Throwing back to the week of July 26, 1955, we find Bill Haley and the Comets holding on to the top spot with ‘Rock Around the Clock.’ And really, that’s how it should be… imagine when a song that iconic and genre-defining was just a new release.
Nat King Cole held the #2 spot, with both sides of his ‘A Blossom Fell‘ single designated as the runner-up that week. This was during a time when Billboard would combine the performance of a double-sided hit and assign the results to both songs.
Throwing back to the week of June 28, 1955, we find two repeats atop the Billboard pop chart: Perez Prado’s ‘Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)’ (enjoying quite a run), and Bill Haley & His Comets’ ‘Rock Around the Clock,’ which I posted a couple of months back to recognize The Comets’ inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In third place is a ballad by Nat King Cole titled ‘A Blossom Fell.’ This song spent 20 weeks on the chart and peaked at #2 in late July.
Wrapping up this extremely festive edition of ‘What the Kids are Listening To’ is the Hot 100’s #11 track, Nat King Cole’s ‘The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You).’
Cole came within one slot of landing his third Top 10 hit and his first since 1963.
Cole recorded several versions of this song, with the 1961 one (heard here) considered definitive. But the original, stripped-down 1946 version is arguably even sweeter.
Meet Me In Montauk 