Picariello grew up in the North Boston suburb of Lynn and learned to play guitar as a boy. In high school, he formed a band and tried to emulate the hard-driving style of Little Richard. Picariello eventually signed with Philadelphia label Swan Records, a recording studio in which Dick Clark had an interest. Clark brought Picariello national exposure through numerous appearances on Clark's TV show, American Bandstand. Cannon holds the record for most appearances by a performer (110) on Bandstand! He and Clark continued to collaborate on Bandstand reunion concerts long after the TV show ended.
By 1959, Picariello was singing using the stage name, Freddy Cannon. He was also called "Boom Boom" because of his thundering musical renditions and the "Cannon" name. From 1959 through the early 60s, Cannon had three Top Ten hit:
Palisades Park
Tallahassee Lassie (A song written by Cannon's mother. It was also the first of 22 songs which appeared on the Billboard Charts for Cannon.)
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
On June 24, 1966, Cannon played himself and performed one of his own songs during the final episode of the teen soap opera "Never Too Young." The role of Cannon was played by David Julian Hirsh in George Clooney's 2003 film, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.'
As of 2006, Cannon was a resident of Tarzana, California, and continued performing in concert.
Abigail Beecher
Freddy Cannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear the roar of an XKE now,
Flops and sweater and a ponytail,
And the cop on the corner is turnin' pale,
Whoa! It's Abigail Beecher,
Our history teacher.
All the kids are just crazy about her,
Central High would be a drag without her,
She knows her history from A to Z,
She'd teach a monkey, and watch and see,
Whoa! It's Abigail Beecher,
Our history teacher,
Whoa!
We're out in the hall and changin' classes,
Plays guitar and wears blue sunglasses,
She's friendly, pop'lar and a real swinger,
She's gonna be a rock 'n' roll singer,
Whoa! It's Abigail Beecher,
Our history teacher,
Whoa!
History class is gettin' bigger and bigger,
They come for miles 'cause they really dig her,
The PTA was really floored,
When she walked in with a red surfboard,
Whoa! It's Abigail Beecher,
Our history teacher,
Whoa! Come on, girl!
Aw, you're too much!
Whoa!
Come on, girl!
Whoa!
"Flops and sweater and a ponytail, and the cop on the corner is turnin' pale," describes the arrival of Abigail Beecher, the history teacher, in her flashy XKE car. She is a young, attractive and vibrant woman loved by all her students, who demonstrate their admiration for her by following her in the streets. Central High would be a drag without her because she knows her history from A to Z and teaches it in a way that is fun and engaging for everyone. Her popularity extends beyond the classroom as she plays guitar, wears blue sunglasses and regularly makes friends with her students.
Abigail Beecher embodies a new attitude towards life, she is described as someone who is friendly, popular and a real swinger. The students are convinced that she is going to be a rock 'n' roll singer, which reinforces her position as a trailblazer of a new era. The lyrics indicate that history class is growing more popular and that students are coming from miles away to attend Abigail's lectures. She is portrayed as a future icon who has the potential to influence not only the students in her immediate surroundings but also the broader American society. Her entrance at the PTA with a red surfboard illustrates her unconventional and rebellious personality.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey everybody get out of the street now,
Abigail Beecher is coming and everyone needs to move out of the way.
I hear the roar of an XKE now,
Abigail Beecher is arriving in a fancy sports car.
Flops and sweater and a ponytail,
She's wearing comfortable shoes, a sweater, and her hair is in a ponytail.
And the cop on the corner is turnin' pale,
Even the police officer is impressed by her arrival.
Whoa! It's Abigail Beecher,
Abigail Beecher is finally here and everyone is excited.
Our history teacher.
Abigail Beecher teaches at Central High and she's passionate about history.
All the kids are just crazy about her,
Her students adore her.
Central High would be a drag without her,
School would be boring without Abigail Beecher.
She knows her history from A to Z,
Abigail Beecher has an extensive knowledge of history.
She'd teach a monkey, and watch and see,
She's confident in her ability to teach even the most challenging students.
History class is gettin' bigger and bigger,
More and more students are signing up for her history class.
