Put Your Head On My Shoulder by Paul Anka

Album: Paul Anka Sings His Big 15 (1959)

Charted: 7 2

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Anka was far and away the most successful teenage singer of the '50s who wrote his own songs. By the time he wrote "Put Your Head On My Shoulder," he had been a star for two years, having hit #1 with "Diana" in 1957. He had been to plenty of dance parties, just more often as a performer than a participant. Said Anka: "When I was playing record hops, I noticed that everybody's head was on somebody else's shoulder. I had never heard a song that expressed that feeling, so one night I went back to my hotel room and wrote 'Put Your Head On My Shoulder.'"
Anka told the Ottawa Globe And Mail: "Put your head on my shoulder - that was your objective that weekend. To get her to get the head on the shoulder, maybe get a kiss and get your hand in her blouse. All that I understood."
The Beach Boys released a song called "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" on their Pet Sounds album in 1966. Lush with strings, it's musically distinct from Anka's song, but the lyrical theme is similar.
Doja Cat sampled the song during her 2020 promotional single "Freak."
A mash-up of the first 12 seconds of this song and part of Doja Cat's "Streets" became a TikTok challenge called the "Silhouette Challenge."

Comments: 3

Mike Caramehas from Green Bay WiWho performed the background vocals on the song?
Xanadude from Minneapolis, MnDue to the popular TikTok "Silhouette Challenge," Paul Anka re-recorded his song as a duet with Olivia Newton-John in 2021.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1959 {September 29th} Paul Anka's "Put Your Head On My Shoulder"* peaked at #2 {for 3 weeks} on Billboard's Top 100 chart, for the three weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for those three weeks was "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Darin...
Between 1957 and 1983 the Ottawa, Canada native had fifty-two records on the Top 100 chart, ten made Top 10 with three reaching #1, "Diana" for 1 week in 1957, "Lonely Boy" for 4 weeks in 1959, and "(Your) Having My Baby" for 3 weeks in 1974...
He just missed having two more #1 records when the above "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" {1959} and "Puppy Love", for 2 weeks in April of 1960...
Four of his fifty-two charted records were duets with Odia Coates...
He also charted as a member of a trio, with Johnny Nash & George Hamilton IV, "The Teen Commandments", it peaked at #29 in 1959...
Paul Albert Anka celebrated his 79th birthday two months ago on July 30th, 2020...
* After spending three weeks at #2, "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" spent the next three weeks at #3 on the Top 100 chart...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the Top 10 on September 29th, 1959:
At #3. "Sleep Walk" by Santo and Johnny
#4. "(‘Til) I Kissed You" by The Everly Brothers
#5. "The Three Bells" by The Browns
#6. "Teen Beat" by Sandy Nelson
#7. 'I'm Gonna Get Married" by Lloyd Price
#8. "Mr. Blue" by The Fleetwoods
#9. "Red River Rock" by Johnny and the Hurricanes
#10. "Poison Ivy" by The Coasters

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