Ritchie Valens - Come On, Let's Go (1958)

Born Richard Valenzuela on May 13, 1941, this Mexican-American singer, songwriter, and guitarist only had a career that lasted eight months before ending in tragedy. As a young boy, Valenzuela was absent on one particular day of school to attend his grandfather’s funeral. On that same day, two planes collided above the playground of his school, killing and injuring many of his friends. From there forward, Valenzuela had a fear of flying. A self-taught musician, Valenzuela joined a local band at the age of sixteen, while still in high school, called The Silhouettes. He started as a backup singer and guitarist, but when the group’s lead vocalist quit, Valenzuela took charge. He was eventually discovered by Del-Fi Records' owner and president, Bob Keane, who had Valenzuela respell his first name from “Richie” to “Ritchie,” and shorten his last name from “Valenzuela” to “Valens.” Soon, Valens was recording nationwide hits, appearing in movies, and dropping out of high school to join a nationwide tour. “The Winter Dance Party,” a tour that began in early 1959, featured Valens, Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Dion and the Belmonts, and Frankie Sardo. On February 2nd, 1959, just eight months after Valens’ career had started, Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash that also claimed the life of Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, now known as “The Day the Music Died.” Although his imprint on rock and roll history was short lived, there were an astounding number of future musicians to have been influenced by him, both Latinos and non-Latinos alike.

This was Ritchie Valens’ first hit song. It was written by Valens himself with the help of Bob Keane, credited as Kuhn, using his real surname, and featured the B-Side “Framed,” a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Heard below, the song was recorded, pressed, and released in a span of mere days. It was the success of this song and his record that followed (“Donna”/”La Bamba”) which led Ritchie to quitting high school and focusing music full-time. The song reached number forty-two in the US.



Ritchie Valens - Come On, Let's Go (1958)

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Lyrics:

Well, come on, let's go
Let's go, let's go, little darlin'
And tell me that you'll never leave me
Come on, come on, let's go’a
Again, again, and again

Well, now, swing me, swing me
All the way down, there
Come on, let's go little darlin'
Let's go, let's go again once more

Well, I love you so, girl
And I'll never let you go
Come on, baby, so
Oh, pretty baby, I love you so

Let's go, let's go, let's go
Little sweetheart
That we can always be together
Come on, come on, let's go again

I love you so, girl
And I'll never let you go
Come on, baby, so
Oh, pretty baby, I love you so

Let's go, let's go, let's go, little darlin'
They’re dancin’ and we’ll be longer
Come on, come on, let’s go’a
Again, again and again and again
Again, again and again and again
Again, again and again and again
Again, again…

Bobby Darin - Dream Lover (1959)

Born Walden Robert Cassotto in The Bronx, New York 1936, this American singer first reached fame in 1958 with his co-written hit song “Splish Splash”. The following year saw him rise to worldwide renown with the releases “Mack the Knife,” “Beyond the Sea,” and the track heard below. In the early 1960s, his career shifted more toward country music and eventually acting in movies, where he starred in crime dramas and romantic comedies aimed at cashing in on his teen idol image. He wrote the music to many of the movies he starred in and is the only actor to have been signed to five major Hollywood film studios in the same year. Becoming more involved politically, he worked with Robert Kennedy during the 1968 presidential campaign and was driven into seclusion for nearly a year following Kennedy’s assassination. Later, he formed Direction Records, aimed at giving an outlet to “folk artists with something to say” and had his own variety show on NBC until his death in 1973. He died while recovering from heart surgery, which he only needed after failing to take his instructed medication.

Written and first recorded by Darin, this song was released on March 5, 1959. In July the song peaked at number two in the United States and number one in the United Kingdom. It has been covered by numerous artists over the years, but is most widely recognized as being connected with this artist. It features a young Neil Sedaka on piano.



Bobby Darin - Dream Lover (1959)

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Lyrics:

Every night I hope and pray
A dream lover will come my way
A girl to hold in my arms
And know the magic of her charms

'cause I want (yeah yeah, yeah)
A girl (yeah yeah, yeah)
To call (yeah yeah, yeah)
My own (yeah yeah)
I want a dream lover
So I don't have to dream alone

Dream lover, where are you
With a love, oh-so true
And the hand that I can hold
To feel you near as I grow old?

