The Weekday Ramble is a daily dose of sports, music, culture, and more from Rambling On founder Erik Ritland. For more information check us out on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, or at our website.
Friday May 1, 2015
Today we explore the first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 and Country charts. The latter may surprise you.
Poor Little Fool – Ricky Nelson
The first ever #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958
Is it just me or did Leonard Cohen borrow the opening melody of this for “Hallelujah”? The chord progression is also similar. Not that there’s anything at all wrong with that. Back before lawyers realized they could make millions off of copyright laws bands and songwriters considered lines, melodies, and songs as communal. I wish it was still like that.
Ricky Nelson’s sweet voice and smooth pop songs dominated the charts in the late ‘50s. Billboard had published charts before but this was the first #1 on the more official, more thought out Hot 100.
Pistol Packin’ Mama – Bing Crosby
The first ever #1 country hit in 1944 (then called the Most Played Juke Box Folk Records chart).
Ricky Nelson’s sweet voice and smooth pop songs dominated the charts in the late ‘50s. Billboard had published charts before but this was the first #1 on the more official, more thought out Hot 100.
Pistol Packin’ Mama – Bing Crosby
The first ever #1 country hit in 1944 (then called the Most Played Juke Box Folk Records chart).
As far as smooth voices go it doesn’t get much smoother than the old groaner himself. The upbeat jive of “Pistol Packin’ Mama” may not sound like country but back in the ‘40s everything was a lot more swinging. That and Bing Crosby isn’t really country (Billboard still had some sorting out to do evidently).
At that time the genre did swing a bit though. It was also heavily influenced by pop music. For example, the first ever country million seller was former opera singer Vernon Dahlhart’s “Puttin’ on the Style" in the 1927. It’s one of my favorites and also a huge influence on the British skiffle scene of the ‘50s. Which, of course, was a huge influence on the Beatles.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He was also Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
At that time the genre did swing a bit though. It was also heavily influenced by pop music. For example, the first ever country million seller was former opera singer Vernon Dahlhart’s “Puttin’ on the Style" in the 1927. It’s one of my favorites and also a huge influence on the British skiffle scene of the ‘50s. Which, of course, was a huge influence on the Beatles.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He was also Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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