#Guy Mitchell

[citizenscreen]

Guy Mitchell and Audie Murphy for the NBC series, “Whispering Smith” (1961)

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ABBEY ROAD—The 1969 epic album by The Beatles, Lynn Anderson, Johnny Appleseed, photographer/photojournalist (and my friend from the Davy Jones/Monkees orbit) Michael G. Bush, Carleen Carter, Craig Chaquico (good to have met you), Darby Crash (The Germs), Gal Costa, Donna Douglas, T.S. Eliot, one of my musical heroes Bryan Ferry, David Frizzell, another one of my musical heroes George Gershwin, Linda Hamilton, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon), Dolores Keane, Amanda Kearns, Julie London, Olivia Newton-John, OMD’s 1980 “Enola Gay” single, Ivan Pavlov, César Rosas (Los Lobos), Tracey Thorn, Stuart Tosh, the musical WEST SIDE STORY (premiered 1957), Serena Williams, and a great American singer-songwriter, entertainer, and NASCAR racing driver Marty Robbins. As one of the pioneers of “outlaw country music,” he released 500 recordings and 60 hit singles from the late 1940s into the 1980s. He’s best known for the western ballad “El Paso,” and I’m a fan of his interpretation of “Red River Valley.” I play both of those songs in assisted living homes, along with Marty’s “A White Sport Coat & A Pink Carnation”— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qB0NM8JbYM

The lyrics portray a shattered young man who was stood up at the prom but, without saying, you know he’s going to bounce back. Marty got the visual for this song after passing a group of teenagers decked out for their high school prom. He zipped off this song in 20 minutes. His original 1957 track is premium country-pop trimmed with doo-wop and rockabilly. His creamy smooth voice owns the story, and his goal was to out-chart his earlier single “Singing the Blues,” which was eclipsed by a competing version by crooner Guy Mitchell. Ray Conniff arranged Mitchell’s international hit, and Marty insisted Ray run the session for his new song. Marty’s instincts were correct—it became his 3rd #1 hit, and it’s still on playlists and soundtracks (it’s also name-checked in Don McLean’s “American Pie”). It’s a fun vocal work-out. If you have prom photos you’d like to share (white sport coat optional), please post. Meanwhile, HB MR and thank you for your great singing and giving us so many songs.

#rocknroll #popmusic #rockabilly #doowop #countrymusic #martyrobbins #highschool #prom #whitesportcoat #pinkcarnation #guymitchell #rayconniff #mitchmiller #donmclean #americanpie #johnnyjblair #birthday #singeratlarge #birthday

[markonpark]

eBay, MarkOnParkWorld: Those Redheads from Seattle 1953 Vintage 1-sheet Movie Poster

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #8: 1957

More information about this blog here

Welcome to the second year of rock and roll's presence in the Top 10. And by rock and roll, I'm talking about the battle between Elvis Presley and future metal god, Pat Boone. The sound of the charts didn't change over night, as seen when looking at the numerous non rock and roll songs featured in this poll. But even if the sound isn't shifting, we're still seeing something of a cultural change. I'll just say it: the acts are starting to get prettier. Now that the young people of the 1950s are buying more music of their own, chart performance is focusing more on individual sales. Is this new demographic of young people the reason why the song Young Love is featured twice on this poll? Probably not, but I thought it was a funny coincidence (previous poll appearance, The Crew-Cuts, also covered this song this same year btw). The era of composers and traditional pop standards isn't over, of course. But as we watch how the course of history played out, it becomes clear which side won in the end.

[alovelywaytospendanevening]

Revisiting the Charts #2: November 22, 1959 (Billboard Hot 100)

Fast forward a few years, this edition of Revisiting the Charts takes a look at the top 10 of one of the last weeks of the 1950s. The Hot 100 chart as we know it was already pretty much established by that time!

1. Mr. Blue — The Fleetwoods Current Spotify stats: 25.267.083 plays

This song is an odd case. It doesn’t have a strong hook, and at first it may seem boring, but then it goes into rather unexpected and pleasant ways. I’m surprised it managed to be a #1 hit, but it’s definitely a grower.

2. Mack the Knife — Bobby Darin Current Spotify stats: 79.694.412 plays

A classic song with a classic and charismatic performance by Mr. Darin. One of the essential recordings of the crooner era.

3. Don’t You Know — Della Reese Current Spotify stats: 495.769 plays

Mrs. Reese had a pleasant voice, and the fussy arrangement also contributes to make this recording neatly presentable, but not particularly memorable.

