#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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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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Youtube Link

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...