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Part 7

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three goodies by this gold-medal group
Western Movies -- The Olympics [1958] This was the first of 14 Top 100 recordings by this R&B group. They were formed in 1957 by lead singer Walter Ward and the original group included tenors Eddie Lewis and Charles Fizer, baritone singer Walter Hammond bass singer Melvin King (bass). I personally saw them perform at a show in Dearborn, Michigan in 2003 and they tore the house down. Sadly Walter passed away in 2006. The group has a unique and very catchy sound. I shortly plan to post a fourth record by the group (about a dude named Pete) in a separate themed set. Meanwhile, enjoy these three representative samples of their fabulous work.
Shimmy Like Kate -- The Olympics [1960] This song was written in the early 20s by Clarence Williams and Armand Piron. The original title was "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate." I originally thought that the Olympics were singing "bulletproof, bulletproof, shimmy shimmy" but subsequently decided that didn't make much sense!
Dance By The Light Of The Moon -- The Olympics [1960] Talk about a popular tune! It started out as "Buffalo Gals," written and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White." Eventually it resurfaced in 1944 with several charted versions as "Dance With A Dolly (With A Hole In Her Stocking)," in 1959 as Bobby Darin's "Plain Jane," in 1960 as Ray Smith's "Rockin' Little Angel" and in the same year as the Olympics doing this catchy ditty.

Breaking Up Is Hard On You -- American Comedy Network [1984] Bob Rivers, the morning-show DJ for Seattle's KISW, began recording Weird-Al-type song parodies in 1984 with this recording, a parody of Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do." It was inspired by the lawsuit and the court-ordered split up of AT&T's Bell System. This very funny single broke a lot of people up (LOL) and made it to #70 on the chart.
"Don't take Ma Bell away from me."

it's all the same insect to me
The Glow-Worm -- The Mills Brothers [1952] "The Glow-Worm" is a very popular song, with music written by Paul Lincke, the original German lyrics by Heinz Bolten-Backers, and English lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally published in 1902 and its original German title was "Glühwürmchen." How many of you rmember the "I Love Lucy" episode entitled "The Saxophone"? This was the only song that Mrs. Ricardo knew how to play on that instrument!
Firefly -- Tony Bennett [1958] One of my favorites by Anthony Benedetto. At exactly 1 minute and 24 seconds into this, Tony gets really animated!
Lightning Bug -- Ronnie Malone [19??] Other than the fact that he and I have the same first name, I know absolutely nothing about this recording artist. But I must say that he is very good indeed!

Valley Girl -- Frank Zappa (featuring Moon Unit Zappa) [1982] This was Frank Zappa's only national top 40 hit, reaching #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Joel Whitburn has described him as "rock music's leading satirist," though some might feel that Weird Al Yankovic also deserves consideration for that title. What is indisputed is that Frank was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1995 and won Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. His daughter, Moon Unit, is of course the real star of this particular recording. Like totally? Well not quite! The original recording runs about four and a half minutes and this is an edited sample of "valspeak." It inspired the 1983 movie of the same name starring Nicholas Cage.
"Like totally?"

Wang Dang Doodle -- Koko Taylor [1966] This Grammy Award winning blues legend passed away on June 3, 2009 in her hometown of Chicago at the age of 80. On May 7 this critically-acclaimed artist, known worldwide as the “Queen of the Blues,” won her 29th Blues Music Award. It was for Traditional Female Blues Artist Of The Year, making her the recipient of more Blues Music Awards than any other artist. This was her best-known and most successful single.
Chicago's "Queen Of The Blues" will always be best-remembered for this recording.

who let these dogs out?
Pu-uh-uh-up-py Love -- Carol Burnett [1957] This was the flipside of "I Made A Fool Of Myself Over John Foster Dulles. This is her contribution to the "Puppy Love" sweepstakes though, strictly speaking, her song did NOT have that title!
Our Hour (The Puppy Love Song) -- Spike Jones and his City Slickers [1947] Chronologically this came ten years before Carol's recording. But I felt that, of these two, this one really needed to close this show! Again, strictly speaking, this song is not called "Puppy Love." The vocals on this, assuming you care, are by the Tailwaggers, Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath and the inimitable Sir Frederick Gas.

don't these tunes sound alike?
Feudin' and Fightin' -- Dorothy Shay [1947] While preparing for an interview with Don Cherry last year I reviewed his hit records. When I came to "Wild Cherry" I said to myself "golly, I know that sounds like some other song"! It didn't take long for me to figure out that it was THIS one: "Feudin' and Fightin" which had come out nine years earlier.
Dorothy was a popular comedic recording artist in the late 1940s and early 1950s who later became a character actress. She was known as the "Park Avenue Hillbillie" and that's not a typo, that's the way it was spelled! In her singing engagements she performed dressed as a sophisticated urbanite while talking like a rural Southerner. This was her most popular recording, peaking at #4 on the chart.
Wild Cherry -- Don Cherry [1956] Isn't it wild that, although the lyrics are totally different, this "Cherry" sounds so much like Dorothy Shay's hit?

