twentysongs: The Top 20 Best Hit Songs Of 1956! No.15-13!

15. Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps – Be Bop A Lula

Not the most exciting of the early rock’n’roll heroes. But certainly one of the most authentic. Gene did not contain one chromosome of show biz flash, and the rest of his gang was made up of the scruffiest looking ragamuffins in America, looking as though they came up with the line “Be Bop A Lula” because they weren’t educated enough to come up with actual words. Even if you concur to the “Awopbopaloopopalopbamboo School Of Rock’n’Roll Lyric Writing” where the only good rock’n’roll lyric is a nonsensical rock’n’roll lyric – according to which therefore “Be Bop A Lula” is pure poetry - it’s hard to be impressed by a song that rhymes “she’s my baby” with “I don’t mean maybe.”

So why is “Be Bop A Lula” on the Top 20 Best Hit Songs of1956 list?

Mostly I think it’s due to the bass players hair.

Look at that hair! I mean look at it!

Even if Gene Vincent And The Blue Caps made no other contribution to the evolution of rock’n’roll – and they did make other contributions, such as making it all look so easy that anyone could do it – then they should be congratulated for introducing the crucial importance of good hair into the rock’n’roll rule book.

14. The Four Lads – No Not Much

After establishing themselves with geographically informative novelty tunes such as “Istanbul (Not Constantipole)”, thus turning them into one of the biggest barber shop quartet groups of the 1954 Barber Shop Quartet Revolution, The Four Lads came back in 1956 with something a little bit unexpected… something actually good!

Maybe it wasn’t quite unexpected. They had after all taken some steps towards music that was listenable without being laughable with their ode to nostalgia “Moments To Remember” the year before. That tune was all very well and good. And it did include a spoken monologue.

But “No, Not Much” was something else. This time they use their humor – and particularly their sense of irony – not to teach the kids about geography, but to shower the object of their affection with more affection than most people can handle.

What does “like a ten cent soda doesn’t cost a dime” mean exactly?

13. Carl Perkins – Blue Suede Shoes

I think we can all agree, with the benefit of several decades of hindsight, that “Blue Suede Shoes” ‘ “Well it’s a one for the money/two for the show/ three to get ready/ now go cat go” are the all-time best lyrics with which to start a rock’n’roll song. Or in this case, a well-mannered and rather polite rockabilly party jam!

Songs about dancing had of course been around forever. As had songs about articles of clothing. Although the latter certainly became a topic that rock’n’rollers made their own.

I do not think however, that ever before, had a hit song been made about the danger that the former might inflict on the latter.

Which makes it a rather bizarre little song. Made even more bizarre by the fact that nobody actually wore blue suede shoes in the 1950s, because they were so ugly. But why should a song have to make sense… Elvis for example, was always best when singing songs that didn’t mean a hell of a lot, so when he covered it, the very next year: look out Carl, your version is cool and all, but … WOAH!