Posted on 01/16/2022 9:29:33 AM PST by the OlLine Rebel
Very interesting info. Thank you.
Mid-week update on results:
ALL YEARS:
-”Mona Lisa” still in the lead!
-”Don’t Forbid Me” by Pat Boone last!
-On the border around rank #64 (break-point for play-offs): “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?”, “Round and Round”, “Little Things Mean a Lot”, “Venus”, “Till I Waltz Again with You”, “The Battle of New Orleans” - what will make the cut?
EACH YEAR:
1950 best: “Mona Lisa”
1951 best: “Tennessee Waltz”
1952 best: “You Belong to Me”
1953 best: “Vaya con Dios”
1954 best: “Three Coins in the Fountain”
-————————————(polls still open below!)
1955 best: “Rock Around the Clock”
1956 best: “Don’t be Cruel”
1957 best: “Little Darlin’”
1958 best: “All I Have to Do Is Dream” / “Claudette”
1959 best: “Mack the Knife”
I think that you must have made a mistake. I don’t see The Three Bells or So Rare anywhere on the top lists. :)
They are very close to the bottom for the whole!
1957 best: “Little Darlin’”
Man, I LOVE that song. ANYTHING ‘Do-Wop’ takes me to my Happy Place. :)
How can people who are so smart not appreciate such great music? 😄
Little Darling--The Gladiolas (1957)
Thank you! :)
Shoop Shoop--The Gladiolas (1958)
Zip Zip--The Diamonds (1957)
Yay! :)
I remember “Volare” got covered a lot in a very short time. Didn’t it lead to a revision of copyright law?
Submitted the survey, with my star rankings below:
That I couldn't tell you. I was born in the early 50s and didn't start learning about those things until 20 some years later!
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!
(Please PM me if you would like to be ON or OFF the ping list!)
ROUND 1 ENDS!
TOP 64 BY SURVEY POINTS (poll rank - year - BB annual rank - piece - act):
1 1950 2 “Mona Lisa” Nat King Cole
2 1958 2 “All I Have to Do Is Dream” / “Claudette” The Everly Brothers
3 1955 2 “Rock Around the Clock” Bill Haley & His Comets
4 1957 3 “Little Darlin’” The Diamonds
5 1959 6 “Dream Lover” Bobby Darin
6 1951 10 “Tennessee Waltz” Patti Page
7 1954 8 “Three Coins in the Fountain” The Four Aces
8 1958 8 “Tequila” The Champs
9 1952 4 “You Belong to Me” Jo Stafford
10 1959 2 “Mack the Knife” Bobby Darin
11 1954 4 “Sh-Boom” The Crew-Cuts
12 1956 1 “Heartbreak Hotel” Elvis Presley
13 1951 1 “Too Young” Nat King Cole
14 1952 3 “Cry” Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
15 1950 9 “Harbor Lights” Sammy Kaye
16 1956 2 “Don’t Be Cruel” Elvis Presley
17 1953 2 “Vaya con Dios” Les Paul & Mary Ford
18 1956 4 “My Prayer” The Platters
19 1957 7 “Singing the Blues” Guy Mitchell
20 1953 10 “I Believe” Frankie Laine
21 1957 1 “All Shook Up” Elvis Presley
22 1953 1 “The Song from Moulin Rouge” Percy Faith
23 1954 3 “Hey There” Rosemary Clooney
24 1953 9 “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes” Perry Como
25 1958 9 “It’s All in the Game” Tommy Edwards
26 1958 1 “Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)” Domenico Modugno
27 1955 7 “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” The Four Aces
28 1956 9 “Memories Are Made of This” Dean Martin
29 1955 9 “Ain’t That a Shame” Pat Boone
30 1954 9 “Secret Love” Doris Day
31 1957 2 “Love Letters in the Sand” Pat Boone
32 1957 8 “Young Love” Sonny James
33 1950 8 “Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy” Red Foley
34 1956 8 “Hound Dog” Elvis Presley
35 1950 1 “Goodnight Irene” Gordon Jenkins & The Weavers
36 1955 5 “Unchained Melody” Les Baxter
37 1959 9 “Kansas City” Wilbert Harrison
38 1951 3 “How High the Moon” Les Paul & Mary Ford
39 1950 6 “Music, Music, Music” Teresa Brewer
40 1952 1 “Blue Tango” Leroy Anderson
41 1952 6 “Half as Much” Rosemary Clooney
42 1954 10 “Hernando’s Hideaway” Archie Bleyer
43 1951 2 “Because of You” Tony Bennett
44 1959 8 “Come Softly to Me” The Fleetwoods
45 1958 7 “Catch a Falling Star” / “Magic Moments” Perry Como
46 1955 8 “Sincerely” The McGuire Sisters
47 1956 5 “The Wayward Wind” Gogi Grant
48 1953 5 “You, You, You” Ames Brothers
49 1951 4 “Come on-a My House” Rosemary Clooney
50 1955 1 “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” Perez Prado
51 1953 8 “No Other Love” Perry Como
52 1955 4 “Autumn Leaves” Roger Williams
53 1957 10 “Round and Round” Perry Como
54 1950 7 “Third Man Theme” Guy Lombardo
55 1951 7 “Cold, Cold Heart” Tony Bennett
56 1952 5 “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart” Vera Lynn
57 1952 9 “Here in My Heart” Al Martino
58 1959 10 “Mr. Blue” The Fleetwoods
59 1959 3 “Personality” Lloyd Price
60 1952 7 “Wish You Were Here” Eddie Fisher
61 1953 3 “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?” Patti Page
62 1956 7 “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” Doris Day
63 1959 4 “Venus” Frankie Avalon
64 1954 1 “Little Things Mean a Lot” Kitty Kallen
These 64 songs are going to ROUND 2 where the play-off pairs begin.