You'll Never Get Away -- Don Cornell and Teresa Brewer [1952] Okay, here's the breakdown. Together they sing the title 56 times. Teresa sings it by herself four times. Don sings it by himself three times. (That's because at one point he sings "I'll never let you get away," just to be different!) This delightful duet peaked at #17 on the national chart.
They sing the title 63 times. Count 'em!

we go from yippers to yoopers!
Second Week Of Deer Camp -- Da Yoopers [1987] Da Yoopers is a musical group from Ishpeming, Michigan, United States who are known primarily for their humorous songs and skits, most of which center around life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The band's name includes the term "Yooper," a popular slang for residents of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or "U.P." The use of "da" instead of "the" is typical of Yooper dialect. Da Yoopers has released thirteen albums, all on their personal label, You Guys Records. This recording, probably their most famous one, has become a cult classic and is regularly featured on Dr. Demento's show.
Fish Fight Song -- Da Yoopers [1989] A musical animated discussion between husband and wife! See the "Deer Camp" blurb for detailed info about the group.

dog-gone it, this title sure is pup-ular!
Puppy Love -- Paul Anka [1960] THANKS TO FRED CLEMENS FOR BOTH SUGGESTING THE IDEA FOR THIS THEMED SET AND ALSO FOR SUPPLYING SEVERAL OF THE RECORDINGS. ALL OF THESE SIX SONGS WITH THE TITLE "PUPPY LOVE" ARE DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER.
Paul barked the loudest of all with his 1960 recording, spending a pair of weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Puppy Love -- Barbara Lyon [1956] Barbara Lyon was the daughter of Hollywood stars Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels. Sadly she passed away in 1995.
Puppy Love -- Nino and the Ebb Tides [1958] Their name is sometimes spelled "Ebbtides." Several releases after this one, they made the national chart with their updating of the Glenn Miller and Modernaires staple "Juke Box Saturday Night" and got regional action with their grammatically-correct rendering of "Those Oldies But Goodies (REMIND Me Of You)."
Puppy Love -- Jess Duboy [1959] If anyone can supply information about this artist, please do. I love when he goes "r-r-rip" several times during this record and the sound of the girl singers on it as well.
Puppy Love -- Little Jimmy and the Tops [1961] I am pretty sure that Ronnie Mack wrote this song. He gained short-lived fame as the writer of the Chiffons' #1 hit "He's So Fine." I believe he never lived to see the success of that song. There's a lot of a Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers influence here.
Puppy Love -- Barbara Lewis [1963] Barbaras love puppies! This is the second Barbara to do a "Puppy Love" song and this is a bouncy Lewis original. In late 1963 it was released as the "B" side of "Snap Your Fingers" but, when the smoke cleared, it was "Puppy Love" that happily scampered to #38 on the Billboard Hot 100, leaving the not-so-snappy recording far behind (it peaked at #71).

Swanee River Rocket -- Jimmy Elledge [1961] I like this version of "Old Folks At Home" much better than that other version on this page, which happened to come out just around the same time. Jimmy's subsequent release, "Funny How Time Slips Away," became a top 40 hit for him. Ain't it funny that this boogie-woogie blockbuster never became a bona fide hit as well?
My favorite version of the song that Ed Norton did not write.

