Who bought the song
While playing the game of try to remember, I decided to recall the first piece of music that I could say I heard from a recording. Given my age this was from a 78 owned by my grandparents which they played back on a little portable phonograph. The cover was beige and it had a tube amplifier inside. That’s not the important part. What I wanted to recall what is this song. And I could. At least, with the help of YouTube and some lyrics. I found four different recordings dating back to 1952 and I could tell by listening which artist was involved. Someone who was well known at that time in this part of the world. Hank Snow. The song was sappy. Something that would not chart now as they say. But I was left wondering who would have purchased the record originally. I am unable to lay the blame at the door of anyone individual avoid feel certain it was not my grand father. Not his style. So that left it down to my uncles and aunts and my grandmother. And of course what was available for sale locally. The number of places that you could buy a 78 back in the day we’re limited. Was this an impulse purchase or something that they had carefully budgeted to own. Was this a favourite song around the house. Again no way to find out because all of the guilty parties are gone. Well I can tell you, I am glad that my memory is still intact. Even for remembering silly little things like this. I do not have to make up the details. Actually there were only about four recordings in that pile and all of them can be found with careful searching. None of them are going to make it under my personal hit parade. I wonder do the user today even know what the term hit parade means. Times have changed. We now stream and Spotify. The idea of allowing someone to compile a curated list every week of which songs were worthy of our attention seems antiquated.