PIECES THAT FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT (year-BB rank-piece-act):
1950 3 “Third Man Theme” Anton Karas
1950 4 “Sam’s Song” Gary & Bing Crosby
1950 5 “Simple Melody” Gary & Bing Crosby
1950 10 “It Isn’t Fair” Sammy Kaye & Don Cornell
1951 5 “Be My Love” Mario Lanza
1951 6 “On Top of Old Smoky” The Weavers
1951 8 “If” Perry Como
1951 9 “The Loveliest Night of the Year” Mario Lanza
1952 2 “Wheel of Fortune” Kay Starr
1952 8 “I Went to Your Wedding” Patti Page
1952 10 “Delicado” Percy Faith
1953 4 “I’m Walking Behind You” Eddie Fisher
1953 6 “Till I Waltz Again with You” Teresa Brewer
1953 7 “April in Portugal” Les Baxter
1954 2 “Wanted” Perry Como
1954 5 “Make Love to Me” Jo Stafford
1954 6 “Oh! My Pa-Pa” Eddie Fisher
1954 7 “(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely” The Four Knights
1955 3 “The Yellow Rose of Texas” Mitch Miller
1955 6 “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” Bill Hayes
1955 10 “The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)” Georgia Gibbs
1956 3 “Lisbon Antigua” Nelson Riddle
1956 6 “The Poor People of Paris” Les Baxter
1956 10 “(The) Rock and Roll Waltz” Kay Starr
1957 4 “Young Love” Tab Hunter
1957 5 “So Rare” Jimmy Dorsey
1957 6 “Don’t Forbid Me” Pat Boone
1957 9 “Too Much” Elvis Presley
1958 3 “Don’t” / “I Beg of You” Elvis Presley
1958 4 “Witch Doctor” David Seville
1958 5 “Patricia” Perez Prado
1958 6 “Sail Along, Silv’ry Moon” / “Raunchy” Billy Vaughn
1958 10 “Return to Me” Dean Martin
1959 1 “The Battle of New Orleans” Johnny Horton
1959 5 “Lonely Boy” Paul Anka
1959 7 “The Three Bells” The Browns
Picking the top 64 by survey is a great idea.
But why are these “tournaments” always the 1950s? I could understand if these featured songs aimed at youth (rock-and-roll), but someone who was 20 in 1950 is NINETY frickin’ years old! I’m old. Most of the people I grew up listening to are dead. But most of the people on this list are too old to have appeared on nostalgic TV shows aimed at my parents and grandparents. Forty-three years ago, when Pink Floyd asked, “Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?” the director of the Wall had to demonstrate what Pink was referencing because the answer was, “No.” (The protagonist never met his father again after he went to war.)
And just for the record, I’m scandalized she had a hit song with “Auf Wiederseh’n”
No knock against the musical quality, but any song from 1960 or earlier that wasn’t a dance song disappeared down a memory hole
“Whispering Bells” and “Come go with Me”...Del Vikings
“Everyday”...Buddy Holly
“La Bomba”...Richie Valens
“40 Miles of Bad Road”...Duane Eddy
“Happy Organ”...Dave “baby” Cortez
“Volare”...Dino
...there are so many memorable good ones from when America was still America.
I have been a huge fan of Vera Lynn for five decades. My favorite song of hers is Calling Me Home (1936). However, my favorite version of "Auf Wiedersehen" is Rudi Schuricke's, from 1950. Rudi Hofstetter, an Austrian, also had a hit that year with his version.
No, it’s not always the ‘50s. I started with the ‘80s, then went BACKwards.
NOW, I am starting on the early side, so more older people might still be around. When I get to the ‘80s I think plenty of us Children of Reagan will still be around to play!
It’s just the way it happened. It was so popular I just went back as far as I could with Billboard charts.
Many of us knew alot of these pieces as we grew up, though. I am eclectic. I grew up with my parents playing “their” music and loved it just as much as any contemporary stuff. (They also loved show-tunes so that actually covers a huge span of time.)
I’m sure many people are like that, and some just like me spent half our youth immersed in “oldies”, and oldies stations were very popular. I heard as many ‘50s tunes in the ‘80s as I did that decade.
“I grew up with my parents playing “their” music and loved it just as much as any contemporary stuff. (They also loved show-tunes so that actually covers a huge span of time.)”
That’s the problem right there. :-)
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