P.S. I Love You: The Story of the Singing Hilltoppers

5. Hilltopper Tops

 •  Hilltopper Tops Here’s a “letter” that showed up in one of the Hilltoppers’ fanzines : “Sweetheart,” “I FoundYour Letter” on “This Stormy Night.” “My Heart” went “Ka-Ding-Dong” when I saw your blue eyes “Crying in the Rain,” and “Love Walked In.” “I Can’t Lie to Myself;” “Without You,” “I’m Tormented,” so “Can’t We Try Again.” “Darlin,’” “I’m Trying for Keeps,” because “Until You’re Mine,” there will be “Teardrops In My Eyes.” “You Made Up My Mind,” “It’s OnlyYou,” and I never want “To Be Alone.” “If I Were King,” “I’d Rather Die Young” because there is “No Greater Love,” and “Time Waits For No One.”“I’mSoTired”of“Searching”for“MyTreasure”“Until The Real Thing Comes Along.” “I’m Sending Bouquets And Kisses,” and a “Faded Rose.” “About a Quarter To Nine” we will “Do the Bop,” to the “Kentuckian Song” and the “Old Cabaret.” “Till Then.” “Mary Ann” [departing from the usual spelling of “Marianne”] “P.S. I Love You.”1 There were at least thirty-five Hilltopper recordings in this lineup . Letters such as this reflected the love and affection of fans all over the world. Many of these songs continued to play in the top ten of Hilltopper recordings. Of course, the first song to catch the public’s attention was “Trying.” Dot Records began to advertise this song in Billboard as early as May 1952 and, P.S. I LoveYou 00 after the Sullivan show of October 1952, pushed it heavily. By late fall 1952, it was on Billboard’s Honor Roll of Hits. 2 Billboard was founded in 1894 primarily to report on carnival entertainments around the country, but it ultimately changed to tracking popularity in music; hit record charts have existed since 1940. “To open a copy of Billboard,” said one author, “is to enter a space dominated by charts, numbers, hierarchies, predictions, and speculations.” Coming out once a week, the magazine lists all of the most requested and played songs, based on DJ surveys and record sales; who sang them at what level of chart hierarchy (who is competing with whom); and how long each performer or group has been at a particular ranking; it also includes short articles about trends and other matters in the music industry. As one might expect, record companies advertised heavily in Billboard, touting their latest releases and saying why disc jockeys should play them.3 Billboard charts, as well as other musical journals, became an index of changing social ideas and practices in America, because of all the arts, music speaks most directly to the hearts of those listening. Popular lyrics comport with the mood of the time; only “the lyrics can turn a musical style into a movement .” One can read back from the lyrics “the social forces that produced them.” Time and again throughout both social and musical history, Americans have used lyrics to tell the world what’s on their minds. From the 1950s to the present, musical lyrics have embraced complaints and protests against government authorities and their activities, against wars we thought unjust, against racism, and against poverty, among other things. “America is the home of an extraordinarily large group of musically innovative people. Clearly, Americans have a penchant 0 Hilltopper Tops for music and for inventing new forms of the art when its old forms . . . become inadequate in some way as vehicles for emotional and artistic expression.”4 Certainly, the Hilltoppers were in the business of “emotional and artistic expression.” November 1952 saw the release of “Must I Cry Again?” a song about losing one’s lover and wishing her back. “Must I sigh again, must I cry again?” Jimmy Sacca sang in a pleading, even mournful, voice, making the listener sympathize with him and hope that his lost love will return to him. Would his former lover find a new interest? The song touched the nerves of any couple who had ever broken up, temporarily or permanently. No wonder it was listed by late December 1952, as a “best buy” by Billboard and other entertainment journals. By the close of the year, “Must I Cry Again?” was number 19 on Billboard’s Honor Roll of Hits, judged by DJs throughout the country.5 The momentum that started in 1952 made the Hilltoppers the number one singing group of 1953, a title bestowed by Billboard , Cashbox, the Juke Box Operators...