Nostalgia makes good music

The Statler Brothers seem to hone in on songs that were laced with nostalgia, and one of the group’s biggest hits was chockful of lyrics that recalled good times. 

It was “Do You Remember These.” No one knows what happened to the question mark, but the song takes listeners back to 1950s popular culture.

 The tune was written in 1972 by the Reid brothers, along with the late Larry Lee Favorite, who wrote or co-wrote hundreds of hit country music songs. 

The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard “Hot Country” chart. 

Do you remember these? 

Flat tops, sock hops, Studebaker, “Pepsi, please.” Aviator caps with flaps that button down, movie stars on Dixie cup tops; the hit parade, Grape TruAde, the Sadie Hawkins dance; pedal pushers, peggin’ your pants; Howdy Doody, Tutti Frutti.

 

James Dean, he was keen; Sunday movies were taboo; rock ‘n’ roll was new; Cracker Jack prize; lemonade stand and taking your tonsils out; four foul balls, you’re out. Boat neck shirts, fender skirts, crinoline petticoats; mum’s the word, dirty bird, double root beer float; moon hubcaps, loud heel taps; “he’s a real gone cat.” Do you remember that? 

Dancing close, little moron jokes, cooties in her hair; Captain Midnight, Ovaltine; The Whip at the county fair; Charles Atlas course, Roy Rogers’ horse, “Only the Shadow Knows.” Ah, do you remember those?

 

Froggin’ your arm, going steady, Veronica and Betty, white bucks and blue suede shoes. Knock, knock jokes: Who’s there? Dewey. Dewey who? Dewey remember these? Yes we do!

 The Statler Brothers sang that whole song in just 2 minutes and 53 seconds. 

Had the songwriters tried, they could have made it last a little longer, by plugging in other memories from the 1950s, such as Beany and Cecil, Rootie Kazootie, Arthur Godfrey, Karen and Cubby, Cisco Kid and Pancho as well as Dick Clark and Kukla, Fran and Ollie.

Play along and add your own pearls of nostalgia.