Young Love (1956 song)

"Young Love" is a popular song, written by Ric Cartey and Carole Joyner and published in 1956.

The original version was recorded by Ric Cartey and released in 1956 by RCA Records as catalog number 47-6751. Cartey's version never charted, but better-known versions were released by Sonny James, Tab Hunter (in a version that did even better on the charts) and The Crew-Cuts.

Original single releases

Tab Hunter

The recording by Tab Hunter was released by Dot Records as catalog number 15533. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 19, 1957. On the Disk Jockey chart, it peaked at #1; on the Best Seller chart, at #1; on the Juke Box chart, at #1; on the composite chart of the top 100 songs, it reached #1. The success of this record led Warner Bros., where Hunter was a contract player, to form Warner Bros. Records.

onny James

The recording by Sonny James was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 3602. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 5, 1957. On the Disk Jockey chart, it peaked at #1; on the Best Seller chart, at #2; on the Juke Box chart, at #4; on the composite chart of the top 100 songs, it reached #2. On "Billboard"'s country music charts, it was a No. 1 hit for nine weeks, and remained the longest-reigning of James' 23 chart-topping songs on the chart.

The flip side of James' version was a song called "You're the Reason I'm In Love." That song was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard country charts in early 1957. In 1971 — 14 years after the original — James re-recorded that song in a faster-tempoed, horn-heavy rendition as "That's Why I Love You Like I Do" (the original slower-tempoed song featured an electric guitar solo); the newly recorded, re-titled version was released as a single and reached No. 1 in June 1972.

The Crew-Cuts

The recording by The Crew-Cuts was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 71022. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 26, 1957. On the Disk Jockey chart, it peaked at #17; on the Juke Box chart, at #17; on the composite chart of the top 100 songs, it reached #24.

Cover versions

In 1964 the song was recorded by The Rolling Stones, and was issued as a single under the name "Bo and Peep" [http://www.iorr.org/felix/solo.htm]

In 1969 a duet version of the song was made by Country Music singers Connie Smith and Nat Stuckey. Their version reached #20 on the Country Music charts.

In 1973 the song was revived by teen hearthrob Donny Osmond. The Mike Curb and Don Costa produced version became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the UK singles chart, spending four weeks at the top in August 1973.

In 1976, Ray Stevens had a minor country and pop hit with the song.

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