4. Put Your Head on My Shoulder — Paul Anka Current Spotify stats: 345.483.464 plays

Another classic that has stood the test of time, as evidenced by its strong streaming numbers. I think overplay killed a little of this song’s magic for me, but I can understand its enduring appeal.

5. Heartaches by the Number — Guy Mitchell Current Spotify stats: 17.812.282 plays

Smart songwriting and a catchy tune, coupled with Mr. Mitchell’s soothing vocals, make this song a worthy hit.

6. Lonely Street — Andy Williams Current Spotify stats: 156.573 plays

While Andy Williams was always recognized as a crooner, not a rocker, you can hear some clear echoes of Elvis Presley here. It was a wise move, as the sound fits the song pretty well, and gives it a distinct freshness.

7. Teen Beat — Sandy Nelson Current Spotify stats: 238.870 plays

Technically speaking, this is not a high quality recording. The music isn’t much better: it sounds like somebody trying to find a tune. Perhaps a more skilled musician could’ve transformed this into something, but the results we have sound more like “Teen Noise”.

8. Deck of Cards — Wink Martindale Current Spotify stats: 379.983 plays

This is an unusually long song for the period (almost 4 minutes!). Some religious/"inspirational" songs can be enjoyable, but this recitation is far too boring and preachy to be such a case.

9. So Many Ways — Brooke Benton Current Spotify stats: 400.926 plays

Sweet romantic song, so charming. I bet it was a popular choice at proms.

10. Primrose Lane — Jerry Wallace Current Spotify stats: 566.102 plays

This one almost reaches the point of generic dullness. Proceed with caution.

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 28th January

Wow, January is almost over already! That felt like a breeze! We do have three songs this week, though, so that's something - a real bit of turnover as we all get the Christmas frivolity out of our systems, and things take a turn for the more romantic. Which is probably for the best, honestly.

Why? - Anthony Newley (peaked at Number 1)

Hmmm. It's not exactly a dynamic start. Instead, Anthony begins this song with a gentle clip-clopping intro, all strummy guitar and chimes. I can't pin down exactly why it makes me think of a donkey plodding alongl, but it really does. It just sort of ambles along a bit aimlessly, with no real sense of drive or purpose. It's not offensively bad, but it's a bit lacklustre, at least for me.

Things don't get better as the lyrics come in, because they're nothing if not banal, a series of questions and answers, delivered almost like a catechism by Anthony: I'll never let you go. Why? Because I love you. I'll always love you so. Why? Because you love me. And so on and so on, ad infinitum. It's wearing, and also bordering on the tautological. Anthony will always love his love interest because... because they love him? There's something weirdly circular about it all, and definitely a bit pointless.

Pointless, but very charminly delivered, in a way that feels distinctly British to me, lots of lines about how I think you're awfully sweet, and such like. It's very soft and gentle, and politely awkward, in a very Hugh Grant-esque way. You can absolutely hear the David Bowie influence, too, even more than in Anthony's last song. This is something I think I'm going to be mentioning just about every time that Anthony has a hit, because it genuinely fascinates me - just some really random obscure singer that I bet very few people have heard of, but listen and you've got a full blueprint for where Bowie got his vocal stylings. Wild stuff.

I should also mention here that the song, despite feeling very British, was originally an American song, sung by none other than Frankie Avalon, notable teen idol. This is kind of interesting to me, because I think having a teenager sing it gives the song a different vibe completely. Coming from a teenager the rather shallow lines come off as sincere, a young man's description of falling in love for the first time. With Anthony, who's a bit older, and also British, you've got a different vibe, the sort of stuttering, gentle politeness we have here. He comes off as no less sincere, but a lot shyer, more hesitant, maybe not quite saying everything he feels. It's a different performance, and you get something different from it. Doesn't mean I love the song, but I can appreciate what he's doing with it, I guess.

Heartaches by the Number - Guy Mitchell (5)

Okay, so I think I know a version of this song? Not this version, though - the version I have in my head is a much slower, more mournful affair. Not that this version, by none other than Guy Mitchell, is a particularly happy song, but it's upbeat and pacy, with a whistling break, for heaven's sake. So it's got a slightly more cheery feel to it than I imagined, despite the rather downbeat lyrics.

