Hi friends – welcome back to 50s Tunes with Steve - the best place to learn about, listen to, and snap along with some of the great artists of the 1950s.
There are many artists I have yet to talk about on this Blog as I’m trying to save the best ones for last! With that said, it has come to my attention that, you, my readers, would like to hear a little bit more about some of my favorite artists and their songs, and in spirit of the many requests I’ve received, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to 10 of my favorite songs from the 50s.
This post will also give you a look at some artists I’ll be talking about later on down the road.
#10 – Frank Sinatra: I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Sinatra is arguably the king of music, and it’s songs like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” that makes it clear as to why. He was a master at bringing out the true meaning of a song – really making you feel something when you listen! Sinatra’s children Frank Jr. and Nancy once said that if their father couldn’t feel a song, he wouldn’t record it. I’m sure you’ll feel something listening to this great tune!
#9 – Perry Como: Magic Moments
Perry Como was a man who could do no wrong, and it’s songs like this that gives listeners an inside look at the type of person he was – warm, calm, and pleasant. Take a listen to Mr. C’s 1958 smash record, “Magic Moments!”
#8 – Patti Page: The Tennessee Waltz
As I mentioned to you in my Blog about Patti Page’s life and her many songs, her biggest hit was “The Tennessee Waltz,” a song that was perfectly suited to her voice, going on to become the tune of the decade. I didn’t personally hear this song for the first time until later in my life, roughly around the time of the pandemic, but even so it’s become one of my all-time favorites and will forever hold a place in my heart.
#7 – Dean Martin: Sway ¿Quién será?
As a young child there were many songs my mom would play regularly on our trips in the car or just while cleaning in the kitchen, and Dean Martin’s “Sway” was one of them. If you can recall from my “Welcome” Blog post, this was always one of the many songs my Grandmother and I would dance to every time I went over her house, so to say the least, it means a lot to me.
#6 – Nat King Cole: Smile
Nat King Cole was one of those singers that knew how to connect with an audience, and he didn’t have to be there right in front of you to make you feel as if he’s singing to you. You’ll see even through his recording this song called “Smile,” which has been done by many artists, how it almost feels as if he’s singing right to you, and in doing so, he pulls at your heart strings, which is why this is one of my favorite songs.
#5 – Rosemary Clooney: Mambo Italiano
One of the very first songs my mom ever introduced to me from the 50s was a song called “Mambo Italiano.” Being of American-Italian heritage my mom had a whole playlist of just Italian songs we’d listen to, and I’d bring the playlist with me on a little CD, to my Grandmothers house. I spent a lot of time in my childhood strictly familiarizing myself with those songs, and this was certainly one of my favorites on that list.
#4 – Dean Martin: Oh Marie
Another song that was on the playlist was this Italian tune by Dean Martin, “Oh Marie.” It’s one of my Grandmothers favorites cause her name is Mary, which in Italian is pretty much Marie, and her dad used to sing this song to her. Again, it became a favorite of mine and certainly for sentimental reasons.
#3 – Perry Como: Papa Loves Mambo
Well, once again I’m listing another song related to my American-Italian heritage. “Papa Loves Mambo” is a song that is played at virtually every Italian American event, and it’s been regularly played in our house. Perry Como had a sense for these type of “Novelty” songs, and while a song like this may seem a little frivolous, Perry knew how to make it fun, upbeat, and energetic.
#2 – Perry Como: Round and Round
I’m sure you’re starting to see a trend here! If you haven’t figured it out yet, Perry Como is my all-time favorite singer which is why so many of his songs are on this list. “Round and Round” is another novelty song, and like I said, Perry had a certain niche for these songs. This particular tune has an interesting backstory. It was written by 2 songwriters riding on a subway. The sound of the subway was their inspiration, using the sound of the tracks moving along the rails as the intro to the song. With a sprinkle of lyrics there and a few lyrics here, they took the simple sound and turned it into a love song – a love song fit for the voice of Perry Como and The Ray Charles Singers, singing in a round robin!
#1 – Perry Como: Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
“Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes” is the first song I had ever heard sung by Perry Como. It instantly became a favorite of mine after I had heard it when I was 12 years old. Perry had recorded the song at a time when his popularity was on a down hill spiral in 1952. It was originally a country song written by singer Slim Willet, but Como’s producers felt it could be turned into a pop tune. Perry wasn’t overly fond of the song, almost refusing to record it all together as he felt the meter and tempo was off. But his producers pushed and pushed, eventually convincing him to record it. Come 1953, the song sold over 2 million copies, becoming a #1 hit and reaching #9 on Billboard’s top 30 singles of ’53. Thank God the producers won out – otherwise I wonder what my favorite song of all time would be! Anyway, take a listen to this great tune!
That’s all for today!
Thanks for reading folks and as always, I hope you enjoyed hearing some of these great tunes.
Until next time friends, this is your 50s music fanatic, Steven B. – signing off!
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