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Benny Hill - Gather In The Mushrooms

Benny Hill - Gather In The Mushrooms Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Best Of Benny Hill
Released: 1961

Gather In The Mushrooms Lyrics

Lucy went down on a farm, tried to milk a cow,
Though she tried she couldn't get the hang of it somehow.
The farmer looked at Lucy and murmured with a frown,
"Well you just hang on tightly, gal, and she'll jump up and down."

Oh, Gather In The Mushrooms, put 'em in a pot,
Pop 'em in the oven an serve 'em piping ho-ot.

To make herself more beautiful she thought she'd bathe in milk,
She said, "I'll have a bathful," to her milkman Jackie Wilke.
He said, "Do you want it pasturized before I pour it in?"
She said, "No, I'll be happy if it comes up to my chin."

Oh, gather in the mushrooms, put 'em in a pot,
Pop 'em in the oven an serve 'em piping ho-ot.

The farmer called at Lucy one dark and stormy night,
She said, "You are too old for me because your hair is white."
He looked into her eyes and then he knew he'd have to tell her,
"There's snow upon the roof but there's a fire in the cellar!"

Oh, gather in the mushrooms, put 'em in a pot,
Pop 'em in the oven an serve 'em piping ho-ot.

She took him in the kitchen, she was his turtle dove,
And then she started cooking dumplings on the stove.
She wore a low cut dress, oh it was as green as clover,
He jumped with glee 'cause he could see her dumplings boiling over.

Oh, gather in the mushrooms, put 'em in a pot,
Pop 'em in the oven an serve 'em piping ho-ot.

She said, "You give me half a crown I will read your palm,"
And then she saw his love line went half way up his arm.
So now she's changed her prices, although she's just as willing,
It's big fat men at two pound ten and little boys a shilling.

Oh, gather in the mushrooms, put 'em in a pot,
Pop 'em in the oven and serve 'em piping hot,
We're gonna gather in the mushrooms, put 'em in a pot,
Pop 'em in the oven and serve them pi-ping ho-o-ot.

Writer/s: B. HILL
Publisher: T.R.O. INC.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Gather In The Mushrooms

In 1971, Benny Hill had a number one hit with the novelty song "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)." Ten years earlier he released one that didn't fare quite so well. The February 4, 1961 issue of Melody Maker contained an advertisement for the single "Gather In The Mushrooms."

Written by Hill himself, it was released on the Pye label backed by "Pepy's Diary"; both songs had an accompaniment directed by Tony Hatch.

The uptempo "Gather In The Mushrooms" may not have been as successful as Hill's later effort, but it does contain a strikingly similar pun about pasteurised milk!

Dave Sampson And The Hunters - Little Soldier Say Goodnight

Dave Sampson And The Hunters - Little Soldier Say Goodnight Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: single release only
Released: 1961

Little Soldier Say Goodnight Lyrics

Little Soldier Say Goodnight

According to the January 21, 1961 issue of Melody Maker, Apollo Music will publish "Little Soldier Say Goodnight" which was written by Lionel Bart and the pianist Russ Conway for Max Bygraves.

This was from a play Why The Chicken? which was directed by Bart. It turned out to be less of a chicken than a turkey, and sank without trace, but Bart soon had a hit with Oliver! at the same time, among others. Unfortunately he ended up blowing all his money on cocaine and extravagant living. He sold the rights of his hit show to Bygraves for £350, who resold them for a quarter of a million!

Patsy Cline - I Fall To Pieces

Patsy Cline - I Fall To Pieces Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: 12 Greatest Hits
Released: 1961

I Fall To Pieces Lyrics

I Fall To Pieces
Each time I see you again
I fall to pieces
How can I be just your friend?

You want me to act like we've never kissed
You want me to forget (to forget)
Pretend we've never met (never met)

And I've tried and I've tried
But I haven't yet
You walk by and I fall to pieces

I fall to pieces
Each time someone speaks your name (speaks your name)
I fall to pieces
Time only adds to the flame

You tell me to find someone else to love
Someone who love me too (love me too)
The way you used to do (used to do)
But each time I go out with someone new
You walk by and I fall to pieces
You walk by and I fall to pieces

Writer/s: HANK COCHRAN, HARLAN HOWARD
Publisher: EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

I Fall To Pieces

Written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard, this was arguably the first pure country single to cross over to the pop charts. It also established Patsy Cline's sophisticated weepy style.

Legendary songwriter Harlan Howard was the perfect talent to bring onboard for the writing of this song. Bill DeMail quoted Howard's explanation of his proclivity for complex love songs in his Performing Songwriter obituary. "The toughest songs in the world to write are love songs," he said. "'I love you and I will forever and blah blah blah.' I'd rather get into a song about a relationship that's a little bit shaky or even tragic. That in my mind represents country music and the drama of the man-woman thing." Howard, who passed away in 2002, wrote hit songs for performers as diverse as Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, and Patty Loveless.