'cause I want (yeah yeah, yeah)
A girl (yeah yeah, yeah)
To call (yeah yeah, yeah)
My own (yeah yeah, yeah)
I want a dream lover
So I don't have to dream alone

Someday, I don't know how
I hope she'll hear my plea
Some way, I don't know how
She'll bring her love to me

Dream lover, until then
I'll go to sleep and dream again
That's the only thing to do
‘til all my lover's dreams come true

'cause I want (yeah yeah, yeah)
A girl (yeah yeah, yeah)
To call (yeah yeah, yeah)
My own (yeah yeah, yeah)
I want a dream lover
So I don't have to dream alone

Dream lover, until then
I'll go to sleep and dream again
That's the only thing to do
‘til all my lover's dreams come true

'cause I want (yeah yeah, yeah)
A girl (yeah yeah, yeah)
To call (yeah yeah, yeah)
My own (yeah yeah)
I want a dream lover
So I don't have to dream alone

Please don't make me dream alone
I beg you don't make me dream alone
No, I don't wanna dream

Dale Hawkins - Susie Q (1957)

Born Delmar Allen Hawkins in Louisiana 1936, this pioneering rock and roll artist is credited with creating the blueprints for what would become swamp rock, as popularized by bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival. He himself was said to be influenced by Elvis Presley and the guitar arrangements of Scotty Moore. Although he created music for much of his life, he was also a record producer, notably producing The Five American’s “Western Union”. His cousin, equally famed for pioneering swamp rock, is Ronnie Hawkins of Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks.

Chosen by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll,” this song was completely written and first recorded by today’s artist. Upon release, however, writing credits were split between Hawkins, Stan Lewis (the owner of the Jewel/Paula Records label), and Eleanor Broadwater (the wife of Nashville DJ Gene Nobles) for the purpose of sharing royalties. The guitarist on the song was James Burton, who is famed for working with some of rock and rolls biggest names. The song was perhaps most famously covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival for their self-titled debut album in 1968.



Dale Hawkins - Susie Q (1957)

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Lyrics:

Oh, Susie Q
Oh, Susie Q
Oh, Susie Q
How I love you
My Susie Q

I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk
I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk
My Susie Q

Oh, Susie Q
Oh, Susie Q
Oh, Susie Q
Baby, I love you
My Susie Q

Well, say that you'll be true
Well, say that you'll be true
Well, say that you'll be true
And never leave me blue
My Susie Q

Oh, Susie Q
Oh, Susie Q
Oh, Susie Q
How I love you
My Susie Q

Chuck Berry - Thirty Days (1955)

Born Charles Edward Anderson Berry in St. Louis, Missouri 1926, this American guitarist, singer, and songwriter is a pioneer of the rock and roll genre. Influencing nearly every person to hold a guitar from 1955 onward, he fine-tuned the use of guitar solos, flashy showmanship, and numerous other rock elements that separated the genre from anything else being heard. He had four number-one hits and fourteen top ten hits on the R&B charts, as well as six top ten hits on the Hot 100. He served two different stints in prison, one for armed robbery while in high school and one for taking a minor across state lines, but always remained in high demand. Although peaking in the 1950s with songs like “Maybellene,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” and “Johnny B. Goode,” he continued to have success in the 1960s and on through 1972. He has received numerous awards, inductions, and today, at the age of 86, he continues to do live performances in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. As John Lennon once said, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.”

Written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, this song was his second release for Chess Records. Released in 1955, it reached number two on the US R&B charts. It has been covered by Ernest Tubb, Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks (as “Forty Days”), and others. Despite reaching number two on the charts, it is often omitted from Berry’s “greatest hits” compilations.



