BARRY LEVINE: Great music can be a lot of work

Editor’s note: To honor the reason for the Labor Day holiday, here are songs pertaining to jobs and labor.

Labor Day evolved from the nation’s labor movement and is dedicated to the achievements of American workers. Congress passed an act on June 28, 1894, making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

To honor the reason for Labor Day, here are some of the songs pertaining to jobs and labor since the beginning of the modern rock ‘n’ roll era in 1955. The songs are in chronological order.

“Sixteen Tons” – The song is based on life in the coal mines in Muhlenberg County in Kentucky. Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded “Sixteen Tons” in 1955 as the B-side of his rendition of the standard, “You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry.” “Sixteen Tons,” a million-seller, held the top spot on the Pop chart for eight weeks spanning 1955 and 1956. This was Ford’s most successful song. Among the diverse performers who covered the song were The Weavers, B.B. King, The Platters, Jimmy Dean, Jerry Reed, Stevie Wonder and Johnny Cash.

“Banana Boat Song” – The traditional Jamaican folk song became a No. 5 hit for Harry Belafonte in 1957. It is a tune about Jamaican dock employees working the night shift loading bananas onto ships. Daylight has come, the shift is over and they want their pay to be determined so that they can go home. The tune was sung by Jamaican dock workers during rise of the banana industry in the country more than one century ago. The Tarriers released a version of “Banana Boat Song” later in 1957 and it climbed to No. 4, surprisingly outperforming Belafonte’s hit.

“Get a Job” – The Silhouettes got the idea for their 1958 No.1 hit from group member Richard Lewis’ mother who kept telling him to “Get a Job” … “Get a Job” after he returned from military service during the early 1950s. The Doo-Wop tune explained the problem of being unemployed in this country. The song sold more than 3 million copies. “Get a Job” was featured in several movies including “American Graffiti” in 1973, “Trading Places” in 1983, “Stand by Me” in 1986 and “Good Morning, Vietnam” in 1987. This was the Silhouettes only hit.

“Chain Gang” – Sam Cooke got the motivation for his smash hit after seeing a chain-gang of prisoners working on a highway while he was on tour. Cooke reportedly felt sorry for the men and gave them several cartons of cigarettes. The song reached No. 2 on the chart in October 1960, blocked by Larry Verne’s novelty hit “Mr. Custer” for the top spot. This was Cooke’s first Top 10 hit since “You Send Me” in 1957. Among those who covered “Chain Gang” and charted with it were Jackie Wilson with Count Basie and Jim Croce.

“Big Bad John” – Another of the “mine” songs that became a No. 1 hit, Jimmy Dean’s smash topped the charts for five weeks beginning in November 1961. It was the first Pop hit for the country singer and his only No. 1 song. The tune tells the story of a miner who earned the nickname “Big John” because of his size – 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds. One day, a mine’s support timber cracked and the situation looked bleak until Big John grabbed the piece of wood allowing other miners in that sector to escape. Big John never escaped and the mine never reopened.

“A Hard Day’s Night” – The Beatles’ song was initially heard in their first feature movie “A Hard Day’s Night.” The single was released in July 1964 and quickly rose to No. 1. Ringo Starr, the Beatles’ drummer, is credited with naming the song. “We went to do a job, and we’d worked all day and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking it was day and I said, ‘It’s been a hard day …’ and I looked around and saw it was dark so I said, ‘… night!’ So we came to ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ ” he said in an interview.

This week in rock history: “Moments To Remember” by The Four Lads became the first of their 12 chart entries on Sept. 3, 1955, and was their biggest hit, reaching No. 2 and staying on the chart for an amazing 25 weeks. … Following the stabbing deaths of two teenagers by a 17-year-old and other similar incidents of violence in New York City, WCBS radio in the Big Apple banned all versions of “Mack the Knife.” … Annette Funicello’s “Pineapple Princess” entered the pop chart on Sept. 5, 1960, where it eventually would reach No. 11. … After a show in the Memphis Mid-Southern Coliseum on Sept. 6, 1969, James Brown announced his retirement from live performing, effective July 4, 1970. The Godfather of Soul explained his decision by saying he’s tired. … Georgia Gibbs performed “The Hula-Hoop Song” on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sept. 7, 1957, boosting the craze that swept North America. The song would be the last of nine Top 40 hits for Gibbs. … Dickey Lee cracked the Top 40 for the first time on Sept. 8, 1962, with “Patches.” Despite being banned by some radio stations for its teen suicide theme, the record climbed to No. 6. … Elvis Presley made his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in front of 54 million TV viewers on Sept. 9, 1956, which gave the program an incredible 82.6 rating. He sang “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “Hound Dog” and “Ready Teddy” for host Charles Laughton who was subbing for Ed Sullivan who was recovering from a car accident.

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].