Billboard's #1 Pop Singles

[I Am A Swede]

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[quartermainefan]

The stripper is a classic piece of music and just so perfect for its name. It reminds me of "Harlem Nocturne" in that you don't need words, the music does the entire job.

[Max]

I really did not know much about this issue, Alphanguy. Thank you for shedding some light on this.

Nicely said.

One of the most successful teen idols of all-time was Bobby Vinton. The first of his four chart-toppers was "Roses Are Red (My Love)," which spent four weeks at number one: the weeks ended 7/14/62, 7/21/62, 7/28/62, & 8/4/62.

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Stanley Robert Vinton, Jr. was born on April 16, 1935 in Canonsburg, PA. (Bobby's father had changed the family last name from Vintula to the Americanized Vinton.) Surprisingly, Bobby's childhood ambition was not to become a singer, but rather to follow in his father's footsteps as a big band leader. To this end, he formed a band while in high school and also played the trumpet during his stint in the Army.

Vinton signed with Epic Records in 1960. While he first tried to concentrate on big band tunes, the label showed little interest in that genre. Then, Bobby actually sang some songs, yet those records also failed to chart. Epic was ready to drop Vinton altogether, but the company was contractually obligated to record and release two more Vinton recordings. One of these songs was the romantic "Roses Are Red (My Love)," a record that Epic felt had zero potential (for any artist).

After "Roses Are Red" became Vinton's first hit (as well as the first Epic tune to go to #1), "The Polish Prince" followed up with "Rain Rain Go Away," which peaked at #12. A couple of disappointing chart showings came afterwards, and then Bobby had another smash hit in July 1963 with the #3 "Blue on Blue." The next Vinton single to be released--another "Blue" song--would be his second chart-topper.

[DRW50]

Roses are Red is a very pretty song. Slightly treacly, but suited for the era. My favorite songs of his are probably "Mr. Lonely" and "Please Love Me Forever," even if they are also treacly.

Wikipedia talks about the long efforts and controversies with his hometown.

Off topic, but I found an old Connie Francis article (1960) I will post here if you want to see it, Max.

[Max]

Carl, I would love for you to post that Connie Francis article. Thank you so much for offering to do so.

Those stories about Vinton and his hometown of Canonsburg (which was also the birthplace of Perry Como) are fascinating. Bobby was never loved as much as Perry because the former would claim that he was from Pittsburgh, while the latter proudly talked about his Canonsburg heritage. To Vinton's credit, however, he stopped Canonsburg officials from building a $100,000 statue of himself, arguing that the money could be much better spent on other things.

[DRW50]

June 1960 TV Radio Mirror

[Max]

Carl, thank you again for taking the time to post that fascinating article. Your magazine collection is beyond impressive. If you don't mind me asking, how did you manage to collect all these great, old magazines? (Please feel free not to answer this question if you'd prefer.)

One of my favorite artists of rock and roll's first decade happens to be Neil Sedaka. The recordings of his that I most enjoy are "Calendar Girl," "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen," and the chart-topping "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," which spent two weeks at number one: the weeks ended 8/11/62 & 8/18/62.

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Neil Sedaka was born in Brooklyn on March 13, 1939. At the age of thirteen, Neil was introduced to neighbor Howard Greenfield (three years Sedaka's senior); the two boys began a prolific songwriting partnership that would reach its heyday during the Brill Building (an edifice located at the intersection of Broadway and 49th Street in Manhattan) glory years of the early-60s. (Besides penning nearly all of Sedaka's hits of the 50s and 60s, this famed duo wrote "Stupid Cupid" and "Where the Boys Are" for Connie Francis.)

While Neil Sedaka was a popular name in rock, many people are often surprised to learn that he is a brilliant pianist, having once been enrolled in Juilliard. Despite initially wanting to take up classical music, Neil embarked upon a rock and roll career instead. One of his first exposures to the industry came when he was a member of the first incarnation of the Tokens in the mid-50s. Sedaka's first solo efforts failed to chart, but a change in fortune came when "The Diary" peaked at #14 in early 1959. Interestingly, "The Diary" was a Sedaka/Greenfield composition written for Little Anthony & the Imperials; Neil only recorded it because he was disappointed with that group's rendition of the song.

