Forgotten Hits

The Best Of The Rest, Part 1 ... Summer's Greatest Hits, 1955 - 1962

Summer's Greatest Hits,

1955 - 1962

We're ALL about The Summers here in Forgotten Hits!

Elsewhere on this web page, you'll find Top 50 Countdowns for

The Biggest Songs Of Summer, 1963 - 1970.

On this page (and its companion page, "The Best Of The Rest, Part 2: Summer's Greatest Hits, 1971 - 1980), we recap The Top Ten Hits of Summer on both The National and The Local Chicagoland Charts.

Remember the songs YOU used to cruise to back in the day ... top and windows down, wind in your hair ... buddies (or love of your life) at your side ... radio cranked up to the max ... singing along with the very BIGGEST hits of the day? They're all here ... 'cause these are the OFFICIAL rankings based on both the national charts (as rated by the three major music trade publications) and the local charts (if you just happened to grow up here in Chicago like I did!)

Final chart positions were determined by a point system assigned to each Top Ten Hit for the months of June, July and August ONLY for each of the years listed ... truly the most accurate representation of Summer Hits possible. Enjoy!

THE NATIONAL CHARTS

1955

1. Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets

2. A Blossom Fell - Nat "King" Cole

3. Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado

4. Learnin' The Blues - Frank Sinatra

5. Unchained Melody - Les Baxter

6. If I May - Nat "King" Cole

7. Ain't That A Shame - Pat Boone

8. Hard To Get - Giselle MacKenzie

9. Honey Babe - Art Mooney

10. Dance With Me Henry - Georgia Gibbs

What could be more fitting? The song that single-handedly launched The Rock And Roll Era comes in as the #1 Song Of Summer for 1955. It launched a rock and roll revolution ... and music has NEVER been the same since. "Rock Around The Clock" is STILL near and dear to our hearts ... and it's our very first #1 Summer Hit!

1956

1. The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant

2. I Almost Lost My Mind - Pat Boone

3. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - Elvis Presley

4. Moonglow and The Theme from "Picnic" - Morris Stoloff

5. My Prayer - Platters

6. I'm In Love Again - Fats Domino

7. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley

8. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley

9. Standing On The Corner - Four Lads

10. More - Perry Como

1956 may have been Elvis' year ... The King Of Rock And Roll placed THREE songs in The Summer of '56 Top Ten Countdown ... but the BIGGEST Hit that summer belonged to Gogi Grant with "The Wayward Wind". Elvis' biggest chart rival at the time, Pat Boone, came in at #2 with "I Almost Lost My Mind" and Middle-Of-The-Road tunes like "Moonglow and The Theme From 'Picnic'", "My Prayer", "Standing On The Corner" and "More" were still charting high enough to make The Top Ten. (Guess the whole country hadn't caught Rock And Roll Fever yet ... but a LOT of kids were also listening to the hot new sounds of Fats Domino. who came in at #6 with "I'm In Love Again", Chuck Berry and Little Richard ... music that wasn't even being played on "white" radio stations a year ago when it was Pat Boone who placed in The Top Ten with "Ain't That A Shame" instead of The Fat Man!)

1957

1. Love Letters In The Sand - Pat Boone

2. Bye Bye Love - Everly Brothers

3. Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

4. So Rare - Jimmy Dorsey

5. Searchin ' - Coasters

6. Bernadine - Pat Boone

7. Loving You - Elvis Presley

8. A Teenager's Romance - Ricky Nelson

9. A White Sport Coat - Marty Robbins

10. Send For Me - Nat "King" Cole

Pat Boone came out on top of the heap in 1957, too, with his movie theme "Love Letters In The Sand". Two-Sided Hits were big this year as the B-Side to that record, "Bernadine" also finished in The Top Ten, as did Elvis' two-sided hit "Teddy Bear" / "Loving You" (also songs from his hit movie that year.) And Ricky Nelson just missed ... "A Teenager's Romance" came in at #8 but it's flip side, a cover of the Fats Domino classic "I'm Walkin'" failed to make The Top Ten. The rest of the countdown was a real mixed bag of musical tastes and styles ... The Everly Brothers launched their careers with the huge hit "Bye Bye Love" ... you had the "big band" sound of Jimmy Dorsey at #4 with "So Rare", a country cross-over hit by Marty Robbins, "A White Sport Coat" at #9, an easy-listening ballad "Send For Me" by Nat "King" Cole at #10, and a rock-and-roll novelty hit by the KINGS of rock and roll novelty, The Coasters, whose "Searchin'" placed at #5.

