#13 - Frankie Laine - Hey Joe

When? 20th October - 2nd November 1953
Number of weeks? 2
What else was going on? Dwight Eisenhower reinforces the US commitment to expanding its nuclear arsenal

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Download Hey Joe from amazon.com

Frankie returned to the top spot for the second time in 1953 with a significantly more jaunty and upbeat number than I Believe. "Hey Joe" certainly doesn't win any prizes for demonstrating prescient feminist enlightenment ("Hey Joe, where d'ya find that purdy girly?/Where'd ya get that jolly dolly?/How'd ya rate that dish I wish was mine"). Indeed, this is about as sophisticated as the lyrics get. The song nominally tells the story of the singer falling out with his friend Joe over Joe's new girlfriend. It's not exactly deep and meaningful stuff.

But... It is fun. It rumbles along quite nicely and Laine's quick-fire lyrical delivery in the verses, juxtaposed with his elongated "Heeeeeeeeeeey Jooooooooe"s works quite nicely and it's a fairly infectious song. The guitar solo in the middle of the song is absolutely sublime and is, in itself, a great piece of musicianship which lends what is quite a throwaway song (at least lyrically) a bit of musical gravitas.

A world away from the melodrama of I Believe, Hey Joe demonstrates the versatility which no doubt was a strong part of Laine's appeal, and which say him dominate the number open spot in '53.

What happened next? Well, to put it simply, Frankie took a one-week vacation from the top spot before returning to pole position as part of one of the strangest sequences of number ones in history.

#12 - Guy Mitchell - Look At That Girl

When? 8th September - 19th October 1953
Number of Weeks? 6
What else was going on? Sugar rationing ends in the UK, the first computer to use RAM goes on sale, Narcotics Anonymous holds its first meeting, UNICEF is permanently enshrined as part of the United Nations

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Download Look At That Girl from amazon.com

After a breathtaking 18 weeks at number 1, Guy Mitchell is the man to finally break Frankie Laine's tenure at the top for longer than one week. Guy's second number 1 single is a slightly more serious effort than "She Wears Red Feathers". Sadly I think this song has not aged well. It's a fun but somewhat throwaway ode to the object of Guy's infatuation, and to the song's credit, the orchestration works very well to create a very jaunty, light-hearted atmosphere around the song. There is also a glimmer of brilliant guitar work in the middle 8, and the choir accompaniment at the end of the song is handled well. Guy's voice is clear and expressive but there's very little to warrant more than a couple of listens to this song. Don't get me wrong, it's pleasant enough, but at the same time it feels very disposable and there is no real "hook" to get stuck in your head and keep you listening. Clearly the Britich public of 1953 didn't quite agree, however, as they kept it on the top spot for 6 weeks.

What happened next? After scoring two number ones this year, Guy takes a hiatus from this blog. His next number 1 single is a whole 4 years away. In the interim, however, Guy kept himself busy by starring in the musical Western spoof movie "Red Garters".

#11 - Mantovani and his Orchestra - Moulin Rouge

When? 11th August - 17th August 1953
Number of Weeks? 1
What else was going on? Ionian Islands 1953 earthquake

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Download Theme (Moulin Rouge) from amazon.com

11 number 1s in and here we have our first instrumental hit to top the charts. Immediately I feel out of my depth with this one. As a child of modern pop music, encountering music without lyrics is always a little difficult. I find it very difficult to make any kind of insightful comment about classical music, for example. I guess it's a little bit like Wittgenstein's Language Games, really. To be able to comment on an instrumental piece or a classical piece, you have to know at least some of the principles and techniques behind those compositions. I'll gladly admit, I'm at my happiest when, if nothing else, at least I can comment about the lyrics. All this is basically a preface to say that if anyone reading this feels better place to comment on the musical worth/contribution of this song, then I would gladly invite them to leave a comment as I fully admit I'm perhaps a little out of my depth.

