Hi everyone, hope everyone had a great time watching the Super Bowl. If you participated on voting on the athlete bracket last year you know the drill. There will be 116 songs complied into seven regions and you will all vote on which song you like more out of every single matchup. We will do them by decade for each region until we get a winner. When we get to the final seven songs we will do a vote of your favorite of the seven songs. Top four songs advance. Then we will have a re-bracket and it will go seed on highest percent of votes 1-4 (1 seed plays 4 and 2 plays 3). Then we will have the championship matchup to declare the best song of all time!!! If you are confused just ask me on social media. So our first bracket is the 1950’s. 1950’s was a golden age in music as rock and roll began to gain popularity in the late 1950’s with Elvis Presley (or known as the King of Rock) started to get young men and women all shook up around the country. I want to thank Billboard Hot 100 for my source here. 3 simple rules for this tournament, 1. You had to have been a number 1 hit to be in the bracket. 2. I simply seeded the regions by how many weeks each song was a number 1 hit. 3. I had at least one song from every year from 1950-2021 in the tournament. Let’s discuss the hits shall we? I will have my youtube video attached to the bottom of this article as well as every song attached to my description of the song. Please vote and like and subscribe to my youtube channel. A long way to 1,000 but with your help I can get there!! Happy Valentines Day everyone!!
1. Gordon Jenkins and the Weavers-Goodnight Irene (1950)
Folk was huge in the early 1950’s as this folk hit spent 13 weeks as a number one hit in 1950. The song originated by Huddie William Leadbetter (but more widely known as Lead Belly) in 1933. The Weavers did a B-Side recording of Lead Belly’s folk classic in 1950’s in ode to the fallen folk hero (who passed away one year earlier). The song took off spending 25 weeks on the charts overall.
16. Tommy Edwards- It’s all in the game (1958)
1958 was a very competitive year as the longest standing hit of the year was Tommy Edwards It’s All in the Game which spent six weeks at number one in the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1958. The song was written by Carl Sigman but wasn’t officially recorded until Tommy Edwards recorded the song 1958. Two cool facts about this song. This was the last track recorded in Tommy Edwards contract with MGM records. The second and coolest (and historic) fact. Was Tommy Edwards It’s All in The Game was the first ever single recorded by an African American Artist to ever hit number one in the Billboard Hot 100!
8. Patti Page-The Tennessee Waltz (1951)
Originally recorded by Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys (awesome names by the way in any generation!!), Patti Page did her own version of the Tennessee Waltz in 1950. The song would spend 9 weeks at number one at the end of 1950 and four week weeks at number one in 1951. The country classic in 1965 became the official song of the state of Tennessee.
9. Bobby Darin-Mack The Knife (1959)
Mack the Knife was originally recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1955 but didn’t become the classic it is known as today until Bobby Darin’s version was released in 1958. In recent movie culture you can remember from the Mel Gibson movie What Women Want. For more high praise, Pop Music mogul Simon Cowell quoted Mack the Knife as the best song of all time, you be the judge!
4. Anton Karas-The Third Man Theme (1950)
The Third Man Film was a British Film directed by Carol Reed that was released in 1949. Reed and cast members Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Orson Welles were sitting in a bistro in Vienna, Italy after a day of filming and heard Anton Karas playing this tune just for tips. Reed heard Karas playing this song and had to have it for theme of his film. 11 weeks at number one in 1950 made The Third Man Theme song arguably the most successful movie theme song of all time.
13. Vera Lynn-Auf Wiederseh’n sweetheart (1952)
Auf Wiedershen’n Sweetheart was the first single by a British performer to top the US Charts as this beautiful oldie (but goodie) spent 9 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. A cool tidbit about Vera Lynn would perform during World War II using the London tube Station as air raid shelters. She would often drive citizens there herself, kind of a hero if you ask me.
5. Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads-Cry (1951)
Churchill Kohlman wrong Cry, that would be recorded by Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads that would spend 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The Four Lads was a Canadian Quartet that would appear on many TV shows later including Perry Como’s show Perry Presents. Another oldie but goodie, enjoy.
