(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer to the "Poor Little Fool" post)
Bobby Vinton - "There! I've Said It Again"
Hit Number 1: January 4, 1964
Stay at Number 1: 4 Weeks
The Beatles were coming, and they were approaching fast. Curiously enough, the final #1 song before Beatlemania hit America, was a very hammy, sappy love song by Bobby Vinton. If you remember, Vinton previously got to that spot with fellow slow ballad songs "Roses Are Red (My Love)" and "Blue Velvet". You would think that maybe the final #1 song before the Beatles would be more memorable, strictly just because of that. But "There! I've Said It Again" has completely evaporated into obscurity, and it is nearly impossible to hear this song being played anywhere today. That's probably because it is about as pointless as they come.
The first version of this song was recorded by Vaughn Monroe in 1945, but the most popular version is this one right here. I'm not even sure how to describe this song, to be completely honest with you guys, but if I had to try, it's slow, sappy, and forgettable. I don't completely hate the thing, as it isn't a "bad" song, but it seems strange that something so dull and unexciting could be #1 for 4 weeks. And it doesn't help with the excitement that followed it at #1. As a separate note for Vinton, the Beatles wouldn't derail his career, like they did for a lot of other pre-Beatles stars. In fact, we still haven't heard the last of Vinton, cause he would hit #1 again later in 1964. Good for him, cause "There! I've Said It Again" would've been an unfortunate last #1 hit.
GRADE: 4/10
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