Today in Music (1915): “Home Sweet Home” hit #1

Home Sweet Home Alice Nielsen

Writer(s): John Howard Payne (lyrics), Sir Henry Rowley Bishop (arranged) (see lyrics here) Introduced: May 8, 1823 First Charted: October 17, 1891 (John Yorke Atlee) Peak: 12 PM (Alice Nielsen) (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.1 million (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.68 video, -- streaming

Awards (Payne): Click on award for more details. Awards (John Yorke Atlee): Click on award for more details. Awards (Alice Nielsen): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: John Howard Payne was a descendent of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence TY2 and a poet in New York City. SS He went to London to pursue acting, writing, and drama production. He teamed with Sir Henry Rowley Bishop to write an operetta called Clari or The Maid of Milan. It premiered on May 8, 1823, at Covent Garden. The production introduced the world to the song “Home, Sweet Home.” Maria Tree sang it at the end of the first act. TY2 It quickly became one of the most famous songs of the 19th century, spreading throughout England and the rest of Western civilization. TY2 Charles Hamm called it, “the most popular song of the entire century.” SS It definitely “cast an imposing shadow over all other sentimental ballads of the 1800s as perhaps the definitive symbol of nostalgia for one’s roots.” SS During the Civil War, the song was reportedly banned from Union Army camps because it might incite desertion. WK In 1821 and 1822, Bishop published several volumes of folk songs and was known to create tunes of his own based on authentic melodies. He created a tune called “A Sicilian Air” that became the basis of the melody for “Home, Sweet Home.” TY2 Another source says Bishop first used the melody for a piece called ‘To the Home of My Childhood,” published in the collection Melodies of Other Nations. SS The song charted multiple times in the pre-rock era with versions by John Yorke Atlee (#2, 1891), Harry MacDonough (#3, 1902), Richard Jose (#3, 1906), Alma Gluck (#6, 1912), Alice Nielsen (#1, 1915), and Elsie Baker (#10, 1915). PM The song has appeared in the musicals The Prodigal (1931), Let Freedom Ring (1938), First Love (1939), and Cairo (1942). In the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, Anna teaches her students to sing the song. WK Disney’s 1958 animated film Lady and the Tramp features a “dog-howling rendition” of the song. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for John Howard Payne DMDB encyclopedia entry for John Yorke Atlee DMDB encyclopedia entry for Alice Nielsen SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 733-4. TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Pages 78-9. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 510. WK Wikipedia First posted 6/27/2024.

OMI “Cheerleader” hit #1

Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) OMI

Writer(s): Omar Samuel Pasley, Clifton Dillon, Mark Bradford, Ryan Dillon, Sly Dunbar (see lyrics here) Released: May 19, 2014 First Charted: May 3, 2015 Peak: 16 US, 14 DG, 11 RR, 11 AC, 6 A40, 14 UK, 111 CN, 1 AU, 17 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 1.92 UK, 8.3 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1705.42 video, 1447.79 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer Omar Samuel Pasley (stage name: OMI – a nickname his father called him SF) was born in 1986 in Jamaica. He loved American hip-hop but also developed a taste for singers like John Legend, Nat “King” Cole, and Sam Cooke. WK So far, he has only released one album, 2015’s Me 4 U. it featured his sole hit in the United States, the chart-topping “Cheerleader.” The song dates back to 2008 when OMI first created its melody. WK He said, “It was like a little Jamaican nursery rhyme, like ‘one, two, buckle my shoe,’ that kind of thing – ‘ring game’ is what we’d call it. The rest of the song just fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle.” WK The lyrics focus on “the protaganist’s joy at finding a ‘cheerleader’ – a romantic companion that will be a support system.” WK Jamaican producer Clifton Dillon then refined it over several years and it was finally recorded with veteran session musicians Sly & Robbie as the rhythm section and Dean Fraser on saxophone. WK The song was released in 2012 and topped the charts in Jamaica. Patrick Moxey, the president of Ultra Music, an American electronic music label, heard the song while on vacation and signed OMI to a contract in 2013. WK German DJ Felix Jaehn then remixed the song in early 2014. He explained that he was mainly putting out bootlegs online and record companies started contacting him to do official remixes – one of which was “Cheerleader.” SF He took an acapella version of the song, sped up the vocal, and built a new track around the vocal. SF It “eschews much of the original rhythm” WK in favor of a “tropical-flavored deep house rendition.” WK It was released in 2014 and found success the next year, topping the charts in 20 countries. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for OMI SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 7/30/2023.

Today in Music (1965): Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” charted

Like a Rolling Stone Bob Dylan

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“See You Again” spent 12th week at #1

See You Again Wiz Khalifa with Charlie Puth

Writer(s): Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charlie Puth, Cameron Thomaz (see lyrics here) Released: March 10, 2015 First Charted: March 28, 2015 Peak: 112 US, 14 RR, 16 BA, 17 DG, 18 ST, 13 AC, 2 A40, 114 RB, 12 UK, 18 CN, 16 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 11.0 US, 1.48 UK, 20.90 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 5933.73 video, 1825.59 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Fast and Furious movie franchise, starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, focused on fast cars and racing. In a sad twist of fate, Walker died in a car accident in 2013. For the seventh movie in the franchise, producers wanted a song to serve as a goodbye to Walker. Charlie Puth, who’d penned “Slow Motion” by Trey Songz, answered the call for demos, imagining a final text from Diesel to Walker saying, “I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.” SF Puth was paired with Justin Franks, i.e. DJ Frank E, by his publishing company. WK The two shared a common bond which inspired the song – both lost friends to motorcycle accidents. Puth’s friend, Vail Cerullo, was a fellow student at Berklee College of Music and predicted Puth would write a #1 song. SF One account suggests Puth was surprised to find out his vocal would be used in the song, SF but he told The Talk TV show that he refused to contribute the song unless he sang the hook. WK His vocal wasn’t the only one on the song, however. Wiz Khalifa was also commissed to add rap verses, which he crafted around the subject of family. WK The song started at the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100, but picked up steam quickly, setting a record with its five-week ascent to the top for the fastest climb from #100 to #1. Only ten songs accomplished that feat; one of them was Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow.” SF The song’s twelve weeks atop the chart tied Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” as the longest run at #1 for a rap song. SF It was the biggest-selling song in the world in 2015. WK “See You Again” broke the record for Spotify’s most-streamed track in a single day with 4.26 million streams on April 17, 2015. SF In July 2017, it became the all-time most-watched music video on YouTube, surpassing the 2.8 billion views of PSY’s “Gangnam Style.” SF Its reign wasn’t long; the next month it was passed by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.” SF Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Wiz Khalifa DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Charlie Puth SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Last updated 3/31/2024.