12. Les Paul and Mary Ford-How High is the Moon (1951)
A folk hit recorded by famous married recording artist Les Paul and Mary Ford was released in January 1951. The hit spent 9 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in the Winter/Spring of 1951. This double sided track recorded with another Top 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Walkin” and “Whistlin” Blues was inducted into the Grammy’s Hall of Fame in 1979 and is widely regarded as one of the tracks that Shaped Rock and Roll, high praise I must say!
6. Percy Faith-Where is Your Heart (1953)
Moulin Rouge is more know in pop culture as the movie that showed the world that Nicole Kidman can sing. However, the original Moulin Rouge came out in 1952. The classic hit Where is your Heart by Canadian Conductor/Composer Percy Faith was one of the biggest hits in all of the 1950’s spending 10 weeks at number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1953. It is a very melodic and relaxing tune that epitomized the music of the mid 1950’s.
11. Kay Starr- Wheel of Fortune (1952)
Wheel of Fortune was released in 1952 by popular pop and jazz singer Kay Starr. The song would have later versions by Ace of Base and Eiko Shimamiya. But it was Kay Starr’s version that spent 10 weeks at number 1 in the spring of 1952. It is a very soothing tune that Starr’s powerful lyrics gives a vibe that can resonate even today.
3. Les Paul and Mary Ford- Vaya con Dios (1953)
Vaya Con Dios (go with god) was originally recorded Anita O’Day in December in 1952. The version that became regarded as one of the best songs of the 1950’s was by Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1953. The dynamic duo was one of the best artists of the 1950’s as having two hits in the bracket would clearly state.
14. Kitty Kallen- Little Things Mean a Lot (1954)
A saying that sounds like something I would say was the biggest hit in a very competitive list of number one hits in 1954, as this pop hit spent 9 weeks at number one. Kallen was voted most popular female singer in 1954 in the Billboard and Vanity polls. Kallen, would lose her voice in 1955 and not perform for four years before returning in 1959 for a career renaissance that is one of the most unheralded great story in the history of music, the little things indeed mean a lot.
7. Perez Prado- Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White (1955)
You like to Tango eh? Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White spent ten weeks at number one in 1955 and is a tune that if you hear it you just want to get up and start doing the cha cha cha. The Cuban Composer would also origination the hit Mambo number 5 (yes the same Mambo number 5 Lou Bega would later have us all trying to remember all of the women’s names he starts in his 1999 one hit wonder). Prado would have an incredible career that would span 6 decades but nothing the legendary composer put out was as big of a hit as Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.
10. Guy Mitchell- Singing the Blues (1956)
We have all sang the blues at one point and time. Guy Mitchell’s pop version was not related to the 1920’s Jazz hit by Frank Trumbauer (how can we forget him!!). Singing the Blues has became a phrase in pop culture and it was what all of the kids were singing back in 1956. You can’t help but whistle and shake your hips listening to this classic.
2. Elvis Presley- Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog (1956)
Everyone has been waiting for the king to hail his crown on this countdown and because I am a cynic I have Elvis two biggest hits of the 1950’s (a spoiler alert he also has one more of his hits in the 1960’s bracket). Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog is Elvis biggest hit ever (spending 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100). Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog put Elvis on the scene and brought rock and roll to mainstream of American Culture. Who can’t remember the King performing Hound Dog on the Milton Berle Show? Sally Field said it right, “it’s not for child’s eyes”!!
15. Elvis Presley- All Shook Up (1957)
Elvis Presley’s second biggest hit (in terms of Weeks at number 1) All Shook up spent 8 weeks at number 1 in 1957. Two astonishing stats about Elvis Presley. He had 114 songs hit the Billboard Top 40 and 18 of those hits made it to number 1. To this day Elvis Presley (with over 1 billion estimated) has sold more records than anyone in music history, “hail to the king baby”!!