3 Early Crossover Songs From the 1950s That Helped Define the Pop Hit

In the 1950s, pop music was beginning to evolve. Here are a few crossover hits that experimented and showed what it meant to have a pop hit back in the day.

“Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley

Released as a single in January of 1957, Elvis Presley‘s “Heartbreak Hotel” brought rock ‘n’ roll to a mainstream American audience. In addition to that, this song established him as a superstar. “Heartbreak Hotel” became a major crossover hit, dominating both pop and country charts, as well as other genres, like rhythm and blues and western.

“It was like something from Mars,” Elton John said of this song, per Songfacts. “It changed the world, socially and musically.”

Apparently, this one was inspired by the suicide of a man who appeared in a 1955 newspaper. Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” and also gave Presley credit.

“I Walk The Line” by Johnny Cash

This one originally went No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and then eventually crossed over onto the pop charts, where it became a Top 20 hit on what would later be the Billboard Hot 100. “I Walk The Line” was written while Cash was touring with Presley in the early days of his career. Cash was married and had a daughter at the time. He wrote this song about not giving in to temptation while on the road.

He sings, “I keep a close watch on this heart of mine / I keep my eyes wide open all the time / I keep the ends out for the tie that binds / Because you’re mine, I walk the line.”

“All I Have To Do Is Dream” by The Everly Brothers

This song not only dominated multiple genres, but it also went No. 1 on all the Billboard singles charts at once. Written by songwriting duo Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, this song is about longing for someone but realizing you can have them if you just use your imagination.

 “I remember hearing ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’ on an acetate with Boudleaux’s version on it, and I said, at the time, they could have put Boudleaux’s out, and it would have been a hit,” Phil Everly once said, per The Everly Brothers’ website. “It’s just a great, great song. It’s beautiful. Boudleaux was the main man who wrote all the great songs for us, and we love him.”

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