Billboard's #1 Pop Singles

[Max]

Carl, given that I know so little about folk music, I never knew this.

Alphanguy, the only person I know who shares a name with somebody famous was a former co-worked named James Buchanan (our 15th president and the one who immediately preceded Lincoln). Going a bit off-topic, what was it like working at a garden center? (I'm just curious because I have an interest in retail.)

For those who have been keeping track, it's been 15 months since a song ("Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds) that featured a female lead vocalist reached number one. This male-dominated streak finally ended when "To Know Him Is to Love Him" by The Teddy Bears spent three weeks at the peak position: the weeks ended 12/1/58, 12/8/58, & 12/15/58.

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The Teddy Bears were a vocal group from Los Angeles that consisted of lead singer Annette Kleinbard, as well as back-up singers Phil Spector (yes, the same Phil Spector who would become a huge name in rock and roll) and Marshall Leib. One of the most romantic songs of the late-50's, "To Know Him Is To Love Him" was inspired by an inscription on the tombstone of Spector's father that read "To Know Him Was to Love Him." Young Phil, just 17 years old at the time, not only wrote the song but produced it as well.

Like several other artists that had chart-toppers in 1958, the Teddy Bears wound up a one-hit wonder. Perhaps the group might have made the top 40 again, but the trio disbanded in 1959 because (1) Spector did not like performing and (2) Kleinbard got into a serious car accident. Fortunately, both individuals made comebacks: Anenette (after changing her name to Carol Connors) would write (or co-write) several big hits: "Hey Little Cobra" by The Rip Chords (#4 in 1964), "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from 'Rocky')" by Bill Conti (#1 in 1977), and "With You I'm Born Again" by Billy Preston & Syreeta (#4 in 1980). And as I alluded to earlier, Phil would become one of the most influential producers in the history of rock. After "To Know Him Is to Love Him," Phil would produce three songs that made the top 10 in 1961: Ray Peterson's "Corrina, Corrina;" Curtis Lee's "Pretty Little Angel Eyes;" and the Paris Sisters' "I Love How You Love Me." Late that year, he and partner Lester Sill would start their own label, Philles Records; shortly thereafter, Spector would focus his energies on the Crystals, who scored a number one hit of their own in 1962.

[DRW50]

Dylan was attacked for "going electric" at the big folk festival Newport.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Dylan_controversy

To Know Him is to Love Him is a pretty song, but I must admit I prefer the Trio version. Unfortunately the album version isn't on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqXvHXJvk44

[alphanguy74]

Max... working at a Garden Center was nice... the best job i'd ever had working for someone else LOL, I was assistant manager, though. You got to be tough and work out in the heat and whatever, one time I had to unload a truck full of bushes in a hailstorm. "To Know Him Is to Love Him" is my favorite song of the 50's, just gorgeous in every way. Too bad that Phil Spector turned out to be a psychopath, he was so talented as a writer. the bridge of that song is the most beautiful bridge in pop music history, IMO. I had heard that Phil's parents were first cousins, something he was ashamed of and tried to hide, some think his craziness is a result of inbreeding, who knows. Annete has a lovely voice, and during that bridge we see she really has some POWER as well. Here is the song sung live,nobody seems to know what show this is from, however:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RVGmiBdhWA

Peter and Gordon also did a cover version of this song which was released as a single both in the United States and the UK in June of 1965. Peter Asher (who went on to be president of A&R at Apple Records 3 years later) had an unpleasant run-in with Phil Spector at a Los Angeles Party, so as revenge, he decided to record one of his songs, and to "Out-Spector Spector" in his words. It topped out in the US at #24, I can't find the chart position for the UK, though it's most likely higher. The intro is triple-tracked... meaning six voices singing, but just the two of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8edok_DPZo

[Max]

Carl, thanks for explaining to me the story with Dylan. By the way, he never had a #1 hit, but scored a pair of #2s: "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) & "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" (1966). (Although the Byrds hit #1 with a cover of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" in 1965.)

Alphanguy, I really appreciate you telling me about your experiences at the garden center. Though almost every single job in retail is hard, the job you had sounds especially grueling. Regarding "To Know Him Is To Love Him," I agree that the song's bridge is its very best part.

Given the popularity of novelty songs in 1958, it's fitting that the final number one song of the year--"The Chipmunk Song" by David Seville & the Chipmunks--was also of this variety. "The Chipmunk Song" (sometimes referred to as "Christmas Don't Be Late") spent four weeks at the peak position: the weeks ended 12/22/58, 12/29/58, 1/5/59, & 1/12/59.

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David Seville (the stage name for Ross Bagdasarian) already had a #1 hit in 1958 with "Witch Doctor," and also had a follow up single ("The Bird on My Head") that barely made the top 40. After these two songs, however, Seville decided to exploit the recording techniques first used in those tunes by creating a cartoon character for each "different" voice. Thus, the Chipmunks--Alvin, Simon, and Theodore--were born, and subsequent recordings were billed as being performed by David Seville & the Chipmunks.