I'm surprised how much I love this piece of music. It certainly does a brilliant job of evoking the Parisian feel with the accordian and the strings. It's also a very relaxing piece of music. Originally, the song had accompanying lyrics (which, I have to say, is equally beautiful) when it appeared in the movie of the same name in 1952. Mantovani's instrumental version, however, strips the lyrics away and lets the music speak for itself. For my money, it's very effective and is an interesting contrast with the song whose reign its ascension to number 1 interrupted. It's a very pleasant diversion from the number ones which have kicked off this journey, and certainly instrumental number 1s were a much more common feature of the chart than they are today (the last number 1 which was even close to being an instrumental was Doop's "Doop" back in 1993, and even that had the eponymous lyrics looping throughout the song).

What happened next? In his own right, this is Mantovani's only trip to the number one spot, but he supports David Whitfield with a huge number 1 smash in 1954. All in all, Mantovani and his Orchestra notched up 5 top 20 hits in their chart careers. Mantovani died in 1980 aged 74.

#10 - Eddie Fisher feat. Sally Sweetland - I'm Walking Behind You

When? 23rd June - 28th June 1953
Number of Weeks? 1
What else was going on? Egypt declares itself a republic

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Download I'm Walking Behind You from amazon.com

Fisher returns to number 1 with a song which is very much in the same "unrequited love" territory as his last one. This effort is actually a little more listenable, for my money. Sally Sweetland's soprano voice complements Fisher's fairly overdramatic delivery quite nicely, and lyrically, the song is a little bit more bearable than "Outside of Heaven". The story of the song is that Eddie is following his beloved down the aisle as she marries another man. The image is actually quite effective, but for some reason I just can't warm to Eddie Fisher's voice. It has traces of the Sinatra style of low, almost lethargic bass delivery building into a rich crescendo and perhaps that's the problem I'm having. When I've listened to Fisher, I can't help comparing him to Sinatra and when you compare the back catalogue of the two Old Blue Eyes wins hands down. All in all, "I'm Walking Behind You" is a pleasant song, but I'm pleased that Frankie Laine's mega-hit quickly regained its spot atop the chart after a week.

What happened next? Given the stellar relationship I've had with Fisher so far in this blog, perhaps its for the best that this marks his final trip to the top. That said, Fisher's accolade of being the very first act to rack up two UK number ones has assured his place in chart history. His career didn't end with this number one, however, as he would have five more top twenty hits up until the end of 1956.

#9 - Frankie Laine - I Believe

When? 21st April - 22nd June 1953; 29th June - 10th August 1953; 18th August - 7th September 1953
Number of Weeks? In total, 18, but the three seperate reigns lasted for 9 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 weeks respectively
What else was going on? Cambodia receives independence, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climb everest, Queen Elizabeth II is crowned, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed, The Korean War ends

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Download I Believe from amazon.com

This is, without a doubt the, biggest hit in the history of the UK number 1 in terms of sheer longevity. If, the next time you're at a pub quiz, you get asked which song had the most weeks at the UK number 1, here is your answer (Bryan Adams, of course, has the highest number of consecutive weeks at the top). It really isn't difficult to see why this song refused to let go of the top spot. Laine's record-breaking/setting performance is indebted to a certain Jane Froman, a singer and actress who, in the early 50s had her own TV show across the Atlantic. Froman commissioned "I Believe" to be written amidst the tumult of the Korean war in order to try and still a note of optimism in her audience. "I Believe" therefore is the very first song to have been introduced via television. What happened from that point on, is, as they say history. "I Believe" never reached the top spot in the USA, stalling at number 2, but in the UK, it absolutely dominated the charts in 1953 and is our chart's first true megahit.

And, I have to say, deservedly so. The later version by Robson and Jerome (number 1 #730) should not be allowed to taint the memory of this fantastic performance. Yes, the lyrics are perhaps a little twee, but they're not without their power. Something so simple as "I believe that every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows" has a real gravitas when Laine delivers it. And I know that it's becoming a real cliche in this blog to praise the singer's voice, but Laine's vocal is absolutely captivating. His voice has a really rick texture to it and its technical flaws add to, rather than detract from, the emotional resonance of his delivery. Add that to the fact that this is very much a paradigmatic power ballad which absolutely nails the art of building a crescendo, you've got the recipe for an incredible song. One thing which also struck me about Laine's performance: the very end of the song, when he delivers the powerful final note, he seems to cut it short, almost like his voice "cuts out" and it gives the impression that he's actually choked up by the words he's singing. It's a small point, but it really helps hammer home the song. 

