Members DRW50 Posted December 17, 2011 Members Share Posted December 17, 2011 I love Everybody's Somebody's Fool. It's catchy as hell and she tears into it, as she also does with Lipstick On Your Collar, probably her closest to "rock." Connie, like Rosemary Clooney, was far better at singing upbeat songs than she was given credit for. It's a shame she had such a sad life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I Am A Swede Posted December 17, 2011 Members Share Posted December 17, 2011 "Everybody's somebody's fool" became a massive hit here in Sweden as well, but in a Swedish version called "Tunna skivor". It was sung by Siw Malmkvist, one of the biggest stars here during that time, and it became her biggest hit, topping the charts for seven weeks. (this clip is from a radio program and you can hear the presenter at the very beginning) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted December 18, 2011 Members Share Posted December 18, 2011 I'd never heard of this. Thanks! She has a bit of a harsh voice but not bad at all. Whatever happened to her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Max Posted December 18, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 18, 2011 Those foreign language versions of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" sounded very good. I totally agree with this sentiment. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was knocked out of the top spot by "Alley-Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles, which was #1 for one week: the week ended 7/11/60. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/omjw6W9Fnq0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The nucleus of the Hollywood Argyles was singer and producer Gary Paxton. Gary had already tasted success as part of the second half of duo Skip & Flip, scoring two #11 hits in the process: "It Was I" (1959) and "Cherry Pie" (1960). Following a break up with Clyde "Skip" Battin, Paxton moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after settling into his new surroundings, Paxton and a bunch of studio musicians recorded "Alley-Oop," a silly novelty song about the V.T. Hamlin comic strip of the same name (and its title character). Gary decided to name his new group after the roadway--Argyle Street--that intersected his Sunset Boulevard studio. "Alley-Oop" went all the way to number one despite the fact that a competiting version of the tune by Dante & the Evergreens peaked at #15. Unfortunately, both groups turned out to be one-hit wonders. Although his recording career was over, Paxton kept active in the business, producing hits for Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Tommy Roe, the Association, and others. He also became involved in both country and gospel music. Gary is no stranger to personal tragedy, as he was shot three times by hitmen in 1980, and suffers from hepatitis C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bright Eyes Posted December 18, 2011 Members Share Posted December 18, 2011 The original 50 Cent. Or Pamela Anderson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I Am A Swede Posted December 18, 2011 Members Share Posted December 18, 2011 Siw is now 74 years old but is still performing, although on a much smaller scale than before. But she's had a long and highly successful career. During the sixties she was a major star, not only in Sweden but also in West Germany, and she's still held in high regard there. In 1964 she was actually the first Swedish performer to have a hit on the Billboard chart. ("Sole sole" together with Italian singer Umberto Marcato). She has also had success on the stage and in films. In 1983 she starred in the original Swedish production of the musical "Nine", and has also been seen in "Cabaret" and the stage musical "Sugar" based on "Some like it hot". At the age of 44 in 1980 she had a huge success when she played the lead in a stage production of "Pippi Longstocking". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted December 18, 2011 Members Share Posted December 18, 2011 Alley Oop is perhaps one of the most banal and insipid songs of the entire rock era. It's right up there in the top 5 worst along with Disco Duck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted December 18, 2011 Members Share Posted December 18, 2011 I'm not a big fan either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Max Posted December 18, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 18, 2011 "Alley-Oop" sucks, but it is a masterpiece compared to another #1 novelty song that is coming later in 1960. The signature song of Brenda Lee (a.k.a., "Little Miss Dynamite")--"I'm Sorry"--spent three weeks at number one: the weeks ended 7/18/60, 7/25/60, & 8/1/60. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Mv5y_fzA3dk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Brenda Lee's real name is Brenda Mae Tarpley, and she was only 15 years old when "I'm Sorry" topped the Hot 100. Lee gained experience at a very young age, singing on "Starmakers Revue" (a weekly Atlanta radio program) and "TV Ranch." In the mid-50s, country singer Red Foley was blown away upon hearing Brenda sing, and soon became a big champion of hers (managing to convice executives of Decca Records to sign her to the label). In 1957, Lee had a modest chart success with "One Step at a Time" (which failed to make the top 40). It would be a 1959 trip to Paris that really caused Brenda's popularity to take off: those running the Olympia Music Hall were under the impression that Lee was an adult, and when they found out the truth, Dub Albritton (Lee's manager) then claimed she was a 32 year-old midget. Though Albritton later retracted his bogus statement, the promoters of the show felt compelled not to cancel, due to the huge press buzz these rumors created. As a result of her excellent performance at the Olympia Music Hall concert, Lee became very popular in Europe. American success soon followed, when "Sweet Nothin's" peaked at #4 in early 1960. For her follow-up, Decca pinned its hopes on an upbeat number, "That's All You Gotta Do" (which is my personal favorite Brenda Lee recording). "I'm Sorry" served as the B-side to "That's All You Gotta Do"; the reason why executives made this decision was because they felt such a serious ballad might lack credibility if performed by a teenager. However, the preference among DJs and consumers was clear: "That's All You Gotta Do" only went to #6, while "I'm Sorry" soared to #1. Less than three months after "I'm Sorry" fell from the peak position, Brenda would score her second chart-topper. Before I conclude, I just wanted to say that one of the songs that went to #1 in 1975 was "I'm Sorry" by John Denver. Please note that there are no similarities between his tune and Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry" other than the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted December 19, 2011 Members Share Posted December 19, 2011 I LOVE Brenda Lee, most all her songs are wonderful. Here's a tidbit, I saw her say in an interview, the little iconic "run" she does in the song "Oh, oh oh oh.... oh yes" was purely by accident. She had forgotten what the next note was supposed to be, so that was her vocally "searching" for it. But it turned out so well, they left it in. Here she is singing it live in 1980: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members quartermainefan Posted December 19, 2011 Members Share Posted December 19, 2011 I'm Sorry is a great record. Her voice is just so perfect for the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Max Posted December 20, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 20, 2011 In all the research I did about "I'm Sorry," I had no idea about that fun fact you just shared. Brenda still sounded great back in 1980. The third novelty song to top the chart in 1960 was "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland, which was number one for one week: the week ended 8/8/60. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Nj1zRxqufis" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Although "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" was a record about a teenage girl, the idea behind the song came about when co-writer Paul Vance saw his two-year-old daughter dressed in a yellow polka dot bikini while playing at the beach. The tune was released despite some flaws: according to "The 'Billboard' Book of Number One Hits," the final product contained "an incorrect note on bass guitar and a wrong word sung by one of the singers." Before the release of "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" (a silly song that, IMO, is still better than a lot of the other novelty hits profiled thus far), bikinis were considered almost taboo in mainstream society; the massive popularity of the song helped to change cultural attitudes about these two-piece swimsuits. Teen idol Brian Hyland was only sixteen years old when "Bikini" went to number one. While Hyland would score seven additional top 40 hits, he is only remembered for two of those singles (each of which reached #3): the romantic "Sealed With a Kiss" (1962) and a cover of "Gypsy Woman" (1970). (The original version of "Gypsy Woman"--performed by the Impressions--peaked at #20 in 1961.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted December 20, 2011 Members Share Posted December 20, 2011 I'm not much for Novelty songs... and I don't care for this song too much, although I really like Brain Hyland. "Sealed With A Kiss" is a beautiful song, one that is a perennial favorite of every person I know: I do have to disagree about those other two songs being the only ones he's remembered for. At least around here, this one has always been played regularly, even on oldies radio of today, as limited as it is: I know he had another moderate hit with "Ginny Come Lately", but I don't hear that one, ever... I never heard it back in the 70's and 80's on oldies radio, either. I found a video of him singing "Itsy Bitsy" live... this was from 1986. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=medRpstc7Bs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted December 20, 2011 Members Share Posted December 20, 2011 I think his version of Gypsy Woman is very haunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I Am A Swede Posted December 21, 2011 Members Share Posted December 21, 2011 Here's a Swedish version of "Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini", sung by Lill-Babs (real name Barbro Svensson), another one of the most famous stars here during the late 50s and 60s: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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