If you’re looking for the best songs from 1955, then you’ve come to the right place. Here you can find all the golden oldies that made 1955 one of the best years in music history.
Maybe you’ll add one or two to your favorites by the end!
“Ain’t That A Shame” by Fats Domino
Song year: 1955
Fats Domino was a pioneer in the early days of rock and roll and New Orleans jazz. His skill as a pianist and songwriter set him apart from others in the industry.
“Ain’t That A Shame” is one of his most popular songs, a tune about a man wallowing in jazzy style over the heartbreak of his lover leaving him.
“Only You” by Platters
Song year: 1955
“Only You” is a sweet love song with everything a person needs to successfully woo their special person: perfect harmonies, a doo-wop background, and a desperate longing in the lead singer’s voice.
Check out some other great love songs that will weaken your knees!
“Unchained Melody” by Al Hibbler
Song year: 1955
Although “Unchained Melody” was made famous by the Righteous Brothers in the 1970s, the original recording by Al Hibbler is a staple in the jazz genre of the 1950s.
It’s one of those songs that helps set the mood, no matter what. It communicates a clear, beautiful message about the purest forms of love.
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
Song year: 1955
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love” presents almost every lyric in the form of a question. The artist seems to think that his central inquiry, “Why do fools fall in love?” is as obvious as the most fundamental questions of life and nature.
In the end, he may not have the answer he wants. But he finally understands that no one can control falling in love.
“Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two
Song year: 1955
“Folsom Prison Blues” is probably one of Johnny Cash’s most popular songs. He famously performed it in prison halls filled with inmates, commiserating with them in a lighthearted fashion.
“Folsom Prison Blues” is an upbeat song about people who regret crimes and mistakes and wish things might be different one day.
Check out these other great Johnny Cash songs!
“Learnin’ the Blues” by Frank Sinatra
Song year: 1955
Many people have tried their hand at recording “Learnin’ the Blues,” and plenty of them are worth listening to; but Frank Sinatra’s version from 1955 is one of the best you can find.
The big-band style that proved so popular in the early 1900s continued to impact musicians like Frank Sinatra, especially when he was recording famous big-band standards.
“Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)” by Perry Como
Song year: 1955
Perry Como is a genius in creating catchy tunes that anyone can enjoy. He didn’t make music for a mature audience, but his songs resonated with people of all ages.
The love songs from Como’s library are fun because they’re upbeat and peppy. Best of all, you can easily sing along with them.
“A Blossom Fell” by Nat King Cole
Song year: 1955
Of all the jazz and blues artists from the 1950s, few were as hauntingly beautiful in tone and musicality as Nat King Cole. From his signature sultry voice to his touching lyrics, he had a way of communicating unlike anyone else.
“A Blossom Fell” is filled with longing and heartbreak as a man watches his lover make promises to someone else.
“The Ballad of Davy Crockett” by Fess Parker
Song year: 1955
For centuries, songs have been one of the best ways to tell little kids about the legends of history and the great men of the past. Such pieces usually come in ballad form and are always incredibly catchy.
Whether perfectly historically accurate or not, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” is a great tune about a famous pioneer and true American hero.
“Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes
Song year: 1955
The Chordettes sing this happy, upbeat tune about a woman making a wish to “Mr. Sandman” that he would bring her someone to love.
They describe in great detail what kind of man she would like, lamenting her loneliness and hoping that the powers of “Mr. Sandman” are great enough to give her what she wants.
“Moments to Remember” by The Four Lads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12mgCx88t3g
Song year: 1955
“Moments to Remember” is a touching song that takes the listener on a time-traveling adventure about all life’s wonders.
From the first day of the year to the end of life, there are so many moments along the way that are worth taking careful note of and remembering.
“The Wallflower (Dance With Me, Henry)” by Etta James
Song year: 1955
Etta James made a name for herself as a powerhouse female singer, capable of astounding ranges and perfect pitch. Her voice is among those that listeners can recognize almost instantaneously.
Her 1955 hit “The Wallflower” is an excellent example of why James was one of the most famous jazz singers of her time.
