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

4. "Blimey, We've Gone Limey"

 •  “Blimey, We’ve Gone Limey” “You probably know that we’re leaving for England, and we really are looking forward to this trip,” the Hilltoppers wrote to the readers of that “wonderful journal,” the national fanzine Hilltopper Topics. “Only You” had almost gone off the charts in mid-1956 in England, where a few newspapers described it as a “rock ’n’ roll ballad.” Surprisingly even though it was now four years old, “Trying” had not even been heard in England, or at least it had not been played regularly by disc jockeys. The Hilltoppers considered this their signature song and were willing to hold off its performance until they were actually there in person. Any tour of the British Isles that featured “Trying” could only bolster their reputation at this point.1 Jimmy Sacca, Eddie Crowe, Karl Garvin, and Lou Mastor arrived in the early morning of July 5, 1956, at London’s Heathrow Airport. To the interest and amusement of their hosts, they were wearing beanies and sweaters with a big W in the middle, “referring . . . to ex-students” of Western Kentucky State College (which was not exactly true). One reporter mentioned their “massive red sweaters,” with a “mysterious” W “slashed boldly upon them.” (Did it ever occur to the reporter that all she had to do was ask what the W stood for?)2 The group was met by a representative from London Re- P.S. I LoveYou  cords, a branch of the Decca Company. In its write-up about the Hilltoppers’ arrival, the London News Chronicle referred to the four young men as “singing eggheads.” At first they did not know whether to be depressed, insulted, or complimented by this characterization. Later, someone told them that “egghead,” in England at least, means “intelligent,” so the young men from Western Kentucky were mollified.3 Instantly, they suffered a series of culture shocks. The first one came when they were being driven, through the rain, of course, from the airport to their hotel, “on the wrong side of the road!” Well, yes, they’d heard all about how the English drove their cars and trucks (lorries) on the left, but it was still quite disconcerting when they actually experienced it. They adapted to this “strange custom” rather quickly, and ceased to expect instant chaos every time their driver met an oncoming vehicle.4 Another hurdle for the Hilltoppers, newly arrived in the Old Country, was language. “We speak English, don’t we?” they asked. “The English speak English, don’t they? So why do we have so much trouble understanding each other?” The Hilltoppers had just come face to face with famous playwright George Bernard Shaw’s dictum that “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” Since their tour was eight weeks long, they became “official limey speakers” before they headed back for the United States.5 Of course, British audiences had only heard the Hilltoppers on jukeboxes and records; few had ever seen them in person. “So, in facing their British fans,” one reporter claimed, “the Hilltoppers are also out to prove something: that in person, they can live up to the great expectations created on records.” A confident Jimmy Sacca responded to this statement: “It’s a  “Blimey, We’ve Gone Limey” challenge that I think we can meet.” As their tour went on, this statement turned out to be very true.6 July 6, the day after their arrival in England, the Hilltoppers (jet lag and all) appeared on British television’s On the Town, and two nights later they were on The Jack Jackson Show. They were booked at theatres and nightclubs all the way from London to the outer reaches of Scotland. Their first major performance was on Monday, July 9, at London’s Finsbury Park Empire. The initial offering was “I Feel a Song Coming On,” followed by “I’ve Got the World on a String,” and then they performed their first announced song, “Till Then.” It was not really until the group sang “Do the Bop” that they got audience attention. Nevertheless, English and continental audiences did not consider the Hilltoppers’ music to be rock ’n’roll. The Hilltoppers were singers of love ballads, and to a considerable extent “Do the Bop” was out of character for them. The Hilltoppers received a great deal of press coverage while they were touring the British Isles. In attendance...