Favorite #2 Song of 1958?

Number two in the continuing series . . .

This time we'll look at the number two, we-try-harder hits of 1958, generally considered the second year of the rock and roll era. Keep in mind these songs peaked at number two, but did not move on to the top slot. I'll list the songs that denied these runners-up later.

So vote early and often, post memories and opinions, and let's be careful out there!

Source: The Billboard Book of No. 2 Singles

 

You mean I can vote more than once?

Jim W.

 

The above #2 songs were denied by the following number ones:

"Great Balls Of Fire" by Danny & the Juniors's "At the Hop"

"Stood Up" by Danny & the Juniors's "At the Hop"

"Get A Job" by Danny & the Juniors's "At the Hop" and Elvis Presley's "Don't"

"Sweet Little Sixteen" by The Champs's "Tequila"

"Lollipop" by The Champs's "Tequila"

"He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" by The Champs's "Tequila" and The Platters's "Twilight"

"Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" by David Seville's "Witch Doctor"

"Yakety Yak" by Sheh Wooley's "Purple People Eater" and Elvis Presley's "Hard Headed Woman"

"Patricia" by Elvis Presley's "Hard Headed Woman" and Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool"

"Bird Dog" by Domenico Modungo's "Volare" and Tommy Edwards's "It's All In The Game"

"Rockin' Robin" by Tommy Edward's "It's All In The Game"

"Problems" by The Teddy Bears's "To Know Him Is To Love Him"

 

A great year for #2 hits. It was difficult to pick JUST ONE, but I settled for Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin". Whenever that song comes on the radio I can't help but to get up and bop around like a total idiot. And I HATE dancing.

Jim W.

 

This is far more difficult than the last poll. But after much deliberation I picked The Coasters "Yakety Yak."

Josh

 

Actually, I don't know a couple of the number ones. I assume they're from the pre-rock pop style.

 

1958 was a great year for music.

Makes it hard to choose, but I went with "Get a Job." While Jerry Lee's and Chuck's tracks are good, flat-out R&R, the Silhouettes song combines R&R, R&B and doo-wop in a clever and catchy arrangement.

 

Another tough choice, but I couldn't let another opportunity to vote for "Rockin' Robin" slip by! (MJ's version was in the previous "#2" poll.) Day's original is totally infectious!

 

Hi Ron,

This is a good idea for a thread ... and '58 was a great year for R'n'R music

Unfortunately, '58 can be a little confusing when comes to which songs hit which position in the charts. It is my understanding that the first "Billboard Hot 100" pop chart began August 4th '58 ... prior to that date during '58, Billboard published at least 3 pop charts - Best Sellers in Stores, Most Played By Disc Jockeys and Top 100.

Some songs like "Get A Job", "He's Got The Whole World", "Bird Dog", "Patricia" and "Yakety Yak" hit #1 in one survey but not another.

It appears that your source is using only the Best Sellers in Stores.

BTW, I voted for "Sweet Little Sixteen".

 

There were several I could have voted for, but I had to pick "Yackety-Yack". "Bird Dog" was a close second of my picks.

 

I agree with jamesmaya and Jimbo that "Rockin' Robin" get's me up and dancing, but then I ran through the lyrics in my head and decided against it.

"Great Balls of Fire" almost got my vote, but I decided it was so much a Jerry Lee Lewis song, that it's hard for others to cover. Great piano though.

So I went for "Sweet Little Sixteen". Pretty basic 4 on the floor, travelogue intro always goes down well, appealing theme, and plenty of room for a good instrumental break in the middle. And it's good to see a 30 year old performer (such as Chuck Berry was at the time) getting all excited about teen groupies - bring 'em on. The song's been done by everyone, but that shows that it's a favourite.

Regards,
Geoff

 

Had to vote for Ricky, he was my first musical influence. I new when I was 5 years old that I wanted a guitar so I could play and sing like Ricky Nelson. I used to love at the end of the show when Ozzie would say "Here's Ricky" and I'd hear the cool guitar lead riffs in the song. Only I thought Ricky was playing them

Little did I know it was Jimmy Burton playing that mean Fender Telecaster playing all those cool riffs bendiing strings. He used banjo strings for his 1st or High E string and B string and G string so he could make those nice bends way back then.

They didn't have the lighter gauge strings sets like they had when Ernie Ball Super Slinky's became the main set of strings to use.

 

I went for "Great Balls of Fire" (and I'm not alone, but there seems to be little defense of the choice).

Two years into the rock n' roll era, and already the impact was being watered down. RCA was slowly molding Elvis for a more homogeneous audience, and they were grabbing Ricky off the TV set to pave the way for the teen idols they already had on the drawing boards (even though Ricky was making some pretty good music, he was being sold like Paul Anka).

