This Day in History: Bill Haley & His Comets released "Rock Around the Clock", the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts on this day [May 10] in 1954. The recording is widely considered to be the song that, more than any other, brought rock and roll into mainstream culture around the world.
The verse melody of "Rock Around the Clock" bears a very close similarity to that of Hank Williams' first hit, "Move It On Over", from 1947. Williams' song was very similar to Charley Patton's "Going to Move to Alabama", recorded in 1929 – which itself was at least partly derived from Jim Jackson's "Kansas City Blues" from 1927. The song also uses phrases from Count Basie's "Red Wagon", first recorded in 1939.
"Rock Around the Clock" was first issued in May 1954 as a B-side to "Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)". While the song did make the American Cashbox music charts (contrary to popular opinion that it was a flop), it was considered a commercial disappointment. It was not until 1955, when "Rock Around the Clock" was used under the opening credits of the film Blackboard Jungle, that the song truly took off.
"Rock Around the Clock" became wildly popular with teenagers around the world. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour stated, "It's very hard to tell what made me first decide to play the guitar. Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley came out when I was ten, and that probably had something to do with it."
No comments:
Post a Comment