THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

628-Bill Haley & His Comets-Rock Around the Clock.

1955-Number 1 single. When reissued in 1968 it reached Number 20, and when reissued again in 1974 it made Number 12.

Best Bit-At 1.31. It was the end of the world as we know it. The onset of teenage anarchy, individuals gyrating in an unspeakable fashion, yes Rock N’ Roll had been invented.

It may all appear very tame by today’s standards but back in 1955, this was Punk Rock, Thrash Metal, and Happy Hardcore, all rolled in to one.’Rock Around the Clock’ was originally written in 1952 by Max C. Freedman (1893-1963,) and James E. Myers (1919-2001,) using the pseudonym Jimmy De Knight, although there are disputes surrounding the songs authorship, with some suggesting that Freedman had written the song on his own.’Rock Around the Clock’ was written with Bill Haley in mind to record it, but due to contractual problems with his record label at the time he was unable to. The first version of the song to be recorded was by the American vocal and instrumental group ‘Sonny Dae and His Knights,’ in a completely different style, and released in March 1954, but failed to chart.When Haley was free to record, the song climbed to Number 13 on Billboard after it’s release in May 1954.It wasn’t until the song was chosen for the Hollywood movie ‘Blackboard Jungle’ later on in that year, that it took off on theatres.The film attracted large teenage audiences, and their response sometimes overflowed into violence, and vandalism at screenings.The film has been seen as marking the start of a period of visible teenage rebellion in the later half of the 20th Century.

‘Rock Around the Clock’ would go on to become the best selling single of the 1950’s,with sales now in excess of 25 million copies, it is also the first recognised Rock N’ Roll Number 1 single, Bill Haley was born William John Clifton Haley on July 6th, 1925, in Highland Park,Michigan, United States, he died February 9th, 1981.Haley had originally been a Country Music performer, but changed musical direction to a new sound which came to be called Rock N’ Roll, a genre of music that originated from musical styles including Jazz, R&B, and Country music. Before the name change to the ‘Comets’ in 1952, Haley and his backing band were called the ‘Saddlemen,’ having formed in 1949. One of the ‘Saddlemen,’ and ‘Comet’s,’ was the bassist Marshall Lytle (1933-2013,) who along with Haley co-wrote the bands first national hit ‘Crazy Man Crazy’ in 1953, some see this song as the first ever Rock N’ Roll record, where as some say it was the first ever Rock N’ Roll record to be a hit on Billboard.

‘We’re gonna rock,rock,rock,’til broad daylight, we’re gonna rock,gonna rock, around the clock tonight.’IF YOU LIKE THIS PLEASE SHARE.The countdown continues tomorrow at 1.0.pm.For a list of all the best 1000 songs click on the blog at www.barryphilipsdiscos.