The term “bubblegum” has long been used to describe things in popular culture. Indeed, the bubble in that way puts the pop in pop culture. The stuff is meant to be enjoyed, inflated and then discarded for what’s new and next. Just like some sweet, lip-smacking gum.
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But what if some of those songs don’t go away like yesterday’s chewing gum? What if some of those stick around, so to speak? Below are five bubblegum pop songs from the 1950s that everyone enjoyed but have lasted like that Wrigley’s under your school desk.
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1. “Everyday,” Buddy Holly and the Crickets (1957)
When Buddy Holly died in a plane crash in 1959 that took the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, the world lost a great deal of excellent music. Holly may have rivaled those like Elvis Presley and the Beatles had he not perished in the plane accident. Nevertheless, fans still have some of his songs, including this hit 1957 song he cut with his band, the Crickets. It’s as light and fluffy as a cloud and as sticky as a stick of chewing gum.
2. “Rockin’ Robin,” Bobby Day (1958)
This song, which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, was the biggest hit for singer Bobby Day. It’s the kind of song that gets adults’ hips shaking as well as kids tweeting like a bird. In other words, it’s fun for the whole family. Something that’s hard to do and, when done well, is the mark of a perfect bubblegum pop hit.
3. “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?” Patti Page (1953)
In the 1950s, music fans went through a craze of “novelty songs,” which includes this one and others like “The Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley and “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts” by Merv Griffin. “(How Much Is) That Doggie In the Window” sung by Patti Page hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since lived on as the top song anyone sings when passing by a pet shop.
4. “Rock Around the Clock,” Bill Haley and His Comets (1954)
One of the reasons this blues-rock song has lasted so long is because it was used as the theme song to the hit 1970s TV show, Happy Days. Bill Haley’s rendition of the tune, which topped the charts for a number of weeks in 1954, is sung so pleasantly, you can practically hear Haley smiling behind the microphone as he belts the lyrics. And the rockabilly guitar adds a great deal of joy, too.
5. “Wake Up Little Susie,” The Everly Brothers (1957)
The voices of the Everly Brothers on this acoustic-driven rudimentary song are perhaps the Platonic Ideal of the concept of the bubblegum sound. It sounds as much fun as it does artful. “Wake Up Little Susie,” which hit No. 1 on both the Billboard pop and country charts and spent seven weeks atop the country chart, is an all-time classic today. Just as it was on the day it was released. It’s fun in melody form.
Photo by Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
