Top Ten, plus bonus songs.

I went to another site this week:

www.musicoutfitters.com/…

I decided to watch more than the top ten. I’ll post the top ten songs from 1956 first, then give you some bonus songs that I think are worth listening to.

So here we go: Number one:

I like the bass. It looks like the big wooden string double bass, not an electric one. Beautiful melody. Good work.

Next:

If I wanted to choose a hit song and call it too simple and too short, I could choose this one. I know, most hit songs are pretty short and simple, but…..

Next:

That one I had never heard before, but I remember at least two other Nelson Riddle songs from the 1960s. One was, A Holiday For Strings, which, if I remember correctly, was the theme song for The Red Skelton Show, and Nelson Riddle and his orchestra were on the show, every week.

The other Nelson Riddle song I remember was this:

I love the key changes in that one. Some of you, my readers, educated me on the Circle of Fifths, so much explored by Bach, and used by many others, of course. It seems to me that Nelson Riddle was brilliant, bringing together elements of classical, jazz and pop music. I can’t get enough of this Route 66 song.

Next:

Wow, this singing is so awesome, I can’t find any fault with this singing skill and passion. Wow.

Next:

More of a western song than a rock and roll song, but whatever. Melancholic song about a wandering man. Like a western short, in a song.

Next:

A weird thing about living 67 is that I’ve heard so many things, but what do I know? This melody is really familiar, like an old friend, like Yankee Doodle, but I didn’t know the title, until now. I’ve never heard of a song called Les Pauvres de Paris. I would remember that, if someone told me that was the title of that song. So the song, the melody, is an old friend. The title is surprising news, for me.

Next:

Wow. Doris Day’s voice was so incredibly crisp, clear, precise. Wow.

Next:

Simple song, but the drum solo really brings it together. Pleasant.

Next:

You can search for the Rat Pack, to see all the members, but two of them were Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Sinatra was called Chairman of the Board and was considered by many to be the better man, but Dean Martin was truly a much better crooner. Crooner, I tell you. Really much better.

Next:

This one’s a nice little novelty song, but I don’t know how it got into the top ten.

Which brings me to the bonus songs, which weren’t on the top ten list, but I think are worth posting here. I already posted one that wasn’t in the top ten, for 1956, the Route 66 Theme Song, by Nelson Riddle.

here’s another one:

This video contains two songs, by Little Richard, Long Tall Sally and Tutti Fruiti.

Solid rock classics.

The video seems to be fully lip synced and fully synced to the instruments, but whatever.

Another:

Too corny? Too stupid ? But I find no fault in the singing voices. Pleasant.

Here is one that is really part of me:

I never had to work as hard as the fictional man in the song, but I worked low-level jobs for 40 years and, unloading a truck at Walmart, when I was at late 50s, I think I felt like the man in the song. I actually walked away from unloading a truck when there were only three or four of us doing a job that required at least seven or eight workers. The boss was mad at me, but I just couldn’t push myself that day.

One more:

Now THAT is classic rock. You may have heard Elvis’ recording of that one. Not a big difference between the voice of Carl Perkins and that of Elvis Presley.

I really like the lyrics:

You can burn my house, steal my car
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar
Do whatever you want to do
But uh-uh baby, drop my shoes

Don’t step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but get rid of my blue suede shoes

I don’t have fancy shoes, or fancy clothes of any kind, but, I’ve noticed, watching the thousands of customers flocking to Walmart, where I worked for 12 years, I’ve noticed that older men, those who appeared over sixty, I noticed that everyone had developed their own look, their own style. At the age of 67, I did that too. I cut off the top of my head, but my beard and mustache went crazy, for about 3 years. I have black-rimmed glasses. These days, when I go out, I wear a new reflective safety vest, over my cotton, button-up, light green, collared shirt. I wear gray sleep pants, similar to sweatpants. My shoes are plain black but high quality New Balance branded shoes with Dr Scholl insoles with arch supports underneath to help with an old injury from around 1975. I have no pain anymore on my feet, these days, because I pamper them. I walk every day, sometimes two miles. No foot pain.

My wife, Tonia, who died six months ago, always encouraged me to take care of myself, buy new socks, new underwear, whatever made me feel comfortable.

Well, maybe I over-emphasized my point. How do you feel about your personal style and comfort?

Anyway, good listening.

And hugs.