1) The original version of Unchained Melody was sung by Todd Duncan in the 1955 movie "Unchained"...

2) Smoke Gets In Your Eyes dates back to 1933 when it was sung by Tamara (Drasin) in the Broadway Musical “(Gowns By) Roberta”...

3) It's Raining Men, a recent hit for Geri Halliwell (formerly of the Spice Girls) was originally performed by the Weather Girls on US CBS label AND it was written by Paul Jabara & Paul Shaffer (leader of the CBS Orch. on the Late Show with David Letterman).

4) Que Sera, Sera was originally sung by Doris Day as "Whatever Will Be, Will Be" (US Columbia 45), who sang it as a ballad. However it became a rock hit for Australia's Normie Rowe (Sunshine 45) BUT!! that rock version was first done by the High Keyes on US Atco 45...

5) The Lord’s Prayer was first recited by Dr. B. Sunderland on the US Emile Berliner label in 1898. John Charles Thomas sang his popular version for the US Victor label in 1935 after hearing the music written by Albert Hay Malotte…

6) Jerry Lee Lewis had a monster hit with "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", written by America's Roy Hall (as Sunny David) & Dave "Curly" Williams. However the original version was recorded by Big Maybelle in March, 1955 (US Okeh label). Roy Hall then decided to record it himself (for US Decca in September, 1955). Next was Dolores Fredericks (also for US Decca) in October, 1955. Waiting in line were the Commodores (not the Soul group); they recorded it for the Dot label in December, 1955 - their version is closer to the rockabilly version we all know. Finally, good old Jerry Lee Lewis rocks up to the microphone and records his March, 1957 classic - exactly 2 years after Big Maybelle...

7) The version of "Stagger Lee" we all know and love was performed in 1958 by Lloyd Price on US ABC-Paramount label. But this song goes back much further than that. The song is based on a real-life event reported in the St. Louis Globe Democrat in 1895, where "William Lyons, 25, a levee hand, was shot.......by (Stag) Lee Sheldon, a carriage driver". The argument was over the ownership of a hat and Billy Lyons was indeed shot in a bar-room. Billy Lyons died and "Stag" Lee was tried and convicted of his murder; served time in prison, eventually dying in the 1910's. The story became a song and the earliest known recording is contained on an album titled "Negro Prison Songs from the Mississippi State Penitentiary". It has since been recorded by many, many Artists (Archibald~1950, Dr. John~1972 & Ma Rainey~1925, to name a few) and under many, many Titles (Stagger Lee, Stag-O-Lee, Stack-A-Lee, Stack-O-Lee~see Alias section for more). But the Artists who first popularised this classic Rhythm n' Blues song were...........Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians (US Victor 1923)...

8) Be-Bop-A-Lula was written by "Sheriff" Tex Davis (a Nashville dee jay) & Gene Vincent in 1955. The idea came to them after listening to a song called "Don't Bring Lulu". The first title was going to be Lulu Likes To Bop; then it was Boppin' Lula before finally settling on the title we now know it by...

9) Danny Boy is a Celtic folk song set to the Irish tune "Londonderry Air". It was written in 1910 by Frederick Weatherly (who also wrote an alternate version called "Eily Dear" when sung by a male) and set to the tune in 1913. It was first recorded by Ernestine Schumann-Heink in 1915 and later popularised by Elsie Griffin. The tune "Londonderry Air" was collected by Jane Ross who heard a local Londonderry blind man, Jimmy McCurry, play it on his fiddle in 1851. The tune was first published in 1855...

10) Waltzing Matilda was written by Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson & later used for Billy Tea ads in Australia. The tune is based on a Scottish melody "Thou Bonnie Wood Of Craigie-Lea", also known as the Craigielea March. This melody was in turn used in an English song called The Bold (or Gay) Fusilier also known as "The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant". These melodies were heard by Christina Macpherson who played them to Banjo Paterson. The resulting song "Waltzing Matilda" was first sung by Sir Herbert Ramsay in 1895. Peter Dawson recorded his version in England in 1938. The term "Waltzing Matilda" refers to carrying a swag (hence "Swagman") but this term was borrowed from the German song "Auf der Walz gehen mit Mathilde". One story is that Mathilde was a German Goddess known as a "Mighty Woman" – another version is that a Mathilde was a specialized prostitute who followed soldiers & tradesmen to give them comfort in their travels. Either way, to walz (roll along) Mathilde came to mean carrying all your possessions on the road in a small rucksack or bed-roll (nick-named “Mathilde”) made of animal skin & fur as the German tradesmen did in their day....