1958

1. The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley

2. Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson

3. Patricia - Perez Prado

4. All I Have To Do Is Dream - Everly Brothers

5. Yakety Yak - Coasters

6. Hard-Headed Woman - Elvis Presley

7. Little Star - Elegants

8. Witch Doctor - David Seville

9. Splish Splash - Bobby Darin

10. Secretly - Jimmie Rodgers

Looks like novelty hits were all the rage in 1958, too ... "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley, "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters and "Witch Doctor" by the pre-Chipmunks David Seville all made The Top Ten. (Some might argue that Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" also belongs on this list!) The Everly Brothers were back in The Top Ten ... and so was Ricky Nelson with his first #1 Record, "Poor Little Fool".

1959

1. Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton

2. Lonely Boy - Paul Anka

3. Personality - Lloyd Price

4. Dream Lover - Bobby Darin

5. A Big Hunk O' Love - Elvis Presley

6. My Heart Is An Open Book - Carl Dobkins, Jr.

7. Lavendar Blue - Sammy Turner

8. There Goes My Baby - Drifters

9. Waterloo- Stonewall Jackson

10. Kansas City - Wilbert Harrison

What a GREAT Summer of crusin' THIS must have been!!! (Hey, I was just turning SIX that summer ... I missed ALL of these songs the first time around ... but there are some GREAT tunes on the list from The Summer of '59!) You couldn't escape Johnny Horton's "Battle Of New Orleans" ... and Paul Anka, Bobby Darin and Elvis Presley ALL had Top Ten Hits that Summer. The Drifters made their first appearance on the pop charts, too ... and tracks like "Personality" by Lloyd Price and "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison have gone on to become rock and roll classics.

1960

1. I'm Sorry - Brenda Lee

2. Everybody's Somebody's Fool - Connie Francis

3. Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison

4. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini - Brian Hyland

5. Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers

6. Alley-Oop - Hollywood Argyles

7. It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley

8. Burning Bridges - Jack Scott

9. Good Timin' - Jimmy Jones

10. Paper Roses - Anita Bryant

The first two Queens Of Rock And Roll finished first and second in our 1960 Countdown ... they spent most of their careers in the '60's at the top of the pop charts, matching each other hit for hit. (Yet incredibly only Brenda Lee has ever been recognized for her talent and contributions ... she's in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Connie Francis is not ... one of the grossest injustices of this organization ... but don't even get me started on that topic!!!) A couple more novelty hits made the list ... "Alley-Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles (which later this year would become the very first rock and roll song played on WLS when they switched over to a Top 40 format) and "Itsy Bitsy Teenie-Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland, which has been a summer standard ever since. The Everly Brothers scored one of the biggest hits of their careers with "Cathy's Clown" and Roy Orbison out-placed his former Sun Records labelmate Elvis Presley with a #3 showing on his big hit "Only The Lonely". Even orange juice queen Anita Bryant made the list!

1961

1. Tossin' And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis

2. Raindrops - Dee Clark

3. Quarter To Three - Gary "US" Bonds

4. I Like It Like That - Chris Kenner

5. Travelin' Man- Ricky Nelson

6. Last Night - Mar-Keys

7. The Boll Weevil Song - Brook Benton

8. Moody River - Pat Boone

9. Stand By Me - Ben E. King

10.Yellow Bird - Arthur Lymon Group

Bobby Lewis kept us tossin' and turnin' all summer long with HIS monster hit in 1961. '50's artists like Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson and Brook Benton were still having some of the biggest hits of their career in the new decade ... and does ANY song get you going quite the way "Last Night" does by The Mar-Keys??? Gary "U.S." Bonds made his first major mark on the charts ... and Ben E. King recorded a '60's classic that still plays at least half a dozen times a day all these years later!