it's hootenanny time!
Hootenanny -- The Glencoves [1963] What a happy tune! I spun this one like crazy during my first deejay job ever, a summer gig at radio station WICY in Malone, NY.
Hootenanny Granny -- Jim Lowe [1962] The popular radio personality and recording artist, whose big claim to fame was the huge hit entitled "The Green Door," mentions the titles of several popular folk songs of the day on this single.
Hootenanny Italian Style -- Lou Monte [1963] This ingratiating recording artist whose "Lazy Mary" was added a few days ago encores with this Italian spin on the hootenanny craze.
Hootenanny On Mars -- Randy Starr and the Merry Martians [1964] Recording star Randy was also denist Dr. Warren Nadel. My interview show with him is on my Radio Page. His biggest hit as a solo artist was "After School" but he had an even bigger hit as half of the duo called the Islanders: that was the instrumental "Enchanted Sea." We find out in this record that Martians sound a lot like chipmunks!
Holiday Hootenanny -- Paul and Paula [1962] Who cares if it's out of season? This one was too good to pass up!
Surfin' Hootenanny -- Al Casey [1963] I remember very well that while working at radio station WICY in Malone, NY (as mentioned in my blurb for the Glencoves recor above) that I received a promotional copy of this single on red vinyl! So right off the bat I thought it was pretty special. Al, who passed away not too long ago, pays tribute to his guitar heroes, namely Dick Dale and the Ventures and Duane Eddy.

Tonight You Belong To Me -- Patience and Prudence [1956] One of the girls was 11 and one of the girls was 14 when they recorded this song. There are differing reports on the Internet as to which girl was younger so I'll leave it at that for now. Their father, Mark McIntyre, was an orchestra leader, pianist, and songwriter who accompanied Frank Sinatra on piano during the 1940s. He took them to Liberty Records. The girls made a demo of this song, which had been a hit for Gene Austin in 1927 and was written by Billy Rose and Lee David. Not only did Liberty sign them but they quickly released a recording of the girls singing the song as a commercial single. It reached #4 on the Billboard pop chart. The song got renewed attention when Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters sang it in the movie "The Jerk."
One of my all-time favorite recordings.

for our countdown queen, dj mary roboto
Mary's A Grand Old Name -- Bing Crosby [1943] Der Bingle doing a fine rendering of the great George M. Cohan standard. I wonder if Bing did the whistling.
Lazy Mary -- Lou Monte [1958] DJ Mary, I am not suggesting to anyone that YOU are lazy! I am including it because I love Luigi's recording and I am sure that others will as well.
What Will My Mary Say -- Johnny Mathis [1963] Original Columbia copies of this single list the title as "What Will Mary Say" (with no "My"). However Paul Vance, who wrote this song with Eddie Synder, told me personally that "Will Will My Mary Say" is actually the correct title, so I will list it that way. A really nice song. Can anyone tell me who is that mystery "devil woman" on the record?
Midnight Mary -- Joey Powers [1963] Joey was born in Canonsburg, as were Perry Como and Bobby Vinton. My Internet buddy, Artie Wayne, co-wrote (with Ben Raleigh) and produced this ingratiating top ten hit.
Along Comes Mary -- The Association [1966] One of the big hits at the dawning of rock and roll's psychedelic era. There were reports over the past few days that the Association's drummer Ted Bluechel had died, but those reports were INCORRECT.
Mr. Roboto -- Styx [1983] Last but not least! For obvious reasons I just had to include this one in this grouping. It's one of Mary's favorites from the 80s and I suspect it's because of the title. FYI: Mary is happily SINGLE. This was one of only two Styx singles to achieve gold record status; the other one was "Babe." I don't know if this will ever reach the top 20 on our chart -- it's probably unlikely -- but if it did it would be a hoot to hear her announce it as part of the countdown.

did chuck really sue himself and win?
School Day -- Chuck Berry [1957] Chuck's infectious rocker (his biggest to date at the time) whose tune spawned the song below. It peaked at #3.
No Particular Place To Go -- Chuck Berry [1964] When he needed a melody to fit these lyrics, he didn't have to look far. After all, he had a lot of "school"in'! There is no truth to the story that Chuck was so incensed about plagiarizing his own hit that he took himself to court and won! What may be true is that this may be the only instance in the rock era where someone wrote a hit tune and used it in two separate contexts, both of which made the top 10. This one peaked at #10.

"the moose" has company
Kidnapped -- Woody Allen [1964] Woody's "The Moose" has been one of the most popular recordings on this page since Day One. While working at the Concord Hotel in the mid 60s, I had the pleasure of meeting him and seeing him perform that routine as well as this one and the combo-routine posted below. Only Woody could do this material so well.
The Great Renaldo and The Moth -- Woody Allen [1964] This is actually two routines. But the second is only a few seconds long. He was and still is a comedy genius.

