Big Long Slidin' Thing - Dinah Washington

Big Long Slidin' Thing - Dinah Washington

2:58

single, 1954

Written by Leroy Kirkland and Mamie Thomas

A sultry, jazzy R&B vocal, arranged by Quincy Jones and dripping with obvious innuendo in the style of Mildred Jones' "Mr. Thrill."  In this song, the narrator yearns for her daddy with his "big long slidin' thing."  This titular, um, instrument is ostensibly a trombone, but I think we all know what we're talkin' about.  First, a guitar man attaches his amplifier to her "plug," but that does not good.  A piano-playing fellow offers to tickle her keys, but that's not what she looking for, either.  As the man himself explains it: "I blow through here / Then I work my fingers and my thumb / I slide it right up / Then I slide it back again."  They really knew how to raise a few eyebrows back in the 1950s. 

Sh-Boom - The Chords

Sh-Boom - The Chords

2:25

single, 1954

Written by James Keyes, Claude & Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, and William Edwards

A rocking doo-wop declaration of love: "If only all my precious plans would come true / If you would let me spend my whole life lovin' you."  Sure, that's all well and good, but luckily they had the presence of mind to include the immortal words "Bom ba / Hey nonny ling long, alang alang alanga / Oh oh a dip, a bibba do a dip."  The Chords begin with a cappella harmonies before the band eases in, giving the song the feeling of a neighborhood street-corner performance that suddenly blossoms into a full production. The lead vocal has an easy, conversational warmth, while the full vocals brim with an irresistible excitement.  A sultry bass bridge takes center stage, the calm before the whole band takes over again .  Later in 1954, a palatably white version was recorded by the Crew-Cuts, but history has favored the original.

Bad Luck Blues - Guitar Slim

Bad Luck Blues - Guitar Slim

2:54

single, 1954

Written by Guitar Slim?

Guitar Slim died at age 32 of pneumonia, which is a musical tragedy, because he could have been a legend.  He experimented with guitar distortion and when playing live, showed off such musical tricks and playing while perched on the shoulders of his assistant, with his guitar behind his back, or (as Hendrix would a decade later) plucking the strings with his teeth.  This is a slow electric Mississippi blues.  Slim bellows the lyrics with the gravitas that only those who shared his rough upbringing can muster.  Lyrically, it's standard blues phraseology: "My woman, she have quit me, baby / And all my womens have put me down / Yes, I’ve got no money in my pocket, baby / And my friends don't come around."

Gonna Dance All Night – Hardrock Gunter

Gonna Dance All Night – Hardrock Gunter

2:40

single, 1954

Written by Hardrock Gunter

This very early rockabilly — more an uptempo honkytonk swing — is one of the first records to feature the actual words "rock 'n' roll."  Over a bouncing barroom piano and an occasional clattering percussion that sounds like someone stomping on a table, Gunter lays out a dancehall event.  Sounding like a cheery member of the Soggy Mountain Boys, he drawls our half-spoken, obvious instructions: "First you listen to the rhythm / And then you shuffle your feet."  It's a joyful, primitive blueprint for what rock 'n' roll was about to become.

I'm Ready - Muddy Waters

I'm Ready - Muddy Waters
3:04
single, 1954

Written by Willie Dixon 

With Little Walter on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, and Otis Spann on piano, this sixteen-bar blues is a murderer's row of talent, not to mention it was written by the great Willie Dixon.  An amalgam of violent swagger, machismo, and assertive womanizing, the lyrics use bizarre imagery to depict a man who's ready for fighting or loving in equal measure: "I got a ax handle pistol on a graveyard frame / That shoots tombstone bullets wearing balls and chain."  It's not clear what that means, but it sure sounds scary!  This song is the real gangster godfather of all the braggadocio that followed in rap and rock: "I hope some screwball start a fight," Waters declares, and with his confident vocals and commanding presence, it sounds like he means it.  But also: "It takes a whole lot of lovin' to make me feel good."  That keeps his audience on their toes.

Sous le ciel de Paris - Edith Piaf

Sous le ciel de Paris - Edith Piaf

3:33

single, 1954

Written by Hubert Giraud and Jean Dréjac, 1951

This torch song is a love letter to Paris.  The song begins by evoking a song born out of a young man's heart, as Paris, of course, means romance.  There are impressionist sketches a stereotypical Parisian scene. "Quelques rayons du ciel d'été / L'accordéon d'un marinier / L'espoir fleurit au ciel de Paris."  Philosophers, lovers, tramps and beggars, all playing their part in the great city.  In the end, Piaf apostrophizes the sky, saying the sky itself is in love with the city; indeed, rain is the sky's tears, due to its jealousy of all the lovers inhabiting Paris.  But, "Quand elle lui sourit / Il met son habit bleu."  It's quite mawkish and twee, but somehow, between Piaf's powerful voice and the history of Paris itself, the song works.

Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash - The Clovers

Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash - The Clovers

2:57

single, 1954

Written by Charles Calhoun

High-spirited R&B with a sax break.  Not quite doo-wop, but with a lot of "ooh-ooh" background vocals.  The narrator of this song is the ultimate sad sack for whom life reserves all of its heaviest blows.  He flashes a wad of dough at a fine chick, but she's not impressed.  He tries to buy a Cadillac, but can't haggle with the dealer.  He gets robbed and goes to jail for public intoxication.  At the end all he has is "a buffalo" (as in the nickel).  He can't catch a break!  But does he conclude from this that money is the root of all evil?  No.  "Your cash ain't nothin' but trash / But I'm sure gonna get me some more."