1962

1. Roses Are Red - Bobby Vinton

2. Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles

3. The Stripper - David Rose

4. The Wah-Watusi - Orlons

5. Sealed With A Kiss - Brian Hyland

6. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do - Neil Sedaka

7. Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon

8. Stranger On The Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk

9. It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin' - Johnny Tillotson

10. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Gene Pitney

Seems like music had taken a softer turn by 1962 ... "Roses Are Red" by Bobby Vinton, "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles, "Sealed With A Kiss" by Brian Hyland and "Stranger On The Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk all placed in The Top Ten. Thankfully, rockers like Freddy Cannon and The Orlons kept us dancing with up-tempo tunes like "Palisades Park" and "The Wah-Watusi" ... and David Rose may have inspired a little dancing of his own (albeit of a more "private" nature") with his monster instrumental hit "The Stripper".

Top 50 Summer Countdowns for the years 1963 - 1970 can be found elsewhere on this web page ... browse around a bit ... and Enjoy!!!

Summer's Greatest Hits,

Chicago-Style!

1955:

1. Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets

Although we'll admit that you'd be hard pressed to find an official Top 40 Pop Chart from Chicago from the Summer of 1955, there is no doubt in my mind that "Rock Around The Clock" wouldn't be The #1 Song Of Summer here in Chicagoland, too. It's impact on the world of music is legendary ... and within a year we'd soon have as many as three AM Top 40 Radio Stations broadcasting the latest hits of the day. (Back in '55, you might find a Top Ten Chart printed in Friday's Newspaper ... other summer favorites included "The Yellow Rose of Texas" by Mitch Miller, "Ain't That A Shame" by Pat Boone (they didn't DARE play the Fats Domino version yet!), "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" by Perez Prado and "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" by Bill Hayes ... but we're sticking with Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" as the BIGGEST Song of Summer, 1955 ... and the Dawn of the Rock And Roll Era!

1956

1. I Almost Lost My Mind - Pat Boone

2. I'm In Love Again - Fats Domino

3. My Prayer - Platters

4. Whatever Will Be, Will Be - Doris Day

5. Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent

6. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley

7. Moonglow and Theme from "Picnic" - George Cates

8. Stranded In The Jungle - Jayhawks

9. Sweet Old-Fashioned Girl - Teresa Brewer

10. The Flying Saucer - Buchanan and Goodman

Some of the biggest names in early Rock And Roll made our Chicagoland Chart for 1956. Pat Boone tops the list with his #1 Smash "I Almost Lost My Mind" ... but not far behind you'll find Fats Domino, The Platters, Gene Vincent and Elvis himself. A HUGE #1 Chicagoland Hit was the Buchanan and Goodman novelty track "The Flying Saucer" ... it placed at #10 for the summer!

1957

1. Bye Bye Love - Everly Brothers

2. Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

3. It's Not For Me To Say - Johnny Mathis

4. Love Letters In The Sand - Pat Boone

5. So Rare - Jimmy Dorsey

6. Tammy - Debbie Reynolds

7. Rainbow - Russ Hamilton

8. A White Sport Coat - Marty Robbins

9. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter - Billy Williams

10. Around The World In 80 Days - Victor Young

The Everly Brothers came out on top in 1957, besting Elvis' big hit "Teddy Bear" and ballads by Johnny Mathis and Pat Boone. "Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds held on long enough to score big points here in Chicago ... and one of MY favorite Forgotten Hits also made the list ... "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" by Billy Williams! (No, not the Cub Great ... but Williams cut a KILLER remake of the old Fats Waller tune from the '30's ... and it scored well enough here in Chi-Town to place him in The Top Ten!)

