Love old records.
It's high time to explore another singular favorite, this one from the 1950s by The Platters.
First, some facts:
It was written by Buck Ram in 20 minutes in a bathroom at the Flamingo Hotel (where I stayed for ISI Adult Champs in 2005!) The lead singer was Tony Williams.
The song was released in November 1955 and rose to be the number one single in early 1956.
On Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs, it comes in at #360.
It made the NPR 100 as one of the most important American musical works of the 20th century.
It has been remade by Freddy Mercury, Roy Orbinson, The Statler Brothers and a slew of other performers.
I cannot remember when I first heard it, it has been in the fabric of life since as early as can remember. My folks, teens in the 50s, had a bunch of American Graffiti compilations, and this was on one of my favorites.
What do I like about it? It is an excellent example of 50s doo-wop. The lead instruments in song are the vocals, from lead to harmony. And the lead vocal? When I did my presentation in grad school on non-verbal communication, I could have used Williams' delivery as an example that you can communicate so much more with words through pitch and delivery.
It's just a fantastic song.
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