Oof!

One day not long ago, I played “spin-the-wheel” with my car radio, and the needle stopped at the channel playing hits of the 1950s. Since this was a decade before I became musically aware, I decided to have a listen.

I believe that whenever we listen to an “oldies” song, we need to keep in mind the era it was written in. That said, sometimes a song holds up nicely over the decades. Other times, not so much.

So here’s a cautionary tale for all of us aspiring songwriters: don’t let this happen to you. Exhibit A, Frankie Avalon’s "Bobby Sox To Stockings". This is the first song I heard on that ‘50s-hits channel.

Oh dear. I could feel my teeth developing cavities just listening to this song.

Surely the songwriters must have given a passing thought to the fact that “bobby sox” were a fashion trend likely to end soon enough. If you’re hearing this song for the first time, raise your hand if you had to consult a dictionary to find out what bobby sox were.

OK. I suppose we can forgive that anachronistic mistake. But what about the über-sugary lyrics overall, and the meaning behind them? Maybe it was considered socially acceptable in the 1950’s for a young male to comment on a young female emerging from girlhood with lyrics such as this?

When a girl changes from bobby sox to stockings

And she starts trading her baby toys for boys

When that once-shy little sleepyhead

Learns about love and its lilt

You can bet that the change is more than from cotton to silk

Wow. I can’t even… Would a song like this be likable - acceptable - today? 

No disrespect to Mr. Avalon. He was a product - quite literally, a marketed product - of his day. He didn’t write this troubling song, and I suspect he may have been instructed to perform it. 

Well, songs are a matter of taste, I suppose. But I would need a shot of very hard whiskey to get this sickeningly sweet song out of my head.

Fortunately for me, the very next song played on the oldies channel was a marvelous palate-cleanser by the iconic Patsy Cline, namely, "Walkin' After Midnight".

Now that is a song that has held up beautifully for nearly seven decades. Thank you, dear Patsy. I so needed that!