"Let's Have Another Party" is a 1954

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

medley which became a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart for the pianist

Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...

. It is a composite of several pieces of music, and was a follow-up to Atwell's successful hit "

Let's Have a Party "Let's Have a Party" is a 1957 song written by Jessie Mae Robinson and recorded by Elvis Presley for the movie '' Loving You''. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom under the title "Party" and peaked at #2 in the UK Singles Chart ...

" of the previous year. The songs were written by Nat D. Ayer,

Clifford Grey Clifford Grey (5 January 1887 – 25 September 1941) was an English songwriter, librettist and screenwriter. His birth name was Percival Davis, and he was also known as Clifford Gray. Grey contributed prolifically to dozens of West End th ...

James W. Tate James William Tate (30 July 1875 – 5 February 1922) was an English songwriter, accompanist, composer and producer of revues and pantomimes in the early years of the 20th century. After working in the for five years, in 1897 Tate became Musi ...

Ray Henderson Ray Henderson (born Raymond Brost; December 1, 1896 – December 31, 1970) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Buffalo, New York, Henderson moved to New York City and became a popular composer in Tin Pan Alley. He was one-third of ...

Mort Dixon Mort Dixon (March 20, 1892 – March 23, 1956) was an American lyricist. Biography Born in New York City, United States, Dixon began writing songs in the early 1920s, and was active into the 1930s. He achieved success with his first published e ...

and others. It was produced by

Johnny Franz John Charles Franz (23 February 1922 – 29 January 1977) was an English record producer and A&R man at the Philips label. He was one of Britain's most successful producers in the 1950s and 1960s. While his recordings encompassed several forms o ...

and first entered the UK chart on 26 November 1954 for an eight-week run, spending five of those weeks at number one. The

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

included parts of the following tunes: *"Another Little Drink Wouldn't Do Us Any Harm" *"Broken Doll" *"

Bye Bye Blackbird "Bye Bye Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 by Jerome H. Remick and written by composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra in March 1926. Song i ...

" *"Honeysuckle and the Bee" *"I Wonder Where My Baby is Tonight" *"

Lily of Laguna "Lily of Laguna" is a British coon song written in fake 'negro' dialect. It was written in 1896 by English composer Leslie Stuart. It was a music hall favourite, performed notably by blackface performers such as Eugene Stratton and G. H. Elliot ...

" *"

Nellie Dean "(You're My Heart's Desire, I Love You) Nellie Dean" is a sentimental ballad in common time by Henry W. Armstrong, published in 1905 by M. Witmark & Sons of New York City. The original sheet music is scored in B-flat major for voice and piano ...

" *"

The Sheik of Araby "The Sheik of Araby" is a song that was written in 1921 by Harry B. Smith and Francis Wheeler, with music by Ted Snyder. It was composed in response to the popularity of the Rudolph Valentino feature film '' The Sheik''. "The Sheik of Araby" w ...

" *"

Somebody Stole My Gal "Somebody Stole My Gal" is a popular song from 1918, written by Leo Wood. In 1924, Ted Weems & his Orchestra had a five-week run at number one with his million-selling version. Its Pee Wee Hunt and his orchestra version is also known in Japan, par ...

" *"

When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along) "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)" is a popular song written, both words and music, by Harry M. Woods, Harry Woods in 1926. The song became the signature song for singer and actress Lillian Roth, who performed it often durin ...

" With this song, Atwell had the first piano

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart and was the first black artist to have a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart, and as of 2023, remains the only female instrumentalist to do so. Tom Ewing of ''

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...

'' describes "Let's Have Another Party" as a

megamix A megamix is a remix containing multiple songs in rapid succession. It often features various artists. There may be only one verse or even just a brief chorus of each song used, sometimes in addition to samples of the same or other songs. It i ...

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

hits which Atwell instrumentalises, mashes together and plays sped-up on the piano. He noted that the second part of the track on the B-side contains a momentary, arbitrary guitar overdub that plays for a few notes halfway through, calling this an early instance of British pop incorporating a new noise for its own sake.

References

1954 singles UK singles chart number-one singles Rags 1950s instrumentals Songs with music by Ray Henderson Songs with lyrics by Mort Dixon Song recordings produced by Johnny Franz Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom Music medleys {{1950s-single-stub