Golden Anniversary Song of the Week: "Uptown" by Roy Orbison

Apparently, the world -- or, at a minimum, the U.S. radio-listening public -- wasn't ready for Roy Orbison in early 1960. "Uptown" debuted at #96 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 24 and ran out of gas at #72 a few weeks later. It charted for a mere 6 weeks.

Released in 1956, Orbison's first single "Ooby Dooby" -- Well you wiggle and you shake like a big rattlesnake/You do the ooby-dooby til you think you have a break, so, no, I don't think so -- didn't fare much better. It spent 8 weeks on the Hot 100 and peaked at #59.

But just wait until June 1960 rolls around.


The rest of the class of January 24, 1960. (Entry position, peak position, weeks on chart)

"Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin. (74, 6, 14)
Darin already had an impressive run of top 10 hits going back to the summer of 1958. "Splish Splash", "Queen of the Hop", "Dream Lover", and "Mack the Knife". From this point on, though, only 5 of his next 34 singles would reach the top 10. Tragically, Darin died of heart failure in 1973, at the age of 37.

"Waltzing Matilda" by Jimmie Rodgers. (75, 41, 8.)
The "B" side of "Tender Love and Care", which debuted the week before.

"Why Do I Love You So", by Johnny Tillotson. (84, 42, 14)

"Am I That Easy to Forget" by Debbie Reynolds. (86, 25, 17)

"Amapola" by Jacky Noguez. (88, 63, 6)

"Too Much Tequila" by the Champs. (89, 30, 11)
A prophetic title. "Tequila", still in regular rotation on oldies stations, spent 5 weeks at #1 in 1958.)

"Cry Me a River" by Janice Harper. (91, 91, 3)

"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" by Sonny James. (95, 80, 3)

"Time After Time" by Frankie Ford. (96, 75, 6)
A one-hit wonder. His "Sea Cruise" spent 17 weeks on the Hot 100 in 1959, though it never reached the Top 10.

"The Happy Muleteer" by Ivo Robic. (99, 58, 6)

"Since I Made You Cry" by The Rivieras. (100,
Not the same Rivieras of "California Sun" fame.