Billboard's #1 Pop Singles

[alphanguy74]

My favorite of all the twist inspired songs is "Slow Twistin", the duet with Chubby Checker and Dee Dee Sharp. Duke Of Earl, of course, is a song that is remembered by ALL. It's not my favorite of his, but certainly his biggest hit. Many poeple don't know that his last hit, "Groovy Situation" was a cover. The original was done by Mel and Tim, better known for "Starting All Over Again", and "Backfield In Motion"

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Although "Groovy Situation" was his last pop hit, he did continue to chart all through the 70's on the R&B chart, scoring two more top 20 hits on that chart, a disco song "Get Down" in 1978, and this gem from 1972:

[Max]

Alphanguy and Carl, thank you for stating your favorite "Twist" inspired songs.

Gene Chandler certainly deserved more success than he received.

IMO, that's the best line of the song. By the way, I love that MWC clip that Carl posted.

"Duke of Earl" was knocked out of the #1 spot by "Hey! Baby" by Bruce Channel, which spent three weeks atop the Hot 100: the weeks ended 3/10/62, 3/17/62, & 3/24/62.

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A native Texan, Bruce Channel (whose real last name is McMeans) was born on November 28, 1940. As a teenager, he spent six months performing on the "Louisiana Hayride" radio show (before returning back home to Texas). Bruce would go on to collaborate with Margaret Cobb (with whom Channel wrote "Hey! Baby") and harmonica player Delbert McClinton.

Surprisingly, "Hey! Baby" was Channel's only top 40 hit. However, among this lively tune's many fans was John Lennon; in particular, the Beatle was very impressed by the song's prominent use of the harmonica. ("Hey! Baby" peaked at #2 in the U.K.) When Bruce toured Britain in 1962, McClinton spoke with the Fab Four for about fifteen minutes (at a concert where the Beatles were much lower on the bill). This conversation (along with "Hey! Baby") inspired the Beatles to feature a harmonica solo on their first U.K. single, "Love Me Do," which was released in October of that year.

[DRW50]

That's a fascinating story.

I'm surprised that was #1, but it's a good song.

[alphanguy74]

That song did get a bit of a resurgence in the 80's, due to it's inclusion on the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack. I've never liked it myself, but it has certainly been popular for many many years.

[DRW50]

I always get the title confused with the later 60's hit "Hey baby, they're playin' our song..."

[Max]

These are my feelings exactly, Carl.

Connie Francis' third and final #1 hit was "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You," which held the peak position for one week: the week ended 3/31/62.

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Connie recorded "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" (a beautiful song that sadly has been largely forgotten) at the urging of her father, George Franconero. (George also instructed Francis to record her very first hit, "Who's Sorry Now.") Surprisingly, the preeminent female solo vocalist of rock and roll's first decade would go on to score just two more top ten hits (both of which reached their peak positions later in 1962) after "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" soared to number one: "Second Hand Love" (#7) and "Vacation" (#9). Connie's final top 40 hit was 1964's "Be Anything (But Be Mine)," which fizzled at #25.

I previously mentioned that Francis starred in the 1961 motion picture "Where the Boys Are." After that, Connie appeared in three more films: "Follow the Boys" (1963), "Looking for Love" (1964), and "When the Boys Meet the Girls" (1965). Yet, her success as an actress dried up not long after her musical success ended.

Sadly, Francis' sagging career fortunes would be the least of her problems. On November 8, 1974, Connie performed at the Wesbury (NY) Music Fair. Upon returning to her Howard Johnson motel room, she was raped and brutally attacked (and almost died as a result of the suffocation she suffered after her rapist threw a mattress on top of her). In 1977, Francis temporarily lost her voice after undergoing nasal surgery. Four years later, just as it seemed her life was getting back on track, Connie's brother--George Franconero, Jr.--was murdered by members of the Mafia. In the coming years, Francis was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, spent time in over a dozen psychiatric hospitals, and almost committed suicide.

In the past twenty-five years, Connie has finally found more stability in her life. Now 73 years old, she has been ignored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for far too long in what is arguably that institution's most egregious snub.

[DRW50]

I think some of Connie's songs were overproduced and felt strangely hollow ("Vacation" felt very hollow to me). The above song is pretty, but I don't like that echo chamber sound and the spoken word bridge is just a little too overwrought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR4Kk5RT_Kg

Yet there is certainly some beauty in the rest of the song. The best part is the strong close.

