Billboard's #1 Pop Singles

[DRW50]

I'd never heard of Lesley.

If you want to see a little more of a young and less openly bigoted Pat Boone, there's a DVD out there of some comedy sketches Dick Van Dyke did for his show. They're a lot of fun and Boone joins in sometimes.

[Max]

This is no exaggeration, given that "You Light Up My Life" spent ten weeks at #1 in 1977 (making it the most popular song of the decade).

Prior to now, I had never heard of Lesley either. It's funny (and unfortunate) how talent doesn't always win out.

"Love Letters in the Sand" was succeeded at #1 by "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley. "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" topped the pop chart for seven weeks: the weeks ended 7/8/57, 7/15/57, 7/22/57, 7/29/57, 8/5/57, 8/12/57, & 8/19/57.

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"Teddy Bear" was featured in Elvis' second movie, "Loving You." (The title track to "Loving You" was the B-side of "Teddy Bear," and failed to chart on its own.) Apparently, the idea for this smash hit came about as a result of an incorrect rumor that Presley collected teddy bears. (FYI, the teddy bear itself dates back to 1902 and was named after Theodore Roosevelt.) While "Teddy Bear" is a decent song, I personally believe that spending seven weeks at #1 was an accomplishment this record did not deserve, especially when one considers the fact that "Teddy Bear" sounds similar to "Don't Be Cruel."

Regardless of your personal opinions of this song, something very important happened during "Teddy Bear's" run at the top: "American Bandstand" made its national debut on ABC Daytime (on August 5, 1957). Previously, the show was just called "Bandstand," and aired locally in Philadelphia since 1952. (Dick Clark became host in 1956.) In 1963, the show switched its schedule, changing from daily airings to just one broadcast a week; the following year, "American Bandstand" relocated to Los Angeles.

Ironically, Elvis Presley was one of only two major rock and roll stars to never appear on "American Bandstand" (during its time on the air). The other artist to hold this distinction was Ricky Nelson, who benefitted from exposure on his family's TV show.

[DRW50]

Teddy Bear is a cute song, although I agree that may have been too long a run. I wonder what the #2 or #3 songs (that never made #1) were.

I don't think Dick Clark brought a lot of great things to music, and he was largely responsible for the glut of Frankie Avalon/Fabian/Bobby Rydell which polluted the airwaves when Buddy Holly and Richie Valens passed away and Elvis was in the Army. But American Bandstand was certainly an institution, and fascinating as a document of changing times and tastes.

[alphanguy74]

Carl... he brought and supported many great acts. His greatest contribution, IMO, is the promotion of Connie Francis, who is by far his favorite. Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell could actually sing. Fabian? Other than his playgirl spread in 1973, I've never seen or heard anything worthwhile from him. And Carl... the song that was at #2 during that time is the next in line, and will knock Teddy Bear out of the #1 spot.

[DRW50]

I do like Connie Francis, but I haven't ever seen any singing talent from Frankie or Bobby - aside from "Venus". I like that "forget him" song from Bobby Rydell, but that's the backup people, and he's just being smooth. Some of Frankie's songs are among the most excruciating I've ever heard ("Why", "Ginger Bread"). They're nice enough guys, and certainly filled a void, but I think cluttering up such a very narrow group of personalities the way Dick Clark did had a detrimental effect on music in that era. It got to the point where they kept trying to pass calypso off as the way of the future.

[quartermainefan]

Bobby Rydell had this great song, which was a remake obviously but he put a great spin on it. Anytime I am at a retro diner like Johnny Rockets or maybe Mel's in L.A. this is one of the songs I put on because it really fits the retro mood and its a great song sung well

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[DRW50]

Is it Volare? I like that song, but I prefer Dean Martin's version. Rydell does that WHOAWHOAWHOAWHOA which sounds more like a Joey Lawrence loop.

[alphanguy74]

Well.... Carl, maybe I'm just bowled over by Frankie's good looks, so his singing seems better in that context (I really do like Beauty School Dropout) but I guess realistically, he's not the best vocalist... here McNair and Sommers blow him out of the water in this Beatles medley:

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I think it's his phrasing that really sucks more than anything.

[DRW50]

I love Beauty School Dropout as well. It's a fun song and it's the type you talk more than sing. He's great with it - it's one of the highlights of the movie. He's also fairly sexy in that sequence (then again I thought Edd Byrnes was too, and generally I wouldn't say that about him anywhere else).

[Max]

When it comes to the "Golden Boys of Bandstand," my favorite is Rydell. I thought that Avalon had some talent as well, though the only song of his that I like is "Venus." IMO, Fabian was the only bad one of the trio, as he just basically talked during his recordings.