Chuck Berry - Thirty Days (1955)

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Lyrics:

I'm gonna give you thirty days to get back home
I done called up a gypsy woman on the telephone
Gonna send out a world-wide hoodoo
That'll be the very thing that'll suit you
I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days

Oh, thirty days
(Thirty days)
Oh, thirty days
(Thirty days)

Baby, I'm a’see that you’ll be back home in thirty days
Well, she gonna send out a world-wide hoodoo
That'll be the very thing that'll suit ou
I'm gonna see that you’ll be back home in thirty days

Well, I talked to the judge in private early this morning
Ah, they took me to the sheriff's office to sign a warrant
They gonna put a false charge again' ya
That'll be the very thing that'll send ya
I'm gonna see that you’ll be back home in thirty days

Oh, thirty days
(Thirty days)
Oh, thirty days
(Thirty days)

I'm gonna see that you’ll be back home in thirty days
Yeah, gonna put a false charge against ya
That'll be the very thing that'll send ya
I'm gonna see that you’ll be back home in thirty days

If I don't get no satisfaction from the judge
I'm gonna take it to the FBI and voice my grudge
If they don't give me no consolation
I'm gonna take it to the United Nations
I'm gonna see that you’ll be back home in thirty days

Oh, thirty days
(Thirty days)
Oh, thirty days
(Thirty days)

Baby, I'm a’see that you’ll be back home in thirty days
Well, if you don't give me no consolation
I'm gonna take it to the United Nations
I'm gonna see that you’ll be back home in thirty days

Chubby Checker - Let's Twist Again (1961)

Born as Ernest Evans in South Carolina, this artist received his stage name from Dick Clark’s wife, whom he had just done an impression of Fats Domino for. When she asked him his name, he replied that his friends called him ‘Chubby’. She replied, “As in ‘Checker’?,” joking about the “fat” first name and board-game last name. He gained monumental stardom with the release of his 1960 hit cover-song, “The Twist,” starting a national dance craze with his version of the Hank Ballard original. The song would slowly gain the acceptance of adults around the nation, and thus helped propel rock and roll music to something for more than just teenagers.

Following the enormous success of “The Twist” in 1960, Parkway Records used writer Kal Mann and producer Dave Appell to hopefully create another hit for Checker the following year. The resulting song, heard below, was a large success, reaching number eight in the United States and number one in the United Kingdom. It also went on the receive the 1962 Grammy Award for “Best Rock & Roll Recording”.



Chubby Checker - Let's Twist Again (1961)

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Lyrics:

Come on, everybody!
Clap your hands
Aw, you're lookin’ good
I'm gonna sing my song
It won't take long
We’re gonna do The Twist
And it goes like this:

Come on, let's twist again
Like we did last summer
Yeah, let's twist again
Like we did last year
Do you remember when
Things were really hummin'?
Yeah, let's twist again
Twistin' time is here

Around ‘n’ ‘round and up ‘n’ down we go again
Oh baby, make me know
You love me so

And twist again
Like we did last summer
Come on, let's twist again
Like we did last year

(Twist!)

Who’s that flyin up there?
Is it a bird? (No!)
Is it a plane? (No!)
Is it The Twister? (Yeah!)

Yeah, twist again
Like we did last summer
Come on, let's twist again
Like we did last year
Do you remember when
Things were really hummin'?
Come on, let's twist again
Twistin' time is here

Yeah, ‘round ‘n’ ‘round ‘n’ up ‘n’ down we go again
Oh baby, make me know
You love me so

Come on, twist again
Like we did last summer
Girl, let's twist again
Like we did last year

Come on, let’s twist again
Twistin’ time is here

Link Wray and his Ray Men - Rumble (1958)

This man is responsible for pioneering the distorted noise made by electric guitars heard in nearly all rock music. He has the honored title of being the inventor of the “power chord” and thus making punk rock and heavy rock music possible. As part Shawnee Indian, he frequently incorporated his heritage into his performances and song titles. Unfortunately, he passed away from heart failure in 2005 at the age of seventy-six.

Originally titled “Oddball,” this song marks the defining moment where distortion and feedback became popular in rock and roll music. It’s said to be the first song to ever use the “power chord” and was banned in several regions because the guitar’s harsh noises “glorified juvenile delinquency.” Censors also weren’t fond of the title, which was a slang term for a gang fight. Despite its censoring, the song climbed to number sixteen in the charts and eventually made an impact all the way over in Britain, where groups like The Kinks and The Who have cited it as a large influence. To sum it up, Bob Dylan called it “the best instrumental ever.”



Link Wray and his Ray Men - Rumble (1958)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

Dion & The Del-Satins - Runaround Sue (1961)

Born in 1939, Dion DiMucci was a huge star before the British Invasion. His popular hits came in the forms of doo-wop, rock and roll, and pop. After being dismissed as a teen idol, he began to write more poignant and reflective material such as his hit “Abraham, Martin & John,” which you can hear here.

The Del-Satins were a harmony group widely known for replacing Dion’s original backing group, The Belmonts. Their name was an amalgam borrowed from The Dells and The Five Satins, popular doo wop groups of the time.

This song was co-written by Dion DiMucci and his friend, Ernie Maresca, from the group The Regents (“Barbara Ann”). Both men agreed that the song came about after a forty-five minute jam session in a neighborhood schoolyard where boxes were being used as drums. It reached number one for a single week in October and was listed in Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”



Dion & The Del-Satins - Runaround Sue (1961)

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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 tellin’ you
a’Keep away from a‘Runaround Sue, yeah

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

She likes to travel around, yeah
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
a’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
“a’Keep away from a‘Runaround Sue”

Yeah, keep away from this girl
I know- know what she'll do
Keep away from Sue

a’She likes to travel around, yeah
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
a-‘She goes out with other guys

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

Stay away from that girl
Don't you know what she’ll do, now
Keep away from that girl
Don't you know what she’ll do…

Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (1956)

Born Antoine Domino, Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana, this artist’s first language was Creole. He first gained nation-wide attention when his single, “The Fat Man,” sold over a million copies in 1949 (and is widely accepted as the first rock and roll record to do so). His success continued through the ‘50s, where rock and roll was king, and he slowly rolled into retirement by the 1980s. As he once stated, retirement to his home in Louisiana came easy, since he “couldn’t get any food” that he liked anywhere else in the country.

Originally released in 1940 by six different artists, including Glenn Miller, Gene Autry, and Jimmy Dorsey, this song had its lyrics written by Al Lewis and its music written by Vincent Rose. Its most successful rendition was released by this artist in 1956, spending eight weeks at number one on the R&B charts, and becoming his staple song.



Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (1956)

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Lyrics:

I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill
On Blueberry Hill, when I found you

The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill
And lingered until my dream came true

The wind in the willow played love's sweet melody
But all of those vows you made were never to be

Though we're apart, you're part of me still
For you were my thrill on Blueberry Hill

The wind in the willow played love's sweet melody
But all of those vows you made were only to be

Though we're apart, you're part of me still
For you were my thrill on Blueberry Hill

Bill Haley & His Comets - Jingle Bell Rock (1968)

Led by former country and western singer, Bill Haley, this band is credited as being the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll music to a white audience. Although they had success in the charts with earlier rock and roll releases, it was their hit “Rock Around the Clock” that was noted for thrusting rock and roll into the mainstream culture of the 1950s.

This song, written by Joseph Beal and James Boothe, was first and most popularly recorded by Bobby Helms in 1957. The version heard below was intended to be released in 1968, but became lost for nearly thirty years before finally being released in the mid-1990s. Although I’m partial to the original, it’s interesting to hear an alternate version that was thought to have been lost.



Bill Haley & His Comets - Jingle Bell Rock (1968)

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Lyrics:

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin’ and blowin’ up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time; it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up, jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet
That's the jingle bell rock

Woah jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time; well it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up, jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and mingle in the jingling feet
That's the jingle bell-
That's the jingle bell-
That's the jingle bell rock

The Champs - Tequila (1958)

When Dave Burgess (known professionally as Dave Dupree) needed a B-side for his single “Train to Nowhere,” the executives at Gene Autry’s Challenge Records made him put together a band for the purpose of filling the empty side. This band was the result.

The band recorded this song, written and sung by their saxophonist Danny Flores. It quickly reached the number one spot in three weeks and vastly outshone its A-side counterpart. But because it was the group’s only success, it labeled them as a one-hit wonder.



The Champs - Tequila (1958)

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Lyrics:

Tequila

Tequila

Tequila!