The Cube -- Bob Jenkins (with 3-year-old daughter Mandy) [1982] This Liberty single got to #76 on the country chart. Mandy may well be the youngest artist ever identified by name on a charted single. (The babies on Buzz Clifford's "Baby Sittin' Boogie" don't count because they are not idenfitied.) I think this is a really cute single. But the line about a guy doing it in 28 seconds on TV is a bit dated. The top kids were doing it much faster than that shortly after this record charted!
This Rubik's Cube record actually made a Billboard national chart.

life is a list
Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me) -- Reunion [1974] Probably the best and most successful "rock list" record of all time. Joey Levine, the lead singer of the Ohio Express and other groups, handles that chore on this record. And I suspect that his rapid-fire delivery of those words may well have BEEN a chore.
Tchaikovsky -- Danny Kaye [1941] Danny performed this show-stopping number in the hit Broadway comedy "Lady in the Dark." It was written by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin. Danny sings the names of a whole string of Russian composers at breakneck speed, seemingly without taking a breath. (I wonder if some of those composers are imaginary!) Danny's "motor-mouth" bit begins about a minute and 40 seconds into this sample.
I've Been Everywhere -- Hank Snow [1962] The song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962. It listed Australian towns. It was later adapted for North American (primarily United States) place names and by John Hore (later known as John Grenell) with New Zealand place names (1966). This version, by the legendary Hank Snow (who was Canadian by the way) hit #1 on the U.S. country chart and #68 on the U.S. pop chart.
The Name Of The Game Was Love -- Hank Snow [1968] Hank encores with a record in a similar vein to "I've Got Everywhere" above. If you are female, there's a good chance that he sings your name!
Willie's Sung With Everyone (But Me) -- Paul Evans [1996] No explanation necessary here. The title says it all. By the way, Paul, I know someone else whom Willie has never sung with. He's typing this message.
We Didn't Start The Fire -- Billy Joel [1989] Billy's musical history lesson became a #1 hit for him.

these competing "bogey" men are 97 and 98 respectively!
March From The River Kwai and Colonel Bogey -- Mitch Miller [1958] Mitch, who celebrated his 97th birthday last July 4, reached #20 on the chart with this recording.
"Colonel Bogey" is a popular march that was written in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881-1945), a British military bandmaster who was director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth. He wrote it under the pseudonym of Kenneth Alford. The tune was supposedly inspired by a military man and golfer who whistled a characteristic two-note phrase (a descending minor third interval) instead of shouting "Fore!". Bogey is a golfing term meaning one over par and Edwardian golfers in North America often played matches against "Colonel Bogey".
The English composer Malcolm Arnold added a counter-march for use in the 1957 Academy Award winning film "The Bridge on the River Kwai, which was set in World War II. Because the tune is so identified with the film, many people now incorrectly refer to the "Colonel Bogey March" as "The River Kwai March". Miller combines the two into one title which, of course, muddies the water a bit more!
Colonel Bogey -- Edmundo Ros [1958] Edmundo, who celebrated his 98th birthday last December 7, reached #75 on the chart with this recording.
He simply uses "Colonel Bogey" as his title, although the melody throughout seems identical to Mitch's version, for Kwai-ing out loud!
See the Mitch blurb for the history of all this. Even after all this copious research, I must admit that I don't really know where "Bogey" ends and "Kwai" begins or vice versa! Yikes!


peter piper picked a peck of you know what
Tongue Twisters -- Danny Kaye [194?] This man was unbelievable in so many ways. He does this so effortlessly!
Tongue Twisters -- Looking Glass [19??] Pure bubblegum. Apparently these are not the same guys who recorded the #1 hit "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)."
Carnival In Rio -- Desi Arnaz (with a goofy lady) [1946] The question is not "who was that lady"? You will all know the answer to that! The real question is "WAS THIS PLANNED?" There have been conflicting reports about the story behind what happend 1:55 into this recording which, in fact, is the only thing that qualifies it to be included in this grouping.

pillow talk
Pillow Talk -- Doris Day [1959] The title song from one of Doris's most popular films. It's the one in which she meets Rock Hudson For the first time.
If My Pillow Could Talk -- Connie Francis [1963] This is one of Connie hardly-ever-played-on-radio hits but in my opinion it's one of her best.
Pillow Talk -- Sylvia [1973] Sylvia Robinson was the female half of the Mickey and Sylvia duo. Had this recording come out in 1957, when "Love Is Strange" rode the charts, radio stations probably would not have touched this with a ten-foot pole. But by 1973, standards were much more relaxed and by then, for the most part, this recording was radio friendly.

