1959: A Year Of Transition For Popular Music

It cannot be that starting with the Billboard Hot 100 is the best way to get a sense for a year’s musical pulse, can it? Probably not… but this is where we are starting. And in taking a tour through the Hot 100 for 1959, there are a number of songs which are pleasures, treasures, and surprises. But there are far more which just make you feel like you are on a long drive with your grandparents…

The list has an interesting mix of songs rooted in the past and looking to the future. Some tracks do both — like the unique-for-the-time steel guitar of “Sleep Walk.” Some straddle genres, like the R&B stomp of “Charlie Brown.” But mostly the list seems like a year of popular music stuck in the past of crooners or lyric folk, without any of the the rock ‘n’ roll explosion of what would come.

The treasures

Santo & Johnny’s “Sleep Walk” is #11 on the list and was said to be written by the Brooklyn brothers Farina late one night when sleep was elusive. The song’s melody and steel guitar make it sound both fresh and classic, simultaneously. Lyrics were written for the song, but ultimately scrapped. We agree.

A few spots down the list at #17 is The Coasters’ single “Charlie Brown.” The song is a catchy hybrid of caveman rock and doo-wop and has the hilarious and infectious line “why is everybody always pickin’ on me?” King Curtis comes in for a tenor saxophone solo. It should be noted that the song is not a reference to the Peanuts comic strip.