Bill Justis - Raunchy (1957)

A pioneer of rock and roll, this artist arranged music for Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash at Sun Records while recording music for himself on the side. In 1957, he had his first big song, heard below, which became the first instrumental rock and roll hit. Later in life, he wrote the music for Smokey and the Bandit as well as other Hollywood movies.

When Paul McCartney’s friend, George Harrison, auditioned to be in John Lennon’s band, The Quarrymen, on the top of a double-decker bus, late at night, he played this song. It was 1958 and any reservations Lennon had about Harrison being “too young” for the band vanished when Harrison played the song without flaw.



Bill Justis - Raunchy (1957)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

Bo Diddley - Pills (1961)

This man was a large influence on Buddy Holly, The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Velvet Underground, The Clash, and countless others. He was nicknamed “The Originator” for transforming blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was one of the first artists to include women in his band as well as one of the first to set up a home recording studio. His story is an interesting one that should be read about in a dedication much longer than the one provided on this page.

This song may not be “Mona” or “Before You Accuse Me,” but it’s one of my favorite songs by this legend. It was recorded in 1961, but not released on an album until The Originator in 1966. Like most of his songs, it’s been covered numerous times by various artists.



Bo Diddley - Pills (1961)

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Lyrics:

While I was layin’ in a hospital bed
A rock n' roll nurse went to my head
She says, “Hold out your arm and stick out your tongue”
“I got some pills, boy, I'mma give you one”

She went to my head, to my head
To my head, to my head
She went to my head, to my head
While I was layin' in a hospital bed

She gave me pills for my toes and they didn’t ache
She gave me pills for my love; but a little too late
She gave me pills for my heart, to put me at ease
The rock n' roll nurse shook me dead to my knees

She went to my head, to my head
To my head, to my head
She went to my head, to my head
While I was layin' in a hospital bed

Nurse, nurse, can't you see?
I don't dig this jive you givin' me
You give me a pill; you give me a shot
You got me wonderin' what- what have I got?

She went to my head, through my head
To my head, to my head
To my head, she went to my head
While I was layin' in a hospital bed

Doctor, doctor, run here and see
I don't dig this jive this nurse givin' me
She give me a shot; she give me your pills
I'm takin' this junk against my will

She went to my head, to my head
To my head, to my head
He went to my head, to my head
While I was layin' in that hospital bed

Ow! Look out, man, ow!

Buddy Holly - Smokey Joe's Cafe [Undubbed] (1959)

A pioneer of rock and roll, this man was one of the biggest artists of the ’50s rock scene and incredibly influential on The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and all other rock musicians. The Beatles came up with their name by mimicking the insect name of Holly’s backing group, The Crickets. His popularity only lasted for one and a half years before The Day the Music Died, a plane crash which claimed his life, as well as the lives of The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.

This song was recorded in January of 1959, mere days/weeks before his death. This is the undubbed version which leaves out the session musicians and backup singer. I think this version is much, much better.

Also, in my opinion, the lyrics from “Come a Little Bit Closer” by Jay and The Americans must have been inspired by this song, as it’s nearly the same event occurring in both songs.



Buddy Holly - Smokey Joe's Cafe [Undubbed] (1959)

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Lyrics:

One day, while I was eatin' down at Smokey Joe's Café
a-sittin' there, eatin’, down at Smokey Joe's Café
A chicken walked in through the door
That I had never seen before
At least I never saw her down at Smokey Joe's Café
And it scared me when she sat right down next to me

Her knees were almost touching mine at Smokey Joe's Café
A chill was runnin' down my spine at Smokey Joe's Café
I could smell her sweet perfume
She smiled and made my heart go ‘boom’
And everybody in the room at Smokey Joe's Café
They said, "be careful, that chick belongs to Smokey Joe"
And from behind the counter, I saw a man
A chef's hat on his head and knife in his hand
He grabbed me by the collar and began to shout
"You better eat up all your beans, boy, and clear right on out"

Well, I know I'll never eat again at Smokey Joe's Café
And so, I'll never see ‘er again at Smokey Joe's Café
I'd rather eat my chili beans
At Jim's or Jack's or John's or Jean’s
Than take my chances eating down at Smokey Joe's Café
I risked my life when- that Smokey Joe's a crazy fool