Popular Songs Of 1955, Vol. 2

Here's part 2 of 2 in a sonically, if not altogether visually impressive collection of hit songs from 1955. It was hard to find live performances or movie clips for the majority of the songs from this era, but I included them whenever possible. Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Elvis Presley  ~  "Baby, Let's Play House"

2)  Don Cherry  ~  "Band Of Gold"

3)  Julie London  ~  "Cry Me A River"

4)  Chuck Berry  ~  "Maybellene"

5)  Joni James  ~  "How Important Can It Be?"

6)  Smiley Lewis  ~  "I Hear You Knockin'"

7)  Doris Day  ~  "Everybody Loves My Baby" / "Mean To Me"

8)  Gogi Grant  ~  "Suddenly There's A Valley"

9)  Patti Page  ~  "Croce Di Oro (Cross Of Gold)"

10)  LaVern Baker & The Gliders  ~  "Tweedle Dee"

11)  The El Dorados  ~  "At My Front Door"

12)  Little Richard  ~  "Tutti Frutti"

13)  Big Joe Turner  ~  "Flip, Flop, And Fly"

14)  Eddie Fisher  ~  "I Need You Now"

15)  Al Hibbler  ~  "Unchained Melody"

16)  Dean Martin  ~  "Innamorata"

17)  Peggy Lee  ~  "He's A Tramp"

18)  Danny Kaye  ~  "Life Could Not Better Be"

19)  Fred Astaire  ~  "Something's Gotta Give"

20)  Gwen Verdon  ~  "Whatever Lola Wants"

Popular Songs Of 1954

To further prove that my recent streak of nostalgic music posts has not been a fluke, here's a wonderful collection of popular songs from 60 years ago. Rock-n-roll enthusiasts will recognize some notable early examples of the genre which were first released that year. But for the most part, rock hadn't caught on yet, and highly-orchestrated pop songs by solo artists and vocal groups were still all the rage. Maybe you're old enough to remember these first-hand, or maybe you just prefer oldies to today's music. Either way, how many of these are you familiar with?  ~  JH

1)  Bill Haley and His Comets  ~  "Rock Around The Clock"

2)  The Chordettes  ~  "Mr. Sandman"

3)  Elvis Presley  ~  "That's All Right (Mama)"

4)  Patti Page  ~  "Steam Heat"

Video wouldn't load properly – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1YHL2E2sR4

5)  The Crew-Cuts  ~  "Sh-Boom"

6)  Dinah Washington  ~  "Love Is Here To Stay"

Video wouldn't load properly – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnACYdBoN28

7)  Eddie Fisher  ~  "I Need You Now"

8)  Rosemary Clooney  ~  "Hey There"

9)  Frank Sinatra  ~  "Someone To Watch Over Me"

10)  Jo Stafford  ~  "Make Love To Me"

11)  Perry Como  ~  "Papa Loves Mambo"

12)  Doris Day  ~  "Secret Love"

13)  The Penguins  ~  "Earth Angel"

14)  The Fontane Sisters  ~  "Happy Days And Lonely Nights"

15)  Muddy Waters  ~  "Hoochie Coochie Man"

16)  Kitty Kallen  ~  "Little Things Mean A Lot"

17)  Hank Snow  ~  "I Don't Hurt Anymore"

18)  June Christy  ~  "It Could Happen To You"

19)  Ray Charles  ~  "I Got A Woman"

20)  The McGuire Sisters  ~  "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight"