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JUMP TO:
• 1986 – ROCK ME AMADEUS (The American Edit) / Falco
• 1976 – DECEMBER, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) / The Four Seasons
• 1966 – THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS / SSgt. Barry Sadler
• 1956 – THE POOR PEOPLE OF PARIS / Les Baxter, his Chorus and Orchestra
• BONUS – ROCK ME AMADEUS (Canadian Version) / Falco
Welcome to the month of April! And to #1 Songs On This Date – another four-pack of the very best from the Top 40 Rock’n Roll music era.
129 distinct number one singles between the years 1956 and 1995 have already been presented in the past three months – with literally hundreds more to come.
They’re all part of a permanent archive that’s being built at HouseoftheHits.com which will ultimately feature ALL 837 different number one singles as listed in 2,080 weekly national music charts published by Billboard® within that 40-year timeframe.
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Fortunately, HouseoftheHits has every one of those charts – plus secondary data – as published in the essential Joel Whitburn’s Record Research series (CD-ROM and eBook edition formats).
Everything is stored digitally on a HouseoftheHits computer – as are all 837 number one singles (in high-quality audio) from the music vault.
With the availability of precise data and the HOTH song files – together with some amazing technology – approximately 600 – 700 of those Billboard® chart-toppers will be presented this year – with the remainder to follow in early 2017.
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As the archive grows you will have continual free access to the accumulating repository, indexed by Decade, Month and Year. Plus, EVERY Title and Artist will be (blue) hyper-linked for smooth, easy navigation from song to song – with more great features to be added along the way.
Again, it will contain every #1 single in America, plus interesting commentary about each song (written by yours truly) and presented with a crystal clear High-Definition audio version of the complete original hit to instantly play as often as you wish.
The ever-expanding library is found HERE and you can bookmark this link for future instant access.
Enjoy! 😎
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[NOTE]
Due to copyright issues, some audio song files may not play on tablets,
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#1 / April 2nd, 1986
ROCK ME AMADEUS
Falco
[1986]
(The American Edit)
Number One: 3 weeks
Replaced: THESE DREAMS / Heart
Succeeded by: KISS / Prince
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Austrian-born dance singer-songwriter Falco topped both the U.S. and UK pop charts in 1986 with this musical tribute to his fellow countryman – the great classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).
Having been impressed with the 1984 movie based on the life of the late composer (Amadeus won 8 Academy awards) Falco became inspired to write and record his only world-wide hit.
Five years earlier, he’d written and recorded a German rap-type song called Der Kommissar, which failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100. However, an English-language version by the UK rock quartet After The Fire shot to #5 in the U.S. in early 1983.
Two disparate mixes of Rock Me Amadeus are presented here. First, the heavily edited U.S. hit. Then, below it, the far more interesting and longer-running Canadian version, which also was the B-side of the American single.
[Trivia Bits] Born Johann Holzel in Vienna, he took his performing moniker from the name of professional skier Falco Weisspflog.
Falco died in a car crash in 1988 at the age of 40.
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BONUS TRAK
ROCK ME AMADEUS
Falco
[1986]
(Canadian Version)
(B-side of ROCK ME AMADEUS – The American Edit)
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Released north of the border as an A-side record, this markedly different version – after receiving extensive airplay on Canadian radio – became a chart-topper there.
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#1 / April 2nd, 1976
DECEMBER, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)
The Four Seasons
[1975]
(LP Mix & Length)
Number One: 3 weeks
Replaced: LOVE MACHINE Pt. 1 / The Miracles
Succeeded by: DISCO LADY / Johnnie Taylor
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After being absent from the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 for just over seven years, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons (alternately The 4 Seasons) worked their way back to (near) number one status in a big way in the second half of 1975 with their #3 hit Who Loves You.
And, the second single from their ‘Who Loves Who’ album, December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night), went all the way to the top on this date.
Between the two huge hits, the ‘Jersey boys’ would enjoy a combined 47 weeks on the Hot 100, with ‘December’ also copping a gold record in the process.