1958

1. Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson

2. The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley

3. Patricia - Perez Prado

4. Yakety Yak - Coasters

5. Do You Want To Dance - Bobby Freeman

6. Endless Sleep - Jody Reynolds

7. Little Star - Elegants

8. Splish Splash - Bobby Darin

9. Jennie Lee - Jan and Arnie

10. Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu - Domenico Modugno

An absolutely KILLER Top Ten for The Summer of '58 ... and a little bit of EVERYTHING in music styles, too. Ricky Nelson, Bobby Darin and Bobby Freeman kept the rock and roll thing going, Sheb Wooley and The Coasters gave us a touch of novelty with our music, The Elegants and Jan and Arnie incorporated some of the doo-wop sounds that made the '50's so unique ... and there was still room for a little foreign flavor, thanks to the likes of Perez Prado's "Patricia" and Domenico Modugno's classic "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue" aka "Volare". What a GREAT Summer for music!

1959

1. Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton

2. Lonely Boy - Paul Anka

3. Personality - Lloyd Price

4. There Goes My Baby - Drifters

5. Bobby Sox To Stockings - Frankie Avalon

6. Hush-A-Bye - Mystics

7. It Was I - Skip and Flip

8. Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson

9. Caio Caio Bambina - Jackie Noguez

10. Quiet Village - Martin Denny

Talk about musical diversity, check out THIS Top Ten List! Only HALF these songs made the national counterpoint list ... here in Chicago, we were evidently digging (and buying) the sounds of Frankie Avalon, The Mystics, Skip and Flip, Jackie Noguez and Martin Denny instead!

1960

1. I'm Sorry - Brenda Lee

2. Alley-Oop - Hollywood Argyles

3. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini - Brian Hyland

4. Image Of A Girl - Safaris

5. It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley

6. Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison

7. Walk Don't Run - Ventures

8. Everybody's Somebody's Fool - Connie Francis

9. Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers

10. Clap Your Hands - Beaumarks

My First 45 made the list ... "Itsy Bitsy Teenie-Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland came in at #3 ... and "Alley Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles ... the very first Top 40 Rock Song WLS played when they switched over their format ... was #2. Rock Sisters Connie Francis and Brenda Lee did well on our local chart, too, as did long-standing early rock standards like "Only The Lonely" by Roy Orbison, "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Brothers and "Walk Don't Run" by The Ventures. Even Elvis was back on the list! the only surprises may have been The Beaumakrs with "Clap Your Hands" and "Image Of A Girl" by The Safaris ... which had absolutely NOTHING to do with wiping out ... or a similarily named group who hit the charts several years later.

1961

1. Quarter To Three - Gary "US" Bonds

2. Michael - Highwaymen

3. Hats Off To Larry - Del Shannon

4. Hello Mary Lou - Ricky Nelson

5. Tossin' And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis

6. Raindrops - Dee Clark

7. Peanuts - Rick and the Keens

8. Running Scared - Roy Orbison

9. Moody River - Pat Boone

10. Barbara Ann - Regents

Gary "U.S." Bonds scored the Biggest Hit of Summer, 1961, here in Chi-Town ... "Quarter To Three" was ALL over the radio that year. Surprising in hindsight, knowing how big Bobby Lewis' hit "Tossin' And Turnin'" was. Here in Chicago, "Hello Mary Lou" proved to be the bigger size hit of Ricky Nelson's two-sided chart-topper ... "Travelin' Man" didn't even make our Top Ten Countdown. "Michael" by The Highwaymen proved how strong folk-rock music was influencing our tastes ... and The Regents' original version of "Barbara Ann" made the list, too!

1962

1. Roses Are Red - Bobby Vinton

2. The Stripper - David Rose

3. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do - Neil Sedaka

4. Sealed With A Kiss - Brian Hyland

5. I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles

6. Sheila - Tommy Roe

7. The Man Who Shot Libert Valance - Gene Pitney

8. Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon

9. The Loco-Motion - Little Eva

10. Al-Di-La - Emilio Pericoli

Chicago's 1962 Summer Chart doesn't look all that different from those records who scored big on the national scene ... in fact, seven of these tracks are common to both lists.

Watch for The Best Of The Rest, 1971 - 1980, elsewhere on this web page!

kk@forgottenhits.com