"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.
| "Graduation Day" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Four Freshmen | ||||
| from the album Freshman Favorites | ||||
| B-side | "Lonely Night in Paris" | |||
| Released | April 1956 | |||
| Genre | Jazz, pop | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Composer(s) | Joe Sherman | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Noel Sherman | |||
| The Four Freshmen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe song is about nostalgia[2] and was an important influence in the early rock era.[3]
Chart performance
editIn 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
edit- 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
edit- ^ "Original versions of Graduation Day written by Joe Sherman [US1], Noel Sherman". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ 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,
- ^ The Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era p218
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 312.
- ^ Bobby Pickett, 44177 Graduation Day, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxvEqZaAQNE
- ^ Beach Boys - Graduation Day, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YGXJH1KjSs
- ^ Graduation Day (Live / 2001 Remastered), YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujPojOwEgn8
- ^ "The Beach Boys – Today & Summer Days And Summer Nights (1990, CD)". Discogs. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "The Arbors Sing Valley Of The Dolls". Discogs.com. 1967. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
 | This 1950s song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |