The Platters formed in Los Angeles, CA, USA in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. They had a contract with Federal Records but experienced little record success until they met music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. He added lead vocalist Tony Williams (who gave the Platters their distinctive sound) and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in an R&B/gospel style, scoring minor regional hits on the West Coast. One song recorded at Federal, "Only You (And You Alone)", originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.
Despite lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group--so successful that The Penguins, fresh from their No. 2 single Earth Angel, asked Ram to manage them too. With the Penguins as a bargaining chip, Ram persuaded Mercury Records into a 2-for-1 deal. In order to sign the Penguins, he insisted, the label also take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins never had a hit for the label.
Convinced by Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had the group re-record it during their first Mercury session. Released in the summer of 1955, it became the group's first Top Ten hit on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. It has since become one of the most played records in any genre and the song has been covered by innumerable artists. Ironically, the follow-up, The Great Pretender, with lyrics written by Ram in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, exceeded the chart success of their début and became the Platters' first national No.1 hit. The Great Pretender was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an 11-week run at the top of that chart. In 1956. The Platters appeared in the first major rock n roll movie, Rock Around the Clock, and performed both "Only You" and "The Great Pretender"[2] and they sang "You'll Never Never Know" in The Girl Can't Help It, produced the same year.
The Platters' unique vocal style touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including two more Top 100 No. 1 hits, one Hot 100 No. 1 hit, and more modest hits such as "I'm Sorry" (No. 11) and "He's Mine" (No. 23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (No.12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (No.4) in 1956. The Platters hit on a successful formula of updating older standards, such as "My Prayer", "Twilight Time", "Harbor Lights", "To Each His Own", "If I Didn't Care" and Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock n roll record". It topped both American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement.
The group was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the first rock n roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".
Many groups have toured bearing the name The Platters but only one member of the original line-up, Herb Reed, was still touring and performing with Herb Reed's Platters in 2008.
Zola Taylor died on April 30th 2007 of pneumonia whilst recovering from surgery.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
The Platters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
And if you ever saw him
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Play in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history!
The Platters' rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” depicts the beloved Christmas character who saves the day and gains acceptance from his fellow reindeer after experiencing ridicule and exclusion for looking different with his bright, glowing nose. The lyrics begin by reciting the names of the more commonly known reindeer, but then ask if you recall the “most famous reindeer of all,” introducing Rudolph. The song then goes on to describe Rudolph’s unique physical attribute as a shining red nose that would even glow. Unfortunately, the other reindeer didn’t embrace Rudolph’s differences, causing him to be ostracized and barred from participating in reindeer games. But, on Christmas Eve, Santa requests Rudolph’s help to guide his sleigh through a foggy night, and after Rudolph proves his worth, the other reindeer accept him and celebrate him.
The lyrics point out that physical differences can lead to being singled out and bullied, but in the end, those same differences can be seen as advantages, like Rudolph's bright nose that helped guide the sleigh. The message the song conveys is one of hope, perseverance, and acceptance. Despite his initial marginalization, Rudolph persevered and ultimately rose to the top of the reindeer ranks, becoming famous and respected.
Line by Line Meaning
You know Dasher and Dancer
You are familiar with Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen
As well as Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid
And know Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen
And are acquainted with Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
But have you ever thought about
The most famous reindeer of all
The most well-known of them all
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Rudolph, with his nose that is red and bright
Had a very shiny nose.
His nose was extremely radiant
And if you ever saw him
If you had ever laid eyes on him
You would even say it glows
You would undoubtedly remark on its luminescence
All of the other reindeer
All of the remaining reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
Would mock him and call him derogatory names
They never let poor Rudolph
They never permitted unfortunate Rudolph
Play in any reindeer games
To partake in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
On one mist-filled Christmas night
Santa came to say
Santa arrived to declare
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
"Rudolph, with your brilliant nose
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Will you lead my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
Then all of the reindeer adored him
As they shouted out with glee
And loudly cheered with delight
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Rudolph, the reindeer with the shiny red nose
You'll go down in history!
You will become a legend!
Lyrics © DistroKid, ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Johnny Marks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erwin Jjhay
THANK YOU PLATTERS... THIS ALBUM IS MY DADS FAVORITES CHRISTMAS SONGS... BUT HE DIED... AND I ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM WHEN EVER I HEAR YOUR SONGS... :DD
hunlandsMom
One of my big favourites. ❣❣❣But who does sing it? Who was the leader singer in platters?