1955 Songs: Pledging My Love

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Wow, this song is 70 years old now? I’ve been saying that a lot this month, haven’t I? This is one of the most memorable songs of the 50s, and it’s hard to choose whether it was the song or the circumstances that caused its popularity. I’d hope the song, because it’s gorgeous. Here it is. Pledging My Love - Johnny Ace The story goes that on Christmas Day, 1954, Johnny Ace (né John Alexander Jr.) was playing with a gun and decided it’d be a good time for a game of Russian roulette. Witnesses, including Big Mama Thornton (who originally did “Hound Dog”), said that he was NOT necessarily doing that, but just carelessly waving the gun around. He told his bass player that the gun wasn’t loaded, then Ace pointed it to his head and said, “See? Bang!” Those were his last words. He was 25. This song, co-written by the owner of Ace’s record label, is stunning. Trade papers, however, said that the aftermath of Ace’s death spurred the demand for the record. It was a #1 R&B song, and made the pop top 20. Since then, this has been covered over 500 times (according to Second Hand Songs…my first encounter with the song was Teresa Brewer’s version when I was a kid) and featured in a number of movies. It’s an amazing love song, sung by someone who left us all, as so many others did, to wonder “what if.” Pledging My Love Written by Don Robley and Ferdinand Washington Recorded by Johnny Ace Released as a single, 1955 Forever my darling: