FEDERAL 12114; DECEMBER 1952

 

Closing out 1952 with a song designed to conjure up early to mid 1951 hardly sounds like the best way to wrap up a pretty eventful year in rock ‘n’ roll with so many new and exciting plateaus being reached over the past twelve months.

Even though the record The Dominoes were referencing here had been one of the most enduring hits of the previous year, not to mention their defining performance, it’s not as if they were struggling since then and needed to recall their last moment of relevance before they slipped off the radar entirely. They’d reeled off hit after hit since that time including another massive chart topper last spring. It’s a curious decision to revisit the past when their future still seemed bright, especially when nobody at all would dispute the claim of The Dominoes still reigning as rock’s premier group.

But in a way this is actually the perfect way to close out the year, as this record – depending on your point of view – codifies the huge gains made by rock ‘n’ roll over the past few years, or provides a friendly reminder that even the most celebrated acts are always living on borrowed time.

Both are crucial lessons to be learned by everyone.
 
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