1959 debut singles

"Running Bear" is a song written by J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) and sung most famously by Johnny Preston in 1959. The 1959 recording featured background vocals by Richardson and George Jones and the session's producer Bill Hall, who provided the "Indian chanting" of "uga-uga" during the three verses, as well as the "Indian war cries" at the start and end of the record. It was No. 1 for three weeks in January 1960 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song also reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1960. Coincidentally, "Running Bear" was immediately preceded in the Hot 100 No. 1 position by Marty Robbins' "El Paso", another song in which the protagonist dies. Billboard ranked "Running Bear" as the No. 4 song of 1960.

"Maybe Tomorrow'" is a song by English rock and roll singer Billy Fury, released as his debut single in January 1959. It peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Baby Talk" is a 1959 song by Jan and Dean which was a Top 10 hit for them on Dore Records. Jan Berry worked on the song with friends and Dore Records staffers Lou Adler and Herb Alpert on the song. Alpert recalled recording the song in Jan's garage. Later that year it was also covered by Simon and Garfunkel who were known as Tom and Jerry at the time. While not usually considered part of the "surf pop" genre, it contains many elements of what would become the signature sound of southern California in the early 60's such as the close vocal harmonies combined with falsetto sounds.

"Till There Was You" is a song written by Meredith Willson for his 1957 musical play The Music Man, and which also appeared in the 1962 movie version. The song is sung by librarian Marian Paroo (Barbara Cook on Broadway, Shirley Jones in the film) to Professor Harold Hill (portrayed by Robert Preston) toward the end of Act Two. It became a hit for Anita Bryant in 1959 and was later covered by The Beatles in 1963.

"Sandy" is a song written by Terry Fell and performed by Larry Hall. It reached #15 on the U.S. pop chart in 1960. It was featured on his 1960 album "Sandy" and Other Larry Hall Hits!

"Love You So" is a song written by Ron Holden and performed by Holden featuring The Thunderbirds. It reached #7 on the U.S. pop chart and #11 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1960. It was featured on his 1960 album Love You So...

"Please Don't Touch" is the debut single by English rock and roll group Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, released in 1959 reaching number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.