They come for miles 'cause they really dig her,
Students travel a long way just to take her class because they admire her teaching style.
The PTA was really floored,
Even the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) was impressed by Abigail Beecher.
When she walked in with a red surfboard,
Abigail Beecher surprised everyone by arriving with a surfboard.
Plays guitar and wears blue sunglasses,
She's not only a history teacher but also a musician who wears blue sunglasses.
She's friendly, pop'lar and a real swinger,
Abigail Beecher is charismatic, well-liked, and a trendy person.
She's gonna be a rock 'n' roll singer,
Abigail Beecher is planning to pursue a career in rock and roll music.
Whoa! Come on, girl!
Abigail Beecher is amazing and everyone loves her!
Aw, you're too much!
Abigail Beecher is too awesome and amazing to resist.
Whoa! Come on, girl!
Abigail Beecher is awesome and everyone loves her!.
Whoa!
Abigail Beecher is amazing.
Contributed by Lauren L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@will89687
The best of the Warners-era Freddy Cannon singles IMHO. Frank Slay (who continued working with him on and off post-Swan) really knew how to get the best out of him. His last single for Warners, the super-obscure cover of "20th Century Fox" is also surprisingly great (another Frank Slay production with another of his discoveries, Strawberry Alarm Clock, playing backup.)
@tubecrazy65
I love this one
@Hawiianlion67
For some odd reason I just randomly become apart of the year 1964, so I must breath it.
@sexymama1966
The Four Seasons held their own during the early years of the British Invasion.
@TheLeonhamm
As of course did Roy Orbison, Bobby Vinton, Gene Pitney, The Beach Boys, Jan And Dean, Lesley Gore, Mary Wells, Dionne Warwick, Betty Everett, The Drifters, The Impressions, also the likes of Dean Martin, Al Martino, Andy Williams, Nat 'King' Cole, Ray Charles, The Ray Charles Singers, Al Hirt, and even Henry Mancini .. throw in Sammy Davis Jnr, Louis Armstrong, Nancy Wilson, Barbara Streisand, Robert Maxwell, Pete Drake, etc .. the old-timers didn't do so terribly bad.
@bloqk16
@@TheLeonhamm What you wrote is very valid. What a lot of people are not aware of, or if old enough, have forgotten, was that Top 40 radio was not exclusively Rock & Roll music in the early to late 1960s; as Top 40 radio of 1964 would have a sizable amount of Pop and middle-of-the-road singers/performers sharing radio air-time with Rock singers/performers on the same station.
I've heard Top 40 radio airchecks from 1964 where singer Jack Jones was on the playlist with The Beatles.
Over the past 40 years Oldies radio stations (in the US) gave the impression that Top 40 music radio of the early to mid-1960s was nothing but uptempo Pop and Rock music; as the Oldies stations would never play the likes of Henry Mancini or Al Martino, yet, those two artists shared air-time with the likes of The Beatles and Rolling Stones in 1965.
@robertorick6383
@@bloqk16 Sometimes, Serius XFM station The 50's on 5 & The 60's on 6 would sometimes bring out those old M-O-R pop hits at the time and still play them occasionally along with the Rock & Roll oldies. Sometimes, when they spotlight the year 1960, for example, they would play Percy Faith's "A Theme From A Summer Place", or they would play Louis Armstrong's "Hello Dolly" or Dean Martin's "Everybody Needs Somebody" (which actually knocked The Beatles "Can't Buy Me Love" out of The #1 spot on Billboard's charts) alongside The Beatles & Motown oldies when they spotlight the year 1964.
@jacktyler2880
Did you know that the Beach Boys "called out" the Four Seasons on a backtrack? Check out Brian's falsetto riff during the fade on "Surfers Rule." Draw your own conclusions about who the surfers are.
@mr.pastry779
@@TheLeonhammDont miss out Del shannon and funnily enough chuck berry had a good 1964 plus girl groups also.
@reneleclerc6119
1964 ushered in Beatlemania and the British Invasion, and - with those two waves - washed away many American artists who had been consistent hit-makers. A good example is Rick Nelson, who had a Top Ten hit very early in 1964, and then would not even crack the Top Twenty until "Garden Party."