Carl, it's possible someday in the future I might make another thread and post each song that peaked at #2. (I can't do this for the #3 singles, since there has never been a book written about them and thus any thread concerning such songs would be incomplete.) It is fascinating to note that these very famous songs only reached #2:

Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis (1958)

16 Candles - The Crests (1959)

Put Your Head on My Shoulder - Paul Anka (1959)

Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley (1962)

Be My Baby - The Ronettes (1963)

Louie Louie - The Kingsmen (1963)

Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf (1968)

Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer (1976)

Y.M.C.A. - The Village People (1979)

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper (1984)

Material Girl - Madonna (1985)

Simply Irresistible - Robert Palmer (1988)

Some well-known songs that peaked at #3 include "Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly (1957), "Palisades Park" by Freddy Cannon (1962), "I Feel Good" by James Brown (1965), and "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel (1983).

The only female to top the pop chart in 1957 was Debbie Reynolds, who did it with her signature song, "Tammy." This tune was number one for three weeks (not all of which were consecutive): the weeks ended 8/26/57, 9/2/57, & 9/16/57.

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Debbie was obviously more famous for being an actress than a singer. (Although unlike Tab Hunter, she actually had singing talent.) In fact, "Tammy" was featured in one of her films, "Tammy and the Bachelor" (which also starred Leslie Nielsen). Despite the huge popularity of "Tammy" (the record), I personally don't care for it. Surprisingly, Debbie only had one top 40 hit (in the rock era) besides "Tammy": 1960's "Am I That Easy to Forget," which fizzled at #25.

Back in 1957, Reynolds was married to Eddie Fisher. (She would later have two additional ex-husbands.) Both husband and wife were friends with producer Mike Todd, who was killed when his private plane crashed in 1958. After Todd's tragic demise, Fisher became close to Todd's widow, Elizabeth Taylor. These two would wind up marrying each other (after Fisher and Reynolds first divorced), and Elizabeth would be scarred with the image of homewrecker. Despite the personal suffering involved, Debbie's acting career would benefit from the sympathy she received.

Debbie Reynolds' birthname is Mary Frances Reynolds, and she is still alive today at age 79. According to Reynolds, she and Taylor reconciled prior to Elizabeth's death in March 2011.

[DRW50]

Tammy is a beautiful song.

While I'm sure that it was personal hell, the scandal - probably the first modern tabloid scandal which consumed so much public interest - certainly helped her career. Her movie career was on the wane and she never did manage to find success in TV.

[quartermainefan]

Tammy is a very pretty song. If I were a girl I would do this in Karaoke much to the astonishment of the crowd.

[alphanguy74]

I love Tammy as well. Such a lovely melody, and great performance. Debbie Reynolds was a very good singer, and she was able to sing diffeent genres with aplomb:

And notice how she WORKS that skirt!

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and here we have "Tammy" sung live, just last year:

[DRW50]

Thank you for the list of songs that didn't make it to #1. Of those my favorite is Girls Just Want To Have Fun. That's a perfect song, and I can listen to it a million times.

It's very brave of Debbie to sing that so many years later. She does OK.

Of course, Debbie is also known for her tireless efforts on behalf of Hollywood memorabilia, which she had to auction off not long ago, due to the heavy cost of keeping all of the items.

Tammy, and Debbie herself, represent nostalgia for a sweeter time, and perhaps nostalgia that it never really existed in the first place.

[Max]

While I personally don't care for "Tammy" (as I previously stated), it was unfortunate that Debbie Reynolds' singing career fared so poorly. Clearly her recording of "If I Had a Hammer" also showed that she deserved to be a successful vocalist.

Sorry for failing to post another song in the past few days, but I was without power for over 30 hours. I greatly appreciate everybody's patience.

In the early years of rock and roll, few foreigners were able to make a dent on the American pop chart. One notable exception to this rule was Canada's Paul Anka, who had a smash hit with his very first record, "Diana." This classic spent one week at #1: the week ended 9/9/57.

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Paul Anka is a major talent, although he is sadly dismissed by some as a "teen idol." Anka himself wrote "Diana"--a song about his younger siblings' babysitter on whom he had a crush--when he was only 15 years old (though "Diana" did not become #1 until Paul was 16). Though Anka would have many more successes after "Diana"--including two additional number one hits--I consider the record to be his best. It's really too bad that "Diana" only spent one week at number one, as it deserved better; in Britain, the song spent a whopping nine weeks at the peak position.