[78-L] two hits - same song

[Jeff Lichtman]

At 04:16 PM 4/24/2014, you wrote:
>Or if you don't worry about rocker cred as such and just look at the biggest pop hits of 1957-1959, Wilbert Harrison didn't write "Kansas City," Johnny Horton didn't write "The Battle Of New Orleans," . . .
>
>Joseph Scott


I didn't say that rock and roll performers wrote all their own material - just that it was more common for them to do this than it was for other types of performers.

I did a little research - I looked up records from 1955 through 1957 and divided them into rock and roll and other types of pop. I then counted the instances where the piece was written or co-written by the performer. I didn't try to be comprehensive - I just wanted a big enough sampling that the results would mean something. Of the 53 rock and roll records I surveyed, 24 were written at least in part by the performers. Of the 54 non-rock-and-roll records, 5 were written or co-written by the performers.

It's possible that there was some sample bias in my survey, or that my samples were too small. Still, in the cases I considered, the rate of artists performing their own material is almost 5 times higher for the rock and roll records.

I think this is pretty easy to explain. Tin Pan Alley was still in full swing at that time, and they mostly didn't write rock and roll songs. They would write songs for anyone who wanted to record them, and singers like Perry Como and Dean Martin were happy to perform these songs. The rock and rollers didn't have a whole industry of established songwriters, so they had to write their own stuff more often.

Here are the records I considered. I'll mark the ones where the performer contributed to the composition with ****:


Rock and Roll

****  Ain't That a Shame - Fats Domino  ****    
Ain't That a Shame - Pat Boone
Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots - The Cheers
**** Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley  ****
Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) -  The Penguins (some sources credit Curtis Williams of The Penguins as songwriter)
Flip Flop and Fly - Joe Turner
I Hear You Knocking - Smiley Lewis
**** Maybellene - Chuck Berry ****
Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley
Hearts of Stone - The Fontane Sisters
Only You - The Platters (written by Buck Ram, manager of The Platters)
Tweedle Dee - LaVern Baker
**** Sincerely - The Moonglows  ****
**** The Wallflower (Dance with Me Henry) - The Peaches  ****
**** Tutti Frutti - Little Richard  ****
**** Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins  ****
Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley
**** Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley  ****
**** Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent  ****
**** I'm in Love Again - Fats Domino  ****
See You Later Alligator -  Bill Haley
Hound Dog - Elvis Presley (the Big Mama Thornton version was too early for my survey)
The Fool - Sanford Clark
The Green Door - Jim Lowe
**** Why Do Fools Fall in Love - Frankie Lyman  ****
The Great Pretender -  The Platters (again, written by the manager of The Platters)
****  Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley  ****
**** I Put a Spell on You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins  ****
Ooby Dooby - Roy Orbison
I Gotta Know - Wanda jackson
**** Honky Tonk - Bill Doggett  ****
**** All Shook Up - Elvis Presley ****
Wake Up Little Susie - The Everly Brothers
**** Diana - Paul Anka  ****
**** Party Doll - Buddy Knox ****
**** That'll Be the Day - Buddy Holly  ****
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Little Darlin' - The Diamonds
**** Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly  ****
**** School Day - Chuck Berry  ****
Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On - Jerry Lee Lewis
Sittin' in the Balcony - Eddie Cochrane
**** Susie Q - Dale Hawkins  ****
Bye Bye Love - The Everly Brothers
**** Raunchy - Bill Justis  ****
Raunchy -  Ernie Freeman
Raunchy - Billy Vaughn
Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson
**** Rock and Roll Music - Chuck Berry  ****
Oh Boy - Buddy Holly
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
**** Come Go with Me - The Del-Vikings  ****
Butterfly - Charlie Gracie
Butterfly - Andy Williams

Non-Rock-and-Roll

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
The Yellow Rose of Texas - Mitch Miller,
Autumn Leaves - Roger Williams
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Fess Parker
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Tennessee Ernie Ford
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing - The Four Aces
Melody of Love - Billy Vaughn
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford,
Learnin' the Blues - Frank Sinatra
Moments to Remember - The Four Lads
Let Me Go Lover - Joan Weber
A Blossom Fell - Nat King Cole
Honey Babe - Art Mooney
Ko Ko Mo - Perry Como
Hard to Get - Gisele Mackenzie
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers
That's All I Want from You - Jaye P. Morgan
It's a Sin to Tell a Lie - Somethin' Smith and the Redheads
Lisbon Antique - Nelson Riddle
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
Que Sera Sera - Doris Day
Memories Are Made of This - Dean Martin
Moonglow and Theme from "Picnic" - Morris Stoloff
I Almost Lost My Mind - Pat Boone
Hot Diggity - Perry Como
**** Canadian Sunset - Eddie Heywood and Hugo Winterhalter  ****
Allegheny Moon - Patti Page
Tonight You Belong to Me - Patience and Prudence
Standing on the Corner - The Four Lads
Ivory Tower - Cathy Carr
On the Street Where You Live - Vic Damone
Band of Gold - Don Cherry
More - Perry Como
**** The Happy Whistler - Don Robertson  ****
True Love - Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly
Love Letters in the Sand - Pat Boone
Young Love - Tab Hunter,
So Rare - Jimmy Dorsey
Don't Forbid Me - Pat Boone
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
Round and Round - Perry Como
Tammy - Debbie Reynolds
The Banana Boat Song - Harry Belafonte
**** A White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation) - Marty Robbins  ****
Gone - Ferlin Husky
Honeycomb - Jimmie Rodgers
Dark Moon - Gale Storm
Moonlight Gambler - Frankie Laine
It's Not for Me to Say - Johnny Mathis
**** Marianne - Terry Gilkyson  **** (this is a traditional song, but I'm giving credit for the adaptation)
Chances Are - Johnny Mathis
Send for Me - Nat King Cole
**** Rainbow - Russ Hamilton ****



                       -        Jeff Lichtman
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