According to Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs, "Cline was reluctant to record this ballad, which had been turned down by Brenda Lee, until producer Owen Bradley coaxed her into it. The sound was stone country but wrapped in elaborate pop, with Cline crying inside, like a nerve rubbed raw by heartbreak."

Marty Robbins - Don't Worry

Marty Robbins - Don't Worry Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: More Greatest Hits
Released: 1961

Don't Worry Lyrics

Don't Worry 'bout me, it's all over now
Though I may be blue, I'll manage somehow.
Love can't be explained, can't be controlled
One day it's warm, next day it's cold.

Don't pity me 'cause I'm feelin' blue;
Don't be ashamed, it might have been you.
Oh-oh-oh, oh, love,
Kiss me one time, then go, love,
I understand, don't worry 'bout me.

Sweet, sweet, sweet love, I want you to be
As happy as I when you loved me.
I'll never forget you, your sweet memory
It's all over now, don't worry 'bout me.

When one heart tells one heart, one heart good-bye,
One heart is free; one heart will cry.
Oh-oh-oh, oh, sweet, sweet baby, sweet baby, sweet,
It's all right, don't worry 'bout me.

Writer/s: ROBBINS, MARTY
Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Don't Worry

This was Marty Robbins' seventh #1 on the Country chart - it stayed at the peak position for ten weeks.

The song features an early example of guitar distortion. The effect was due an electrical fault in session guitarist Grady Martin's mixing-desk for his six-string bass, whilst recording on the record. Although Martin was unhappy with the sound, it was so effective that Robbins' producer left it as it was.

The Everly Brothers - Walk Right Back

The Everly Brothers - Walk Right Back Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Very Best Of The Everly Brothers
Released: 1961

Walk Right Back Lyrics

I want you to tell me why you walked out on me
I'm so lonesome every day
I want you to know that since you walked out on me
Nothing seems to be the same old way

Think about the love that burns within my heart for you
The good times we had before you went away, oh please
Walk Right Back to me this minute
Bring your love to me, don't send it
I'm so lonesome every day

I want you to tell me why you walked out on me
I'm so lonesome every day
I want you to know that since you walked out on me
Nothing seems to be the same old way

Think about the love that burns within my heart for you
The good times we had before you went away from me
Walk right back to me this minute
Bring your love to me, don't send it
I'm so lonesome every day

I'm so lonesome every day
I'm so lonesome every day

Writer/s: CURTIS, SONNY
Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Walk Right Back

Sonny Curtis, of Buddy Holly's Crickets, wrote this song while in the army and showed it to The Everly Brothers when he was home on leave. They liked it and said they'd record it. Sonny said, "It's not finished. I'll write the second verse and send it to you." The Everlys didn't receive it in time so they just sang the first verse twice on the recording. Very few people know the second verse. Roger Miller must have liked the song because he wrote his "Engine, Engine Number Nine" right on top of it. You can sing the two at the same time.

The second verse lyrics are: "These eyes of mine that gave you loving glances once before... changed to shades of cloudy gray. I want so very much to see you... just like before. I've got to know you're coming back to stay. Please believe me when I say it's great to hear from you, but there's a lot of things a letter just can't say, oh me. Walk right back..."

Sonny Curtis wrote the song one Sunday afternoon during basic army training on a "beat-up Sears Roebuck kind of guitar." He recalled the penning of the tune during an interview with Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International:

"I had the lick before I went into the army. And then that Sunday afternoon, I put a song to it ... People ask me all the time, 'What in the world are you thinking when you write a song?' I think sometimes, when I'm done, that I probably dreamed them. I can't really say."

The Everly Brothers - Crying In The Rain

The Everly Brothers - Crying In The Rain Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Very Best Of The Everly Brothers
Released: 1961

Crying In The Rain Lyrics

I'll never let you see
The way my broken heart is hurting me
I've got my pride and I know how to hide
All the sorrow and pain
I'll do my Crying In The Rain

If I wait for cloudy skies
You won't know the rain from the tears in my eyes
You'll never know that I still love you
So though the heartaches remain
I'll do my crying in the rain

Raindrops falling from heaven
Will never wash away my misery
But since we're not together
I'll wait for stormy weather
To hide these tears I hope you'll never see

Someday when my crying's done
I'm gonna wear a smile and walk in the sun
I may be a fool
But till then, darling, you'll never see me complain
I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll do my crying in the rain

Writer/s: GREENFIELD, HOWARD / KING, CAROLE
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Crying In The Rain

Written by Howard Greenfield and Carole King, this was the Everlys' first hit with a song from the Brill Building stable of songwriters.

King, writing with her usual partner Gerry Goffin, had just previously come from two top-charting successes: "Run To Him" and "Take Good Care Of My Baby," both for Bobby Vee. Al Kirshner, co-producer at Aldon Music, had originally intended "Run To Him" to be for the Everly Brothers, but Vee's producer had snagged that song, too. Kirchner had been eager to produce a hit for the Everlys since his first day in business, so this was a dream come true for him.

