New Musical Express

393. Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (1976)

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The Intro

Sir Elton Hercules John is a pop and rock icon and one of the biggest-selling stars of all time. Over 300 million records sold. More than 50 top 40 singles and seven UK number ones, among them Candle in the Wind 1997, the best-selling of all time in both the UK and US, which sold over 33 million worldwide. And yet he didn’t achieve a solo number 1 until Sacrifice in 1990, by which point he was way past his peak. But this first number 1, a duet with friend Kiki Dee, came 14 years beforehand.

Before

A lot of the following info will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the 2019 biopic Rocketman, but John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex. The unassuming Dwight had a rocky relationship with his parents, particularly his straight-laced father, a Royal Air Force flight lieutenant. But they were both keen on music, and passed that down to Dwight, particularly his mother, who loved the rock’n’roll stars of the 50s. Dwight took particular notice of the pianists Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, and it was his beloved grandmother’s piano that he took to from a young age. His mother would get him to play at family gatherings. At seven he started formal piano lessons, and four years later he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Dwight had lessons each weekend but left at 16 before his final exams.

His parents, who had never really got on, divorced when their son was 14. He did like his new stepfather though, and John loved being in their new apartment so much, he remained until he had four albums simultaneously in the US top 40.

They encouraged his musical development, and at 15 he was hired as a pianist at a local pub, where, known as simply Reggie, he would perform standards and throw some of his own material in for good measure. He also performed briefly with a group called The Corvettes, and around this time he began wearing glasses on stage. He didn’t need to – it was just his tribute to Buddy Holly.

In 1962 he formed Bluesology with friends and inbetween solo shows, within a few years the group were backing touring US soul and R’n’B musicians including The Isley Brothers and would also work as Long John Baldry’s backing band in a new line-up. Dwight and Baldry would become close friends, and Baldry, who was openly homosexual, helped Dwight come to terms with his own sexuality and the fact he did not love his fiancée.

Dwight answered a New Musical Express ad placed by Ray Williams, A&R manager of Liberty Records. Williams was looking for songwriters, and at their first meeting he handed Dwight an unopened envelope of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had also answered the ad. Dwight wrote a song around the words and sent it to Taupin, beginning one of pop’s most enduring and successful partnerships. Six months later Dwight renamed himself Elton John in honour of Bluesology’s saxophonist Elton Dean and Baldry and by the end of the year he had left that band. He legally became Elton Hercules John in 1972.

John and Taupin joined Dick James’s DJM Records in 1968 as staff writers and over the next two years they penned songs for acts including Lulu. They were a two-man factory, Taupin would write the lyrics in under an hour and John would set them to music in half an hour. On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John began composing for himself and released his debut single, the John/Taupin composition I’ve Been Loving You in 1968. His first album, Empty Sky, followed in 1969 but it was Elton John in 1970 that really got the ball rolling. Gus Dudgeon was on board as producer and the beautiful second single Your Song reached seven in the charts here and eight in the US. John was finally a star.

The next few albums, country and western concept LP Tumbleweed Connection, live album 17-11-70 and soundtrack to the film Friends all sold nicely, and John’s US tour also went down very well. 1971 album Madman Across the Water contained the classic Tiny Dancer. Honky Château, recorded in France and released in 1972, saw John take a more rocky approach and Rocket Man became his biggest hit to date, shooting to two.

In 1973 John’s flamboyance made him a natural to join the glam rock movement, and Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player spawned the hits Crocodile Rock (five, and his first US number 1) and Daniel (four). Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was his best album yet, featuring Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting (seven) and the moving title track (six). He topped the year off with the festive Step Into Christmas (eight).

John formed his own music label in 1974. Calling it The Rocket Record Company, he signed Neil Sedaka and Dee, who he took a close interest in. Dee, born Pauline Matthews on 6 March 1947 in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, had always wanted to be a pop star. She won a talent contest aged 10 and at 16 she was singing with a dance band in Leeds while working in Boots by day. She became a session singer and worked with Dusty Springfield among others, and soon she was signed to Fontana Records.