11) Originally written in 1949 (but not published until 1951) by Patricia Smith (real name: Gloria Parker) & Don Fenton (real name: Barney Young). They called it Supercalfajalistckespialadojus or Supercalafajalistckespeealadojus. This version was recorded in 1950 by Alan Holmes & his New Tones (Vocals: Hal Marquess & the Holmes Men) on Columbia Special Products For Radio Stations (CO 42665). In 1965, the song surfaced as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, sung by Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke in the Disney movie "Mary Poppins". This version was written by Robert & Richard Sherman & was recorded by Jim Wheeler & Hawley Ades in 1964 for the US Reprise label. In 1967, there was a Court case over the rights to the song & it was decided in favour of Disney Studios because the Shermans wrote the rest of the song (as well as changing the spelling). At 34 letters, it is not the longest word in the English language - that honour belongs to some scientific name I will not attempt to write here. It is also a long way from being the longest song title (see the Rednex listings) although it does have the distinction of being the longest single word in a song title (the shortest being "I", which is also the entire name of the song).

12) The Mexican Hat Dance is actually two tunes combined into one - Jarabe Tapatio & La Raspa. La Raspa originated in Vera Cruz and is a dance often performed during celebrations. Jarabe Tapatio had its origins in Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco in Mexico, and was played by local mariachi bands who handed down their tunes to the younger members over the years. One of these was Gaspar Vargas who was the first to popularise the tune outside of his own region. His band was called The Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan n, first formed in 1898 and still going today, making it one of the oldest continuous orchestras in the world (with one or two new members I suspect)...

13) Daniel Rodriguez sang The Star Spangled Banner at the World Trade Center Memorial Service on 28 October, 2001. The words were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 as a poem entitled "The Defence Of Fort McHenry" but the melody is based on an English song "To Anacreon In Heaven" written in 1780 by John Stafford Smith. The Star Spangled Banner became the official United States national anthem on 3 March, 1931…

14) The Can Can was written by Jacques Offenbach in 1858 & is contained in the Operetta "Orphee aux Enfers" (Orpheus In The Underworld). The Can Can is actually the name of the style of dance popularised by Le Folies Bergeres (Follies Bergere) at Le Moulin Rouge (Red Mill) at Promendia 2 in Paris, and is still being performed today...

15) La Marseillaise was composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle on 24 April, 1792 during the French Revolution. Originally called “Chant de guerre de l’arme du Rhin” the name was changed to La Marseillaise and was adopted as the French national Anthem on 14 July, 1795. It was banned by Napoleon, Louis XVIII as well as Napoleon III and was not reinstated until 1879.

16) Hava Nagila originated as a folk tune with the Sadigor Hasidim in the Ukraine. It was first recorded as a chant in 1915 by Abraham Zevi Idelsohn who was born in Latvia (previously Russia) but recorded in Israel (previously Palestine). Moshe Nathanson was the first to record the song with lyrics (in Israel, 1932) which were written by Abraham Zevi Idelsohn in conjunction with Moshe Nathanson.

17) God Save The King (Queen) was first published in 1744 in Thesaurus Musicus (Author/Composer unknown) & first performed in 1745 for King George II. It has been used as a National Anthem in England plus all countries of the British Commonwealth, Denmark, Russia, Germany, Switzerland & Liechtenstein. In America the tune is used for America (My Country, ‘Tis Of  Thee) & it is under this Title that the tune was first recorded in 1899 by George J. Gaskin on the E. Berliner’s Gramophone label.

18) Advance, Australia Fair was written by Peter Dodds McCormick (a Scot) & first performed on 30 November, 1878 (St. Andrew’s Day) by Andrew Fairfax in Sydney, Australia. It was adopted as the Australian National Anthem on 19 April, 1984.

19) The song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (originally named "The Star") was written by sisters Jane & Ann Taylor in 1806 as a poem. The poem was later coupled with a French melody "Ah! - vous dirai-je, Maman" which was written in 1761. The original poem did not include the words Twinkle, Twinkle - these words were added to fit the tune.

20) The Scarborough Fair originated in 1253 by a Charter granted by King Henry III of England. The refrain to the song derives from the Scottish ballad "The Elfin Knight" (Child Ballad # 2) (1670). The reference to "Scarborough Fair" and "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" comes from the ballad "Riddles Wisely Expounded" (Child Ballad # 1)(ca. 1712).