Standing On The Corner

Album: 16 Most Requested Songs (1956)
Charted: 34 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Standin' on the corner, watchin' all the girls go by" - this simple but infectious melody was penned by Frank Loesser, whose numerous credits include "The Ugly Duckling." Obviously the subject matter of this song is anything but ugly; this is an earlier version of R. Dean Taylor's "Window Shopping," although in this song the boys appear to be window shopping out of necessity - i.e. empty pockets - and in a different location.
  • The song is from the 1956 musical The Most Happy Fella, Act 1, Scene 2.

    Recorded by "Herman And The Boys Sing" on the Columbia label 40674 (Co 55538), the vocals are credited to The Four Lads with Ray Ellis and his Orchestra and Chorus. In the show itself, Herman and his three companions sing the song on the main street in San Francisco.
  • The Dean Martin recording, which hit US #22 later in 1956, changes the lyric slightly to "Standin' on the corner, watchin' all the girls go by." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for all above
  • On the 1957 I Love Lucy episode "Lucy's Night In Town," the Ricardos and the Mertzes go to the theater to see The Most Happy Fella, where Lucy is shown enjoying a performance of this song.

Comments: 2

  • Mrs. B K Brumberg from Howard Beach, NyI forgot the source and composer. It is a catchy tune with clever lyrics, no longer being written. Thank you for printing this.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 9th 1969, Smoke Ring's covered version of "No Not Much" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #89, the following week it rose to #86, then to #85, and on its fourth and final week on the chart it remained at #85...
    Exactly thirteen years earlier on February 9th, 1956 the Four Lads' original version of the song was in its first of two weeks at #5, then it spent the next five weeks at #4, and on March 29th, 1956 it peaked at #3 {for 1 week}.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.