"Sh-Boom" ("Life Could Be a Dream") is a

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

song by the R&B vocal group the Chords. It was written by James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, and William Edwards, members of the Chords, and was released in 1954. It is sometimes considered the first doo-wop or

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

record to reach the top ten on the pop charts (as opposed to the R&B charts), as it was a top-10 hit that year for both the Chords (who first recorded the song) and the Crew-Cuts. In 2004, it was ranked No. 215 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".

History

The song was written and first recorded on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

' subsidiary label Cat Records by the R&B group the Chords on March 15, 1954,Cat catalogue #104, "B" Side: ''Cross Over The Bridge'' on the first issue, on the later issues the "B" Side is ''Little Maiden''. and would be their only hit song. The group reportedly auditioned the song for famed record producer Bobby Robinson while he was sick in bed, but he rejected them, stating the song "wasn't commercial enough".Goldberg, Marv; Redmond, Mike. ''The Chords''. Published within the sleeve for the CD ''The Best of the Chords''. When the Chords recorded their debut single for Cat Records, a cover of

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...

's " Cross Over the Bridge", the label reluctantly allowed them to record "Sh-Boom" for the B-side with

Sam "the Man" Taylor Samuel Leroy Taylor, Jr. (July 12, 1916 – October 5, 1990), Sam Taylor Biography ''AllMusic'' known as Sam "The Man" Taylor, was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, and blues tenor saxophonist. Taylor was born in Lexington, Tennessee, United ...

on saxophone. "Sh-Boom" would eventually overshadow "Cross Over the Bridge", reaching No. 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B charts and peaking at No. 9 on the pop charts. It was later released by Cat as an A-side, coupled with another Chords original, "Little Maiden". A more

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...

version was made by an all-white Canadian group, the Crew-Cuts (with the David Carroll Orchestra), for

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

and was No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' charts for nine weeks during August and September 1954. The single first entered the charts on July 30, 1954, and stayed for 20 weeks. The Crew-Cuts performed the song on

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television host, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York News ...

's '' Toast of the Town'' on December 12, 1954.

Other recordings

Stan Freberg recorded a combined spoof of "Sh-Boom" and

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

because he felt that they both mumbled, in 1954. It reached No. 14 in the US and 15 in the UK. The Billy Williams Quartet released a version in 1954 on

Coral Records Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer. Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head ...

that reached No. 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with orchestra directed by Jack Pleis. Bloodstone recorded an ''a cappella'' cover of the song for their 1975 movie '' Train Ride to Hollywood''.

In popular culture

The Crew Cuts version of the song is featured in the 1985 film '' Clue'', played on a record player during a scene in which the various guests at the Boddy mansion stage scenes of a wild party to conceal the presence of several dead bodies from a police officer. In the 1989 film '' Road House'', Dalton (

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

) first encounters the main antagonist Brad Wesley ( Ben Gazzara) driving recklessly along a country road in his direction while singing along to the Crew-Cuts' version of the song, and narrowly missing him. The song is also featured in the 2006 Pixar animated sports comedy film ''

Cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

'' in a scene where Lightning McQueen and the citizens of Radiator Springs are cruising through the town.

Notes

References

External links

''A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs'', episode 18: “Sh-Boom” by the Chords
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPAbuEpGhII&ab_channel=TheWCA2011 {{Authority control 1954 singles The Crew-Cuts songs The Fleetwoods songs Mercury Records singles Doo-wop songs Number-one singles in the United States