(vanity) TOURNAMENT OF CHART-TOPPERS ('50S) ROUND 1

me | 4/25/20 | me

[the OlLine Rebel]

OK, FREEPERS, LET'S START THIS CONTEST FOR THE GREATEST SONG OF THE '50S!

The baseline for the contest is the top 7 hits of each year of the '50s, as compiled by BILLBOARD. This is NOT based on personal preferences, biases, prejudices, or counter-culture fringe-element reactionaries.

Round 1 involves listing all 10 #7 candidate songs in order of preference.

(The remaining rounds are handled as play-off brackets, starting with 32 pairs of songs to compare.)

ROUND 1 We begin by using the #7 songs of each year, which we'll pare from 10 songs to 4 (to set up play-off brackets for the rest of the contest). NO equivocating, ties, or omissions.

year song act 1950 "Third Man Theme" Guy Lombardo 1951 "Cold, Cold Heart" Tony Bennett 1952 "Wish You Were Here" Eddie Fisher 1953 "April in Portugal" Les Baxter 1954 "(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely" The Four Knights [also titled as “I Get So Lonely (When I Dream About You)”] 1955 "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" The Four Aces 1956 "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" Doris Day 1957 "Singing the Blues" Guy Mitchell 1958 "Catch a Falling Star" / "Magic Moments" Perry Como 1959 "The Three Bells" The Browns

For the 1st time ever, I’m going to make it a little easier on you all – please see my playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Lnx_IGaigbPsHOh_ZtV2d1GBCwuYYGf

ROUND 1 DUE DATE: Sunday May 3 @6:00pm EST

[Bethaneidh]

I can imagine Hank making better sense of it.

[Bethaneidh]

More solid gold. I guess the public taste had to catch up. (I grew up in Motown.)

[Fiji Hill]

I love the similes in "Good Golly, Miss Molly"--"you're stopping all the traffic like a brand-new Cadillac" and "you've got my poor heart jumping like a runaway Army Jeep." Molly is also good at dancing the Mambo, which was at the height of its popularity in the spring of 1955, when this record hit the market..

[the OlLine Rebel]

Thank you - can you clarify what happened there in your posting/listing?

Looks like a copy error but wasn't just a repeat....I want to count votes right!

[Bonemaker]

Domenico Modugno was the original and he was great but I’ve come to favor Dino’s version.

[Bonemaker]

Brings back lots of great and some bittersweet memories don’t they?

[Fiji Hill]

I like Domenico Godugno's original version of Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (into the blue painted blue). Although at first it sounds bizarre--the singer paints his hands and face blue and then flies into space--it turns out to be a love song.

[Bonemaker]

That song has a special meaning for me...we were both 18.

[Bethaneidh]

I was cut-n-pasting, to set the order, when some lines disappeared. They just as mysteriously re-appeared when I posted. So ignore everything after the tenth line. I think that was The Three Bells. Sorry for the confusion.

[Bethaneidh]

Haha, a very different style and wording than the Little Richard song I was thinking of. Earlier?

[Bethaneidh]

Interesting difference between the English version and the English translation !

[Fiji Hill]

Little Richards Good Golly, Miss Molly came out in 1958, three years after the Playboys' title of the same name. Interestingly, the first verse of both songs is in the blues style--three lines, the first two of which are repeated.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Thank you!

[buckalfa]

Singing The Blues
Third Man Theme
Que Sera, Sera
Catch a Falling Star
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
Three Bells
I Get So Lonely
Wish You Were Here
Cold Cold Heart
April In Portugal

[the OlLine Rebel]

Just a note, that I will be late not just with the next round, but with results here. I’m at my mom’s today so will be a while before I get back to my data.

[the OlLine Rebel]

TOURNAMENT OF CHART-TOPPERS 1950S PING LIST

(This is a temporary ping list, so don’t worry!)

RESULTS of Round 1: Battle of the #7s!

Top 4* here fill out the brackets to make 64. A solid turn-out of 40 voters!

year song act
*1957 “Singing the Blues” Guy Mitchell
*1955 “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” The Four Aces
*1958 “Catch a Falling Star” / “Magic Moments” Perry Como
*1956 “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” Doris Day
1959 “The Three Bells” The Browns
1950 “Third Man Theme” Guy Lombardo
1951 “Cold, Cold Heart” Tony Bennett
1953 “April in Portugal” Les Baxter
1954 “(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely” The Four Knights
1952 “Wish You Were Here” Eddie Fisher

ROUND 2 - best 64 songs of the ‘50s - coming up!

[Dr. Sivana]

Hi, I am confused as I don’t ever recall the official beginnng of round 1. Am I on the list?

[rlmorel]

I have always been partial to Cold Cold Heart in all of its iterations...:)

[jocon307]

1955 “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” The Four Aces

1956 “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” Doris Day

1959 “The Three Bells” The Browns

1950 “Third Man Theme” Guy Lombardo

1951 “Cold, Cold Heart” Tony Bennett

1952 “Wish You Were Here” Eddie Fisher

1953 “April in Portugal” Les Baxter

1954 “(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely” The Four Knights [also titled as “I Get So Lonely (When I Dream About You)”]

1957 “Singing the Blues” Guy Mitchell

1958 “Catch a Falling Star” / “Magic Moments” Perry Como

I feel very young, and youthful! I remember few of these songs!

[DoodleBob]

Oh nuts...I missed round 1. Please don’t drop me...I lost it in the sun.