Those lyrics, though. Man, Guy isn't doing well. He's got heartaches by the number / Troubles by the score / Every day you love me less / Each day I love you more. Yeouch! Thus begins a tour through all the romantic misfortunes that Guy's had. First his love left him, then they came back but without meaning to stay. Finally, they called to say they were coming back yet again, except while with hopeful heart I waited for your knock upon the door / I waited, but you must have lost your way. There's something about the plain dejection of it all. You want to shake Guy and tell him just to dump them, except you get the feel it wouldn't make a difference. And then, the kicker, as he concludes that Yes, I've got heartaches by the number / A love that I can't wind / But the day that I stop counting / That's the day my world will end. Even as he's being mistreated - and he knows he's being mistreated - he can't quite bring himself to cut mental ties, to stop obsessing over counting the ways his love has disappointed him. He's still keeping track, still hanging onto them. It's deeply unhealthy, but gosh, if it's not a compelling dynamic. Poor, pathetic man.

It's a proper country song, all banjo and southern twang, with a catchy tune and memorable lyrics. As such I'm also hardly surprised that it's become a bit of a country standard in the years after Guy recorded it. Seriously, there are versions out there by everyone from Ray Price to Buck Owens, Connie Francis, Bing Crosby, Waylon Jennings, Bill Haley and even Cyndi Lauper. Actually, I'd quite like to listen to the Connie Francis version. Mostly because I like everything she does. I suspect the version I've heard before is possibly the Ray Prince, the Buck Owens or even the Waylon Jennings version - I'm imagining a slightly slower, deeper voice, a real husky country complaint.

That said, I do think I'm warming to Guy's more upbeat treatment of it. It fits with the denial the narrator-character seems to be in, as he bemoans his heartaches, but also hangs onto the memories of them, unable to accept that he's lost them. He's still counting his heartaches, whistling along merrily as if to convince himself that it's fine, that they're going to come back to him, if only to break his heart for a fourth time.

A Voice in the Wilderness - Cliff Richard (2)

Crying "prepare the way for the Lord?" I joke, but there's definitely a smack of religion to this number - a premonition of Cliff hits to come? He only became an evangelical Christian in 1964, so it's probably a coincidence, but still, there's definitely a touch of the Biblical about a voice from the sky asking a lonely Cliff to haev faith in your darlin' and exhorting him to be true to her memory, she'll come back one day. You half expect the reveal to be that his love is dead, and that this is about some sort of reunion in the great hereafter.

Unfortuantely, the song then chooses to go in a much less interesting direction, with the reveal that Cliff's love isn't dead - they simply argued, and his love left him. We had a quarrel, he sings, I was unkind / Why did you leave me? Love made me blind. Now he mopes in the "wilderness" - no, I'm not sure what wilderness this is supposed to be, either - and sings mopishly to his love, asking her to have pity, come back now, I need you so much. Which again, is a bit pathetic. Honestly, if I was Cliff's girl, I wouldn't be so sure about going back to him, however much he evokes the voice of true love.

To be fair, I think even Cliff wasn't particularly enamoured with this one - he apparently pushed for its B-side, a song called Don't Be Mad at Me, to be made the A-side here. His manager insisted, however, and it's this song that became the hit, despite Don't Be Mad at Me being hailed as a great track. Meanwhile, at least one TV producer described this song as "an interminable drag of the first order". Which feels a little harsh, honestly - it's really not that bad, musically, just a bit pathetic - but still, never a good sign when the artist recording the song and the folks in charge of plugging it can't muster much enthusiasm for it.

It did, at least, get some publicity for being used in a film, the brilliantly-named Expresso Bongo. And honestly, the film sounds genuinely insane. It's about a sketchy talent agent called Johnny Jackson, who's incidentally got a girlfriend who's a stripper, and who he discovers a young rock and roll singer playing in a espresso bar, one Bert Rudge. Bert, under Johnny's tutelage, changes his name - I kid you not - to "Bongo Herbert" and has some success. Wacky hijinks then ensue, in ways that I assume were meant as a parody of how record labels and companies worked in the 1950s. Honestly, I don't know enough about it to judge whether this film is actually funny. I'm suspecting it wasn't, by the look of the plot summary I'm reading, but critics don't seem to have minded it at the time, barring one notably crap accent. Cliff played Bongo Herbert, of course. Which is interesting, given the complete lack of bongos in this song, but hey.

We're apparently in the mood for pathetic men, this week. And honestly, I can't blame anyone for that. However, I suspect it's only Guy who was "supposed" to come off as pathetic. With Anthony and Cliff it seems like more of an unintentional thing, a sort of creeping lameness. Neither of their songs are bad, exactly, but I think Guy's convinced me a bit more. Plus, it's been a while since we heard any country, so...

