Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” isn’t just a song; it’s a cultural phenomenon. Sixty-five years after its release, the opening chords are instantly recognizable, transporting listeners back to the dawn of rock and roll. But the story of this iconic track is far from an overnight success. It’s a tale of persistence, unexpected turns, and how a seemingly generic song became the anthem for a generation, forever etching “Around The Clock Rock” into the history of music.
Bill Haley and the Comets performing Rock Around the Clock
Image alt text: Bill Haley and the Comets energetically performing “Rock Around the Clock” on stage, capturing the vibrant energy of early rock and roll.
Before “Rock Around the Clock” catapulted Bill Haley to global fame, he was navigating the music scene with moderate success at Essex Records. He had begun to carve out a niche with his blend of country and rhythm and blues, a sound that would later be termed rockabilly. Tracks like “Rock the Joint” and “Crazy Man Crazy” hinted at the direction he was heading, showcasing an energetic rhythm and Haley’s distinctive vocal style. However, despite these promising singles, a major breakthrough eluded him. Essex Records, while instrumental in his early development, didn’t propel him to the heights he craved. During this period, Haley became aware of a song called “Rock Around the Clock,” brought to him by Jimmy Myers, one of its writers. For reasons that remain debated, Dave Miller, Haley’s producer at Essex, consistently blocked Haley from recording it, even reportedly tearing up the sheet music when Haley presented it.
The reasons behind Miller’s resistance are speculated to be twofold. Firstly, Miller and Myers reportedly had personal disagreements. Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, “Rock Around the Clock” was considered derivative for its time. Its lyrical themes bore a strong resemblance to Wynonie Harris’s “Around the Clock Blues,” and even the title itself wasn’t entirely original, having been used by Hal Singer four years prior for his own tune, “Rock Around the Clock.” Indeed, listening to Hal Singer’s version reveals the generic nature of the title phrase within the musical landscape of the era.
[excerpt “Rock Around the Clock”: Hal Singer and Orchestra]
Audio excerpt showcasing Hal Singer’s “Rock Around the Clock” to highlight the pre-existing use of the title and musical themes.
Despite releasing further singles on Essex, Haley’s career seemed to stall. He experimented with cover versions of country hits and remakes of older songs, but none managed to capture the spark of his earlier rockabilly tracks. It appeared he might become a one-hit wonder, with “Crazy Man Crazy” remaining his peak achievement. However, a pivotal change was on the horizon: Bill Haley left Essex Records and signed with Decca Records, a move that would place him under the guidance of producer Milt Gabler.
Decca Records in 1954 held a unique position in the music industry. Unlike other major labels focused primarily on mainstream pop acts like Doris Day and Tony Bennett, Decca had, in the 1940s, embraced a diverse roster including proto-rock and rhythm and blues artists. Figures like Lucky Millinder, Louis Jordan, Lionel Hampton, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe were all signed to Decca. This openness to different genres extended to country music, with Decca also home to artists who contributed to the burgeoning hillbilly boogie sound. However, this diverse approach also presented challenges. While Louis Jordan, for example, achieved significant success by appealing to both the R&B and pop markets through Decca’s major label distribution, many other artists found themselves limited by a changing distribution landscape.
The rise of independent labels specializing in black and hillbilly music created separate distribution networks. These indie distributors catered to niche record stores, bypassing the major label system and its focus on mainstream pop. This shift, coupled with radio stations transitioning from 78s to 45s and discarding their old record collections, led to a sales slump for many Decca artists. Suddenly, artists who had previously enjoyed crossover success found their older hits lost to radio play and new releases struggling to reach a broader audience. Decca’s rhythm and blues and country hitmakers faced a sudden decline in their hit-making potential. Yet, Decca possessed a crucial asset: Milt Gabler.
Gabler, a producer with a deep love for jazz and a keen ear for popular trends, had been instrumental in shaping Decca’s diverse roster. He was the man behind Lionel Hampton’s iconic “Flying Home,” Louis Jordan’s string of hits, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s groundbreaking collaborations. He recognized the potential in Bill Haley’s sound to bridge the gap between niche genres and the mainstream pop market. While Haley’s style wasn’t pure jazz, Gabler saw an opportunity to refine it, drawing parallels to the popular sound of Louis Jordan, which was already subtly present in some of Haley’s earlier recordings. Gabler believed he could guide Haley to even greater commercial success by emphasizing this connection and polishing Haley’s raw energy for a wider audience.
