Special Secret Bonus Post—1959 Awards

When I started this blog, I was fearing the first few years would be bogged down with too many schmaltzy, dated love ballads. And there were a few of those in 1959 (almost all of them by Frankie Avalon or the Fleetwoods), but for the most part I was pleasantly surprised. A song based on a historical battle, a song based on a German operetta, a couple of great rock and roll tracks, a couple of instrumentals – when you put 'em all together it's not a bad year at all. So here goes:

Most Weeks at #1: "Mack the Knife," with a monstrous 8 weeks at the top.

Best Song: "Stagger Lee" is a pretty easy choice for me. Lloyd Price delivers a great vocal over a great rock and roll backing band – and the story is of a cold-blooded barroom murder over a Stetson hat. What's not to like? Incidentally, since I originally posted on it, I discovered Bob Dylan's underrated 1993 album World Gone Wrong, in which he plays an assortment of old blues and folk songs, including none other than "Stagger Lee"! But as much as I love Dylan, I do prefer Lloyd Price's more spirited rendition.

Worst Song: Technically, "Christmas Don't Be Late" carried over into 1959, but since I already called it the worst song of '58, that wouldn't really be fair. Instead I'll go with "Why," continuing the tradition of the last song of the year being the worst. Maybe it's the cold weather?

Most Surprising Song: Gonna have to go with "The Battle of New Orleans." As if a nationalistic song about the War of 1812 weren't odd enough on our list, it went ahead and stayed at the top for an alarming 6 weeks. I still can't figure out why this was so darn popular.

And that just about does it! See you in the 60s.