Graduation Day (The Four Freshmen song)

"Graduation Day"
Single by the Four Freshmen
from the album Freshman Favorites
B-side	"Lonely Night in Paris"
Released	April 1956 (1956-04)
Genre	Jazz, vocal pop
Length	3:01
Label	Capitol
Composer(s)	Joe Sherman
Lyricist(s)	Noel Sherman
The Four Freshmen singles chronology
"Angel Eyes" (1956) "Graduation Day" (1956) "He Who Loves and Runs Away" (1956)

"Graduation Day" is a song composed by Joe Sherman with lyrics by his brother Noel Sherman, ^[1] and was a 1956 hit song by the Four Freshmen.

Background

The song is about nostalgia ^[2] and was an important influence in the early rock era. ^[3]

Chart performance

In the US, the Four Freshmen recording reached number 27 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart. ^[4] in 1956. The version by the Canadian vocal group The Rover Boys (named after the popular college-themed literary characters) reached number 16 on the U.S. charts.

Cover versions

• Bobby Pickett released his own version of the song in 1963. ^[5]
• The song was a concert staple of the Beach Boys, who were deeply influenced by the Four Freshmen. ^[6] A recording of it was featured on the live Capitol Records album Beach Boys Concert (1964), and a studio version was included as a bonus track on the 1990 Today! & Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) compilation CD. ^{[7] [8]}
• In 1967, The Arbors recorded their version and included on their The Arbors Sing Valley of the Dolls LP. ^[9]

References

1. "Original versions of Graduation Day written by Joe Sherman [US1], Noel Sherman". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
2. Browne, Ray Broadus; Ambrosetti, Ronald J. (1993). Continuities in Popular Culture: The Present in the Past & the Past in the Present and Future. ISBN   9780879725938.a single from the Capitol album Freshman Favorites,
3. The Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era p218
4. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 312.
5. Bobby Pickett, 44177 Graduation Day, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxvEqZaAQNE
6. Beach Boys - Graduation Day, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YGXJH1KjSs
7. Graduation Day (Live / 2001 Remastered), YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujPojOwEgn8
8. "The Beach Boys – Today & Summer Days And Summer Nights (1990, CD)". Discogs. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
9. "The Arbors Sing Valley Of The Dolls". Discogs.com. 1967. Retrieved February 3, 2021.