Jerry Lee was a good reminder that the best rock n' roll was not made in corporate offices, that it was inherently DANGEROUS, and that it could sell millions of copies.

 

Ron,

Generally, either 1955 or 1956 is considered to be the first year of the modern Top 40 era. By 1958, the format was already pervasively mainstream and a part of Americana but still young enough to be very exciting. Some folks feel that there was a peak around 1958, 1959 before the 'dark years' of the early 60's and that only the British Invasion brought excitment back to the Top 40. This viewpoint is somewhat oversimplified because I recall the early 60's as a very fun time in music. 1958 was a 'great' year, one year before all the artist losses of 1959, 1960.

Good thread idea (I voted)!

Bob

 

Hmmm,

According to Whitburn's 1983 edtion of the Billboard Pop Annual, these are the # 2 hits for 1958:

1/6/58, Great Balls Of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis
1/6/58, All The Way, Frank Sinatra
1/13/58, Stood Up, Ricky Nelson
1/20/58, 26 Miles (Santa Catalina), Four Preps
2/24/58, Sweet Little Sixteen, Chuck Berry
3/10/58, Lollipop, Chordettes
4/21/58, Wear My Ring Around Your Neck, Elvis Presley
8/4/58, Rockin' Robin, Bobby Day
11/24/58, Problems, Everly Brothers

Several of the songs listed in the poll were actually # 1 hits.

BTW, I don't know how the first two entries could have charted at #2 on the same date, but that's what the book says. Maybe this was corrected in a later edition.

 

Lest we forget, Bob, the earliest years of the sixties brought a heightened interest in the Folk Movement. Although the Kingston Trio and Belafonte had been there for some time, the arrival of a host of groups during this period (e.g. Baez, Dylan, Limeliters, PP&P, Chad Mitchell, Highwaymen etc etc) set us on a different course. It was the 4 Seasons and the Beach Boys, who got rock back on track, and paved the way for the British Invasion.

 

I'm from Chicago, so I voted for all of them!

I went with Jerry Lee Lewis "Great Balls of Fire" because it's great and it's so 50's. That Sun Records slap-back-echo, can't do better than that!

 

Great songs in 58'! What do we have this year that can even come close?
I chose Great Balls of Fire because this song stands out.

 

Well Cook County Guy, don't forget to vote again...........and again........and again.



mud-

 

This was explained earlier ...

GBOF hit #2 in the Top 100 and the Best Seller charts, while ATW hit #2 in the Disc Jockey chart ... that's why it gets confusing before '59.

 

Bob - you're on the money. The early 60's used to be maligned as a "fallow" or lightweight era in rock music. Nothing could be further from the truth. The early 60's was the era of "neo-doo wop" - or doo-wops' second wind. It was a time when, after the teen-pop of Frankie and Fabian took over in 1959, real rock and doo-wop came back with a vengeance.

It was the time of the Marcels, not just Blue Moon, but a string of great vocal harmony records by that group. The Earls did "Remember Then," Gene Chandler was the "Duke of Earl," Del Shannon and the Four Seasons broke through, Dion had a fantastic string of solo records starting with "Runaround Sue," Maxine Brown belted out "All in My Mind," the Corsairs did "Smoky Places," Roy Orbison sang some of the most dynamic vocals ever put to disc and so on. Surf music took off, and Motown broke through with Smokey's "Shop Around" and the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" that put the label on the map. Then there was Phil Spector with the Ronettes, Crystals, Righteous Brothers, etc.

Fallow years indeed...

 

Casino,

You have just described the early 60's very well - one of my favorite times in music. I love the early 60's...

Bob

 

You're right, of course. I always forget to add a year when figuring time. 1958 minus 1956 equals two, but not two years. I consider 1956 the breakout year, with Elvis Presley on RCA.

 

"Great Balls Of Fire" for me, but they're all good, and "Patricia" even turned up a few years later in Fellini's LA DOLCE VITA(of all places!)

Joel Whitburn has put out many books on the charts, but my personal favorite that is now OOP is a one-shot that was intended to be a series, but sold so little, there is only one year. Titled 1958 SINGLES REVIEWS, Joel assembled all printed reviews of 45's published in Billboard that year, but annotated to denote chart positions. Literally thousands of entries, it seems, but what's interesting, of course, is not just the picks that clicked, but so many featured picks that should have scored but sank like a stone--some pretty strong material, too, you would have sworn would fly but just didn't, for whatever reasons.

In truth, such a book would be considered by most fairly esoteric, but it's a great read any old time.


ED

 

Another vote for, "Great Balls of Fire." "Rockin' Robin," and, "Sweet Little Sixteen," a close second.