

Super rollout Schüttelbirne. I would not have predicted this bottom 10. I'm sure of our number one, but all the rest will be interesting.
SL3
Different Class
Posts: 355
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Location: Perth, Australia

Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by SL3 »

This rollout presentation is awesome! Thanks Schüttelbirne.
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Honorio
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Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:38 am
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Honorio »

Fantastic presentation!!!
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Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Blues fallin‘ down like hail
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140. Robert Johnson | „Hell Hound on My Trail“
Recording: June 20, 1937
Release: September 1937 (B-side: „From Four Until Late“)
Songwriter: Robert Johnson
Producers:
Genre: Delta Blues
Line-up: Robert Johnson (vocals, guitar)

Points: 537
Finished #14 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #49
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2848
AM rank: #759
All I need‘s my little sweet woman and to keep my company: Bang Jan (#16)
And the days keeps on worryin‘ me: bonnielaurel (#139), DaveC (#142), Henry (#143), andyd1010 (#148), Dan (#150)

As is usual for Blues music of the period, „Hell Hound on My Trail“ is based on other songs, but the connections between the songs remain not completely clear since every musician put his own spin on the songs and changed them. The main source for „Hell Hound on My Trail“ seems to be Skip James‘s songs „Devil Got My Woman“ and „Yola My Blues Away“, but there‘s also some influence from Johnny Temple.
The lyrics deal with the narrator movin‘ along (a theme often used in blues musician), but here he‘s followed by something. If that thing is the literal Devil (from the myth), some dreadful feeling, a manifest threat or a more abstract concept is not clear. Johnson sings it with a strained voice that has fascinated a lot of people. The single remains one of the central pieces of his small – but impactful – body of work.
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The movie‘s over, it‘s four o‘clock
And we‘re in trouble deep
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139. The Everly Brothers | „Wake Up Little Susie“
Recording: August 15, 1957
Release: September 2, 1957 (B-side: „Maybe Tomorrow“)
Album: The Everly Brothers (They‘re Off and Rolling) (1958)
Songwriters: Felice Bryant & Boudleaux Bryant
Producer: Archie Blyer
Genre: Rockabilly, Pop
Line-up: Chet Atkins (guitar), Floyd Chance (bass), Floyd Cramer (piano), Ray Edenton (guitar), Don Everly (vocals, guitar), Phil Everly (vocals, guitar), Buddy Harman (drums)

Points: 540
Finished #14 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #32
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3073
AM rank: #556
Ooh la la: Henry (#48)
Our reputation is shot: Schüttelbirne (#150)

Another song written by the Bryants for the Everlys, this time about a high school boy who tells his girlfriend called Susie to wake up, because they need to go home. Apparently they fell asleep in the cinema because the movie wasn‘t very good. He‘s afraid of what his parents and friends might think if they come back this late.
Or – they did indeed have sex and are now trying to come up with an excuse for why they‘re so late. Both is possible, which is why the lyrics were deemed suggestive – not really scandalous, but certainly on the edge for two young, ‚upstanding‘ guys like the Everlys.
_____________________________________________________

There is no moon above
When love is far away too
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138. Les Paul and Mary Ford | „How High the Moon“
Recording: January 4, 1951
Release: March 26, 1951 (B-side: „Walkin‘ and Whistlin‘ Blues“)
Songwriters: Morgan Lewis & Nancy Hamilton
Producer: Les Paul
Genre: Standards, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Mary Ford (vocals), Les Paul (guitar)

Points: 544
Finished #11 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #55
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3094
AM rank: #692
Somewhere there‘s heaven, it‘s where you are: Elder (#29)
How faint the tune: Brad (#141), DaveC (#145)

Music in the 1950s was mostly still recorded straight from the mic to the tape, with no changes to the product. That means you hear the performance just as it happened, even if there was a mishap (like someone coughing or playing a wrong note). Overdubs were only becoming a thing then and Les Paul was an innovator on the front of these developments (the Gibson Les Paul, one of the first mass-produced electric guitars also carries his name).
The song was originally written for the musical Two for the Money and introduced in 1940. The earliest recorded version was done by Benny Goodman with Helen Forrest doing vocal duties. If you listen to that recording, you may be struck by the slow tempo which is far more typical of jazz ballads and torch songs of the time. The version with Mary Ford used a faster tempo and Paul‘s electric guitar, making it seem more modern for a ‚50s audience. Les Paul had already recorded the song in 1945 with the Les Paul Trio including a spoken word intro, but also featuring the slower tempo (or rather, the normal tempo).
Paul and Ford recorded their version on January 4, 1951 in very short time. Paul used twelve vocal tracks and twelve instrumental parts and combined them into one track. If you ever wondered why „How High the Moon“ has this strange sound, different from other songs recorded in this era, this is the reason. You‘re not listening to Mary Ford singing, you‘re listening to twelve Mary Fords at once (this method also smooths the vocals out, much like modern day pitch correction software, but completely analogue). Same with Les Paul‘s guitar which plays different parts on the song including rhythm and bass.
Les Paul is one of the pioneers of modern production techniques in popular music and „How High the Moon“ is one of the first examples of a song using overdubbing to create its very own sound.
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Vous n‘m‘vaez jamais vue
Je n‘suis qu‘une fille du port
Qu‘une ombre de la rue
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137. Édith Piaf | „Milord“
Recording: May 9, 1959
Release: November 1959 (B-side: „Je sais comment“)
Songwriters: Marguerite Monnot & Georges Moustaki
Producers:
Genre: Chanson
Line-up: Robert Chauvigny (conductor), Édith Piaf (vocals) et al.

Points: 546
Finished #10 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #83
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5460
AM rank: #5510
Laissez-vous faire, Milord et prenez bien vos aises: nicolas (#25)
La douce aux yeux si tendres qui n‘a pas su comprendre qu‘elle brisait votre vie: Elder (#137), Schüttelbirne (#138), Father2TheMan (#140), Honorio (#145), SL3 (#147), Listyguy (#150)

Georges Moustaki was Piaf‘s lover for a short time, and in this time he wrote the song „Milord“ for her, based on her idea about a love affair on a dark sunday in London. The lyrics actually turned out to be about an upper class gentlemen finding solace in a girl from the port who calls him Milord and feels inadequate compared to him. The music was written by Piaf‘s frequent collaborator Marguerite Monnot. „Milord“ was recorded during a journey to the USA, the same journey in fact where Piaf was diagnosed with liver cancer.
The song was a huge success in several European countries and prompted a lot of cover versions, frequently in translated versions.
One of the most famous cover versions is a crime against good taste and the main reason why I personally ranked the song so low. Just listening to it, makes that other version stuck in my head and I hate that. Piaf‘s song is actually pretty good, but I can‘t stand listening to it.
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J‘irais décrocher la Lune
J‘irais voler la fortune
Si tu me le demandais
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136. Édith Piaf | „Hymne à l‘amour“
Recording: May 2, 1950
Release: 1950 (B-side: „La p‘tite Marie“)
Songwriters: Marguerite Monnot & Édith Piaf
Producers:
Genre: Chanson
Line-up: Robert Chauvigni (conductor), Édith Piaf (vocals) et al.

Points: 547
Finished #10 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #142
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #7612
AM rank: #4000
Nous aurons pour nous l‘éternité: DaveC (#7)
Peu m‘importe si tu m‘aimes: Father2TheMan (#149)

As the title tells us, a hymn to love; in this specific case, Piaf dedicates it to Marcel Cerdan, a French boxer whom she met in New York in 1948. Soon they bought a house together and Piaf wrote the lyrics there. Marguerite Monnot composed the music for it and took inspiration from Robert Schumann‘s lied „Frühlingsnacht“.
Originally, Piaf wanted Yvette Giraud to record the song, but that didn‘t happen. Instead she started singing it herself in Sepetember 1949. A month later, on October 28, 1949, Cerdan died in a plane crash; that same evening she sang the song live to pay homage to him. In May of the following year Piaf recorded the song and released it to great success. The recording features a choir to emphasize the larger-than-life emotions expressed through the lyrics. Eddie Constantine translated the lyrics into English for a version Piaf recorded in 1956.
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Have you ever seen a girl for whom your soul you‘d give?
For whom you‘d fight for, die for, pray to God you‘d lie for?
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135. Jackie Wilson | „Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet)“
Recording: July 1957
Release: October 1957 (B-side: „By the Light of the Silvery Moon“)
Album: He‘s So Fine (1958)
Songwriters: Berry Gordy, Billy Davis & Gwen Gordy Fuqua
Producer: Dick Jacobs
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Dick Jacobs (conductor), Jackie Wilson (vocals) et al.

Points: 549
Finished #6 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #71
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #4717
AM rank: #1388
She‘s like honey from a bee: mileswide (#5)
She really fills her clothes from her head to toe: Elder (#142), Bang Jan (#143), Honorio (#146), Brad (#148)

„Reet Petite“ was the debut single of Jackie Wilson as a solo artist. Before going solo he had been a member of multiple groups, including The Falcons, The Thrillers and The Dominoes. The Falcons also featured Levi Stubbs who would become a member of Four Tops and The Thrillers would later evolve into The Midnighters. The Dominoes had been quite popular with their front man Clyde McPhatter who left the group to form The Drifters. Wilson was his replacement and stayed on for three years.
He started his solo career with „Reet Petite“ which wasn‘t an immediate hit. But 1958‘s „Lonely Teardrops“ was a big charts success. On the AM list, the All-Time poll and the 2016 1950s poll „Lonely Teardrops“ ranks considerably above „Reet Petite“, but in this year‘s poll it didn‘t even get close to make the final round. It finished on #43 of the 1958 poll with only a single person voting for it. A notable deviation to our other polls.
Dick Jacobs leads an orchestra and a chorus, but the actual line-up is not known (or I couldn‘t find it at least). Both the backing vocals and the brass section have a significant impact on the song. But the most significant element is surely Wilson‘s vocal performance, dragging out the vowels and rolling his R‘s.
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I‘m a rollin‘ stone, all alone and lost
For a life of sin, I have paid the cost
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134. Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | „Lost Highway“
Recording: March 1, 1949
Release: September 9, 1949 (A-side: „You‘re Gonna Change (Or I‘m Gonna Leave)“)
Album: Hank Williams Sings (1951)
Songwriter: Leon Payne
Producer: Fred Rose
Genre: Honky Tonk
Line-up: Clyde Baum (mandolin), Don Davis (guitar), Ernie Newton (bass), Dale Potter (fiddle), Jack Shook (guitar), Zeb Turner (guitar), Hank Williams (vocals)

Points: 550
Finished #16 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #68
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5333
AM rank: #2320
Neither good nor bad, just a kid like you: Bang Jan (#26)
And now I‘m lost, too late to pray: bonnielaurel (#141), Moonbeam (#147)

Rock & Roll would start celebrating a life of sins (or at least pretend to so) not long after, but Leon Payne‘s „Lost Highway“ is about regretfully living a life perceived by the narrator himself as sinful and not being able to stop and change. Payne‘s version was released in late 1948, and must have struck a chord with Williams because he recorded his version in early 1949. While not being the original writer of the song and despite not being a huge success at first release, „Lost Highway“ has been inextricably linked to Williams, maybe because his version might be superior than other versions, perhaps because people draw a connection from the protagonist of the song to Williams himself who was sort of on his own lost highway.
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When I see the Mardi Gras
I wanna know what‘s carnival for
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133. Professor Longhair and His Shuffling Hungarians | „Mardi Gras in New Orleans“
Recording: October 1949
Release: 1949 (B-side: „Professor Longhair‘s Boogie“)
Songwriter: Henry Roland Byrd
Producers:
Genre: New Orleans Blues
Line-up: Henry Roland Byrd (vocals, piano), Walter Nelson (guitar), Robert Parker (saxophone), Big Stick (drums)

Points: 556
Finished #6 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #100
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5081
AM rank: #4561
Got my ticket in my hand: Dan (#23)
I wanna see the Zulu King: Father2TheMan (#138), bonnielaurel (#146)

This is a really weird case. This song got in through the 1950-52 poll, where most people designated it as a 1950 song, but it also made the 1900-1949 poll in 2016. But which is the correct release date? Both are.
The original release was a single credited to Professor Longhair and His Shuffling Hungarians, released in 1949. It was released through Star Records and did not sell well. Henry Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair, did not want to give up on this though and re-recorded it the same year. That recording was released in February 1950 credited to Professor Longhair and His New Orleans Boys. It was produced by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson and issued by Atlantic. That version is probably the most well-known one, but there‘s other re-recordings from 1959, 1971 and 1974. The song is also known under the title „Go to the Mardi Gras“.
Mardi Gras is the name for the festivities held between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, culminating in the Tuesday before which was typically celebrated by a large feast to prepare for the forty days of fasting following Ash Wednesday until Easter. Mardi Gras means „Fat Tuesday“ in French.
It‘s apparently a really significant event in New Orleans and the song is basically one big advertisement for it.
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132. Pérez Prado y Su Orquesta | „Mambo No. 5“
Recording: November 1949
Release: May 1950 (A-side: „Qué rico el Mambo (Mambo Jambo)“
Songwriter: Pérez Prado
Producers:
Genre: Mambo
Line-up: Pérez Prado (bandleader) et al.

Points: 559,80
Finished #11 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #74
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #6125
AM rank: #1834
Biggest Fan: Brad (#22)
Not a Fan: Bang Jan (#147)

Pérez Prado had his start as pianist in the Cuban band Sonora Matancera, but soon established his own group and started recording self-penned music, mostly mambos. He moved to Mexico where he released music on the Mexicana label (which was a subsidiary of RCA Records). Since his releases were rather successful, he was signed with RCA to promote his records in the USA more easily. His first American release was the single featuring „Mambo No. 5“ on the B-side. The music thrilled audiences and is partly responsible for what some call the „mambo revolution“ of the 1950s where that musical style became very successful, also for musicians like Chico O‘Farrill or Xavier Cugat.
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Did she really love me?
Was she just playing me for a fool?
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131. The Drifters | „There Goes My Baby“
Recording: March 6, 1959
Release: April 24, 1959 (B-side: „Oh My Love“)
Songwriters: Benjamin Nelson, Lover Patterson & George Treadwell
Producers: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Genre: Doo-Wop, Soul, Brill Building
Line-up: Doc Green (vocals), Elsbeary Hobbs (vocals), Reggie Kimber (guitar), Ben E. King (vocals), Charlie Thomas (vocals) et al.

Points: 559,85
Finished #14 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #98
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #10.180
AM rank: #420
I was gonna tell her that I loved her: Brad (#12)
Why did she leave me so all alone: Henry (#137), Schüttelbirne (#137), nicolas (#145), SL3(#146)

The Drifters were originally a backing group for Clyde McPhatter. But by 1958 George Treadwell had fired all the members who had originally been part of that group. The „new“ Drifters were a group previously known as The 5 Crowns. The lead singer Ben E. King would go solo soon and be very successful with his song „Stand by Me“ (as you all know, of course).
„There Goes My Baby“ was the first song on which King served as the lead singer. But it also introduced another new mechanic: A violin section not employed in the lush, grand manner they were typically used for, but rather to play a short riff, similar to how saxophones were used in Rock & Roll. The lyrics deal with a narrator who has broken his girlfriend‘s heart (probably by leaving her) and is now whining about how selfish she is for leaving him.
The production here was done by Leiber and Stoller who were among the first independent record producers. Before, producers were signed to a certain label and worked for them. Atlantic Records had bought their own label Spark Records and allowed to produce for other record companies. They were also a huge influence on Phil Spector and – in more general terms – the girl group sound of the 1960s.
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Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Listyguy »

Wow, a lot of great songs have already fallen!
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bonnielaurel
Keep On Movin'
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by bonnielaurel »

That presentation looks very good. You've put a lot of work into this. Line-up will probably be the hardest to find. None of my favorites have appeared yet.
De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum.
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Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


That‘s why darling, it‘s incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am
Unforgettable, too
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130. Nat „King“ Cole | „Unforgettable“
Recording: August 17, 1951
Release: October 1951 (B-side: „My First and My Last Love“)
Album: Unforgettable (1952)
Songwriter: Irving Gordon
Producer: Lee Gillette
Genre: Traditional Pop, Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Eleanor Aller (cello), Bob Bain (guitar), Alex Beller (violin), Cy Bernard (cello), Harry Bluestone (violin), Buddy Cole (piano), Nat Cole (vocals), Joe Comfort (bass), Jack Costanzo (congas), Walter Edelstein (violin), Nick Fatool (drums), Henry Hill (violin), Dan Lube (violin), Erno Neufeld (violin), Nelson Riddle (conductor), Paul Robyn (viola), Mischa Russell (violin), Marshall Sosson (violin), David Sterkin (viola), Ann Mason Stockton (harp)

Points: 561,1
Finished #8 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #72
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2310
AM rank: #3986
Like a song of love that clings to me: Father2TheMan (#16)
How the thought of you does things to me: mileswide (#146), Listyguy (#149)

Nat King Cole had been very successful in the ‚40s with songs like „Straighten Up and Fly Right“, „(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66“ or the still upcoming „Nature Boy“. He was signed to Capitol records and to this day the Capitol Records Building is known as „the house that Nat built“, since his success contributed significantly to the success of Capitol Records.
„Unforgettable“ was another sizable hit for Cole in 1951 and served as the title for the 1952 compilation. The song features Cole himself on the piano and quite a lot of string instruments. It‘s Nelson Riddle‘s work as arranger and conductor that the strings do not overwhelm the song, but instead enhance the song‘s romantic mood. A lot of that mood is also due to Cole‘s smooth vocal performance. Lyrically, it‘s a simple love song, but there‘s an interesting fun fact about the title: Apparently, Irving Gordon wanted to title the song „Undeniable“ and I personally do not think that would have worked at all.
In fact, this song won a Grammy for Song of the Year in one of the weirder decisions of Grammy history. The awards did not exist back in 1951, of course. The first year these awards were given out was in 1959. Because of that, „Unforgettable“ was never submitted for consideration in the Song of the Year category. But once Cole‘s daughter Natalie had released her album Unforgettable… with Love (featuring her already deceased father in a ‚virtual duet‘, one of the most ‚90s things ever), the Grammy rules allowed for the song to be submitted and nominated despite having been written forty years earlier. The song and the album swept the awards that year, as proof that nostalgia was a huge trend even back then and that maybe Nat King Cole was really unforgettable too.
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Tout ce qu'on fait dans un seul jour
Et comme on allonge le temps
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129. Georges Brassens | „La marine“
Recording: June 16, 1953 [?]
Release: October 1953 (A-side: „Il n‘y a pas d‘amour heureux“)
Album: 2ème série [Le vent] (1954)
Songwriters: George Brassens & Paul Fort
Producer: Jacques Canetti
Genre: Chanson à texte
Line-up: Lucien Bellevallée (guitar), Georges Brassens (vocals, guitar), Pierre Nicolas (bass)

Points: 561,4
Finished #12 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #73
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2912
AM rank: Unranked
Ça vous met la joie au cœur: nicolas (#1)
Que c'est une calamité: SL3 (#136), Listyguy (#141), Father2TheMan (#147)

The lyrics are taken from Paul Fort‘s poem L‘amour marine. Brassens shortened them and added music. The song describes the daily life of sailors, who have only a short time on land before having to go back to sea, so they try to make that time count and stuff as much excitement into that time as possible. In that way it is very similar to another chanson which made the 1960s song list last year, Jacques Brel‘s „Amsterdam“. The main difference is the attitude: Brassens is more romantic, people don‘t burp and piss in his song. Instead there‘s this quiet melancholic feeling of a love lost – even if that love only lasted for as little as a day.
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On the silverscreen
He melts my foolish heart in every single scene
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128. Dinah Washington | „Mad About the Boy“
Recording: March 24, 1952
Release: May 1952 (B-side: „I Can‘t Face the Music“)
Songwriter: Noel Coward
Producers:
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop
Line-up: Walter Roddell (conductor), Dinah Washington (vocals) et al.

Points: 562
Finished #5 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #95
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #7169
AM rank: #2777
I‘m feeling quite insane and young again: Moonbeam (#22)
Lord knows I‘m not a fool girl / I really shouldn‘t care: andyd1010 (#136), nicolas (#137), Brad (#140), DaveC (#150)

Noel Coward wrote this song for the 1932 revue Words and Music, where several young women stand in a queue waiting to see a movie star. According to Sheridan Morley‘s Noel Coward – Life & Times, he also wrote a version where a man is „mad about the boy“ which his wife doesn‘t understand.
There are two versions by Dinah Washington: The original recording was done in 1952 and was released as a single. She re-recorded it in 1961 with Quincy Jones and it was released in 1963 on Golden Hits Volume One, which is mostly a compilation.
The 1961 recording is more famous. It‘s easy to identify by the brass call in the beginning. The 1952 recording relies heavily on a lush string arrangement with some flourishes by a harp. Personally I have to say that the 1961 is indeed better; the arrangement is more tension-laden and gives more space to Washington‘s vocals that are more precisely timed and enunciated in this version.
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Give him a lonely heart like Pagliacci
And lots of wavy hair like Liberace
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127. The Chordettes | „Mr. Sandman“
Recording: 1954
Release: October 1954 (B-side: „I Don‘t Wanna See You Cryin‘“)
Songwriter: Pat Ballard
Producer: Archie Bleyer
Genre: Vocal Group, Traditional Pop
Line-up: Archie Bleyer (conductor, percussion), Carol Buschmann (vocals), Janet Ertel (vocals), Lynn Evans (vocals), Jinny Osborn (vocals), Moe Wechsler (piano) et al.

Points: 563,0
Finished #14 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #61
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2445
AM rank: #1760
Make him the cutest that I‘ve ever seen: bonnielaurel (#20)
I‘m so alone, don‘t have nobody to call my own: Schüttelbirne (#139), mileswide (#145), Bang Jan (#146), DaveC (#149)

The song was written by Pat Ballard and first recorded by Vaughn Monroe in 1954. But he was not the only one who recorded the song that year: There were also recordings by The Four Aces, Buddy Morrow, Les Elgart, The Lancers, The Song Singers and (of course) The Chordettes. Over the decades that have since passed, The Chordettes‘ version has emerged as the most popular of these.
They were a girl group who existed for a relatively long time, starting in the 1940s and making it into the 1960s. The personnel was shuffled around a bit, but the main core stayed the same.
The lyrics deal with the folkloric sandman who brings dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto the eyes of people. The small „corns“ (don‘t know the word) people find in their eyes after sleeping are supposed to be the result of that action. The singer asks the Sandman to bring him a lover (the original sheet publication came with gendered lyrics) and asks for certain attributes. In the final verse the singers switch from using singular to plural pronouns.
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Well, long way from home and can‘t sleep at all
You know another mule is kickin‘ in your stall
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126. The Howlin‘ Wolf | „Evil Is Goin‘ On“
Recording: May 25, 1954
Release: July 1954 (B-side: „Baby How Long?“)
Album: Moanin‘ in the Moonlight (1959)
Songwriter: Willie Dixon
Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess & Willie Dixon
Genre: Chicago Blues
Line-up: Chester Burnett (vocals,harmonica), Willie Dixon (bass), Earl Phillips (drums), Otis Spann (piano), Hubert Sumlin (guitar), Jody Williams (guitar)

Points: 563,2
Finished #8 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #383
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #15.880
AM rank: #2491
You‘ll catch him just before he go: mileswide (#23)
Grab your telephone, somethin‘ just ain‘t right: bonnielaurel (#143)

Chicago Blues is based on the Delta Blues still but with electric instruments, especially the guitar, while trying to retain the gritty style of acoustic Blues music. While Burnett could play guitar himself, he often employed other guitarists on his recordings, with the most notable one being Hubert Sumlin who collaborated with him throughout his career, starting from the early 1950s.
Another important collaborator is important blues songwriter and producer Willie Dixon who also wrote this here song which is known with different titles, including just „Evil“ and „Evil (Is Goin‘ On)“, but the original release is titled „Evil Is Goin‘ On“ without brackets.
It‘s a song about the evils lurking in the house when the man is away, mostly different men with whom his wife is supposedly sleeping. The narrator doesn‘t seem to have a high opinion of his wife, thinking she will sleep with everybody coming through the door. He also warns the listener to be wary of the evil lurking in their own homes, because not only his wife but all women are this way (that‘s the implication).
Burnett‘s vocal performance is in the upper registers during the verses and drops into his famous growl when singing „That‘s evil“ which gives those words additional flavour.
While the guitars are obviously the most important instrument in the genre, it‘s the harmonica and the piano that really shape the sound of this song specifically. The piano figures emphasizing the warning are played in the upper register.
„Evil“ is definitely not the most famous of Howlin‘ Wolf‘s songs and barely even got a placement in our last all-time songs poll, receiving only one vote. It did make the Top 10 in the monthly poll though, so maybe its popularity is increasing.
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Too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
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125. Nat King Cole | „When I Fall in Love“
Recording: December 28, 1956
Release: March 1957 (album track)
Album: Love Is the Thing (1957)
Songwriters: Edward Heyman & Victor Young
Producer: Lee Gillette
Genre: Traditional Pop, Standards
Line-up: Len Atkins (violin), Bill Baffa (viola), Cy Bernard (cello), Harry Bluestone (violin), Nat King Cole (vocals), Sam Cytron (violin), Kurt Dieterle (violin), Jack Gasselin (violin), Benny Gill (violin), Helen Hutchinson (harp), Gordon Jenkins (conductor), Murray Kellner (violin), Sol Kindler (violin), Charles LaVere (piano), Joe Livoti (violin), Dan Lube (violin), Erno Neufeld (violin), Nick Pisani (violin), Joe Quadri (violin), Allan Reuss (guitar), Paul Robyn (viola), Mischa Russell (violin), Jack Ryan (bass), David Sterkin (viola), Lee Young (drums)

Points: 564,1
Finished #11 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #350
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2507
AM rank: #5089
When I give my heart, it will be completely: SL3 (#6)
I‘ll never give my heart:Listyguy (#144), Brad (#145), Honorio (#148)

Gordon Jenkins was one of the most influential arrangers of the 1940s and 1950s, working with many artists including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, while also releasing his own music. In the second half of the 1950s he was hired by Capitol Records (previously he had worked for Decca), where he got the chance to work with Frank Sinatra and Nat „King“ Cole. Those collaborations are some of his most well-known work.
„When I Fall in Love“ was recorded for the first album Cole did with Jenkins, Love Is the Thing released in March 1957. There were multiple recording sessions including a lot of orchestral personnel for the lush string arrangements supporting Cole‘s smooth vocals. Most of the album is made up of standards, though they were maybe not thought of as standards as the time. „When I Fall in Love“ was first recorded by Jeri Southern in 1952, and shortly later by Doris Day who also sang it in the film One Minute to Zero, for which it had been written.
Cole‘s recording is one of the most well-known. It was selected for a single release, though there‘s different versions: Some have „Calypso Blues“ on the B-side, some „Stardust“. Finally, Cole achieved the unthinkable when he won two Grammys for his performance in 1996: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s) for the „virtual duet“ with his daughter Natalie Cole. Of course he couldn‘t accept his trophies since he had already been dead for more than thirty years at that point.
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Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
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124. Bing Crosby | „White Christmas“
Recording: May 29, 1942
Release: August 1942 (B-side: „Let‘s Start the New Year Right“)
Album: Song Hits from Holiday Inn (1942)
Songwriter: Irving Berlin
Producers:
Genre: Christmas Music, Traditional Pop
Line-up: Bing Crosby (vocals), John Scott Trotter (conductor)

Points: 564,6
Finished #11 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #18
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1413
AM rank: #336
May all your Christmases be white: Henry (#25)
Just like the ones I used to know: Brad (#137), mileswide (#139), nicolas (#143), Schüttelbirne (#148)

Often regarded as the best-selling single of all time, Irving Berlin‘s song „White Christmas“ was not only immensely popular, but started a trend of secular Christmas music, in effect secularizing the entire holiday, and creating the template for all future Christmas songs (which is surely one of the more divisive genres out there). It was written for the 1942 film Holiday Inn about an entertainment venue only open on holidays, featuring twelve of Berlin‘s compositions sung by Crosby and Fred Astaire (which were then collected on an early album in 1942). The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The song resonated with audiences during World War II due to its themes of melancholic nostalgia and the comfort of home.
Crosby originally recorded it in 1942 with John Scott Trotter‘s orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers, but he re-recorded it in 1947 because the master tape had run out. The version most often heard nowadays is the latter version.
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She‘s just got to have
About half a million
Framed autographs
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123. Chuck Berry | „Sweet Little Sixteen“
Recording: December 29, 1957
Release: January 1958 (B-side: „Reelin‘ and Rockin‘“)
Album: One Dozen Berrys (1958)
Songwriter: Chuck Berry
Producers: Leonard Chess & Phil Chess
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Fred Below (drums), Chuck Berry (vocals, guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Lafayette Leake (piano)

Points: 566,0
Finished #8 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #151
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2384
AM rank: #1049
‘Cause they‘ll be rockin‘ on Bandstand: Henry (#33)
She‘s got the grown-up blues: Bang Jan (#150)

Chuck Berry was like an early meta-historian for Rock & Roll music, being a musician himself, but making the music and the culture surrounding it the main topic of his most famous songs. While „Johnny B. Goode“ is about the musician and „Rock and Roll Music“ about the danceworthy quality of the titular style, „Sweet Little Sixteen“ focuses on a fan of the music who doesn‘t get a name but is just characterized as a sixteen-year-old who still goes to school. But when school is over she turns into an early version of a „groupie“, driving around the country seeing her favorite artists and getting their autographs. She begs her parents to let her go to the concerts.
There‘s a story about Berry being inspired by an actual teenaged autograph-seeker who insisted on getting autographs by every headliner, which basically meant she didn‘t actually see the musicians perform. There‘s of course a case to be made that Rock & Roll created more of these people who care more about the star qualities of the musicians than the actual music they produce, but the song is not really about that, because the protagonist really seems to be interested in the music as well and dancing on the concerts she visits.
The song was covered by a lot of artists including The Beatles and The Beach Boys (though their version is called „Surfin U.S.A.“).
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Et je crispe mes poings, maudissant la foule qui me vole
L‘homme qu‘elle m‘avait donné et que je n‘ai jamais retrouvé
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122. Édith Piaf | „La foule“
Recording: 1957
Release: 1957 (B-side: „Salle d‘attente“)
Songwriters: Ángel Cabral & Michel Rivauche
Producers:
Genre: Chanson
Line-up: Robert Chauvigny (conductor), Édith Piaf (vocals) et al.