I'd urge anyone to try and listen to this song without prejudice as far as they can. For a modern listener, we've grown up with the power ballad; there's very little which we haven't heard before. For my money, this is at the pinacle of that genre, and it's an absolutely phenomenal record. I'd definitely urge people to give this a listen. After all, the entire British record-buying public can't be wrong for eighteen weeks, can they?

What happened next? Frankie is another early chart-superstar, as he would amass 26 top twenty hits which span the decade. As for this blog, we'll encounter Frankie another three times, and twice more this year!

#8 - Lita Roza - (How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window

When? 14th April - 20th April 1953
Number of Weeks? 1
What else was going on? Eisenhower delivers his "chance for peace" speech

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Buy How Much Is That Doggie In the Window? from amazon.com

Well... I'd put a tenner on the fact that most readers would be able to sing a couple of verses from this one. Little more than a children's nursery rhyme nowadays, "How Much" tells the story of a woman who seeks to buy a dog for her lover in California. Prior to Lita Roza's version, the song was made famous by US vocalist Patti Page but it was Lita's version which rose to the top spot and granted her the privilege of being the first UK woman to top the chart. 

There probably isn't much of a need for a review of this song. Again, Roza's voice is nice enough, and has a very sweet tone to it. Sadly, just in case the song wasn't *quite* subtle enough, there's a dog yapping at the appropriate junctures which after about one verse begins to get interminable on the nerves. But it just shows that from the very beginning of the chart, the power of the novelty record simply could not be denied. Just as the Teletubbies (#778), St Winifred's School Choir (#472) and Mr Blobby (#698) would all claim the prestigious number 1 slot, so from the chart's very foundations, novelty demonstrated their power to leapfrog more "musical" efforts and reach number 1.

What happened next? You're surprised that Lita was a one hit wonder?! Actually, that's not strictly fair, Lita did manage a couple of top twenty hits in 1955 and 1956, but this was her only real commercial success, and it's the only time we'll be seeing her on these pages.

#7 - The Stargazers - Broken Wings

When? 7th April 1953 - 13th April 1953
Number of Weeks? 1
What else was going on? The first James Bond novel is published

No youtube video available

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It's taken almost half a year but finally, a group ascends to the number 1 spot (if only for a week). Perhaps most significantly, this is the first instance of a UK act reaching the top, which demonstrates the influence and dominance that the USA had over popular music in the 1950s. For all its significance for British music, however, it has to be admitted that this isn't perhaps the best song. The Stargazers were a fairly middle of the road vocal harmony group and certainly on this song they do that job perfectly competently. Indeed, the vocals are once again top notch. Sadly, however, the song is a fairly pedestrian ballad lamenting lost love and really fails to go anywhere or really hold the attention. The exception being the orchestration of the opening which for some reason puts me in mind of the opening to Garth Marenghi's "Darkplace". It's somewhat bizarre to consider just how much the instrumentation has changed so that instruments and sounds which appear to be quite commonplace in the 50s (blaring, seemingly slightly off key pianos, for example) seem really alien to a modern listener.

But I'm rambling. On the one hand, it's great that this song finally catapulted a British act to the top of our very own charts. On the other, I just wish it could have been with a punchier offering. Yet, given what knocked it off the top spot, perhaps The Stargazers were the lesser of two evils...

What happened next? We'll see The Stargazers again at the beginning of next year, but their chart career continues well into the mid-fifties.

#6 - Guy Williams - She Wears Red Feathers

When? 10th March 1953 - 6th April 1953
Number of Weeks? 4
What else was going on? Nikita Khrushchev becomes first secretary of the Communist Party after Stalin's death, 1953 Western Turkey Earthquake, Jonas Salk announces Polio vaccine

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Youtube link

Download She Wears Red Feathers from amazon.com

Well... this is a strange one. A song which tells the story of an English banker falling in love and marrying a hula girl. It certainly qualifies as one of the more unique number ones (and not only of these first 6!). To this extent, we probably have here the first "novelty" hit to get to the top spot. Mitchell was no stranger to the chart before his first number 1, as he had already scored a number 2 hit in these fledgling chart days with Feet Up (at the end of the Youtube video).