The initial recording session at Decca was intended to produce a hit with “Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town).” This novelty song, with its lyrics playing on nuclear anxieties prevalent in the early 1950s, was chosen as the A-side. The lyrics, while seemingly lighthearted in their comedic sexism about a post-apocalyptic harem, reflected the era’s strange mix of fear and fascination with atomic power. While “Thirteen Women” was a competent and somewhat humorous hillbilly boogie number, heavily influenced by Louis Jordan’s style as Gabler intended, it was unlikely to become a massive hit. Interestingly, the original version by blues guitarist Dickie Thompson, which lacked the nuclear theme, was arguably a superior blues recording, showcasing Thompson’s impressive guitar work.
[excerpt: Dickie Thompson “Thirteen Women”]
Audio excerpt of Dickie Thompson’s “Thirteen Women” to contrast it with Bill Haley’s version and highlight its bluesier, more original feel.
However, Thompson’s blues style was distinct from Haley’s evolving rockabilly sound. While Thompson’s version might appeal more to modern blues enthusiasts, Haley’s interpretation was in a style that resonated with the popular tastes of the time, even if it wasn’t destined for chart-topping success. And certainly, nobody expected the B-side of “Thirteen Women” to become the record that would change music history. For that B-side, Haley decided to finally record “Rock Around the Clock,” a song he had been wanting to cut for over a year. The timing was perhaps influenced by a recent release of the song by another group, Sonny Dae and his Knights. Two weeks prior, Sonny Dae and his Knights, a relatively unknown band from Virginia, had released their version of “Rock Around the Clock.” While their rendition might have had potential with better promotion, its somewhat unconventional intro and lack of label support hindered its success.
[excerpt Sonny Dae and his Knights: “Rock Around the Clock”]
Audio excerpt of Sonny Dae and his Knights’ “Rock Around the Clock” to demonstrate their less polished and less commercially successful version.
Sonny Dae and his Knights’ single faded into obscurity, becoming a mere footnote in music history. However, their release might have served as a reminder to Haley of the song’s potential, prompting him to record his own version in just two takes. Crucially, Haley didn’t simply replicate the song as written or as performed by Sonny Dae and his Knights. He and his band, The Comets, transformed it. Comparing Sonny Dae’s melody to Haley’s reveals a significant shift. Haley altered the original melody, grounding it in a boogie bassline, a change that was likely deliberate and deeply impactful. It’s highly probable that Haley drew inspiration from Hank Williams’s early hit, “Move it on Over,” a comedy Western swing tune with a strikingly similar melody to Haley’s verse in “Rock Around the Clock.” Haley later recorded his own version of “Move it on Over,” suggesting his familiarity with and appreciation for the song.
[excerpt of Hank Williams: “Move it On Over”]
Audio excerpt of Hank Williams’ “Move it On Over” to highlight the melodic similarity to “Rock Around the Clock” and its potential influence.
What Bill Haley and the Comets achieved with “Rock Around the Clock” was nothing short of musical alchemy. They took a generic song and infused it with elements from various successful musical styles of the era, creating an arrangement that was both familiar and groundbreaking. They retained the basic structure and energy of their earlier hit “Rock the Joint,” even replicating Danny Cedrone’s guitar solo note-for-note. Listen to the solo from “Rock the Joint” and compare it to “Rock Around the Clock”:
[excerpt: Rock the Joint’s solo]
Audio excerpt of the guitar solo from “Rock the Joint” to showcase its similarity to the solo in “Rock Around the Clock.”
[excerpt: Rock Around the Clock’s solo]
Audio excerpt of the guitar solo from “Rock Around the Clock,” demonstrating its near-identical nature to the “Rock the Joint” solo.
For the intro, they devised a stop-start rhythm that dramatically emphasized the word “rock,” creating an immediate and unforgettable hook.
[excerpt: “Rock Around the Clock” intro]
Audio excerpt of the iconic stop-start intro of “Rock Around the Clock.”
And for the ending, they incorporated a riff reminiscent of swing era songs like “Flying Home,” a touch that was likely Gabler’s contribution, given his jazz background and production of “Flying Home.” While Sonny Dae and his Knights had briefly hinted at a similar swing-inspired ending in their solo section, The Comets made it a prominent and defining feature of their arrangement. Compare the riff from Benny Goodman’s “Flying Home” to the ending of “Rock Around the Clock”:
[riff from “Flying Home”, Benny Goodman]
Audio excerpt of the swing riff from Benny Goodman’s “Flying Home” to illustrate its influence on the ending of “Rock Around the Clock.”
[riff from “Rock Around the Clock”]
Audio excerpt of the ending riff of “Rock Around the Clock,” demonstrating its similarity to the “Flying Home” riff.
