This Day In Music History: The Four Aces and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing

This day in music history, October 8th 1955, The Four Aces had the #1 song in the country with “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.” It was the third #1 song in the history of the Billboard chart. It was the first song that was written for a movie that was number one on the charts in the rock and roll era. Other rock and roll songs had appeared on movie soundtracks but they were written before the movie was thought about. They were later added to cash in on the then new music craze. “We’re Gonna Rock Around The Clock” was part of the Glenn Ford film the “Blackboard Jungle” but it was written two years before the film was produced.
“Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” was written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. While the Four Aces recorded it and took the song to the top of the charts they were not the first artist approached to do the song. Movie producer Buddy Allen asked Fain and Webster to write a song called “A Many Splendored Thing” for his new film. They showed the song to the producer. He loved it and said it should be a hit. However, they changed the name of the film to Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. They quickly wrote a new song. They showed it to Allen and he sent them to see Al Newman who was scoring the film. Newman liked it and gave the song a spot in the film. Sammy Fain took a demo of the song to some well known singers like Nat “King” Cole, Doris Day and Eddie Fisher. They all turned it down. Finally, they asked the Four Aces. The group was on the verge of breaking up at the time.
The Four Aces were from Chester, Pennsylvania. Its members were Al Alberts, Dave Mahoney, Sol Vaccaro and Lou Silvestri. Before the rock and roll era they had 16 hits. When Alberts left for a solo career the group faded from the music scene.
When their recording of the song went to #1 the other artist who had turned it down before eventually covered the tune themselves.
It was #1 on this day in 1955 for one week. Later it returned to the position on October 22, 1955 for a total of 2 weeks as the top song in the country. In the 70’s it was used in another film. The movie was Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.