Originally the group was a trio formed at Western Kentucky State College (now Western Kentucky University), Bowling Green, Kentucky. The original members were three students; Jimmy Sacca (born July 26, 1929, Lockport, New York, died March 7, 2015, in Lexington, Kentucky); Donald McGuire (born October 7, 1931, Hazard, Kentucky, died September 7, 2018, in Lexington, Kentucky); and Seymour Spiegelman (October 1, 1930 – February 13, 1987). Spiegelman was born in Seneca Falls, New York. They took their name from the nickname of the Western Kentucky athletic teams.
They later added a pianist, Billy Vaughn (April 12, 1919 – September 26, 1991). Vaughn was born in Glasgow, Kentucky. Vaughn was eventually to become famous in his own right as an orchestra leader.
In 1952 they recorded a song, "Trying", written by Vaughn. A local disc jockey sent a copy to Randy Wood at Dot, and he agreed to distribute the record. It became a Top 10 hit single. They went on to record a number of additional hits until their break-up. Their 1953 release, "P.S. I Love You," sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.
Spiegelman died in New York City, NY. Vaughn died in Escondido, California. Sacca and McGuire both died in Lexington, Kentucky.
Hit records
Year Title Chart positions US CB UK
1952 "Trying" 7 5 —
1953 "Must I Cry Again" 15 22 —
"I Keep Telling Myself" 26 39 —
"If I Were King" 22 26 —
"I'd Rather Die Young (Than Grow Old without You)" 8 12 —
"P.S. I Love You" 4 5 —
"Love Walked In" 8 11 —
"To Be Alone" 8 14 —
1954 "'Till Then" 10 7 —
"Alone"(Jimmy Sacca, solo) — 28 —
"From the Vine Came the Grape" 8 3 —
"Time Will Tell" 27 38 —
"Poor Butterfly" 12 14 —
"Wrapped Up In a Dream" — 37 —
"Sweetheart (Will You Remember" 24 25 —
"If I Didn't Care" 17 18 —
"Time Waits for No One" 25 26 —
1955 "D-A-R-L-I-N'" — 16 —
"The Door Is Still Open to My Heart" — 22 —
"The Kentuckian Song" 20 22 —
"Only You (And You Alone)" 8 3 3
"Searching" 81 43 —
"My Treasure" 31 37 —
1956 "Ka-Ding-Dong" 38 17 —
"Tryin'" — — 30
1957 "Marianne" 3 2 20
"I Love My Girl" 75 45 —
"I'm Serious" 74 — —
"A Fallen Star" 58 24 —
"The Joker (That's What They Call Me)" 22 20 —
P.S. I Love You
The Hilltoppers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The weather's cool, the folks are fine
I'm in bed each night at nine
(P.S. I love you)
Yesterday we had some rain
But, all in all, I can't complain
Was it dusty on the train?
Write to the Browns just as soon as you're able
They came around to call
I burned a hole in the dining room table
And let me see, I guess that's all
Nothing else for me to say
And so I'll close but, by the way
Everybody's thinking of you
(P.S. I love you)
Write to the Browns just as soon as you're able
They came around to call
I burned a hole in the dining room table
And let me see, I guess that's all
Nothing else for me to say
And so I'll close but, by the way
Everybody's thinking of you
(P.S. I love you, love you, love you, love you)
The lyrics of The Hilltoppers song "P.S. I Love You" express the feelings of a person who is away from their loved one. The song is presented in the form of a letter, where the writer is updating their lover about their daily life. The opening lines of the song, "Dear, I thought I'd drop a line, The weather's cool, the folks are fine" convey the feeling of longing and the desire to connect with the person they love.
As the song progresses, we learn that the writer is going to bed early every night at nine, which indicates that their life is dull and uneventful without their lover. The refrain "P.S. I love you" is repeated throughout the song and acts as a reminder of their affection for their loved one.
The writer also talks about a recent rain and wonders if it was dusty on the train, which suggests that they are longing to be with their loved one who is travelling by train. The writer closes the letter by conveying their love again and letting their lover know that everyone is thinking about them.
Overall, the lyrics of "P.S. I Love You" depict the emotions of a person who is deeply in love and missing their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear, I thought I'd drop a line
I wanted to write to you just to say hello
The weather's cool, the folks are fine
It's nice here, and the family is doing well
I'm in bed each night at nine
I go to bed early, nothing exciting happening here
(P.S. I love you)
Just a little reminder that I love you
Yesterday we had some rain
It rained, but it's not a big deal
But, all in all, I can't complain
Life is good, nothing to worry about
Was it dusty on the train?
Just making small talk, curious if you experienced the same on your travels
(P.S. I love you)
Just another little reminder that I love you
Write to the Browns just as soon as you're able
Please send a letter to the Browns when you get a chance
They came around to call
The Browns came to visit
I burned a hole in the dining room table
I accidentally burned a hole in the table, oops
And let me see, I guess that's all
I can't think of anything else to say right now
Nothing else for me to say
I've covered everything I wanted to tell you
And so I'll close but, by the way
I'm almost done writing, but I remembered something
Everybody's thinking of you
Everyone misses you and is thinking about you
(P.S. I love you, love you, love you, love you)
And just in case you forgot, I love you a lot
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
patrick ryan
Love this group; sad the originals are all now deceased. They left us some wonderful music. 2/2020
felixbautista
Thank you so much for your gracious attention and viewership.
ftjax
The Hill Toppers had that collegiate youthful zest appealing to the Listener
Johnnralph
Rip : Don McQuire (7 Oct 1931 - 7 Sept 2018) The last surviving original member
Basil Marasco
RIP ... and thanks too!
felixbautista
Thank you for relaying the sad news.... thank you so much for your kind attention and viewership Johnralph.
Marlena Linne
Thanks for posting this. The young man who's wearing the hat is the great Billy Vaughn.
David Bertrand
This song was in my head all day (??) and I probably haven't heard since the 'fifties.
Bob C
Ditto. Very catchy song and a darn good one too!
felixbautista
Thank you so much for listening.