This was recorded shortly before Don and Phil Everly were inducted into the Marine Corps Reserves on November 25, 1961. On February 18, 1962, the duo performed the song in full uniform on The Ed Sullivan show, and on March 3, the song reached its peak of #6 on the US charts. Don and Phil got out of the Corps on May 24, after 6 months of service. It was the only Everly Brothers song released during their time in the military.

This was the Everly's first Top-10 hit song in a year. As a gesture of gratitude, they found out that producer Don Kirshner's favorite snack was peanuts, so they shipped him a fifty pound sack. Talk about working for peanuts!

Shortly after this song came out, the performance rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc., held their annual awards to honor the most-played songs of the year. Out of the 90 awards handed out that night, Aldon Music took home 12, four times more than any other music publisher. So this song comes from a golden age of the Brill Building music era.

Roy Orbison - Crying

Roy Orbison - Crying Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Crying
Released: 1961

Crying Lyrics

I was all right for a while, I could smile for a while
But I saw you last night, you held my hand so tight
As you stopped to say "Hello"
Aw you wished me well, you couldn't tell

That I'd been Crying over you, crying over you
Then you said "so long". left me standing all alone
Alone and crying, crying, crying crying
It's hard to understand but the touch of your hand
Can start me crying

I thought that I was over you but it's true, so true
I love you even more than I did before but darling what can I do
For you don't love me and I'll always be

Crying over you, crying over you
Yes, now you're gone and from this moment on
I'll be crying, crying, crying, crying
Yeah crying, crying, over you

Writer/s: MELSON, JOE / ORBISON, ROY
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Barbara Orbison Music Company, Orbi-Lee Music, R-Key Darkus, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Crying

Orbison claimed to have written this as the result of an encounter he had with an old flame with whom he was still in love. He refused to say how much she meant to him, and when he ran into her again it was too late.

Orbison started writing this song for a country singer named Don Gibson; the working title was "Once Again." Orbison's songwriting partner, Joe Melson, then came up with the lyrics, "Once again I'm crying, once again I'm crying," which became the basis for the song, so Orbison changed the title. Orbison claimed the stunning climax at the end of the song was not contrived, but just happened in the course of the song. He told the NME in 1980: "Immediately I thought of a past experience and just retold that, was the way that came about. It was the retelling of a thing with a girlfriend that I had had. I couldn't tell you right now what notes I hit at the end of the song, or anything."

At the time, rock artists didn't typically write songs about crying over a girl. Orbison wanted to show that crying was not weakness, but sensitivity. Other voices would have a hard time pulling this off, but Orbison could emote very naturally when he sang, which he did on many of his hits.

In 1987, shortly after he signed with Virgin Records, Orbison recorded a duet of this song with kd lang which was released as a single and later used as the B-side to his 1989 release "She's A Mystery To Me." This duet won the 1988 Grammy award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, and was re-released in the UK in 1992, where it hit #13. Lang said that when they met to do the recording, it was obvious that their voices had a "tonal connection."

This recording was made for the 1987 Jon Cryer movie Hiding Out, and produced by Pete Anderson, who was Dwight Yoakam's producer. In our interview with Pete Anderson , he said: "The editor cut it for the movie, and he slowed it down for this scene where they were roller skating. So my daunting task was to recut 'Crying' as a duet with kd lang, Roy Orbison, and slow it down a little bit. It was great - it's Roy and kd, so you can't go wrong no matter what you do.

I more-or-less witnessed it because they were so terrific. The biggest plus out of it was just getting to know Roy a little bit and spending a little time with Roy, who was a very, very special person."

Roy Orbison explained in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh how he came to write this song: "I was dating a girl and we broke up. I went to the barber shop to get a haircut and I looked across the street and there was this girl that I had split up with. I wanted to go over and say, 'Let's forget about what happened and carry on'. But I was stubborn. So I got in the car and drove down the street about two blocks and said to myself, 'Boy, you really made a mistake. You didn't play that right at all.' It certainly brought tears to my eyes and that's how I came up with 'Crying'."

In 1978 Don McLean recorded a cover version of this for his Chain Lightning album. It was originally released as a single in Europe successfully, and by 1980 it had become a #1 hit in the UK and #5 in the US. Jay & the Americans also had a hit with the song, taking it to #25 in the US in 1966.

Orbison broke convention by following up a hit ballad with another ballad: his previous release was "Running Scared," and while conventional wisdom was to never release two ballads back to back, it worked out just fine for Orbison as "Crying" was also a hit.