“Blue Velvet” by Clovers
Song year: 1955
“Blue Velvet” is another example of heartbreaking tunes that defined R&B and soul throughout the mid-20th century.
The Clovers band was not the most popular of the 1950s, but “Blue Velvet” was a doo-wop hit that topped charts and brought listeners to tears with its solemn lyrics.
“Journey With No End” by Johnny Horton
Song year: 1955
Johnny Horton was famous for writing historical ballads about famous people, battles, and events in American history.
He also had a catalog of more topical songs, such as “Journey With No End.” In the song, he’s trying to escape his troubles and loneliness but can’t succeed.
“The Door Is Still Open To My Heart” by Cardinals
Song year: 1955
“The Door Is Still Open To My Heart” is a great, heartwarming tune about a man who’s not afraid to admit his true feelings. Even though he’s suffering, he wants to be honest.
He wants his special lady to know that there will always be a place for her in his life. All she has to do is come back to him.
“Memories Are Made Of This” by Dean Martin
Song year: 1955
Dean Martin is one of the most popular singers from the mid-1900s. His songs are still recognized by music lovers everywhere.
“Memories Are Made Of This” shows why Martin became such a beloved artist. He sings about all the sweet things that make life worth living and remembering.
“A Fool For You” by Ray Charles
Song year: 1955
Is there anything as painful as loving someone who doesn’t love you back? Ray Charles seems to think the only thing that comes close is loving someone who says they’ll never love you back.
With his instantly recognizable tone and beautiful piano playing, Charles delivers a heartbreaking song about being “A Fool For You.” His favorite woman has no interest in him, yet he can’t get her off his mind.
“April In Paris” by Count Basie
Song year: 1955
If you’re looking for a big-band masterpiece, anything by Count Basie is guaranteed to get your attention.
“April In Paris” was composed for a Broadway musical, and Count Basie made it his own with the help of his famed orchestra.
Other artists have covered the song, but Basie does it best.
“Soldier Boy” by Four Fellows
Song year: 1955
In this beautiful song from 1955, the “Soldier Boy” is encouraged to believe that his lady back home will remain faithful to him while he fights for freedom.
His woman has promised that she’ll wait for his return and that she’ll love no one but him. So he can go off and be brave, trusting that he has the undying love of a beautiful woman back home.
“Morning, Noon And Night” by Joe Turner
Song year: 1955
The lyrics of “Morning, Noon And Night” are vague. It’s hard to tell if the man in the song is living life on his own and dreaming about happier times or if he’s watching as he loses his woman because of his choices.
Either way, he’s still deeply in love with her.
“So Doggone Lonesome” by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two
Song year: 1955
Johnny Cash had a unique talent: he could take the most touching tunes and add his own upbeat, easy-listening spin without losing the sweetest aspects of the song.
That’s what “So Doggone Lonesome” truly embodies. Listeners don’t exactly feel the need to grab some tissues, but they’ll undoubtedly empathize with Johnny Cash’s loneliness by the end of the song.
“I’ll Be Forever Loving You” by El Dorados
Song year: 1955
“I’ll Be Forever Loving You” is almost good enough to dance to with your special someone. It’s a song that features a man pledging loyalty and love to his woman, no matter what she thinks of him.
It’s hard to find someone so loyal; it’s easy for listeners to find themselves hoping that the woman in the song will commit to him in the same way.
“I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” by Elvis Presley with Scotty & Bill
Song year: 1955
It’s hard to go wrong with Elvis Presley, often known simply as The King. Throughout the 1950s, he performed with his artist buddies Scotty and Bill. That’s where “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” came into being.
It’s a more humorous take on the heartbreak that comes when your lover leaves you for good.
“Hey Bartender” by Floyd Dixon
Song year: 1955
“Many artists have covered Hey Bartender,” but the original by songwriter Floyd Dixon is easily one of the best versions available.
“Hey Bartender” is a great drinking song, all about a man who likes to have a good time when he’s out on the town. Whether on his own or with his buddies, he’ll do what he has to do to enjoy himself.