The song is... well... I found it pretty awful sadly. For a start, the lyrics are at best anachronistic but at worst uncomfortable in these modern times. The song itself is fairly bouncy and trundles along quite well, and once again, Guy's voice is very strong and has a nice tone to it. Sadly, the whole package fails to come together, and when compared to what it knocked off the number one spot, it falls fairly flat for these ears. But having said that, if it's one thing that a lot of these songwriters were able to do is create a catchy hook. The chorus is surprisingly addictive, even if it's perhaps not up to much musically.

What happened next? We'll see Guy a few more times on this journey, as he would go on to top the charts three more times (once with a song which simply hung on and clawed its way to the top spot with alarming fervour). In contrast to Perry Como, however, Guy's charting career will be contained entirely within the 1950s.

#5 - Perry Como - Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes

When? 3rd February 1953 - 9th March 1953
Weeks? 5
What else was going on? Watson and Crick discover the structure of DNA, Eisenhower refuses a clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, Joseph Stalin dies

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Download Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes from amazon.com

After a run of "one week wonders" we finally reach a track which makes it to the top spot with a little bit of longevity. And what a track! Como's upbeat "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" was atop the UK charts at a time when the news agenda was taken over with the discovery of the structure of DNA, and the death of Joseph Stalin. In contrast to such momentous events, Como's number 1 is an infectiously catchy, brass-led pop track with an irresistable "bah-bah-bah-bayah" hook. Lyrically, the song is an appeal for a parted lover to his partner not to stray while they are apart. You might not pick that up from Como's relentlessly upbeat tone. Como's voice is absolutely beautiful and suits the song perfectly, particularly when he delivers the "Too many nights, too many stars" line. It's not hard to see why this song captured the public's imagination and reigned atop the charts for over a month. It's an excellent piece of pop music and, of the five number ones we've had so far, this is undoubtedly my favorite. Highly recommended.

What happened next? It will be almost precisely 5 years before we meet Perry again, but his chart career is certainly the most prolific of the stars we have met so far. He will have 6 top twenty hits between now and then, and will have 26 charting songs in his twenty-one year long chart career. Also, if you've ever picked up a CD of Christmas songs, I will guarantee you'll have heard Perry crooning some festive classics.

#4 - Eddie Fisher - Outside of Heaven

When? 27th January 1953 - 2nd February 1953
Number of Weeks? 1
What else was going on? The North Sea Flood kills over 2000 people

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Youtube link

Download Outside Of Heaven from amazon.com

Fisher's first UK number 1 is the first one on the countdown so far which I've really disliked. It's another slow ballad dedicated to unrequited love. Lyrically it's actually pretty strong (apart from the opening lines - "I pass your house with misty eyes/ there stands the gate to paradise") but Fisher's vocal performance oscillates between a reedy tenor before eventually culminating in a melodramatic crescendo at the finale: neither are particularly well-equipped to convey the power of the lyric. There's also some fairly wierd orchestration going on about two thirds of the way in (1:16-1:50). There's a constant refrain of backing vocalists singing "Outside of Heaven" and a piano and violin playing atonally with one another. I'm sure an accomplished musicologist could explain why this technique is interesting but to these untrained ears it just appears... well... somewhat creepy. Perhaps that's the point. It's meant to be the pained lament of one with an unrequited love, perhaps we have a foreshadowing of something like Sting's obsessive love in Every Breath You Take. I know which one I'd prefer to listen to, however.

What happened next? It won't be long before we'll be meeting Fisher again, as he would go on to have another number 1 later in the year, and become the first artist to score two official chart-toppers. Between 1953 and 1956 he would score 9 chart hits, with several songs re-entering the charts at various points. In his personal life, he married Debbie Reynolds and he would also go on to become Elizabeth Taylor's second husband.