The Velvets - Tonight Could Be The Night

The Velvets - Tonight Could Be The Night Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Monument Story
Released: 1961

Tonight Could Be The Night Lyrics

Tonight
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Could be the night
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

To hear her say
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Darling, I do
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

And tonight
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Could be the ni-eye-eye-eye-ight
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

To get the ring
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Around your finger
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Oh my darling, hold me tight
And tonight, just could be the night
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, yeah

Tonight
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Could be the night
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

To fall in love
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

With someone like you-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Oh my darling, hold me tight
And tonight, just could be the night
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, yeah

Tonight
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Could be the ni-eye-eye-eye-ight
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

To get that ring
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Around your finger
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)
(Doo-wop, doo-wop-de-wop)

Oh my darling, hold me tight
For tonight
Is the night

Writer/s: Johnson, Virgil
Publisher: EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Tonight Could Be The Night

The Velvets were a five-man Doo Wop group formed in 1958 by Virgil Johnson. Virgil taught English in Odessa and Lubbock Texas, and eventually became a high school principal in Lubbock. For many years, he DJ'd part-time at the Lubbock rock station KDAV.

This was included on their first album, which they recorded in Nashville at the invitation of Roy Orbison. The group also had a hit with "Lana," which was written by Orbison and reached #1 on the Japanese charts. (thanks, David - Lubbock, TX, for above 2)

Acker Bilk - Stranger On The Shore

Acker Bilk - Stranger On The Shore Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Stranger On The Shore
Released: 1961

Stranger On The Shore Lyrics

Stranger On The Shore

Acker Bilk was Bernard Stanley Bilk of Somerset, England ("Acker" is a term for "friend"). He took up the clarinet in the UK Royal Army. In 1958, he formed the Paramount Jazz Band. This is an instrumental song featuring Bilk's clarinet. Bilk died on November 2, 2014 at age 85.

Bilk claimed that he wrote this song in a taxicab.

Originally named "Jenny" (after his daughter) on his LP Sentimental Journey, the song's name was changed when Bilk played it as the theme song for a new children's TV show, Stranger On The Shore. The show, which aired on the BBC, the was about a French "Au Pair" girl living in England - she was the Stranger On The Shore. The closing credits were over film of her standing on the beach looking out to sea, towards France. (thanks, Anne Wade - Glasgow, Scotland)

Six months after this hit #1 in England, it went to #1 in the US, where Billboard named it the #1 single for the year 1962. It topped the charts there for seven weeks.

This was the first song by a British artist to top the US charts. The closest any UK artist had come to that point was Lonnie Donegan, who hit #5 in 1961 with "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (On The Bedpost Over Night)."

Andy Williams and The Drifters each recorded vocal versions of this song. The Drifters made #73 US with their rendition, which peaked two weeks before Acker Bilk went to #1 with the song in May, 1962. In July, Williams made #38 US with his version.

The lyric for the vocal versions was written by Robert Mellin, a songwriter/music publisher who co-wrote the 1952 song "My One and Only Love." Mellin's lyric finds the stranger on the shore heartbroken, wishing his love will return.

The band Squeeze paid tribute to this song with a track on their 1982 album Sweets From A Stranger called "Stranger Than the Stranger on the Shore."

Ray Charles - One Mint Julep

Ray Charles - One Mint Julep Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Genius + Soul = Jazz
Released: 1961

One Mint Julep Lyrics

One Mint Julep

A Mint Julep is a drink made with bourbon, sugar, and cracked ice. Served with a sprig of mint, it is a traditional drink at horse races.

The Clovers did the original version in 1952 (with a cover by Louis Prima the same year), but Charles made it uniquely his own. Other artists to record the song include Sarah Vaughan, Duane Eddy, Count Basie, King Curtis and The Ventures.

Released on ABC's Impulse! Jazz label, Charles' recording was a surprise hit. The producer was Creed Taylor, who started the Impulse! label. Charles' one and only album with Impulse! was due to their association with ABC Records, whom he was signed to.

This song is mainly an instrumental, with room for some improvised vocals. Taylor takes credit for the one vocal line in Ray's version of the song, stating he told Charles that during the break in the instrumental, he wanted Charles to say, "Just a little bit of soda." Charles seemed hesitant for a bit, but complied... sort of. Instead, he said, "Just a little bit of SOUL, yeah!" Interestingly, this "incidental" line helped further fuel the Soul Music Movement of the 60s. In addition, several other acts began using the phrase in their own way, most noticeably Little Stevie Wonder in his first hit, "Fingertips (Part 2)." (thanks, Faundell - Brooklyn, NJ, for above 2)

The Shirelles - Dedicated to the One I Love

The Shirelles - Dedicated to the One I Love Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Original Golden Hits
Released: 1961

Dedicated to the One I Love Lyrics

This is Dedicated to the One I Love
While I'm far away from you my baby
I know it's hard for you my baby
Because it's hard for me my baby
And the darkest hour is just before dawn
Each night before you go to bed my baby
Whisper a little prayer for me my baby
And tell all the stars above

This is dedicated to the one I love
Life can never be exactly like we want it to be
I can be satisfied just knowing that you love me
There's one thing I want you to do especially for me
And it's something that everybody needs
Each night before you go to bed my baby
Whisper a little prayer for me my baby
And tell all the stars above

This is dedicated to the one I love
This is dedicated to the one I love

Writer/s: RALPH BASS, LOWMAN PAULING
Publisher: CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Dedicated to the One I Love

This was originally recorded by the North Carolina vocal group The 5 Royales in 1958. The Shirelles' version was the hit; it first peaked at #83 in 1959, but when it was re-released in 1961 it went to #3.

