music.wikisort.org - Composition
"Mr. Custer" is a march novelty song, sung by Larry Verne, and written by Al De Lory, Fred Darian, and Joseph Van Winkle.
| "Mr. Custer" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Larry Verne | |
| from the album Mister Larry Verne | |
| B-side | "Okeefenokee Two Step" |
| Released | 1960 |
| Genre | Novelty |
| Length | 3:04 |
| Label | Era |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
Background
It is a comical song about a soldier's plea to General Custer before the climactic Battle of the Little Bighorn against the Sioux, to allow him to stay behind, because he had a bad dream about the battle.[1]
Chart performance
It was a No. 1 song in the United States in 1960, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the issue dated October 10, 1960, and remained there for one week. On the US Hot R&B Sides chart, it went to No. 9. It also reached No. 1 in Canada, September 12, 1960.
In 1964, Verne recorded and released a sequel novelty song titled "Return of Mr. Custer," which used the same melody and music arrangement, but it failed to chart.
Reception
In a retrospective review for his Number Ones column, Stereogum writer Tom Breihan panned the song, giving it one star out of ten while calling it "offensive", "morally wrongheaded", and "unlistenable musically".[2]
Chart history
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Sequel
A follow-up record, "Return of Mr. Custer (Please Mr. Sittin' Bull)" was released in 1964.[11]
Cover versions
- "Mr. Custer" was also a No. 12 success in the UK Singles Chart for Charlie Drake in 1960, his third such chart hit.[12]
- Novelty/country singer-songwriter Ray Stevens covered this song for his 1969 album Gitarzan.
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1960 (U.S.)
References
- Bronson, Fred (1992). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits - revised & enlarged. New York: Billboard Books. pp. 76. ISBN 0-8230-8298-9.
- Breihan, Tom (March 7, 2018). "The Number Ones: Larry Verne's "Mr. Custer"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 603.
- Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 8, 1960
- Flavour of New Zealand, 10 November 1960
- "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1960-11-02. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
- Flavour of New Zealand, 24 November 1960
- Musicoutfitters.com
- Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1960
- Demented Music Database: Return Of Mr. Custer - Larry Verne
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 167. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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