In 1963 she released her debut single, Early Night, from her first album I’m Kiki Dee (songwriter Mitch Murray came up with her stage name). Despite becoming the first British white artist to be signed by Motown in the States, Dee wasn’t really going anywhere until John took her under her wing after two failed singles on the legendary Detroit label. Her fortunes improved with her cover of Amoureuse, which climbed to 13 in 1973. I’ve Got the Music in Me, credited to The Kiki Dee Band, went to 19 in 1974.

That year was another hugely successful one for John. The original Candle in the Wind, from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, was a smash, peaking at 11. Then came the album Caribou, allegedly recorded in a fortnight and featuring two of his best-known hits Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (16) and The Bitch Is Back (15). He also collaborated with John Lennon on a cover of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and then sang harmonies and played piano on Lennon’s Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.

When it became the former Beatles’ only solo number 1 in the US. When they recorded it, John made a bet with Lennon that the song would top the charts. Lennon was so skeptical he promised John he would perform at one of his shows if it happened. He fulfilled the promise with a rare appearance at a Madison Square Garden gig. They performed their two collaborations and a rendition of The Beatles’ I Saw Her Standing There. It would be Lennon’s final major show.

In 1975 John released the autobiographical account of John and Taupin’s early years together. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy contained only one single, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, in which he paid tribute to Baldry helping to stop him wanting to commit suicide. The album was the first to go straight to number 1 in the US, and the last to feature the Elton John Band, who had been an important part of his rise to fame. John dismissed drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray. Guitarist Dave Johnstone was retained. That year John starred in Ken Russell’s adaptation of The Who’s rock opera Tommy as the ‘Local Lad’ and recorded a storming version of Pinball Wizard, which was a number seven smash in 1976. By the time that year rolled around, John was heavily into drugs and dressing ever more flamboyantly for his stage appearances. Critically and commercially adored, nobody could see how unhappy he was behind the facade.

He and Taupin originally wrote Don’t Go Breaking My Heart as a duet for John to record with Dusty Springfield. Using the pseudonyms Ann Orson (John) and Carte Blanche (Taupin), they planned a disco-flecked affectionate tribute to Motown duets of the likes of Marvin Gaye and Tami Terrell. When Springfield turned it down due to illness, John decided to give it to Dee, who in addition to being on his label would perform backing vocals on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and most recent LP Rock of the Westies. Also on the track were James Newton Howard on acoustic piano and orchestral arrangements, Johnstone and Caleb Quaye on electric guitars, new rhythm section Kenny Passarelli on bass and Roger Pope, plus Cindy Bullens, Ken Gold and Jon Joyce on backing vocals, uncredited.

Review

While I don’t deny John’s talent, and a few of the songs I’ve mentioned above are undeniable classics, I’m not always a fan, particularly of his 80s output onwards. So it’s a shame some of his more deserving tracks didn’t top the charts but the later material did. So it goes.

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart isn’t a classic, but it is pretty good. It’s slick and well-produced and does a good job of copying that Motown duet sound. It’s plain to see, from the pseudonyms used and the fluffy lyrics that John and Taupin aren’t taking themselves seriously, but are such talented songwriters, when they do go for a commercial pop sound, they nail it. Dee duets well with John but I’d have loved to hear Springfield’s take.

Having said that, John and Dee clearly have a genuine friendship, as you can see in the video above. The sleeve of the single is another matter – it looks like John is giving her a dirty look behind her back for some reason.

This is one of the better number 1s of the year – not that that’s saying much, and I think John and Taupin winning the Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically is a bit much but there you go.

