15 Forgotten Classic Songs That Trigger Nostalgia

The 1950s and 1960s produced some of the greatest songs ever recorded. Whatever criticisms Boomers may face — some of which are valid — critics cannot deny their influence on the musical zeitgeist.

However, some songs that were hugely popular in their heyday are completely forgotten today. The reason why these songs have been confined to the dustbin of history is not clear, but changing tastes, a surplus of musical content, and damaged physical recordings all play a role in this determination.

Regardless, check out 15 songs that take us back to a simpler time of poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and sock-hops.

1. “Gas Money” — Jan and Arnie (1958)

Sometimes, a song isn’t about deep unrequited love, societal ills, or calling for a revolution. Sometimes, a song is about a simple request: can we split the cost of gasoline, please?

That’s the essence of the simple, long-forgotten Boomer song, “Gas Money,” Jan and Arnie recorded and released in 1958. But it sounds like either Jan or Arnie needs a new set of friends, as their constant requests for gas money go unheeded. As the song indicates, the passenger doesn’t have any money because he “spent it on his honey.”

2. “Take a Message to Mary” — The Everly Brothers (1959)

Though now a long-forgotten track, “Take A Message to Mary” by The Everly Brothers spent 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in 1959, where it peaked at No. 16.

A hardened criminal gets arrested for an unnamed crime. He doesn’t want his beloved sweetheart, Mary, suffering as she awaits his release from prison. So, he transmits a message through his friend, telling Mary to move on with her life with someone more appropriate (and, presumably, less of a criminal).

3. “Rockin’ Little Angel” — Ray Smith (1960)

Ray Smith’s “Rockin’ Little Angel” became a major hit in 1960. But dusting off this recording wouldn’t be advisable today, as it originated from “Buffalo Gals,” an 1844 minstrel track.

In any event, Smith earned a gold record for the song, selling one million copies in 1960 alone. Despite a promising start, Smith never enjoyed another hit, and he sadly died by suicide on November 29, 1979.

4. “Walking Along” — The Solitaires (1957)

The Solitaires’ first and only hit, “Walking Along,” tells of a man walking along the street and thinking fondly of his girlfriend.

Despite its catchy beat and uptempo lyrics, the doo-wop group’s version of the song wasn’t the most popular. That honor goes to The Diamonds, whose 1958 version of the song shot to No. 29 on the Billboard charts. Neither artist, though, had a chart-topping hit after “Walking Along.”

5. “I’ve Had It” — The Bell Notes (1959)

The now-forgotten Bell Notes had a string of hit songs in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including a questionable version of “Shortnin’ Bread.”

The Bell Notes, originally hailing from Long Island, achieved their best-known hit with “I’ve Had It,” which Ray Tabano, a founding member of Aerosmith, first played at his bar. Steven Tyler even recorded a version of “I’ve Had It” for a demo long before he found fame in Aerosmith.

6. “Rock Me My Baby” — Buddy Holly (1957)

Buddy Holly tragically died in a plane crash, but his music lives on. However, “Rock Me My Baby,” a once popular song, has fallen into obscurity despite its past fame.

The rockabilly track, which was released in 1957, gets as explicit as it could have back in those times and tells of a woman who engages in carnal pleasures with her beloved, which he greatly enjoys. Good for him.

7. “Be-Bop-A-Lua” — Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps (1956)

Though it was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 1999, “Be-Bop-a-Lua” is a long-forgotten classic track. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps originally recorded the song in 1956, going up against Elvis Presley on the pop charts. And, for a time in the summer of June 1956, the song did just that.

Several artists, including the Everly Brothers, Foghat, Queen, and Link Wray, subsequently covered the song.

8. “Come On-a My House” — Rosemary Clooney (1951)

“Come On-a My House” was written by Ross Bagdasarian Sr. — yes, the creator of Alvin & The Chipmunks — and made popular by Rosemary Clooney (George Clooney’s paternal aunt, and the late Miguel Ferrer’s mother).

Despite its lascivious intimations, “Come On-a My House” is actually quite innocuous. The song’s melody derives from an Armenian folk song — a tribute to Bagdasarian’s roots — and the lyrics reference the Armenian practice of inviting friends and family over and serving them tables full of fruits, nuts, and sweets as a good host/ess.

9. “Keep a Knockin'” — Little Richard (1957)

“Keep a Knockin'” either tells a story about unrequited love, or a lover’s quarrel gone wrong, depending on the listener’s interpretation.

Throughout the years, many artists have sung the song, with Little Richard’s version perhaps being the most popular amongst Boomers. Regardless of the preferred interpretation, though, it is clear that Little Richard’s version does not involve a girlfriend, spurned or otherwise.

10. “Splish Splash” — Bobby Darin (1958)

DJ Murray the K challenged Darin to include “Splish splash, I was taking a bath,” in a song.

Darin accepted the challenge, ultimately winning the bet and scoring a No. 1 hit. The songwriting credits, though, went to Darin and “Jean Murray,” the pseudonym for Murray the K’s mother, so it didn’t appear as though Darin was engaging in payola (a huge controversy at the time).

11. “Yakety Yak” — The Coasters (1959)

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller — the pair behind “Jailhouse Rock” — wrote “Yakety Yak” for The Coasters. The song spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the R&B charts.

Though The Coasters were one of the most popular doo-wop groups of the 1950s, they didn’t sing about their own experiences. According to Leiber, The Coasters specifically performed songs that spoke to a “white middle-class teenager’s experience,” rather than a poor Black teenager’s experience.

12. “Calendar Girl” — Neil Sedaka (1961)

“Calendar Girl” became a super-smash hit for Neil Sedaka, reaching No. 4 in the United States, No. 3 in Australia, and No. 1 in Canada and Japan. The song, which was written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, is a “G-rated” ode to the popular pin-up girls of the era, like Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable.

Of course, the lyrics would raise some eyebrows today, as “I light the candles for your sweet sixteen,” which pays tribute to a teenaged pin-up “gal,” would probably earn the then-21-year-old Mr. Sedaka a visit from Benson & Stabler of Law & Order: SVU.

13. “Da Doo Ron Ron” — The Crystals (1963)

Phil Spector’s marred his legacy in disgrace, but his signature sound cannot be denied.

“Da Doo Ron Ron,” by The Crystals, is a lesser-known example of that legendary sound. Spector liked the chorus so much that he kept it in the final cut, even though it was originally intended as a “throwaway” lyric. Incidentally, future music legend Cher sang backup on the track.

14. “Good Timin'” — Jimmy Jones (1960)

Teenage love, especially “first love,” is nothing short of amazing. And Jimmy Jones compared meeting his first girlfriend to the meeting of Samson and Delilah — and Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella of Spain — in his only hit, “Good Timin’.”

The song topped the charts in the United Kingdom and reached No. 3 in the United States.

15. “My Boy Lollipop” — Millie Jones (1964)

Music historians have deemed Jamaican singer Millie Jones as “The Mother of Ska Music.” And her hit “My Boy Lollipop” introduced the Caribbean genre to American shores.

Other artists recorded versions of “My Boy Lollipop” that became hits, including The Cadillacs, who recorded it as “My Girl Lollipop.” Small’s version of the song was also the first No. 1 hit for Island Records.