Points: 566,5
Finished #12 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #77
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3012
AM rank: #4075
Et parfois soulevés, nos deux corps enlacés s‘envolent: DaveC (#12), Dan (#15)
Et je crie de douleur, de fureur et de rage et je pleure: Henry (#139), SL3 (#139), Honorio (#141), Father2TheMan (#150)

Argentine singer Hugo del Carril had a sizable hit in the 1930s with his song „Que nadie sepa mi sufrir“, written by Ángel Cabral and Enrique Dizeo. It became a Spanish-language standard, being covered by a lot of artists; it‘s also known under the title „Amor de mis amores“. However, there is also a French version of the song. The music stayed the same, but the lyrics were adapted into the French language by Michel Rivauche. Now, don‘t think that he simply translated the lyrics; the original was about a singer lamenting his lover breaking up with him while Rivauche‘s version „La foule“ is about the titular crowd celebrating in the streets. The female narrator is part of this crowd and meets a man whom she immediately falls for. But the crowd separates them and she never meets him again.
Some people interpret the crowd as a stand-in for fate, which throws people around, gives them someone to love and take them from them just as easily. There‘s an easy reference to be made to Piaf who had lost Marcel Cerdan in a plane crash in 1949.
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When I‘m alone with my fancies, I‘ll be with you,
Weaving romances, making believe they‘re true.
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121. Louis Armstrong | „A Kiss to Build a Dream On“
Recording: July 24, 1951
Release: August 1951 (A-side: „(When We Are Dancing) I Get Ideas“
Album: Satchmo Serenades (1952)
Songwriters: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby & Oscar Hammerstein II
Producer: Milt Gabler
Genre: Traditional Pop, Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet), Sandy Block (bass), Cutty Cutshall (trombone), George Dorsey (alto saxophone), Al Klink (tenor saxophone), Billy Kyle (piano), Sy Oliver (conductor), Bunny Shawker (drums), Freddy Williams (tenor saxophone), Milt Yaner (clarinet, alto saxophone)

Points: 567,1
Finished #13 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #106
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #4848
AM rank: Unranked
Give me what you alone can give: Father2TheMan (#2), bonnielaurel (#7)
Leave me one thing before we part: Honorio (#147), Brad (#149)

Louis Armstrong had significant influence on the history of jazz music, but by the 1950s he didn‘t really keep up with contemporary jazz in his own recordings. Instead of doing Bebop he moved into Traditional Pop territory, performing pop songs that were handed to him by his manager Joe Glaser. One of the most popular examples is „A Kiss to Build a Dream On“.
Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby wrote a song for the Marx Brothers movie A Night at the Opera (1935) called „Moonlight on the Meadow“, but it wasn‘t used. Hammerstein took the music and wrote new lyrics, turning it into a love song about a single kiss. Armstrong recorded it in July 1951 and it was released the following month. The same month it also appeared in Lászlo Kardos‘ film noir The Strip, where it is performed by Armstrong himself in a night club. For that it earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, losing to „In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening“ written by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer which was originally written for a Betty Hutton film that was never filmed, but was then re-used in Frank Capra‘s comedy Here Comes the Groom, where it was performed by Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman.
The recording of „A Kiss to Build a Dream On“ features quite a few musicians, but they take a supporting role to Armstrong‘s vocals and his trumpet solo in the bridge, though Kyle‘s piano and Yaner‘s clarinet provide some nice moments.
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Every mornin‘ ‚fore the sun comes up
She brings me coffee in my favorite cup
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120. Ray Charles | „Hallelujah, I Love Her So“
Recording: November 30, 1955
Release: May 1956 (B-side: „What Would I Do Without You“)
Album: Ray Charles (1957)
Songwriter: Ray Charles
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Joe Bridgewater (trumpet), Ray Charles (vocals, piano), Panama Francis (drums), Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone), Paul West (bass), Don Wilkerson (tenor saxophone), Joshua Willis (trumpet)

Points: 567,3
Finished #15 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #131
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3340
AM rank: #4140
I know she‘ll go with me until the end: mileswide (#21)
Tell her that I‘m all alone: Bang Jan (#132)

There‘s gospel influences at work here that reach beyond just the use of the word „Hallelujah“. The entire song is indeed based on The Gospel Allstars‘ „That‘s Why I Love Him So“. The piano opening is taken verbatim from that song. The melody is definitely similar, but instead of brass or woodwinds there‘s an organ involved.
This is a very strong theme in Charles‘s music in the 1950s: He takes the Gospel music he knows and turns it into R&B numbers, secularizing it in the process. A joyful song about the love for Jesus turns into a joyous love song about a woman who does everything her man asks of her and is immediately by his side when he comes knocking (this is literally described in the lyrics of the song).
The wind instruments serve an important role in the instrumentation; Don Wilkerson even gets his own solo in the bridge part of the song.
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Come on sugar, come on hear my plea
Turn that big car around, come on back to me
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119. Vince Taylor and His Playboys | „Brand New Cadillac“
Recording: February 1959
Release: April 1959 (A-side: „Pledging My Love“)
Songwriter: Vince Taylor
Producers:
Genre: Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Brian Bennett (drums), Lou Brian (keyboards), Brian Locking (double bass), Joe Moretti (guitar), Vince Taylor (vocals)

Points: 568
Finished #12 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #125
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #9434
AM rank: #3796
Well, me and my Ford, we‘re right by her side: DaveC (#26), nicolas (#26)
Daddy, I ain‘t never comin‘ back: Bang Jan (#142), bonnielaurel (#148)

One of very few non-American Rock & Roll songs in our top list, „Brand New Cadillac“ is a song written and performed by British artist Vince Taylor when he was just nineteen. The song was originally a B-side to „Pledgin‘ My Love“. It describes the narrator being left by his lover because his car is not fine enough for her (or at least that‘s his interpretation of the proceedings). It‘s a funny subversion of themes from Eddie Cochran‘s „Somethin‘ Else“.
The single was not very successful though which led to Parlophone kicking them out. He would only hit it big a year later when he appeared on the TV show Wham!. His appearance and shows would be imitated by David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust character. Taylor‘s career however would take a downturn based on his drug problems.
„Brand New Cadillac“ would become a lot more successful in cover versions by the bands Hep Stars, Shamrocks and The Clash.
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Sometimes I take a great notion
To jump into that river and drown
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118. Lead Belly | „Irene“
Recording: 1933
Release: 1943
Album: Songs by Lead Belly (1943)
Songwriter: Huddie Ledbetter
Producer: John Lomax
Genre: Acoustic Blues
Line-up: Huddie Ledbetter (vocals, guitar)

Points: 569
Finished #12 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #30
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3687
AM rank: #1660
Stay by the fireside bright: nicolas (#3)
Stop staying out late at night: SL3 (#148)

Okay, so this a bit of a mess. The official songwriter of this song is Lead Belly himself, but the origins of the song seem to go farther back. The research done by Alan and John Lomax suggests that Ledbetter took the song from his uncle Terrell (who had also given little Huddie his first instrument, an accordion). There‘s a song by Gussie Lord Davis, a songwriter from the 19th century, called „Irene, Good Night“ which seems to have some similarity to Lead Belly‘s version. The chorus seems to have circulated throughout Texas and Louisiana before, so „Goodnight, Irene“ is a product of combining old pieces with new ideas – in good folk tradition. It‘s impossible to know where the influence originally came from.
The first recording was done by the Lomaxes in 1933. Over time, Lead Belly recorded multiple versions of the song. They got progressively longer because he kept adding new verses. The earliest published release I could find is on the 1943 album Songs by Lead Belly; the song had been published in sheet form in 1936. The Lomax recordings were only released later.
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117. Thelonious Monk Trio | „Blue Monk“
Recording: September 22, 1954
Release: 1955 (EP track)
EP: Thelonious Monk Plays (1955)
Songwriter: Thelonious Monk
Producer: Bob Weinstock
Genre: Hard Bop
Line-up: Art Blakey (drums), Percy Heath (bass), Thelonious Monk (piano)

Points: 570
Finished #15 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #349
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: Unranked
AM rank: #5656
Biggest Fan: Schüttelbirne (#10)
Not a Fan: Father2TheMan (#137), Dan (#138), andyd1010 (#141), Honorio (#144), SL3 (#144), nicolas (#148)

The release history is just a bit convoluted. „Blue Monk“ was recorded on September 22, 1954 with Art Blakey on drums and Percy Heath on bass, along with two other Monk compositions („Work“ and „Nutty“) and a solo piano cover of „Just a Gigolo“. These songs were released as a 10‘‘ LP on the Prestige label titled Thelonious Monk Plays. The B-side of that record (consisting of „Blue Monk“ and „Just a Gigolo“) was included on a later album called Thelonious Monk Trio (1956), which was otherwise just a reissue of Monk‘s 1953 album Thelonious. Some reissues have switched A-side and B-side, so „Blue Monk“ starts out that record.
That is because „Blue Monk“ is one of Monk‘s most famous compositions. Maybe not as popular as „Round Midnight“, but certainly well-known and covered quite often. Abbey Lincoln wrote lyrics for the instrumental and recorded that version, which also served as the basis for multiple cover versions.
The melody was adapted from a part of „Pastel Blue“ by Charlie Shavers, though I could only find a recording from Artie Shaw (it seems to be largely forgotten, but it‘s good, look it up).
In the original recording the focus is clearly on Monk‘s piano, but Blakey does get to solo towards the end. Monk recorded the song multiple times: It was a mainstay on his setlist, so there‘s a lot of different versions with different musicians playing. Certainly worth exploring.
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You‘ll cry and cry and try to sleep
But sleep won‘t come the whole night through
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116. Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | „Your Cheatin‘ Heart“
Recording: September 23, 1952
Release: January 1953 (A-side: „Kaw-Liga“)
Songwriters: Hank Williams & Fred Rose
Producer: Fred Rose
Genre: Honky Tonk
Line-up: Chet Atkins (guitar), Floyd Chance (bass), Don Helms (guitar), Eddie Hill (guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Hank Williams (vocals, guitar)

Points: 571
Finished #13 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #139
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1822
AM rank: #1031
You‘ll toss around and call my name: Listyguy (#19)
Your cheatin‘ heart will pine someday and crave the love you threw away: Moonbeam (#148)

Lyrically similar to another song on this list, Johnny Cash‘s „Cry! Cry! Cry!“. Both are about narrators looking forward to their lovers crying over having lost them. Apparently Williams wrote it about his first wife Audrey Sheppard. It was released just days after Williams‘ death on January 1, 1953 and became an instant success. Since then it has become one of his most famous songs, only rivalled by „I‘m So Lonesome I Could Cry“.
It might be interesting to know that that song is the only song that directly qualified for the final round. The five other songs on this list were wildcard entries. While Williams‘ career was very short (from „Move It on Over“ in 1947 to his death just hours after 1952 ended), the period he released music in falls into three of the time periods of our poll.
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He‘s got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn‘t have gone so far from me
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115. Bessie Smith | „The St. Louis Blues“
Recording: January 14, 1925
Release: April 10, 1925 (B-side: „Cold in Hand Blues“)
Songwriter: W.C. Handy
Producers:
Genre: Vaudeville Blues
Line-up: Louis Armstrong (cornet), Fred Longshaw (organ), Bessie Smith (vocals)

Points: 573
Finished #11 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #48
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2336
AM rank: #430
Feeling tomorrow like I feel today: nicolas (#18)
It makes me think I‘m on my last go ‚round: andyd1010 (#142), Dan (#146)

Published on September 11, 1914 W.C. Handy‘s song „The Saint Louis Blues“ became one of the most enduring standards in jazz and pop music in the early years of recording history, with countless versions by a plethora of artists. The song reports the lamentation of a woman whose husband/lover has left her. The lyrics make it seem as if this isn‘t the first time this happens.
We can‘t be absolutely sure who first recorded it, though the Columbia Records house band released an instrumental version in December 1915. The first vocal version might be by Al Bernard (recorded in July 1918).
Out of all the different versions, the most famous one might be the Bessie Smith version featuring a pre-fame Louis Armstrong on cornet and additional accompaniment by Fred Longshaw on the organ.
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The warden said: „Come out with your hands up in the air
If you don‘t stop this riot, you‘re all gonna get the chair“
https://www.vocalgroupharmony.com/4ROWN ... ns1954.jpg
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114. The Robins | „Riot in Cell Block #9“
Recording: 1954
Release: June 1954 (B-side: „Wrap It Up“)
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Producers: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller (I assume)
Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Gil Bernal (saxophone), Richard Berry (vocals), Carl Gardner (backing vocals), Ralph Hamilton (bass), Barney Kessel (guitar), Bobby Nunn (backing vocals), Billy Richard (backing vocals), Roy Richard (backing vocals), Jesse Sailes (drums), Mike Stoller (piano), Ty Terrell (backing vocals)

Points: 575
Finished #11 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #570
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #7037
AM rank: #2537
It‘s too late to quit, pass the dynamite ‚cause the fuse is lit: Henry (#4)
Okay boys, get ready to run, here come the warden with a tommy gun: Bang Jan (#141), bonnielaurel (#150), nicolas (#150)

Written and released before „Jailhouse Rock“ was even thought of, this song features a similar caricature of the prison system. Both songs were also written by the same team of songwriters. „Riot in Cell Block #9“ has a bit more grit to it, with a reference to the death penalty, but it still is not to be taken too seriously. Especially once a character called Scarface Jones comes around it‘s clear that this is mostly to be taken as a fun song – and it is (though I assume that some people in the well-behaved 1950s might have taken it a bit less well). The chorus is immediately catchy and works with an effective technique of having the verses in a more quiet tone so the chorus seems even more explosive. The song also uses sound effects, which was a rather new technique, but employed well here.
It might be interesting that Richard Berry who sings the lead vocals in the verses was not actually a part of The Robins. It is not clear why Leiber and Stoller did not want Bobby Nunn to sing the part or if Nunn did not want to sing it, but Berry was around the studio that day and just did the part – and he did it well. (Btw, this is the same Richard Berry who wrote „Louie Louie“ which would become a big hit for The Kingsmen in the 1960s)
The song was not very successful because it was blacklisted out of fear that it might spark actual prison riots.
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Friend-boy, she trick you one time
She sure gonna do it again
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113. Robert Johnson | „Sweet Home Chicago“
Recording: November 23, 1936
Release: July 1937 (B-side: „Walkin‘ Blues“)
Songwriter: Robert Johnson
Producers:
Genre: Delta Blues
Line-up: Robert Johnson (vocals, guitar)

Points: 581,4
Finished #11 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #75
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2291
AM rank: #1553
Somebody will tell me that you need my help someday: Elder (#5)
You gonna keep monkeyin‘ round here, friend: Dan (#137), mileswide (#140), Henry (#142), bonnielaurel (#144)

It‘s typical for blues songs to be based on other songs and use them as a model; the model here is called „Kokomo Blues“. Johnson just replaces Kokomo with Chicago. It‘s about a guy telling his lover (or some other person) to go back to California, to his home in Chicago. Now, even non-Americans know that these two places are rather far apart. There have been multiple attempts at explaining what this means, ranging from Johnson having no geographical knowledge to a reference to the train route running from California to Illinois. Mack McCormick claimed (according to Alan Greenberg) that Johnson had a distant relative in a place called Port of Chicago in California.
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If I could take you to a paradise up above
If you will tell me I‘m the only one that you love
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112. The Chords | „Sh-Boom“
Recording: March 15, 1954
Release: April 1954 (A-side: „Cross Over the Bridge“)
Songwriters: James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd McRae & William Edwards
Producers:
Genre: Doo-Wop, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Mickey Baker (guitar), Rupert Branker (piano), William Edwards (vocals), Carl Feaster (vocals), Claude Feaster (vocals), James Keyes (vocals), Floyd McRae (vocals), Sam Taylor (saxophone) et al.

Points: 581,5
Finished #9 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #70
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2523
AM rank: #1021
Life could be a dream, sweetheart: Dan (#16)
Every time I look at you something is on my mind: Honorio (#137), Bang Jan (#138), DaveC (#140), Henry (#145), mileswide (#150)

Originally released as the B-side to a cover version of „Cross Over the Bridge“, „Sh-Boom“ - written by the band themselves – proved to be the bigger hit and was re-released as the A-side (with „Little Maiden“ as the B-side). The Chords were not a long-lived band because none of their other releases was very successful. „Sh-Boom“ however got into the Billboard Top 100, peaking at No. 9. Even more successful was a cover version by the Canadian band The Crew Cuts which reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1954.
Of course there‘s an argument to be made for why the Crew Cuts version was more successful than the original version by the guys who actually wrote the song. The Chords version is also more acclaimed, ranking at #1021 while the Crew Cuts version is only bubbling under. Some call it Sham Rock.
But we‘ll deal with the version by The Chords, since no other version actually received any points in our poll. The song is pretty short but does feature different sections. The intro is first sung a cappella before the instruments join in. The chorus features elaborate scat singing that is integrated seamlessly into the lyric sections. No specific vocal scat solo, as is present in other songs. Then the bass vocals take the lead before the chorus is repeated again, this time in a higher register and with added intensity. A saxophone solo is capped by the final repetition of the chorus.
The title apparently refers to an idiom that was very popular in New York City at the time. Some people also draw a connection to the Bravo test in Operation Castle which was happening at the time, but I‘m not sure if that isn‘t a bit far-fetched.
The presence of this song here speaks to its ongoing popularity, even if The Chords split up pretty soon after releasing the song.
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Well now she‘s the one that‘s got that beat
She‘s the woman with the flyin‘ feet
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111. Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps | „Be-Bop-A-Lula“
Recording: May 4, 1956
Release: May 6, 1956 (B-side: „Woman Love“)
Songwriters: Gene Vincent & Sheriff Tex Davis
Producer: Ken Nelson
Genre: Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Cliff Gallup (guitar), Dickie Harrell (drums), Jack Neal (bass), Gene Vincent (vocals), Willie Williams (guitar)

Points: 583
Finished #13 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #68
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1496
AM rank: #144
She‘s the queen of all the teens: mileswide (#22)
I don‘t mean maybe: andyd1010 (#140), Schüttelbirne (#146)

Gene Vincent had a motorcycle accident in 1955 and was in the hospital where he wrote the song „Be-Bop-a-Lula“ with Donald Graves who wrote the lyrics while Vincent himself composed the music. Vincent‘s manager Bill Davis (credited as Sheriff Tex Davis) bought the rights to the song from Graves and is officially considered the writer, even telling the story of how he wrote it with Vincent after listening to „Don‘t Bring Lulu“. Vincent however claims the inspiration for him and Graves came from the comic strip „Little Lulu“.
The song was performed by Vincent on a radio show and a demo version was passed to Capitol Records who signed him and let him record the song. Dickie Harrell is screaming in the background, so his mother could hear him.
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Moonbeam »

Outstanding rollout! I love all of the detail, and it is cool how unpredictable the results are.
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Henry »

It‘s too late to quit, pass the dynamite ‚cause the fuse is lit: Henry (#4)

This in my error. Should have been 94.

Apologies to all.
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Father2TheMan »

Re: #117 Thelonious Monk Trio "Blue Monk"

Not a Fan: Father2TheMan (#137)

I'll just note that jazz is growing on me more as a genre all the time and there were 13 songs that landed below it on my list. It's likely that by the next time we do this, it might rise a bit more.

The jazz that lands in my listening habits tends to be more concise lengthwise (I am, in general, a person who likes his tunes to be 4 minutes and under so as to leave me wanting more rather than thinking some editing might be desired) and melodic...not straying too far afield of a "theme" that it unites around musically. This one might be a victim of its 7 minute length.

Also, I want to echo the comments about the rollout. I'm learning things about songs I have loved for awhile which is always cool.
"The laughs come hard in Old Lang Syne....."
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


S‘il faut donner son sang
Allez donner le vôtre
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110. Boris Vian | „Le déserteur“
Recording: April 1955
Release: 1955 (EP track)
EP: Chansons impossibles (1955)
Songwriters: Harold Berg & Boris Vian
Producers:
Genre: Chanson à texte
Line-up: Boris Vian (vocals), Jimmy Walter (conductor) et al.

Points: 586
Finished #17 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #58
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5881
AM rank: #2640
Vous êtes bon apôtre: nicolas (#9), DaveC (#14)
Je ne veux pas la faire: Father2TheMan (#141), SL3 (#143), Listyguy (#146), andyd1010 (#149)

A soldier writes a letter to the president, telling him that he will desert and refuses to obey his orders. He also announces that he will tell other people to follow his example. This is the basic plot of „Le déserteur“ written by Boris Vian in February 1954, but first performed for the public on May 7, 1954, the day France was defeated in the First Indochina War. The war in Algeria would also soon start, for which „Le déserteur“ would become a protest song of sorts. It would even be censored by the French government, with French radio stations not being allowed to play it.
The only singer willing to record the song (or at least the only one Vian could find) was Marcel Mouloudji. His version was released as the B-side to „L‘argent“ in 1954. As far as I can tell, Vian never released his own version as a single, only including it on his EP Chansons impossibles which would form the B-side for his 1956 album Chansons possibles et impossibles, though these did not sell well because of the controversy surrounding „Le déserteur“. There were lots of illegal copies spreading the song around though. Many artists have done cover versions or adapted the lyrics to their own language and current situation, making „Le déserteur“ a milestone in the history media encouraging pacifism.
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She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes
She sat around and counted them all a million times
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109. Cab Calloway and His Orchestra | „Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)“
Recording: March 3, 1931
Release: March 1931 (B-side: „Doin‘ the Rumba“)
Songwriters: Cab Calloway, Irving Mills & Clarence Gaskill
Genre: Swing, Big Band
Line-up: Andrew Brown (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Cab Calloway (vocals), R.Q. Dickerson (trumpet), Arville Harris (alto saxophone, clarinet), Leroy Maxey (drums), Earres Prince (piano), Reuben Reeves (trumpet), Jimmy Smith (string bass, tuba), Walter Thomas (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone), DePriest Wheeler (trombone), Harry White (trombone), Morris White (banjo), Lammar Wright (trumpet)

Points: 588
Finished #5 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #50
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2543
AM rank: #376
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale: Schüttelbirne (#14)
He took her down to Chinatown and showed her how to kick the gong around: Honorio (#134)


This incredibly successful song which made Cab Calloway rich features a massive discrepancy between music and lyrics. The reception of the song is firmly on the side of the music: A fun song
The story is about a poor woman who falls in love with Smokey who‘s characterized as a cocaine addict. He takes her with him to Chinatown where they smoke opium which leads to Minnie having hallucinations. The song ends with the proclamation „Poor Min“ which seems to imply that the exposure to drugs proved fatal for her.
The lyrics never explicitly state that they smoke opium, but the reference „kick[ing] the gong around“ is pretty clear, especially since it takes place in Chinatown. The references to drugs actually resulted in Calloway being the focus of an investigation by the Bureau of Narcotics
The mood of the song is actually pretty dark; some sources cite „St. James Infirmary“ as a direct influence for the sound and I don‘t think that‘s too far off. Now to be clear, Cab Calloway‘s version of that song is a lot more upbeat than other versions (including Armstrong‘s). But „Minnie the Moocher“ could also work as a gloomy, dark song in the vein of „St. James Infirmary“. Listening to the instrumental intro that comparison is not too far off.
As I said, the story is also rather dark and Calloway‘s interpretation of the lyrics is also not gleeful singing. The reputation of the song as funny comes exclusively from the chorus which consists of senseless syllables performed in a call-and-response pattern. In live performances the audience was supposed to repeat the phrases Calloway introduced, but they got progressively more difficult to repeat which had a humorous effect.
I do think „Minnie the Moocher“ is mostly famous today because of the chorus; you could even argue that the main reason this song ever was successful was the chorus because otherwise it would just be a different version of „St. James Infirmary“. The chorus gave the song its very own style and made Cab Calloway one of the major names of 1930s big band music.
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Elle accourt me tendant ses bras dociles
Douce et fragile dans ses plus beaux atours
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108. Henri Salvador | „Dans mon île“
Recording: 1958
Release: 1958 (B-side: „Je peux pas travailler“)
Album: Dans mon île (1958)
Songwriters: Henri Salvador & Maurice Pon
Producers:
Genre: Chanson, Calypso
Line-up: Henri Salvador (vocals, guitar) et al.

Points: 591,3
Finished #8 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #84
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #6278
AM rank: #6763
En silence, nous rêvons de nous: nicolas (#5)
On n‘fait jamais rien: SL3 (#138), Brad (#142), Elder (#148), andyd1010 (#150)

There is not a lot of information I could find about this one. The song was published in three different formats in 1958: As a single (the release date of which is unknown to me), as part of the EP Dans mon île (released in April) and as part of the LP Dans mon île (released in May).
Salvador born in French Guiana, but moved to France when he was twelve. He started his career as a musician as a guitarist in a supporting role, most significantly in Ray Ventura‘s orchestra. His is also the honor of being one of the first singers to sing Rock-n-Roll in the French language, with songs written by Boris Vian and Michel Legrand (though they parody the American style). His 1958 album Dans mon île seems to be his most well-known work. The title track tells of an utopian paradise on an island where the narrator happily lives with a woman.
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Come back tomorrow night and try again.
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107. Little Richard | „Keep A Knockin‘“
Recording: January 16, 1957
Release: August 1957 (B-side: „Can‘t Believe You Wanna Leave“)
Album: Little Richard (1957)
Songwriter: Richard Penniman
Producer: Robert Blackwell
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Clifford Burks (tenor saxophone), Charles Connor (drums), Nathaniel Douglas (guitar), Grady Gaines (tenor saxophone), Samuel Parker Jr. (baritone saxophone), Richard Penniman (vocals, piano), Olsie Richard Robinson (bass), Wilbert Smith (tenor saxophone)

Points: 591,7
Finished #15 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #316
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1960
AM rank: #3939
You said you love me: Father2TheMan (#29)
But you can‘t come in: bonnielaurel (#140), nicolas (#146), Henry (#149)

While Little Richard was credited as the writer of this song, that isn‘t true. There had been multiple versions of this song (and adaptations and answers) by the time Penniman recorded it. James Wiggins recorded a song called „Keep a Knockin‘ an You Can‘t Get In“ in 1928. There were other similar songs by Bert Mays and Milton Brown, all about a narrator refusing entrance to somebody knocking on the door. There‘s also songs where the constellation is reversed: „Open the Door, Richard“ is about somebody knocking on the door, but being refused entrance. It was written and first recorded by Jack McVea and later covered by Count Basie, Dusty Fletcher and Louis Jordan.
The main difference between the earlier versions of the song and Little Richard‘s version is the tempo. Penniman introduced an uptempo style to a song that had previously been performed in a bluies style with slower tempo. Penniman‘s performance is very energetic and rapid, with very little variation in terms of lyrics and very influential drum work by Charles Connor.
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At first I thought it was infatuation
But it‘s lasted so long
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106. Sam Cooke | „You Send Me“
Recording: June 1, 1957
Release: September 7, 1957 (B-side: „Summertime)
Album: Sam Cooke (1958)
Songwriter: Sam Cooke
Producer: Robert Blackwell
Genre: Soul
Line-up: Alicia Adams (backing vocals), Sue Allen (backing vocals), Ted Brinson (bass), Sam Cooke (vocals), Lee Gotch (backing vocals), René Hall (guitar), Earl Palmer (drums), Charles Parlato (backing vocals), Clifton White (guitar)

Points: 593
Finished #7 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #47
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1964
AM rank: #238
You thrill me / Honest you do: Henry (#13)
Now I find myself wanting: mileswide (#129)

The first single credited to Sam Cooke was written by him, but credited to his brother L.C. Cook. It was a deviation from Cooke‘s gospel roots with its lyrics about love (though it is rather tame for the times with its references to marriage). The song proved to be a major success and sold more than the version recorded by Teresa Brewer the same year (which was intended as the „white version“ of the song).
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She was pretty
From New York City
And we trucked on down that old fair lane
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105. The Johnny Burnette Trio | „The Train Kept A-Rollin‘“
Recording: July 2, 1956
Release: September 1956 (B-side: „Honey Hush“)
Album: Johnny Burnette and the Rock ‚n‘ Roll Trio (1956)
Songwriters: Tiny Bradshaw, Lois Mann & Howie Kay
Producer: Owen Bradley
Genre: Rockabilly
Line-up: Paul Burlison (guitar), Dorsey Burnette (bass), Johnny Burnette (vocals, guitar)

Points: 596,91
Finished #17 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #105
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3415
AM rank: #1220
Our lovin‘ was so good, jack, I couldn‘t let her go: Brad (#21)
She must have thought that I was a real gone jerk: bonnielaurel (#138), Dan (#141)

There once was a song called „Cow-Cow Boogie“ about a singing cowboy. Tiny Bradshaw took the lyrics of that song, changed them around a bit and added new music and „The Train Kept A-Rollin‘“ was born. It was originally recorded by Bradshaw in late 1951, but did not become an immediate success. Ultimately it‘s regarded as his most well-known song nowadays.
Certainly a part of that success is due to the cover version by Johnny Burnette who arranged the song in a Rockabilly style including distorted guitar sounds by Paul Burlison in what many consider one of the earliest examples of that method. The guitar riff works well with Burnette‘s energetic vocal performance culimating in the same line at the end of every verse and chorus: „Well, I just couldn‘t let her go“. The song features a rougher sound than usual for Rockabilly which is aided by the sparse arrangements lacking drums.
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Je vis au coeur d‘la planète
J‘ai dans la tête
Un carnaval de confettis
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104. Serge Gainsbourg | „Le poinçonneur des Lilas“
Recording: June 1958
Release: September 1958 (B-side: „Douze belles dans la peau“)
Album: Du chant à la une! (1958)
Songwriter: Serge Gainsbourg
Producer: Denis Bourgeois
Genre: Chanson à texte
Line-up: Serge Gainsbourg (vocals), Christian Garros (drums, percussion), Alain Goraguer (conductor, piano), Michel Hausser (vibraphone), Pierre Michelot (bass), Paul Rovère (bass)

Points: 596,95
Finished #11 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #356
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #4308
AM rank: #2928
Que des gars s‘la coulent douce à Miami: nicolas (#16)
J‘en ai marre, j‘en ai ma claque: Father2TheMan (#139), andyd1010 (#147), Henry (#148), Elder (#150)

The first song on Serge Gainsbourg‘s debut album Du chant à la une! tells the story of a metro attendant who punches holes in the tickets of the passengers to devalue them. He‘s bored by his job because it only consists of him punching holes. The chorus emphasizes that by repeating the phrase „des petits trous“ over and over again („little holes“). But the narrator can‘t even escape his occupation in his free time, constantly thinking about the little holes he punches into the tickets. He wishes to quit one day. In the final verse he says that punching holes is bad enough to go crazy; he could take a gun and make another little hole. After that they would put him into a big hole. The multiple meanings of the word „trou“ here are quite well-done.
Despite being praised by Boris Vian, Gainsbourg‘s early efforts were commercial failures. The position of „La poinçonneur des Lilas“ on this list would probably be different, if Gainsbourg had stopped releasing music in the 1950s.
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103. Link Wray & His Ray Men | „Rumble“
Recording: January 1958
Release: March 17, 1958 (B-side: „The Swag“)
Songwriters: Link Wray & Milt Grant
Producers:
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Shorty Horton (bass), Ray Vernon (guitar), Doug Wray (drums), Link Wray (guitar)

Points: 598,1
Finished #12 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #103
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1892
AM rank: #319
Biggest Fan: SL3 (#29)
Not a Fan: Dan (#148), DaveC (#148)

I have to advise caution with this song, because it glorifies juvenile crime and might lead you to be involved in gang fights. These were called „rumble“, and this was apparently a real fear in 1950s USA since it was banned in some radio markets. It‘s the only instrumental single that has ever been banned in the USA. It is deliberately stylized to sound a bit rougher than usual (for the time) and features electric guitar work by Link Wray which would inspire countless other musicians throughout the 1960s (and beyond?). Wray even punctured the speaker of his amplifier to make the the studio version sound more like the live version (which had been a hit with audiences).
Archie Bleyer originally didn‘t want to release it because he didn‘t like it, but his stepdaughter did, so he decided on releasing it anyway. A lot of his other recordings were shelved however, because Bleyer thought Wray‘s music was immoral.
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She changed the lock on our front door
My door key, don‘t fit no more
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102. Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | „Move It On Over“
Recording: April 21, 1947
Release: June 6, 1947
Songwriter: Hank Williams
Producer: Fred Rose
Genre: Honky Tonk, Country
Line-up: Louis Innis (guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Dale Lohman (guitar), Bronson Reynolds (bass), Zeke Turner (guitar), Hank Williams (vocals)

Points: 598,8
Finished #13 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #28
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3268
AM rank: #2323
It‘s sure better than no house at all: Dan (#12)
I don‘t take no one‘s advice: DaveC (#138)

Recorded in the first session for MGM Records, this was the first hit single Williams produced for them. It‘s a funny little song about a guy being locked out of the house by his wife and having to sleep in the doghouse with the dog. The chorus tells the dog to move over to make space for him, calling himself „dog“ with different adjectives describing him while constrasting them to adjectives describing the „real“ dog: So for example, „little dog“ should move over because a „big dog“, the guy, wants to move in.
The pairs used are the following:
skinny – fat
old – new
nice – mad
short – tall
good – mad
cold – hot
The chorus also exchanges its main verb frequently. Only in the first stanza it‘s „move it on over“, that gets transformed into „scoot“, „drag“, „tote“ or „sweep“. Add to that the rhymes in the stanzas and you have an example of a novelty song stylized to such a degree that it works as more than just a short, funny skit.
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Rich relations give crusts of bread and such
You can help yourself, but don‘t take too much
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101. Billie Holiday | „God Bless the Child“
Recording: May 9, 1941
Release: July 1941 (B-side: „Solitude“)
Songwriters: Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog Jr.
Producer: Edward B. Marks
Genre: Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Lester Boone (alto saxophone), Paul Chapman (guitar), Herbert Cowans (drums), Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Eddie Heywood (piano), Billie Holiday (vocals), Grachan Moncur II (bass), Ernie Powell (trumpet), Jimmy Powell (alto saxophone), Johan Robins (guitar)

Points: 599
Finished #6 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #51
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1086
AM rank: #771
You‘ve got lots friends, they‘re crowding around the door: Bang Jan (#20)
The weak ones fade: Dan (#143), mileswide (#144), DaveC (#147)

According to Holiday, the idea for this song came after a fight with her mother who wouldn‘t give her any money when she was in need of some. She says in her autobiography that she stormed out of her mother‘s restaurant with the words: „God bless the child that‘s got his own“ and so the idea for the song was formed.
The song deals with unequal opportunities in an universal way. Holiday does not tell the story as it happened to her, but rather tries to paint a bigger picture with references to religion. The song starts with an altered quote from St. Matthew: „Them that‘s got shall have / Them that‘s not shall lose“, referencing the growing gap between rich and poor people, something that is still a very relevant topic.
Holiday recorded the song multiple times and each version is different, some more than others. But even the recordings from the same recording session are sung differently. You can find multiple takes from the May 9, 1941 session on The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933-1944, which is a real treasure trove because some might prefer an alternate take to the one that was actually released. There are other versions, for example on 1956‘s Lady Sings the Blues or a version with a chorus. On all of them Holiday has this incredible vocal presence that makes each choice she makes sound like the right one. The Eddie Heywood Orchestra on the original recording deliver a rather subdued performance which just serves to strengthen Holiday‘s vocals.
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Honorio
Higher Ground
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Location: L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain

Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Honorio »

Excellent presentation and comments, Schüttelbirne!!

