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So I'm back here- no, WAAAAY back here, in June 26th of 1955, the first summer of the Martin Era 2.0! I struck out on actually interesting history of the date, so I'm gonna start us out with our 6D victim. And it's kinda hard to get to a 6D victim the way I have to do 1955. You see, my go-to Panel site only had 4 stations: KTSP Minneapolis, WJR Detroit, KIJV Huron, South Dakota, and WHEC Rochester NY. And with each having a different song at the top, here's what I did. I added in the Cashbox and Billboard charts, and any song that made top ten on any of them got to play. Cashbox had the biggest chart, and the lowest song on any of the lists (that actually made the list, which all 27 songs did on CB) was #45, so I made a point system with #1=45, #2= 44, etc. Averaged them out for the average score the song got per stations that charted it- and then, just to make it fair, added the number of times it was on a chart (hence, if you averaged 37 points on 3 stations, you got 40 points, where a song that got 37 points on just one chart got 38.) ALL that said, it was Cashbox's #14 that gets the nod, and here's its story.
Once upon a time, there was a band called the Quarrymen, whose first single was a cover of That'll Be The Day on one side, and In Spite Of All The Danger on the flip. Now, of course, 2 of those boys were George Harrison and Paul McCartney. The original acetate was estimated by Record World 16 years ago to be worth upwards on $193,000 in today's money, give or take. Paul and George put the song together with Paul using as a model for an "Elvis-type song" a song from the King's first lp called Trying To Get You, which was first recorded in 1954 by the Eagles....
...no, this is a different Eagles, about whom I found out very, very little. It was co-written by one Rose Marie McCoy, who also, after a good bit of digging, I learned was also a co-writer on our 6D victim. It was the #14 b-side to the song at #7 on CB- a song that will be in our finals- and it was Nat King Cole with If I Try.
Welcome to this week's Time Machine! In a moment we'll get to our act at POTM, Fleetwood Mac! But first, let's play our
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Now see, why can't that be so easy on Firefox? Anyway, it's time to bring out... Nardole, what the heck?
Well, sir, their contract stipulated that they wanted only to be from the era of which you were referencing. So we either had to have them do another 1977 list or...
...Or bring them in at their ages in 1955?
Correct.
Oh, this should be fun... Okay kids, line up and give me names and ages...
Mick, I'm 8 years old...
Johnny, I'm 10...
I'm Christine, and I'm 12...
My name is Lindsey, and I'm 6 yeahs owd...
Okay, so why did you get to come as an adult, Ms Nicks?
SN: Call me Stevie, Chris. I'm a witch, and therefore immortal.
Uh-HUH. So I guess I'm gonna have to lean on you for help here...
CMV: I got bubble gum (POP)! Wanna piece?
Ah, no thanks, I...
LB: I like Sugah Babies bettow, because they stick on my tongue, hee hee!
JMV: You're such a little doofus!
LB: Am not, doodie-head!
Children, settle! So one of the things that came out of this list was that there was exactly ONE song that got just one vote, Sarah Vaughn's Whatever Lola Wants- and exactly one song that got votes on all six charts- and it doesn't even make the finals!
SN: Which one was that?
Frank Sinatra's Learning The Blues. He had a 4, two 5's, a 7, and two 9's, but all it got him was tied for 8th.
SN: You should be very careful with that. In 1955, he was a very powerful warlock...
Okay, then. I... hey, wait, if he was a warlock, why isn't he immortal?
SN: Who says he isn't?
But he's dead...
SN: Is he?
In 2020, he is...
SN: Is he?
MF: Johnny just put a booger in my ear! (POW!)
Hey, stop tha...
JMV: Oh yeah? (POW!!!)
MF: WAAAAAAH!
LB: WAAAH!!!
CMV: Why are YOU crying, little baby?
LB: That weird lady keeps looking at me funny- like she's gonna eat me!
SN: Not that the thought hadn't crossed my mind in the future...
OOOOOKay, Nardole, would you please take the kids down to the commissary, so nice Uncle Elvis can give them some cookies and ice cream?
N: Certainly, come along...
And Stevie, perhaps you could give us this week's finalists, perhaps in the order that Billboard had them, which will mix things up a mite...
SN: Certainly. So, the #1 on Billboard was Bill Haley and his Comets, Rock Around The Clock...
Then #2, Perez Prado, Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White...
Nat King Cole with the a-side of the 6D victim, A Blossom Fell at #3...
Les Baxter's orchestra doing one of 3 charting versions of Unchained Melody was #4...
Number 5 was Frank Sinatra, Learning The Blues... I thought you said that wasn't in the finals?
I know, I was looking at the wrong list when I said that. Funny thing, too...
SN: Isn't it, though? (Smiles)... and the last contestant is Al Hibbler's version of Unchained Melody at #9...
All right, there you go! Who scored the highest in the Mighty Martin 1955 system? Stay tuned for that in a bit. But first, a brand new to the M10 (but not country music) act claims the honor of the 500th M10 song! It almost was another cover, but this one wins out at the last moment... give a hand to Margo Price at #10....
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Okay, that leaves us the minimal stat pack, with the big mover this week going to Sammy Davis Jr, with That Old Black Magic moving 14 spots from #46 to 32.
Canada was 2 years out from having a record chart, and South Africa 3. However, Australia had one, and it operated like Cashbox in that it combined all the popular versions into one entry, so it was the combined efforts of recordings by the Four Aces and Billy Vaughn's Orchestra that put Melody Of Love (no, not the Bobby Vinton Polish one) at the top there. And in the UK, it was yet another version of Unchained Melody, this one by Jimmy Young. For my money, though, the best one charting at this point belonged to Roy Hamilton, which got a #13 from Billboard, a #2 from Minneapolis, and was part of the three artist collective at #1 (with Baxter and Hibbler) on Cashbox.
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The rest of a very unsettled M10:
The War And Treaty slip back whence they came, down 3 to #9 with Jealousy.
Blackberry Smoke climbs to 7 with their version of Midnight Rider.
The entire top 3 from last week fall three- Badfinger to 6 with Baby Blue, The Explorer's Club to 5 with Can't Find The Time, and the Shacks from 1 to 4 with Smile Now, Cry Later. And I didn't want to drop any of them, but...
The Jayhawks up one to 3 with their recent song, This Forgotten Town...
The Explorer's Club (again!) with Didn't Want To Have To Do It at #2, up from 7...
And a new number one with an old cover from 1995...
...the Jayhawks with Bad Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They climb from #5 in one bound for that one! And now, that final six....
Nat King Cole scores 6th at 45.25, 4 charts and no #1s...
At 5th, Al Hibbler's UM with 2 #1's (like CB, Huron SD lumped everyone together), 3 votes, and 45.3 points.
#4 was Learning The Blues, you know the stats there, and 45.6 points...
A tie for second at 47 points even- Les Baxter's UM (same stats as Hibbler except the points, b/c he did better in Minneapolis and got a vote from NY that gave him 4; and Bill Haley with his BB #1 vote...
And the winner, with 47.2 points, and 5 votes- three of them at #2...
Perez Prado, with Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Join a hopefully adult Perez and myself next time for 1956!
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