"The Chipmunk Song" was the first record credited to both Seville & the Chipmunks, and it was both a critical and commercial smash. The song won three Grammys: Best Comedy Performance, Best Recording for Children, and Best Engineered Record. The commercial success of the song is quite remarkable, given that Christmas tunes (or those about any other holiday) seldom do well on the chart. In fact, no Christmas recording has since gone to #1; perhaps the only Christmas song to be more popular was Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," which spent eleven weeks at #1 (from October 1942 to January 1943) and remains the best selling single of all-time.

Although David Seville & the Chipmunks only managed one more top 10 hit--"Alvin's Harmonica" (which peaked at #3 in 1959)--the furry creatures remained in the public eye due to "The Alvin Show," a prime-time cartoon that aired on CBS from 1961-62 (and was later re-run on syndication). Once the Chipmunks seemed to be a thing of the past, Seville focused his musical energies on other things until he died of a heart attack in 1972 (at age 52). Seville's son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., had always wanted to be a lawyer, and had little interest in cartoons and novelty recordings. However, as a result of his father's untimely death, he felt an obligation to continue the Chipmunk franchise. Ross Jr. and his wife, Janice Karman, managed to convince NBC to give the Chipmunks new life, and a new Saturday Morning cartoon--called "Alvin and the Chipmunks"--ran from 1983-91 and was a huge success. (In this cartoon, Ross Jr. provided the voices of Alvin, Simon, and the fictional David Seville, while Janice served as the voices for Theodore and the Chipettes.) In 2007, the first Alvin & the Chipmunks live-action film hit theaters, and it too was a big success.

[DRW50]

that's one of those Christmas songs you hear again and again every year. It can be annoying but still enjoyable. The worst are the Spike Jones Christmas songs, which I truly believe caused quite a few suicides over the years.

[Max]

Carl, I agree that "The Chipmunk Song" seems to get played so often every single Christmas. However, the song really is not that dated, other than the fact that Alvin wanted a hula hoop (which was the biggest fad of 1958).

My personal favorite "Chipmunk" song is "We're the Chipmunks" (which is the intro to the NBC Saturday Morning "Alvin and the Chipmunks" cartoon.) A line in that song--"It's been awhile, but we're back in style"--alluded to the fact the cartoon was a revival.

I am not going to post another number one hit today. Rather, I am going to take the time to clear up something that may be a source of confusion for some. As I mentioned previously, the Hot 100 did not debut until August 4, 1958. Prior to that time, "Billboard" Magazine had several different pop charts. According to Fred Bronson, author of "The 'Billboard' Book of Number One Hits," the Best Sellers in Stores chart was the most accurate, so that is the chart I referenced when posting the pre-August 1958 #1 hits. However, if you read another reference book, "The 'Billboard' Book of Top 40 Hits" by Joel Whitburn, that author assigns the highest chart performance to any single, regardless of which of Billboard's pop charts it came from. Thus, you may sometimes see/hear oldies classified as #1 hits even though they were not profiled in this thread. Below is a listing of every song that went to #1 on (at least) one of the other "Billboard" pop charts, as well as its peak position on the Best Sellers in Stores chart.

1955:

"Dance With Me Henry" by Georgia Gibbs (#2)

"Unchained Melody" by Les Baxter, His Chorus, & His Orchestra (#2)

"Learnin' the Blues" by Frank Sinatra (#2)

"Ain't That a Shame" by Pat Boone (#2)

1956:

"The Great Pretender" by The Platters (#2)

"Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)" by Perry Como (#2)

"Moonglow and Theme from 'Picnic'" by Morris Stoloff & the Columbia Pictures Orchestra (#2)

"I Almost Lost My Mind" by Pat Boone (#2)

"The Green Door" by Jim Lowe (#2)

1957:

"Don't Forbid Me" by Pat Boone (#3)

"Young Love" by Sonny James (#2)

"Butterfly" by Andy Williams (#4)

"Butterfly" by Charlie Gracie (#3)

"Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis (#4)

1958:

"Sugartime" by The McGuire Sisters (#7)

"Get a Job" by The Silhouettes (#2)

"Catch a Falling Star" by Perry Como (#3)

"He's Got the Whole World (In His Hands)" by Laurie London (#2)

"Yakety Yak" by The Coasters (#2)

"Patricia" by Perez Prado & His Orchestra (#2)

Furthermore, I mentioned that even though the Hot 100 debuted on 8/4/58, the Best Sellers in Stores chart still appeared through 10/13/58. During that time, one single that was not profiled in this thread--"Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers--reached #1 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart but only peaked at #2 on the Hot 100.