Only for completing the information about "Dans mon île" I'm going to copy and paste the comments I made for the Montpellier meeting: "Legend says that when Antônio Carlos Jobim listened to "Dans mon île" on an Italian movie (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UaEX2O ... =bricology) had a revelation and told to some friends "that's we should do, slow down samba's beat and introduce beautiful melodies." So, was Salvador the involuntary creator of the bossa-nova? Not sure of that, some of the immortal songs by Jobim were written way before 1958. But surely the relaxed vibe, the complex guitar chords (but so sweet that don't give the impression of complexity) and the whispered voice of Henri Salvador had a lot to do with the bossa-nova that was going to explode the following year (1959) with "Chega de saudade."
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Way you wear those dresses, the sun comes shinin‘through
I can‘t believe my eyes, all that mess belongs to you
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100. Joe Turner and His Blues Kings | „Shake, Rattle and Roll“
Recording: February 15, 1954
Release: April 1954 (B-side: „You Know I Love You“)
Songwriter: Charles F. Calhoun
Producers: Ahmet Ertegün & Jerry Wexler
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Jump Blues, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Mickey Baker (guitar), Wilbur De Paris (trombone), Ahmet Ertegün (backing vocals), Haywood Henry (baritone saxophone), Connie Kay (drums), Jesse Stone (piano, backing vocals), Sam Taylor (tenor saxophone), Lloyd Trotman (bass), Big Joe Turner (vocals), Jerry Wexler (backing vocals)

Points: 602
Finished #6 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #48
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #851
AM rank:
I‘m like a one-eyed cat peepin‘ in a seafood store: Dan (#24)
I believe to the soul you‘re the devil and now I know: Henry (#131)

We all know the stories of the moral crisis of early rock ‚n roll music. As early as 1957 U.S. Congress considered legislation about screening song lyrics before release. „Shake, Rattle and Roll“ is an example of lyrics that were far too explicit in its innuendos for some people. I won‘t explain them since they‘re easy enough to grasp yourself and explaining a joke is generally one of the most un-charming things one can do.
Lyrics like these were not new however. In the 1920s and 30s there was a style called „dirty blues“ which worked with exactly this kind of lyrics. They were not really played on the radio a lot, but they existed, were performed and even recorded. Just listen to Lucille Bogan‘s „Shave ‚Em Dry“ for a song which doesn‘t even deal in innuendos, but goes all out on lyrical contet. And people said „WAP“ was revolutionary…
Anyways, it‘s no surprise that the moral crisis about these kinds of lyrics only started once blues turned into Rock & Roll. „Shake, Rattle and Roll“ would be covered successfully by Bill Haley & His Comets the same year Turner‘s version was released.
Turner‘s version is dominated by a distinct rolling piano and brass accentuating the pauses between verses. The chorus features a shouted invocation of the title, where Turner is joined by others including the producers. The middle of the song features a saxophone solo. The result is one of the songs where the borders between Blues and Rock & Roll are already frayed and it kind of belongs to both of these categories.
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You ain‘t never caught a rabbit
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99. Elvis Presley | „Hound Dog“
Recording: July 2, 1956
Release: July 13, 1956 (B-side: „Don‘t Be Cruel“)
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Producer: Stephen Sholes
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Line-up: Bill Black (bass), D.J. Fontana (drums), Hoyt Hawkins (backing vocals), Hugh Jarrett (backing vocals), Neal Matthews (backing vocals), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals), Gordon Stoker (backing vocals)

Points: 603
Finished #5 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #14
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #397
AM rank: #82
They said you was high-classed: andyd1010 (#13)
You ain‘t no friend of mine: Brad (#146)

Presley‘s version of „Hound Dog“ proved to be one of the most successful singles of all time. The original version by Big Mama Thornton already appeared on this list (I suspect).There I talked about „answer songs“ which were quite popular at the time. One of the many answers Thornton‘s song provoked was a version by Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys, also entitled „Hound Dog“, but with a completely different spin. While Thornton‘s version was about a man being thrown out by his former lover because she didn‘t want to take care of his lazy ass anymore, Bell took the title literally and made the song about a dog who‘s being scorned because he has never caught a rabbit. Basically, it‘s a spoof version but it was quite popular and Presley was apparently so impressed by it that he decided to cover it. While he knew Thornton‘s version, Bell‘s reworked version is the clear reference point: Both lyrics and the slow delivery stay the same.
But, wait a second: Slow delivery? In Presley‘s „Hound Dog“? Indeed, originally „Hound Dog“ was performed in a rather slow style. The up-tempo version that was released as the single and turned into the major success we know it to be was recorded after Presley had already been performing the song in the slower style for a while, including a stint on The Steve Allen Show where he sang it to an actual dog in a top hat.
Some people say the more aggressive style of the recording which happened fairly close after the appearance on that television show, is due to Presley feeling humiliated by that appearance (picture above). I don‘t know if that is the case. „Hound Dog“ was recorded quite a few times before Presley was satisfied with the product. The recording features The Jordanaires on backing vocals and much-praised guitar work by Scotty Moore.
„Hound Dog“ was very polarizing when it was released and was the main recipient of negative criticism about Rock ‚n‘ Roll music in general, because it was the most successful example of that new genre.
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C‘est physique
Tout son être est tendu
Son souffle est suspendu
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98. Édith Piaf | „L‘accordéoniste“
Recording: April 5, 1940
Release: 1940 (B-side: „Escales“)
Songwriter: Michel Emer
Producers:
Genre: Chanson
Line-up: Édith Piaf (vocals), Voldemar Rosenberg (conductor), Gus Visuer (accordion) et al.

Points: 605
Finished #14 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #60
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #4444
AM rank: #7455
Ça lui rentre dans la peau: DaveC (#13), nicolas (#15)
Les hommes n‘en veulent pas: Henry (#140), Father2TheMan (#144)

Michel Emer‘s song tells the story of a prostitute in love with an accordeonist. Instead of dancing she just feels the music he plays. But he has to go to war, and she is sad and lonely. She dances to the same music her accordeonist played, but can‘t take it and yells for the music to stop.
Emer presented the song to Piaf shortly before he joined the army. She immediately liked the song and performed it for the first time on February 16, 1940. It was a huge success for her and started her intense collaboration with Emer.
The recording was done with Gus Viseur on the accordion (a very distinct instrumental choice, but obvious based on the song‘s story and title). The song wasn‘t called „L‘accordéoniste“ at this point, but rather „La fille de joie est triste“, but it was changed soon after. Other instruments playing on the recording are piano, guitar, drums and violins (though it is unknown who is playing them).
The song was barred from being played on the radio during the occupation based on Emer‘s Jewish heritage, but Piaf still performed it which resulted in her being barred from performing for two months.
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To seek a kiss not mine alone
To share a kiss that Devil has known
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97. Billie Holiday | „I‘m a Fool to Want You“
Recording: February 19-20, 1958
Release: June 1958 (album track)
Album: Lady in Satin (1958)
Songwriters: Joel Herron, Frank Sinatra & Jack Wolf
Producer: Irving Townsend
Genre: Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Danny Bank (flute), Phil Bodner (flute), Sid Brecher (viola), Elise Bretton (backing vocals), Maurice Brown (cello), Billy Butterfield (trumpet), Mel Davis (trumpet), Richard Dichler (viola), Ray Ellis (conductor), Barry Galbraith (guitar), Bernie Glow (trumpet), Emmanual Green (violin), Jack Green (trombone), Urbie Green (trombone), Milt Hinton (double bass), Harry Hoffman (violin), Billie Holiday (vocals), J.J. Johnson (trombone), Osie Johnson (drums), Harry Katzmann (violin), Leo Kruczek (violin), Milton Lomask (violin), Harry Meinikoff (violin), Tommy Mitchell (bass trombone), David Newman (violin), Jimmy Ochner (trumpet), George Ockner (violin), Tom Parshley (flute), Romeo Penque (flute), Janet Putnam (harp), Samuel Rand (violin), David Sarcer (violin), David Soyer (cello), Mal Waldron (piano), Miriam Workman (backing vocals)

Points: 606,2
Finished #13 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #244
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3552
AM rank: Bubbling Under
I can‘t get along without you: Schüttelbirne (#19)
Time and time again I went away: Dan (#144)

While signed to Clef Records (which was later part of Verve Records), Holiday only recorded with smaller ensembles. But after she changed to Columbia she wanted to record an album with a big orchestra; specifically she wanted to collaborate with Ray Ellis. This was the start of Lady in Satin. It was recorded in three sessions from February 18 to 21, though the sessions apparently were in the evening and lasted into the next day (or the record is not clear).
The line-up is also not completely clear. The line-up listed on RYM and some versions on Discogs misses the string section and lists Hank Jones and not Mal Waldron as the session pianist. Jazzdisco (one of the greatest sites for discographical information about classic jazz artists) does so too and it lists trumpeter Mel Davis as not being present for the session „I‘m a Fool to Want You“ was recorded in. German Wikipedia has information on the string section, but no information about where that information originates from. I decided to combine the information from Jazzdisco and German Wikipedia, but take it with a grain of salt, please.
The first song on the album is a standard written by Jack Wolf, Jeol Herron and fellow jazz singer Frank Sinatra. He‘s responsible for the lyrics; some people have suggested that he‘s working through his marital problems with Nancy Sinatra and his affair with Ava Gardner. I‘m not sure that‘s accurate considering the themes are pretty commonplace for jazz songs at the time.
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When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
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96. Woody Guthrie | „This Land Is Your Land“
Recording: 1944
Release: 1951
Songwriter: Woody Guthrie
Producer: Moses Asch
Genre: Contemporary Folk
Line-up: Woody Guthrie (vocals, guitar)

Points: 606,9
Finished #12 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #29
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #932
AM rank: #158
This land was made for you and me: Elder (#6)
I roamed and I rambled: Henry (#136), Moonbeam (#136), SL3 (#140), Schüttelbirne (#143)

I can‘t really make sense of the discographical information I can find. The original version for this song was written in 1940, but it was revised in 1944. It was recorded by Moses Asch in 1944 which is probably the first recording of the song, but I‘m not sure when it was first released. Wikipedia says 1945, but they don‘t say in what format or where it was published.
So, the following is based on what I put together and could be wrong: While the song was recorded in 1944, the recording wasn‘t actually released until later. „This Land Is Your Land“ was indeed published in 1945, but not Guthrie‘s recording of it, just the sheet music (which used to be a bigger market than it is now). Here you can find a scan of the original booklet Ten Twenty-Five Cent Songs by Woody Guthrie from 1945. Even today, the song itself might be more well-known than the Guthrie version specifically, since it has been covered countless times.
The first released version done by Guthrie can be found on the album This Land Is My Land: American Work Songs released on the label Folkways. It features multiple other artists, namely Sam Eskin, Bill Bonyon, Harry McClintock, Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston and Lead Belly. There is no clear record of when that album was released. Some say 1948, some 1951 or 1952. Guthrie‘s recording was later included in multiple compilations.
Now that we‘re done with the discographical information, let‘s move on to the content of the song: Guthrie wrote the song in response to Kate Smith‘s recording of Irving Berlin‘s propaganda song „God Bless America“ and set his lyrics to the melody of The Carter Family‘s „When the World‘s on Fire“. The lyrics are notable because they changed over time and a lot of people like to emphasize these changes. While the 1944 version – the famous one – mostly lists geographical terms and then states that these were „made for you and me“, the original 1940 version includes not only a different catch phrase („God blessed America for me“ instead of „This land was made for you and me“), but two stanzas that become political. This is especially notable considering that the final stanza throws the entire praise of the countryside into doubt with the following verses:

„By the Relief Office I saw my people.
As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if
God blessed America for me.“
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95. The Bud Powell Trio | „Un Poco Loco“
Recording: May 1, 1951
Release: July 1951 (B-side: „It Could Happen to You“)
Album: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1 (1952)
Songwriter: Bud Powell
Producer: Alfred Lion
Genre: Bebop
Line-up: Bud Powell (piano), Max Roach (drums), Curley Russell (bass)

Points: 609
Finished #7 in 1950+52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #494
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #20.254
AM rank: #1770
Biggest Fan: Schüttelbirne (#8)
Not a Fan: SL3 (#135)

Bud Powell was one of the pioneers of Bebop and is probably the most significant pianist playing that style (not counting Thelonious Monk who moved on to other styles of jazz soon). Bebop stands in contrast to Swing, which was the dominant jazz style of the time. Bebop is played at a fast tempo and emphasizes improvisation; it‘s typically played by smaller combos, not big bands and is not meant for dancing.
„Un Poco Loco“ was recorded in a session for Blue Note with Curly Russell on bass and Max Roach on drums for some of the takes. The same session also included recordings of „Over the Rainbow“, „A Night in Tunisia“, „It Could Happen to You“ (the single‘s B-side) and „Parisian Thoroughfare“. There were three separate takes for „Un Poco Loco“ with the third one being the one used for the single release.
There is a distinct influence of Afro-Cuban rhythms on the song, clearly heard throughout. Powell‘s left hand lays down a rhythm while the right hand does most of the improvising. He also vocalizes quite a bit. Roach‘s percussion throughout the song has a bit of a rattling sound. He gets to do a solo in the bottom half of the song. The main melody is very catchy and used and varied all throughout the song, making the five minutes (pretty long for a single release in 1951) quite enjoyable.
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94. Thomas Waller | „Ain‘t Misbehavin‘“
Recording: August 2, 1929
Release: September 1929 (B-side: „Sweet Savannah Sue“)
Songwriters: Andy Razaf, Thomas Waller & Harry Brooks
Producers:
Genre: Stride
Line-up: Thomas Waller (piano)

Points: 613
Finished #7 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #59
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2522
AM rank: #883
Biggest Fan: SL3 (#20)
Not a Fan: mileswide (#134)

Written by Waller and Brooks with lyrics by Andy Razaf, „Ain‘t Misbehavin‘“ was introduced in the musical revue Hot Chocolates in 1929. Louis Armstrong was part of the orchestra and played a trumpet solo for this song. The revue also introduced „(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue“ which has also become a jazz standard.
Armstrong also recorded it the same year along with five other recording artists including Leo Reisman, Bill Robinson, Gene Austin, Ruth Etting and Fats Waller himself whose version is a rendition on solo piano. Waller re-recorded it in 1943 in a version featuring vocals which might be the version people prefer.
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The little things you say and do
Make me want to be with you
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93. Buddy Holly | „Rave On“
Recording: January 25, 1958
Release: April 20, 1958 (B-side: „Take Your Time“)
Album: Buddy Holly (1958)
Songwriters: Sonny West, Bill Tilghman & Norman Petty
Producer: Milton DeLugg
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Line-up: Jerry Allison (drums), Donald Arnone (guitar), Robert Bollinger (backing vocals), Al Caiola (guitar), Robert Harter (backing vocals), Abby Hoffer (backing vocals), Buddy Holly (vocals, guitar), William Marihe (backing vocals), Joe B. Mauldin (bass), Merrill Ostrus (backing vocals), Norman Petty (piano)

Points: 616
Finished #10 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #181
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #4057
AM rank: #1329
I‘m so glad that you‘re revealin‘ your love for me: mileswide (#9)
It‘s got me reelin‘: bonnielaurel (#142)

Most of Buddy Holly‘s short-lived career was filled with sweet love songs and „Rave On“ also belongs to those. Here he asks his lovers to keep telling him she loves him because it‘s such a great feeling when she says it. It starts with the word „well“, but Holly pulls the word into multiple syllables in a pretty unique way. „Rave On“ is also one of the very few examples of Holly‘s music featuring more than just the basic instrumentation. In fact it features multiple background singers who prominently emphasize his lead vocals with their „di-di-la“.
Actually the song wasn‘t originally written for Holly, but for Sonny West who wrote the song together with Bill Tilghman and Coral producer Norman Petty. It was released under the title „Rave On!“ with the B-side „Call on Cupid“ in 1958, but it had already been recorded the previous year. The differences to Holly‘s version can be found in West‘s more country-influenced vocals and the use of tenor saxophone in the latter‘s version.
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I have no kick against modern jazz
Unless they try to play it too darn fast
And change the beauty of the melody
Until it sounds just like a symphony
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92. Chuck Berry | „Rock & Roll Music“
Recording: May 6, 1957
Release: September 1957 (B-side: „Blue Feeling“)
Songwriter: Chuck Berry
Producers: Leonard Chess & Phil Chess
Genre: Rock & Roll, Electric Blues
Line-up: Fred Below (drums), Chuck Berry (vocals, guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Lafayette Leake (piano)

Points: 617
Finished #10 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #107
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1693
AM rank: #1216
It‘s gotta be rock ‚n‘ roll music / If you wanna dance with me: Henry (#8)
Don‘t care to hear ‚em play: Schüttelbirne (#141)

One of the earliest songs about Rock & Roll, which was a fairly new genre when Berry recorded it. The narrator states his preference for Rock music pretty clearly, dismissing jazz, country, tango and mambo music as inferior and not as danceable as Rock music. Maybe the musical hegemony of Rock music in the ‚60s and ‚70s started here?
Normally the guitar is considered the big instrument of Rock & Roll music, probably because it‘s easy to play while moving which is hard with a piano. But listen closely to Lafayette Leake‘s work here on the piano and you will find that he really shapes the song and might very well be the most „rockin“ instrument on this song.
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I know beyond a doubt
My heart will lead me there soon
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91. Bobby Darin | „Beyond the Sea“
Recording: December 24, 1958
Release: March 1959 (album track)
Album: That‘s All (1959)
Songwriters: Charles Trenet & Jack Lawrence
Producers: Ahmet Ertegun, Nesuhi Ertegun & Jerry Wexler
Genre: Traditional Pop, Big Band, Swing, Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Billy Byers (trombone), Joe Cabot (trumpet), Leon Cohen (reeds), Cutty Cutshall (trombone), Bobby Darin (vocals), Mel Davis (trumpet), Al DeRisi (trumpet), Don Lamond (drums), Mundell Lowe (guitar), Walt Levinsky (reeds), Seldon Powell (reeds), Frank Rehak (trombone), Eddie Safranski (bass), Jerry Sanfino (reeds), Doc Severinsen (trumpet), Moe Wechsler (piano), Chauncey Welsch (trombone), Richard Wess (conductor) et al. (8 unidentified string players)

Points: 618
Finished #8 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #75
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2043
AM rank: #3457
She‘s there watching for me: Listyguy (#4)
And never again I‘ll go sailing: nicolas (#139), DaveC (#141), Elder (#146), Honorio (#150)

The dates spread over the Internet for this are a mess: Discogs lists a 1958 release (in Sweden apparently) with „Mack the Knife“ as the A-side, but all discographical information I could find lists the recording session for both songs taking place in late December 1958, which makes it improbable that there actually is that release. RYM has the single listed as a 1960 release while Wikipedia has October 1959 (but they also have the recording date set at August 1958 without providing a source for that information). Life is hard…
The song is based on the French chanson „La mer“ by Charles Trenet. The melody stayed the same for the English version, but Jack Lawrence provided new lyrics, turning it into a love song. Originally it was an ode to the sea, but the English version is about two lovers separated by the sea, wishing to cross it to be together again. The first recording was done by Harry James in 1947. The most popular recording comes from Bobby Darin however with big band backing.
Last edited by Schüttelbirne on Fri Feb 17, 2023 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Never thought I‘d do this before
But here I am a-knockin‘ on her door
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90. Eddie Cochran | „Somethin‘ Else“
Recording: June 23, 1959
Release: July 27, 1959 (B-side: „Boll Weevil Song“)
Songwriters: Sharon Sheeley & Bob Cochran
Producer: Eddie Cochran
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Line-up: Eddie Cochran (vocals, guitar, bass), Earl Palmer (drums), Jim Stivers (piano)

Points: 621,2
Finished #9 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #161
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5456
AM rank: #2422
We‘ll look real sharp with the white top down: Honorio (#14)
A brand new convertible is out of my class: nicolas (#140), bonnielaurel (#145), Listyguy (#145), Elder (#149)

The personnel is not really clear. The electric bass overdub was almost definitely done by Cochran, but bassist Dave Shriver is sometimes credited because he was present during the recording session (where the B-side „Boll Weevil Song“ was also recorded). It‘s not clear (based on the information I found) whether the drums are played by Earl Palmer or Gene Riggio.
„Somethin‘ Else“ was written by Cochran‘s girlfriend Sharon Sheeley and his older brother Bob Cochran. The lyrics relate a small story about a teenage guy who has a crush on a girl from his class, but does not have the confidence to ask her out. He sees a new car and thinks that will impress her, so he starts working to get enough money to buy it. Ultimately he can only afford an older car, but he still asks her out and gets the girl in the end. It‘s an interesting turn-around of the premise of Cochran‘s big hit „Summertime Blues“ where the protagonist doesn‘t want to work because he wants to be with his girlfriend; here he works voluntarily to find a girlfriend.
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Too real is this feeling of make-believe
Too real when I feel what my heart can‘t conceal
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89. The Platters | „The Great Pretender“
Recording: 1955
Release: November 3, 1955 (B-side: „I‘m Just a Dancing Partner“)
Songwriter: Buck Ram
Producer: Buck Ram
Genre: Doo-Wop, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Plas Johnson (tenor saxophone), David Lynch (vocals), Herb Reed (vocals), Paul Robi (vocals), Zola Taylor (vocals), Tony Williams (vocals) et al.

Points: 621,44
Finished #5 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #39
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3305
AM rank: #992
I‘m wearing my heart like a crown: andyd1010 (#3)
My need is such I pretend too much: Honorio (#142), Elder (#145)

The story goes like this: After the huge sucess of „Only You“, The Platters‘ manager Buck Ram boasted about having a song even better than that one. He quickly wrote it in the bathroom of a hotel. I don‘t know if this story is true, or if Ram himself is just being a „great pretender“.
The song deals with the narrator experiencing negative emotions of loneliness after the end of a relationship, but not sharing these emotions with the world. Instead he acts like everything is fine and tries being funny and maybe he even tries to convince himself that this is the case, but his heart can‘t conceal the feelings he has.
The lead vocals are done by Tony Williams whose vocals are amplified by the harmonic vocals of the other group members, singing their „aaaaaa“, „oooooo“ or „o-o-o-o“. In the final verse they stop singing for a short while before repeating his final phrase „still around“. A powerful example of mid-1950s R&B.
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Step in my Rocket and don‘t be late
We‘re pullin‘ out about half past eight
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88. Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats | „Rocket "88““
Recording: March 3, 1951
Release: April 1951 (B-side: „Come Back Where You Belong“)
Songwriters: Jackie Brenston & Ike Turner [uncredited]
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll, Jump Blues
Line-up: Jackie Brenston (saxophone, vocals), Raymond Hill (saxophone), Willie Kizart (guitar), Willie Sims (drums), Ike Turner (piano)

Points: 621,46
Finished #2 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #141
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3461
AM rank: #371
Everybody likes my Rocket 88: Dan (#30)
You heard the noise they make: bonnielaurel (#130)

This song has a reputation as being the first Rock ‚n‘ Roll song (or at least among a group considered as such). There‘s a few points worth addressing here, so I‘ll make a list:

1. The band playing the song is actually Ike Turner‘s Kings of Rhythm, but the producer Sam Phillips decided to release it under a different name; apparently this led to Turner and the other members of the band being payed less than Brenston was. The differences arising from this (and Brenston‘s subsequent behavior) led to the Kings of Rhythm splitting up.

2. While Ike Turner claimed to have written the song himself, Brenston said they simply ‚borrowed‘ from Jimmy L
iggins‘ „Cadillac Boogie“ (a song the Kings of Rhythm used to play cover versions of) and listening to both after one another, I have to say that the influence of that song is very clear.

3. This is one of the very first instances of fuzzy guitar sound. The story goes that the amplifier fell from the car and they stuffed paper in it; the resulting sound was so appealingly different, they decided to go with it. If this story is true or just a legend, is not something I can ascertain.

4. The lyrics are as simple as they come: My car is awesome, I‘ll get all the girls! Considering the similarities in shape between a rocket and certain human organs, there‘s a lot of double-meaning in lines like: „Takin‘ my Rocket on a long, hot run“ or even „Blow your horn, Rocket“. These lyrics are not revolutionary, of course, but they are rather daring for the early 1950s and appeal to a very specific target audience: young people.

The song starts with Turner‘s carefree, climpering piano and the rhythmic properties of Kizart‘s fuzzy guitar and Sims‘ solid, if not astounding, drumming. The two saxophones take the role the lead guitar would later take in songs like these. The song had a tremendous impact on a style that would come to dominate popular music in the decade(s) to come.
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87. Duke Ellington & His Orchestra | „The Mooche“
Recording: October 1, 1928
Release: November 1928 (B-side: „Hot and Bothered“)
Songwriters: Duke Ellington & Irving Mills
Producers:
Genre: Big Band, Swing
Line-up: Barney Bigard (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Wellman Braud (string bass), Harry Carney (baritone saxophone, clarinet), Baby Cox (vocals), Duke Ellington (piano), Sonny Greer (drums), Fred Guy (banjo), Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone, soprafno saxophone, clarinet), Lonnie Johnson (guitar), Bubber Miley (trumpet), Joe Nanton (trombone), Arthur Whetsel (trumpet)

Points: 621,7
Finished #8 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #25
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #20.936
AM rank: #7505
Biggest Fan: Brad (#6), Schüttelbirne (#15)
Not a Fan: Henry (#144), andyd1010 (#145), Dan (#145)

One of Ellington‘s early signature track, recorded and released many times, often under different names. I‘m not sure if the version released by the Whoopee Makers (a pseudonym for Ellington‘s orchestra) wasn‘t released earlier than the version I used for the information here, but this is certainly the go-to version if you look for the first recording of this classic song. However, many might prefer the version found on 1953‘s album Ellington Uptown.
On that album, Ellington had the time to develop ideas in a broader sense, while he was still pretty restrained when working with the singles format. Still, he manages to fit a variety of musical ideas into the three minutes of „The Mooche“, while never sacrificing cohesion of the whole.
It‘s easier to show the different sections in list form:

1. Ominous theme (25 seconds)

2. Big band (25 seconds)

3. Exchange clarinet – guitar (25 seconds)

4. Baby Cox vocalizing (25 seconds)

5. Trumpet solo (20 seconds)

6. Ominous theme (modified) (45 seconds)

During Baby Cox‘s section you can also hear the banjo pretty clearly, an instrument that fell out of favor in the jazz world in the years to come, but was pretty common in the 1920s.
The title „mooche“ refers to a person who is lazy. I certainly can‘t say that the song‘s title fits what is actually happening in the song.
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86. Quintette du Hot Club de France avec Alix Combelle | „Nuages“
Recording: December 13, 1940
Release: 1941 (B-side: „Les yeux noirs“)
Songwriter: Django Reinhardt
Producers:
Genre: Jazz manouche
Line-up: Alix Combelle (clarinet), Pierre Fouad (drums), Django Reinhardt (guitar), Joseph Reinhardt (guitar), Hubert Rostaing (clarinet), Tony Rovira (bass)

Points: 623
Finished #15 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #38
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3287
AM rank: #994
Biggest Fan: Honorio (#5), Bang Jan (#12)
Not a Fan: Dan (#140)

„Nuages“ was first recorded on October 1, 1940 but Reinhardt was not satisfied with how it turned out and the recording was shelved (it was finally released in 1983). In the second recording session he added a second clarinette turning the quintet into a sextet. The clarinets and Reinhardt‘s guitar dominate the song. Its main theme is very catchy and turned the song into a huge success.
The Quintette du Hot Club de France originally only featured string instruments, but once the war started in 1939 and Stéphane Grappelli stayed in London, they couldn‘t perform together.
Reinhardt still performed under the name but with a different line-up. Despite his Manouches roots he lived relatively peaceful in Paris.
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Fancy gloves wears old MacHeath, dear
So there‘s never, never a trace of red
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85. Bobby Darin | „Mack the Knife“
Recording: December 19, 1958
Release: August 1959 (B-side: „Was There a Call for Me“)
Album: That‘s All (1959)
Songwriters: Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill & Marc Blitzstein
Producers: Ahmet Ertegun, Nesuhi Ertegun & Jerry Wexler
Genre: Standards, Swing
Line-up: George Berg (reeds), Morton Bullman (trombone), Joe Cabot (trumpet), Al Caiola (guitar), Bobby Darin (vocals), Harry DiVito (trombone), Hank Jones (piano), Phil Kraus (percussion), Don Lamond (drums), Bob McGarity (trombone), Jimmy Nottingham (trumpet), Romeo Penque (reeds), Bernie Privin (trumpet), Frank Rehak (trombone), Jerome Richardson (reeds), Eddie Safranski (bass), Jerry Sanfino (reeds), Doc Severinsen (trumpet), Terry Snyder (percussion), Joe Soldo (reeds), Richard Wess (conductor)

Points: 625
Finished #7 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #86
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1644
AM rank: #398
Look out, old Macky‘s back: Father2TheMan (#17), Schüttelbirne (#17)
Could it be our boy‘s done somethin‘ rash?: Elder (#136), bonnielaurel (#137), Honorio (#138)

More on the origins of the song in the comments to Lotte Lenya‘s version also on this list.
While he was not the first person to record the song in the USA, Louis Armstrong is certainly the person who helped popularize it in that country. His version was recorded it in 1955 with Kurt Weill‘s first wife Lotte Lenya present, who also helped popularize the music in an Off-Broadway production of the English version of The Threepenny Opera, translated by Marc Blitzstein. Armstrong added Lenya‘s name to MacHeath‘s female conquests listed at the end of the song.
Darin did a cover of Armstrong‘s version including the line with Lotte Lenya. Later he himself would get a mention in Ella Fitzgerald‘s live cover version of the song. It seems the song has become dissociated from its roots as a „murder ballad“. It might be added that Blitzstein‘s translation is not very faithful to the German original which is far more explicit and mentions more crimes.
Darin changes the key in every stanza, ramping up the tension in the song, culminating in the climactic, almost triumphal exclamation about MacHeath being back in town (which doesn‘t really fit with the lyrics, but who cares).
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I‘m a full-grown man
I‘m a man
I‘m a rollin‘ stone
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84. Muddy Waters and His Guitar | „Manish Boy“
Recording: May 24, 1955
Release: June 1955 (B-side: „Young Fashion Ways“)
Songwriters: McKinley Morganfield, Mel London & Ellas McDaniel
Producers: Leonard Chess & Phil Chess
Genre: Chicago Blues
Line-up: Francis Clay (drums), Willie Dixon (bass), McKinley Morganfield (vocals), Jimmy Rogers (guitar), Otis Spann (piano), Junior Wells (harmonica) et al.

