Much of the more underrated music from the 1950s has slipped through the cracks and been forgotten today, especially among one-hit wonders of the era. It’s understandable, considering the 1950s were seven-plus decades ago. But when it comes down to it, I think the following three songs each have a lot of appeal today, even if you’re not a fan of soul, doo-wop, or good ol’ rock and roll. Let’s take a look!
“Eddie My Love” by The Teen Queens from ‘Eddie My Love’ (1956)
This doo-wop soul song has just a touch of rock and roll to it, and it’s a good example of how much teenagers contributed to charting music at the time. The Teen Queens appealed to teens (obviously) and had a big hit on their hands with “Eddie My Love”. Sadly, they wouldn’t find much success after this hit. “Eddie My Love” peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 (then the Top 100) and never had as big of a hit again.
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“The Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley (1958)
This rock and roll classic still gets some love today, even though it’s not quite as huge as it was back in 1958. Sheb Wooley’s novelty rock and roll doo-wop tune “The Purple People Eater” had all the makings of a hit. There’s a comedic element, the instrumentation is sound, Wooley’s vocals are top-notch, and the writing is excellent. It’s no surprise that “The Purple People Eater” topped the Hot 100 and was all over the radio for months. Sadly for Wooley, he never made it to the Top 40 on that chart again. Though he did have a number of successful hits on the US country charts.
“Here Comes The Summer” by Jerry Keller (1959)
Jerry Keller’s “Here Comes The Summer” is a lovely pop piece of work. Back in 1959, it made it to No. 14 on the Hot 100 and lingered on the chart for a whopping 13 weeks. The song was also significantly more popular in the UK, peaking at No. 1 on the New Musical Express chart. It was also popular in Norway and Canada. Sadly, Keller never quite made it to the charts in such a fashion again, and he remains a hugely underrated entry on our list of one-hit wonders from the 1950s.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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