#3 - Kay Starr - Comes A-Long A-Love

When? 20th January 1953 - 26th January 1953

Number of Weeks? 1

What else was going on? Dwight Eisenhower becomes the President of the United States, "The Crucible" opens on Broadway

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Download Comes A-Long A-Love from amazon.com

Kay's ascension to the number 1 spot tilts the battle of the chart-topping sexes 2-1 in favour of women. Crucially, however, it's the first foray into non-ballad territory that we've encountered thus far. In fact, Comes A-Long A-Love is a fun, jaunty track where Starr's voice sparkles with mischief and joie-de-vivre (quick, someone call Private Eye's "Pseuds' Corner"). Jaunty, in fact is the best word to describe this track, as it bounces along quite pleasantly for it's entire 2:24 duration. This in itself is one of the biggest culture shocks I've encountered so far. None of the three songs reviewed so far have topped more than 3:10, which is a bit of a departure from the modern day chart-topper.

Back to the song at hand, however, and it's another great vocal performance. Starr's vocal is confident and conveys an utterly infectious glee, which is very easy to miss when it's placed alongside the fun, but gimmicky backing composition. It's perhaps not surprising to see why the song only held the top spot for a single week, however. While Comes A-Long A-Love is fun, and a welcome break from the two, slower love songs which precede it, it sounds very of its time; it hasn't aged brilliantly. It's a happy, upbeat, but ultimately fairly throwaway song.  But a bloody catchy one.

What happened next? It's taken 11 weeks of the fledgling charts, but finally we've encountered an artist who we aren't immediately waving goodbye to. Yet it will be another three years and another 41 chart-toppers before we'll come across Kay again. In the interim, however, Kay had another two top ten hits. Kay is also the first chart-topper who his still with us. At the time of writing Kay is 87 years old and resides in California.

#2 - Jo Stafford - You Belong To Me

When? 13th January 1953 - 19th January 1953
Number of Weeks? 1
What else was going on? First meeting of the Robertson Panel to discuss UFO sightings

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Download You Belong To Me from amazon.com

In knocking Martino off the number 1 spot, Jo Stafford sealed her place as the first woman to top the chart, with a slow, languid ballad invoking pyramids, tropical isles and marketplaces in Algiers. The vocal performance is, again confident, with rich, exotic orchestration. It's the story that really sells this song though. It's a tender ballad which essentially furthers the montra "love conquers geography". Stafford's voice is absolutely beautiful and gives the track a bluesy, longing feel. Stafford wasn't the only artist to tackle this song (Dean Martin and... erm... Vonda Shepard had a go) but Jo's was the only version ever to make it into the charts, let alone the number 1 slot. Beautiful song.

What happened next? Like her predecessor, Jo's first number 1 was to be her last. Her only other top ten hit came two years later and was the (comparatively) risque "Make Love To Me" complete with hilarious buh-buh-buh-bum bits. Yet ultimately, barring a shock spike in sales in the future, Jo's pioneering trip to the top will be her only appearance here.

#1 - Al Martino - Here In My Heart

When? 14th November 1952 - 11th January 1953
Number of Weeks? 9
What else was going on? "The Mousetrap" begins the longest run ever on the West End, The Great Smog Of London

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Youtube Link
Download Here In My Heart from amazon.com

The UK's first official number 1 was born when the advertising editor of the New Musical Express called around 20 record major record stores and averaged their sales figures to create an inaugural Top 12 (the first chart actually contained 15 records due to ties, which were a not infrequent feature of the early singles charts). What started out as a gimmick to boost circulation, eventually morphed into a top 20, then 30, then 50, and then finally the top 75 which is compiled by the Official Charts Company today. Prior to the NME's survey, charts were compiled on the basis of the sales of a song's sheet music. The singles chart, therefore, was the first real move towards an appreciation of the sale of physical (and later digital) units.

Topping this very first chart is Al Martino with "Here In My heart". This was the first of over a thousand songs to be considered the UK Number 1 over the ensuing 50+ years. We'll also never know just how many weeks Here In My Heart was the biggest selling single in the UK. The sheet music charts indicate that Al was number 1 in that medium for 8 weeks, but sadly, until the NME chart came along, we just don't have any data about the actual physical single sales. It's perhaps, therefore, an accident of history that Number 1 #667 is the longest-reigning chart-topping single in the history of the charts.