The 5 Royales guitarist Lowman Pauling wrote this song along with the group's producer, Ralph Bass.

The Mamas and The Papas released their version in 1967. (thanks, Chantal - Liverpool, Canada)

Normally, Shirley Owens Alston was the Shirelles' lead singer. However, on this song, Doris Coley Kenner sang lead. (thanks, Jerro - New Alexandria, PA)

When The 5 Royales were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, no members of the group were still alive. At the ceremony, the soul singer Leon Bridges performed this song in an "In Memoriam" segment honoring musicians that had recently died.

Ann-Margret - I Just Don't Understand

Ann-Margret - I Just Don't Understand Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: On the Way Up
Released: 1961

I Just Don't Understand Lyrics

Well you call me your baby
When you're holdin' my hand
Mm, how you can hurt me
I Just Don't Understand

Well you say that you need me
Like the ocean needs sand
But the way you mistreat me
I just don't understand

Well you know that I love you
More than anyone can
But a one-sided love
I just don't understand (don't understand)

Well you know that I love you
More than anyone can
But a one-sided love
I just don't understand (don't understand)

Well you call me your baby
And you hold my hand
Ah, honey, you hurt me
And I just don't understand (don't understand)

Writer/s: NELSON
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

I Just Don't Understand Song Chart

Swedish-American actress and singer Ann-Margret began recording for RCA Victor in 1961. Initially billed as a female version of Elvis Presley, she scored her only Top 20 Pop hit with this bluesy, rocking number from her second album, On the Way Up. The song was produced by Chet Atkins and featured Elvis' backup singers, the Jordanaires.

This was notable for an early example of fuzz guitar played by studio guitarist legend Billy Strange via a handmade pedal. Strange would go on to do session work for the likes of Elvis, Phil Spector and the Beach Boys.

The song was later covered live by The Beatles and recorded during a performance at the BBC with lead vocals by John Lennon. It can be heard on their 1994 compilation album Live at the BBC.

American rockers Spoon included a cover of this song on their 2014 album They Want My Soul. Spoon lead singer Britt Daniel explained to HungerTV how this cover came about: "There's this website called Rookie... They asked me to contribute to their song of the month. There was a theme to it, which was 'girl groups' – so the idea was to do a cover. I guess somebody at Rookie knew I was a fan of '60s girls groups. They gave me several suggestions – most of which I didn't know, so I just sat down and recorded into a little digital hand held thing the quickie versions of me playing these songs on acoustic guitar. The one that sounded the best was 'I Don't Understand' by Ann-Margret. I told Jim [Eno, drummer] 'Let's just do this quickie recording for Rookie,' and we did it on our own and used a couple of mikes and did it very quickly. But once I put a few over dubs on it I just thought this is too good for Rookie – I'm gonna keep this one! I think it's a good one. I really enjoyed it; it's a bit different. I remember thinking when I first sang it, 'Okay I can get this, it sounds to me like something John Lennon would like.' That kind of lower vocal, almost like a soul and darker vocal – not a happy vocal. Later I found out that The Beatles did cover that song in fact – so it was pretty weird! It felt like I'd made a connection with John Lennon somehow – beyond the grave…" (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Gladys Knight - Every Beat of My Heart

Gladys Knight - Every Beat of My Heart Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Anthology
Released: 1961

Every Beat of My Heart Lyrics

Every Beat of My Heart
Rod Stewart

Through these misty eyes I see lonely skies
Lonely road to Babylon
Where's my family
And my country
heaven knows where I belong

Pack my bags tonight
Here's one Jacobite
Who must leave or surely die
Put me on a train
In the pouring rain say farewell
but don't say goodbye

Seagull carry me, over land and sea
To my own folk, that's where I want to be
Every beat of my heart
Tears me further apart
I'm lost and alone in the dark
I'm going home

One more glass of wine
Just for auld lang syne
And the girl I left behind
How I miss her now In my darkest hour
And the way our arms entwine

Seagull carry me, over land and sea
To my own folk, that's where I want to be
Every beat of my heart
Tears me further apart
I'm lost and alone in the dark
I'm going home

And we'll drink a toast
To the blood red rose
Cheer a while the
Emerald Isle
And to the northern lights
And the swirling pipes
How they make a grown man cry

Seagull carry me, over land and sea
To my own folk, that's where I want to be
Every beat of my heart
Tears me further apart
I'm lost and alone in the dark
I'm going home
Writer/s: J OTIS
Publisher: CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Every Beat of My Heart Song Chart

This song was originally recorded by Johnny Otis in 1952. Knight recorded it for local label Huntom Records, then had singles on 2 other labels sink without a trace, before having their fortunes change in a most unusual way. With Dave "Baby" Cortez, who had a #1 hit with "The Happy Organ" in 1959 playing on organ, they re-recorded this for Fury Records. As the new version, credited to "Gladys Knight & The Pips," started climbing the charts, Vee Jay Records bought the original from Huntom and issued it credited to "Pips." Eventually, the original Vee Jay single hit #6 as the newer Fury single stalled at #45.