After

1976 was a very memorable summer for Dee. As well as holding the number 1 spot for a very impressive six weeks, she went on to support Queen at Hyde Park, performing for more than 150,000 people. The Kiki Dee EP went to 13 later that year. She had a couple more hits in 1977 – First Thing in the Morning (32) and Chicago (28). Things went quiet for a few years but she made a successful comeback in 1981 with Star, which later became the theme tune to BBC One’s Opportunity Knocks. Also on the album it came from, Perfect Timing, was another duet with John, Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever. Two years later she was singing backing vocals on John’s album Too Low for Zero.

She released music sporadically in the 80s but duetted with John at Live Aid on their number 1. She moved into theatre, and was acclaimed for her performance in Blood Brothers, even receiving an Olivier Award nomination in 1989. She returned to the singles chart with John when True Love nearly garnered another number 1, but it stalled at two in 1993. Her last album to date is A Place Where I Can Go, released in 2013. Rachel Muldoon played her in Rocketman.

The Outro

As for John, well, we know we’ll hear much more from him, but not for a fair while. But I will point you to the 1994 remake of this number 1 in which drag queen RuPaul took the place of Dee. It was a number seven hit and it’s good fun.

The Info

Written by

Ann Orson & Carte Blanche

Producer

Gus Dudgeon

Weeks at number 1

6 (24 July-3 September)

Trivia

Births

27 July: AI researcher Demis Hassabis
9 August: Radio producer Aled Haydn-Jones/Actress Rhona Mitra/Conservative MP Sam Gyimah
13 August: Idlewild singer Roddy Woomble
1 September: Cricketer Clare Connor

Deaths

19 August: Actor Alastair Sim – 19 August
30 August: Labour MP David Rees-Williams, 1st Baron Ogmore

Meanwhile…

27 July: The UK breaks diplomatic relations with Uganda. 

29 July: A fire destroys the head of Southend Pier.

5 August: The Great Clock of Westminster, aka Big Ben, suffers internal damage and stops running for over nine months.

6 August: John Stonehouse, the last person to serve as Postmaster General, is sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud.

14 August: 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland. 

30 August: 100 police officers and 60 carnival-goers are injured during riots at the Notting Hall Carnival.

1 September: The summer heat takes its toll, as drought measures are introduced in Yorkshire.

August 31-3 September: Riots ensue at Hull Prison.

94. Emile Ford and The Checkmates – What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? (1959)

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The Intro

Here we are, then. The final number 1 single of the 1950s, and it shows how far the decade had progressed musically since that first number 1 by Al Martino in 1952. More so than I would have guessed before starting this blog, in fact. When I wrote about this song for Every Christmas Number 1 I saw it as ‘clever and cocky’ and a sign of rock’n’roll’s cultural impact after Elvis’s arrival. At the time, I didn’t know the song in question dates back much further than Here in My Heart.

Before

What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? (is this still the UK number 1 with the longest title?) was written back in 1916 by Joseph McCarthy, Howard Johnson and James V Monaco. McCarthy and Monaco were responsible for You Made Me Love You, and Johnson had come up with the words for I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream. Their new composition became a hit duet for two of the most popular singers of the early 20th century, Ada Jones and Billy Murray, during World War One. It took a man who was fascinated with sound to make What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? feel so contemporary.

Emile Ford was born Michael Emile Telford Miller on 16 October 1937 in Castries, Saint Lucia in the West Indies. His father was a politician and mother a singer and musical theatre director. He moved to London in 1954 to pursue his interest in sound reproduction technology, and studied at Paddington Technical College in London, learning to play guitar, piano, violin, bass guitar and drums, among other instruments.

He grew interested in rock’n’roll and became a performer at the age of 20, shortening his name to Emile Ford, and garnered appearances on music TV shows Six-Five Special and Oh Boy!. In 1959 he formed Emile Ford and The Checkmates with guitarist Ken Street and half-brothers George Sweetnam-Ford on bass and Dave Sweetnam-Ford on saxophone.

The band took the unusual move of turning down EMI because they refused to let them self-produce, unlike Pye Records, who they signed with. Their first single was to be a cover of the country song Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles, with a doo-wop version of What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? quickly knocked off in half an hour at the end of a recording session. Airplay was so in favour of the latter that it was promoted to the A-side.

Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvt63ucglj4

For a man with a reputation for his obsession with sound engineering, it’s ironic that his only number 1 was made almost as an afterthought, with little manipulation. It only adds to its charm though, and the swaggering doo-wop arrangement makes it one of the catchier number 1s of the decade, let alone year. Ford’s vocal is suitably raw and powerful too.

After

What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? rocketed up the charts, and initially shared the top spot with Adam Faith’s bizarrely-similarly-titled What Do You Want? for a week, before taking over and becoming the 1959 Christmas number 1. It remained there for six weeks, ruling the charts for most of the first month of the 60s.

Ford became the first Black British artist to sell a million copies of one single. The band made the top 20 several times more, and they were voted Best New Act of 1960 by the New Musical Express. They became augmented by female backing singers known as The Fordettes for a while, before they left to work with Joe Brown.

In 1960, Ford used his success as a way to continue an idea he had been working on. The band became the first group to use a backing track system at times for their hugely popular stage show, so you could argue that Ford invented karaoke, in a sense. Whether he did or not, this invention certainly changed live music forever, eventually. Their live sets were also known for their punchy sound, thanks to the band insisting on using their own PA system. It’s interesting to note that Ford, like Jimi Hendrix, had synaesthesia, a condition where a person can see certain colours in relation to the sound they are hearing. He believed this condition was a huge factor in his obsession with sound.

The band split in 1963 as The Beatles became huge (at one point the Fab Four had supported them), and Ford set up a recording studio with his father in Barbados in 1969, before moving to Sweden.

In the 70s he worked on his open-air playback system for live shows, which he dubbed the Liveoteque Sound Frequency Feedback Injection System. This equipment was later used by artists as huge as Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson.

Ford died on 11 April 2016, aged 78. The song that made his name would see further chart action in 1987, when 50s-throwback Shakin’ Stevens recorded his version. Take a look at the video and try not to smile at a now-bygone age. You just don’t get videos as cheesy and cheery as this anymore. Keep an eye out for a pre-fame Vic Reeves, too.

The Outro

So that’s the 50s number 1s all wrapped up. I hope you’ve enjoyed a read and a listen. Before I move on to one of the most fascinating decades in music though, I’m going to have to decide on my best and worst number 1s of the 50s. Watch this space…

The Info

Written by

Joseph McCarthy, Howard Johnson & James V Monaco

Producer

Michael Barclay

Weeks at number 1

6 (18 December 1959-28 January 1960)

Trivia

Births

30 December 1959: Comedian Tracey Ullman
6 January 1960: Chef Nigella Lawson
13 January: Choreographer Matthew Bourne
18 January: Actor Mark Rylance
23 January: Racewalker Paul Blagg

Deaths

7 January: Tennis player Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers
9 January: Children’s author Elsie J Oxenham
12 January: Author Nevil Shute

Meanwhile…

28 December 1959: Associated Rediffusion airs children’s television series Ivor the Engine for the first time.

40. Dickie Valentine with Johnny Douglas & His Orchestra – Christmas Alphabet (1955)

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The Intro

As winter 1955 dawned, Rock Around the Clock-mania had set in, and Bill Haley & His Comets were finally enjoying their stint at number 1. Although this was a seismic event in music, it would be wrong to think that from then on, the UK number 1s were constantly rock’n’roll numbers. Teenagers, as they had recently been named, still only represented a portion of the record-buying market. There were still a lot of older folk who were more than happy with the status quo, who liked  nice crooners singing something warm and cosy, and especially with the dark nights drawing in, etc.

Before

Smooth singer Dickie Valentine had enjoyed a very successful year, with his collaboration with The Stargazers, Finger of Suspicion, topping the charts back in January, followed by three top 10 hits. He then topped and tailed 1955’s singles chart by cottoning on to an idea that would serve artists well for years to come – if you want a number 1 at Christmas time, why not do a song about Christmas time?