“Johnny Has Gone” by Varetta Dillard
Song year: 1955
“Johnny Has Gone” starts with a soft, bluesy piano and saxophone intro as Varetta Dillard’s beautiful voice comes in and tells the tale of the man she loves.
Her special man is no longer with her on earth. She bravely sings about her lasting love for him and how she desperately hopes to see him again one day.
“In My Diary” by Moonglows
Song year: 1955
If you’ve ever kept a diary, you know how freeing it can be to write down everything you’re afraid to talk about with other people. It’s a place to keep secrets and still find closure.
The Moonglows like to write about love and longing in “In My Diary.” The diary is the only place where they can keep their deepest secrets.
“The Chicken And The Hawk” by Joe Turner
Song year: 1955
If you want a fun, original rock and roll song to groove to, then you need to check out “The Chicken And The Hawk” by Big Joe Turner.
This song embodies the groovy, jazzy, rocking tunes that were so popular throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
“Burn That Candle” by Bill Haley & His Comets
Song year: 1955
A list of good music from 1955 would be incomplete without mentioning Bill Haley & His Comets. Their hits hugely impacted rock and roll from 1947 until 1981.
Bill Haley’s group was a little more clean-cut than other artists like Elvis Presley, but their music was just as loved.
“Real Gone Lover” by Smiley Lewis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tykbFc99HA
Song year: 1955
Listeners quickly get the impression that the main character is something of a player. He spends the whole song bragging about his attractiveness and how quickly women seem to fall in love with him.
Smiley Lewis pulls no punches with this rock and roll song about a man who seems to love all women, not one woman in particular.
“I Get Along Without You Very Well” by Frank Sinatra
Song year: 1955
Frank Sinatra had a special way of cutting straight to the heart of his listeners with aching tunes about how hurtful love can sometimes be.
“I Get Along Without You Very Well” is one of those songs.
Sinatra’s tune is a gut-wrenching story about trying to convince himself that he’s doing just fine without his lover. However, it’s evident that his heart is broken.
“The Birth of the Blues” by Sammy Davis Jr.
Song year: 1955
There are some songs out there that helped to define a whole generation of music. “The Birth of the Blues” by Sammy Davis Jr. is one of those epic tunes.
With a fantastic horn section and the brilliance of Sammy Davis as an entertaining, “The Birth of the Blues” is a perfect song for any occasion if you need to get the mood up.
“Carolina Moon” by Dean Martin
Song year: 1955
Dean Martin knows how to get his listeners to feel the things that he wants them to feel: love, loneliness, loss, excitement, and even longing.
In “Carolina Moon,” his sexy, crooning style is sure to turn you into a helpless puddle of romanticism.
As he looks at the lovely moon and thinks about the love he can’t have, you can’t help but feel the ache of his loneliness as if it were your own.
“Cry, Cry, Cry” by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two
Song year: 1955
Johnny Cash tells a story about the danger of messing around when you have someone special waiting for you back home.
“Cry, Cry, Cry” comes front he perspective of a man who knows that his woman has been skipping out on him. So he makes up his mind to call things off with her once and for all.
“The Man in the Raincoat” by Priscilla Wright
Song year: 1955
If you want to hear one of the saddest songs Priscilla Wright ever sang, look no further than “The Man in the Raincoat.”
The woman in the song meets the man of her dreams one night, and they begin a whirlwind romance. Eventually, he borrows some of her money to make her his wife.
But before she gets the proposal of her dreams, the man disappears – with her money!
“I Forgot to Remember to Forget” by Elvis Presley
Song year: 1955
In “I Forgot to Remember to Forget,” Elvis seems incapable of remembering that he’s not supposed to be thinking about the woman who broke his heart.
It’s sad when a heartbroken man is so hung up on the woman who hurt him that he can’t help but think about her all day long.
Top Songs From 1955, Final Thoughts
Some truly great music came from 1955 from some of the most important and famous artists in music history. Everything from blues and jazz to R&B and soul was popular in 1955, making it a truly interesting year for music.
Good music from 1955 comes from wonderful musicians like Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Count Basie. They made songs that still resonate with listeners today.
What are your best songs from 1955? Did we leave any out? Let us know in the comments below!