Your Favorite 50's Song

In the same spirit that in our Little Miss Setzerado "Your fav' 50's artist"... Just the song you like the most, without trying to know if it's the best or not. Now that I should tell which one is mine, I realize how hard it is...
Well, it's still probably Eddie's Somethin' Else. One of the first I've known and still so fresh.

Game over, Choo Choo. That's a seriously strong song. It's got th' beat! Th' beat! Th' beat! Plus Eddie's swagger and snarl, and it's about a car and a girl. What else do you need?

I was actually thinking about this the other day. It's incredibly difficult when you think about all the different styles of the rock-n-roll era. There are some great ballads, up-tempo doo-wop, r&b, groups fronted by guitar, groups fronted by piano, groups with a rockin' saxophone... I might have to pass on Somethin' Else only because it's less than 2 minutes and there's no great instrumental break. Still, it might be a favorite because the song thrives even without it. It's definitely top 5, maybe top 3. Certainly my favorite Eddie song.

I love Elvis' I Got Stung, even though I only figured out all the lyrics after hearing the entire recording session last year with what seemed like 12-15 takes of the song. I can make no argument for why this bit of Presley cheese is a great song, or why it would even be in my top 10 Elvis tunes. There's no logic here. It's simply a visceral experience. My attention is riveted to the music the instant I hear, "Holy smoke! Land sakes alive! I never thought this could happen to me!" Again, no great instrumental break here, just 'ol E driving ahead.

Then I thought Little Richard's The Girl Can't Help It was THE song. It's less screechy than some of Little Richard's other records, and it has a driving bass and a great saxophone solo. But it's a Little Richard song that doesn't feature the piano near as much as some other songs. So can it be my favorite? I still like it a lot.

As much as I love ballads like The Flamingos' I Only Have Eyes For You, I still think of rock-n-roll as being "loud, fast, and out of control" (the name of a great box set, btw). So I think my all-time favorite has to be an up-tempo number.

I love Carl Perkins. I love Jerry Lee Lewis. I love them both on Put Your Cat Clothes On - the version recorded in December 1956. I'm pretty sure this version wasn't actually released until the 60s, after Perkins left Sun, but it has a great guitar break kicked off by Carl's "Scaaat Cat!", the Killer's pumping piano, and it has this great energy. I think most days I would choose this one as my favorite.

Put Your Cat Clothes On wins by a hair from Carl's toupee...

They took my blue suede shoes-a-billy

The question which kills.
Too hard!

Johnny B Goode. thats the song that started it for me

To me, Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie (by Eddie Cochran) and Rockabilly Boogie (Johnny Burnette)

Probably the former is the best; it has the voice, the guitar, the drums... everything is perfect!

Rickabilly,

+1 (if I could) for your mention of I Only Have Eyes For You, which is "our song" (not me and Rick, you fools...me and my wife!). Also your thoughts on Elvis - aside from the iconic, monumental 50s hits (Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel, etc.), he had so many great songs that are almost totally forgotten! If they had been one-hit-wonder songs for somebody, they might not have been swept over by the enormity of the rest of Elvis's catalogue. I Got Stung is a great example, as are Wear My Ring Around Your Neck, You're So Square, Big Hunk o' Love, and the ballad Don't. Some AT40 trivia - Elvis charted 105 times, as of 1984 (just heard that tidbit last week). Kind of hard to fathom.

My choice? Well, it changes. I'm going to go kind of obscure here: I Vibrate (From My Head To My Feet) by Conway Twitty. It's come through a couple of times on Pandora (my Eddie Cochran channel), and it's out of this world.

She's fine lookin' man......She's something else!
It's definately right up there.
On a par with 'Summertime Blues' and 'C'mon Everybody'.

50 years later and guys are still looking for that gal and car!


Bear85, you are so right about Elvis.....and that's even without mentioning any of the Sun Sessions!

The 50's song i sing the most is one i haven't got - Marty Wilde's 'Teenager in Love'.
I really like Dion, but this version's better.

Ah, Little Richard's songs....I've always had a favourite with 'Lucille'

This is difficult.....

Too many to pick one...but i will!.

HEARTBREAK HOTEL...a one of a kind song!.

Is it country?,Blues?,pop?,even Jazz?!

With that echo on the main vocal...wow!.

No other song has come near it...that is the song that made the name E A PRESLEY Famouse!...all round the globe!.

Gah. Too hard, changes frequently. But some perennial faves have always been:

Mean When I'm Mad - Eddie Cochran (undoubtedly my fave Cochran song. Ya'll can keep your hits.)

Rock Around With Ollie Vee - Buddy Holly

Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Stick McGhee & his Buddies (yeah, it was only 1949, but to my ears it's much better than Jerry Lee's or Johnny Burnette's versions of the song. I also like the fact that apparently "spo dee o dee" was actually a substitute phrase for "mother fu%&er"!!)

Rick, it's pretty funny : Put Your Cat Clothes On is for sure in my top 5 and probably in my top 3 !

For me, it's PUT YOUR CAT CLOTHES ON by Carl Perkins.

Hard question to answer!!
So I take this way, even if it couldn't be the best one: my fav' '50 artist is Elvis so I'm gonna give what I consider his best song:
You're nothin' but an Hound Dog!!!!!!!!

FrenchyCat

Clear '50's No.1 for me is the Johnny Burnette Trio with ROCKABILLY BOOGIE
I'll go for a Top 10 though which are in no particuarlar order.

Dion's THE WANDERER has really grown on me these last few years and risen high up my list as has Charlie Feathers BOTTLE TO THE BABY.Isn't it strange how your feelings change toward certain songs?
JAILHOUSE ROCK would have to be my Elvis choice with a worthy mention to the lesser heard Western Union.
BLUEJEAN BOP just edges out Be Bop A Lula on the Gene Vincent front,probably as it was always one of my regular Boppin' songs in my youth.
Charlie Gracie's FABULOUS is one of the few Rockin' 78's my Dad had.
There has to be a Carl Perkins track so will go for MATCHBOX.
Final 3 would be Warren Smith with RED CADILLAC & A BLACK MOUSTACHE,
Hank Mizell's JUNGLE ROCK and Chuck Berry's anthemic JOHNNY B GOODE.

Good fun but hardly definitive as I am bound to have missed a real favourite out.Can I have a top 100?
Cheers
Steve

christopher wrote:

That's allright, Mama. Elvis.

And Get rhythm ( todays choice )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Roug4qG7qCY

My 50's song du jour would have to be:

Farewell, So Long, Goodbye -- Bill Haley & His Comets


I'm gonna say to you, these three little words and they mean that we are through.
Farewell, So Long, Goodbye.

You're leaving me, these words are three, Farewell, So Long, Goodbye.

Da, da, da ,daaaaa da...


hrg