"Too Young" is a popular song, with music written by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee. [1] A recording of the song was released by Nat King Cole in 1951, which reached No. 1 in the United States and became the best-selling song of the year. The song was an early attempt by music labels to appeal to the younger demographics and its success later led to a boom in music that catered to the young. [2] Another successful version was released by Donny Osmond in 1972.
"Too Young" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Nat King Cole | ||||
B-side | "That's My Girl" | |||
Released | March 1951 | |||
Recorded | February 1951 | |||
Studio | Capitol, 5515 Melrose Ave, Hollywood | |||
Length | 3:11 | |||
Label | Capitol Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Nat King Cole singles chronology | ||||
|
"Too Young" was one of the early attempts by record labels to release songs with a young musical persona that might appeal to a young audience. [3] In the United States, among the earliest versions were those recorded by Victor Young and His Orchestra, [4] [5] and Johnny Desmond. However, it was the version recorded by Nat King Cole that proved to be most successful. [2]
The song was recorded on February 6, 1951, and released by Capitol Records (catalog number 1449) in March. It reached the number one position on the Billboard chart in June 1951, [6] staying there for five weeks and altogether on the Best Seller chart for 29 weeks. [7] It also spent an unprecedented 12 weeks on top of Your Hit Parade , and 8 weeks at No. 1 on the Cash Box chart. [2] It was a million-selling record and Billboard ranked this version as the number one best-selling song of 1951. [8] Cole described this song as one of his three favorites among his own songs. [9]
The success of the song may have convinced record executives that young people had the buying power, which would lead to the boom of rock and roll music that catered to a young audience in the mid-'50s. [2]
Chart (1951) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Best Selling Pop Singles [10] | 1 |
US Cash Box Best Selling Singles [11] | 1 |
Several versions contemporary to Nat King Cole's version were recorded, some making the US charts but not as high.
The recording by Patty Andrews was released by Decca Records as catalog number 27569. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on June 8, 1951 and lasted one week on the chart, peaking at number 30. [7] On other Billboard charts, this version reached as high as number 19 on the Most-played Jukebox Records chart. [12]
Versions that did not make the top 30 best-seller list, but did chart on various other Billboard charts were by Toni Arden (Columbia, number 15 on Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys), [13] by Fran Allison (RCA, number 20 on Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys), [13] and by Richard Hayes (Mercury, number 24). [14]
Semprini, piano with rhythm accompaniment recorded it in London on July 7, 1951, as the second song of the medley "Dancing to the piano (No. 7): Part 1. Hit Medley of Slow Foxtrots" along with "Alice in Wonderland" and "Forbidden Love". It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10123.[ citation needed ]
In the United Kingdom, Jimmy Young had a success with his version of the song, also made in 1951. The song made No. 1 on the UK's sheet music charts in 1951, spending 12 weeks in that position. [15] Another contemporary version was released by Steve Conway. [16]
"Too Young" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Donny Osmond | ||||
from the album Too Young | ||||
B-side | "Love Me" | |||
Released | June 10, 1972 | |||
Recorded | April 17, 1972 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:59 | |||
Label | MGM | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Donny Osmond singles chronology | ||||
|
A version of "Too Young" by then 14-year-old Donny Osmond became an international top 10 hit for him, reaching number 5 in the UK and number 6 in Canada. It also spent eight weeks on the U.S. top 40, with a peak position of number 13 [14] [17] when released as a single (MGM catalog number 14407) in 1972.
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia[ citation needed ] | 13 |
Canada RPM Top Singles [18] | 6 |
Ireland (IRMA) [19] | 2 |
New Zealand ( Listener ) [20] | 3 |
UK (The Official Charts Company) [21] | 5 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [22] | 13 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [23] | 23 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [24] | 8 |
Chart (1972) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada [25] | 98 |
UK [26] | 65 |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(October 2022) |
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" is a 1968 single released by American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, on the Tamla label in 1968. The B-side of the single is "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl" from the duo's United LP. The first release off the duo's second album: You're All I Need, the song—written and produced by regular Gaye/Terrell collaborators Ashford & Simpson—became a hit within weeks of release eventually peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart, the first of the duo's two number-one R&B hits. In the UK "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" reached number 34.
"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name. It was performed by Lee Montgomery in the film and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it Jackson's first number one single in the US as a solo artist. Billboard ranked it as the number 20 song for 1972. It also reached number 1 on the ARIA Charts, spending eight weeks at the top spot. The song also later reached a peak of number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2004, the song appeared in The Ultimate Collection.
"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film One Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952.
"My Heart Cries for You" is a popular song, adapted by Carl Sigman and Percy Faith from an 18th-century French melody. The song has been recorded by many singers, the most successful of which was recorded by Guy Mitchell which reached No. 2 on the Billboard chart in 1951.
"Deep Purple" is a song and the biggest hit written by pianist Peter DeRose, who broadcast between 1923 and 1939 with May Singhi as "The Sweethearts of the Air" on the NBC radio network. The British rock band Deep Purple named themselves after the song.
"Crying in the Chapel" is a song written by Artie Glenn and recorded by his son Darrell Glenn. The song was released in 1953 and reached number six on the Billboard chart.
"It's All in the Game" is a pop song whose most successful version was recorded by Tommy Edwards in 1958. Carl Sigman composed the lyrics in 1951 to a wordless 1911 composition titled "Melody in A Major", written by Charles G. Dawes, who was later Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge. It is the only No. 1 single in the U.S. to have been co-written by a U.S. Vice President or a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable,” however, the music publishing company asked Gordon to change it to "Unforgettable.” The song was published in 1951.
"Why" is a hit song recorded by Frankie Avalon in 1959. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart published on the week of December 28, 1959. It was Avalon's second and final No. 1 hit.
"Young Love" is a popular song, written by Ric Cartey and Carole Joyner, and published in 1956. The original version was recorded by Ric Cartey with the Jiva-Tones on November 24, 1956. Joyner was a high school student when she co-wrote the song with Cartey, her boyfriend at the time. It was released in 1956 by Stars Records as catalog number 539 and one month later by RCA Records as catalog number 47-6751. Cartey's version never charted.
"Go Away Little Girl" is a popular song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded by Bobby Vee for Liberty Records on March 28, 1962. The lyrics consist of a young man asking a young attractive woman to stay away from him, so that he will not be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her. The song is notable for making the American Top 20 three times: for Steve Lawrence in 1963, for The Happenings in 1966, and for Donny Osmond in 1971. It is also the first song, and one of only nine, to reach US number 1 by two different artists. Also notable in each of the solo versions is the similar double-tracked treatment of the singer's voice.
"Paper Roses" is a popular song written and composed by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre. It first was a top five hit in 1960 for Anita Bryant. Marie Osmond recorded it in 1973 and took her version to number one on the US country chart.
"(I Love You) for Sentimental Reasons" is a popular song written by Ivory "Deek" Watson, founding member of the Ink Spots and of the Brown Dots, and William "Pat" Best, founding member of the Four Tunes.
"One Bad Apple" is a song by the Osmonds, released as a single on November 14, 1970. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 2, 1971. It hit the top of the chart on February 13, 1971 and stayed there for five weeks. It also reached No. 6 on the R&B chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song for 1971. The song is an early example of bubblegum dance. Both "One Bad Apple" and the Donny Osmond-credited single "Sweet and Innocent" are on the 1970 album Osmonds. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 4, 1971.
"Soldier of Love" is a 1988 song by American singer Donny Osmond, which became his comeback hit. It first was a Top 30 hit in the UK in 1988 and "Soldier of Love" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, behind Michael Damian's "Rock On", becoming his sixth and last top-10 hit.
"(You've Got Me) Dangling on a String" is a 1970 soul music song by the Chairmen of the Board. The single reached No. 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 19 on the US Billboard R&B chart, and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. Ronald Dunbar and Edythe Wayne wrote the song.
The discography of American pop singer Donny Osmond contains 18 studio albums, nine compilation albums, one live album, four video albums, three extended plays, four music videos, 25 singles and eight additional appearances. After several years collaborating with his siblings' band, The Osmonds, he embarked on a solo career in 1971. His debut single, "Sweet and Innocent," reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and made him a teen pop star. Its follow-up entitled "Go Away Little Girl" topped the same chart in 1971. Also in 1971 his debut studio album was released called The Donny Osmond Album. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart. His third studio release, Portrait of Donny, reached number six on the Billboard 200 and is his highest-charting album to date. Its two singles became top ten hits on the pop chart: "Hey Girl" and "Puppy Love." He released his fourth studio effort in 1972, Too Young. The record peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200. It spawned the top 20 pop hits: the title track and "Why." In 1973, Alone Together marked his fifth studio album release and peaked at number 26 in the United States. It spawned his cover of "The Twelfth of Never," which reached number eight on the Hot 100. By the mid-1970s, Osmond reached adulthood and his career began to decline despite collaborations with his sister, Marie Osmond. In 1976, he recorded an album of disco, which only reached number 145 on the Billboard 200.
"Morning Side of the Mountain" is a song written by Larry Stock and Dick Manning and first recorded in 1951 by Tommy Edwards. It settled at #24 on the pop chart. Edwards re-recorded it in 1959, reaching #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The re-release was featured as the B-side of Edwards' other hit, a cover of Johnnie Ray's 1952 success, "Please Mr. Sun."
Song Sung Blue is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on September 13, 1972, by Columbia Records and featured his renditions of mostly recent chart hits.
Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole is a soundtrack album released in the UK in 1983 by the CBS Records division of Columbia in conjunction with the broadcast of American pop singer Johnny Mathis's BBC television concert special of the same name that featured Cole's daughter Natalie. The front of the original album jacket credits the concert performers as "Johnny Mathis and Natalie Cole", whereas the CD booklet reads, "Johnny Mathis with special guest Natalie Cole".