I know you didn’t direct the post at me, I was just touching on the issue of covers.
TOURNAMENT OF CHART-TOPPERS 1950S PING LIST
(This is a temporary ping list….so don’t worry!)
Welcome to all members who signed up already!
For those who have not signed up, please consider tuning into the Tournament of Chart-Toppers for the 1950s and casting your votes!
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ROUND 1A RESULTS(in order of points/vote)
PER YEAR: Billboard rank – Piece – Act
1950
2 “Mona Lisa” Nat King Cole
9 “Harbor Lights” Sammy Kaye
8 “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy” Red Foley
1 “Goodnight Irene” Gordon Jenkins & The Weavers
6 “Music, Music, Music” Teresa Brewer
7 “Third Man Theme” Guy Lombardo
3 “Third Man Theme” Anton Karas
10 “It Isn’t Fair” Sammy Kaye & Don Cornell
5 “Simple Melody” Gary & Bing Crosby
4 “Sam’s Song” Gary & Bing Crosby
1951
10 “Tennessee Waltz” Patti Page
1 “Too Young” Nat King Cole
3 “How High the Moon” Les Paul & Mary Ford
2 “Because of You” Tony Bennett
4 “Come on-a My House” Rosemary Clooney
7 “Cold, Cold Heart” Tony Bennett
8 “If” Perry Como
5 “Be My Love” Mario Lanza
6 “On Top of Old Smoky” The Weavers
9 “The Loveliest Night of the Year” Mario Lanza
1952
4 “You Belong to Me” Jo Stafford
3 “Cry” Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
1 “Blue Tango” Leroy Anderson
6 “Half as Much” Rosemary Clooney
5 “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart” Vera Lynn
9 “Here in My Heart” Al Martino
7 “Wish You Were Here” Eddie Fisher
10 “Delicado” Percy Faith
2 “Wheel of Fortune” Kay Starr
8 “I Went to Your Wedding” Patti Page
1953
2 “Vaya con Dios” Les Paul & Mary Ford
10 “I Believe” Frankie Laine
1 “The Song from Moulin Rouge” Percy Faith
9 “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes” Perry Como
5 “You, You, You” Ames Brothers
8 “No Other Love” Perry Como
3 “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?” Patti Page
6 “Till I Waltz Again with You” Teresa Brewer
7 “April in Portugal” Les Baxter
4 “I’m Walking Behind You” Eddie Fisher
1954
8 “Three Coins in the Fountain” The Four Aces
4 “Sh-Boom” The Crew-Cuts
3 “Hey There” Rosemary Clooney
9 “Secret Love” Doris Day
10 “Hernando’s Hideaway” Archie Bleyer
1 “Little Things Mean a Lot” Kitty Kallen
7 “(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely” The Four Knights
5 “Make Love to Me” Jo Stafford
6 “Oh! My Pa-Pa” Eddie Fisher
2 “Wanted” Perry Como
OVERALL SO FAR (1st half of decade)
- Mona Lisa running away with it! 8.9 points/vote. Ahead of “Tennessee Waltz” with 7.86!
- Sam’s Song (and Bing’s other hit, Simple Melody) sadly hanging far back, 3.23 points/vote. Poor Bing (I’ve never heard these songs at all yet it’s Bing and they were #4 and 5 on the year).
- Right in the median area of 5 pts/vote, “Little Things Mean A lot” and “Doggie in the Window”. Let’s see if they make it to the top 64 brackets.
- Some surprises to me: “Harbor Lights” so high. I’d never heard of this version or the act, Sammy Kaye. Hope people weren’t thinking of the wonderful Platters version! Also, “Wanted” was so far down on the list. It was #2 on the year and is a beautiful song!
Next up, Round 1B, latter half of ‘50s.