I also don't like a lot of the songs (by anyone in that era) which have the background singers pop in redundantly.

[alphanguy74]

"Don't Break The Heart That Loves You" is ok, but it's not one of my favorites of hers. I think her voice is perfectly beautiful, and I find it distracting on the songs where she is double tracked. This is a perfect example of her fine work after her hit making period was over. this song from 1966 shows her incredible vocal talent, and how I feel she should have been produced all along:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxbw3x6O_hQ

It is a shame that she hasn't been inducted yet... hopefully they will wise up and give her the honor. She has had a great infulence on many singers. Agnetha Faltskog from Abba has said many times in interviews that Connie Francis is her favorite singer, and was her greatest influcence. This Abba song, in particular, Agnetha said that when she recorded it, she specifically thought to herself, "How would Connie Francis Sing this?" And this is the result... you can see the influence:

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[DRW50]

That's a very pretty song from Connie. Is it me or does she sound like kd lang?

Agneta also liked to honor Doris Day in her songs. Agnetha would have been suited to that era.

[alphanguy74]

Carl, she does have a smiliar quality to K.D. Lang, although I think K.D. has said that her big influence ws Patsy Cline.

[Max]

SCTV was so funny.

Alphanguy, "Hasta Manana" is such a pretty song, and one where you can definately feel Connie Francis' influence. It was a shame that it failed to chart in the United States.

In sharp contrast to the song that preceded it at #1, "Johnny Angel" by Shelley Fabares remains a very well-known tune to this day. "Johnny Angel" held the top spot for two weeks: the weeks ended 4/7/62 & 4/14/62.

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Michele Fabares (whose family always called her "Shelley") was born on January 19, 1944 in Santa Monica, CA. (FYI, the last name of Fabares is pronounced "Fah-bear-ay.") The lovely Shelley's life-long dream was to be an actress, and in 1958 she won the part of Mary Stone on "The Donna Reed Show."

By her own admission, Shelley never considered herself a singer. However, TPTB desperately wanted Shelley and her co-star Paul Petersen to perform songs that would be featured on the show. Paul's character of Jeff Stone sang "She Can't Find Her Keys" (which peaked at #19 in 1962), while Shelley belted out "Johnny Angel." (Petersen's biggest hit was 1963's "My Dad," which reached #6.) While far from a musical masterpiece, "Johnny Angel" (a record that featured the uncredited back-up of Darlene Love & the Blossoms) is--IMO--a very pretty song that perfectly captures the innocence of the era (which is perhaps why it still is beloved by so many).

Given that Shelley was reluctant to embark on a musical career in the first place, it should come as no surprise that her only other top 40 hit was a sequel record titled "Johnny Loves Me" (#21, 1962). Though Shelley decided to leave "The Donna Reed Show" in 1963 (three years before it ended), her acting success was far from over. Later in the decade, she co-starred in three Elvis Presley movies: "Girl Happy" (1965), "Spinout" (1966), and "Clambake" (1967). From 1978-84, Fabares had a recurring role in the hit sitcom "One Day at a Time." However, Shelley's greatest post-"Donna Reed Show" fame came when she played Craig T. Nelson's girlfriend/wife during the 1989-97 run of "Coach."

From 1964 to 1980, Fabares was married to record producer Lou Adler. Four years after the divorce, she married current husband Mike Farrell (who is most famous for being a cast member of "M*A*S*H"). Shelley was later diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, and benefitted from a life-saving liver transplant in 2000.

[DRW50]

I didn't remember she was married to Lou Adler or Mike Farrell. Farrell was also on DAYS.

Johnny Angel is a sweet song, and as you mentioned, epitomizes that era. It's also a very simple song, which helps.

Petersen's songs did very little for me.

[alphanguy74]

The interesting part about her stint on "One Day At A Time" is that her aunt was also on that show, and played Ann's mother. Nanette unfortuantely has Alzhiemer's, and Shelley has done alot of charity work and advocacy for that disease. I always thought Nannette was her mother, it was surprising to me to find out she was her aunt. Shelley's version wasn't the original version... the original was recorded by Laurie Loman in 1960, but did not chart. A matter of fact, nothing Laurie recorded ever made the charts:

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[DRW50]

I didn't know that about Nanette I loved her in Band Wagon.

[I Am A Swede]

That's a lovely song. It sounds very much like something you could hear on a Barbra Streisand album from that period.