Points: 630
Finished #13 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #112
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #940
AM rank: #373
The greatest man alive: Moonbeam (#13)
Come up two hours late: mileswide (#147), Henry (#150)

Basically a cover version of Bo Diddley‘s „I‘m a Man“, but with some changes in regard to the lyrics and the overall style of the performance. The Muddy Waters version changes „I had somethin‘ in my pocket / Keep a lot of folks alive“ to „My mother said I was gonna be / The greatest man alive“. This change makes sense with the rest of the lyrics and sounds much better. He also changes the verses completely and includes a second part of the chorus wherein he not only states he‘s a man now, but emphasizes that he‘s not a boy. He also calls himself a rollin‘ stone and a hoochie-coochie man (obviously a reference to his own song, in which he also proclaims his omnipotent sexuality, much like in this song).
Muddy Waters‘ performance also includes a female chorus, though they don‘t really sing, they just emphasize his proclamations by shrieking in the background (you see he‘s such a man, he makes the women scream).
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Standin‘ at the crossroad, I tried to flag a ride
Didn‘t nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by
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83. Robert Johnson | „Cross Road Blues“
Recording: November 27, 1936
Release: April 20, 1937 (B-side: „Ramblin‘ on My Mind“)
Songwriter: Robert Johnson
Producer: Don Law
Genre: Delta Blues
Line-up: Robert Johnson (vocals, guitar)

Points: 631
Finished #8 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #15
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1334
AM rank: #290
You can run, tell my friend Willie Brown: Honorio (#15)
I believe I‘m sinkin‘ down: Dan (#132)

Robert Johnson only recorded 29 songs in his life-time because he died in 1938 at the age of 27. Among the most famous of them is „Cross Road Blues“.
This song was originally released in 1937; Law used the first take Johnson had recorded. When the song was included on the 1961 compilation King of the Delta Blues Singers the second take was used. There are no major differences between the two takes.
The lyrics describe a rather simple story: A man is standing at an intersection and tries to hitch a ride, but nobody stops. He asks that somebody tell his friend Willie Brown of his situation and that he‘s sinking down. Willie Brown was also a Delta Blues singer and played with Johnson.
There is however the long-standing myth that Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his musical abilities and that this song supports the anxiety he feels about that (despite the actual lyrics not referring to such a bargain). He doesn‘t have to be afraid of the devil but rather of the curfew approaching.
Johnson‘s music did not enjoy major success in his day, but it was a big influence on later rock musicians after he had been re-discovered through the aforementioned compilation.
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Se necesita una poca de gracia
Y otra cosita
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82. Ritchie Valens | „La bamba“
Recording: September 23, 1958
Release: November 17, 1958 (A-side: „Donna“)
Album: Ritchie Valens (1959)
Songwriters: Traditional, adapted by Ritchie Valens
Producer: Bob Keane
Genre: Rock & Roll, Tex-Mex
Line-up: Buddy Clark (bass), Ernie Freeman (piano), René Hall (guitar), Carol Kaye (guitar), Earl Palmer (drums, claves), Ritchie Valens (vocals, guitar)

Points: 632
Finished #5 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #51
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #667
AM rank: #254
Soy capitán: Dan (#20)
Yo no soy marinero: Brad (#150)

„La bamba“ is a traditional song from the Veracruz state in Mexico. It is often regarded as an example of son jarocho, a musical style developed in this region. While the lyrics can vary greatly depending on who‘s singing the song, the melody typically stays the same. „La bamba“ also refers to a dance, which is expressed in the lyrics of Valens‘ version which roughly translate to: „Do the La Bamba, you need some grace to do it“ etc.
The most famous version of the song was done by Ritchie Valens in 1958 who was just 17 years old at the time. His parents were from Mexico and he was very influenced by Mexican music. „La bamba“ combines this tradition with modern-day rock & roll by including electric guitars, making it a short length and focusing on a catchy chorus.
Del-Fi, the record company released the song as the B-side to „Donna“, a schmaltzy ballad which was a bigger success at the time. But over time „La bamba“ has become far more popular, becoming the song Valens is most well-known for. He famously died just a few months after recording „La bamba“ in a plane crash. But „La bamba“ remains of the most significant examples of Spanish-language rock music; some even say Valens co-started the development of Spanish rock music.
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Do anything that you wanna do,
But uh, uh, honey, lay off of my shoes
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81. Carl Perkins | „Blue Suede Shoes“
Recording: December 19, 1955
Release: January 1956 (B-side: „Honey, Don‘t!“)
Album: Dance Album of Carl Perkins (1957)
Songwriter: Carl Perkins
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Line-up: W.S. Holland (drums), Carl Perkins (vocals, guitar), Clayton Perkins (bass), Jay Perkins (guitar)

Points: 633
Finished #11 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #26
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #741
AM rank: #111
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar: Honorio (#7), SL3 (#13)
Slander my name all over the place: Elder (#140)

Here we have one of the most iconic Rock songs of the 1950s, and naturally we‘re in the territory of legends again. Johnny Cash claims in his autobiography to have inspired the song when he told Perkins about C.V. White, an airman he knew in Landsberg. He told him (and some other people present) not to step on his blue suede shoes, despite not wearing blue suede shoes, but rather black shoes per army regulation. But White said: „No, man. Tonight they‘re blue suede. Don‘t step on ‚em!“ (Read it here).
In David McGee‘s biography of Perkins, based on interviews with him, there‘s an incident portrayed, in which a guy tells a girl off for stepping on his shoes, which struck Perkins as amusing, considering that the guy seemed to care more about this shoes than about the girl.
Who knows which of these stories is true – maybe both are.
Perkins also claimed to have written the song just two days before it was recorded, which doesn‘t seem that unusual. He also made lyrics up while recording songs, so that shouldn‘t surprise us.
His version of the song was very successful, even becoming a crossover hit (hitting number 1 on Pop, Country and R&B charts). Perkins himself would never achieve the stardom Presley did, since he mainly stayed in the Country genre, but „Blue Suede Shoes“ remains a central piece of early Rock & Roll.
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


If you had prepared twenty years ago,
You wouldn‘t be a-wanderin‘ from door to door
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80. Lil Green | „Why Don‘t You Do Right?“
Recording: April 23, 1941
Release: June 13, 1941 (B-side: „Love Me“)
Songwriter: Joe McCoy
Producers:
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Vaudeville Blues
Line-up: Big Bill Broonzy (guitar), Lil Green (vocals), Simeon Henry (piano), Ransom Knowling (bass)

Points: 635
Finished #10 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #47
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #8358
AM rank: Bubbling Under
I fell for your jivin‘ and I took you in: DaveC (#5), SL3 (#12)
You‘re sittin‘ down wonderin‘ what it‘s all about: andyd1010 (#139), Dan (#139), Honorio (#143), Brad (#147), Listyguy (#148)

Based on a 1936 single by the Harlem Hamfats, „Weed Smoker‘s Dream“. One of the song‘s writers, Kansas Joe McCoy adjusted both composition and lyrics to turn it into „Why Don‘t You Do Right?“ which was introduced by Lil Green.
The original lyrics featured the lines: „Why don‘t you do like the millionaires do? / Put your stuff on the market and make a million too“. This was adjusted to the well-known chorus of the Lil Green version. It belongs to this strange group of songs about women scalding men for being no good. The references to 1922 in two lines of the song reference the economic crisis following 1929 and the subsequent monetary problems most people faced. In a way the singer is quite unfair for acting like the economic downsizing is exclusively one person‘s fault (though her being irrational while being angry is completely understandable considering that she takes care of the guy and he doesn‘t seem to be doing much to help).
Peggy Lee was a big fan of the song and recorded it with Benny Goodman in a version that proved more successful than the original. The song has since become a blues standard.
The main difference between the Lee and Green version is the instrumentation: While Lee has the entire Goodman orchestra backing her, Green is content with a trio of guitar – bass – piano. There are not even drums, so the bass provides the main rhythm. There‘s a guitar solo in place of the bridge.
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Some people say a man is made out of mud
A poor man‘s made out of muscle and blood
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79. „Tennessee“ Ernie Ford | „Sixteen Tons“
Recording: September 20, 1955
Release: October 17, 1955 (A-side: „You Don‘t Have to Be a Baby to Cry“)
Album: Ford Favorites (1957)
Songwriter: Merle Travis
Producer: Jack Fascinato
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Country Boogie
Line-up: Rolly Bundock (bass), George Bruns (trombone), Tennessee Ernie Ford (vocals), Bobby Gibbons (guitar), Roy Harte (drums), Red Mandel (clarinet), Charlie Parlato (trumpet), Darol Rice (bass clarinet)

Points: 636,1
Finished #6 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #159
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1475
AM rank: #1087
If you see me comin‘, better step aside: Schüttelbirne (#5), mileswide (#7)
Fightin‘ and trouble are my middle name: Listyguy (#142), Brad (#144)

Capitol Records approached Merle Travis in 1946 about writing songs that sounded like folk songs because all the folks songs had already been sung and they rather wanted new material. Travis wrote a song about life in Muhlenberg County in Kentucky where his father had worked in the coal mines. Two of the most famous lines of the song were taken from quotes: Travis‘ brother wrote in a letter to him: „It‘s like working in the coal mines.You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.“ Travis‘ father used to say: „I can‘t afford to die. I owe my soul to the company store.“
The coal mine used a trucker system: The workers didn‘t get paid in dollars but rather in alternate currency that was only taken by the company store. The workers couldn‘t save up money and had to live in debt bondage. This practice was later discontinued. The lyrics reflect the strain of working under these circumstances.
The radio stations were advised by the FBI not to play the song because of the communist sympathies it supposedly showed.
Tennessee Ernie Ford had previously worked with Travis and knew the song and he played it on his daily NBC show in 1955. The response by his listeners was very positive. In September, Ford recorded the song as the B-side to „You Don‘t Have to Be a Baby to Cry“ which was supposed to be a hit single; but it turned out audiences preferred the B-side.
Ford‘s cover version has more swing than Travis‘ original – an important part is the snapping rhythm (which was apparently mistakenly left in the song). The instrumental arrangement focuses on the clarinet which is an unusual choice, but ultimately a successful one. „Sixteen Tons“ became the most successful Capitol single to date.
In later recordings and live shows, Merle Travis changed the ending of the song: „I owe my soul to… Tennessee Ernie Ford“
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When you hold my hand I understand the magic that you do
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78. The Platters | „Only You (And You Alone)“
Recording: April 26, 1955
Release: June 1955 (B-side: „Bark, Battle and Ball“)
Album: The Platters (1956)
Songwriter: Buck Ram
Producers:
Genre: Doo-Wop
Line-up: David Lynch (vocals), Buck Ram (piano), Herb Reed (vocals), Paul Robi (vocals), Zola Taylor (vocals), Tony Williams (vocals)

Points: 636,9
Finished #14 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #65
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3075
AM rank: #865
For it‘s true, you are my destiny: bonnielaurel (#19)
You can make the darkness: Bang Jan (#135), Listyguy (#135)

Sometimes you need to try multiple times to make something work. „Only You (And You Alone)“ as first recorded on May 20, 1954, but that recording was thrown out by Ralph Bass, boss of Federal Records. It was much slower than the version that would be successful and the vocals were not well-arranged. The Platters were managed by Buck Ram, who also wrote the song, but they were not a very successful group. They also had an unconvential line-up with four men and Zola Taylor as the only woman in the group. Most groups featured only men (and The Platters originally did too, since Taylor replaced tenor Gaynel Hodge).
After seven singles without huge success Federal Records laid them off and they moved to Mercury Records. They re-recorded „Only You“ with a faster tempo and more free-flowing vocals by Tony Williams (apparently spontaneously thought up during a car ride). Originally Mercury didn‘t want to release the song, but they caved and it became a million seller.
Of course, Federal Records wanted some of that success too, so they released the shelved original recording, but it wasn‘t very successful.
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If that diamond ring don‘t shine
He gonna take it to a private eye
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77. Bo Diddley | „Bo Diddley“
Recording: March 2, 1955
Release: April 1955 (B-side: „I‘m a Man“)
Songwriter: Ellas McDaniel
Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess & Bo Diddley
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Billy Boy Arnold (harmonica), Jerome Green (maracas), Clifton James OR Frank Kirkland (drums), Ellas McDaniel (vocals, guitar), Otis Spann (piano)

Points: 637
Finished #9 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #40
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #654
AM rank: #209
My pretty baby said she was a bird: andyd1010 (#32)
He‘d better not take the ring from me: Brad (#143)

Notable and important for the introduction of the Bo Diddley beat, a musical rhythm widely emplyed in Rock and Pop music. It‘s a rhythm strongly influenced by Afro-Cuban music (notice the maracas on the record). Diddley did not invent this beat since it can be found on multiple R&B songs recorded much earlier, but Diddley‘s song popularized to a degree where his name served as its title.
Here are some examples of songs using the Bo Diddley beat: Elvis Presley‘s „(Marie‘s the Name) His Latest Flame“, The Stooges‘ „1969“, The Clash‘s „Hateful“, Tom Petty‘s „American Girl“, The Smiths‘ „How Soon Is Now?“ and George Michael‘s „Faith“. There‘s far too many to list here, so I just took the most well-known ones.
Bo Diddley is the pseudonym for Ellas McDaniel and also the title of this song, which was originally titled „Uncle John“ before it was changed to „Bo Diddley“. The lyrics are based upon the lullaby „Hush Little Baby“ and can be categorized as nonsense. I‘m sure some people can find ways to interpret the words and maybe find some innuendo or something, but I don‘t really think there‘s anything interesting to find there.
This recording was the first one Diddley did and it became a major success.
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76. Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers | „Moanin‘“
Recording: October 30, 1958
Release: January 1959 (album track)
Album: Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers [Moanin‘] (1959)
Songwriter: Bobby Timmons
Producer: Alfred Lion
Genre: Hard Bop
Line-up: Art Blakey (drums), Benny Golson (tenor saxophone), Jymie Merritt (bass), Lee Morgan (trumpet), Bobby Timmons (piano)

Points: 638
Finished #15 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #312
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1953
AM rank: #4857
Biggest Fan: Schüttelbirne (#11)
Not a Fan: andyd1010 (#123), Brad (#123)

Art Blakey‘s Jazz Messengers was never a solid group like Miles Davis‘ two quintets were. The personnel was always shuffling around, with new talent coming in, staying for one or two years and then leaving for other, often bigger things. Just look at the line-up of the 1959 self-titled album, a quintet: Bobby Timmons would go solo the following year releasing two albums, Soul Time and This Here Is Bobby Timmons, which is certainly worth your time. Benny Golson already had his own group and continued working with Art Famrer in The Jazztet. Lee Morgan stands as one of the best trumpeters of the Hard Bop era with his best effort being 1966‘s Search for the New Land.
„Moanin‘“ was composed by Bobby Timmons based on a theme he had devised on the piano. After Golson told him to write a bridge for it, he turned it into a song that was then recorded and released on the album as the opening track. It turned out to be the stand-out track, receiving a rare single release in 1959 (split in two parts) and retroactively serving as the title of the album.
The main theme of the song uses a call-and-response pattern with Timmons providing the call and the wind instruments the response.
The first minute sees the statement of the theme. The second and third minute delight us with a trumpet solo by Lee Morgan, before Benny Golson gets to show his chops on the saxophone for two minutes. Next, Timmons gets to solo and slide all over the piano for two minutes. Finally, Jymie Merritt (who‘s the only one here who never released any solo work, as far as I can tell) impresses with a bass solo for a minute, before the theme is restated and brought to a close. „Moanin‘“ is one of the most energetic Hard Bop tracks of the 1950s and is a signature track for Blakey, only rivaled by „A Night in Tunisia“ (which did not make the list, btw, which is a travesty).
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Lord, I told the undertaker
Undertake please drive slow
For this body you are hauling
Lord, I hate to see her go
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75. The Carter Family | „Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)“
Recording: May 6, 1935
Release: June 22, 1935 (B-side: „Glory to the Lamb“)
Songwriters: Ada R. Habershon, Charles H. Gabriel & A.P. Carter
Genre: Traditional Country, Appalachian Folk Music, Country Gospel
Line-up: A.P. Carter (vocals), Maybelle Carter (vocals, guitar), Sara Carter (vocals, autoharp)

Points: 641
Finished #6 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #88
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2258
AM rank: #1067
There‘s a better home awaiting in the sky, Lord, in the sky: Father2TheMan (#12), mileswide (#12)
All my brothers and sisters crying, what a home so sad and alone: Moonbeam (#144)

This song is based on a Christian hymn from the year 1907, „Will the Circle Be Unbroken?“ with music by Charles H. Gabriel and words by Ada R. Habershon. A.P. Carter reworked the lyrics to some degree but left the music as it was.
The changes in the lyrics are very notable: The most important change is probably the story told in the song. A protagonist loses his mother, follows the undertaker to the grave where she is laid to rest before coming back home to find his family in sorrow. They find solace in singing the songs their mother taught them.
This change is very substantial since the original hymn doesn‘t tell any story at all. It speaks to an unspecified „you“ about the themes of death and remembering lost loved ones, but without being specific.
The other obvious difference is the chorus. While the hymn asks whether the circle „will“ be unbroken and formulates a question about whether there will be a better home in the sky, Carter‘s version asks about the possibility of the circle being broken („can“) and assures the listener (without a question) that there is a better home awaiting.
The song turned out to be very successful and was subsequently covered by many artists, often using the title of the original hymn despite not using that version. It seems clear to me that Carter‘s reworking is more successful in reaching an audience by appealing to their empathy with the protagonist.
The hymn is of course meant to be sung by a congregation in Church and not by three people on a recording, so I won‘t argue that one is better than the other, rather that they each fulfill their specific goal; but since we‘re here to talk about recorded music, The Carter Family‘s specific rendition is of course the more relevant one.
A.P. Carter sings the verses and is joined in the chorus by his wife Sara and his sister-in-law Maybelle who also play the instruments on the recording. Just three voices and two instruments make this version seem far more intimate than later recordings (for example the one by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band also featuring Maybelle Carter).
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Just keep that rhythm, give it everything you got
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74. Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra | „It Don‘t Mean a Thing (If It Ain‘t Got That Swing)“
Recording: February 2, 1932
Release: February 18, 1932 (B-side: „Rose Room“)
Songwriters: Duke Ellington & Irving Mills
Producers:
Genre: Swing, Big Band
Line-up: Ivie Anderson (vocals), Barney Bigard (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Wellman Braud (bass), Harry Carney (baritone saxophone, clarinet, alto saxophone), Duke Ellington (piano), Sonny Greer (drums), Fred Guy (banjo, guitar), Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet), Freddy Jenkins (trumpet), Joe Nanton (trombone), Juan Tizol (valve trombone), Arthur Whetsel (trumpet), Cootie Williams (trumpet)

Points: 644
Finished #10 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #67
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #5842
AM rank: #2295
All you got to do is sing: Schüttelbirne (#7)
It makes no difference if it‘s sweet or hot: nicolas (#147)

Duke Ellington is one of the most important American composers of all time; I think by now everybody can agree with that statement. For a long time, this wasn‘t really acknowledged because he also made songs like this: songs you could dance too. (It‘s especially ridiculous considering that movement titles in Baroque and early Classical-era music are often based on the corresponding dances, but I digress).
„It Don‘t Mean a Thing (If It Ain‘t Got That Swing)“ stands „as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time“ (Ellington). Some even say that the song popularized the term „Swing“ for this kind of music. At the time „Swing“ often just referred to Jazz music in general, while today it refers more to the swinging feeling jazz generates by playing melody notes before, across or behind the beat.
It‘s not really clear who came up with the titular expression; there‘s diverging stories. Ellington himself credited it to his trumpeter Bubber Miley. Miley had to be replaced because he had tuberculosis; his replacement Cootie Williams claimed the expression was his catchphrase. The lyricist Irving Mills says he told Ellington that the customers weren‘t dancing to the band‘s music and used the expression.
No matter who invented it, the song became a huge success, not in small part due to Ivie Anderson who provided the vocals. Indeed she starts the song with vocalization before Joe Nanton plays a trombone solo. Anderson then has her chance to really shine in the five verses that make up the lyrics of the song. Johnny Hodges then plays a solo before Anderson returns again with some scat singing and the titular phrase.
The song stands as a joyful celebration of music and the feelings it evokes, and it has since become a standard.
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Why does my heart skip a crazy beat?
Before I know it will reach defeat.
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73. The Teenagers | „Why Do Fools Fall in Love“
Recording: November 1955
Release: December 1955 (B-side: „Please Be Mine“)
Album: The Teenagers (1956)
Songwriters: George Goldner, Frankie Lymon, Herman Santiago & Jimmy Merchant
Producer: George Goldner
Genre: Doo-Wop
Line-up: Sherman Garnes (backing vocals), Frankie Lymon (vocals), Jimmy Merchant (backing vocals), Joe Negroni (backing vocals), Herman Santiago (backing vocals) et al.

Points: 645
Finished #11 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #37
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1642
AM rank: #262
Lovers await the break of day: Listyguy (#5), Schüttelbirne (#6)
I know of a fool you see, for that fool is me: Elder (#141), Bang Jan (#148)

Jimmy Merchant and Sherman Garnes formed a band when they were in High School, as many people do. But few would go on to be this successful and influential. Their group was called The Earth Angels and finally also featured Joe Negroni and Herman Santiago. At that point the group was called The Coupe De Villes. They also added Frankie Lymon to the group and changed their name to The Ermines and then to The Premiers. They really went through a lot of name changes in the early run of their group.
They wrote a song called „Why Do Birds Sing So Gay?“ and auditioned it for George Goldner, record producer for Gee Records. With the help of Goldner they changed some of the song and released it as their first single „Why Do Fools Fall in Love“ credited to The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon. Garnes, Merchant and Negroni were fifteen years old, Santiago was fourteen and Lymon was thirteen. The songwriting credits were disputed for a long time and led to a lengthy court battle, because Santiago and Merchant were not credited on most releases. At some point Morris Levy had bought the rights to the song, officially becoming its songwriter.
As you can see with the credit specifically singeling out Lymon, that he was supposed to become a new star, which led to fighting in the group. Lymon was also not very successful as a solo artist, became a heroin addict at an early age and died at the age of 25 in his grandmother‘s bathroom.
The Teenagers went on performing without him, changing their line-up frequently. They still gave concerts until 2020 (that‘s the last information I could find), though the only surviving member is Herman Santiago.
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72. Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five | „West End Blues“
Recording: June 28, 1928
Release: August 1928 (B-side: „Fireworks“)
Songwriters: Joe „King“ Oliver
Genre: Dixieland
Line-up: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet), Mancy Carr (banjo), Earl Hines (piano), Fred Robinson (trombone), Zutty Singleton (drums, cymbals), Jimmy Strong (clarinet)

Points: 647
Finished #5 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #13
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1211
AM rank: #349
Biggest Fan: Bang Jan (#6)
Not a Fan: DaveC (#146)

Armstrong‘s recording of „West End Blues“ has stood the test of time and turned out to be the canonical piece of early Jazz music. Gunther Schuller writes in his seminal work Early Jazz: „When on June 28, 1928, Louis Armstrong unleashed the spectacular cascading phrases of the introduction to West End Blues, he established the general stylistic direction of jazz for several decades to come. Beyond that, this performance also made quite clear that jazz could never again revert to being solely an entertainment or folk music.“ (p. 89)
Schuller emphasizes the influence of „West End Blues“ on the genre of Jazz in general, especially emphasizing the role of the intro. He writes extensively about the song and its role in shaping the jazz to come, dedicating multiple pages to a detailed musical analysis. You can check that out yourself.
At the time of recording, musicians didn‘t really work with overdubs. What you hear is pretty much exactly what was played in the studio. And in just three minutes you can hear how King Oliver‘s composition is transformed into an incredible piece of music.
I don‘t mean to insult King Oliver who‘s an important figure of jazz in his own right. But if you listen to the original recording of „West End Blues“ from June 11, 1928 and Armstrong‘s version which was recorded just two weeks after you‘ll hear an enormous difference. King Oliver‘s later recordings incorporate some of the changes Armstrong made to the song, most notably the inclusion of the trumpet intro Schuller was raving about.
These twelve seconds of solo trumpet are actually praised frequently and held up as one of the defining moments in jazz history. The entire following tune includes a lot more interesting elements than King Oliver‘s version did, including Zutty Singleton‘s cymbal playing, Armstrong‘s scat singing (how I hate that term), Earl Hines‘ cascading piano solo in the middle and Fred Robinson‘s deep-pitched clarinet wailing.
Armstrong ends the song on a high note – almost literally. Towards the end of the song he holds a note very long, but it never seems labored. It has to be clear that this version is not improvised; Armstrong and his band did not go into the studio and suddenly were overcome with all these ideas. Instead this specific recording needed a lot of work to get right and it shows. The tremendous work put into this, combined with the talent of the musicians involved helped a composition fulfill its potential and in turn created one of the most important jazz songs of all time deserving of its position on this list.
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71. The Thelonious Monk Quintet | „‘Round About Midnight“
Recording: November 21, 1947
Release: 1948 (B-side: „Well You Needn‘t“)
Album: Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1 (1951)
Songwriter: Thelonious Monk
Producers:
Genre: Bebop
Line-up: Art Blakey (drums), Thelonious Monk (piano), Bob Paige (bass), Sahib Shihab (alto saxophone), George Taitt (trumpet)

Points: 649
Finished #8 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #34
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1918
AM rank: #389
Biggest Fan: Bang Jan (#13),Brad (#14)
Not a Fan: Dan (#149), SL3 (#149)

One of the biggest, most popular Jazz standards, recorded countless time by a plethora of musicians of widely differing styles. Some sources call it the most recorded jazz standard in history. Originally titled „I Need You So“, the song became famous under the title „‘Round Midnight“, though it is also known as „‘Round About Midnight“. It was written in the early 1940s, and not immediately recorded by Monk himself.
The first recording came through Cootie Williams at the behest of Bud Powell, followed by a recording by Dizzy Gillespie who also arranged it for big band and added introduction and cadenza. Monk copied these for his own performances. He recorded it for the first time in 1947.
In 1955, the possibly most significant performance of the song happened: At the Newport Jazz Festival, George Avakian was so thrilled by Miles Davis‘ performance of the song, he secured him a contract for Columbia Records. Only logical, then, that his first album on that label would be titled ‘Round About Midnight.
Monk‘s own recording is done by a quintet featuring Art Blakey who would go on to do quite significant things in his later career. It does really feature alternating solos between the different players as a lot of jazz did in this time period. You could argue that the entire song is one extended solo for Monk, with the other four players providing the background. Blakey and Paige introduce a slow rhythm, with Shihab and Taitt providing the nocturnal mood the song is famous far. All the melodic flourishes are done by Monk‘s virtuosic playing. The quintet works together very well so it never seems like Monk is just showing off; they each provide vital parts in a song that would become more popular than basically any other in the jazz world.
Last edited by Schüttelbirne on Thu Feb 09, 2023 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Henry
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Henry »

78. The Pretenders | „Only You (And You Alone)“

Platters not Pretenders.
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Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Maybe tomorrow a bullet may find me
Tonight, nothing‘s worse than this pain in my heart
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70. Marty Robbins | „El Paso“
Recording: April 7, 1959
Release: October 26, 1959 (B-side: „Running Gun“)
Album: Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)
Songwriter: Marty Robbins
Producer: Don Law
Genre: Western, Nashville Sound
Line-up: Louis Dunn (drums), Chuck Glaser (backing vocals), Jim Glaser (backing vocas), Tompall Glaser (backing vocals), Grady Martin (guitar), Bob Moore (bass), Jack Pruett (guitar), Marty Robbins (vocals, guitar), Bobby Sykes (backing vocals)

Points: 650
Finished #13 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #164
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1339
AM rank: #1432
My love is stronger than my fear of death: SL3 (#2)
Blacker than night were the eyes of Feleena / Wicked and evil while casting her spell: Listyguy (#140), Moonbeam (#140)

The song already appeared on the album before being released as a single. Choosing „El Paso“ as a single was unusual considering its extraordinary length of four-and-a-half minutes which is half an eternity in 50s popular music (or a short jazz track). However, an edited version was not as popular with audiences as the original and the numbers the song did on airplay and in record shops speak for themselves.
It tells a cohesive story of a cowboy in the Wild West who falls in love with a woman called Feleena. He kills someone out of jealousy, fleds, but ultimately returns out of love for Feleena. He shortly sees her before being shot down. With this story the song is still part of the myth of the American West before it was rigorously deconstructed in the decades to come.
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You can burn my house, steal my car
Drink my liquor from an old fruit-jar
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69. Elvis Presley | „Blue Suede Shoes“
Recording: January 30, 1956
Release: September 8, 1956 (B-side: „Tutti Frutti“)
Album: Elvis Presley (1956)
Songwriter: Carl Perkins
Producer: Steve Sholes
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Line-up: Bill Black (bass), D.J. Fontana (drums), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar)

Points: 652
Finished #8 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #132
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2404
AM rank: #5514
Do anything that you want to do: Brad (#3), Dan (#11)
Slander my name all over the place: Bang Jan (#140)

Easily one of the biggest surprises in this poll was Presley‘s version of „Blue Suede Shoes“ making the Top 10 of 1956, while the original version by Carl Perkins only qualified for the final through the wildcards. This is especially surprising considering the latter outranked the latter in previous polls, sometimes significantly so.
I don‘t really need to talk about the origin of the song, since we‘ll do this once Perkins‘ version comes around. That version was released in early 1956 and was immediately successful. The record label wanted Presley to record a version, thinking he‘d be able to outsell the original version. But apparently, since Presley knew Perkins personally, he didn‘t want to compete with him in this way and convinced the record people to release the version he recorded in January 1956 at a later date. Above you see a picture of both Presley and Perkins swapping autographs.
That date would come a few months later in September, with another cover version of a famous Rock-n-Roll song on the B-side, „Tutti Frutti“.
But that is only the single release. Indeed, the song had already been featured on Presley‘s debut album Elvis Presley, released in March 1956. But since the music business was still mostly about singles, I doubt anybody was mad about that.
As is typical for Presley‘s cover versions of previously famous songs, he recorded it at a faster pace. The song also features two inventive electric guitar solos by Scotty Moore and a quick, danceable rhythm. The entire recording clocks in at just under two minutes, so it‘s a rather short, but sweet piece.
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Come on over here and love me
You know what I want you to say
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68. Elvis Presley | „Don‘t Be Cruel“
Recording: July 2, 1956
Release: July 13, 1956 (A-side: „Hound Dog“)
Songwriter: Otis Blackwell
Producers: Stephen Sholes & Elvis Presley
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Line-up: Bill Black (bass), D.J. Fontana (drums), Hoyt Hawkins (backing vocals), Hugh Jarrett (backing vocals), Shorty Long (piano), Neal Matthews (backing vocals), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals, percussion), Gordon Stoker (backing vocals)

Points: 654
Finished #10 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #38
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1620
AM rank: #229
It‘s just you I‘m thinking of: bonnielaurel (#14)
You know I can be found sitting home all alone: Moonbeam (#142), Bang Jan (#144)

Rarely have we seen such a dominating force as Elvis has shown himself in the 1956 poll, where he managed to qualify four different songs for the final round. „Don‘t Be Cruel“ was the B-side to the more popular „Hound Dog“, but has been able to stand its ground. It‘s slower than most other Rock & Roll tracks of the time, since it‘s a romantic ballad where the narrator confesses his love to a woman and hopes she won‘t refuse him.
The line-up was the usual one Presley used at the time, with The Jordanaires doing the backing vocals. During the verses they sing ba-ba-ba-ba-…, and in the chorus a long-winded aaaaaaaaaa, giving the song a very distinct flavor. Presley himself co-produced the recording session, where he apparently recorded the song 28 times until he was satisfied with it. That‘s still less than an hour of performance, but it was more than was usual (practice doesn‘t count). The same session also featured 31 takes of „Hound Dog“ and 12 takes of „Any Way You Want Me (That‘s How I Will Be)“. The final takes of these three songs ended up as the released versions. The entire session lasted six hours.
„Don‘t Be Cruel“ is also the first time Presley sang a song written by Otis Blackwell. He also recorded his own music, but he is primarily famous today as a songwriter for songs like „Fever“ by Little Willie John and Peggy Lee, and the other Presley songs „All Shook Up“ and „Return to Sender“. There‘s also the story that Blackwell originally offered „Don‘t Be Cruel“ to the Four Lovers, but he asked them to give it back (in favor of Presley) and instead gave them „You‘re the Apple of My Eye“.
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67. Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys | „Foggy Mountain Breakdown“
Recording: December 11, 1949
Release: March 15, 1950 (B-side: „No Mother or Dad)
Songwriter: Earl Scruggs
Producers:
Genre: Bluegrass
Line-up: Lester Flatt (guitar), Cedric Rainwater (bass), Earl Scruggs (banjo), Curly Seckler (mandolin), Benny Sims (fiddle)

Points: 659
Finished #7 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #36
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2155
AM rank: #1696
Biggest Fan: Dan (#10)
Not a Fan: Elder (#144), Moonbeam (#145)