Christmas Alphabet had been written by Buddy Kaye and Jules Loman the previous year, and was performed by US singing trio The McGuire Sisters. Kaye liked his alphabet songs – he’d written ‘A’ You’re Adorable (The Alphabet Song) back in 1949 for Perry Como, although these days it’s probably best known as featuring in Angela Rippon’s guest spot on Morecambe & Wise’s Christmas special in 1976. Valentine’s version of Christmas Alphabet became the more famous version, and the oldies won out, knocking Haley from his lofty perch and making it the first explicitly-festive Christmas number 1.

Review

It’s based around a very simple idea. Valentine just lists seasonal stuff around each letter that makes up the word ‘Christmas’. He runs through it twice, to make sure it’s all sunk in, and that’s it, job done. Some of the rhyming is tenuous though…

‘S is for the Santa who makes every kid his pet,
Be good and he’ll bring you everything in your Christmas alphabet!’

Erm, sorry, what? Santa makes every kid his pet? It’s news to me. Disturbing news, at that.

Although by this stage of my blog I’ve been longing for rock’n’roll to come along and shake things up, I have to confess that I don’t mind Christmas Alphabet. Reason being, I’m a sucker for a Christmas song. Especially older ones. Christmas is of course, a time for feeling all cosy and warm, if you’re lucky enough to have that option. 50s music is often perfect at encapsulating that. So I’m quite surprised, especially considering its historical importance, that Christmas Alphabet seems to have been forgotten about. You never hear it in shops, and it’s never on compilations. John Lewis are unlikely to get someone to make one of those annoying, wet, folky covers and stick it on an advert, either. It might be a slight little number, but it deserves to be remembered.

After

You could say the same about Valentine himself. Despite being adored at the time (he won New Musical Express’s best male vocalist category from 1953-57), he’s been largely forgotten.

The Outro

Valentine’s popularity waned in the next decade, despite two TV series (one with Peter Sellers) and he met a tragic end on 6 May 1971. Aged only 41, he was driving to a gig in Wales with bandmates at over 90mph in the early hours of the morning, when he lost control of the vehicle on a bend, killing the three of them.

The Info

Written by

Buddy Kaye & Jules Loman

Producer

Dick Rowe

Weeks at number 1

3 (16 December-5 January 1956)

Trivia

Births

23 December: Poet Carol Ann Duffy

Meanwhile…

20 December 1955: Cardiff becomes the official capital of Wales.

1 January 1956: Possession of heroin becomes fully criminalised.

4 January: As 1956 began, it became apparent that the Prime Minister Anthony Eden had plunged in the polls, which seemed surprising following the Conservatives’ solid victory in the election the previous year. Whether Labour had received a bounce off the back of electing their new leader, Hugh Gaitskell, remained to be seen.

22. Frank Sinatra with Orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle – Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

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The Intro

The first true musical legend to appear in this blog, Frank Sinatra was one of the 20th-century’s true icons, he remains an influential figure to this day, and the epitome of cool. If you choose to ignore his links to crime and the more unpleasant stories about him, that is.

Before

Francis Albert Sinatra was born on 12 December 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, the only child of Italians ‘Dolly’ and ‘Marty’ Sinatra. Delivered via forceps, Sinatra was born with a perforated eardrum and severe scarring on his left cheek, neck and ear. A skinny child with bad acne, he was given tough love by his parents, with some biographers claiming his mother abused him in his youth. Sinatra became interested in jazz music from a young age, and his idol was Bing Crosby. His uncle bought him a ukelele when he was 15, and he would entertain his family, getting his first kick out of entertaining others. Expelled from high school in 1931 for being rowdy, he took on several odd jobs and would sing for free on local radio stations. He never learnt to read music properly, and would do so by ear only.

