(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.)
Shelley Fabares - "Johnny Angel"
Hit Number 1: April 7, 1962
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
In the early 1960s, there was a TV sitcom called the Donna Reed Show. It's where the actress Shelley Fabares got her start as an actress and singer, and did so when she was only a teenager. In an episode titled "Donna's Prima Donna", she premiered a new song that would appear on her first solo album "Shelley!". That song was "Johnny Angel", a song about longing for someone desperately, but realizing that it's a longshot because they aren't even aware of your existence. In the song, the narrator even goes as far as to decline all other boys' requests for dates to keep even the smallest chance that she could be an item with Johnny alive.
Let's face it: We all have those people (usually celebrities) that we crush on, but just have that one small problem of them not even knowing our existence. In some cases, we might even have crushes on celebrities from days gone by. I'll use myself as an example for you lovely people: Lately I've been listening to a lot of Heart (that great rock band that will luckily appear in this blog, though unfortunately only twice) so of course, naturally I've developed a bit of a crush on lead singer Ann Wilson's days from the 70s. One problem: I didn't exist in the 70s, and even now she doesn't know I exist, and unless this blog absolutely blows up or I become a world leader or something, probably never will. So there's that. And my current celebrity crush is Victoria Justice, who also, doesn't know I exist. What I'm trying to say here, is that "Johnny Angel" is a song that most people can probably relate to. Though I don't know if the "Johnny" in question is supposed to be a celebrity or not.
Lots of people probably think that "Johnny Angel" was originally by Fabares, but it wasn't. It was written by a couple of songwriters named Lyn Duddy and Lee Pockriss. Besides having two of the best names ever, they really didn't do much else of note. Two other singers named Laurie Loman and Georgia Lee had the first crack at the song, but those versions went nowhere. Instead, it took a 16-year old girl on a sitcom to make "Johnny Angel" a hit. Fabares was accompanied by Darlene Love and her group the Blossoms (who will appear in this blog, but in a strange and intriguing way) and they sang backing vocals. Fabares was intimidated by having them with her on the song, because she said they had such "beautiful" voices, and she didn't think of herself as much of a singer. Despite that, she was expected to sing on the show anyway.
Even with all of the stuff above, she managed to do a fine job with "Johnny Angel". Fabares is a pretty good singer to her credit, and the song is a very dreamy sort of tune. That really works and it fits because the narrator is basically dreaming to herself about "Johnny". There isn't a whole lot to the song, and it sure isn't anything to get excited about, but it isn't boring to listen to, and it doesn't outstay its welcome. The song is only 2 minutes and 19 seconds long. To me, it's a piece of music that almost seems fit for someone like Fabares, and isn't a song that should be covered very often. Unless you completely ripoff Fabares' version, there's not much else you can add to the song to make it better.
Even after the success of "Johnny Angel", Fabares wasn't fit for a music career. But she did have an acting career that was quite successful, and spanned across three decades. She's best known for playing the love interest of Hayden Fox (Craig T. Nelson) in the show "Coach", which is an amazing show, and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. So at least Fabares didn't entirely drop off the face of the Earth after her music career stalled. Regardless of what happened to her after "Johnny Angel", at least she even had a #1 hit in the first place, and with a decent little song. There's not a whole lot of people that can claim that they had the most popular song in the country at one point.
GRADE: 6/10
Another fun song. Don't take it for more than what's meant to be. As fpr Ann Wilson, one of the best female vocalists I have ever heard. And, I was around in the 70's and listened to a ton of Heart.