THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

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

1955-Number 1 single. When it was re-issued in 1968 it reached Number 20, and then when re-issued again in 1974 it made Number 12.

Best Bit-At 1.32. It was the end of the world as we know it. The onset of teenage anarchy, with 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 into 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 (1925-1981) in mind to record, but due to contractual problems with his record label at that time, he was unable to. The first version of ‘Rock Around the Clock’ to be recorded was by the American vocal and instrumental group ‘Sonny Dae and His Knights,’ on March 20th, 1954, in a completely different style to the Haley version, but it failed to chart. When Bill Haley & His Comets were contractually free to record, their version, which was recorded on April 12th, 1954, and issued on May 20th, 1954, climbed to Number 13 on Billboard. The song didn’t take off in a major way until it was chosen for the soundtrack of the 1955 American social drama film ‘Blackboard Jungle.’ The film attracted large teenage audiences, and their response sometimes overflowed into violence, and vandalism at screenings in the theatres. 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 sold worldwide. In America on Billboard it spent eight weeks at Number 1, while in the UK, it is the best selling song of the 1950’s, with sales in excess of 1.4 million. ‘Rock Around the Clock’ is recognised as the first ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ Number 1 single, with some citing it as the start of the ‘Rock’ era in music.

‘Rock Around the Clock’ was produced by Milton Gabler, who was born on May 20th, 1911, in Harlem, New York, United States, he died on July 20th, 2001, at the age of 90. Milt Gabler was a record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording industry of the 20th Century, including being the first person to deal in record reissues, the first to sell records by mail order, and the first to credit all the musicians on the recordings. During the 1940’s Gabler worked with many of the eras top artists, including Billie Holiday, and The Andrew Sisters, and is credited with being the first to bring Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald together on record.

Bill Haley was born William John Clifton Haley, on July 6th, 1925, in Highland Park, Michigan, United States, he died on February 9th, 1981, with his death certificate stating, ‘natural causes, most likely a heart attack,’ as being the cause, he was 55 years old. Bill 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 ‘R&B,’ ‘Jazz,’ and ‘Country Music.’ Bill Haley formed the first incarnation of the group who would eventually become the ‘Comets’ in 1947, calling themselves ‘4 Aces of Western Swing,’ Between 1949-1952, they were known as the ‘Saddlemen,’ and then ‘Bill Haley & His Comets,’ until Haley’s death in 1981. The discography of Bill Haley & His Comets includes 23 studio Albums released between 1956-1979, and 68 singles (including re-issues) between 1952-1981, there are also at least 10 official compilation Albums, and five live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, 16 of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Rock Around the Clock’ making Number 1, while in the UK, they have had 14 top 40 hits, with ‘Rock Around the Clock,’ also being their only chart topper.

‘One, two, three o’clock, four o’clock, rock. Five, six, seven o’clock, eight o’clock, rock. Nine, ten, eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock, rock, we’re gonna rock around the clock tonight.’