Tippy Toeing -- The Harden Trio [1966] This country music trio was from England but not Great Britain! They were from England, Arkansas. They were Bobby Harden and his sisters Robbie and Arleen. They had a relatively short career, disbanding in 1968, but are fondly remembered for this catchy recording, a #2 country hit and a #44 pop hit. Daddy go and make a little money maybe!
Another wonderful baby song, but very different from Don McLean's.

bah! bah! bah! (and ba!)
The Whiffenpoof Song -- The Whiffs [1959] The Yale Whiffenpoofs, AKA The Whiffs, are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909. They are best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song," based on a tune written by Tod Galloway (Amherst 1895) and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode (Yale 1910). The group comprises college senior men who compete in the spring of their junior year for 14 spots. The business manager and musical director of the group, known in Whiff tradition respectively as the "Popocatepetl" and "Pitchpipe," are chosen by members of the previous year's group. This 1959 recording actually came later than the one by Rudy Vallee below, but I've decided to list it first because of the historical significance of this group related to the song's storied history.
The Whiffenpoof Song -- Rudy Vallee [19??] Rudy recorded this song several times during his career. According to YouTube, this version is from 1927, but I am not totally sure which is why you see the question marks in the date field.
The Whiffenpoof Song -- Bob Crewe [1960] Legendary record producer Bob Crewe does his unusual rendering of the tune, a la Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife."
Ba Ba Song -- Alma Cogan [1964] Some copies of this list it as "Ba-Ba-Song." This is Alma's German version of "The Whiffenpoof Song." Alma was dubbed "The Girl With the Laugh In Her Voice." Throughout the mid 1950s, she was the most consistently successful female singer in the UK. Tragically her life ended due to illness in 1966, at the age of 34. There will be more records by this wonderful singer on this page in the near future.

Big Things Are Happening -- Cindy Malone [1963] Cindy is the niece of the legendary zany bandleader Spike Jones. I love this recording.
An adorable pre-wedding song.

Happy Birthday, America -- Paul Evans [1976] Paul wrote this song in celebration of the Bicentennial. In the last verse he sang "let us toast to your 200 years of life." To keep it current, Paul went in and substituted a new line for that one, and this sample contains that updated portion of the song. This is a wonderful patriotic song that people of all political views can applaud.
Paul's acclaimed patriotic masterpiece.

Song Of The Barefoot Mailman -- Billy Leach [1957] The term "barefoot mailman" refers to the carriers on the first U.S. Mail route between Palm Beach and the settlements around the body of water known as Lake Worth on the north and Miami, Cocoanut Grove, and Lemon City on the south. It came about in 1885. As there was no road at the time connecting Palm Beach and Miami to each other (or to anywhere else, for that matter), the carrier traveled by boat and by walking along the beach. The mail carriers walked the beach barefooted to take advantage of the firmer sand along the water's edge.
From the title you might think that this is a novelty record, but it isn't.

an allan sherman quadruple play
Sarah Jackman -- Allan Sherman (with Christine Nelson) [1962] From the album "My Son The Folk Singer." This is a parody of "Frere Jacques." Christine, who plays the part of Sarah, went on to record her own album called "Did'ja Come To Play Cards Or To Talk."
Oh Boy -- Allan Sherman [1962] From the album "My Son The Folk Singer." It's a bit different from his other recordings. The original track runs over four minutes and I tried to pick out what I feel are the best portions, editing it down to 2 and a half minutes.
Mexican Hat Dance -- Allan Sherman [1963] From the album "My Son The Celebrity." The Jarabe Tapatío, known in English as the "Mexican Hat Dance," is the title of the musical piece and the dance that accompanies it, which is accorded the title of the "national dance of Mexico". Allan's lyrics are, of course, totally original.
If I Were A Tishman -- Allan Sherman [1967] From the album "Togetherness." We skip forward a few years to Allan's final album for Warner Brothers. This is a parody of "If I Were A Rich Man," from the musical "Fiddler On The Roof." Unlike his previous albums, this one was not recorded in front of an audience. This album was roundly criticized as a whole but I think that this recording from it more than holds its own.

coconuts anybody?
I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts -- Freddy Martin (vocal by Merv Griffin) [1949] This became Merv's signature song, even though was technically a Freddy Martin record.
Cocoanut Woman -- Harry Belafonte [1957] A rolicking track by the wonderful Belafonte and the "A" side of "Island In The Sun," which I plan to add in the near future.
Coconut -- Nillson [1972] I guess right after this record became a hit most of us started putting the lime in the coconut.

