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At
3 p.m. on Monday, August 5, 1957
― over 54 years ago
― exactly 30 days before we entered
Oceanside High School as brand new sophomores, "American Bandstand"
premiered nationally on the ABC-TV network. More so than any other network show
before, it was produced especially for us, then the
high school youth of America.
For more Bandstand
photos, go to http://www.history-of-rock.com/american_bandstand_pictures.htm_bandstand_pictures.htm.
In
its early days, when we were part of its target audience, Bandstand made teen idols out of
Philadelphia street kids, and it made national celebrities out of regular high school kids just like
us. Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi,
Justine Carelli
and Bob Clayton
― they were not our classmates, but they just as well might have
been. So many of us watched them dancing and rating the records for 90
minutes every afternoon, copied their
moves and felt that we knew them ― and the other "regulars," too.
Bandstand
showcased our favorite rock 'n' roll
performers (with two notable exceptions*)
― right in our own living rooms
 ― lip-synching to their latest hit (or
would-be hit) records. In fact, it soon became quite common for
songwriters to mention Bandstand in their lyrics just to get their records
played on the show.
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"Well,
she tunes into Bandstand every day
To watch the kids a-dancin' 'cross the USA" |
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―
Bobby Darin, 1958 |
By spinning those records from his
Philadelphia base, in the tiny studios of WFIL at 46th and Market, clean-cut
Dick
Clark became a virtual pied piper to the American teenager of the late
1950s. As he tried to
smooth over rock 'n' roll's rough edges and clean up its tarnished image, Bandstand
quickly became one of
the most memorable icons of our music and our time in high school and
nothing less than an American cultural institution ― and
it was created just for us!
What you are hearing now is the
familiar original instrumental version of "Bandstand Boogie" recorded in 1954 by Les Elgart
that we heard every day as the theme of "American Bandstand"
when we were kids. The subtitle of this page, "We're Goin' Hoppin'!," comes from lyrics added later by
Barry Manilow for the version that became the show's new theme in 1977 ―
about 14 years after the
show was relocated to Los Angeles. However, those retrospective lyrics (see
selected excerpts shown below) captured the essence of the Bandstand of its early Philadelphia days
― when we were watching:
We're goin' hoppin', we're goin' hoppin' today
Where things are poppin', the Philadelphia way
We're gonna drop in on all the music they play
On the Bandstand (Bandstand )
We're goin' swingin', we're gonna swing in the crowd
And we'll be clingin' and floatin' high as a cloud
The phones are ringin', my mom and dad are so proud
I'm on Bandstand (Bandstand )
And I'll jump, and hey, I may even show 'em my
handstand
Because I'm on, because I'm on the American Bandstand
When we dance real slow I'll show all the guys in the grandstand
What a swinger I am, I am on American Bandstand
Hey I'm makin' my mark; gee, this joint is jumpin'
They made such a fuss just to see us arrive
Hey, it's Mr. Dick Clark. what a place you've got here
Swell spot, the music's hot here
Best in the east, give it at least a seventy five!
Now for all you Joes, here goes my American handstand
Because I'm on, because I'm on the American Bandstand
As we dance real slow, I'm showin' the guys in the grandstand
That I like my girl, but I love American Bandstand
The singers' croonin', he ain't the greatest but gee
My baby's swoonin' in front of all of TV
So if you tune in, you'll see my baby and me
On the Bandstand (Bandstand )
And now we're hoppin’ and we'll be hoppin’ all day
When things are poppin’ the Philadelphia way
And you can drop in on all the music they play
On the Bandstand (Bandstand)
And we'll rock and roll and stroll on American
Lindy hop and slop, it's American
Tune in, I'm on, turn on, I'm in, I'm on today
(Bandstand)
"It's
got a good beat, and you can dance to it.
I give it a 98 [www.1960sailors.net,
that is]!"
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For your information, the very first
record played on "American Bandstand" that first Monday in August, 1957,
was "Whole Lotta Shaking Goin' On"
by
"The Killer," Jerry Lee
Lewis.
And a whole lotta shakin' is
exactly what was goin' on with
high school
kids in America when Bandstand hit the national airwaves.
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Note:
Historian, Charles W. Amann III,
has created an extensive website called
The
Princes and Princesses of Dance, a scholarly and comprehensive,
behind-the-scenes history of the Philadelphia years of
Dick
Clark's American
Bandstand. He also produced a
historical online video about the restoration and preservation of the
original Bandstand studio in West Philadelphia. Charles has honored
our site with links and a blog entry dated December 11, 2011, on his
elaborate website.
The blog entry (click
here for a direct link) on the site describes ours as "a
great site for Fifties and Sixties memories and celebration
.... Be prepared, this is not just
about a local high school, it is much more ... loaded with tons of
information about the period and
packed full of fun and facts. It is
comprehensive, well written and...you're gonna love it! ... you can just
'cruise' away."
Sadly,
Dick
Clark, who was known for decades as "America's Oldest Living Teenager,"
passed away at age 82 from a massive heart attack on April 18, 2012, and we
learned that Charles Amann passed away
on January 10,
2014.
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*
For your
information, Elvis Presley and Ricky
Nelson never performed on Bandstand.
Copyright
© 2002- 2014 by
Howard B. Levy and
1960 Sailors
Association
Inc. All rights reserved.
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