I did quite a bit of research on this, and my result is this: This song was indeed recorded in the 1940s, but not released until 1950. This would have made it ineligible for the 1940s poll, but six people thought different, so it‘s here.
The 1940s saw the development of a new musical style called Bluegrass, especially popularized by Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Actually, the genre was named in reference to the band. Both Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs were parts of that band, but recorded this specific track by themselves in Cincinnati in December 1949.
This song was one among many other songs until Warren Beatty decided to use it multiple times in 1967‘s successful film Bonnie and Clyde, which popularized the song and turned it into the (probably) most acclaimed bluegrass song. Flatt & Scruggs re-recorded the song soon after and won a Grammy for Best Country Performance. They actually won another Grammy in 2002 for another performance of this song, this time featuring (among others) Vince Gill and Steve Martin.
The line-up of the original recording consists of five string instruments, but the most important one to note here is easily Earl Scruggs‘ five-string banjo which he played in a very fast tempo in a three-finger picking style. The other soloist on this recording is Benny Sims with his bowed fiddle.
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Let that boy boogie woogie
‚Cause it‘s in him, and it got to come out
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66. John Lee Hooker | „Boogie Chillen‘“
Recording: September 1948
Release: November 3, 1948 (B-side: „Sally May“)
Songwriter: John Lee Hooker
Producer: Bernard Besman
Genre: Electric Blues
Line-up: John Lee Hooker (vocals, guitar)

Points: 663
Finished #9 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #22
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2300
AM rank: #392
They was really havin‘ a ball: Elder (#1)
I didn‘t care what she didn‘t ‚low: Father2TheMan (#122), Henry (#122), Schüttelbirne (#122)

During World War II, John Lee Hooker found work with Ford in Detroit. There he often visited the clubs on Hastings Street, which was later referenced in his successful song „Boogie Chillen‘“. He was discovered by local record store owner Elmer Barbee, who introduced him to Bernard Besman, the owner of the only record company in the Detroit Area.
Hooker was brought into the studio in September 1943 to record a few songs. After a few slower songs, he did a few takes of „Boogie Chillen‘“ (which had originally been titled „Boogie Woogie“). The first two takes didn‘t even include the titular phrase! The recording features only Hooker playing electric guitar and singing, but Besman used two additional techniques to make the song sound fuller: He gave him a pedal to emphasize the rhythm by foot-stomping and he put a speaker into a toilet bowl and recorded the sound as thrown back by the water.
Hooker switches between singing and speaking in his vocal performance, while telling the story of how the narrator was forbidden to go out to boogie woogie, but did so anyways and how the narrator‘s father convinced his mother to allow him. This narrator is not equivalent with Hooker himself: Hooker didn‘t grow up in Detroit, so the references to Hastings Street and Henry‘s Swing Club wouldn‘t make sense. He also didn‘t have a good relationship with his family; he ran away at 14 and according to himself never saw them again afterwards.
Back when R&B was still called „race music“, this song became the most popular record of 1949 in that category, becoming a major success. It was Hooker‘s first single and a new star of blues music had been born. Hooker continued making music until his death in 2001.
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65. Quintette du Hot Club de France | „Minor‘s Swing“
Recording: November 25, 1937
Release: 1937 (B-side: „Viper‘s Dream“)
Songwriters: Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelly
Producers:
Genre: Jazz manouche, Swing
Line-up: Stéphane Grappelli (violin), Django Reinhardt (guitar), Joseph Reinhardt (guitar), Eugène Vées (guitar), Louis Vola (bass)

Points: 665
Finished #13 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #27
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #4761
AM rank: #2685
Biggest Fan: DaveC (#9), bonnielaurel (#11)
Not a Fan: Brad (#133)

On November 2, 1928 Django Reinhardt knocked over a candle in the wagon he slept in. He survived, but suffered bad burns on his leg and his hand. Being unable to use two fingers of his left hand, he developed a technique of guitar playing where he mostly used index and middle fingers.
In the 1930s he played in different formations, when he was discovered by Pierre Nourry and Charles Delaunay. They had the idea to create an ensemble entirely composed of string instruments. This was the start of the Quintette du Hot Club de France (which got its name from the club it played in). The quintet featured three guitarists, a bassist and a violinist.
In 1937 they recorded one of Reinhardt‘s most famous compositions for the first time: „Minor Swing“, credited on the vinyl as „Minor‘s Swing“. It‘s a simple composition mainly composed of chord changes serving as the basis for extensive improvisation.
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I laughed at love ‚cause I thought it was funny
You came along and you moved me, honey
I‘ve changed my mind, this love is fine
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64. Jerry Lee Lewis | „Great Balls of Fire“
Recording: October 8, 1957
Release: November 11, 1957 (B-side: „You Win Again“)
EP: Great Balls of Fire (1958)
Songwriters: Otis Blackwell & Jack Hammer
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Line-up: Jerry Lee Lewis (vocals, piano), Larry Linn (drums), Sidney Stokes (bass)

Points: 666,2
Finished #4 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #30
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #347
AM rank: #133
Got to tell this world that you‘re mine, mine, mine, mine: Dan (#19)
You broke my will: Schüttelbirne (#145)

I‘m not sure about the line-up here. RYM lists Roland Janes, Al Stanger and Jimmy Van Eaton as the backing musicians, but Wikipedia explicity states that they were not part of the recording. American Songwriter has similar information, so I‘m going with that.
The title of the song seems to hide a naughy meaning, but the phrase actually has biblical origin. The presence of God is often indicated by fire. In the 19th century the phrase „great balls of fire“ which by now was just meant to describe fire in general or the sun, started being used as an exclamation indicating surprise or awe. It was mainly used that way in the Southern states of the USA. Scarlett O‘Hara uses the phrase in Gone with the Wind: „Great balls of fire! It‘s Rhett!“
Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer (whose actual name was Earl Burroughs) used the phrase for this song, giving it a lewd connotation, typical of rock music at the time. Nowadays it seems rather pre-pubescent to be honest. The lyrics describe passionate love which leads to the titular exclamation. Lewis plays the piano on the track and has a solo which mainly consists of him hitting one note over and over again. The performance of this song is an example of the kind of energy Rock & Roll musicians exhibited which thrilled audiences in the 1950s (and some even now).
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Train I ride, sixteen coaches long
Well, that long black train got my baby and gone
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63. Elvis Presley | „Mystery Train“
Recording: July 11, 1955
Release: August 20, 1955 (B-side: „I Forgot to Remember to Forget“)
Songwriters: Junior Parker & Sam Phillips
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Rockabilly
Line-up: Johnny Bernero (drums), Bill Black (bass), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar)

Points: 666,6
Finished #7 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #18
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1093
AM rank: #251
Well, it‘s bringin‘ my baby ‚cause she‘s mine, all mine: Honorio (#4), Brad (#10)
Well, it took my baby, but it never will again: Moonbeam (#137), Schüttelbirne (#147)

As is typical for Presley‘s early music, this is a spiced-up cover of an R&B song, in this case Junior Parker‘s „Mystery Train“. It has a slower tempo than Presley‘s version, includes a saxophone and an electric guitar solo. But even that song has an older basis: The old Celtic ballad „Worried Man Blues“ (most famously recorded by The Carter Family in 1930) features the line: „The train arrived sixteen coaches long“. The similarity to Parker‘s lyrics is obvious and not coincidental. The rest of the lyrics and the music of the songs are not similar, however.
Parker‘s original recording was released in 1953 and was not very successful. Presley‘s version would be far more popular.
The song is about the narrator waiting for his girlfriend (or wife) at the train station. The train took her away and now it‘s bringing her back again. In the final verse he swears that the train will never take her away again. The train is treated as an adversary and the title of the song gives it an otherworldly nature, calling it „Mystery Train“.
Presley‘s recording can be regarded as a mixture of Blues and Country styles with Moore‘s guitar clearly being indebted to country music.
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The seven doctors said
He was born for good luck
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62. Muddy Waters | „I‘m Your Hoochie Cooche Man“
Recording: January 7, 1954
Release: January 1954 (B-side: „She‘s So Pretty“)
Songwriter: Willie Dixon
Producer: Leonard Chess
Genre: Chicago Blues
Line-up: Willie Dixon (bass), Elgin Evans (drums), Marion Walter Jacobs (harmonica), McKinley Morganfield (vocals, electric guitar), Jimmy Rogers (guitar), Otis Spann (piano)

Points: 668
Finished #2 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #27
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1318
AM rank: #297
Then the world wanna know / What this is all about: Listyguy (#8)
I‘m gonna mess with you: Honorio (#131)

Just what exactly is a „Hoochie Coochie Man“? This question is not quite easy to answer, because once again, there are multiple answers:
1. The hoochie coochie was a sexually provocative dance famous in the late 19th century, similar to striptease.
2. Hoochie coochie refers to striptease itself and the Hoochie Coochie Man would be a woman‘s pimp.
3. Willie Dixon (the songwriter) draws a connection to American folklore: A Hoochie coochie man is a clairvoyant, similar to a witch or people practicing voodoo.
Before writing this I had just assumed, that Hoochie Coochie was a slang term for a woman‘s genitals. Stupid me, apparently…
The lyrics make multiple references to hoodoo, a specific spiritual tradition enslaved African-Americans practiced. The hoodoo is also helping the narrator‘s effect on women which is a huge part of the song.
The song uses stop-time, meaning that the instruments play a short passage, then Muddy Waters sings a verse without instrumental backing, then the instruments play again etc. In the chorus they all join together. The instrumentation is very rich for blues in this era featuring electric guitar and a harmonica energetically and distinctively emphasizing the short passages they play. The song would become very influential to Electric Blues as a genre.
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I stop to see a weepin‘ willow
Cryin‘ on his pillow
Maybe he‘s cryin‘ for me
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61. Patsy Cline | „Walkin‘ After Midnight“
Recording: November 8, 1956
Release: February 11, 1957 (B-side: „A Poor Man‘s Roses (Or a Rich Man‘s Gold)“)
Album: Patsy Cline (1957)
Songwriters: Alan Block & Don Hecht
Producers: Paul Cohen & Owen Bradley
Genre: Nashville Sound
Line-up: Harold Bradley (acoustic guitar), Owen Bradley (piano), Patsy Cline (vocals), Farris Coursey (drums), Don Helms (steel guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Grady Martin (electric guitar), Bob Moore (bass)

Points: 669
Finished #7 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #133
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2842
AM rank: #1205
That‘s just my way of sayin‘ „I love you“: mileswide (#13), Brad (#15)
I‘m lonesome as I can be: Moonbeam (#138), Bang Jan (#139), Schüttelbirne (#142)

Originally written for Kay Starr by Alan Block and Don Hecht, the song lay unused for a few years before it was offered to Patsy Cline who wasn‘t impressed at first. But she agreed to record it as long as she could also record „A Poor Man‘s Roses (Or a Rich Man‘s Gold)“ which would ultimately serve as the B-side for the single. Cline performed it on the television show Arthur Godfrey‘s Talent Scouts in January 1957 (pictured above). After the audience showed enthusiasm for the performance, the label rushed the single out into the stores just a few weeks after the performance.
The lyrics are about a woman looking for her lover by walking along a highway in the middle of the night (which I would not recommend). She sees a weeping willow (maybe she as a flashlight with her?) and feels very lonely.
It was Cline‘s first major hit and started her successful career in Country music. She re-recorded the song again in 1961 with backing vocals from The Jordanaires and pronounced percussion, giving it a more Pop-adjacent sound.
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Honorio
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Honorio »

Schüttelbirne wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:45 am „Moanin‘“ is one of the most energetic Hard Bop tracks of the 1950s and is a signature track for Blakey, only rivaled by „A Night in Tunisia“ (which did not make the list, btw, which is a travesty).
Agree 100%. The song suffered from vote-splitting. 4 of us voted for the Charlie Parker Septet version, the one with the "famous alto break" (I had it at #2, Schüttelbirne at #33, nicolas at #36 and Henry at #105) and 6 for the Dizzy Gillespie version (sonofsamiam had it at #3, bonnielaurel at #7, BleuPanda at #16, Listyguy at #26, The_Claw at #43 and Henry at #57).
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne
Und die trägt er im Gesicht
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60. Lotte Lenya | „Moritat von Mackie Messer“
Recording: 1930 – 1955
Release: 1930 (A-side: „Zuhälter-Ballade“ & „Lied von der Unzulänglichkeit menschlichen Lebens“ - 1955 (album track)
Album: Lotte Lenya singt Kurt Weill (1955)
Songwriters: Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht
Producer: Unknown – H. Gerhard Lichthorn
Genre: Cabaret, Show Tunes
Line-up: Kurt Lotte Lenya (vocals), Theo Mackeben (conductor) – Lotte Lenye (vocals), Roger Bean (conductor)

Points: 675,3
Finished #12 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #46
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2298
AM rank: Bubbling Under
Mackie, welches war dein Preis?: Schüttelbirne (#4)
Den man nicht fragt und der nichts weiß: andyd1010 (#138), Listyguy (#138), Father2TheMan (#145)

German playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote a play called Die Dreigroschenoper, in English typically called The Threepenny Opera. The first show premiered on August 31, 1928. The play is about the fight between Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum who controls the beggars in London and the criminal Macheath (called Mackie Messer or Mack the Knife in the English version), who married Peachum‘s daughter without the father‘s consent.
In the premiere Mackie was played by Harald Paulsen who wanted a more effective introduction to his character, so the song „Moritat von Mackie Messer“ was introduced. It‘s the first song heard in the play (which is not actually an opera, since there‘s speaking parts). The song was sung by Kurt Gerron in the premiere; since the character only appears in prologue and epilogue it can theoretically be played by anyone. Lotte Lenya played Jenny. She was married to Kurt Weill, who composed the songs for the play.
The song was first recorded by Harald Paulsen (the same guy who played Mackie) in 1928; Kurt Gerron also recorded a version in 1930. It introduces the character of Mackie Messer as a criminal who has come back to London and tells of some of the crimes he has committed, including rape, setting fires (which leads to multiple children dying) and murder. The opening verses have become legendary.
Leonard Bernstein initiated an English translation, done by Marc Blitzstein. Bernstein conducted the premiere of that version with Lotte Lenya as Jenny. Lenya had divorced Weill in 1933, but she changed her mind and went with him to the USA (Weill was persecuted by the Nazis because of the nature his art and his Jewish heritage). After Weill‘s death, she organized his heritage. She kept playing Jenny in The Threepenny Opera which became the longest-running musical in Broadway history in 1961 with 2.611 shows.
Now, about the specific version: The first version she recorded was released in 1930 in a single version also featuring other songs from the play; the music was provided by the Lewis Ruth Orchester. It was the epilogue version of the song with the following „Schlußchoral“, but it‘s basically the same song.
But I was the only one who voted for the song in the period it was actually released in; most voted for it in the 1955 poll because that‘s the year Lenya released her album Lotte Lenya singt Kurt Weill. Lenya‘s voice had changed dramatically, so the versions are significantly different. I provided infos for both recordings above (just to be clear: I also prefer the 1955 version, but it‘s not the original recording).
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59. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra | „Moonlight Serenade“
Recording: April 4, 1939
Release: April 26, 1939 (A-side: „Sunrise Serenade“)
Songwriter: Glenn Miller
Producer: Glenn Miller
Genre: Big Band, Swing
Line-up: Stanley Aronson (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone), Tex Beneke (tenor saxophone), Rolly Bundock (bass), Frank Carlson (drums), Al Klink (tenor saxophone), Legh Knowles (trumpet), Chummy MacGregor (piano), Al Mastren (trombone), Hal McIntyre (alto saxophone), Dale McMickle (trumpet), Glenn Miller (trombone), Bob Price (trumpet), Al Reuss (guitar), Wilbur Schwartz (alto saxophone, clarinet), Paul Tanner (trombone)

Points: 675,6
Finished #9 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #10
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #819
AM rank: #1138
Biggest Fan: SL3 (#5), Honorio (#13)
Not a Fan: Dan (#147)

Glenn Miller was one of the most popular artists during the Second World War (at least in the USA). His music is often described as being associated with pictures from that time period. For me personally, that isn‘t true, but I‘m also not American.
„Moonlight Serenade“ is not as upbeat as most of Miller‘s music (including „In the Mood“). It‘s very sentimental without necessarily sad. The emotions evoked by the song could also be quite happy.
The song served as Miller‘s signature tune starting from 1938 up until his (supposed) death in 1944 during the War. It‘s strongly dominated by the clarinet which gets a solo in the bottom half of the song.
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Je ne fait pourtant de tort à personne,
En laissant courir les voleurs de pommes
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58. Georges Brassens et sa guitare | „La mauvaise réputation“
Recording: March 19, 1952
Release: June 1952 (B-side: „Le petit cheval“)
Album: Georges Brassens chante les chansons poétiques (...et souvent gaillardes) de… Georges Brassens (1953)
Songwriter: Georges Brassens
Producer: Jacques Canetti
Genre: Chanson à texte
Line-up: Georges Brassens (vocals, guitar), Pierre Nicolas (double bass)

Points: 676
Finished #3 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #41
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3180
AM rank: #4626
Je ne fait pourtant de tort à personne: nicolas (#7), Honorio (#10)
La musique qui marche au pas, cela ne me regarde pas: SL3 (#141), andyd1010 (#146), Listyguy (#147), Father2TheMan (#148)

A satirical look at life in a small village, as seen from the perspective of an outsider who has the titular „bad reputation“. The narrator states very clearly that his exclusion from society is not something forced on him from the outside, but a conscious choice; he deliberately tries to exclude himself from their day-to-day life and looks down on them as „cul-terreux“ (which is a derogatory term for people living in the country). His behavior makes the people in the village gossip about and point at him, because good people don‘t like others following different roads than they do. The narrator ends by telling us that the village will ultimately hang him.
Brassens structures this tale in an interesting way: Each of the four stanzas has twelve lines. The first four lines give us an example of the way the narrator drags the wrath of the other villagers onto him, for example by staying in bed on the national holiday or by bringing a man pursuing an apple-thief to fall. The next two lines state the repeated opinion that his nonconformism doesn‘t hurt anybody. Then there‘s a chorus about ‚good people‘ disliking others not following their example. The last two lines of each stanza can be categorized as jokes: There‘s a build-up in the first line about everybody in the village acting a certain way, before the punchline in the second line hits, excluding some villagers because they‘re physically incapable of acting that way. For example: „Tout le monde médit de moi / Sauf les muets, ça va de soi“ [Everybody‘s gossiping about me / Except the mute ones, of course].
These are two long paragraphs about the content of the lyrics, but the song is still a lot of fun, even if one does not understand what Brassens is singing. Only supported by bass and guitar (and both of those are rather subdued), he sings the words like he‘s jumping happily from word to word, never lingering on a word or syllable, but rather quickly moving on, while still not rushing things. It‘s quite a bit of text for a meager two minutes, but Brassens fits it in there admirably.
Standing as a humor-filled statement of Brassens‘ anarchist, nonconformist tendencies, „La mauvaise réputation“ became one of his signature songs. Some good people apparently do like it when someone doesn‘t follow their roads.
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What I care about your two little babies, your darlin‘ lovin‘ wife?
You done stole my Stetson hat, I‘m bound to take your life
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57. Mississippi John Hurt | „Stack O‘ Lee Blues“
Recording: December 28, 1928
Release: February 1929 (B-side: „Candy Man Blues“)
Songwriter: Traditional
Producer: Tommy Rockwell
Genre: Piedmont Blues
Line-up: Mississippi John Hurt (vocals, guitar)

Points: 683
Finished #4 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #52
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2378
AM rank: #2180
And all they gathered, hands way up high: SL3 (#1)
Gentlemans of the jury, what do you think of that?: andyd1010 (#129)

On Christmas night 1895 the pimp Lee Shelton, known as Stag Lee or Stack Lee, killed William Lyons in the Bill Curtis Saloon in St. Louis. He was later charged and convicted of the murder in 1897.
This event served as the foundation for a folk song. As is the case with most folk songs, the origin of melody and lyrics is unclear. There‘s all sorts of variations in the lyrics; in this case there‘s different titles including „Stagger Lee“, „Stagolee“, „Stackerlee, „Stackalee“ or „Stagalee“. A song with the title „Stack-a-Lee“ was first mentioned in 1897; Howard Odum published two versions of the song in 1911.
The first recording was done by Waring‘s Pennsylvanians in 1923; following that there have been many others including Duke Ellington, Woody Guthrie and Ma Rainey. The most famous version is probably the version on our list by Mississippi John Hurt.
There‘s a few variations in the story of how Hurt came to record music, but it‘s clear that he did not seek to become a recorded musician, instead sort of sliding into the music business for a few months before leaving it when his recordings proved to be commercial failures. The folk music revival of the ‚50s and ‚60s saw Tom Hoskins discovering Hurt still living in the same city he had been living all his life, Avalon. Subsequently Hurt had a late career renaissance including an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival and new recordings.
I could not really find out if there is a specific reason „Stack O‘ Lee Blues“ was singled for praise from his early discography. It‘s the highest acclaimed of his songs and the only one on our list. Some have attributed Hurt‘s early failure to win over the audience to his voice not being as striking and distinctive as those of his contemporaries. His guitar playing and vocals are rather soft and intimate, something that ultimately appealed to a lot of people.
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There goes my baby with someone new
She sure looks happy, I sure am blue
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56. The Everly Brothers | „Bye Bye Love“
Recording: March 1, 1957
Release: March 1957 (B-side: „I Wonder If I Care As Much“)
Album: The Everly Brothers (They‘re Off and Rolling) (1957)
Songwriters: Felice Bryant & Boudleaux Bryant
Producer: Archie Bleyer
Genre: Pop, Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Chet Atkins (guitar), Floyd Chance (bass), Don Everly (vocals, guitar), Phil Everly (vocals, guitar), Buddy Harman (drums)

Points: 687
Finished #3 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #35
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1061
AM rank: #300
And here‘s the reason that I‘m so free: bonnielaurel (#18)
I‘m through with romance, I‘m through with love: Schüttelbirne (#140)

„Bye Bye Love“ was written by the songwriting husband-and-wife duo Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. It had been offered to thirty other artists, but nobody wanted to record it, until The Everly Brothers did. I don‘t know how much say they had in what they wanted to record, since they were at the start of their career at that point and would simply sing anything Archie Bleyer offered them. Well, „Bye Bye Love“ turned into a hit single and made the brothers famous.
The Bryants wrote country music and „Bye Bye Love“ clearly takes a lot of influence from that direction, but its production moves it more into straight-up Pop territory. The Close Harmony style of singing also has its roots in country music.
The collaboration between the Bryants and the Everlys didn‘t end with this song, though. In fact, they are responsible for a lot of their big hits, including „Wake Up, Little Susie“, „All I Have to Do Is Dream“ and „Love Hurts“.
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You ran off and married, but I love you still
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55. Little Richard | „Lucille“
Recording: July 30, 1956
Release: February 1957 (B-side: „Send Me Some Lovin‘“)
Album: Little Richard (1957)
Songwriter: Albert Collins
Producer: Robert Blackwell
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Frank Fields (bass), Roy Montrell (guitar), Earl Palmer (drums), Richard Penniman (vocals, piano), Alvin Tyler (baritone saxophone)

Points: 696,23
Finished #13 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #80
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3542
AM rank: #895
I been good to you, baby, please, don‘t leave me alone: Moonbeam (#2), andyd1010 (#10)
I asked my friends about her but all their lips were tight: Dan (#123)

The tempo in this song is slower than in most of Little Richard‘s other singles. The rhythm section was inspired by the sound of a train chugging along. The song is about a narrator pleading Lucille to return to him. It‘s not exactly clear what the will of Lucille‘s sister is; there are two possibilities: Either he‘s supposed to marry her and she decided to run off because she doesn‘t like him, or he‘s the guy she ran off with, but she decided differently and returned.
It is not clear when „Lucille“ was recorded. John Garodkin says October 15, 1956 in Los Angeles in Little Richard Special, Charles White says January 16, 1957 in Washington D.C. in his biography The Life and Times of Little Richard and Ray Topping says July 30, 1956 in New Orleans in The Complete Specialty Sessions.
The song was written by Albert Collins, but not the blues guitarist also known as „Iceman“. It was a different A. Collins.
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You made me cry when you said goodbye
Ain‘t that a shame, my tears fell like rain
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54. Fats Domino | „Ain‘t It a Shame“
Recording: March 15, 1955
Release: April 14, 1955 (B-side: „La-La“)
Album: Rock and Rollin‘ with Fats Domino (1956)
Songwriters: Antoine Domino & Dave Bartholomew
Producer: Dave Bartholomew
Genre: New Orleans R&B, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Cornelius Coleman (drums), Billy Diamond (bass), Fats Domino (vocals, piano), Buddy Hagans (tenor saxophone), Herb Hardesty (tenor saxophone), Samuel Lee (saxophone), Walter Nelson (guitar)

Points: 696,27
Finished #4 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #44
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1481
AM rank: #561
You‘re the one to blame: Father2TheMan (#6), Listyguy (#9)
You broke my heart when you said we‘ll part: mileswide (#137)

The original single release by Fats Domino states „Ain‘t It a Shame“ as the title of the song. This was changed for the Pat Boone cover, „Ain‘t That a Shame“ released in May 1955, just a month after the original. That version proved more successful than Domino‘s version and popularized the song. Some of the later re-recordings by Domino adopted the new name.
The popularity of the Boone version (which didn‘t receive a single vote in the monthly poll, by the way) helped elevate Domino‘s version and retroactively increased the success of his previous recordings. The success of the Boone version can be explained by increased airplay on the radio and that can be explained by racism.
The lyrics are about another guy sad about a breakup, with the guilt lying entirely with the other person. The arrangement features a saxophone interlude and a rhythmic ‚stop-go‘ structure in the verses.
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Don‘t you know, little fool
You never can win
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53. Frank Sinatra | „I‘ve Got You Under My Skin“
Recording: January 12, 1956
Release: March 5, 1956 (album track)
Album: Songs for Swingin‘ Lovers! (1956)
Songwriter: Cole Porter
Producer: Voyle Gilmore
Genre: Standards, Vocal Jazz, Big Band
Line-up: Victor Bay (violin), Alex Beller (violin), Milt Bernhart (trombone), Ennio Bolognini (cello), Joe Comfort (bass), Irv Cottler (drums), Alvin Dinkin (viola), Walter Edelstein (violin), Harry Edison (trumpet), Mort Friedman (baritone saxophone), Justin Gordon (tenor saxophone), Conrad Gozzo (trumpet), Henry Hill (violin), Maxine Johnson (viola), Kathryn Julye (harp), Harry Klee (alto saxophone), Manny Klein (trumpet), Edgar Lustgarten (cello), Mickey Mangano (trumpet), Bill Miller (piano), Alex Murray (violin), Paul Nero (violin), Jimmy Priddy (trombone), Nelson Riddle (conductor), George Roberts (bass trombone), Nathan Ross (violin), Mischa Russell (violin), Wilbur Schwartz (alto saxophone), Paul Shure (violin), Frank Sinatra (vocals), Eleanor Slatkin (cello), Felix Slatkn (violin), Milton Thomas (viola), Juan Tizol (valve trombone), George Van Eps (guitar), James Williamson (tenor saxophone)

Points: 697
Finished #6 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #21
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #658
AM rank: #521
I‘d sacrifice anything, come what might, for the sake of having you near: bonnielaurel (#2)
i said to myself this affair never will go so well: DaveC (#139), Moonbeam (#141)

One of the few examples in this poll not originally released as a single. The song is a version of Cole Porter‘s standard „I‘ve Got You Under My Skin“, first recorded by Virginia Bruce for the 1936 movie Born to Dance. The song went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but it lost out to „The Way You Look Tonight“.
Sinatra first recorded this song in January 1956 in the sessions for what would become his successful and acclaimed album Songs for Swinging Lovers!. „It Happened in Monterey“ and „Swingin‘ Down the Lane“ were recorded in the same session, as was „Flowers Mean Forgiveness“ which did not make the cut for the album.
There were other versions by Sinatra, including a weird duet version with U2‘s Bono, but the first recording seems to be the most popular one. It owes a lot to Nelson Riddle‘s arrangement, making the huge orchestral section harmonize with Sinatra‘s vocals in an upbeat, swinging fashion. Apparently he was inspired by Ravel‘s Boléro. The song also features a trombone solo by Milt Bernhart in the bottom half which integrates well with the rest of the song. „I‘ve Got You Under My Skin“ opens the B-side of the album and is regarded by critics and this forum as the standout track.
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When he put his arms around her
He said: „Julie, baby, you‘re my flame“
Thou givest fever
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52. Peggy Lee | „Fever“
Recording: May 19, 1958
Release: July 14, 1958 (B-side: „You Don‘t Know“)
Songwriters: Otis Blackwell & Eddie Cooley
Producers: Otis Blackwell & Eddie Cooley
Genre: Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Peggy Lee (vocals), Joe Mondragon (bass), Shelly Manne (drums)

Points: 698
Finished #7 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #45
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1477
AM rank: #1378
I light up when you call my name: bonnielaurel (#16)
Here‘s the point that I have made: Brad (#119)

The song was written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell (writing under the pseudonym John Davenport) and first recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It was a hit when it was released and served as the title for John‘s debut album.
Peggy Lee re-wrote the lyrics for her own version, including references to „Romeo and Juliet“ and Pocahontas, but she‘s didn‘t receive credit for it on the actual single. The tempo of her version is slower than the original and features a sparser instrumentation: There are no saxophones, just bass, drums and finger snaps, though it is unclear who provided them (It might even have been Lee herself). Overall the song has the mood of a typical torch song, though it doesn‘t deal with lost love, but rather acts as a passionate declaration of love.
„Fever“ was a major hit for Lee and remains the song she is typically associated with.
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I don‘t want no woman, want every downtown man she meet
Man, she‘s no good doney, they shouldn‘t ‚low her on the street
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51. Elmo James | „Dust My Broom“
Recording: August 5, 1951
Release: November 1951 (B-side: „Catfish Blues“)
Songwriters: Robert Johnson, Elmore James [only credited]
Producer: Lillian McMurry
Genre: Electric Blues
Line-up: Elmore James (vocals, guitar), Frock O‘Dell (drums), Leonard Ware (bass), Sonny Boy Williamson (harmonica)

Points: 699
Finished #1 in 1950-52 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #28
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1406
AM rank: #645
I‘m gonna write a letter, gonna phone every town I know: Dan (#7), Elder (#12)
I‘ve got to leave my baby, and break up my happy home: bonnielaurel (#126)

Early Blues songs did not have the relationship to copyright we now have. Copying verses from other artists was pretty common. This is also the case for Robert Johnson‘s „I Believe I‘ll Dust My Broom“ which takes elements from songs like „I Believe I‘ll Make a Change“ (first recording by the Sparks brothers – the other ones – in 1932) and „Believe I‘ll Go Back Home“ (first recording by Jack Kelly in 1933). There‘s also connections to Kokomo Arnold‘s „Old Original Kokomo Blues“.
Still, Johnson added verses of his own and created a cohesive narrative about a man deciding to end his relationship to a woman who is unfaithful to him. The song consists of four stanzas of two verses each, with the first verse sung twice. The title is a phrase referring to moving on from a place or a relationship.
Johnson recorded the song on November 23, 1936 with an acoustic guitar and it was released through Vocalion Records in April 1937. The song became a blues standard; however it was not included in the first compilation of his work, 1961‘s King of the Delta Blues Singers.
I think we‘ve established that the credit given to Elmore James on the single itself is not correct because he didn‘t write the song. He did, however, create its most famous version. This is largely due to the guitar riff he adapts from Johnson‘s triplet figure to his own slide guitar. This gave the song an energetic intensity not really seen before (especially considering that electric instruments were not that old at the time).
The song was recorded at the end of a session for Trumpet Records where James served as a backing musician to Sonny Boy Williamson who also plays on „Dust My Broom“. Trumpet Records only had one recording of James, so they gave the B-side to „Catfish Blues“ by Bobo Thomas, but credited it to James (it seems the label was not very interested in correct labelling).
The song had a sizable influence on early Rock music and was covered by many artists in the process. James‘ slide guitar style was imitated by many guitarists who were influenced by Blues music and wanted to adopt that sound.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Never in my wordland
Could there be ways to reveal
In a phrase, how I feel
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50. Sarah Vaughan | „Lullaby of Birdland“
Recording: December 18, 1954
Release: April 1955 (album track)
Album: Sarah Vaughan (1955)
Songwriters: George Shearing & George David Weiss
Producer: Bob Shad
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Standards
Line-up: Joe Benjamin (bass), Clifford Brown (trumpet), Roy Haynes (drums), Jimmy Jones (piano), Herbie Mann (flute), Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone), Sarah Vaughan (vocals), Ernie Wilkins (conductor)

Points: 700
Finished #10 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #42
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2277
AM rank: #5177
That‘s the kind of magic music: Honorio (#6), bonnielaurel (#15)
He really knows how to cry: andyd1010 (#143), mileswide (#143)

Originally written by Shearing and Weiss (who wrote the lyrics under a pseudonym since he wasn‘t legally allowed to work with Shearing) as a theme song for the live jazz shows from Morris Levy‘s Birdland, the most famous of all jazz clubs. The name comes from Charlie Parker‘s nickname „Bird“.
There‘s a lot of covers starting with the one by Ella Fitzgerald, but Sarah Vaughan‘s cover has proved to be the most acclaimed, even though it was never released as a single. It‘s featured on her self-titled album from 1955 and features an incredible backing band. The song starts with Vaughan singing the first two verses with backing by the rhythm section (bass – drums – piano). Vaughan‘s voice fits perfectly for the song; it can be regarded as one of her best vocal performances. Then there‘s a longer instrumental break featuring a piano solo, a bass solo (very rare) and a drum solo.
The following passage consists of Vaughan improvising scat vocals with short solos by the wind instruments (flute – saxophone – trumpet). The song finishes by reverting back to the lyrics and Vaughan singing the final verse.
The difference between so-called Traditional Pop and Vocal Jazz isn‘t always easy to draw, but the improvisation in the middle of this song where every player gets a solo clearly presents this performance of „Lullaby of Birdland“ as belonging to jazz.
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Oh well, I love you gal and I want you, Peggy Sue
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49. Buddy Holly | „Peggy Sue“
Recording: June 29, 1957
Release: September 20, 1957 (B-side: „Everyday“)
Album: Buddy Holly (1958)
Songwriters: Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly & Norman Petty
Producer: Norman Petty
Genre: Rockabilly
Line-up: Jerry Allison (drums), Buddy Holly (vocals, guitar), Joe B. Mauldin (bass)

Points: 701
Finished #5 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950 poll: #49
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1219
AM rank: #173
I love you, „Peggy Sue“,with a love so rare and true: Henry (#12)
If you knew „Peggy Sue“ then you‘d know why I feel blue: Dan (#136)

While „That‘ll Be the Day“ had already been released in May 1957, it only a few months later, that single became a charts success. Simultaneously, Coral released the single „Peggy Sue“ credited to Holly as a solo performer. The Crickets was the name used for Holly‘s releases on Brunswick Records, despite all of them using the same line-up. Both Jerry Allison and Joe B. Mauldin were members of The Crickets.
Originally, the song was supposed to be titled „Cindy Lou“ after Holly‘s niece (not his girlfriend, his sister‘s child). They changed it to Peggy Sue though, in reference to Jerry Allison‘s girlfriend Peggy Sue Gerron who later wrote a memoir called „Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?“. The original release only credits Allison and Petty as the songwriters, but Allison later insisted on Holly being included. The song is a sweet love song which thrives on repeating the subject‘s name over and over again, with the final syllable being stretched out into long ooooohs. The instruments (especially the drums) seem to be distant for the first half of the song until the guitar solo in the second half, which add an interesting element to this short song.
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Mmmmmmm-mmmmm
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48. Blind Willie Johnson | „Dark Was the Night – Cold Was the Ground“
Recording: December 3, 1927
Release: April 20, 1928 (B-side: „It‘s Nobody‘s Fault But Mine“)
Songwriter: Blind Willie Johnson
Producers:
Genre: Acoustic Texas Blues
Line-up: Blind Willie Johnson (vocals, guitar)

Points: 708
Finished #6 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #26
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1176
AM rank: #989
Biggest Fan: Bang Jan (#4), Listyguy (#14), mileswide (#15)
Not a Fan: Henry (#141)

Johnson was a very religious man and his music is indebted to the traditions of gospel. The humming and moaning displayed on „Dark Was the Night – Cold Was the Ground“, his most acclaimed song and the only one of his songs featured in this poll, is a version of unison moaning, a vocal style frequented in Baptist churches. The title of the song is also taken from a Christian hymn, Thomas Haweis‘ „Gethsemane“. There are no lyrics to this song.
Johnson mainly played on the street or in mission halls and never strived to be a professional recording artist (not unusual in the 1920s). Columbia Records did have a field unit though, that traveled through towns trying to find local talent. Talent scout Frank Buckley Walker brought him into the temporary studio he had set up in Dallas to record some songs, among them „Dark Was the Night – Cold Was the Ground“, but also „Mother‘s Children Have a Hard Time“ and „It‘s Nobody‘s Fault But Mine“. Johnson would return to Dallas and even go to Atlanta for additional recording sessions between 1928 and 1930. Ultimately he recorded thirty songs in his lifetime.
Johnson‘s guitar-playing style was achieved pressing a knife to the strings of his guitar and playing it with a thumb pick. Combined with his passionate vocals, Johnson‘s performance has evoked intense emotions in his listeners for decades.
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You‘ve been good to me, baby
Better than I‘ve been to myself
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47. The Isley Brothers | „Shout“
Recording: August 5, 1959
Release: August 1959
Album: Shout! (1959)
Songwriters: O‘Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley & Ronald Isley
Producers: Hugo Peretti & Luigi Creatore
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll
Line-up: O‘Kelly Isley Jr. (backing vocals), Ronald Isley (backing vocals), Rudolph Isley (vocals), Herman Stephens (organ) et al.

Points: 714
Finished #6 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #34
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #636
AM rank: #506
Don‘t forget to say you will: mileswide (#1), andyd1010 (#15)
Now that you‘ve grown up, grown enough to know, you wanna leave me: Brad (#138), nicolas (#142)

The Isley Brothers had a background in gospel music with their mother being a choir director. In the late 1950s they turned to Doo-Wop music and performed some shows. They liked to perform Jackie Wilson‘s „Lonely Teardrops“ in their shows and started improvising and interacting with the crowd while doing so. This was the start of „Shout“.
The developed it into a song and recorded it with their church organist Herman Stephens. But the recording was almost five minutes long; so they split it into two parts (similar to „What‘d I Say“). I‘m not sure if it would have fit on a single side, or if they thought a five-minute-long song would never get any airplay, which mattered immensely at the time.
The song is very well-known for the part in the second half where the call-and-response pattern gets progressively more quiet and then progressively louder again.
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She‘s there to love me
Both day and night
Never grumbles or fusses
Always treats me right
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46. Ray Charles and His Band | „I‘ve Got a Woman“
Recording: November 18, 1954
Release: December 1954 (B-side: „Come Back“)
Songwriters: Ray Charles & Renald Richard
Producer: Jerry Wexler & Ahmet Ertegün
Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: James Bell (bass), Joe Bridgewater (trumpet), Glenn Brooks (drums), Ray Charles (vocals, piano), Wesley Jackson (guitar), David Newman (baritone saxophone), Charles Whitley (trumpet), Don Wilkerson (tenor saxophone)

Points: 720
Finished #4 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #59
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1363
AM rank: #435
She‘s a kind of friend indeed: Listyguy (#12)
She gives me money when I‘m in need: Schüttelbirne (#136), Bang Jan (#149)

This very successful single is based on gospel group The Southern Tones‘ song „It Must Be Jesus“. Charles and his trumpeter Renald Richard reworked the song, arranged it in a different way and put secular lyrics on it. They tell a story about a man who has a relationship with a woman; they are not married (scandal!). Some preachers apparently really did denounce it…
Anyways, the song‘s lyrics can certainly be criticized from today‘s point of view for its reductive view of the woman in the song who can certainly be described as a male fantasy without personality. (You could even say, that might be the point…)
That doesn‘t mean that it can‘t be enjoyed, though. Each of Charles‘ verses is amplified by the following wind section playing variations on the same theme, with the theme changing between main stanzas and the bridge. Charles‘ powerful vocal performance crescendoes in the chorus into the well-known „She gives me money when I‘m in need“.
This song was re-recorded and released under the title „I Got a Woman“.
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45. Jean Sibelius | „Finlandia“
Prmiere July 2, 1900
Genre: Tone Poem, Orchestral
Line-up: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, violins, violas, cellos, double basses

Points: 725
Finished #12 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #42
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #6481
AM rank: Unranked
Biggest Fan: Dan (#3), Moonbeam (#15)
Not a Fan: Brad (#136), nicolas (#141), Father2TheMan (#146)

Patriotic music. Finland used to be part of the Swedish Empire before it became part of the Russian Empire. It was written for a theatrical tableau depicting episodes of Finnish history, a type of event that shows the growing nationalistic movements in the country at the time. „Finlandia“ had to performed under different names, often „Suomi“, to get around Russian censorship.
The composition starts with a wild section before moving into a more quiet section where the „Finlandia Hymn“ is heard. This section was later reworked into a stand-alone piece which apparently still seems to be an important national song of Finland.
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When you‘re near
There‘s such an air of spring about it
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44. Ella Fitzgerald | „Ev‘ry Time We Say Goodbye“
Recording: February 7, 1956
Release: August 1956 (A-side: „Manhattan“)
Album: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956)
Songwriter: Cole Porter
Producer: Norman Granz
Genre: Standards, Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Buddy Bregman (conductor), Bob Cooper (clarinet, oboe, tenor saxophone), Ella Fitzgerald (vocals), Corky Hale (harp), Barney Kessel (guitar), Robert LaMarchina (cello), Edgar Lustgarten (cello), Joe Mondragon (double bass), Ted Nash (clarinet, flute, tenor axophone), Paul Smith (piano, celeste), Alvin Stoller (drums, percussion) et al.

Points: 740
Finished #14 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #60
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2221
AM rank: #2815
There‘s no love song finer: Brad (#4), bonnielaurel (#8), Moonbeam (#9)
They allow you to go: mileswide (#138)

The line-up above is not complete. There were other people present during the sessions who do not play on this specific song (the entire album this song appears on was recorded in just four sessions), but there‘s also people who are not listed anywhere, specifically the violinists who contributed in a large scale to the sound of the song.
Cole Porter wrote a ton of songs in different styles ranging from happy up-tempo numbers to slower ballads. The choice of the forum for their collective favorite of the many tracks on the Fitzgerald‘s Cole Porter album fell on „Ev‘ry Time We Say Goodbye“ which definitely falls into the latter category. The songs were arranged for orchestra by Buddy Bregman who also conducted the sessions. For this recording of the standard tune he chose to focus on lush string arrangements and banish the brass players from playing here. The winds you hear are only woodwinds, giving the song a softer character. In the middle of the song there‘s an instrumental break which is largely dominated by the string instruments. Thankfully Bregman uses them in a manner that supports the song and doesn‘t push it into sappy territory.
Fitzgerald must be one of the most prolific singers of the 1950s with multiple double or even triple albums released in just a few years. The big assortment of potential choices might not have done her any favors for the song polls: She had seven different songs mentioned in the 1956 poll, but none of them made the Top 10. In the 1957 poll she even had twelve songs mentioned, but the highest only ranked #23. So, only one Fitzgerald song in this Top 150 does not reflect the admiration many possess for her music – they just don‘t gather behind one or two obvious choices.
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You‘ve got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can‘t hide
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43. Johnny Cash and Tennessee Two | „I Walk the Line“
Recording: April 2, 1956
Release: May 19, 1956
Album: Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957)
Songwriter: Johnny Cash
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Country, Rockabilly
Line-up: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar), Marshall Grant (bass), Luther Perkins (guitar)

Points: 741
Finished #7 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #17
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #204
AM rank: #241
Yes, I‘ll admit that I‘m a fool for you: Father2TheMan (#14)
I I find myself alone when each day is through: Moonbeam (#134)

This song seems more simple than it actually is. It‘s structured conventionally on a lyrical level, but Cash carries the vocal melody deeper and deeper until he has reached a point in the final verse where he is down an octave from the where he originally started. Before starting a verse he hums to get the key right.
The lyrics promise over and over again that the narrator will stay true to his love; Cash wrote it for his first wife Vivian Liberto. The title is a reference to not straying from the right way, but rather staying and walking ‚the line‘. In real life, Cash did not uphold the vows from this song and he did stray from the right way (like Red Riding Hood).
The song has proved to be one of Cash‘s most popular and successful songs. It also served as the title for an album of his, his movie biopic and his first wife‘s biography.
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Well, I called my congressman and he said, quote:
„I‘d like to help you, son, but you‘re too young to vote“
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42. Eddie Cochran | „Summertime Blues“
Recording: March 28, 1958
Release: July 21, 1958 (B-side: „Love Again“)
Songwriters: Eddie Cochran & Jerry Capehart
Producer: Eddie Cochran
Genre: Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Eddie Cochran (vocals, guitar, percussion), Earl Palmer (drums), Sharon Sheeley (percussion), Connie Smith (bass)

Points: 746,1
Finished #3 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #25
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #495
AM rank: #109
I‘m gonna take two weeks, gonna have a fine vacation: Father2TheMan (#5)
I‘m a-gonna raise a fuss, I‘m a-gonna raise a holler: Moonbeam (#125)

Written and recorded by the 19-year-old Cochran, this song deals with the (very serious) pains of being a teenager. The narrator is now expected to get a summer job and work, when he would much rather spend time with his girlfriend. And nobody even cares about his problems, not his parents and not his congressman! Look at it as a fun song reflecting the petty concerns of a teenager or as a proletarian anthems appealing for more rights for underage laborers; both is possible.
It became a huge success and is still regarded as Cochran‘s most famous song. He died just two years after the song‘s release.
On the song, he sings both the slightly nasal voice of the complaining narrator and the bass voice of the adults which adds to the general humorous effect of the song, though the song never devolves into novelty. The guitar riff is very simple and memorable, so instantly recognizable. Same with the opening.
I found some information about this originally being the B-side to the Presley cover „Love Again“, but I‘m not sure, since most sources list it as the A-side.
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When I die, want you to dress me, straight-lace shoes,
Box-back coat and a Stetson hat.
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41. Louis Armstrong & His Savoy Ballroom Five | „St. James Infirmary“
Recording: December 12, 1928
Release: February 1929 (B-side: „Save It Pretty Mamma“)
Songwriters: Don Redman [credited]
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Dixieland
Line-up: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet), Mancy Carr (banjo), Earl Hines (piano), Don Redman (alto saxophone, clarinet), Fred Robinson (trombone), Zutty Singleton (drums), Jimmy Strong (tenor saxophone, clarinet)

Points: 746,7
Finished #3 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #12
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2845
AM rank: #2330
So cold, so sweet, so fair: Schüttelbirne (#1), Bang Jan (#7), DaveC (#11)
She‘ll never find a sweet man like me: nicolas (#138)

For the following I am very much indebted to Rob Walker and Robert W. Harwood who did tremendous amounts of research on this song, which you can find on their respective blogs to which I linked.
The original single release by Armstrong credits the song to Don Redman who also played on the recording and who actually did write the B-side „Save It Pretty Mamma“. The song was already established by this point in time and Redman definitely did definitely not write it. He did arrange it however and this arrangement is certainly one of the major reasons why this specific recording stands out among the hundreds of other recordings of the folk song.
The roots of „St. James Infirmary“ go deep and can‘t really be traced back to the beginning. There‘s still ongoing mysteries about the titular St. James institution and where the the original stood – the most frequent guesses being London and New Orleans. Connections to other songs like „The Unfortunate Rake“ have been found and disputed – the origin of the song and its original context remain a myth. But that is certainly part of the appeal here.
Now when I say that „St. James Infirmary“ does in fact have a credited writer who registered the copyright for the song in 1929 after the Armstrong version had already been recorded (and other versions like the one by Fess Williams & His Royal Flush had already been recorded two years before), you might be surprised. But in fact the copyright was registered by Irving Mills under the pseudonym Joe Primrose. It‘s impossible to hold the rights for a folk song, but it is possible to hold the rights for a certain arrangement of a folk song. But Mills went even further: He claimed that the title of the song „St. James Infirmary“ was his invention, subsequently claiming every song that used the title without having bought the rights to do so was committing copyright infringement. It‘s a bit of a weird story in total which landed in front of a court where the other side couldn‘t proof Mills wasn‘t the first one to use the title „St. James Infirmary“ for the song.
That‘s interesting of course, but let‘s take a look at the lyrics of the song now, because they are very intriguing: While the first verse is lamenting the untimely passing of the narrator‘s companion, the second verse soon turns inward with the narrator regarding himself as the best man she could ever have had. The third verse then completely scraps his lover/girlfriend/wife, not even mentioning her as an afterthought. Instead the narrator talks about his own funeral arrangements and the impression he wants to leave. The lyrics take a dark turn by showing us a narrator who doesn‘t seem to be very touched by the deceased and instead reflects upon the image he wants to preserve when he dies. By only being able to think about himself and the impression he leaves on others, and not engaging deeply with the corpse lying in front of him he presents himself as self-centered and cold. The mood is not one of sadness because somebody died, but rather the gloomy feel of a film noir where everybody is only looking out for their own interests.
This mood is also reflected in the instrumental arrangement of the song, as done by Armstrong. I will focus on two versions recorded by Armstrong here: The original 1928 recording and the 1959 recording found on Satchmo Plays King Oliver (1960).
The most obvious difference is the length. While the 1928 version is just over three minutes long, the 1959 version is almost five minutes long.
The 1928 version starts slow with foreboding trombones and woodwinds playing above it, before Armstrong‘s trumpet and a clarinet join in and play the main melody. This is followed by a piano solo. The piano keeps playing throughout the following singing by Armstrong while the winds are quiet. After Armstrong has finished he picks up his trumpet again, with trombone and woodwinds joining him again.
The 1959 version is significantly different in many ways, with the most obvious one being the length: It‘s about 90 seconds longer and that time is well-spent. This recording starts with very slow deep trombone tones, showing that this version is gonna be darker. The arrangement is more sophisticated (which is not a dig at Redman who did an incredible job on the original). Before Armstrong starts singing the lyrics he‘s joined by others vocalizing. And here we get to the one element I personally deem far superior to the original: Armstrong‘s vocal performance is relishing every syllable, filling each word with additional meaning, something his 1928 performance is missing. His laughing only adds to the gloominess of the song and the lyrics.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Don‘t change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
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40. Chet Baker | „My Funny Valentine“
Recording: February 15, 1954
Release: April 1954 (album track)
Album: Chet Baker Sings (1954)
Songwriters: Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
Producer: Richard Bock
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Cool Jazz, Standards
Line-up: Chet Baker (vocals, trumpet), Russ Freeman (piano), Bob Neel (drums), Carson Smith (double bass)

Points: 749
Finished #5 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #52
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1852
AM rank: #602
You‘re my favorite work of art: Schüttelbirne (#20)
Is your mouth a little weak when you open it to speak?: mileswide (#149)

Chet Baker played with Gerry Mulligan in the early 50s. An older version of „My Funny Valentine“ by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker on trumpet is often mixed up with this version. The versions are very different: Mulligan‘s version doesn‘t feature any vocals, while Baker‘s version doesn‘t feature any wind instruments. The instrumentation is actually a very sparse piano trio that stays mostly in the background to give Baker‘s vocals a chance to take the spotlight. Still, the soft vibrations of the plucked bass in the beginning are a very stylish beginning and Freeman‘s piano accentuates Baker quite well. The drums are barely used in this song.
Then, let‘s talk about the important part here – the vocals. Indeed, Baker‘s vocals are not universally acclaimed because they are very much unrefined. A classically-trained singer or most other jazz singers (especially in the early 50s!) would have sung that song in a different way. Baker stays mostly in a lower register, only reaching for higher notes towards the end of the song (not really an emotional climax, but similar). This rather ‚raw‘ way of singing did and does appeal to people though. Some might even say that Baker‘s version of „My Funny Valentine“ - a definitve standard found on countless Vocal Jazz and Traditional Pop albums – is the best version of that song. It certainly is the most acclaimed version, ranking within the AM Top 1000.
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Who been your baby
Since I been gone?
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39. Howlin‘ Wolf | „Smoke Stack Lightning“
Recording: January 25, 1956
Release: February 1956 (B-side: „You Can‘t Be Beat“)
Album: Moanin‘ in the Moonlight (1959)
Songwriter: Chester Burnett
Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess & Willie Dixon
Genre: Chicago Blues
Line-up: Chester Burnett (vocals, harmonica), Willie Dixon (bass), Willie Johnson (guitar), Hosea Lee Kennard (piano), Earl Phillips (drums), Hubert Sumlin (guitar)

Points: 751
Finished #11 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #24
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #751
AM rank: #490
Shinin‘ just like gold: mileswide (#4)
Never see you no more: Henry (#147)

Calling „Smoke Stack Lightning“ (or „Smokestack Lightnin‘“, however you want to write it) a 1950s song is technically not accurate. Howlin‘ Wolf began to perform it in the 1930s and had been performing variations of the song ever since. There had also been recordings of it, most notably 1951‘s „Crying at Daybreak“ which uses the same melody and similar lyrics. But the success of „Smoke Stack Lightning“ on the Billboard charts made it the essential version.
Howlin‘ Wolf‘s early versions already borrowed heavily from other artists, especially the Mississippi Sheiks‘ „Stop and Listen Blues“, but that‘s just typical for the blues style. The titular smokestack lightning refers to sparks coming out of trains‘ smokestacks. The lyrics combine the train imagery with imagery about an unfaithful lover, all culminating in the repeated line „Well, don‘t you hear me cryin‘?“ and the wordless wailing following that exclamation. The content of the lyrics is not really that important, the intensity of the wordless vocals is strong enough on its own.
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I can‘t stand no runnin‘ around
I can‘t stand no puttin‘ me down
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38. Screamin‘ Jay Hawkins | „I Put a Spell on You“
Recording: September 12, 1956
Release: October 1956 (B-side: „Little Demon“)
Album: At Home with Screamin‘ Jay Hawkins (1958)
Songwriters: Jalacy Hawkins & Herb Slotkin
Producer: Arnold Maxin
Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Mickey Baker (guitar), David Francis (drums), Jalacy Hawkins (vocals), Ernie Hayes (piano), Bud Johnson (baritone saxophone), Al Lucas (bass), Sam Taylor (tenor saxophone)

Points: 752
Finished #9 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #16
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1096
AM rank: #391
Because you‘re mine!: Elder (#8)
Watch out, I ain‘t lyin‘: SL3 (#123)

Originally meant as a blues ballad, but made famous through Hawkins‘ performance. The original recording can be found on the album The Whamee 1953-55. On Spotify it‘s not listed under the real title, but rather as „She Put the Whamee on Me“ which is a mistake. The recording differs in some significant ways from the version that was originally released. It‘s more guitar- than saxophone-driven and includes a guitar solo. Hawkins‘ vocals are already pretty wild, but not as mad as he would be in the later recording.
Now, about the later recording. Apparently, Hawkins and the band were drunk and recorded it in this state. His vocals are completely unhinged, unlike anything known at the time. Radio stations refused to play the song because it sounded too „cannibalistic“. Hawkins screams and maniacally laughs his way through the song only broken up by a saxophone solo. The result is one of the most idiosyncratic vocal performances of the time. It‘s astounding how this song, made famous through this performance, became sort of a standard covered by all sorts of different musicians.
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37. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra | „In the Mood“
Recording: August 1, 1939
Release: September 15, 1939 (B-side: „I Want to Be Happy“)
Songwriter: Joe Garland
Producers:
Genre: Swing, Big Band
Line-up: Tex Beneke (tenor saxophone), Rolly Bundock (bass), Richard Fisher (guitar), Gabe Gelinas (alto saxophone), Clyde Hurley (trumpet), Al Klink (tenor saxphone), Legh Knowles (trumpet), Chummy MacGregor (piano), Al Mastren (trombone), Hal McIntyre (alto saxophone), Dale McMickle (trumpet), Glenn Miller (trombone), Maurice Purtill (drums), Wilbur Schwartz (clarinet, alto saxophone), Paul Tanner (trombone)

Points: 755
Finished #4 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #5
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #714
AM rank: #594
Biggest Fan: SL3 (#10), bonnielaurel (#12)
Not a Fan: Moonbeam (#150)

Copyright law in the 1940s meant that the composer of a song only had the rights to his invention when he registered it with the copyright office. Wingy Manone did not do that with his composition „Tar Paper Stomp“, so Joe Garland could simply take it and re-arrange it for Miller‘s orchestra. The arrangement is actually a huge part of the success here. If you listen to Manone‘s version you‘ll find a great composition played by a capable band with a clarinet solo and a trumpet solo, but it really doesn‘t swing the way „In the Mood“ does.
The song is not very complex, since the same theme is repeated and varied, but there‘s a really interesting build-up over these 3 minutes:

1. Opening section (started by saxophones, answered by brass)
2. First statement of the theme by saxophones with brass accentuating
3. Variation on the theme by saxophone before reverting back to the main theme
4. Duet by Beneke‘s and Klink‘s tenor saxophones
5. Short transition
6. Trumpet solo by Clyde Hurley
7. Theme, repeating multiple times while fading out
8. Last statement of the theme, louder and ending

All of this is done smoothly without missing a beat.
There had been two previous versions of „In the Mood“ (Garland‘s version), one by Edgar Hayes, the other was an extended version by Artie Shaw, but both of them were not nearly as successful as Miller‘s version which is one of, if not the best-selling single in the swing genre.
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His head was found in a driving wheel
But his body has never been found
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36. Lead Belly | „(Black Gal) Where Did You Sleep Last Night?“
Recording: February 17, 1944
Release: 1946 (B-side: „In New Orleans“)
Songwriter: Traditional
Producers:
Genre: Delta Blues
Line-up: Huddie Ledbetter (vocals, guitar)

Points: 756
Finished #5 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #21
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3111
AM rank: Bubbling Under
Shiver for me now: DaveC (#16)
Where the sun don‘t ever shine: Moonbeam (#122)

An Appalachian folk song combined from two distinct folk songs, „In the Pines“ and „The Longest Train“. As is typical for folk songs, there is no single author and the lyrics are frequently changed. The song tells a story featuring different elements, but not all of these elements are found in all recordings of the song. There‘s the chorus about a woman sleeping in the pines, a verse about a man being decapitated and a verse about the longest train.
Lead Belly‘s version does not include the latter. Indeed, the cause for the decapitation of the homeless woman‘s husband is not made clear; in some versions, the train is the cause for the accident, but here it might have been substance abuse or sabotage. Some people do not listen to the lyrics clearly and interpret the song being about domestic abuse, with the narrator threatening the woman about where she was last night. This interpretation is certainly helped by Ledbetter actually having been imprisoned for killing a man in a fight over a woman.
The song was interpreted quite frequently by dozens of artists. For a long time the most influential version was Bill Monroe‘s country version from 1941 featuring fiddles and yodelling. As far as I can tell, Lead Belly‘s version only started garnering special acclaim once it had been covered by Mark Lanegan in 1990. Kurt Cobain played guitar on that rendition and recorded his own cover which was released posthumously on the Nirvana album MTV Unplugged in New York (1994).
I feel it‘s important to mention the covers because without them, the song would probably not be on this list. If Lanegan had not owned the single release (a picture of which is nowhere to be found, apparently), this Lead Belly single might be one among many.
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Come what may, do you ever long for
True love from me?
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35. Buddy Holly | „Everyday
Recording: May 29, 1957
Release: September 20, 1957 (A-side: „Peggy Sue“)
Album: Buddy Holly (1958)
Songwriters: Buddy Holly & Norman Petty
Producers: Norman Petty & Bob Thiele
Genre: Rockabilly
Line-up: Jerry Allison (drums), Buddy Holly (vocals, guitar), Joe B. Mauldin (bass), Vi Petty (celesta)

Points: 758
Finished #9 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #64
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #2419
AM rank: #3775
Love like yours will surely come my way: Moonbeam (#5), Henry (#15), Listyguy (#15)
“Everyday“ seems a little longer: mileswide (#148)

The lyrics tell of a hopeful narrator who‘s sure that he will soon find the girl of his dreams and with every day going by he‘s just one step closer to that goal. It has a very calming presence, achieved by a bright, clear bell-sound. Wikipedia says it‘s a celesta, but I‘m not sure since the original source is unavailable. It could also be a vibraphone. In any case, the sound of celesta has been used in quite a few pop songs over the years including – probably most famously – The Velvet Underground‘s „Sunday Morning“. „Everyday“ is one of the earliest examples of a pop song using this instrument (if it does indeed use it). It even gets a solo part right in the middle.
„Everyday“ was released as the B-side to „Peggy Sue“ and is normally not as well-regarded as that song, but it‘s still very acclaimed. The entire single is an example of a single where both sides are considered very strong and canonical.
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34. Charles Mingus | „Better Git It in Your Soul“
Recording: May 5, 1959
Release: September 14, 1959 (album track)
Album: Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Songwriter: Charles Mingus
Producer: Teo Macero
Genre: Post-Bop
Line-up: Booker Ervin (tenor saxophone), John Handy (alto saxophone, clarinet), Jimmy Knepper (trombone), Charles Mingus (bass), Horace Parlan (piano), Curtis Porter (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone), Dannie Richmond (drums)

Points: 759
Finished #11 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #56
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #4483
AM rank: Bubbling Under
Biggest Fan: Brad (#5), Schüttelbirne (#9), Bang Jan (#10)
Not a Fan: andyd1010 (#144), SL3 (#145)

Mingus Ah Um is an album where Mingus pays homage to his influences, from Lester Young to Duke Ellington. „Better Git It in Your Soul“ is inspired by the gospel music Mingus heard growing up and its ecstatic fervor is present in the song as well.
It starts with just Mingus plucking his bass, but soon joined by Parlan, Knepper, Richmond in a simple intro. The reeds then start playing the main theme. There‘s constant vocalizing throughout the song, emphasizing the passionate soul at the heart of it. Parlan‘s repetition of the same phrase with the wind instruments joining him occasionally and Booker Ervin‘s solo are highlights of the song. Ervin‘s solo is actually a real solo, where the rest of the band stops playing their instruments and just clap along.
Few people have made jazz music as passionate as Mingus, and „Better Git It in Your Soul“ is one of his best.
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You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head
While you never shed a tear
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33. Julie London | „Cry Me a River“
Recording:
Release: October 1955 (B-side: „S‘Wonderful“)
Album: Julie Is Her Name (1955)
Songwriter: Arthur Hamilton
Producer: Bobby Troup
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Standards
Line-up: Barney Kessel (guitar), Ray Leatherwood (bass), Julie London (vocals)

Points: 765
Finished #8 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #22
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #901
AM rank: #623
Now you say you love me / Well, just to prove you do: DaveC (#2), Moonbeam (#8), bonnielaurel (#13)
Now you say you‘re sorry for bein‘ so untrue: Listyguy (#136)

Torch songs are sentimental love songs, most often found in jazz- or blues-tinged music. They typically deal with lost love or the effects of an affair on a relationship. In 1953 Arthur Hamilton wrote „Cry Me a River“, an interesting variation on those themes. It‘s indeed about lost love, but in a different way than most love songs are.
The narrator is not explicity categorized as female, but the song was originally written for the film Pete Kelley‘s Blues where it was to be sung by Ella Fitzgerald. The first actual released recording was this version by Julie London, since the song was scraped from the film. Most of the recordings were done by female artists and I don‘t think it‘s a stretch to assume the narrator is supposed to represent a woman (though a man as the narrator would give the song an interesting flavor).
Anyway, the narrator had a relationship with somebody else but that somebody ended the relationship. She was heartbroken; now he wants her back. The song deals with the reaction of the narrator to the pleas to take him back. There‘s a certain enjoyment in seeing his pain, reflecting that she had felt similar pain because of him. To even consider taking him back, she needs to see him cry the titular a river for her, since she did the same thing when he had left her.
London‘s vocal performance has a rather cool quality to it, not filling the words with lots of emotion, but rather taking a distance from the proceedings which fits the lyrics very well.
The song gained additional exposure after London performed it in the 1956 movie The Girl Can‘t Help It.
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When the chimes ring five, six and seven
We‘ll be right in seventh heaven
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32. Bill Haley and His Comets | „(We‘re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock“
Recording: April 12, 1954
Release: May 20, 1954 (A-side: „Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town)“
Songwriters: Max C. Freedman & James R. Myers
Producer: Milt Gabler
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Joey Ambrose (tenor saxophone), Franny Beecher (guitar), Danny Cedrone (electric guitar), Johnny Grande (piano), Billy Gussak (drums), Bill Haley (vocals, guitar), Marshall Lytle (double bass), Billy Williamson (steel guitar)

Points: 768
Finished #1 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #3
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #315
AM rank: #60
Put your glad rags on and join me, hon‘: Henry (#3), Father2TheMan (#15)
When the clock strikes twelve, we‘ll cool off then: Schüttelbirne (#144)

The first recording of this song was actually by a band called Sonny Dae & His Knights, though that version was not remarkably successful and is mostly known as being the earliest recording of the Haley version, which was not only a major commercial success, but is credited as the first Rock & Roll song to reach #1 on the charts and the song to bring the genre into the mainstream. It still stands as one of the most acclaimed songs of the 1950s.
In one of these writeups I mention that overdubs weren‘t a thing in the early history of music. „Rock Around the Clock“ is one of the first well-known examples of a song that was combined from different recording sessions, since the version we hear is not a version recorded at the time. The band had sound problems, with Haley‘s vocals being too quiet and they were out of time in the studio, so they quickly recorded a second take which was subsequently combined with the first track into the version everybody knows.
The song was actually the B-side to the song „Thirteen Women“ and only became a major success of its own after it was featured in the 1955 movie Blackboard Jungle. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the song was „an anthem for rebellious teenagers“.
I wondered why this song always seemed like a children‘s song to me, until I remembered that we sang a version of this song in school when I was 10 or so, with adjusted lyrics about Count Dracula dancing rock & roll and all the bats doing that too. Make of that what you will.
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Once I lived the life of a millionaire
Spending my money, I didn‘t care
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31. Bessie Smith | „Nobody Knows You When You‘re Down and Out“
Recording: May 15, 1929
Release: September 13, 1929 (B-side: „Take It Right Back (‚Cause I Don‘t Want It Here)“)
Songwriter: Jimmie Cox
Producers:
Genre: Vaudeville Blues, Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Ed Allen (cornet), Garvin Bushell (alto saxophone), Bessie Smith (vocals), Cyrus St. Clair (tuba), Greely Walton (tenor saxophone), Clarence Williams (piano)

Points: 774
Finished #2 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #20
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3246
AM rank:
I carried my friends out for a good time: DaveC (#8), mileswide (#11)
I didn‘t have a friend, and no place to go: Brad (#128)

In 1923 the Roaring Twenties were at their height. After the recession following World War I, there was a phase of prosperity. This era is also called the Prohibition era since alcohol (theoretically) was outlawed in the USA.
„Nobody Knows You When You‘re Down and Out“ was written by Cox in 1923 and works as a sort of cautionary tale. You might have friends now that you‘re wealthy, but when you lose that wealth, a lot of your friends will simply drop you. The first recording of the song was done in 1927, credited to Blind Bobby Baker and His Guitar, but the lyrics are different from Smith‘s version which is by far the most famous one.
Smith recorded her version in May 1929 and it was released on September 13, 1929. Just two weeks later, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 started, lasting until the end of October with Black Thursday and Black Tuesday occuring. This event signalled the start of a world wide financial crisis, the end of the Roaring Twenties and with that the start of the Great Depression.
The song is dominated by Smith‘s commanding and expressive vocal performance which imbues every line with lots of meaning. It became Smith‘s signature tune and her most popular song.
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Moonbeam
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Moonbeam »

Schüttelbirne wrote: Sat Feb 11, 2023 1:03 pm
55. Little Richard | „Lucille“
Recording: July 30, 1956
Release: February 1957 (B-side: „Send Me Some Lovin‘“)
Album: Little Richard (1957)
Songwriter: Albert Collins
Producer: Robert Blackwell
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Frank Fields (bass), Roy Montrell (guitar), Earl Palmer (drums), Richard Penniman (vocals, piano), Alvin Tyler (baritone saxophone)

Points: 696,23
Finished #13 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #80
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #3542
AM rank: #895
I been good to you, baby, please, don‘t leave me alone: Moonbeam (#2), andyd1010 (#10)
I asked my friends about her but all their lips were tight: Dan (#123)

The tempo in this song is slower than in most of Little Richard‘s other singles. The rhythm section was inspired by the sound of a train chugging along. The song is about a narrator pleading Lucille to return to him. It‘s not exactly clear what the will of Lucille‘s sister is; there are two possibilities: Either he‘s supposed to marry her and she decided to run off because she doesn‘t like him, or he‘s the guy she ran off with, but she decided differently and returned.
It is not clear when „Lucille“ was recorded. John Garodkin says October 15, 1956 in Los Angeles in Little Richard Special, Charles White says January 16, 1957 in Washington D.C. in his biography The Life and Times of Little Richard and Ray Topping says July 30, 1956 in New Orleans in The Complete Specialty Sessions.
The song was written by Albert Collins, but not the blues guitarist also known as „Iceman“. It was a different A. Collins.
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Hell yeah! I had seen a video of “Lucille” a few years ago and it stopped me in my tracks. It’s hard for a pre-60s song to electrify me, but this one did it. His inimitable energy and that relentless bass is a huge treat!
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andyd1010
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by andyd1010 »

Fitting that we kicked off Valentine's Day with My Funny Valentine
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


Now, the bellhop‘s tears keep flowin‘
And the desk clerk‘s dressed in black
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30. Elvis Presley | „Heartbreak Hotel“
Recording: January 10, 1956
Release: January 27, 1956 (B-side: „I Was the One“)
Songwriters: Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden & Elvis Presley
Producer: Stephen Sholes
Genre: Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Chet Atkins (guitar), Bill Black (bass), Floyd Cramer (piano), D.J. Fontana (drums), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar)

Points: 777
Finished #1 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #7
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #216
AM rank: #12
Althouth it‘s always crowded you still can find some room: andyd1010 (#5), Henry (#10)
They‘ll never look back: Schüttelbirne (#149)

The second song Presley would record for the RCA Victor label after he left Sun Records. It was offered to him by Mae Boren Axton, a songwriter who has mostly worked in the Country genre. She claims she co-wrote it with Tommy Durden based on his initial idea, but he insists that the song was already finished when he showed it to Axton.
It‘s also not immediately clear where the inspiration for the song came from. Axton said it was the suicide of a young man who had destroyed all his identity papers and only left a letter saying: „I walk a lonely street“. However, for decades it was unclear who that person was (or if he even existed in the first place). But an article in Rolling Stone claimed in 2016 that the song was inspired by Alvin Krolik, a former criminal who wrote in his memoir: „This is the story of a person who walked a lonely street“, which was picked up by news coverage after Krolik was killed trying to rob a store.
I can‘t judge whether this really was the inspiration for the song, but it‘s not impossible. Anyway, Axton had offered the song to multiple other artists before Presley, but they all declined because the subject matter was too morbid. It proved to be successful and an influence on a lot of artists ranging from Keith Richards to Robert Plant.
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The Cadillac pulled up at 104
The Ford got hot and wouldn‘t do no more
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29. Chuck Berry and His Combo | „Maybellene“
Recording: May 21, 1955
Release: July 1955 (B-side: „Wee Wee Hours“)
Album: Chuck Berry Is on Top (1959)
Songwriter: Chuck Berry
Producers: Leonard Chess & Phil Chess
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Chuck Berry (vocals, guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Jerome Green (maracas), Ebby Hardy (drums), Johnnie Johnson (piano)

Points: 780
Finished #3 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #12
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #685
AM rank: #126
Nothin‘ will outrun my V-8 Ford: Father2TheMan (#4)
The rain water blowin‘ all under my hood / I knew that wasn‘t doin my motor good: Schüttelbirne (#129)

In the early 1950s Chuck Berry started playing in local bands as a source of extra income; he also played as backing musician on some recordings. Muddy Waters convinced him to audition for Leonard Chess from Chess Records. Chess wasn‘t really interested in the blues material Berry presented, but he was intrigued by his cover of Bob Wills‘ country song „Ida Red“. Apparently he saw some commercial possibilities in having a country song played by a Black man.
„Maybellene“ is an adaptation of the very same song but with different lyrics and an adjusted musical style that relied on electric guitar and a thumping beat. The lyrics are the usual story about a man disappointed by his girlfriend‘s unfaithfulness. In this case he chases he sees her in a car (quite possibly in another guy‘s car?) and chases after her with his own car. It almost breaks down when it starts to rain, but he pulls through and finally catches up with her (which is where the song ends). Berry‘s vocals alternate between fast passages in the verses where he tells the song‘s story and the slower, but catchier chorus lamenting that she „can‘t be true“.
As we already saw in „Rocket 88“, cars were a huge part of teenage youth culture, so lyrics about cars appealed to that group and made „Maybellene“ quite popular.
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Well, Mama she done told me, Papa done told me too
Son, that gal you‘re foolin‘ with, she ain‘t no good for you
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28. Elvis Presley | „That‘s All Right“
Recording: July 5, 1954
Release: July 19, 1954 (B-side: „Blue Moon of Kentucky“)
Songwriter: Arthur Crudup
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Rockabilly
Line-up: Bill Black (bass), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar)

Points: 781
Finished #2 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #19
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #712
AM rank: #98
That‘s all right now, mama, anyway you do: Elder (#3), SL3 (#9)
Then you won‘t be bothered with me hanging ‚round your door: Moonbeam (#139)

Presley‘s debut single is a cover of Arthur Crudup‘s „That‘s All Right“. The story for that is quite interesting: Crudup was not a ‚professional‘ musician (whatever that means), but he liked to perform for audiences. When he was asked to record his own music, he had a bit of a problem, because he had never written a song before. He had just performed blues songs written by other people. Tampa Red told Crudup to just take the third or fourth verse from a song and use that as the foundation for the song. So Crudup took a verse from Blind Lemon Jefferson‘s „Black Snake Moan“ and wrote the lyrics around that.
„That‘s All Right“ was released in 1947. Presley‘s version was apparently the result of improvisation during a break in the studio. That improvisation was not recorded however; Sam Phillips just wanted to record them doing the song.
The song is played faster and uses a collection of instruments not really found in any R&B track: two guitars and an upright bass, with no percussion. Moore‘s guitar playing was influenced by country music and gave this song a certain distinct flavor.
Crudup never received any royalties despite being the credited author of the song which became a massive success and started Presley‘s career who would turn out to be one of the most popular musicians of all time.
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From the early, early mornin‘ till the early, early night
When you caught Miss Molly rockin‘ at the house of blue light
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27. Little Richard | „Good Golly, Miss Molly“
Recording: October 15, 1956
Release: January 13, 1958 (B-side: „Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey“)
Album: Little Richard (1958)
Songwriters: John Marascalco & Robert Blackwell
Producer: Robert Blackwell
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Frank Fields (bass), Roy Eustis Montrell (guitar), Earl Parlmer (drums), Richard Penniman (vocals, piano), Alvin Tyler (baritone saxophone)

Points: 783
Finished #6 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #31
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #688
AM rank: #529
Gonna buy a diamond ring: Dan (#2), andyd1010 (#9)
Son, you better watch your step: Honorio (#124)

The recording history of „Good Golly, Miss Molly“ is a bit convoluted. It was first recorded on July 30, 1956 but those recordings were shelved and only released in 1989. Months later, on October 15, another recording session was held with the same personnel in the same place. The song was recorded at least ten times. But the release didn‘t happen very soon. Instead Robert Blackwell, the writer and producer, had a group called The Valiants record the song. That version was released in 1957. Little Richard‘s version was only released in 1958, over a year after it had been recorded. Still, his version proved to be more successful than Tha Valiants‘.
Little Richard claims he heard the phrase „Good Golly, Miss Molly“ in a radio program by Jimmy Pennick and that he stole the piano intro from Jackie Brenston‘s „Rocket 88“. The lyrics are even more nonsensical than usual in Rock & Roll, relying more on rhymes and consonance than on the semantics. Molly is apparently a girl who likes to go out dancing and doesn‘t come home when her parents want her to. Of course „dancing“ can mean something else in the pre-pubescent Rock & Roll way.
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The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill
And lingered until my dream came true
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26. Fats Domino | „Blueberry Hill“
Recording: June 27, 1956
Release: September 1956 (B-side: „Honey Chile“)
Songwriters: Al Lewis, Larry Stock & Vincent Rose
Producers:
Genre: New Orleans R&B
Line-up: Dave Bartholomew (trumpet), Cornelius Coleman (drums), Fats Domino (vocals, piano), Lawrence Guyton (bass), Herb Hardesty (tenor saxophone), Walter Nelson (guitar)

Points: 785
Finished #3 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #23
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #599
AM rank: #206
Though we‘re apart, you part of me still: andyd1010 (#4), SL3 (#8), nicolas (#11)
But all of those vows you made were only to please: Elder (#134)

Here we have an example of a song that has become so associated with one artist it‘s surprising to learn that it was not introduced by this artist. Domino did write some of his own music („Ain‘t That a Shame“ from this very poll for example), but his most famous song was written by the trio of Al Lewis, Larry Stock and Vincent Rose. The first recording was done by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra with the vocal part being provided by Tommy Ryan. There were multiple other releases in the 1940s including versions by Glenn Miller and Louis Armstrong.
But Domino‘s version is not the one still known around the world for its sheer commercial impact; there‘s something in the arrangement and the performance which makes that version shine brighter than the others. It‘s not as fast or as ferocious as other singles released in the same year, but maybe that‘s part of the appeal. The tempo and arrangement create an atmosphere fitting to the lyrics about a lost love which is still fondly looked back upon. Domino‘s piano starts the song with a rolling intro and gives it a warm feel which is amplified by his soft vocal delivery. Trumpet and saxophone accentuate certain moments. Soft and easy.
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The greatest thing you‘ll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return
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25. King Cole | „Nature Boy“
Recording: August 22, 1947
Release: March 29, 1948 (B-side: „Lost April“)
Songwriters: Eden Ahbez
Producers:
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Standards
Line-up: Harry Bluestone (violin), Nat Cole (vocals, piano), Frank De Vol (conductor), Jules Kinsler (reeds), Johnny Miller (bass), Oscar Moore (guitar) et al.

Points: 787
Finished #4 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #11
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #646
AM rank: #1872
A very strange enchanted boy: SL3 (#3), Dan (#4), bonnielaurel (#10), Elder (#10)
A little shy and sad of eye: Listyguy (#139), mileswide (#142)

If we want to talk about „Nature Boy“ we need to go back to late 19th-century Germany. In 1896 a movement called ‚Wandervogel‘ was founded in Steglitz (which is now a part of Berlin). Endebted to the ideals of Romanticism (specifically Eichendorff) they tried to find a way of living outside of the strict rules of wilhelministic Germany by going ‚back to nature‘. It‘s part of a larger trend, called ‚Lebensreform‘, a variety of movements that were critical towards industrialization and urbanization. These movements don‘t really exist anymore, but they had tremendous influence.
One of the followers of such a philosophy was William Pester who was born in Saxony, but decided to emigrate to the USA to escape military service.
There he came to be known as the „Hermit of Palm Springs“ and perhaps he met Eden Ahbez who was something like an early hippie, also very much inspired by the aforementioned movements. Whether they actually met is not sure, but many writers regard it as very possible.
Ahbez later wrote the song „Nature Boy“. Probably not a coincidence: There was a commune in the Californian desert called the ‚Nature Boys‘.
So what we have here is a song very much influenced by social movements; but it‘s not really about these movements. Indeed, the song mostly just relates a story: The narrator meets a boy who‘s characterized as ‚strange‘ and ‚enchanted‘ and this boy taught the narrator the famous lines quoted above. These two verses were subject to many interpretations, many mentioning romantic motives.
The orchestral arrangement is dominated by lush strings and moody reeds, most notably a very free-flying flute present at the start and the end of the song.
The song was incredibly successful, selling millions of copies in a very short time. Billboard voted it the best recoed of the year; in that poll it received 743 points. Second place went to Peggy Lee‘s „Manana“ with 153 points. This really shows how big this song was at the time; I‘m not sure if we have anything closely resembling this in our time.
Cole exploded in popularity and built a very prolific solo career based on the popularity of this song. Ahbez would stay an idiosyncratic for the rest of his life; in 1960 he released an interesting Exotica album and a few years later he met with Brian Wilson while he was working on a little-known project called Pet Sounds.
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24. Benny Goodman and His Orchestra | „Sing, Sing, Sing“
Recording: July 6, 1937
Release: September 1937
Album: A Symposium of Swing (1937)
Songwriter: Louis Prima
Producers:
Genre: Swing, Big Band
Line-up: Red Ballard (trombone), Ziggy Elman (trumpet), Benny Goodman (clarinet), Harry Goodman (string bass), Gordon Griffin (trumpet), Harry James (trumpet), George Koenig (alto saxophone), Gene Krupa (drums), Murray McEachern (trombone), Vido Musso (tenor saxophone), Allan Reuss (guitar), Arthur Rollini (tenor saxophone), Hymie Shertzer (alto saxophone), Jess Stacy (piano)

Points: 794
Finished #2 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #8
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #602
AM rank: #916
Biggest Fan: Bang Jan (#9), andyd1010 (#11), Listyguy (#13), mileswide (#14)
Not a Fan: Moonbeam (#126)

The standard single in the 1930s was a 10-inch 78-rpm record which allowed for one song with a length of roughly three minutes on each side. Jazz musicians were doing far longer interpretations of songs for live audiences (in person or on the radio), but for recordings these needed to be scaled down to fit on the disc.
Goodman‘s „Sing, Sing, Sing“ is an exception to the rule. The recording lasts 8 minutes and 40 seconds; it fills both sides of the single with a break right in the middle of the drum solo. It‘s maybe not the most elegant way to go about this, but it wasn‘t really possible to release a longer track in different way. Albums at the time were mostly collections of singles though that would change soon with the advent of new formats.
„Sing, Sing, Sing“ was composed by Louis Prima, but Goodman‘s orchestra changed it significantly. These changes came about gradually while playing it over time. Originally the song was supposed to feature Helen Ward singing the lyrics introduced by Prima, but the members of the orchestra started improvising around it, even including a different song, „Christopher Columbus“ by Chu Berry and in the process dropped Helen Ward. In this way, the song became the signature track of Goodman‘s orchestra, played at virtually every concert.
The MVP here is (in my own personal opinion) Gene Krupa who delivers one of the best examples of early jazz drumming.
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You say you‘re gonna leave
You know it‘s a lie
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23. The Crickets | „That‘ll Be the Day“
Recording: February 25, 1957
Release: May 27, 1957 (B-side: „I‘m Lookin‘ for Someone to Love“)
Album: The „Chirping“ Crickets (1957)
Songwriters: Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly & Norman Petty
Producer: Norman Petty
Genre: Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Line-up: Jerry Allison (drums), June Clark (backing vocals), Buddy Holly (vocals, guitar), Niki Sullivan (backing vocals), Gary Tollett (backing vocals), Ramona Tollett (backing vocals), Larry Welborn (bass)

Points: 795
Finished #2 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #8
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #414
AM rank: #52
You gave me all your loving and your turtle doving: DaveC (#10), andyd1010 (#14), SL3 (#15)
Someday well, I‘ll be through: Elder (#119)

The existence of The Crickets as a band is largely due to Holly‘s recording contract concerns. He was originally signed with Decca and recorded several songs for them, including „That‘ll Be the Day“ which was not released since his first two singles were not very successful. He was technically not allowed to re-record „That‘ll Be the Day“ for a few years, but producer Norman Petty found a way around it by simply crediting it to a band called The Crickets.
The cover of their debut album shows the four band members: Buddy Holly as the vocalist and lead guitarist of the group, Jerry Allison doing the drums, Joe B. Maudlin playing the contrabass (not an electric bass!) and Niki Sullivan providing the rhythm guitar. If you compare it to the line-up above, you‘ll realize that Maudlin didn‘t even play on „That‘ll Be the Day“ and Sullivan only provided backing vocals with some other people.
Songs released by The Crickets were issued by Brunswick Records, including this single and their debut album, while Holly‘s solo work was released by Coral Records, a subsidiary of Decca, despite members of The Crickets performing on them too. It‘s a bit convoluted, but quite interesting. I‘m not saying The Crickets were just Holly though; considering that The Crickets went on performing until 2016 with a varying line-up, but always including Allison.
„That‘ll Be the Day“ was inspired by John Wayne‘s character in John Ford‘s The Searchers, one of the most acclaimed westerns of all time, where the line is uttered multiple times. Holly, Allison and Petty turned the phrase into a love song which became incredibly successful. After seeing that success, Decca decided to release the original recording of the song, credited to Buddy Holly and The Three Tunes, but that version was not successful and is not very well-known nowadays.
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22. Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra | „Take the „A“ Train“
Recording: February 16, 1941
Release: April 11, 1941
Songwriter: Billy Strayhorn
Producer: Harry Meyerson
Genre: Big Band, Swing
Line-up: Barney Bigard (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Jimmy Blanton (bass), Lawrence Brown (trombone), Harry Carney (baritone saxophone), Duke Ellington (piano), Sonny Greer (drums), Fred Guy (guitar), Otto Hardwick (alto saxophone), Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone), Wallace Jones (trumpet), Ray Nance (trumpet), Joe Nanton (trombone), Rex Stewart (cornet), Juan Tizol (valve trombone), Ben Webster (tenor saxophone)

Points: 807
Finished #3 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #3
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #644
AM rank: #760
Biggest Fan: bonnielaurel (#4), Henry (#6), SL3 (#7), Bang Jan (#11)
Not a Fan: Moonbeam (#119)

Often regarded as Ellington‘s signature song and his most acclaimed one. The song was composed by one of Ellington‘s most important collaborators, Billy Strayhorn who took Jimmy McHugh‘s „Exactly Like You“ (1930) and built upon its harmonic structure. Another huge inspiration were the compositions of Fletcher Henderson, an influential pianist and band-leader himself who later also arranged songs for Benny Goodman‘s orchestra.
The story behind „Take the „A“ Train“ is quite interesting: As I said, Strayhorn was definitely inspired by Henderson, but he felt the result sounded too much like him, so he threw it in the trash where it was found by Ellington‘s son. The song then replaced „Sepia Panorama“ in Ellington‘s line-up when the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) went on strike. Since Ellington was a member, he was not allowed to play his own compositions on the radio. Radio programs at the time still featured live music, so he enlisted the help of both Strayhorn and his son Mercer since both of them were not members of the ASCAP. Their compositions could be played, and „Take the „A“ Train“ proved to be a huge success.
The song‘s title has two conflicting stories behind it: Ellington gave Strayhorn directions how to get to his apartment in Harlem and the first words were „take the A train“, referring to the New York City Subway which was less than ten years old at the time.
Strayhorn himself claimed the title referred to the right way to get to Sugar Hill, a part of Harlem, because apparently a lot of housewives from Harlem took the D train and ended up in the Bronx. (I have no idea if this actually makes sense since I‘ve never been to New York)
The first performance turned out to be the definitive performance. Ray Nance‘s trumpet solo proved to be very influential, so other performers copied it note for note.
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The moon just went behind the clouds
To hide its face and cry
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21. Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys | „I‘m So Lonesome I Could Cry“
Recording: August 30, 1949
Release: November 1949 (A-side: „My Bucket‘s Got a Hole In It“)
Songwriter: Hank Williams, Paul Gilley [uncredited]
Producers:
Genre: Traditional Country
Line-up: Jerry Byrd (steel guitar), Louis Innis (rhythm guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Ernie Newton (bass), Zeke Turner (electric guitar), Hank Williams (vocals)

Points: 811
Finished #2 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #14
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #713
AM rank: #130
The silence of a falling star / Lights up a purple sky: Elder (#2), Listyguy (#7)
He sounds too blue to fly: Moonbeam (#143)

Upbeat songs typically occupied the A-sides of singles because they were considered more commercially viable. This is one of the cases where the B-side clearly trumped the A-side. „I‘m So Lonesome I Could Cry“ expresses profound loneliness and sadness through its lyrics and instrumentation. Note the „could“ in the title, expressing that the narrator does indeed NOT cry, because crying would not be fit for a MAN.
For the longest time this song was assumed to have been written by Hank Williams himself, but it seems that Williams bought the song from Paul Gilley who agreed with going uncredited because he‘d get more money that way. Hank Williams is still offically credited as the writer of the song.
Henry
Into the Groove
Posts: 2349
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Henry »

My bottom three of the remaining 20 songs:

83 Piaf, Édith Vie en Rose, La
87 Everly Brothers, The All I Have to Do Is Dream
138 Brel, Jacques Ne me quitte pas

Other songs that I do not yet sufficiently appreciate compared to the poll results:

88 (my rank) Little Richard Good Golly Miss Molly / 27 (poll rank)
91 Cole, Nat King Nature Boy / 25
93 London, Julie Cry Me a River / 33
102 Williams, Hank I‘m So Lonesome I Could Cry / 21
107 Smith, Bessie Nobody Knows You When You‘re Down and Out / 31
109 Armstrong, Louis St. James Infirmary 41
110 Baker, Chet My Funny Valentine 40
111 Brassens, Georges mauvaise réputation, La 58
113 Hawkins, Screamin‘ Jay I Put a Spell on You 38
115 Hurt, Mississippi John Stack O‘ Lee Blues 57
117 Mingus, Charles Better Git It in Your Soul 34
122 Hooker, John Lee Boogie Chillen 66
124 James, Elmore Dust My Broom 51
125 Lead Belly (Black Gal) Where Did You Sleep Last Night? 36
136 Guthrie, Woody This Land Is Your Land 96
140 Piaf, Édith accordéoniste, L‘ 98
141 Johnson, Blind Willie Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground 48
144 Ellington, Duke Mooche, The 87
147 Howlin‘ Wolf Smokestack Lightning 39
150 Muddy Waters Mannish Boy 84
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Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
Posts: 2379
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:50 am

Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


You know my temperature‘s rising
The jukebox blowing a fuse
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20. Chuck Berry and His Combo | „Roll Over Beethoven“
Recording: April 16, 1956
Release: May 1956
Album: Chuck Berry Is on Top (1959)
Songwriter: Chuck Berry
Producers: Leonard Chess & Phil Chess
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Fred Below (drums), Chuck Berry (vocals, guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Johnnie Johnson (piano)

Points: 831,1
Finished #4 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #33
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #796
AM rank: #374
I gotta hear it again today: Henry (#9), Father2TheMan (#11), Elder (#15)
Tell Tchaikovsky the news: Schüttelbirne (#117)

Berry is proclaiming Rhythm & Blues and Rock & Roll as the primary musical styles here and classical music deserves to be kicked in the can. The lyrics quite explicity state that Beethoven would roll over in his grave if he heard these new musical styles (and Berry doesn‘t seem to be too mad about it). Berry alludes to multiple recording artists of the time: The third verse quotes Carl Perkins‘ „Blue Suede Shoes“ which was released just three months before this song was recorded. You can also find references to Louis Jordan and Bo Diddley.
The song starts a very recognizable guitar riff starting the record that has become quite famous. After the first two verses Berry plays a short guitar solo. The inspiration for the song apparently came from Berry fighting with his sister over the music played on the family piano. While his sister preferred classical music, Berry was more into popular music. Just from this story, you‘d imagine a bigger focus on the piano in the song, but it only takes a supporting role in the rhythm section, which also features blues legend Willie Dixon on bass.
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The warden said, „Hey buddy, don‘t you be no square,
If you can‘t find a partner, use a wooden chair“
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19. Elvis Presley | „Jailhouse Rock“
Recording: April 30, 1957
Release: September 23, 1957 (B-side: „Treat Me Nice“)
EP: Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Producer: Jeff Alexander
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Bill Black (bass), Dudley Brooks (piano), D.J. Fontana (drums), Hoyt Hawkins (backing vocals), Hugh Jarrett (backing vocals), Neal Matthews (backing vocals), Scotty Moore (guitar), Elvis Presley (vocals), Gordon Stoker (backing vocals)

Points: 831,5
Finished #1 in 1957 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #4
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #251
AM rank: #160
You‘re the cutest jailbird I ever did see: andyd1010 (#6), bonnielaurel (#9), Henry (#11), Dan (#14)
The prison band was there and they began to wail: Brad (#139)

Some things haven‘t changed in popular music since the ‚50s. If you‘re a big pop star, you‘ll probably get to star in your own movie. Presley was one of the first major pop stars and starred in multiple motion pictures; his most famous and enduring one is probably 1957‘s Jailhouse Rock, directed by Richard Thorpe. It‘s about a construction worker who‘s in prison for manslaughter and meets a former country star there who teaches him to play the guitar. Once he is released, he becomes a major star.
In the movie, „Jailhouse Rock“ is a song performed by the lead character after already being quite successful in the music business. He rehearses a performance taking place in a stylized cell block for a television show.
The song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller who had written „Hound Dog“ which had been a big success for Presley the year prior. They were brought on board by MGM to compose the songs for the soundtrack (which were then released on an EP). Legend has it, Leiber and Stoller failed to produce the necessary material, so they were locked in a room and proceeded to produce four songs, including „Jailhouse Rock“, in just four hours. Who knows if this actually happened…
Some say the lyrics describe a prison riot, and I‘m not saying they‘re wrong, but on the surface the song humorously describes a party thrown by the prison warden in jail with the inmates happily joining in and dancing along. It‘s all quite silly (not in a pejorative sense), but Presley seems to play it totally straight, which might add to the appeal of the song. Add to that the famous catchy guitar riff played by Scotty Moore and you have one of Presley‘s biggest successes and one of the biggest Rock & Roll songs of the 1950s.
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He claim he has the misery but he‘s havin‘ a lot of fun
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18. Little Richard and His Band | „Long Tall Sally“
Recording: February 10, 1956
Release: March 1956
Album: Here‘s Little Richard (1957)
Songwriters: Enotris Johnson
Producer: Robert Blackwell
Genre: Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Edgar Blanchard (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), Earl Palmer (drums), Richard Penniman (vocals, piano), Alvin Tyler (baritone saxophone)

Points: 832
Finished #2 in 1956 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #11
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #484
AM rank: #390
She‘s got everything that Uncle John need: Listyguy (#6), andyd1010 (#8), nicolas (#13), SL3 (#14)
He saw Aunt Mary comin‘ and he ducked back in the alley: Schüttelbirne (#131)

The story behind this song isn‘t very clear, since it‘s obstructed by myths. The original single release states Enotris Johnson as the songwriter. Later releases sometimes include producer Robert Blackwell and Richard Penniman himself (that‘s Little Richard for those who don‘t know).
Now who is this Enotris Johnson? Blackwell‘s story goes like this: A little girl had written a „song“ for Little Richard to sing so she could pay the treatment for a sick relative of hers. This „song“ was just three lines written on a piece of paper, but Blackwell and Penniman saw potential and decided to build a song around it.
However, this is not true. Johnson was not a little girl, in fact she was a grown woman of twenty years who wrote multiple song before quitting her musical career when she got married. She kept her involvement a secret, so people in her town were quite surprised when her children revealed her early achivements after she passed in 2015.
Independently from that, there‘s another story about the song: „Tutti Frutti“ was a big hit – for Pat Boone. Blackwell and Penniman wanted to record a song with a tempo so fast Boone couldn‘ replicate it. The result was „Long Tall Sally“ - their ambitions failed, since Boone did record a cover which was also quite successful.
That Boone version lacks what makes „Long Tall Sally“ special though – and that‘s Little Richard‘s voice which really sounds like he has a lot of fun. The song is rather short and includes a solo by tenor saxophonist Lee Allen.
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I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
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17. The Everly Brothers | „All I Have to Do Is Dream“
Recording: March 6, 1958
Release: March 1958 (B-side: „Claudette“)
EP: All I Have to Do Is Dream (1958)
Songwriter: Boudleaux Bryant
Producer: Archie Bleyer
Genre: Close Harmony, Pop
Line-up: Chet Atkins (guitar), Floyd Cramer (piano), Ray Edenton (guitar), Don Everly (vocals, guitar), Phil Everly (vocals, guitar), Hank Garland (guitar), Buddy Harman (drums), Roy Madison Huskey (bass)

Points: 836
Finished #4 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #13
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #784
AM rank: #445
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine: Moonbeam (#3), Father2TheMan (#9)
When I feel blue in the night: nicolas (#128)

Please note that the people listed in line-up have not necessarily provided their talents to the actual song. A country music discography lists them as the people playing on the session in which „All I Have to Do Is Dream“ was recorded, but I don‘t know who is actually on the final recording. Most sources list Chet Atkins, but Wikipedia also lists Floyd Chance as the bassist based on YouTube video, so I‘m not sure about that.
The Everly Brothers being listed in a country music discography is not surprising, considering their roots in that musical style. Indeed, „All I Have to Do Is Dream“ is fundamentally a country ballad, adjusted to appeal to broader audiences. That was a very fruitful strategy since the song became a major hit for the duo.
Lyrically it is a very simple love song, which repeats its main phrases over and over again. In a way, the song‘s narrator exists in a entranced state where he tells himself over and over again, how wonderful it is to dream of his love; he‘s basically stuck in a loop – and he admits so himself: „I‘m dreaming my life away“.
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16. Sergei Prokofiev | „Suite No. 2 from „Romeo and Juliet“: I. Montagues and Capulets“
Publication: 1938
Genre: Orchestral, Modern Classical
Line-up: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, english horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, cornet, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, piano, harp, strings

Points: 850
Finished #7 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #7
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1544
AM rank: Unranked
Biggest Fan: Honorio (#1), Moonbeam (#6), Brad (#13), Bang Jan (#15), DaveC (#15)
Not a Fan: Listyguy (#119)

One of the few classical movements making the final round. Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 is a ballet composed by Sergei Prokofiev in 1935 for the Bolshoi Ballet. But it drew criticism from some people higher in the Soviet command chain than Prokofiev, so the original premiere was scrapped. It premiered in Brno in 1938 and was revised for a performance in the Kirov Theatre in Saint Petersburg (then called Leningrad) in 1940.
The ballet consists of three acts and an epilogue. Until 1946 Prokofiev took excerpts from the ballet and combined them into three orchestral suites. The specific entry we have here is the first movement from Suite No. 2 from „Romeo and Juliet“, Op. 64ter, entitled „Montagues and Capulets“. It‘s comprised of two numbers from the original ballet: „The Prince Gives His Order“, the finale of the first scene of the first act serves as the introduction, while „Dance of the Knights“ from the second scene of the same act acts as the main part. Its dark atmosphere has fascinated a lot of people over the years and it‘s quite popular even among people not normally interested in classical music. It‘s often used in movies, commercials or covered by rock bands.
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You told me you were high class
But I could see through that
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15. Willie Mae „Big Mama“ Thornton | „Hound Dog“
Recording: August 13, 1952
Release: February 1953 (B-side: „Night Mare“)
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Producer: Johnny Otis
Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Mario Delagarde (bass), Pete Lewis (guitar), Johnny Otis (drums), Willie Mae Thornton (vocals)

Points: 862,2
Finished #7 in 1953+54 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #29
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1023
AM rank:
All you‘re lookin‘ is for a home: Listyguy (#2), Schüttelbirne (#13), Elder (#14)
But I ain‘t gonna feed you no more: Father2TheMan (#102)

Presley‘s version from 1955 may have been a bigger hit, but this song is completely Big Mama Thornton‘s because the very young songwriters Leiber and Stoller wrote the song for her and adjusted it to fit her persona and singing style.
„Hound Dog“ is a slang expression for a man who tries to get a woman to take care of him and the lyrics reflect that, by having the narrator throw him out.
Johnny Otis sat in on drums, meaning that Leiber and Stoller were overseeing production (a first for them). They were not satisfied with the vocal style Thornton used at first because it made the song seem like a ballad. They showed her how they wanted it done and she sang it with a powerful, gravelly voice. In the middle of the song, there‘s a guitar solo; Thornton throws a few (improvised) interjections in. The ending features the entire band making dog howls.
„Hound Dog“ was a major success for the Peacock label and provoked a lot of cover versions and answer songs. Answer songs were popular in blues and country music in the 1950s; nowadays you find the concept in Hip Hop. But despite the success Leiber, Stoller and Thornton all claimed that they did not profit from it apart from the initial check they got for the recording.
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Are the stars out tonight
I don‘t know if it‘s cloudy or bright
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14. The Flamingos | „I Only Have Eyes for You“
Recording: October 31, 1958
Release: April 1959 (B-side: „Goodnight Sweetheart“)
Album: Flamingo Serenade (1959)
Songwriters: Harry Warren & Al Dubin
Producer: George Goldner
Genre: Doo-Wop
Line-up: Jake Carey (vocals), Zeke Carey (vocals), Tommy Hunt (vocals), Terry Johnson (vocals, guitar), Nate Nelson (vocals), Paul Wilson (vocals) et al.

