The rebellious anthem of the fifties, “Rock Around the Clock,” was neither the first nor the last rock and roll record to top the charts at #1, but it did bring rock and roll into popular culture. This song, written by Mac C. Freedman and performed by Bill Haley and his Comets in 1954, was the first of its kind to hit R&B charts. Although there were many versions to the song, Bill Haley’s was the most successful.
On this day, April 12th, in 1954, Bill Haley and his Comets recorded “Rock Around the Clock.” Initially, the song was a huge commercial disappointment. Luckily, the producers for Blackboard Jungle, a movie centered on juvenile delinquency, were looking for a song that represented the youth of the fifties, and they stumbled upon “Rock Around the Clock.” From there it was history, and “Rock Around the Clock” appeared in the opening credits of Blackboard Jungle and later became a top seller in the U.K. and the U.S.