Thursday, February 2, 2023

Wheels - The String-A-Longs

Wheels - The String-A-Longs
1:54
single, 1960
Written by Richard Stephens, Jimmy Torres, & Norman Petty

An instrumental, too early probably to be called surf rock, or maybe even rock.  In fact I hear faint echoes of the 1950s big band sound here, with just hints of the surf guitar sound that was to come.  This song was a huge hit for this band, reaching number 8 and going gold.  What makes an instrumental a hit?  I for one am often unable to say.  Why this one and not any of their other, pretty similarly-sounding tracks?  Why should the Ventures have a hit with "Walk, Don't Run" and not these guys?  Who knows.  Per Wikipedia, this song "is remembered also as the music to the Naked Ballon Dance, later used when bodybuilder Tony Holland flexed his muscles and won 'Opportunity Knocks'."  That clears it right up!

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