Points: 862,6
Finished #5 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #53
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #1048
AM rank: #459
My love must be a kind of blind love: Moonbeam (#1), Father2TheMan (#7), Brad (#11), Schüttelbirne (#12), Henry (#14)
But they all disappear from view: SL3 (#125)

Originally written for the 1934 musical Dames, directed by Ray Enright with musical numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley, this song would soon outrun the original feature. While Dames is not normally considered one of the standouts of the 1930s in cinema, „I Only Have Eyes for You“ - which was introduced by Dick Powell in the movie – received an award by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) as the „Most Performed Feature Film Standard“.
The most famous version would be done by the doo-wop group The Flamingos which was formed in 1953 and still exists (though all original members are now deceased, and their website seems more focused on the still-alive Terry Johnson). Johnson claims he got the idea for the new harmonic arrangement he used for the song in a dream. The sha-bop-sha-bop part of the song has become legendary, but one of the most important elements of the song is actually the reverb put on Nate Nelson‘s lead vocals and especially the backing vocals which give them a certain distinct character and helps to create the unique atmosphere this song possesses. It definitely sounds different from other love songs of this era; some call it psychedelic. I‘m not sure I agree with that, but it certainly is something special.
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Il me dit des mots d‘amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ça me fait quelque chose
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13. Édith Piaf | „La vie en rose“
Recording: January 1947
Release: 1947 (B-side: „Un refrain courait dans la rue“)
Songwriters: Louiguy & Édith Piaf
Producers:
Genre: Chanson
Line-up: Guy Luypaerts (conductor), Édith Piaf (vocals) et al.

Points: 866
Finished #1 in 1940s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #6
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #496
AM rank: #305
C‘est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie: DaveC (#3), Dan (#9), SL3 (#11)
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche: Father2TheMan (#143)

Easily Piaf‘s most famous song and in general one of the most successful chansons in music history. The titular phrase means „Life in Pink“ (and not „Life of a Rose“!), as in „seeing the world through pink-tinted glasses“. The original version of the song did not include that phrase, however. Originally it was supposed to be „Moi j‘vois des trucs en rose“, translating (roughly) to „Me, I see things in pink“ which was later changed by Marianne Michel to the version we now know. It does seem more poetic.
Michel was also the first one to record it on November 18, 1946; Piaf‘s recording followed two months after. That recording was a massive success for Piaf. There are multiple English versions, including some by Piaf herself. When not performing in France, the second half of „La vie en rose“ was typically sung in English.
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But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin‘, I hang my head and cry
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12. Johnny Cash and Tennessee Two | „Folsom Prison Blues“
Recording: July 30, 1955
Release: December 15, 1955 (B-side: „So Doggone Lonesome“)
Album: Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957)
Songwriter: Johnny Cash
Producer: Sam Phillips
Genre: Country
Line-up: Johnny Cash (vocals, acoustic guitar), Marshall Grant (bass), Luther Perkins (electric guitar)

Points: 870
Finished #2 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #15
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #141
AM rank: #198
Son, always be a good boy, don‘t ever play withthe train guns: Father2TheMan (#3), Elder (#9), nicolas (#10), Bang Jan (#14)
I‘m stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps draggin‘ on: Moonbeam (#129)

This song has quite an interesting origin story. It starts with pianist Little Brother Montgomery releasing a single in 1937. The B-side is titled „Crescent City Blues“. Composer and arranger Gordon Jenkins, who might be most famous for orchestrating later-career Sinatra albums borrowed from that song for the song „Crescent City Blues“ on his album Seven Dreams (1953). The song told the story of a woman in Crescent City who‘s unhappy with her life, feeling that she‘s „stuck in Crescent City“. She hears the train whistle and wishes she could take it to get away and start a new life. The song was sung by Beverly Mahr, Jenkins‘ wife and it was a moderate success.
This song is one of two major influences on Johnny Cash‘s „Folsom Prison Blues“, the other being the documentary Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison from 1951.
He reworked the lyrics of „Crescent City Blues“ to fit the experience of an inmate in Folsom Prison who is reminded of the freedom outside by the train whistling. The lyrics are not very plausible if you look at them closely: Folsom Prison does not have train tracks running by it and somebody who shoots a man in Reno would (apparently, according to other people on the Internet) go to prison in Nevada and not California. But I wouldn‘t say that‘s a problem, because the emotion at the heart of the song rings true.
This is interesting because Cash evokes sympathy for the narrator without ever denying his crimes. The line „But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die“ is very daring for the time this song was released and is still pretty shocking in its bluntness, to be honest.
The song saw a resurgence in popularity after Cash played it live at Folsom Prison, a performance that was recorded and released as an album in 1968. The original version only featured two guitars and bass and its main appeal is clearly in Cash‘s vocal performance. The live version has richer instrumentation and features jeers from the audience, which might have been added in post-production (there‘s some dispute about that).
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She rocks to the east
She rocks to the west
But she‘s the girl that I love best
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11. Little Richard and His Band | „Tutti-Frutti“
Recording: September 14, 1955
Release: October 1955 (B-side: „I‘m Just a Lonely Guy“)
Album: Here‘s Little Richard (1957)
Songwriters: Richard Penniman & Dorothy LaBostrie
Producer: Robert Blackwell
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Justin Adams (guitar), Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Frank Fields (double bass), Earl Palmer (drums), Richard Penniman (vocals, piano), Alvin Tyler (baritone saxophone)

Points: 873
Finished #1 in 1955 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #10
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #196
AM rank: #24
She knows just what to do: andyd1010 (#7), Elder (#11), Dan (#13)
She almost drives me crazy: mileswide (#106)

Little Richard had been recording music for a few years in 1955, but he had not been very successful. He sent a demo tape to Specialty Records and its owner Art Rupe liked it well enough to invite Penniman for a recording session with Robert Blackwell featuring Fats Domino‘s backing band. The songs Penniman had recorded up until this point did not feature the strong, expressive vocal style he‘s now known for. Listen to „Taxi Blues“ and you‘ll realize what I mean.
During a break, Penniman played a song he had written and performed live for years. Penniman realized its potential but had to hire Dorothy LaBostrie to change the lyrics.
There‘s different accounts about the original lyrics, but here are the first three verses based on Charles White‘s The Life and Times of Little Richard :

Tutti Frutti, good booty
If it don‘t fit, don‘t force it
You can grease it, make it easy

Don‘t even think for a second anybody was going to put a song about homosexual sex on the radio. Instead they replaced the lyrics with a slang expression, „aw rooty“ (now typically heard as Rudy, prompting the question, who‘s Rudy?) and the narrator‘s experiences with his girls Sue and Daisy.
LaBostrie, however, refuses this account entirely, insisting that she wrote the entire song herself based on the new flavor of ice cream she saw in a shop.
No matter what the real story is, the sheer power behind Little Richard‘s performance helped catapult it into the upper spheres of musical acclaim from which it doesn‘t seem to come down.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »

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10. Claude Debussy | „Suite bergamasque: III. Clair de Lune“
Publication: 1905
Genre: Impressionism
Line-up: Solo piano

Points: 888
Finished #10 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #9
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #736
AM rank: Unranked
Biggest Fan: Henry (#2), Bang Jan (#3), Moonbeam (#4), Dan (#6), Elder (#7)
Not a Fan: SL3 (#132)

The third movement of Suite bergamasque, a piano suite composed by Claude Debussy over a period of about fifteen years. He started in 1890, but revised it before publication in 1905. The titles of the suite and the third movement are based on Paul Verlaine‘s poem „Clair de lune“ which refers bergamasques in its first stanza. A bergamasque is a clusmy, rustic dance; how this connects to the sparse, quiet beauty heard in the suite‘s third movement, „Clair de lune“ is open to interpretation.
Verlaine explicitly mentions the term in the third and final stanza of his poem, so let‘s take a look at what he has to say:

Au calme clair de lune triste et beau,
Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres
[With the sad and beautiful light of the moon
Which sets the birds in the trees dreaming]

Sad, beautiful and dreamlike are three words that describes the feeling „Clair de lune“ evokes in most listeners pretty well. Debussy is not really interested in adhering to songwriting traditions, so the notes just float along without strict themes or structure, which in turn helps the dreamlike quality take shape.
You could describe the piece as an impressionistic painting in musical form.
„Clair de lune“ is one of the most famous pieces of classical music ever, so there‘s countless interpretations, performances and arrangements for orchestra or unconventional instruments like the theremin. It‘s been used in different media when trying to evoke a sense of romantic wonder (or in reference to the moon).
I tried looking for a recording by Debussy to see how he interpreted his own music, but there isn‘t one. There is a CD featuring music from Debussy played by himself (on piano rolls) also featuring a performance of „Clair de Lune“, but that specific performance is not by Debussy himself. There are only six piano rolls by him, but the CD has a longer runtime, so they just filled the rest with piano roll performances by other people. So if you find a video claiming to contain a recording of Debussy himself playing „Clair de Lune“, that‘s probably a misinterpretation stemming from that CD. „Clair de Lune“ specifically was interpreted on the CD by Walter Gieseking, and that performance is actually on Spotify. I‘ve heard that performance is rather individualistic and takes freedom with the rhythm, but it‘s the oldest one I found, so I included it on the playlist. I do recommend listening to the recording by Josef Hofmann from 1946 though (which is not on Spotify).
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9. Miles Davis | „So What“
Recording: March 2, 1959
Release: August 17, 1959 (album track)
Album: Kind of Blue (1959)
Songwriter: Miles Davis
Producer: Teo Macero
Genre: Modal Jazz, Cool Jazz
Line-up: Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Miles Davis (trumpet), Bill Evans (piano)

Points: 892
Finished #4 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #20
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #164
AM rank: #515
Biggest Fan: Schüttelbirne (#2), Bang Jan (#5), Brad (#8), Elder (#13)
Not a Fan: SL3 (#142)

George Russell published a book in 1953 called Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, attempting to explain the entirety of music through the tonal gravity of the Lydian mode. I won‘t even try to go into this concept because I do not understand it well enough myself to give a correct account of it. It‘s just important to know that this book and the concept of modality had a major influence on subsequent jazz music. The most significant example is probably Miles Davis‘ album Kind of Blue, which seeks to experiment with modes.
The first track of the album and its most famous one is „So What“ which utilizes Dorian modes. It‘s somewhat unusual in that the bass introduces the melody; that instrument is primarily utilized for rhythmic purposes. Chambers was one of the most accomplished jazz bassists of the 1950s working as a sideman for various big names, but also releasing music under his own name. The song starts with a piano intro, but soon Chambers plays the main theme which is answered by Evans‘ piano in a call-and-response pattern. That response is soon joined by the other instrumentalists. After around 90 seconds the solos start coming, starting with Miles Davis himself (the rhythm section and piano keep playing, as is typical for jazz solos). Following that Coltrane does his solo; he does not cram as many notes in a tight space as he would start doing soon after, but his style is already very discernible. Adderley follows and then Evans gets to do a solo, but he is supported by the wind players in the back. In the end the head is repeated.
Despite being the artist with most albums in the final poll, „So What“ is the only song of his that made it through. It‘s a deserving one.
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Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That‘s where you‘ll find me
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8. Judy Garland with Victor Young and His Orchestra | „Over the Rainbow“
Recording: July 27, 1939
Release: September 1939 (B-side: „The Jitterbug“)
Album: The Wizard of Oz [OST] (1939)
Songwriters: Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg
Producers:
Genre: Traditional Pop, Film Soundtrack
Line-up: Judy Garland (vocals), Victor Young (conductor) et al.

Points: 895
Finished #3 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #2
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #302
AM rank: #156
The dreams that you dare to dream really do come true: Honorio (#3), DaveC (#6), Henry (#7), Moonbeam (#7), Father2TheMan (#8)
Why, oh why can‘t I?: nicolas (#144)

There could be a bit of a dispute about which recording is the right one here. Garland recorded the song for the movie The Wizard of Oz where it appears early in the film, but she also recorded it in the studio for a single release by Decca. The first release of the soundtrack which happened either 1939 or 1940 (varying sources) includes this performance and not the one heard in the film. That performance was only released in 1956 when another version of the soundtrack was released. Nowadays, most people refer to the version from the film and not the Decca recording, despite it being the first. But that shouldn‘t be a problem.
„Over the Rainbow“ was originally written for The Wizard of Oz. It was immediately successful, with four cover versions reaching the Top 10 within a month of the films premiere (Glenn Miller, Larry Clinton, Bob Crosby and the original version, though the original version was only third in terms of highest placement).
Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg were hired to score after Jerome Kern proved to be unavailable. Arlen and Harburg first wrote most of the novelty songs on the soundtrack (Arlen called them „leom drop“ songs), like „Ding-Dong! The Wicked Witch Is Dead“, or „We‘re Off to See the Wizard“. These are very closely connected with the plot and have not proved as successful as the more universal „Over the Rainbow“.
Arlen felt he needed a ballad to balance things out and the melody came to him while driving. Harburg was skeptical at first whether a song like that should be included in the movie, since it didn‘t seem like something a twelve-year-old farmer‘s girl would sing. Ira Gershwin helped Arlen change the song a bit, convincing Harburg of writing the lyrics.
The lyrics describe the longing for a world in which life is simply better. Many have interpreted the song (and the whole movie actually) in reference to the New Deal.
The producers were not easily convinced to include the song in the movie, but it proved to be a major success, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1940. To this day, „Over the Rainbow“ is regularly voted one of the best songs of all time, and our poll just proves that once again.
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Liz Taylor is not his style
And even Lana Turner‘s smile
Is somethin‘ he can‘t see
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7. Nina Simone | „My Baby Just Cares for Me“
Recording: December 1957
Release: February 1959 (album track)
Album: Little Girl Blue
Songwriters: Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn
Producer: Joseph Muranyi
Genre: Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Jimmy Bond (bass), Al Heath (drums), Nina Simone (vocals, piano)

Points: 918
Finished #2 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #9
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #527
AM rank: #1398
My baby don‘t care who knows: Brad (#1), bonnielaurel (#5), Honorio (#8), nicolas (#14)
I wonder what‘s wrong with baby: mileswide (#141)

We have a few jazz standards on the list. A standard is a musical composition which is widely known and performed by a variety of different musicians. Instead of performing one‘s own compositions, musicians can do their own version of the existing piece. A lot of musicians in the sub-genre of Vocal Jazz fill their albums with loads of standards. While Nina Simone was certainly able to write her own songs, many of her most famous recordings are covers of standards or traditional songs.
„My Baby Just Cares for Me“ was composed by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn for the film version of the musical comedy Whoopee!. The stage version of the same musical introduced another famous standard, „Love Me or Leave Me“. Both were performed by Eddie Cantor who made these songs famous.
Nina Simone recorded her own version of the song in 1957 and it was released in 1959 (many people voted for it in the 1958 poll though). It‘s arranged for a piano trio, with Simone adding a piano solo in the middle of the song. Her vocals are a bit more melancholic than typical for performances of this standards.
The song had a renaissance in 1987 when it was used in a perfume ad. The song was reissued as a single and made it into the single charts.
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6. George Gershwin | „Rhapsody in Blue“
Publication: June 1924
Genre: Modern Classical, Big Band
Premiere: February 12, 1924

Points: 942
Finished #1 in 18xx-1929 poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #4
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #506
AM rank: #1086 (in the Paul Whiteman recording)
Biggest Fan: Bang Jan (#2), Brad (#2), Listyguy (#3), bonnielaurel (#6), Moonbeam (#12)
Not a Fan: DaveC (#136), Father2TheMan (#142), SL3 (#150)

The highest-ranking classical work in our poll. It was clear from the start that I would include a Paul Whiteman recording of it on the playlist; it‘s featured on AM (a rarity for classical music), it has been inducted into the Library of Congress and Whiteman was the person who originally commissioned the piece from Gershwin.
However, it‘s not really clear which version to include since both the first acoustic recording and the first electric recording done by Whiteman were abridged versions of „Rhapsody in Blue“ due to the limitations of the time. I ultimately decided on a longer version.
The Paul Whiteman recording is maybe not everyone‘s favorite. Some might prefer a recording of Gershwin on solo piano or a two-piano version or the orchestral version by Oscar Levant or any of the other countless versions around. „Rhapsody in Blue“ is far more… flexible in its nature than is normal for classical music. The composition itself is prettyclear, but the arrangement varies significantly. The first performance on February 12, 1924 was arranged by Ferde Grofé featuring a lot of different instruments. Ross Gorman played the following (all in the same piece!): oboe, heckelphone, clarinet, two sopranino saxophones, alto saxophone, soprano clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet. And that is just one of twenty-three orchestra members. This arrangement was soon discarded and only revived sixty years later. Grofé also did other arrangements for different orchestras, with the symphonic arrangement proving the most popular.
„Rhapsody in Blue“ has often been described as an embodiment of the spirit of the Jazz Age, a representation of the zeitgeist of the time and the Roaring Twenties. The composition uses musical elements taken from Jazz which was a new thing at the time. Gershwin would continue working in this setting, with the jazz opera Porgy and Bess being a popular example.
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Moi je t‘offrirai
Des perles de pluie
Venues de pays
Où il ne pleut pas
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5. Jacques Brel | „Ne me quitte pas“
Recording: September 11, 1959
Release: November 1959 (album track)
Album: N° 4 (1959)
Songwriter: Jacques Brel
Producer: Jacques Canetti
Genre: Chanson à texte
Line-up: Jacques Brel (vocals), Janine De Waleyne (ondes Martenot), François Rauber (conductor) et al.

Points: 949
Finished #3 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #5
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #438
AM rank: #544
Je ferai un domaine où l‘amour sera roi: bonnielaurel (#3), Dan (#5), nicolas (#6), Listyguy (#10)
L‘histoire de ce roi mort de n‘avoir pas pu te rencontrer: Father2TheMan (#136), Henry (#138)

The song was written after (about?) the separation of Brel from his pregnant mistress Suzanne Gabriello who ended their relationship when he refused to leave his wife and children. The song was actually not supposed to be sung by Brel himself at first. The first recording was done by Simone Langlois in January 1959.
A part of the song‘s music was taken from Franz Liszt‘s „Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6“. The lyrics are about a person begging a lover not to leave, finding poetic images for his feelings. In the final stanza he‘s ready to completely disappear as a person for his lover, becoming the shadow of his lover‘s shadow or even the shadow of their dog. Brel spoke in a radio interview about this song wrongly being perceived as a love song, when in fact it is about a man‘s cowardice.
Brel‘s version of the song was originally released on his fourth album titled N° 4, but found a single release in April 1960 as the B-side to „La valse à mille temps“. Brel also recorded a Dutch version and a re-arranged version for his 1972 album Ne me quitte pas.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »


See the girl with the red dress on
She can do the Birdland all night long
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4. Ray Charles and His Orchestra | „What‘d I Say“
Recording: February 18, 1959
Release: June 1959
Album: What‘d I Say (1959)
Songwriter: Ray Charles
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Line-up: Gwendolyn Berry (backing vocals), Ray Charles (vocals, piano), Bennie Crawford (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone), Margie Hendricks (backing vocals), Patricia Lyles (backing vocals), Darlene McCrea (backing vocals), David Newman (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone), Milt Turner (drums), Edgar Willis (double bass)

Points: 1062
Finished #2 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #2
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #96
AM rank: #27
Make me feel so good: andyd1010 (#2), mileswide (#3), nicolas (#4), Henry (#5), Moonbeam (#10), Father2TheMan (#13)
I‘m gonna send you back to Arkansas: bonnielaurel (#74)

Ray Charles employed the girl group The Cookies that was also signed to Atlantic Records to sing back-up for his concerts. The group would later be retitled The Raelettes (as a derivative of Charles‘s name of course). Charles had an affair with one of the group‘s singers, Margie Hendricks (who also sings the female part in „Hit the Road Jack“).
In one of these concerts „What‘d I Say“ was born as the result of improvisation. Charles says so in his autobiography and listening to the song, it does make sense. The lyrics are not exactly complex, so they‘re easy to come up with on the spot, and the music is clearly derivative of existing gospel and blues styles. Later he guided the Raelettes in a call-and-response part. The song was a major success with the audience and was deemed worthy of recording.
The recording turned out to be a bit too long for a single release, so they split it into two parts occupying the two sides of the single. The call-and-response part including moans that were deemed inappropriate by some at the time, is on the B-side. That entire section is similar to gospel music in style, but not exactly in spirit.
The song sold incredibly well, became a major commercial success and a big influence on artists like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. It is also credited as being one of the first Soul records.
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3. Dave Brubeck Quartet | „Take Five“
Recording: July 1, 1959
Release: September 21, 1959 (B-side: „Blue Rondo à la Turk“)
Album: Time Out (1959)
Songwriter: Paul Desmond
Producer: Teo Macero
Genre: Cool Jazz
Line-up: Dave Brubeck (piano), Paul Desmond (alto saxophone), Joe Morello (drums), Eugene Wright (bass)

Points: 1124
Finished #1 in 1959 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #6
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #250
AM rank: #695
Biggest Fan: mileswide (#2), DaveC (#4), Bang Jan (#8), Brad (#9), Father2TheMan (#10), Honorio (#11), andyd1010 (#12), Moonbeam (#14)
Not a Fan: nicolas (#77)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet had its start in 1951 with Paul Desmond being the saxophonist from the start. The rhythm section kept changing over the years, finalized in 1959 with Morello and Wright on drums and bass, respectively. The album Time Out was supposed to showcase jazz songs with unconventional time signatures and Desmond wrote one in 5/4 signature. That song became one of the best-selling jazz singles of all time and a standard known even by people who do not normally listen to jazz, since it‘s been featured in countless movies and television shows.
Despite the upbeat, happy nature of the song, it wasn‘t very easy to record since the beat was rather unusual. They weren‘t able to get a good take in their first recording session, so they had to do another session where they finally cut both single and album track. The album track is more than twice the length of the single and probably the preferred version by most.
That version features two main melodies: The first melody is introduced, the second follows, then the first reprises. This happens twice, interrupted by two solos (first by Desmond, then by Morello). Both melodies are played by Desmond who is the stand-out player on this song.
„Take Five“ was not an immediate success, only after it was reissued in 1961, did it go on to sell more than a million copies.
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His mother told him, „Someday you will be a man
And you will be the leader of a big old band“
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2. Chuck Berry | „Johnny B. Goode“
Recording: January 6, 1958
Release: March 31, 1958 (B-side: „Around and Around“)
Album: Chuck Berry Is on Top (1959)
Songwriter: Chuck Berry
Producers: Leonard Chess & Phil Chess
Genre: Rock & Roll
Line-up: Fred Below (drums), Chuck Berry (vocals, guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Lafayette Leake (piano)

Points: 1200
Finished #1 in 1958 poll
Rank in 2016 1950s poll: #1
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #47
AM rank: #5
Maybe someday your name will be in lights: Dan (#1), andyd1010 (#1), Father2TheMan (#1), Henry (#1), SL3 (#4), mileswide (#6), nicolas (#8), Honorio (#9), Listyguy (#11)
Who never ever learned to read or write so well: Schüttelbirne (#89)

In this poll we covered popular music from the start of music recordings until 1959. The highest-ranking entry on the AM list is this little rock song here, „Johnny B. Goode“ by Chuck Berry. We already saw him chasing after his unfaithful lover, making good old Ludwig van roll over in his grave and dancing to the kind of music he himself made, „Rock and Roll Music“. Much like the latter song, „Johnny B. Goode“ is also about rock music, from the perspective of a rock musician. Berry relates a semi-autobiographical narrative of a boy from the country who‘s very good at playing the guitar and is getting encouraged by his mother to pursue his passion and become a musician.
Berry has admitted that the song has autobiographical roots, but he changed a few things; most significantly, „a country boy“ was originally supposed to be „a colored boy“, but that wouldn‘t have made it on the radio.
The song consists of three surprisingly eloquent verses with a simple rhyme scheme and a chorus mainly consisting of the words „Go Johnny, go“. The guitar riffs of the song have become famous and Berry‘s style of guitar playing has been imitated countless times. „Johnny B. Goode“ stands as one of the most significant examples of early rock music.
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Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
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1. Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra | „Strange Fruit“
Recording: April 20, 1939
Release: May 1939 (B-side: „Fine and Mellow“)
Songwriter: Abel Meeropol [as Lewis Allan]
Producer: Milt Gabler
Genre: Vocal Jazz
Line-up: Eddie Dougherty (drums), Billie Holiday (vocals), Kenneth Hollon (tenor saxophone), Jimmy McLin (guitar), Stanley Payne (tenor saxophone), Tab Smith (alto saxophone), Sonny White (piano), Johnny Williams (bass)

Points: 1250
Finished #1 in 1930s poll
Rank in 2016 1900-1949 poll: #1
Rank in 2021 All-Time poll: #34
AM rank: #35
Pastoral scene of the gallant South: Bang Jan (#1), bonnielaurel (#1), DaveC (#1) Listyguy (#1), Honorio (#2), nicolas (#2), Schüttelbirne (#3), Elder (#4), Brad (#7), Dan (#8), Moonbeam (#11)
Here is a strange and bitter crop: andyd1010 (#86)

After feeling haunted by a photograph of the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith from 1930, Jewish-American teacher and poet Abel Meeropol wrote the poem „Bitter Fruit“ which was published in The New York Teacher in 1937. That poem formed the foundation for the lyrics of „Strange Fruit“ which was set to music by Meeropol himself. There are a few minor differences between the poem and the first recorded version of the song by Billie Holiday, mostly in terms of numbers. An additional influence for the song was the protest song „Sistren an‘ Brethren“ which introduced the metaphor of a hanged human body as a fruit on a tree.
Three verses in the original poem are put in brackets. If you exclude these, the meaning of the poem is far harder to ascertain. The verses being put into brackets is maybe a reference to things hidden in plain sight. The poem paints a contrast between a perceived idyll of „the gallent South“, describing it as „pastoral“ and the reality of the lynchings happening within that same area. Meeropol never mentions the words „lynching“, instead referring to the result of these events as the titular fruit hanging from the trees.
Meeropol and his wife performed the song in social contexts before performing it together with singer Laura Duncan at Madison Square Garden. In some way Billie Holiday heard of the song (there‘s different stories how) and decided to perform it herself at the Café Society. She started making it a regular part of her shows as the final number (with the lights being dimmed and the waiters in the club not serving anyone to not disturb the atmosphere).
Holiday was signed to Columbia and approached them about recording the song, but its political message was too hot for the label, so they declined. But they did allow Holiday to record it for a different label, Commodore who released it. „Strange Fruit“ proved to be a big success, selling over a million copies. (Some attribute this to the B-side, „Fine and Mellow“)
Holiday‘s original recording of the song is simply haunting and overwhelming (see pictures from that session above). The piano intro was improvised by Sonny White to make the song a bit longer, but it fits the ominous, gloomy tone of the song incredibly well. But when Holiday starts singing, it‘s all about her voice, articulating each word skillfully while imbuing it with emotion. The way she pronounces the rhyme of ‚pluck‘ and ‚suck‘ is a favorite moment of mine, as is the way she intones the word ‚drop‘ in the penultimate verse.
I read on multiple sites that Meeropol, who was a Communist, became the subject of an investigation, asking whether the American Communist Party had paid him to write „Strange Fruit“; however I am not sure if that is the case. There‘s a lot of unproven stuff about the song out there, also relating to Holiday and her troubles with the law, and I am not qualified to comment about any of it.
I can say, however, that „Strange Fruit“ was predestined to be #1 in this poll from the start since it has lost none of its appeal (musically and message-wise) in the past 80 years.
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Honorio
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Honorio »

Congratulations, Schüttelbirne!! Probably the best rollout ever in the forum (or should I say so far, we still have the albums), very informative and with exquisite attention to detail.
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Dan
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Dan »

Thanks very much Schüttelbirne. Especially, thank you for the effort you put into those very informative write-ups about each song/piece. It was lovely to learn more about them. I do love music of the early years, and it has been a joy to take part in these polls again, and to see the (sometimes surprising) results from the songs poll. Looking forward to the rollout for the albums!
...will keep us together.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Schüttelbirne »

So, about the albums rollout: It's gonna take a while. I'm more than halfway done, but I will still need some time.
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Lagunin
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Lagunin »

I agree, this looks amazing.
Fantastic job, Schüttelbirne!
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by DaveC »

Thank you Schüttelbirne. Superb write-ups.
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by Nassim »

I will join the chorus of applause, wonderful rollout.

I'm also happy to see the voters completely threw the usual rock'n'roll centric canon away and, even if you put classical music aside, ended up with something pretty different from the AM rankings (the Be-bop-a-lula and You Send Me results were the first big surprises). So I forgive you all for that very low ranking of L'Hymne à l'Amour.
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Re: Music of the Early Years: The Results - Songs

Post by nicolas »

Thank you SO much Schüttelbirne for this fantastic roll out ! I really love early music and those write-ups were fantastic, you must have learnt so much while doing them!
If I may, I'd like to add one little thing to your comment of Henri Salvador's "Dans mon île". This song is very famous in Brazil, praised by people like Gilberto gil and is considered as one of the first recordings of bossa nova, along with Gilberto's "Chega de Saudade". The song was on the soundtrack of an Italian movie that was played in Brazil in the late 50s, and it is said that many musicians in Brazil were influenced by it. But Salvador himself wasn't aware of that for a long time
Caetano Veloso did a cover of "Dans mon île" in 1981 I guess.
Salvador was honored by Gilberto Gil, then ministry of culture under Lula, in 2005.

Also : the lyrics in Milord strongly suggest that the woman in the song is a prostitute.
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