I'Ve Heard Those Songs Before: The Weekly Top Ten Tunes 1930 Through 1980

By Elston Brooks

Ultimate guide to popular music, listing week by week the top ten songs since 1930 including a summary of events of that year. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688003796
• ISBN13: 9780688003791
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 444 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Guaranteed To Be Hauled Out At Every Gathering At Your House

As Mr. Brooks says in the Foreword "nothing brings back memories like a song." And in this large 8 1/2 x 11 (and just over an inch thick) volume he gives you a week-by-week listing of the Top 10 songs from 1930 to 1980, most of it based upon Your Hit Parade listings. Each year is preceded by a thumbnail sketch of the 12 months in question, ranging from music to politics, movies, radio, TV, social events, crime, and wars. Want to know the # 1 song the day you were born? In my case it was Please Be Kind the week of May 7 to 14, 1938. Note that there are no artists shown beside each song, as it's the song itself he focuses on. Besides, it wasn't uncommon throughout most of the period covered in this book to have up to 8 versions of any given song going at the same time. For example, Please Be Kind was a # 1 for Red Norvo, # 12 for Bob Crosby and # 14 for Benny Goodman. How about the # 1 song the day JFK was assassinated, November 22, 1963. It was I'm Leaving It Up To You. December 7, 1941? Tonight We Love. Over The Rainbow was on top the day Germany invaded Poland and started WW II. And on July 20, 1969, the day Armstrong stepped onto the Moon, Close To You was riding the top. Just a fun book to have in your library.

More about Elston

Elston Brooks was a reporter and later theatre and movie reviewer for the our paper,the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram for many years...he was a local boy. His first book was called Don't Dry Clean My Black-Jack, about his experiences as a crime reporter, his first assignment, at a very young age, at the Star-Telegram. Popular music was one of his great interests and he wrote many columns listing the top songs for that week, in a particular year. This book was a natural out-growth.and is fascinating to anyone who remembers the songs from the War years onward. Sadly, Elston died about fifteen years ago, just fifty something, as I remember. He and his book are well-remembered in Ft. Worth.