"Memories Are Made of This" is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

about

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...

, written in 1955 by

Terry Gilkyson Terry Gilkyson (June 17, 1916 — October 15, 1999) was an American folk singer and songwriter. Biography Gilkyson was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island in 1935. By his early ...

, Richard Dehr, and

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

. They were the members of a three-pieced group called " The Easy Riders", who served as a

backing band A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such ...

for

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

's version of this song, also released in 1955.

History

The song was first issued by

Mindy Carson Mindy Carson is an American former traditional pop vocalist. She was heard often on radio during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Carson grew up in the Bronx, graduating from James Monroe High School. After graduation, she took a position as typ ...

with Ray Conniff's Orchestra and The Columbians. Carson's version reached No. 53 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s Top 100 chart. The most popular version of the song was recorded by

in 1955. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits.

Billboard Books ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

. p. 6. Accessed September 21, 2016. He was backed by The Easy Riders (who consisted of Gilkyson, Dehr, and Miller), who wrote it. On the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the 45 and 78 recordings was "Change of Heart" written by John Rox. Martin's version reached No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Top 100 chart, remaining at the top for five weeks in 1956, while spending six weeks atop ''Billboard''s chart of songs "Most Played by Jockeys", five weeks atop ''Billboard''s chart of "Best Sellers in Stores", and four weeks atop ''Billboard''s chart of songs "Most Played in Juke Boxes". It became a

Gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

and Martin's biggest hit. It was also his only UK number one hit, topping the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on 23 February 1956, and remaining at the top for four weeks. The song also reached No. 2 in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and No. 20 in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

Gale Storm Josephine Owaissa Cottle (April 5, 1922 – June 27, 2009), known professionally as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer. After a film career from 1940 to 1952, she starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, '' My Litt ...

released a version of the song in late 1955, which reached No. 5 on ''Billboard''s chart of songs "Most Played by Jockeys", while reaching No. 16 on "The Top 100". After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the song was adapted into the "Honvágy-dal" ('The Song of Homesickness') and used as an unofficial anthem for refugees scattered around the world. Recorded by

Ida Boros Ida or IDA may refer to: Astronomy * Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid *International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station Computing *Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a techn ...

, it became a cultural phenomenon and a sign of protest against the communist government. The song charted once more in 1966 by the Drifters, a No. 48, hit for them. It was recorded by Anne Murray for her ''

Croonin' ''Croonin is a studio album by Canadian country vocalist Anne Murray. It was released by EMI Music Canada and SBK Records on November 2, 1993. The album peaked at number 1 on the ''RPM'' Country Albums chart. Heartland Records put out a ''Croonin ...

'' album in 1993, but it was only released as a bonus track on the special ''Croonin album put out by Heartland Records. In Germany, titled "Heimweh" ("Homesickness") and performed by

Freddy Quinn Freddy Quinn (born Franz Eugen Helmut Manfred Nidl; 27 September 1931) is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity in the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. As Hans Albers had done two generations before him, Quinn ...

and with lyrics by Ernst Bader and Dieter Rasch, the song was 14 weeks at number one, the most successful song of 1956. Worldwide it sold more than eight million, thus exceeding sales of the Dean Martin version.Catherine C. Fraser/Dirk O. Hoffmann: ''Pop Culture Germany: Media, Arts And Lifestile'', 2006, p. 262

Other notable recordings

English versions: * Dave King (1956) *

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

(1956) *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

for his album ''

Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around ''Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around'' was Bing Crosby's fourth album for Decca and his fifth LP, recorded and originally released in 1956 on vinyl as Decca DL 8352. This was a concept album of sorts, as Bing covered some of his musi ...

'' (1956) *

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

(1959. #81 in Music Vendor) * Ray Conniff (1960) *

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

(1960) *

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

(1963) *

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

(1963) *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

(1964) *

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

(1964) *

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

and

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

(1965) *

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

(1966) *

Val Doonican Michael Valentine Doonican (3 February 1927 – 1 July 2015) was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening, and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed style. A crooner, he found popular success, especially in the ...

(1967) *

Shorty Long Shorty is a nickname, usually for a short person. See Shorty (nickname). Shorty may also refer to: Music Artists * Ras Shorty I, Trinidadian artist and founder of soca music. * Shorty (band), an American rock band formed in 1991 * Shorty (Ameri ...

(1969) * Statler Brothers (1981) * Stanley and the Turbines -

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

version (1983) *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

(1996) *

Deana Martin Deana Martin is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer Dean Martin. Film and television Martin was born in Manhattan to Dean Martin and his first wife, Elizabeth Anne "Betty" McDonald. She moved to Beverly Hills, Californ ...

(2006) German versions: *

''Heimweh (Dort wo die Blumen blüh'n)'' (1956) * ZK, later

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. History The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...

''Heimweh'' (1980) *

Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung The ''EAV'' (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung, German for "First General Confusion/Uncertainty/'Uninsurance'") was an Austrian band which was formed in 1977 and disbanded in 2019. Nino Holm first established a band called "Anti-Pasta", but it ...

''Alk-Parade'' (1991) * Stephan Remmler und die Schatzsucher ''Heimweh'' (1991) *

Element of Crime Element of Crime is a German rock band that plays melancholic chanson, pop and rock music with guitar, bass guitar, drums and voice/trumpet. Band history The band was founded in 1985 by Sven Regener who subsequently became known as the aut ...

''Heimweh'' (2004) Soundtrack ''

The Edukators ''The Edukators'' (german: Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei) is a 2004 crime drama film directed by the Austrian director Hans Weingartner. A co-production between Germany and Austria, it stars Daniel Brühl, Stipe Erceg, and Julia Jentsch as thr ...

'' Hungarian versions: * Ilona Hollós (1957) * Bojtorján (1984) Croatian version: *

Vice Vukov Vinko "Vice" Vukov (3 August 1936 – 24 September 2008) was a Croatian singer and politician. Biography Vukov was born in Šibenik. In 1959, he achieved instant fame by winning the Opatija Music Festival in his singing debut, with the song "Mir ...

''Sve je daleko sad'' (1966)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Memories Are Made Of This Songs about nostalgia Number-one singles in the United States Number-one singles in Germany Billboard Top 100 number-one singles 1955 songs Songs written by Terry Gilkyson Songs written by Frank Miller (singer) UK Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Dean Martin songs Capitol Records singles

History

Other notable recordings

See also

References