Reunion -- Bobbie Gentry [196?] The whimsical side of the "Ode To Billie Joe" girl.
A groovy get-together?

which doctor do your prefer?
Witch Doctor -- David Seville [1958] The most famous version of this song, performed by its composer, AKA Ross Bagdasarian.
Witch Doctor -- Don Lang [1958] The hit version in the United Kingdom.
K'nish Doctor -- Mickey Katz [1958] A somewhat different take on the song, done by the celebrated Yiddish entertainer who was the father of stage and screen actor Joel Grey.

all the same tune
O Sole Mio -- Mario Lanza [19??] "O Sole Mio" is a globally-known Neapolitan song written in 1898. It has been performed and covered by a multitude of artists. The original lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the melody was composed by Eduardo di Capua. Two sets of English lyrics were eventually written to the tune (not translations) and they evolved into the the pop hits "There's No Tomorrow" (Tony Martin) and "It's Now Or Never" (Elvis Presley), samples of which are included in this grouping. If you listen to these in order, you must admit that Mario is a great opening act and Rlvis is a great closing act!
O Solo Mio -- Lafaro [19??] A very different interpretation and a slightly different title but it's the same tune.
There's No Tomorrow -- Tony Martin [1949] This record based on "O Sole Mio" got to #2 in the chart. Eleven years later Elvis got one position higher with his take on the tune.
There's No Tomorrow -- Jimmy Nabors [1958] Shazam! Yes indeed, it's the informal name of the man who, as "Jim," would eventually become TV's "Gomer Pyle." It's certainly a very different rendering of what Tony Martin recorded in 1949. I wonder if this Nabors record may have inspired Conway Twitty to do his similar "slow then fast" version of "Danny Boy." (My guess is NO, because the Nabors record wasn't that well-known.)
It's Now Or Never -- Elvis Presley [1960] It's the King!

This Is Monte -- The Big Loser (and Friends) [1962] This record was as popular as Monte was with the girls.
Poor baby.

Kentucky Means Paradise -- The Green River Boys featuring Glen Campbell [1962] A toetappin' winner!
Glen's first charted country single. Yee-haw!

two goodies by four legends
Blackstrap Molasses -- Danny Kaye, Jimmy Durante, Groucho Marx and Jane Wyman [1951] This peaked at #29 on the chart. Appetizing!
How D'ye Do And Shake Hands -- Danny Kaye, Jimmy Durante, Groucho Marx and Jane Wyman [1951] This was the flipside of "Blackstrap Molasses." Friendly!

Beach Ball -- The City Surfers [1963] I can't for the life of me figure out why this one didn't become a smash. It got plenty of play on WABC in New York City; it was their Pick Hit Of The Week. The City Surfers were a studio group that recorded a couple of surf singles for Capitol Records in 1963. The group featured a young, pre-Byrds Roger McGuinn (who was still known as Jim McGuinn at the time) on guitar and songwriter Frank Gari on vocals. And, oh yes, Bobby Darin on drums! Darin had hired McGuinn a year earlier to play guitar and add some folk flair to his live act. After a few months, however, Darin lost his voice and was forced to temporarily rest it. He shifted McGuinn to his music publishing company, T.M. Music, as a songwriter, and McGuinn and Gari came up with some tunes in an attempt to cash in on the hot surf music craze. So with Darin playing drums and a young Terry Melcher sitting in on piano, "Beach Ball" was born. Though it didn't take wings, it is a rarity that has been eagerly sought by surf-era enthusiasts over the years.
It didn't bounce up the record chart but it sure is catchy! Snap your fingers and tap your toes!

what were they thinking? (questionable follow-ups to huge hits)
Walkin' Through A Cemetery -- Claudine Clark [1962] Follow-up to "Party Lights." Claudine's chart career pretty much died with this release.
Doin' The Napoleon -- Napoleon XIV [1966] Follow-up to "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" Napoleon (AKA Jerry Samuels) firmly cemented his stature as a one-hit wonder with this masterpiece. "Doin' The Jerry" might have done better!
Shiddle-Ee-Dee -- Clint Holmes [1973] Follow-up to "Playground In My Mind." With a title like "Shiddle-Ee-Dee," how could this record possibly miss? (Easily!!!)

I Made A Fool Of Myself Over John Foster Dulles -- Carol Burnett [1957] John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. Carol's career was just beginning to take wings when she recorded this offbeat musical tribute to the man. She performed it often on the New York nightclub circuit and also on "The Tonight Show" (then hosted by Jack Paar) and Ed Sullivan's "Toast Of The Town." Though it never became a hit single, the record is treasured by her fans throughout the world.
A comedic treasure by this beloved entertainer.

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