Dion - Runaround Sue

Dion - Runaround Sue Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Runaround Sue
Released: 1961

Runaround Sue Lyrics

Here's my story, it's sad but true
It's about a girl that I once knew
She took my love then ran around
With every single guy in town

Yeah I should have known it from the very start
This girl will leave me with a broken heart
Now listen people what I'm telling you
A keep away from a Runaround Sue

I might miss her lips and the smile on her face
The touch of her hair and this girl's warm embrace
So if you don't want to cry like I do
A keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Ah, she likes to travel around
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
Sue goes out with other guys
Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Yeah keep away from this girl
I don't know what she'll doe
Keep away from Sue

She likes to travel around
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
She goes out with other guys

Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from a Runaround Sue

Stay away from that girl
Don't you know what she'll do now

Writer/s: ERNIE MARESCA, DION DIMUCCI
Publisher: THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY, WEDGE MUSIC, INC.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Runaround Sue Song Chart

In the liner notes of Dion's box set King Of The New York Streets, he wrote: "It came about by partying in a schoolyard. We were jamming, hitting tops of boxes. I gave everyone parts like the horn parts we'd hear in the Apollo Theater and it became a jam that we kept up for 45 minutes. I came up with all kinds of stuff. But when I actually wrote the song and brought it into the studio to record it, well, her name wasn't actually Sue. It was about, you know, some girl who loved to be worshiped but as soon as you want a commitment and express your love for her, she's gone. So the song was a reaction to that kind of woman."

No Belmonts here - The Del Satins ("In the Still of the Nite," "To the Aisle") backed up Dion instead. (thanks, Brad Wind - Miami, FL)

In a 2009 interview with Blueswax, Dion revealed that his wife tells people this song is about her, even though she knows it isn't. Said Dion: "She goes around telling everybody, 'Yeah, I'm Runaround Sue.' I said, 'Why do you tell people that?' She says, 'They remember me.' She said, 'If I don't tell them that, they won't remember me.'"

Leif Garrett, who was a teen idol in the '70s, recorded a version of this that went to #13 in the US.

Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John

Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Greatest Hits
Released: 1961

Big Bad John Lyrics

(Big John, big John)
Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
He stood six foot six and weighed two forty five
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to big John
(Big John, big John) Big Bad John (big John)

Nobody seemed to know where John called home
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy
And if you spoke at all, you just said hi to Big John

Somebody said he came from New Orleans
Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
Sent a Louisiana fellow to the promised land, big John
(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)

Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last, 'cept John

Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell
Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
Grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan
And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone, big John
(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)

And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
Then a miner yelled out, there's a light up above
And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave
Now there's only one left down there to save, big John

With jacks and timbers they started back down
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
And then smoke and gas belched out of that mine
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for big John
(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)

Now they never reopened that worthless pit
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
These few words are written on that stand
At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man, big John
(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)

(Big John, big John) big bad John (big John)

Writer/s: TWITTY, CONWAY
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Big Bad John Song Chart

Jimmy Dean wrote this about fellow actor John Mentoe ("Destry Rides Again"), who was 6' 5" tall. According to Dean's roommate (at the time), the song was intended to be a joke.

Floyd Cramer ("Last Date") was hired to play the piano on the recording, but wound up hitting a chunk of steel with a hammer instead. It was Floyd's idea to make the switch.

In the US, this was a monster hit with tremendous crossover appeal. Not only did it top the Hot 100 for five weeks, it was also #1 on the Country chart for two weeks, and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for 10 weeks. The next song to reach the top spot on all three charts was "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell in 1975.

Jimmy Dean went on to become famous for his line of sausage products. He also had his own TV series in the '50s and '60s.

The original ending of "At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man" was deemed too controversial. (thanks, John - Bowie, MD)

Dean wrote this on a flight from New York to Nashville when he realized he needed another song for his recording session. (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)

This was the 100th #1 song of the Rock Era, defined by Billboard as beginning in July 1955, when "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets topped the US singles chart.

