"(The) Rock and Roll Waltz" is a popular

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

with music by

Shorty Allen Shorty may refer to: People * Shorty (nickname) * Shorty G and Shorty Gable, ring names of Chad Gable (born 1986), American professional wrestler Music Artists * Ras Shorty I, Trinidadian artist and founder of soca music * Shorty (band), an Ame ...

and lyrics by

Roy Alfred Roy Alfred (May 14, 1916 – 2008) was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist whose successful songs included " The Hucklebuck", " Rock and Roll Waltz", " Who Can Explain?", and "Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)". His first major suc ...

in 1955, although the original copyright assigned the lyrics to Alfred's mother, Jeanne, under the pseudonym 'Dick Ware'. As the title suggests, this

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

is a

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

triple metre Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 ( compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with , a ...

, but it also contains a bass

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

that is reminiscent of typical

boogie woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, but already developed in African-American communities since the 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually ex ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

riffs. The song is told from the point of view of a teenager who comes home early from a date, and catches her parents attempting to dance to one of her

records; only, having no frame of reference, the couple tries to waltz to the music. The

Kay Starr Kay Starr (born Catherine Laverne Starks; July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016) was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multiple genres, such as p ...

recording of the song, made in 1955, reached number one on the ''Billboard'' singles chart in 1956, staying there for six weeks. The recording was released by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

as catalog number 47-6359. It was Kay Starr's first recording of great significance for RCA Victor after leaving

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. She had a number of lesser chart entries on RCA Victor in 1955, including "Good and Lonesome" and "Turn Right". At first, she thought it was a joke when the A&R staff at RCA Victor brought it to her, it was a marked departure from what she usually recorded. The song turned out to be a number one hit, a million seller, and one of the early songs of the rock and roll era. The track also spent one week at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1956. Other artists who recorded this song include

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

(in 1962),

Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. She began her professional career at age 12, becoming one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the original ''The Mickey Mouse Club, Mickey Mouse Cl ...

(in 1961),

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...

and His Champagne Music with Alice Lon on vocals (in 1956, Coral EC 81128), and George Wright in his 1984 album ''Red Hot and Blue''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock And Roll Waltz 1955 songs 1956 singles Kay Starr songs Number-one singles in the United States Number-one singles in Australia UK singles chart number-one singles RCA Victor singles Songs with lyrics by Roy Alfred Songs about dancing Songs about rock music

See also

References