#1 for week of August 25th 1958.
Yet another new song to me. The beginning made me think this was going to be a sleepy sugary ballad song, but I was surprised when the drums and full band came in and the song picked up into a laid back but uptempo doo-wop number!
Lyrically it's a bit corny, (alright, more than a bit!), with lyrics taken out of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and the chorus is mostly a bunch of syllables as opposed to lyrics. Then again, for this early in pop and rock history, it's forgivable. Despite its simplicity and naivety, the song is the most enjoyable so far for me. Perhaps it's just that it's the closest to rock and roll so far on this list!
Interestingly, the melody and beat are VERY similar to the 1962 song "Little Girl (Miss America)" first performed by Dante and his Friends, and more successfully covered that same year by The Beach Boys on their first album. In fact the second verse of "Little Star" and the verses of "Little Girl" are exactly the same musically!
Doo-Wop would continue to grow and flourish through the rest of the 1950's and into the early 1960's, and it's songs like this which are among what we picture the 1950's as musically.
Final Verdict - Despite the fact that lyrically this is a bit simplistic, safe, and yes, quite corny, the music and beat of the song are melodic and extremely catchy and make up for the lyrics. This one's certainly worth more than one play, (preferably on a vintage jukebox!)
Coming up next - "It's All In The Game" By Tommy Edwards.
Till Next Time - Dr. Rock -
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