Otis Redding - Shout Bamalama

Otis Redding - Shout Bamalama Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Otis Redding Anthology
Released: 1961

Shout Bamalama Lyrics

Shout Bamalama

He's down in Alabama
Shoutin' bamalama
Way down in Louisiana
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down

Lord have mercy on my soul
How many chickens have I stole
One last night and the night before
I'm going back and tryin' to get ten, eleven more
Startin' to get 'em and I

I love a chicken, baby
Shoutin' bamalama
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down

Nine feet, ten feet we're goin' for the build
Nine feet left on a ten feet of hill
Ten feet turn around a nine feet fence
His teeth fell out, but his tongue stayed in
It's gettin' said so

He got the chicken, baby
Shoutin' bamalama
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down

Leo demarket rode a line one day
Bad little fella comin' down the way
We were talkin' 'bout the family, its a cryin' shame
He tell ya, mother is workin' on the chain gang
She busts his britches now
She's good at workin' hard

Shoutin' bamalama
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down

The preacher and the deacon were prayin' one day
Along come a bear comin' down that way
The preacher told the deacon to say a prayer
He said, Lord, a prayer won't kill this bear
I gotta make it, baby
Shout bamalama
I gotta run for it
Well, well, well
Nobody's gonna set him down

Writer/s: REDDING, OTIS
Publisher: EMI Music Publishing, CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Shout Bamalama Song Chart

This was one of the first songs Redding recorded. It's a Little Richard-style shouter that was released on 45 by Bethlehem Records in 1961. King records re-released the single after Redding became a household name.

Redding wrote this song. In addition to his talents as a singer, he was also a very prolific songwriter, and some of his compositions became hits for other artists, including "Respect," which scored for Aretha Franklin.

In 2001, a group called the Detroit Cobras recorded this on an album of Motown covers.

The song was memorably featured in John Hughes' 1986 teen movie Pretty in Pink. In the movie, the character Duckie lip-synchs the song, referring to it as one his mother taught him.

Del Shannon - Runaway

Del Shannon - Runaway Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Runaway With...
Released: 1961

Runaway Lyrics

Runaway Song Chart

This is about a guy whose girl leaves him, and he is left to wonder what went wrong. A lot of Shannon's songs were about broken relationships. He once said he wrote the words to this about himself because he was forever running away from relationships.

Shannon and his keyboard player, Max Crook, came up with this while they were playing a club in their hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan. Crook played a keyboard called a "Musitron" on the song. (thanks, Jeff - Boston, MA)

Del Shannon (from 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh): "We were on stage and Max (Crook) hit an A minor and a G and I said, 'Max, play that again, it's a great change.'" The drummer, Dick Parker, followed them and after 15 minutes, the manager of the club shouted, 'Knock it off, play something else.'" The next day Shannon wrote some lyrics: "That night I went back to the club and I told Max to play an instrumental on his musitron for the middle part, and when he played that solo, we had 'Runaway.'"

In the UK, this was the biggest-selling single of 1961. (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for above 2)

Shannon re-recorded this for the Michael Mann TV series Crime Story, which ran from 1986-1988.

This was Shannon's biggest hit. His career trailed off a few years later, and he killed himself in 1990.

Tom Petty makes reference to this in "Runnin' Down A Dream." The line is, "It was a beautiful day, me and Del were singing, a little runaway."

This was used in the movie American Graffiti, a film that used many 1950s and '60s American pop, rock and doo-wop songs to create a jukebox-style soundtrack. As the film is set in 1962 ('Where Were You in '62?' was the tagline for the film), Shannon's "Runaway" is an appropriate period song for the film.

The famous musitron bridge was used pretty much note for note in the instrumental bridge to the 1982 song "Goodbye To You" by Scandal (with lead singer Patty Smyth). (thanks, Caren - Detroit area, MI)

The song has been covered many times. Queen and Paul Rodgers produced a version during The Cosmos Rocks sessions, with Brian May playing the musitron bridge solo section on guitar in his distinctive style. The song was an iTunes exclusive bonus track when the album was released in 2008.

Gary "U.S." Bonds - Quarter To Three

Gary "U.S." Bonds - Quarter To Three Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Dance 'Til Quarter to Three
Released: 1961

Quarter To Three Lyrics

Don't you know that I danced, I danced till a Quarter To Three
With the help, last night, of Daddy G.
He was swingin on the sax like a nobody could
And I was dancin' all over the room.
Oh, don't you know the people were dancin' like they were mad,
it was the swingin'est band they had, ever had.
It was the swingin'est song that could ever be,
It was a night with Daddy G.
Let me tell you now,
I never had it so good
Yeah and I know you never could
Until you get hip with that jive
And take a band like the Church Street Five.
Oh don't you know that I danced,
I danced till a quarter to three
With the help last night of Daddy G.
Everybody was as happy as they could be
And they were swingin with Daddy G.
Blow Daddy!
Let me tell you now,
I never had it so good
Yeah and I know you never could
Until you get hip with that jive
And take a band like the Church Street Five.
Oh don't you know that I danced,
I danced till a quarter to three
With the help last night of Daddy G.
He was swingin on the sax like a nobody could,
and I was dancin all over the room
Oh don't you know the
Dance, do bee wa dah
Dance, do bee wah dah
You can dance, do bee wah dah,
You can dance, dance, dance

Writer/s: FRANK J. GUIDA, JOE ROYSTER, GARY ANDERSON, E. BARGE
Publisher: ROCKMASTERS INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Quarter To Three Song Chart

Before Bonds recorded this, it was an instrumental by The Church Street Five called "A Night With Daddy G." Bond's manager added lyrics to it and had him record it.

Bond's real name is Gary Anderson. His manager changed it so he could use the line "Buy U.S. Bonds." When this song came out, Gary's stage name was just "U.S. Bonds." Pretty clever, but too many people, including lots of DJs, got it wrong and thought it was the name of a group. So he had to make it Gary (U.S.) Bonds on his next record to eliminate the confusion. (thanks, Selrahc - Mumbai, India)

Bonds sued Chubby Checker in 1962, claiming he stole this for his song "Dancin' Party." It was settled out of court.

This is often covered by Bruce Springsteen, who is a big fan of Bonds. In 1981, Springsteen produced a successful comeback album for Bonds.

Henry Mancini - Moon River

Henry Mancini - Moon River Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Moon River And Other Music Themes
Released: 1961

Moon River Lyrics

Moon River,
Wider than a mile:
I'm crossin' you in style
Some day.
Old dream maker,
You heart breaker,
Wherever your goin',
I'm goin' your way:
Two drifters,
Off to see the world,
There's such a lot of world
To see.
We're after the same
Rainbow's end
Waitin' round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River
and me.

Writer/s: MERCER, JOHNNY / MANCINI, HENRY
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Moon River Song Chart

This was used as Audrey Hepburn's theme song in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hepburn sings the song in the movie, but the version used on the soundtrack was an instrumental by Henry Mancini and his orchestra. This version was released as a single, as was a vocal version by Jerry Butler which also went to #11 in the US near the end of 1961. Hepburn's version was not released until after her death in 1993 when it appeared on the album Music From The Films of Audrey Hepburn.

Mancini wrote this song with lyricist Johnny Mercer. The original title was "Blue River," but Mercer found out another songwriter was using that title.

Moon River is a real river in Savannah, Georgia where Mercer grew up. His home overlooked the river and he had fond memories of the place. At the time, the river was known as The Back River, but was renamed Moon River in honor of the song, and Johnny Mercer's home along the river became known as the Moon River House. (thanks, Eberhard Hasche - Berlin, Germany)

Originally, Mercer wrote this with lyrics that started, "I'm Holly" (after Hepburn's character Holly Golightly), but the words didn't seem right.

South African singer Danny Williams took this to #1 in the UK in late 1961. Williams originally refused to sing it, saying that Johnny Mercer's lyrics were nonsensical. But he saw the film and was so moved by it that he relented. Williams died of cancer on 6th December 2005.

The American singer Andy Williams recorded a popular version of this song. He used this as the theme music for his TV variety show, which ran from 1962-1967. Williams owns the Moon River Theater in Branson, Missouri.

The line, "My huckleberry friend" is often thought to be a reference to Huckleberry Finn, a character in Mark Twain's book Tom Sawyer. However, in his autobiography , Johnny Mercer said it was in reference to a childhood friend of his. He used to pick huckleberries with him down by a lazy river near his home in Georgia. (thanks, Terry - Willmar, MN)

Henry Mancini was a leading composer of music for films and movies, winning 20 Grammy Awards, including 5 for the music to Breakfast At Tiffany's. Other movies he wrote for include The Pink Panther, Days Of Wine And Roses and Love Story. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

This won a Grammy award for Record of the Year.

Mancini wrote the tune within Audrey Hepburn's vocal range so she could sing it.

Jeremy Taylor - Ag Pleez Deddy

Jeremy Taylor - Ag Pleez Deddy Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Ag Pleez Deddy
Released: 1961

Ag Pleez Deddy Lyrics

Ag Pleez Deddy Song Chart

As might be suspected from its title, "Ag Pleez Deddy" is a vernacular song - written partly in Afrikaans. Oxford graduate Jeremy Taylor went to South Africa as a teacher, but this ditty - which he wrote in 1961 - is said to have outsold Elvis Presley. Subtitled "Ballad Of The Southern Suburbs" (in brackets), it was released on the Gallotone label backed by Jo'Burg Talking Blues."

It was also used in the revue Wait A Minim!, and appears on the original soundtrack, wherein it runs to 3 minutes 54 seconds.

Jeremy Taylor said of this song: "I was teaching at a school in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg, and I was enchanted by the way they spoke English. So I wrote them a song. It had some strange effects, because a lot of people were offended, especially the parents. The government didn't like it either because it was mixing the languages; they didn't want black and white to mix, and they didn't want English and Afrikaans to mix either. But the kids loved it, and so did South Africa in the end."

An alternative recording on the Gallotone label is credited to Bali-Taylor, and the song is called simply "Ballad Of The Northern Suburbs." The recording is credited to Valerie Miller and Taylor. A third (and live) recording, by Taylor alone on the Decca label, contains "the missing last verse." Herein, the title is given (verbatim) as:

"Ag, Pleez Daddy
Ballad of the Southern Suburbs"
(thanks, Alexander Baron - London, England, for all above)