The beginning of the Cold War was in full swing when my family and I were making a hearty effort to do our relatives (the ancient ones from Quebec) proud with an all-American zeal and enthusiasm for singing.
Yes, we were afraid of being burnt to a crisp by thundering, Russian super-bombers each carrying an ample supply of garden-variety, 20-kiloton, atomic weapons (the Hiroshima types) or possibly spending the next three to six months honked down inside a large, underground (30 feet of minimum depth) radiation shelter with only Army K-rations for nourishment and the hit tunes listed below for joyous entertainment.
The Best of Times or the Worst of Times – Which will it be?
In his novel, “The Tale of Two Cities”, Charles Dickens asks his readers to consider the challenges plus twists and turns in the life of his protagonist, Charles Darnay, as Darney maneuvers to reach a heart-warming conclusion to a clearly impossible, revolutionary situation. In contrast, how could our hypothetical survivor snuggled up inside his protective cocoon finally reach a satisfactory end to his imprisonment while buried under 30 feet of compacted soil?
Only one credible answer comes to mind, which is the following: Our hero must share his/her many doubts, fears, tears, anxiety and lingering despair with each singer, who is also anguishing with a human dilemma worthy of a song title. Below, Doris Day starts off the following list of melodies.
a) “Que Sera, Sera” – Doris Day from The “Man, who knew too much” by Alfred Hitchcock
Other examples from the 1950s also quickly come to mind, such as:
b) That’s “Amore” – Dean Martin
c) I Walk the Line – Johnny Cash
d) Oh, My Papa – Eddie Fisher
e) All for the Love of a Girl – Johnny Horton
The following selection of tender memories cover a whole range of teenage feelings, some were dizzying in nature while others were quite poignant. However, they all captured our moods from day to day. See if you recall this group below.
f) Love Letters in the Sand – Pat Boone
g) Mockin’ Bird Hill – Les Paul and Mary Ford
h) Earth Angel – The Penguins
i) Frankie – Connie Francis
j) I Went to Your Wedding – Patti Page
For some reason that I don’t quite understand even today, the tune by Les Paul and Mary Ford was particularly meaningful to me in my raw youth while living on Ludlam Street. It was, perhaps, a medieval fairy tale from Madrigal France that was given a new meaning in contemporary America by these two musical types. Musical impressions imparted to the human brain at a very early age seem to emanate from dark and turgid cells that are all hidden in a neurological nexus.
k) Tennessee Waltz – Patti Pagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XCvfy6Huyc
l) Changing Partners – Patti Paige
n) Everly Brothers – All I have to do, Dream