The Top 5 Pop Songs of the 1950s

The 1950s were a decade of many firsts in pop music. Here are the top 5 songs of the 1950s that left a lasting impression.

Introduction

The 1950s was a decade often referred to as the “Golden Age” of pop music. It was a time when many different musical genres flourished, including rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, and country. This decade also saw the birth of pop music as we know it today.

Some of the biggest names in music released their first hit singles in the 1950s, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Patsy Cline. These artists and others helped to shape the sound of pop music and make it into the phenomenon it is today.

Here are the top five pop songs of the 1950s:

1. “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets
2. “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins
3. “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley
4. “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
5. “That’ll Be the Day” by Buddy Holly and The Crickets

“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets

“Rock Around the Clock” is a song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (as “Mead Spacek”) in 1952. It was first recorded by Italian-American band Bill Haley & His Comets in 1954 as a part of the album “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. The song is ranked as the 184th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine and one of the greatest songs of the 20th century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 1999, “Rock Around the Clock” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

“Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley

“Heartbreak Hotel” is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, and was written by Tommy Durden, Mae Boren Axton, and Elvis Presley. The song was quickly certified Gold by the RIAA. “Heartbreak Hotel” has been ranked as one of the greatest songs of all time by various music publications. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 and declared by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”.

” Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley

“Hound Dog” is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.Recorded first by Big Mama Thornton in 1952, the song was a hit for her. Thornton’s recording of “Hound Dog” is considered a seminal moment in the development of rock and roll music. Elvis Presley recorded it in 1956, and his version became one of the best-known songs of his career.

“Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley

“Don’t Be Cruel” is a 1956 song recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
The single topped Billboard’s Most Played in Jukeboxes chart in 1956, as well as its Top 100 chart, becoming Presley’s second single to achieve that feat (after “Heartbreak Hotel”). It also topped the Cash Box chart for 11 weeks. The song remained at number one for seven weeks on Billboard’s Top 40 chart, which ranked songs based on sales, jukebox plays, radio airplay, and sheet music purchases. It was his fourth million-selling gold disc. In 2004, it was ranked number 22 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

“All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley

“All Shook Up” is a song recorded by Elvis Presley, published by Elvis Presley Music, and composed by Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on April 13, 1957, stays there for eight weeks. It also topped the Billboard R&B chart for four weeks. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of one million copies in the US. It was Presley’s seventh No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 (the previous being “Heartbreak Hotel” in early 1956).