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 was specially written for Donna Summer by Paul Jabara & Paul Shaffer (leader of the CBS Orch. on the Late Show with David Letterman). Donna refused to record the song as the phrase "It‘s Raining Men - Hallelujah" did not sit well with her religious beliefs. The song was then offered to a duo called the Weather Girls (previously known as the Two Tons Of Fun) who recorded it for Columbia Records. The big hit came when Geri Halliwell (formerly Spice Girls) recorded it for EMI in England.

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) The tune to Be-Bop-A-Lula was written by Gene Vincent in 1955 while recuperating in hospital from a motorcycle accident. Another patient, Donald Graves, wrote the lyrics. 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. Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis (a Nashville dee jay) became Gene's manager & bought out Graves' rights to the song allowing Davis to be credited as the lyric writer...

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)...

21) Greensleeves is a traditional English folk song and tune first registered at the London Stationer‘s Company in 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves" during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (There is no evidence that her father, King Henry VIII wrote this song). It then appears in the surviving A Handful of Pleasant Delights (1584) as "A New Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green Sleeves. The tune of Greensleeves was first played on the lute by John Dowland in the early 1600‘s...

22) We all know Mack The Knife from the famous 1955 rendition by Louis Armstrong but the song originated from a 1928 German Opera "Die Dreigroschenoper" (or "The Threepenny Opera") composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. In the Opera the song is called "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" sung by Harald Paulsen. The singer Lotte Lenya also starred in the original production & she gets an impromtu mention by Louis Armstrong in his version. The song became a hit again in 1959 for Bobby Darin who again gives Lotte a mention. "Macheath" in the song refers to Mackie Messer, the villain, who is compared to a shark & goes on to list his terrible crimes of robbery, murder, rape & arson... 

23) K.C. Loving was written in 1952 by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller for Little Willie Littlefield who recorded it for the Federal label - later versions were re-named Kansas City. The most famous version was by Wilburt Harrison, recorded in 1959 (U.S. Fury label)...

24) Amazing Grace was written in 1772 by English Sea Captain John Newton who at the time was a slave trader. After undergoing a spiritual conversion he wrote some verses based on 1 Chronicles 17:16 - 17 of the Bible which are known as John Newton‘s Hymn XLI (Faith‘s Review And Expectation). A collection of these Hymns was published as the Olney Hymns in 1779. The first recording of the song (under the Title "New Britain") was in 1922 by the Original Sacred Harp Choir (on U.S. Brunswick). The first recording under the Title "Amazing Grace" was by Rev. J.M. Gates in 1926 (on U.S. Paramount)...

25) It is not known who actually wrote The House Of The Rising Sun but the first recorded version was by Ashley & Foster (as Rising Sun Blues - Vocalion 1933). Other notable versions were by Homer Callahan (from the Callahan Bros.) as Rounder's Luck (ARC 1934), Georgia Turner (as Risin' Sun Blues - recorded by Alan Lomax* for the Library Of Congress in 1937), Roy Acuff & his Smoky Mountain Boys (as The House Of The Rising Sun - U.S. Columbia 1938), Libby Holman (Decca - 1942), Leadbelly (as In New Orleans - Smithsonian Folkways 1948). Then comes Eric Burdon & the Animals who stormed in with their monster hit The House Of The Rising Sun in 1964 for the British label Columbia. *In 1953 Alan Lomax heard  British folksinger Harry Cox sing Matty Groves (which he called "She Was A Rum One") & noted the similarities with The House Of The Rising Sun. The song Matty Groves dates back to the 1600's. Part of one verse goes: "If you go to Lowestoft and ask for the Rising Sun, there you'll find two old whores, and my old woman's one"....

26) The eight reindeer named in the song "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" came from a poem written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822, "Twas The Night Before Christmas" but this was based on an earlier poem called "A Visit From St. Nicholas" written by Major Henry Livingston Jr. in 1807. The reindeer were originally named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (aka Dunder, Donner) & Blixem (aka Bliksem, Blitzen). The last two names mean "thunder" & "lightning" in Dutch. In later versions of the poem those names became Donner & Blitzen, the names used in Gene Autry‘s song. The name Rudolph is not mentioned in the poem, that name came from the story/colouring book "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" written in 1939 by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward department store. Later his brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, wrote the song which was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949...

 27) The song "Turkey In The Straw" was first popularised in the early 19th century with the first known performance by Bob Farrell in 1834 at the Bowery Theatre, New York under the title "The Original Zip Coon". The earliest known recording is by Billy Golden as Turkey In The Straw (Columbia cylinder - 1891). It has since become a staple as a hillbilly song & is popular for Square Dances.

 28) The song "Daisy Bell" (aka A Bicycle Built For Two/Daisy Daisy) was originally performed by Kate Lawrence in the London Music Hall in 1892. Inspired by Daisy, the Countess of Warwick, Frances Evelyn Maynard, Mistress to the Prince Of Wales who later became King Edward VII of England. "Daisy Bell" was written by Harry Dacre, an English composer. When he first came to the United States in 1892, he brought with him a bicycle, for which he was charged duty. His friend (the songwriter William Jerome) remarked lightly: "It‘s lucky you didn‘t bring a bicycle built for two, otherwise you‘d have to pay double duty." Dacre was so taken with the phrase ‘bicycle built for two‘ that he decided to use it in a song...

29) "The Charleston" song was written by James P. Johnson however he did not record it until 1925 (it was first recorded by Arthur Gibbs & his Gang - Victor (1923)). The Charleston Dance originated in 1923 at the Ziegfeld Follies but was popularised by Elisabeth Welsh with the Dancing Redcaps in the Runnin‘ Wild Revue...

30) Sweet Adeline has long been a favourite of Barber Shop Quartets. It was written by Harry Armstrong in 1896 (as My Old New England Home) & first published in 1903, with lyrics by Richard H. Gerard, who used the title "You're The Flower Of My Heart, Sweet Rosalie". Inspired by a visit by Italian opera singer Adelina Patti, the title was changed to (You're The Flower Of My Heart) Sweet Adeline. It was originally performed in 1904 by the Quaker City Four at the Hammerstein Theater in Philadelphia & recorded by Harry Armstrong under the title "(You're The Flower Of My Heart) Sweet Adeline"...

31) Jingle Bells was written in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont who copyrighted it under the name "One Horse Open Sleigh". Over the years the words have been changed slightly (the original words were about a young man skylarking with his girl in the sleigh & had no connection to Christmas). There is also a French version "Vive Le Vent" (Long Live The Wind) & a German version "Christkindl". The Edison Male Quartette recorded their version in 1898 & is the earliest surviving recording of the song. There was an earlier recording in 1889 by banjoist Will Lyle but no copies survive...

32) We're all familiar wth the poem "Footprints In The Sand" - for decades the Author was simply shown as Anonymous. In 1984 Mary Stevenson (married name Zangare) found a hand-written copy of her original poem which she composed in 1936. Later in 1984 she was awarded Copyright to the poem. In 1995, a Forensic Specialist authenticated the date on her copy, which had been written in 1939. Other variations of the poem have been written by Margaret Fishback Powers (1964) & Carolyn Carty (1963) and it is the latter version that Bill Anderson recorded. To see the three versions of Footprints In The Sand click this link... http://www.wowzone.com/fprints.htm