I woke up this morning with a song in my head, as I do, nearly every day.

The difference is that it was such an out of the blue song, and an oddity in the world of pop music that it prompted me to ask Google the question. How did Acker Bilk’d Stranger On The Shore become a number 1 hit song? If you haven’t heard it before it is a clarinet instrumental with a string arrangement behind it. It is a beautiful song, but it was #1 in 1962 when people like Bill Haley & His Comets and Chubby Checker were burning up the charts with their rock & roll, yet it had a sound of something that might have come out 10 or 15 years earlier. It turns out it was the theme song to a popular teen serial (something like Beverly Hills 90210, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys…) have I dated myself too much yet?

One Rare Bird!

Anyway, it became popular because it was a popular song from a source with a strong emotional connection. Just like any other song might. It was a first of many things, including the first, and only clarinet based instrumental to hit #1 on the Billboard Charts. It spent seven weeks atop the “Easy Listening” chart, which later became known as the Adult Contemporary chart. The tune became the second of three “one-hit wonders” named “pop single of the year” by Billboard (the others being 1958’s “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)” by Domenico Modugno and 2006’s “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter (Which was also driven by a popular TV show, 2 years after it was released!). Here is a link to the song on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJLJCctP6Rg

Do You…

Ever wake up with a song in your head? I’d love to hear about it. Did it trigger a happy memory? Sad memory? Maybe it caused you to think about someone you haven’t heard from or been in contact with for a while? Drop me  a note. I would love to hear about your experience. Waking up with a song is a gift to me, I hope you receive the same gift. I would love to hear your story. Have a great day, and I look forward to hearing from you!

~Mike