Favourite song of the bunch: Heartaches by the Number

[clivechip]

Song Lyric Sunday: A Hooly-Hooly Skirt

  This week for Song Lyric Sunday I’m playing you something a little different from my usual suspects. Jim’s post Age Is A Measurement Of Time – an accurate title – tells us that our task is to play a song from the year that we were born, which as I reach 71 in a couple of weeks means that I am looking at 1953. Pop music charts here in the UK were in their infancy in those days: the first one, a…

[maps-and-elvis-and-zelda-n-shit]

Wait nobody was going to tell me that Guy Mitchell was (50s) built?? That’s such a mental disconnect, He sang (and apparently performed) like a cardboard cut-out.

[frothytundra]

Song Lyrics In The Night

Those of you who are often awake in the middle of the night will understand this story and empathize. Others may simply be amused. Either way, it’s a good story. On Wednesday night I woke at about 2:30 AM as I often do, and got up to play the New York Times word games and catch up on the news from various sources. I know that there is no point in tossing and turning in bed because once I am…

[tin-wufborf]

Songs I listened to today, November 17, 2023, that I want to share:

"Angel In Your Eyes by LSD (Labyrinth, Sia & Diplo)

"Build God, Then We'll Talk" by Panic! At The Disco

"They Believe" by Call The Cops

"Stockholm Syndrome" by blink-182

"Medicine" by Daughter

"Shark Attack" by Senses Fail

"Wallflower" by Jinjer

"Every Ghetto, Every City" by Lauryn Hill

"Hooks and Splinters" by Otep

"To Be Alone" by Hozier

"Fuck Her Gently" by Tenacious D

"S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

"Yonkers" by Tyler, The Creator

"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane

"Heartaches By The Number" by Guy Mitchell

"Poetic Justice" by Kendrick Lamar ft. Drake

"Yes Indeed" by Lil Baby ft. Drake

"This Is Why" by Paramore

"Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.

"Sunday Morning" by No Doubt

What have you listened to today? Let me know!

[72crowe89]

Thank you, Into the Spider-Verse

[singeratlarge]

SATURDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: “White Sport Coat & A Pink Carnation”— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qB0NM8JbYM

…The lyrics portray a shattered young man who was stood up at the prom but, without saying, you know he’s going to bounce back. The great Marty Robbins got the visual for this song after passing a group of teenagers decked out for their high school prom. He zipped off this song in 20 minutes. His original track (released today 4/20/57) is premium country-pop trimmed with doo-wop and rockabilly. His creamy smooth voice owns the story. With this song, his goal was to out-chart his earlier single “Singing the Blues,” which was eclipsed in a competing version by crooner Guy Mitchell. Ray Conniff arranged Mitchell’s international hit, and Marty insisted Ray run the session for his new song. Marty’s instincts were correct—it became his 3rd #1 hit, and it’s still on playlists and soundtracks (it’s also name-checked in Don McLean’s “American Pie”). Itook a shine to the song after playing it in assisted living homes. It’s a fun vocal work-out. If you have prom photos you’d like to share (white sport coat optional), please post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qB0NM8JbYM

#rocknroll #popmusic #rockabilly #doowop #countrymusic #martyrobbins #highschool #prom #whitesportcoat #pinkcarnation #guymitchell #rayconniff #mitchmiller #donmclean #americanpie #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge

[js-dragonart]

"Tasty bröther."

Had this on my mind for a while now, ever since I watched this interview. The dynamic between these two goofballs is just so wholesome. Tom always fooling around while Ewan tries to stay professional and has this "I can't take him anywhere" look on his face.

[kitkat-the-muffin]

Spiderverse is a comic

Mitchells Vs The Machines is a sketch book

The Bad Guys is a cartoon

Puss In Boots is a digital painting

I’m loving the more artistic approach to 3D animation, and how each movie that utilizes the method does so in a different way with different inspirations behind it. Keep it up!

[enzo-is-tired]

The Evolution of Style in 3D Film

I wanted to show how much theatrical animation has changed in the last few years. Incorporating 2D elements has always been attempted but was rare and went unnoticed. That’s not the case anymore with more adopting it, anime too!

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 9th May

Oooh, two number ones. Not only that, but two number ones that I don't actually know at all - these could literally be anything, I've not even heard of them. Exciting times!

Rock-A-Billy - Guy Mitchell (peaked at Number 1)

Well, I do know Guy Mitchell. I think of all the pre-rock and roll artists, he's possibly adapted the best to the new style of music, and this song's title suggests to me that he's making another bid to stay relevant. How successful will he be? I guess we'll see...

