What song held the number one spot for the longest in 1955?
Rock ‘n’ roll had never seen a year quite like 1955. Alongside reaching new innovative peaks, it also saw a handful of artists chart multiple times, proving a level of consistency that few years have managed to match since.
A decade when rock grew into its own, both as a movement and a genre, the 1950s saw a creative shift that would remain standard across all eras, with major names like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and several others taking the world by storm. In 1955, music was flourishing in many different corners, proving that there was space for all sorts of voices, no matter your background or walk of life.
Of course, one of the most pivotal moments was the release of Little Richard’s raucous rock ‘n’ roll bomb, ‘Tutti Frutti’, which, although it struggled to give the rock maestro overnight success at the time, eventually became one of the best and most significant songs in all of history. It was also many people’s first exposure to the art itself, including David Bowie, who once recalled hearing it for the first time at the age of nine and thinking he’d “heard God”.
A viciously sexual, heart-thumping groove like ‘Tutti Frutti’ was one thing during one of music history’s most puritan years, but so too was mixing these rhythms with such overt sensuality and flamboyance, something that Little Richard no doubt adopted to ruffle some feathers and irk all the right people. However, most others – those who mattered, anyway – embraced its innovative charm, and ultimately cemented Little Richard’s position as the one true architect of rock ‘n’ roll.
Other notable achievements across the year included the presence of multiple chart entries from Nat King Cole, Johnnie Ray, The Four Aces, Dean Martin, Eartha Kitt, and more – Tennessee Ernie Ford scored a megahit with ‘Give Me Your Word’, which spent seven weeks at number one in the UK, and a further 18 weeks in the top ten.
Bill Haley & His Comets scored one of the best-selling singles of the entire decade with ‘Rock Around the Clock’, marking the first-ever rock ‘n’ roll song to top both the US and UK charts… Overall, competition hit an all-time high across the board, with many of those entering the charts remaining there past their initial peak – proof that music was swiftly becoming a more reputable creative force with new voices constantly appearing to keep the game fresh.
So, what song held the number one spot for the longest?
However, when it came to clear winners, particularly in the form of the longest chart position, the only one that soared ahead untouchable was Slim Whitman, who achieved 11 consecutive weeks at number one with his enduring country tune ‘Rose Marie’ – a record that he claimed for 36 years, until it was broken by Bryan Adams’ ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It for You’, which spent 16 weeks at the top in 1991.
One of the first-ever American country artists to tour the UK, Whitman wasn’t especially disappointed when his song eventually got knocked down, as evidenced by him joining Adams on stage at Wembley Arena in 1991 to deliver a special duet of Whitman’s ‘Rose Marie’, before gifting Adams a plaque for his impressive achievement.
Beyond his obvious significance during one of the best decades for music, Whitman was also a pivotal figure who influenced many of our most enduring rock musicians, including the likes of George Harrison, who once said that Whitman was “the first thing I ever got into” musically and, crucially, the first time he ever felt compelled to pick up a guitar.