This approach was remarkably experimental, a calculated yet almost reckless attempt to distill the essence of musical success into one track. Listenability wasn’t the primary concern; the goal was to see what resonated, what clicked. Recorded quickly, in just two takes, and even requiring editing from both takes to create a final version due to studio time constraints, “Rock Around the Clock” was not initially conceived as a world-beating hit. And upon its initial release, it wasn’t. “Rock Around the Clock” barely made a ripple on the charts upon its first release. It charted, but languished in the lower regions, failing to capture the public’s attention.
However, Haley and his band persevered, continuing to refine their energetic sound. Their next single, a cover of Big Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” fared significantly better, gradually climbing the charts. Haley’s version of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” while less raw and powerful than Turner’s original, still possessed a potent energy. While some of the more suggestive lyrics were toned down, likely due to a degree of innuendo flying over the heads of Haley and Gabler, the song resonated with a wider audience unfamiliar with Turner’s original. It was a more palatable, radio-friendly version, but it still carried a spark of the original’s magic.
[excerpt: “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” by Bill Haley and his Comets]
Audio excerpt of Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” showcasing their energetic but slightly less raw rendition compared to Big Joe Turner’s original.
Haley deeply admired Big Joe Turner, and the two artists later became friends, with The Comets even serving as Turner’s backing band on a 1960s album. However, Haley’s vocal delivery lacked the sheer power and gravitas of Turner’s, resulting in a version that was undeniably lighter in tone. Recorded the same week Turner’s version reached number one on the R&B charts, Haley’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll” became his biggest hit to date, reaching the top ten on the pop charts and selling a million copies, alongside Turner’s original. It seemed Bill Haley was building a solid career, achieving commercial success and establishing himself as a popular live act. But then, everything changed, not just for Bill Haley, but for the entire landscape of popular music.
Nearly a year after its initial release, “Rock Around the Clock” was chosen as the theme song for the film “Blackboard Jungle.” Ironically, “Blackboard Jungle” was not inherently a rock and roll film. It dealt with themes of teenage rebellion, but a pivotal scene where a teacher attempts to connect with his students using jazz records only to have them smashed and replaced with “their music” actually features modern jazz, specifically Stan Kenton, not rock and roll. However, seeking to add contemporary authenticity to the film, the producers borrowed records from the collection of Peter Ford, the teenage son of the film’s star, Glenn Ford, to understand what music teenagers were actually listening to. Among those records was Bill Haley’s largely unnoticed “Rock Around the Clock” single. The producers made the crucial decision to use it as the film’s theme song, a decision that would ignite a cultural firestorm.
“Blackboard Jungle” became a sensation. Frank Zappa, in a 1971 quote, perfectly captured the film’s and the song’s impact:
“In my days of flaming youth I was extremely suspect of any rock music played by white people. The sincerity and emotional intensity of their performances, when they sang about boyfriends and girlfriends and breaking up et cetera, was nowhere when I compared it to my high school negro R&B heroes like Johnny Otis, Howlin’ Wolf and Willie Mae Thornton… But then I remember going to see Blackboard Jungle. When the titles flashed up there on the screen, Bill Haley and his Comets started blurching ‘One, Two, Three O’Clock, Four O’Clock Rock…’ It was the loudest rock sound kids had ever heard at the time. I remember being inspired with awe. In cruddy little teen-age rooms, across America, kids had been huddling around old radios and cheap record players listening to the ‘dirty music’ of their lifestyle. (“Go in your room if you wanna listen to that crap…and turn the volume all the way down”.) But in the theatre watching Blackboard Jungle, they couldn’t tell you to turn it down. I didn’t care if Bill Haley was white or sincere…he was playing the Teen-Age National Anthem, and it was so LOUD I was jumping up and down.”
The impact was seismic. Reports emerged of riots in cinemas, with teenagers dancing in the aisles and even tearing up seats as “Rock Around the Clock” played. The song shot to number one on the pop charts, but its impact went far beyond chart positions. “Rock Around the Clock” became the best-selling vinyl single in history, selling over twenty-five million copies as a single and hundreds of millions more across various compilations. Bill Haley and the Comets became global superstars, touring relentlessly, playing to frenzied crowds, and starring in films like “Rock Around the Clock” and “Don’t Knock the Rock.” They reached a level of fame previously unimaginable.