A bit of a rarity here – the voice of iconic lead vocalist Frankie Valli is heard only during the ‘middle eight’ bars of this song, with group drummer Gerry Polci singing the lead melodies.
[Trivia Bits] Both ‘Who Loves You’ and ‘December, 1963′ were co-penned by long-time Four Seasons’ songwriter Bob Gaudio, who composed or co-wrote ten of the group’s fifteen Top 10 singles.
Drummer Gerry Polci was a member of a lesser-known version of the famed and fluid group of L.A. studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. Polci, along with Lee Shapiro, Jimmy Ryan, Larry Gates and Russ Velazquez went by the moniker The Hit Men.
They performed and/or recorded as members of star acts such as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Tommy James and The Shondells, The Critters, Carly Simon, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Barry Manilow, Elton John & Kiki Dee, Carole King, Rick Derringer and others.
Other #1 Singles by THE 4 SEASONS (5)
• 1962 / SHERRY
• 1962 / BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY
• 1991 / WALK LIKE A MAN
• 1964 / RAG DOLL
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#1 / April 2nd, 1966
THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS
SSgt. Barry Sadler
[1966]
Number One: 5 weeks
Replaced: Replaced: THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN’ / Nancy Sinatra
Succeeded by: (You’re My) SOUL AND INSPIRATION / The Righteous Brothers
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One of the scant few popular aspects of America’s involvement in the Vietnam war during the 1960’s is this chart-topping hit about the U.S. Army’s ‘Special Forces’ combat unit (created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961).
Although never a member of the elite squad himself, SSgt. Barry Sadler, from New Mexico, spent a half-dozen years serving his country in both the Air Force and Army – including a combat stint with the latter in Vietnam. But a debilitating service injury there ended his career and he returned to the States.
Sadler, who’d always maintained an on again-off again interest in music as a guitarist, drummer and songwriter, wrote this 12-verse ode to the Special Forces during his early retirement from the military.
[Trivia Bits] The Ballad Of The Green Berets was released by RCA Records on January 11, 1966, and within two weeks it had sold over one million copies to became the label’s fastest-selling single of all time.
While on a training assignment in Guatemala, Barry Sadler was shot in the head while exiting a taxi cab and suffered permanent brain damage. He died 14 months later at the age of 49.
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#1 / April 2nd, 1956
THE POOR PEOPLE OF PARIS
Les Baxter, his Chorus and Orchestra
[1956]
Number One: 4 weeks
Replaced: LISBON ANTIGUA / Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra
Succeeded by: HEARTBREAK HOTEL / Elvis Presley
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Billboard music chart history was made during the early weeks of 1956, when, for the first and only time, one instrumental single was followed by another at the top of the heap – and, for that matter, by one orchestra leader-song arranger succeeding another.
After Nelson Riddle‘s strong four-week run at #1 with Lisbon Antigua, Les Baxter moved the musical ‘map’ from Portugal to Paris for a repeat of the former’s longevity in the pole position.
[Trivia Bit] As noted in previous posts, the years 1955 and 1956 were transitional ones in the evolution of pop music in America.
And it was seen up and down the music charts – which were a potpourri of musical extremes: the old guard of pre-rock ‘n roll recording stars in the midst of a valiant struggle with the emerging new and younger artists singing their “devil’s music” – to maintain its (the former’s) hold on their well-earned mantle.
But it was only a matter of time until the latter won the war.
Other #1 Singles by LES BAXTER, his Chorus and Orchestra (3)
• 1955 / UNCHAINED MELODY
• 1955 / MEDIC (Blue Star)
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Written By: Rick Murray Hunter
Songs Source: The Music Vault of HouseoftheHits Inc.
Billboard® Chart Data: Joel Whitburn’s Record Research (eBook Editions)
References: The Billboard Book Of Number One Hits (5th Edition) by Fred Bronson
The Archives of RollingStone.com
Record Sleeve & Label Graphics: Courtesy of 45cat
Other #1 Songs on This Date Posts are HERE