After "The Diary," the smash hits kept on coming for Sedaka:

"Oh! Carol" (#9, 1959) [A song about Carole King]

"Stairway to Heaven" (#9, 1960) [A tune completely different from the Led Zeppelin record of the same name]

"Calendar Girl" (#4, 1961)

"Little Devil" (#11, 1961)

"Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" (#6, 1962)

Despite the hits, Neil had yet to reach the top of the Hot 100. He finally did so with "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," a song that Allmusic aptly described as "two minutes and sixteen seconds of pure pop magic." It should be noted that the most memorable line of the record--"Comma, comma, down-doo-be-doo-down down"--was a last minute addition because Sedaka felt something special had been misssing from the tune.

Neil's follow up to "Breaking Up," the very similar sounding "Next Door to an Angel," also did really well, reaching #5 in late 1962. Unfortunately, 1963 proved to be a big disappointment for the singer, as just three songs (the most successful of which peaked at #17) hit the top 40. (After that, Sedaka did not reach the top 40 for over a decade.) Though it sure seemed as if the British Invasion killed Sedaka's career, he made a very unexpected comeback in 1975, scoring two more #1 hits: "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood." The following year, Neil took a slow, adult contemporary version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" to #8 on the Hot 100.

[DRW50]

Some I bought, some belonged to relatives and were just laying around with no one interested in them.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do is one of those songs which is tailored so well around a somewhat annoying vocal tone. It has such a great beat and is so easy to remember.

[alphanguy74]

I love the slow version of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.... when he released the slow version, it was nominated for a Grammy for song of the year. It didn't win, but here is the incredibly wonderful presentation of the award from 1976:

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Howard Greenfield, Neil's co writer on the song, unfortunately died of AIDS in 1986.

British duo the Marbles released a cover version in 1970 as a follow up to their moderate hit single "The Walls Fell Down", but it didn't go anywhere.

[quartermainefan]

I remember years ago seeing Gary US Bonds perform, and he claimed that it was he who first sang "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" slowly, and once he did that, Sedaka rerecorded it. My father, who took me to see the show and the perfect age to remember those things, said Bonds was right. No idea what the real story is.

[Max]

Greenfield was openly gay (in the early-60s), which was almost unheard of back then.

Qfan, Sedaka mentioned in an interview that it was Lenny Welch who first sang the slow version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." (He took the song to #34 in 1970.) However, it is possible that Neil's recollection was incorrect (celebrity recollections often are) and that Gary "U.S." Bonds holds this distinction.

In my previous post, I mentioned that the Sedaka/Greenfield duo was one of the legendary songwriting teams of the Brill Building. However, no Brill Building songwriters amassed more hits than Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Their third chart-topping single, "The Loco-Motion" by Little Eva, spent one week at number one: the week ended 8/25/62. (Unfortunately, WMG has blocked one from watching this video here at SON. After you press "play," you will have to click on the link to go to YouTube.)

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Goffin & King had originally written "The Loco-Motion" with Dee Dee Sharp in mind. When Sharp's producers passed on the record, the duo turned to Eva Boyd, a teenager they had hired to babysit their infant daughter, Louise. A common myth states that Goffin and King turned to Eva out of sheer desperation; the fact of the matter was that the duo realized she had singing talents and were eventually planning to write songs just for her.

During the recording session, the Cookies (who introduced Eva to Goffin & King) and Carole King herself sang back-up. (The Cookies were a girl group that provided uncredited vocal support on a number of records, including "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." This group would go on score two top 20 hits of their own with "Chains" and "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby).") "The Loco-Motion" was a record that was perfectly suited to the dance mania of 1962, a year that also saw three dance tunes peak at #2: "Mashed Potato Time" by Dee Dee Sharp, "The Wah-Watusi" by the Orlons, and "Limbo Rock" by Chubby Checker.

Sadly, Little Eva's success was short-lived, as she managed to place only three more songs on the top 40:

"Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" (#12, 1962)

"Let's Turkey Trot" (#20, 1963)

"Swinging on a Star" (#38, 1963) [This was duet with Big Dee Irwin.]