In 1935 his mother persuaded him to join local singers The 3 Flashes. He worshipped them, but they only let him join because he had a car. Renamed the Hoboken Four, they won first prize on a local radio talent show, and Sinatra became their lead singer, provoking jealousy due to the attention he received from girls. By 1939 he was working as a singing waiter when he joined the Harry James Band as their singer, and it was with them that he released his first record, From the Bottom of My Heart. He then moved on to The Tommy Dorsey Band. Dorsey became Sinatra’s father figure, who would learn and copy his mannerisms. Their bond was so strong, Sinatra asked him to be godfather to his daughter Nancy, born in 1940.

For the next two years his popularity grew with each recording, and he pushed Dorsey to let him make music under his own name. He became obsessed with the idea of overtaking Crosby as a star, and following a legal battle he left the group. According to some newspaper reports, Sinatra’s mobster godfather had to hold a gun to Dorsey’s head in order to persuade him.

In 1943 Sinatra signed with Colombia, and Sinatramania was in full swing. It was around this time he became known as ‘The Voice’. His fame eclipsed Crosby and he would entertain US troops during World War Two. His first album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, was released in 1946.

In 1954, Frank Sinatra was the comeback kid. The early 50s had seen his career slump drastically. His Mafia connections had caused problems, he had left his label, Columbia, Hollywood had rejected him, and his audiences were dwindling. However, his suitably bitter performance in World War Two drama From Here to Eternity in 1953 earned him rave reviews and marked a spectacular turnaround in fortunes. He even later won an Oscar for Best Supporting Role, but before then he had signed with Capitol and released a cover of the now-creepy-sounding I’m Walking Behind You, which was a UK number 1 for Eddie Fisher and Sally Sweetland.

February 1954 saw the release of his album Songs for Young Lovers. Featuring I Get a Kick Out of You and They Can’t Take That Away from Me, it is still considered one of his best. The same month, his duet with Doris Day, Young at Heart, was a huge hit.

Three Coins in the Fountain was the title track for a new romantic drama. With lyrics by US star collaborator Sammy Cahn and music by UK songwriter Jule Styne, the song refers to the traditional act of throwing a coin into Rome’s Trevi Fountain and making a wish. They had been asked to write the song without any knowledge of the movie whatsoever, and it was so rushed that 20th Century Fox didn’t sign a contract, meaning the composers were screwed over the royalties. Charming.

https://youtu.be/4VYWvEkDBtw

The song isn’t that memorable, and although I’m no Sinatra expert, it doesn’t strike me as up there with his classics. But what does shine through is the quality of his voice. That warm, unmistakable timbre to his croon puts him head and shoulders above other stars of the era. And considering the rushed nature of the song’s creation, it’s not too shabby. It earned him his first UK number 1, and he stayed at the top for three weeks. It also went to number 1 in the US too, but performed by The Four Aces. In 1955, it earned Sinatra another Oscar, this time for Best Original Song.

After

It would be 12 years before Sinatra had another UK number 1 single. By then, pop music had changed and changed again, but Ol’ Blue Eyes would remained a colossal star throughout.

The Outro

During Three Coins in the Fountain‘s reign, the UK singles chart increased in size from its initial 12 to 20. It’s also worth me pointing out that this chart, that first began in 1952, was originally only seen in the New Musical Express. However, it is now considered to be the most important chart of the time, until it was overtaken by Record Retailer from 1960 to 1969.

The Info

Written by

Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn

Producer

Voyle Gilmore

Weeks at number 1

3 (17 September-7 October)

1. Al Martino – Here in My Heart (1952)

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The Intro

So, we begin. Going back, back, way back in time, before boy and girl bands, before dance, punk, psychedelia, The Beatles and rock’n’roll, to a smog-ridden UK on 14 November 1952.

