The most played song in America from the 1950s
When people discuss the most defining era in music history, it’s often the 1960s that come up. But the 1950s were arguably even more important, especially in the development of the industry and modern fandom as we know it today.
After all, The Beatles might have had a lot to do with the mass unification of music fans in a movement we now recognise as Beatlemania, but many major ‘50s players, from Elvis Presley to Frank Sinatra, paved the way for this to be possible, showing the world what could happen when popular musicians transform into major global stars.
Presley was, of course, the decade’s shining star, achieving the most number ones on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts and spending the most weeks at number one, surpassing the likes of Patti Page, Tony Bennett, and other major pop and rock ‘n’ roll players of the decade.
Across the ‘50s, Presley scored hits with songs like ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Love Me Tender’, and ‘All Shook Up’, establishing his rightful place as ‘The King’ and a completely unstoppable force in modern rock ‘n’ roll… He also reached new heights with ‘Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog’, a song that spent an incredible 11 weeks at number one, a record he held until 1992, when the crown was taken by Boyz II Men and their smash ‘End of the Road’.
What was the biggest song in America in the 1950s?
As such, Presley’s successes placed him up there with other commercially successful acts like Guy Mitchell and Frankie Laine, the latter of which scored one of the most impressive runs in music history with ‘I Believe’, which still holds the record for the most non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK singles chart.
However, when looking at the biggest, most-played song in America across the entire decade, only one comes out on top. Paul Anka’s ‘Diana’ and Harry Belafonte’s ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ also rose to seemingly unattainable heights during the ‘50s, but Bill Haley & His Comets’ ‘Rock Around the Clock’ takes the crown, achieving an impressive level of success alongside broader, longstanding cultural impact.
As the first rock ‘n’ roll record to top both the US and UK charts, ‘Rock Around the Clock’ is said to have also kick-started the entire ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll boom in America, becoming a classic hit that paved the way for countless of the decade’s shining rock stars to follow in its footsteps.
A popular hit among the generation’s aspiring musicians, ‘Rock Around the Clock’ and its accompanying movie cash grab, Rock Around the Clock, embodied that heart-thumping, rebellious attitude that many ‘60s rockers sought to emulate, some even later crediting the song with being one of the biggest reasons they picked up a guitar in the first place.
After all, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, and countless others have all admitted that the movie changed their lives, the former even claiming that it “had something to do with” why he pursued a music career to begin with.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Classic Rock Newsletter
All the latest Classic Rock content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.