Though this may complicate matters even further, note that Whitburn (in his book) lists the weeks spent at #1 based upon which chart a song had its best performance, whereas Bronson (as well as myself) states only the weeks a single held the top spot on the Best Sellers in Stores chart (for the pre-August 1958 records). For instance, I previously stated that "All Shook Up" spent eight weeks at #1, but it actually held the peak position for nine weeks on one of the other charts.

Thankfully, there will be just one Billboard pop chart going forward.

[Max]

The first of fifteen "new" #1 singles of 1959 was "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by The Platters, which spent three weeks at the top: the weeks ended 1/19/59, 1/26/59, & 2/2/59.

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If you exclude "The Great Pretender" (which did not reach #1 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart), "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" was the Platters' third chart-topper. The origins of this classic song date to well before the advent of rock and roll, as it was written in 1933 by Otto Harbach and Jerome Kern for the musical "Roberta."

Despite the fact that "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" became the group's most popular song, the chart fortunes of the Platters would soon take a turn for the worse. Two events caused this about-face: First, in August 1959, all four male members of the Platters were arrested in Cincinnati for using drugs and hiring prostitutes. Secondly, lead singer Tony Williams (who died on 8/14/92) left the group for an unsuccessful solo career in 1960. (Williams was replaced by Sonny Turner, and more personnel changes would come later in the decade.)

Before Williams left the group, The Platters scored one final top ten hit, "Harbor Lights" (#8 in 1960). The group disappeared from the top 40 after 1961, only to briefly re-emerge with two relatively minor hits that were sung in a post-doo-wop, soul style: "I Love You 1,000 Times" (#31 in 1966) and "With This Ring" (#14 in 1967). In 1990, the Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[I Am A Swede]

Beautiful!

[I Am A Swede]

A true classic, not to mention a beautiful song. They don't make them like this anymore.

[quartermainefan]

They didn't even make them like this then! This is a really, really old song

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[DRW50]

I never knew that about the Platters being arrested on drugs and prostitutes. Today that would be seen as some badge of honor.

[Max]

Fred and Ginger were so talented.

It's beyond sad how much our morals have decayed over the past couple of decades.

Lloyd Price was one of the most prominent names to come out of the early New Orleans R&B scene. His biggest hit was the marvelous "Stagger Lee," which was #1 for four weeks: the weeks ended 2/9/59, 2/16/59, 2/23/59, & 3/2/59.

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Though "Stagger Lee" is a very cheerful sounding and danceable record, the song is actually about the December 24, 1895 murder of William Lyons by Stagger Lee Shelton. Prior to World War II, this tune was actually known as "Stack O'Lee," and was a folk song that was first published by John Lomax in 1910. The most prominent pre-Lloyd Price recording of "Stack O'Lee" was made by Herb Wiedoeft and his band in 1924. And even after Price took "Stagger Lee" to number one, Wilson Pickett and Tommy Roe each scored a top 30 hit with the tune as well (in 1967 and 1971, respectively).

Lloyd Price first came unto the music scene when he scored a #1 R&B hit with "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" in 1952. While he scored four more top 10 R&B hits over the next 24 months, his career stalled when he spent two years in the Armed Forces. In 1957, he had a comeback single called "Just Because," which peaked at #3 on the R&B chart. (The song also peaked at #29 on one of the pre-Hot 100 pop charts, but failed to make the Best Sellers in Stores chart.) Price's most successful year by far was 1959, when--in addition to "Stagger Lee"--he had two other smash hits on the pop chart: "Personality" (#2) and "I'm Gonna Get Married" (#3). Sadly, he never again had a top 10 hit, and his last appearance on the top 40 was in 1963.

Price is currently 78 years old, and has long been nicknamed "Mr. Personality" after his second biggest hit. In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (I personally have mixed feelings about his induction, given that more deserving artists such as Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka, and Connie Francis have yet to get in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Certainly, Price would be a slam dunk if one was talking about induction into an R&B Hall of Fame.)

As a side note, "Stagger Lee" has a "feature" that I think is really cool: it starts out slowly, and then really picks up its tempo. Quite a few songs were/are like this, especially in the early years of rock and roll.

[alphanguy74]

I just love the heck out of Lloyd Price's music. All of his hits are really good. "Personality" only topped out at #2, but I think it deserved to be #1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBiJAxgZFFI

And as a side note, the best cover of a Lloyd Price song IMO, came from a very unexpected place, just really packs a punch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYjL-0WPV4Y

Lloyd also had some mid level hits on the R&B charts as late as the 70's that were really good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufBjiDDW8w8

[DRW50]

I didn't remember he'd also done Personality. That's a great song. Stagger Lee is good too. The part I always remember is "I've got three little children and a wife," or something like that.

[quartermainefan]

the wife was very sickly. Both those songs are perfect fodder for jukeboxes in retro themes restaurants. "Personality" especially seems so steeped in the time.