Rock Around the Clock

"Rock Around the Clock" is a pop song from 1953. Although first recorded by Sonny Dae & the Knights, the more famous version by Bill Haley and his Comets is not strictly speaking a cover version, as the song had been written specifically for Haley, but for various reasons he was unable to record it himself until 1954. Although not the first rock and roll record (according to many musical historians, that honor belongs to Haley's cover version of the 1951 rhythm and blues hit, "Rocket 88"), it is considered by many to be the song that put rock and roll on the map in America and around the world. The lyrics were based on numerous blues tunes boasting of 24-hour-long romantic prowess (the term rock initially having had a sexual meaning), but in Haley's hands they took on a more innocent teenage atmosphere of dancing all night long.

Related Topics:
Pop song - 1953 - Sonny Dae & the Knights - Bill Haley and his Comets - 1954 - First rock and roll record - Rhythm and blues - Rocket 88 - Rock and roll - America - Blues

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The original full title of the song was "We're Gonna Rock Around the Clock Tonight." This was later shortened to "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock," although other than the 1954 recording by Haley, most releases shorten this title further to "Rock Around the Clock."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~