BARRY LEVINE: Some ‘forgotten’ songs deserve to be heard

It’s funny how you might not have heard a song for more than a half-century and, all of a sudden, the words and melody pop into your head. It seems like just yesterday you were singing the song – but only in the shower.

The song “Bread and Butter” was a No. 2 hit for the Newbeats in 1964 during the heart of the British Invasion. Blocking the tune from the No. 1 slot was Roy Orbison’s smash “Oh, Pretty Woman.”

The Newbeats, a trio comprising Texan Larry Henley and brothers Dean and Mark Mathis of Hahira, had their only Top 10 hit with “Bread and Butter.”

The song currently is being used as part of a TV commercial.

“Bread and Butter” is not the only song that fits into the “I remember that song, but I haven’t heard it in years” category.

Here are a few more Top 10 hits that belong in that category:

“Party Doll” – Buddy Knox had his only No. 1 hit in 1957 with “Party Doll.” He had his second Top 10 hit when “Hula Love” reached No. 9 later in the year. But it was “Party Doll” that made Knox a star. He became the first singer to write his No. 1 smash. “Party Doll” has sold more than 10 million copies.

“Secretly” — In the summer of 1957, Jimmie Rodgers recorded “Honeycomb.” It became Rodgers’ biggest hit, remaining atop the charts for four weeks and selling more than 1 million copies. He had several Top 10 hits in 1958, including “Kisses Sweeter than Wine,” “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling in Love Again,” “Secretly” and “Are You Really Mine.”

“Secretly,” which peaked at No. 3, was the only ballad that became a hit for the country singer and trailed “Honeycomb” and “Kisses Sweeter than Wine” in popularity. But “Secretly” deserves to be remembered – and heard again.

“Teen Angel” – Mark Dinning, the youngest of nine children, had his biggest – and only — Top 40 hit in 1960 when “Teen Angel” rose to No. 1. It was one of a group of tragedy songs that included classics “Endless Sleep“ by Jody Reynolds, “Tell Laura I Love Her” by Ray Peterson, “Ebony Eyes” by the Everly Brothers, “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson, “Leader of the Pack” by The Shangri-Las and “Dead Man’s Curve” by Jan & Dean.

“Teen Angel,” which told the story of the death of a teen girl, was written by Dinning’s sister, Jean, and her husband, Red Surrey. This is one of the songs that pulled on the heart strings.

“Little Girl of Mine” — One of the premier Doo-Wop groups of all-time, Herb Cox and The Cleftones had two major hits: “Heart & Soul,” which climbed to No. 18 in 1961, and “Little Girl of Mine” in 1956.

You won’t hear “Little Girl of Mine” on many oldies radio shows, but you may hear Doo-Wop lovers trying to emulate Cox singing the song’s opening line: “Dedeliddle liddle …” Good luck with that.

“Searchin’” — Written by the Hall of Fame team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Coasters, “Searchin’” was released in March 1957 and topped the R&B Chart for 12 weeks. It reached No. 3 on the pop singles chart.

One of popular music’s memorable comedic acts, The Coasters had 10 Top 10 hits in a row, including “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown” and “Poison Ivy.” But it was “Searchin’,” their first Top 10 hit, that put The Coasters on the rock ‘n’ roll map. Unfortunately, “Searchin’” has been put in the background of the group’s top hits, even though it deserves to be heard as much as “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown” and “Poison Ivy.”

“Little Star” — Four teens from Staten Island, N.Y., The Elegants grew up singing Doo-Wop and developed their bright idea of turning the kids’ song “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” into a No. 1 hit in August 1958. It remained No. 1 for one week before being displaced by Domenico Modugno’s “Volare.”

“Little Star” was the Elegants’ only chart hit, but it was a great summer smash six decades ago. You won’t hear it often. Too bad because it was the kind of tune you could sing.

“Under the Boardwalk” – One of The Drifters’ many Top 10 hits, few songs typify summertime more than this one as you can almost feel the sand crunching beneath your toes and hear the ocean waves in the background. “Under the Boardwalk” peaked at No. 4 in 1964.

When you think of The Drifters, you typically think of their other hits: “There Goes My Baby” in 1959, “Save the Last Dance for Me” in 1960, “Up on the Roof” in 1962 and “On Broadway” in 1963. “Under the Boardwalk,” undeservedly, gets lost with The Drifters other hits.

This week in rock history: Hank Ballard recorded “The Twist” on July 8, 1958, in Gary, Ind. A re-recorded version released by King Records would make a modest splash on the R&B charts in 1959, but it would take Chubby Checker to make it a smash hit in 1960. … A landmark in music history occurred on July 9, 1955, when Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” reached No. 1. Music historians acknowledge the song as a dividing line, separating rock ‘n’ roll from everything that preceded it. … The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” was No. 1 on July 10, 1965. In 2004 “Rolling Stone” magazine placed “Satisfaction” in the No. 2 spot on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Bob Dylan’s 1964 hit “Like a Rolling Stone” was No. 1. Completing Rolling Stone’s Top 5 were: No. 3, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” No. 4 Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” and No. 5, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” … The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?” was released and entered the Hot 100 on July 11, 1964. It remained on the chart for 14 weeks and became the group’s first No. 1 hit. … Alan Freed’s show “The Big Beat” debuted on ABC-TV on July 12, 1957, with guests The Everly Brothers, Frankie Lymon, Buddy Knox and Connie Francis. The show was later canceled after an episode in which Lymon, a black, was seen dancing with a white girl, reportedly offended the management of ABC’s local affiliates in the southern states. … Bobby Vinton’s “Roses Are Red” topped the Hot 100 on July 14, 1962. He found the song in a pile of demo discs that were marked “reject” at Epic Records. The single became a million seller.

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].