Before

Winston Churchill’s Conservatives had been back in power a year, following Labour’s huge socialist changes to the country after World War Two under Clement Atlee, and Elizabeth II had ascended to the throne earlier that year (that’s right, she’s been Queen longer than the charts have existed). That March, Maurice Kinn and Percy Dickins bought the Musical Express and Accordion Weekly, transforming it into the New Musical Express (wish it had kept that name). Dickins had been following what Billboard were doing with their chart system in the US, and decided to follow suit, with the charmingly antiquated and inaccurate system of ringing around 20 record stores around the country to find out what vinyl 78s were selling the most. He compiled a top 12 (Why 12? Who knows?) and thus US singer and actor Al Martino made history.

Martino was born Jasper Cini in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 7 October 1927. His parents were Italian immigrants who ran a construction business, and he worked as a bricklayer along with his brothers. But the young Cini aspired to be a singer and would emulate heroes like Perry Como and Al Jolson. Key to his ambitions was family friend Mario Lanza, who had become popular and encouraged Cini to follow in his footsteps.

Cini served with the United States Navy during World War Two, and after the war was over, Lanza suggested he try singing in local nightclubs. He adopted the stage name Al Martino and moved to New York in 1948, recording for the Jubilee label.

In a sense, Martino was the singles chart’s original X Factor-style success story. In 1952, he won first place on the TV show Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, which earned him a recording contract to record this single.

After reaching number 1 in the US, Here in My Heart remained at number 1 for nine consecutive weeks in the fledgling UK top 12, making it the only chart-topper of 1952, and therefore, the first Christmas number 1, too. Only eight other tracks have lasted longer – Bryan Adams’s (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Wet Wet Wet’s cover of Love is All Around, One Dance by Drake, David Whitfield’s Cara Mia, Rihanna’s Umbrella, I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston, Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You and current number 1, Dance Monkey by Tones and I.

Review

https://youtu.be/LfXU-UZZ4p4

It’s hard to see the huge appeal of Here in my Heart now. All the tracks above have their critics (me amongst them), but you can see how they did well. Martino’s track is a maudlin, melancholy piece of pop-opera (popera?) in which he shows off his vocal range to a slushy string-laden backing. The tune is forgotten as soon as the track ends, but to a country still suffering trauma from a terrible war, it may have provided some succour to the UK in the early 50s.

After

Martino signed with Capitol Records soon after, and the Mafia took an interest in him too, buying out his management and ordering him to pay thousands to them as a ‘safeguard’. Martino did what he was told, but wisely decided to move to the UK afterwards.

The chart hits continued here until 1955, but he had little exposure in his home country. Fortunately a family friend intervened and Martino returned to the US in 1958, but it wasn’t easy to resume his career thanks to the impact of rock’n’roll. The Exciting Voice of Al Martino, his 1962 LP, helped turn his fortunes around.

The following year he scored another big single in the US with his version of I Love You Because, and in 1966 he had his final top 10 hit on these shores with Spanish Eyes.

Martino’s run-in with the Mafia took on a whole new meaning when he played Johnny Fontane in The Godfather (1972) and sang the theme tune, Speak Softly Love. He would return to the role in The Godfather Part III in 1990.

The Outro

The first ever UK number 1 singles star continued to record and perform into the 21st century. Al Martino died of a heart attack on 13 October 2009, aged 82.

The Info

Written by

Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson & Bill Borrelli

Producer

Voyle Gilmore

Weeks at number 1

9 (14 November 1952-15 January 1953)

Trivia

Births

3 December 1952: Comedian Mel Smith
10 December: TV presenter Clive Anderson
20 December: Actress Jenny Agutter
4 January 1953: Journalist and politician Jackie Ballard/Director and producer Richard Boden

Meanwhile…

25 November: Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap began its run at the New Ambassador Theatre in London.

4-9 December: The Great Smog of London enveloped the capital, causing approximately 4000 deaths.

12 December: The fondly remembered children’s TV show Flower Pot Men, chronicling the adventures of Bill and Ben, debuted on the BBC Television service.

25 December: Queen Elizabeth II  made her first ever Christmas speech to the Commonwealth, sat in the same chair as George V and George VI before her.