By Dave Bailey
Do you remember when dancing was close – real close? Do you remember the great songs people danced to?
Do you remember how romantic it was to sit and listen to a song on the juke box for a nickel?
Dearie, can you remember hanging out at the Sweet Shop or Burpulis’ or Dell’s or the Victory Diner and plunking in nickels while having a soda with someone special?
Remember “Racing with the Moon” with Vaughn Monroe? “Ole Buttermilk Sky” with Hoagy Carmichael?
Remember the Ink Spots and “I Get the Blues When It Rains”? Jo Stafford reminded people of their love with “You Belong to Me.”
Do you remember Patti Page with the “Tennessee Waltz”? How about Buddy Clark and “Linda”?
Perry Como raised the blood pressure with “If” (If They Made Me A King?) Johnnie Ray brought out the handkerchiefs with “Cry”.
Frankie Laine had a great ballad, “The Lucky Ole Sun.” The Mills Brothers wanted to “Dance with Dolly” (with a hole in her stocking).
Remember when you could jitterbug to the Andrews Sisters, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, Louis Prima?
Remember twisting with Chubby Checker? How about Mario Lanza – “Be My Love”?
Remember the Four Aces with “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing”? Or, Nat King Cole with “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons”?
Can you remember Fats Domino and Pat Boone, and a young, skinny Frank Sinatra, and Rosemary Clooney and Teresa Brewer and Connie Francis, Guy Mitchell, and Eddie Fisher, and the start of Elvis?
Dearie, can you remember any of this? Well, if so, you’re much older than I!
From Hometown News, Vol. 8, No. 1, October 2000.