However, as “Rock Around the Clock” soared, tragedy struck Haley’s personal life. Just ten days after recording “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” Danny Cedrone, the session guitarist who played on all of Haley’s records and a close friend, died in a tragic fall. Shortly after, Haley’s infant daughter passed away from sudden infant death syndrome. And despite the monumental success of “Rock Around the Clock,” a true follow-up hit proved elusive. Nothing could replicate the cultural phenomenon it had become. Haley’s attempts to scientifically engineer another hit based on popular trends were no longer effective. The hysteria surrounding him made every release a potential hit, but none reached the stratospheric heights of “Rock Around the Clock.” Subsequent singles charted, achieving top twenty or thirty positions, respectable hits by most standards, but dwarfed by the shadow of “Rock Around the Clock.” In 1955, key band members – the bassist, saxophone player, and drummer – left to form their own group, The Jodimars.
[excerpt: the Jodimars: “Well Now Dig This”]
Audio excerpt of The Jodimars’ “Well Now Dig This,” showcasing the sound of the former Comets members in their new project.
Haley persevered with a new lineup, and in December 1955, they scored another top ten hit with “See You Later Alligator.”
[excerpt: Bill Haley and the Comets “See You Later, Alligator”]
Audio excerpt of Bill Haley and the Comets’ “See You Later Alligator,” highlighting their continued, though somewhat diminished, chart success.
“See You Later Alligator” sold a million copies, a significant achievement, but it proved to be a false dawn. Subsequent singles charted lower and lower, eventually disappearing from the charts altogether. They had one final top thirty hit in 1958 with the energetic “Skinny Minnie.”
[excerpt: Bill Haley and the Comets “Skinny Minnie”]
Audio excerpt of Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Skinny Minnie,” showcasing their last significant US chart hit.
“Skinny Minnie,” while clearly influenced by Larry Williams’ “Bony Moronie,” was a strong record, but its follow-up, “Lean Jean,” only reached number sixty, marking the end of Bill Haley and the Comets’ run on the US charts, according to most accounts. However, this narrative often overlooks the international chapters of Haley’s career. In 1960, Bill Haley relocated to Mexico. Facing financial difficulties with the IRS and amidst a divorce, Haley found a new avenue for income with a Mexican record label. Moving to Mexico offered financial advantages and coincided with a personal connection with a Mexican woman who would become his third wife. In Mexico, Bill Haley became a sensation, particularly as a king of the Twist craze.
[excerpt: Bill Haley y sus Cometas, “Florida Twist”]
Audio excerpt of Bill Haley y sus Cometas’ “Florida Twist,” illustrating their success in Mexico and their adaptation to the Twist trend.
“Florida Twist” reached number one in Mexico, as did the album of the same name. “Florida Twist” became the best-selling single in Mexico at that time. The Comets even had their own TV show in Mexico, “Orfeón a Go-Go,” and starred in three Spanish-language films in the 1960s. They enjoyed a string of hits in Mexico and beyond. Their song “Chick Safari” even reached number one in India, demonstrating their global reach, albeit with some regrettable comedic stereotypes reflecting the era’s sensibilities.
[excerpt “Chick Safari”, Bill Haley and the Comets]
Audio excerpt of Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Chick Safari,” acknowledging its international success but also its outdated comedic elements.
Even as his recording career waned in the late 1960s, not the late 1950s as often portrayed, Bill Haley and the Comets remained a major live draw worldwide. At a rock revival show in Madison Square Garden in the late 1960s, Haley received an eight-and-a-half-minute standing ovation before even playing a note. He performed at Wembley Stadium in 1972 and at the Royal Variety Performance in 1979, demonstrating his enduring appeal. Haley’s final years were marked by personal struggles. Following the death of Rudy Pompili, his close friend and saxophone player of over twenty years, in 1976, Haley’s behavior became erratic. He briefly stopped performing, as he and Pompili had agreed that if one of them passed, the other wouldn’t continue. Upon his return, his behavior was often attributed to alcoholism and resentment over perceived career decline. However, it later emerged that Haley suffered from a brain tumor, which likely contributed to his erratic behavior.
Despite these later challenges, and a public perception that sometimes focused on his weight and age rather than his musical legacy, Bill Haley was far from forgotten. His appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in 1979, a televised event with massive viewership, just two years before his death in 1981, underscores his continued relevance. Bill Haley may be gone, but as long as “Rock Around the Clock” continues to be played – and it undoubtedly will be – his contribution to music history, his role in defining “around the clock rock” for generations to come, will never be forgotten.
[excerpt: “See You Later Alligator” — “so long, that’s all goodbye”]
Audio excerpt of “See You Later Alligator” ending, a playful farewell to conclude the article.