Something's Going On In My Room - Daddy Cleanhead and the Chuck Higgins Band

Something's Going On In My Room - Daddy Cleanhead and the Chuck Higgins Band

2:13

single, 1954

Written by Alvin Johnson and Scott Johnson

Jump blues with  tinge of rockabilly, a rock solid rhythm, catchy piano and bass riff, humorous and light-hearted lyrics and a bouncing, buzzing horn.  The narrator hears some suspicious voices in his room, accompanied by equally suspicious thumps and bumps.  Naturally, he's fit to bust down the door.  "Well when I get in / You better have somethin' for me," he says.  (Does this indicate a lack of jealousy and a willing to take part in a throuple situation?)  In the end, his lady is just dancing around with a broom.  Whew!

Teach Me Tonight - Dinah Washington

Teach Me Tonight - Dinah Washington

2:47

single, 1954

Written by Gene De Paul and Sammy Cahn, 1953

A jazzy torch song that's entirely a come-on.  The narrator coyly asks someone to play the teacher and demonstrate a few lessons in love.  The lyrics approach uncomfortable territory at times from the point of view of the woke 2020s ("One thing isn't very clear, my love / Should the teacher stand so near, my love? / Graduation's almost here, my love"), but Washington's voice is such a brilliant, alluring instrument that if you're getting hung up on the outdated metaphor, you aren't using your ears.

Blue Monday - Smiley Lewis

Blue Monday – Smiley Lewis
2:41
single, 1954
Written by Dave Bartholomew and Smiley Lewis

Later a hit for Fats Domino, this song is built on a relaxed New Orleans groove, chronicling the drudgery of the workweek, with each day bringing a new complaint ("Oh, hard Tuesday I'm so tired, I've got no time to play / Here comes Wednesday, I'm beat to my socks / My gal calls, got to tell her that I'm out").  This is a solid, unhurried version: earthy, unhurried, and rooted in working-class realism rather than Fats' polish.  There's no wordplay or metaphor here, nor any pop gloss, just routine ground down into song. 

Ice Water - Glen Barber

Ice Water - Glen Barber

2:27

single, 1954

Written by Glenn Barber

Barber was also called Glenn in his career — apparently that's how he spelled his middle name — but he went with one N on most of his records.  This is a proto-rockabilly, still more in the honky-tonk country zone than rock, musically.  With twangy vocals over a rollicking piano and steel guitar, the song boasts of non-stop partying, with the titular water being a way to wake the narrator up so he can get out there again: "I never slept last night, the night before that / But I can't sleep if I'm a real cool cat / We'll both go crazy, if I drag don't bother / Wash my face in ice cold water."

A Pretty Girl (A Cadillac And Some Money) - Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra

A Pretty Girl (A Cadillac And Some Money) - Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra

3:09

single, 1954

Written by Buddy Johnson

Johnson is the piano player and bandleader here, the vocalist apparently someone named Ricky Harper.  His sister Ella often served as Johnson's vocalist, and indeed his recordings on Spotify are credited to them both, but this single, as shown on Discogs, is properly credited to Buddy and the orchestra.  This jump blues, reminiscent of Louis Jordan in style, is a genuinely funny song.  It's like deadpan-joking-but-serious like Spinal Tap's "Gimme Some Money."  Some meta spoken comic patter at the end ("I'm the one that made 'Mush Mouth,'" he proclaims) is an added punchline.

Mr. Thrill - Mildred Jones

Mr. Thrill - Mildred Jones

2:33

single, 1954

Written by Mildred Jones

This song extols a Cadillac as extended, and thinly veiled, sexual metaphor.  ("When he put it in, ungh!  Put it in my garage / Ride so easy cause he keeps his battery charged."  And in case you miss the point, "My daddy’s got a long, long, long Cadillac.")  Screaming horns and a rollicking piano (possibly played by Fats Domino!) add to the bordello-band feel.  What a ribald delight!

On the Street Where You Live - Vic Damone

On the Street Where You Live - Vic Damone

2:39

single, 1956

Written by Frederick Loewe & Alan Jay Lerner

Listen for the silent E!

Although this song appeared on a 1964 album of the same name, it was actually released as a single eight years earlier, the same year it was written for the musical "My Fair Lady."  Songwriting legends Loewe and Lerner pepper this song with all the show tune hallmarks and sly multi-word rhymes that Cole Porter was probably the best at: "Are there lilac trees in the heart of town? / Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?"  I love that line.  Pretty much every big band or traditional popular singer took a turn recording this song, but Damone's sweeping, note-bending baritone gives his version some gravitas.

Jock-a-Mo - Sugar Boy Crawford

Jock-a-Mo - Sugar Boy Crawford

single, 1954

Written by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford

This Checker single was originally credited as Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters, but I would bet he would have preferred to have his name on the label.  Inspired by yesterday's post about "Iko Iko," I thought this song was the obvious next in line.  Well, it's clear from listening to it that it's the same song, though this is a zydeco blues with buzzy horns and the Dixie Cups' version is a higher tempo chant buoyed along by hand percussion.  They're both great songs!

Last Night - Little Walter

Last Night - Little Walter

2:42

single, 1954

Written by Little Walter

Unfortunately, I'm confused on this one.  This track, the one I'm talking about here, is a slow, languid "baby gone and left me" blues song with Little Walter's signature harmonica sound and plaintive, hollow vocals.  It has a 2:42 run time, and I believe this is the original 1954 hit.  However, there's another "Last Night" by the same artist on Spotify, with a similar premise but quite different lyrics, more expressive vocals, and —possibly tellingly—no harmonica.  It has a run time of 2:54 and contains the line, "blues with a feeling," but is not that song either.  The original version is superior to what I assume is a later take.