#1 for week of August 4 and 11, 1958.
It's fitting that the first song I review is one I have never heard in my life. However, I do know who the artist is. Ricky Nelson could be considered a real life Conrad Birdie in the sense that he was viewed as a teenage heartthrob. His song "Believe what you say" is a nice rockabilly tune that's worth checking out, and also his psychedelic country-esque tune "Marshmallow Skies" from 1967 shouldn't be missed.
Nowadays when we think of teen pop stars, we may picture Disney or American Idol groomed kids who don't write their own songs and turn into train-wrecks once they are past 21. But back in the 1950's, they could aspire to be rockabilly stars.
Funny enough, this song wasn't written by Ricky Nelson and instead written by a songwriter named Sharon Sheeley who was only 15 when she wrote it, thus making this an authentic teen pop song, but thankfully free of modern day production techniques and songwriting style.
"Poor Little Fool" blends the softer side of early rock and roll with the "I, vi, IV, V" Doo-Wop progression, set to a country-esque melody. Lyrically, the singer sings about falling in love and blowing every chance he gets, calling himself the "poor little fool".
It's a bit of a grower, at first I found it to be a bit too easy-listening, but gradually the melody grew on me. Still, there were better songs done by both the artist, and others throughout the year.
Final Verdict - Not classic, a bit too easy-listening at times, but still a likable song. Worth a listen.
Coming up next - "Volare" By Domenico Modugno.
Till next time - Dr. Rock -
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