In sharp contrast to its artist, "The Loco-Motion" proved to have incredible longevity: Grand Funk took the tune to #1 again in 1974, and Kylie Minogue's version hit #3 in 1988. In my opinion, the original is the best, and Eva herself said that she disliked Minogue's rendition of the song. Despite her feelings about how Kylie performed the tune, the huge airplay that version garnered ironically made Eva popular again at oldies concerts. (Previously, she had spent much of the 70s and 80s in poverty.) On April 10, 2003, Eva died of cervical cancer at age 57.

[DRW50]

I like all three versions of The Locomotion, although the most memorable for me may be the Grand Funk version, because of the clapping and the echo opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxyU4W8iyeI

[alphanguy74]

Loco motion is ok... but not one of my favorite Goffin/King compositions. Here she is singing it live on Shindig in 1965:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xufxKCC1NJ8&feature=related

[Max]

I'm really sorry that when you press "play" on the video for Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion," it forces you to go to YouTube to listen to it. I tried to replace the original clip with several others, yet the same problem still arose. It is sad--but hardly surprising--that the folks at WMG are choosing to be pricks. (At least there is a way we can actually listen to the original version; dealing with this inconvenience is far better than having nothing at all to listen to.)

"The Loco-Motion" was succeeded at #1 by "Sheila" by Tommy Roe, which held the peak position for two weeks: the weeks ended 9/1/62 & 9/8/62.

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Tommy Roe was born (on 5/9/42) and raised in Atlanta. While Tommy was part of a band in high school, he opted to pursue a career as a technician working for General Electric.

In 1960, Roe recorded "Sheila," a tune he wrote that was very reminiscent of Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue." Although the record flopped, Tommy re-recorded this song two years later (on a different record label), and it became his first hit. (It should be noted that I am not 100% sure that the hit version of "Sheila" was a re-recording, but I am pretty sure that was the case. In any event, the tune I posted above was the version that reached #1.) Once "Sheila" became a smash, Roe left his $70 a week job at GE in exchange for a $5,000 advance (from ABC-Paramount Records) to tour the world.

Tommy's next major hit came when "Everybody" rose to #3 in late 1963. Roe's career then stalled, but not because of the British Invasion; rather, his declining chart fortunes were the result of a stint in the Army. After his time in the Army ended (in 1966), Roe's career picked up right where it left off, with the #8 "Sweet Pea." That song would be the first of four top ten hits he would amass over the next four years; also included among this bunch was Tommy's biggest hit ever, the chart-topping "Dizzy" (1969).

[Max]

The Four Seasons (another one of my favorite artists) scored five chart-toppers. Among them was the group's very first hit, the magnificent "Sherry," which spent five weeks at number one: the weeks ended 9/15/62, 9/22/62, 9/29/62, 10/6/62, & 10/13/62. (Unfortunately, WMG has blocked one from watching this video here at SON. After you press "play," you will have to click on the link to go to YouTube.)

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The Four Seasons were/are a vocal group (whose songs--like those of the Beach Boys--really can't be considered doo-wop tunes because of a lack of so-called nonsense syllables) from Newark, NJ. For many, it seemed that this group came out of nowhere to become an instant sensation. Truth be told, however, lead singer Frankie Valli (born 5/3/37 as Francis Castelluccio) had been struggling for years.

Way back in 1955, Valli formed a singing group with Hank Majewski and brothers Nick and Tommy DeVito, and called themselves the Variatones. A year later, after changing their name to the Four Lovers, the quartet scraped the bottom portion of the chart with "You're the Apple of My Eye." Many more name changes came over the next five years, but success was not to be. However, when Valli's group appeared with the Royal Teens (who had a #4 smash with "Short Shorts" in 1958), Valli met Bob Gaudio (who was then a current member of the Royal Teens).

By 1961, the most successful line-up of Valli's group was in place: Valli himself, Tommy DeVito, Gaudio (who was the eventual replacement for Nick DeVito), and Nick Massi (the eventual replacement for Majewski). Soon afterwards, Valli & Co. auditioned in a lounge located inside a NJ bowling alley, and they were rejected yet again. Fortunately, something positive came out of that experience, given that the group decided to rebrand itself after the name of the bowling alley: the Four Seasons.

An ironic twist of fate was that despite the very long time these Jersey boys had to wait for success, "Sherry" was written by Gaudio in all of 15 minutes. And, the song hit #1 just four weeks after it debuted on the Hot 100. The Four Seasons' second chart-topper would be just around the corner as well.