We start with some moderately energetic guitars and hand clapping, which is then spoiled by some of the world's laziest lyrics, as Guy sings rock-a-billy, rock-a-billy, rock-a-billy, rock, rock-a-billy, rock-a-billy, rock, rock. Seriously, that's the whole chorus. It's like somebody at the record company said gee, this rock and roll thing's hot, and I hear there's a genre called rockabilly, let's just repeat that a whole lot, the kids will love it!

It's not horrible, that said. First we get a verse about rockabilly's history, and how some people think it came from Tennessee / Then spread on out to the lone prairie. And then we also get a verse that's basically Guy giving us instructions for dancing, telling us to grab yourself a partner, lose the blues / Wear your store-bought clothes and your stompin' shoes, and later to wiggle like a trout. Which are both charming enough, if a bit odd. But I guess that's the point - if rock and roll are for the young, cool city folks, rockabilly's its weird hillbilly mirror version, less glam, but no less energetic and wild. At least in theory, it is - I'm not convinced that Guy Mitchell has any actual authentic country-boy cred, for all that he repeats the word "rockabilly" a tonne in the chorus, and so the song's kind of lacking in the grit you get in a lot of "real" rockabilly songs.

I do enjoy the fact that they've included not one but two gear-shift key changes. We've had a severe lack of cheesy key changes so far, more's the pity. Two feels a little excessive, but I'm not complaining at all. This song's a cheese-fest anyway, what's there to lose?

Actually, the more I listen, the more I'm thankful for the key changes, because without them, the song would get very monotonous. There's not a huge amount of variation between the verses and the chorus, and there's not much in the way of instrumental breaks or solos to break up the track, either. If you didn't have the key changes, it would just be a straight-up brutally boring gallop towards the finish line.

I have to be honest, this song is leaving me a little cold. I think it's the cynicism of it all. It definitely feels like an attempt to cash in on a trend, and while Guy's voice and general vibe are good for it, it doesn't feel like the most natural thing ever, or like much actual passion's been put into it. Compare this to Little Richard's yowling and bawling - the emotional whammy isn't even comparable.

Butterfly - Andy Williams (1)

Okay, we're starting out with the same sort of strummy guitar/banjo, clicks, claps and vocal aaaah backing that we got at the start of Singing the Blues. And overall, this has a similar vibe to that song, with some bluesy piano and some backing singers going doo-doo-wah throughout. It sets us up in a sort of blue, mopey mood that continues throughout the song.

Andy's got a voice that works for it, too - he croons in a way that's not a million miles from Elvis, with a lot of emphasis on some notes, and less on others, and a pretty emotional delivery, overall, with these little uh sounds on the end of lines. It's cool, legitimately.

But the musical elements are the least memorable aspects of this song, because... yikes, those lyrics. I kind of like them, but they're definitely of their era. First we learn how Andy's girl is a bit of a floozy, as he sings about how You tell me you love me, you say you'll be true / Then you fly around with somebody new. He's still crazy about her, but she flits around like a butterfly, so he decides to break up, telling us about how You treat me mean, you're makin' me cry / I've made up my mind to tell you goodbye. But to no avail, she's simply the troublin' kind, and so, in the creepiest line of the lot, we learn that I love you so much I know what I'll do / I'm clippin' your wings, your flyin' is through.

Ugh. It's so gross and creepy, a real predatory, serial killer line. Its only redeeming feature is that I could imagine it being used to brilliant ironic effect in a horror movie. I don't even know what "clippin' your wings" would mean, in this context - I think that's what makes it so awful! It could be so many different terrible things, and Andy sings it in this mild-mannered, sweet way that just makes the dissonance worse - urgh!

I do enjoy the metaphor of it all. And when I divorce the lyrics from the possible creepiness behind them, I do kind of like the song. Heck, I even like it as an ironic serial killer ballad. But boy, is Andy pushing it here!

It's at this point that I also need to shout out the backing singer in the back half who just does a solitary bom periodically. That, and the quote on the cover of the version I'm listening to, which describes Andy as "one of those he-males who slays the females". Which isn't doing much for the serial killer accusations, honestly.

I did weirdly enjoy both of those songs, but I'm under no illusions that they were the best songs ever to reach Number 1. Still, one felt a bit more genuine, even if that genuineness was creepy, and that has to earn it the top spot this week, as opposed to Guy's blatant attempt to cash in on a trend.

Favourite song of the bunch: Butterfly