So what is this historic single actually like, then? Well from the outset it's a bold and brassy number, kicking off with a powerful vocal declaring (somewhat tautologously) "here in my heart, I am alone and so lonely". The first ever chart-topping love song is underpinned by not-entirely subtle orchestration and with a vocal which remains strong throughout, modulating nicely as the verses progress. Martino's voice never loses its boisterousness but managed to convey a tenderness and vulnerability in the song's quieter sections. In this author's (utterly unknowledgable) opinion there's something very old about this song, sounding like something which could have quite comfortably come out of the music halls of any preceding decades.

I can't help feeling that this song will be remembered simply for the very fact that it was the first UK Number 1. It's very of its time and I think a modern listener will find it difficult to connect to a ballad which is presented in this way. It does remain, however, a very touching and well-performed love song and given the sheer prevalence of the theme matter across the next half-century of number 1s, it's perhaps a highly appropriate song to kick this journey off.

What happened next? This marks Al's only trip to the top of the pops. In fact, he had two tracks on this inaugural chart with "Take My Heart" reaching number 9 in this same month. Al would enjoy 4 more top 10 hits through the rest of his career (including his version of "Spanish Eyes" which reached number 5 in July 1973). Here In My Heart, remains, however, his most successful single and therefore this is the last we'll see of Al on this journey. Al didn't just occupy an important place in music history, though. He also played the singer Johnny Fontaine in The Godfather.

The Journey

This blog has been conceived very much as a side-project to The Pop Web. On reflecting upon the interconnectedness behind the UK charts, the idea struck me of listening to each and every UK number 1 single starting off with "Here In My Heart" by Al Martino on the 15th November 1952, right through to the present day, which, at the time of writing, is "Telephone" by Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Quite a contrast, I think you'll agree. This is the task ahead of me:

• Listen to all (at current count) 1124 UK Number 1 hit singles
• Record my response to those 1124 (and rising) UK Number 1 singles
• Try and find out what happened in the world during the period each song was at number 1
• Find out what each chart-topping artist went on to do after reaching the top spot.

You may legitimately ask: why? Isolating the motives behind this project isn't easy, partly because I'm not sure there is one outside of sheer morbid curiosity. The intent is, broadly, educational. For someone who bangs on about the charts and music as much as I do, I think this is a fool-proof way of knowing what I'm talking about (at least when I'm talking about UK number ones) at any rate. Secondly, I'm aware that there are distinct gaps in my knowledge which I'd like this project to try and rectify. Finally, in surveying all the songs that have ever reached the number 1 spot, I hope to renew my own enthusiasm for, and interest in, UK popular music.

It has become so easy to dismiss the achievement of a UK Number 1. Single sales have reached their lowest levels since the charts began (although since the onset of downloads we have seen an upswing in this trend). Campaigns like the "Rage Against The Machine to Xmas Number 1" have raised serious questions as to the musical merit required to achieve a number 1 single and, at least in some corners, have brought into question why we continue to place so much stock in the charts. This, I feel, is a crying shame. Whilst we can all have our opinions as to the state of modern pop music, it is my belief that the UK charts are useful, that they do, at the very least, continue to tell us about what captures the British public's attention at a given point in history. Having a UK Number 1, as we shall see, is by no means a guarantee of musical credibility. It also guarantees no more posterity or immortality than being recorded in projects such as this or the Guinness/Virgin book of hit singles or everyhit.com (who, unsurprisingly, have provided a wealth of information to assist with this blog).

But having a UK number 1 does show that a specific point in modern history, your song inspired more people to get up, go to a record store/their computer and spend their money for the right to play said song for their own personal entertainment, than any other at that time. Whatever we may feel about the continued validity of the UK charts, for as long as they are compiled, they can, if nothing else, validate and commemorate that specific and unique achievement.

The opinions and reviews which are about to be published in this blog do not come from a skilled musicologist (which will be abundantly clear from anyone who has ever read The Pop Web). This is purely a "listener response" commentary and, if I've done my job right, my reviews will hopefully allow the reader to explore pieces of music which are part of their cultural history, yet hitherto have remained unheard. I hope, if nothing else, to ignite debate and throw some light on some of the forgotten tracks, which, at their respective points of history, best expressed the attitudes, opinions and tastes of the UK music-buying population.

So here we are, with a long (and winding) road ahead to the end of our journey, starting with a single step...