DAY 156 - COUNTING DOWN TO THE 50TH

Good Morning, Class of ‘64

Samuel S. Carr - 1889 - SCHOOL'S OUT

Tree at my Window

Robert Frost

Tree at my window, window tree,
My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn
Between you and me.

Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground,
And thing next most diffuse to cloud,
Not all your light tongues talking aloud
Could be profound.

But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,
And if you have seen me when I slept,
You have seen me when I was taken and swept
And all but lost.

That day she put our heads together,
Fate had her imagination about her,
Your head so much concerned with outer,
Mine with inner, weather.

 

Peace in the Valley - Abraham Hunter

Our years in the valley were uneventful, for the most part. All the turmoil was happening on the outside, in those big cities that some of us would migrate to in later years.

Television and the Inter-Mountain (if we took the time to read other pages besides the comics and Dear Abby) informed us of what was happening in Washington, DC, Arkansas and elsewhere. But, the mountains were our shield back then. They kept us isolated and innocently unaware of most of the upheaval that was beginning to change other communities across the country.

Except for the times when we battled for a win against the Tigers, there was peace in the valley. Only in later years did outside influences creep in and create changes that the valley still struggles with today.

Like Frost in his poem, Tree at my Window, in those younger years, inner weather might have been having a large effect on us. The music we listened to reflected that inward drama. Tragedy, suspicion, loneliness, tears, downright craziness and heartache - it was all there. But, we loved every note of it and danced to it, too!

Tragedy

a one-hit wonder

  rose to #5 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1959

1961 cover version by The Fleetwoods rose to #10 on the charts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_%28Thomas_Wayne_song%29

Tragedy - Thomas Wayne & The Delons - 1958

Suspicion

Made it to number 3 in the U.S. Singles Chart. 

"Suspicion" had the dubious distinction of being at No. 6

 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 4, 1964, 

when the Beatles held down the entire top five.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspicion_%28Terry_Stafford_song%29

Terry Stafford - Suspicion - 1964
American Bandstand. March 28, 1964. 

Nice interview with Dick Clark follows the performance.

Only the Lonely
It became the first major hit for Orbison
Went to #2 on the United States Billboard pop music charts 1960
& #14 on the Billboard R&B charts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_the_Lonely
Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison - 1960

Crying
Made #1 on the United States Cashbox chart in 1961
Peaked at #2 on the rival Billboard Hot 100.
In 2002, "Crying" was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. 
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it #69 
on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crying_%28Roy_Orbison_song%29
Roy Orbison - Crying -

Crazy
#2 country hit in 1962
Cline's version is #85 on Rolling Stone's list of

 The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_%28Willie_Nelson_song%29 

Crazy - Patsy Cline - 1961

I Fall to Pieces

 In 1961, peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Chart 
and reached number twelve on the Billboard Pop Chart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Fall_to_Pieces 

Patsy Cline - I Fall To Pieces - 1961

Heartaches by the Number
The biggest hit version was recorded by Guy Mitchell in 1959.
It reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmRjgWW8yn0
Ray Price's version reached number two 

and spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot C&W Sides chart.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartaches_by_the_Number

Heartaches by the Number - Ray Price - 1959

This Should Go On Forever

It rose to the top of national charts in the U.S. in 1959.

a popular song of the south Louisiana rock and roll genre known as swamp pop

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Should_Go_On_Forever
This Should Go On Forever - Rod Bernard - 1959

 WEDNESDAY POLL

When Rod Bernard sings This Should Go On Forever,

how do you hear his pronunciation of "forever"?

Do you hear 

"forever"

or

 "forelver" (with an "L")?

Each time the record spins, this question is pondered.

Maybe you can help put it to rest.
You'll find the poll in the sidebar, to the right.

Peace in the Valley

The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, 

reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart.

It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies. 

Foley's version was a 2006 entry into the 

Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_in_the_Valley