Bing Crosby was already an established artist when the Baby Boom Years began in 1946, and had at least 35 hits on the Billboard and Cash Box charts over the period. Surprisingly, he had just two #1 songs over that period (and one was the perennial “White Christmas,” first released in 1942), but was a regular in the Top Ten over those years.
“Now Is The Hour (Maori Farewell Song)” was Bing’s other #1 song. It reached #1 in January 1948 and remained there for 23 weeks.
Bing’s last Top Ten hit was 1956’s “True Love,” which he sang with Grace Kelly. From the film High Society, it was written by Cole Porter and became a hit in September, approximately five months after Ms. Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco. It rose to #3 on the charts and was nominated for an Academy Award, losing to “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera).”
Bing started focusing his efforts on TV in the early Fifties, and his production company (Bing Crosby Productions), affiliated first with Desilu then with CBS Television Studios, produced a few shows, including Ben Casey and Hogan’s Heroes. His last popular song was the famous 1977 duet with David Bowie, “The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth,” which was released as a single in 1982 and became a #3 hit in the UK that year.
Bing Crosby, your Two For Tuesday, September 19, 2017.
My mother, your grandmother of course, was a huge Bing Crosby fan. Whenever a Crosby song came on the radio we had to “shush.” He was a little low-key for a teenager when I was growing up; more for the older people. There is no question he is an icon and I enjoyed hearing his songs when I became one of the “older people.”
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Funny how that works, isn’t it? The stuff you hated as a kid you start to love as an adult. Maybe it’s the connection to those people.
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Even to me Bing Crosby seems like ancient history. Hardly hear his music anymore unless I happen to be watching an old movie where it is featured. I’d say that many–maybe most–of newer generations have no idea.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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They manage to pull “White Christmas” out every Christmas, as well as his Bowie duet, but unless you spend a lot of time watching TCM you won’t hear much of him anymore unless you go looking. It’s a shame, he had a wonderful voice and could be a pretty funny guy. You’d see him on the variety shows all the time… but, of course, the variety shows have fallen by the wayside.
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He was a huge name in music and I love that you showcased him. I loved his version of Temptation. I also love his Toura Toura Lou…not sure if I spelled that right. We were lucky because of the specials he and Bob Hope did during the tv years and the variety shows that were big up until the late 1970s’. I always think the newer generation, who are so surface focused, as I like to say, have no clue about these greats
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“Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral” is the way it’s spelled on the record. He did that in “Going My Way,” right, with Donald O’Connor and Barry Sullivan?
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Thanksgiving…I knew I screwed up the writing of this sweet song
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I had to look to get it right, and even then, maybe that’s wrong, too…
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He sings too slow for me although I did enjoy White Christmas. The duet with David Bowie is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Happy Tuesday, John.
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He was a crooner and had that laid-back thing going. That duet with Bowie might be my favorite thing he did. Oh, and “Who Threw The Overalls In Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder?”
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Thanks for the background tunes this morning 🙂 Got a recommendation for lunch tunes? What pairs well with spaghetti carbonara? lol
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Dean Martin!
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🙂
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That song is so lovely, with the orchestra. I wonder if Grace Kelly did her own singing or was dubbed. It sounds like Grace, but when I was a kid I thought Natalie Wood sang in West Side Story and Deborah Kerr sang in The King and I. I can’t remember Donald O’Connor in Going My Way. I have to look that up. I haven’t seen it in years.
Love,
Janie
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I checked IMDB. No Donald in the cast list. Barry Fitzgerald played the older priest in the movie. Here’s some trivia I didn’t know: Barry Fitzgerald was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for his one role in that movie, which is now against the academy rules. He won Best Supporting Actor, while Bing won Best Actor.
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I checked on Her Serene Highness, too. It seems she did her own singing.
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She didn’t have a bad voice. And she was gorgeous.
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They were great together, weren’t they?
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It was Frank McHugh who played Bing’s priest friend. For some reason, I thought it was Donald O’Connor.
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He was a little too mellow for me, however, I love his voice. He has a smooth and easy style.
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His voice was quite distinctive, that’s for certain, and he projected this air of being totally relaxed and calm. Some of his earlier records, like “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” were a little more intense.
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