By 1959, music was evolving, although it may not have been evident at the time. But the music of the 1950s was slowly turning into the unique sounds of the 1960s. With that transition in mind, these are three songs that came out in 1959, songs that, perhaps surprisingly, still sound amazing today.
“That’s Why (I Love You So)” by Jackie Wilson
A Top 5 single for Jackie Wilson, “That’s Why (I Love You So)” is written by Berry Gordy Jr. and Tyran Carlo. It appears on Wilson’s Lonely Teardrops record.
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The romantic song says, “The way you make me feel like I belong / The way you make me right when I am wrong / The way you sacrifice just for me / Just how lucky can a poor man be / That is why (that’s why I love you so) / That is why (that’s why I love you so) / Don’t you know, baby (that’s why I love you so) / Yeah, yeah, yeah, I want the world to know.“
After Wilson’s release, numerous other artists also put their spin on “That’s Why (I Love You So)”, including Steve Goodman and The Temptations, among others.
“Sweeter Than You” by Ricky Nelson
On Ricky Nelson’s Songs By Ricky album is “Sweeter Than You”. Written by Baker Knight, it remains one of Nelson’s most well-known songs, even though it only reached the Top 10 on the charts.
“Sweeter Than You” is a song about professing true love. It begins with, “I could never be loved by anyone sweeter than you / And I could never belong to anyone sweeter than you / With you to stand beside me I’ll never be alone / And what more could I long for than to have you for my own.”
“I Only Have Eyes For You” by The Flamingos
On The Flamingos’ Flamingo Serenade album is “I Only Have Eyes For You”. The group’s biggest hit, the Top 5 single was written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin.
“I Only Have Eyes For You” says, “Are the stars out tonight? / I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright / I only have eyes for you, dear / The moon may be high / But I can’t see a thing in the sky / I only have eyes for you.”
Dick Powell first released a version of “I Only Have Eyes For You” in 1934 for the film Dames. Cliff Richard, Jerry Butler, and Art Garfunkel also have a version of this overly romantic song. Still, it’s the version by The Flamingos that remains the most popular.
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